Hello from Friends! Here is a quick look at what's new in our work to fight AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria in the age of COVID-19.
Private Sector Calls for $4 Billion for Global Fund in COVID-19 Legislation
  • On Tuesday, Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Johnson & Johnson and others from the private sector called on Congress to allocate money for the global fight against COVID-19, including $4 billion for the Global Fund.

  • "We are global companies based in the United States and in other countries who are deeply concerned with the evolution of the pandemic in low- and middle-income countries. A second, more deadly wave of COVID-19 is developing in several African countries."

  • "This funding would make an immediate, life-saving impact, would push other G20 donors to increase their contributions and would clearly demonstrate American leadership in the battle against COVID-19."
New Report: Ending Tuberculosis
  • Last week, we partnered with the Zero TB Initiative, TAG, RESULTS, Partners In Health and AVAC to release a new report on how the world can end the tuberculosis epidemic. The report highlights six locations around the world where communities made impressive progress to significantly reduce TB cases and deaths.

  • Following the release of the report, we hosted a conversation on Twitter, "What Do Members of Congress Need to Know About TB?" Participants in the conversation included the Global Health Council, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, USAID and the Global Fund. See what they had to say.
Fauci: "It's Got to Be a Global Effort"
On February 2, Dr. Fauci told Chris Hayes on MSNBC: "When you're dealing with a pandemic, if there's a good degree of infection and spread in any part of the world it's always a threat to where you are. So if you really want to crush a pandemic, it's got to be a global effort."
During the White House COVID-19 Response Briefing, Fauci was clear about the long-term risks of uncontrolled spread around the globe: "The only way we're going to completely stop mutants is if we stop this throughout the world."
SFRC Chairman Menendez on the Critical Work of the Global Fund
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez spoke on the Senate floor about the need for global action from the U.S. on COVID-19 and the crucial role of the Global Fund.

  • "The longer we allow COVID-19 to ravage health systems around the globe, the longer it will remain a threat to the United States."

  • "The resolution will also help us protect two decades of investments to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria through the Global Fund."

  • "It also provides resources to support the Global Fund's newly developed COVID-19 response mechanism, allowing countries to better prevent, care for and treat this disease."
CNN: On Vaccines, Africa is Being Left Behind as Cases Surge
  • "African nations are being left behind in obtaining COVID-19 vaccines as richer countries stockpile vaccines and prioritize their own populations -- despite a surge in cases and a new variant affecting the continent."

  • "South Africa is the country worst affected by COVID-19 in Africa, recording nearly 1.5 million cases to date and more than 45,000 deaths. Its health ministry told CNN global competition forced it to purchase the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine from the Serum Institute of India at nearly double the price -- $5.25 per dose, according to Reuters -- paid by other wealthier countries."
Safely Reopening Requires Testing, Tracing and Isolation, Not Just Vaccines
In Scientific American, Peter Sands and Achim Steiner write that vaccines won't be enough to end the global pandemic - and won't come fast enough to the world's most vulnerable communities:

  • "Delivering two-dose vaccines with stringent cold-chain requirements to almost eight billion people, many of whom reside in communities with underfunded and strained health systems, is no small feat."

  • "The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator has found that at the cost of just 77 cents per world citizen, easy-to-use, affordable and reliable tests could be made available to everyone, everywhere, helping save at least nine million lives and prevent over 1.5 billion COVID-19 infections in [low- and middle-income countries]. However, only 20 million of the 500 million tests that the ACT Accelerator has called for have been procured and distributed."

  • "Giving governments the resources and capacity needed to build the test, trace and isolate systems around unified public health objectives will mitigate the degree to which we must rely on hard-to-distribute vaccines and lockdowns to control the pandemic, helping prevent further economic hardship."
How COVID-19 Has Damaged AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Progress
We're tracking the intersection of COVID-19 and AIDS, TB and malaria. See regular updates on our website.
Global Health News
  • Josh Rogin: The United States is Still Failing to Lead the Coronavirus Battle Abroad (Washington Post)
  • Come Work With Us: We're Hiring an Advocacy Manager (Friends)
  • Africa’s Recovery From COVID-19 Will Be Slow (The Economist)
  • Key Takeaways From Our #FriendsHealthChat with Dr. Raji Tajudeen (Friends)
  • USAID Nominee Power Calls for US to Lead on Global COVID-19 Response (Devex)
Be sure to check www.theglobalfight.org for the latest. Thanks for your support.
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