Good Day BIO: We need U.S. leadership in global vaccinations

That’s the message of an open letter published today by two dozen leaders in government and business (including BIO). 

By the numbers: The U.S. is averaging 100,000+ new cases per day—numbers not seen since the winter—with transmission levels considered “high” in 38 states and “substantial” in the other 12, per Bloomberg. Globally, total cases have topped 200 million, with the Delta variant surging in at least 65 countries.

“In order to gain control of the pandemic, a much more considerable effort will be required to inoculate the global population,”says an open letter to President Biden signed by more than two dozen government and business leaders, including BIO President & CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath. 

“Helping to vaccinate populations in other countries is an investment in our own safety as well as global stability,”continues the letter (which was also published in the Wall Street Journal today). “The longer the virus spreads, the more opportunity it has to mutate into new and more vaccine-resistant variants and lead to the further breakdown of societies.” 

We already have tools available to help. The three vaccines authorized in the United States—Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer/BioNTech—have all shown to be highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death from the Delta variant.

Now, we need to get them to “every country in need,” continues the letter. “There would be no better way to advance both laudable goals than to orchestrate a global plan with U.S. leadership in partnership with the G-7 to distribute the world’s most proven vaccines to every country in need.” 

The bottom line: Sharing vaccines will help stop COVID in its tracks—but weakening IP protections won’t.

Questions about routine vaccines? Visit the CDC’s National Immunization Awareness Month resource center or Stronger, an initiative to stop the spread of vaccine misinformation. 

Questions about COVID vaccines? Visit www.COVIDVaccineFacts.org.  

More Health Care News:

Science: The overlooked superpower of mRNA vaccines
“They prevent symptomatic disease, curb hospitalization, and reduce death. But for public health purposes, a vaccine's mastery at something less obvious is equally important: the ability to prevent even asymptomatic infection.”

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released an extensive report showing that many severe impacts of human-induced global warming are inescapable. Here’s a look at the findings—and how biotech can help prevent some of the worst outcomes.

The bad news: “Even if nations started sharply cutting emissions today, total global warming is likely to rise around 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next two decades, a hotter future that is now essentially locked in,” says a New York Times summary of the 1,300 page report.

The slightly better news: While we can expect more flooding, fires, and heatwaves, “there is still a short window to prevent the most harrowing future,” continues The New York Times. 

Limiting human-induced global warming requires “limiting cumulative CO2 emissions, reaching at least net zero CO2 emissions, along with strong reductions in other greenhouse gas emissions,” says the report’s key findings. 

Sustainable aviation fuel is one promising solution.Made from renewable biomass and waste feedstocks, SAF can reduce GHG emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel. 

Listen: This company is creating jet fuel with zero carbon footprint 

SAF producers are making significant investments in sustainable agriculture and biomanufacturing, too—like LanzaTech, which uses carbon recycling to produce everything from low-carbon household cleaners and perfumes to polyester. 

And with gene editing, we can empower plants to capture even more carbon, reduce food waste, and cut fertilizer use.  

“Strong, rapid and sustained reductions in CH4 [methane] emissions would also limit the warming effect resulting from declining aerosol pollution and would improve air quality,” the report continues—another area where biotech can help. 

The bottom line: It’s a little too late to stop climate change entirely, but we can lessen the damage—if we deploy innovative biotech solutions.

President Biden’s Tuesday: This afternoon, he’ll receive a briefing from FEMA and the Homeland Security and COVID-19 Response teams on how the pandemic is impacting hurricane preparedness. Meanwhile, more discussions on who might lead FDA, per POLITICO.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The Senate’s meeting at this very moment to vote on the infrastructure bill, with the roll call vote scheduled for 11 AM ET. Meanwhile, Democrats are looking ahead to a budget “that would spend $3.5 trillion on health care, child and elder care, education and climate change,” says The New York Times. And if you thought it might be a slow August, keep your phone nearby at the beach—because drug price controls are on the agenda, says Axios.