G20 leaders want Covid vaccines distributed fairly and equitably, and will move to cement that pledge today.

“Leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies on Sunday will pledge to pay for a fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests around the world so that poorer countries are not left out, and to extend debt relief to them, a draft G20 communique showed.

“We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people, consistent with members’ commitments to incentivize innovation,” the leaders said in the draft G20 statement, seen by Reuters. “We recognize the role of extensive immunization as a global public good.”

The leaders said the global economy was starting to pick up but the recovery remained “uneven, highly uncertain and subject to elevated downside risks.””

Yes, lets’ talk about the elevated downside risks for a moment. No, I’m not talking about a virus surge. I’m talking about the new shutdowns that Democrat governors have mandated starting this week. In Colorado, restaurants are being closed to indoor dining. Have you LIVED in Colorado in the fall and winter?? Dining outside in a blizzard sounds like LOADS of fun for the restaurant staff and diners. The guidelines are arbitrary, very intrusive, and demonstrate little regard for the businesses and employees. The Denver Post published a story showing jobless claims going up, and wondered why this is happening. At the same time, the Denver Post ALSO published a story about how 10% capacity is so restrictive that gyms wonder if they can survive. 

So the lagging and cratering economy is definitely a downside risk to continuing lockdowns and people dealing with this Covid crap. Which is why it was also nice to see the G20 leaders pledge to help defray the debt loads that are and will happen over the next months. 

Leaders of the 20 biggest economies are debating this weekend how to distribute Covid-19 vaccines, drugs and tests around the world so that poorer countries are not left out as nations look for ways to manage a post-coronavirus recovery. https://t.co/Sx640sVtfH

— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 21, 2020

Let’s talk about another risk. The vaccines themselves. Pfizer and Moderna are close to having their highly effective vaccines available to deploy. What ISN’T helping is that Democrat candidates (Hi Kamala!), and Governors such Emmy winner Andrew Cuomo are telling the world that any vaccine or therapeutic such as Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody, deployed DURING the Trump Administration is suspect. Which plays into anti-vax fears. What also isn’t helping is skepticism from front-line doctors and nurses. It seems that 66 percent of LA healthcare professionals won’t take either vaccine if offered. Not only that, but one-third of nurses from the American Nurses Association won’t take the vaccine. They want DATA first. 

“We are vaccines’ greatest champions, but this is the first time that a new vaccine has been developed at a rapid pace in the middle of a pandemic, as opposed to a much longer timeline,” Susan Bailey, a physician in Fort Worth and president of the American Medical Association, said in an interview.

“What I hear from physicians is some of the same concerns that are expressed by everyone. They worry the process has been politicized. They are concerned because they haven’t see any published data yet. And they don’t feel comfortable making the decision one way or another until they see the evidence,” Bailey said.

The vaccines were developed too fast! Different processes were used! How do we know this will work? Do they SERIOUSLY think that President Trump was playing mad scientist in the basement of the White House?? Probably given this from anti-vaxer Robert F. Kennedy.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr: COVID19 vaccine should be avoided at all cost | Principia Scientific Intl. https://t.co/UhQzGyQGXt

— Gerard Batten (@GerardBattenUK) November 21, 2020

What those healthcare professionals are forgetting is that science, research, and lab technologies are considerably more advanced than even when the horrendous Swine Flu (H1N1) was sweeping through the country while Obama/Biden fiddled around. 

On the upside, as the G20 moves to help ensure all get the vaccines and debt relief, we are also finding out that death rates are dropping, especially among the elderly.

This virus is one that is the most dangerous for the elderly, as we know from what Andrew Cuomo did with his nursing home edicts, and as Scott Johnson has tracked for months in Minnesota. So, seeing that the rate of death among the elderly is dropping is a breath of good news.

Furthermore,  immunity may last for years.

“How long might immunity to the coronavirus last? Years, maybe even decades, according to a new study — the most hopeful answer yet to a question that has shadowed plans for widespread vaccination.

Eight months after infection, most people who have recovered still have enough immune cells to fend off the virus and prevent illness, the new data shows. A slow rate of decline in the short term suggests, happily, that these cells may persist in the body for a very, very long time to come.

The research, published online, has not been peer-reviewed nor published in a scientific journal. But it is the most comprehensive and long-ranging study of immune memory to the coronavirus to date.”

We are all learning more and more about this virus every day. It is something that has impacted the world in ways large and small. The repercussions will be felt for years if not decades. The G20 leaders are moving correctly to provide resources and funding to ensure that vaccines are available to all, and debt relief sent where it is needed most. 

Feature Photo Credit: world virus shot by qimono via Pixabay, cropped and modified