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Covid variant from India may grow to be dominant in Nice Britain

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A patient and paramedic outside ambulance at the Royal London Hospital, London during England’s third national lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Picture date: Thursday January 21, 2021.

Yui Mok – PA Pictures | PA pictures | Getty Images

LONDON – The variant of coronavirus, which first appeared in India, could become the dominant strain of the virus in the UK in a matter of days, scientists have warned.

Great Britain is noticing a rapid spread of the Covid variant “B.1.617”, which first appeared in India last October and is considered to be responsible for a wave of infections that has hit the South Asian nation in recent months.

B.1.617 has three sublines, each with slightly different mutations, according to the World Health Organization. Variant B.1.617 was named a “variant of concern” by the WHO last week and on May 7 the UK named subline B.1.617.2 a variant of concern. Since then, the UK has seen almost double cases caused by the variant.

On Monday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock informed UK lawmakers that 2,323 cases of variant B.1.617.2 had been confirmed in the UK, up from 1,313 last Thursday. He said 483 of those cases were spotted in coronavirus outbreaks in the northern English cities of Bolton and Blackburn, where he said it has become the dominant burden as cases there doubled in the past week and “increased across all age groups.” “- although hospital stays were stable. There are now 86 local authorities with five or more confirmed cases, Hancock added.

The UK has introduced “surge vaccinations” in the hardest hit areas to protect as many people as possible from the virus and variant, which initial evidence suggests is more transmissible.

Early data shows that the Covid vaccines currently in use are still effective against the new variant, a government official said on Monday, although there is now a race to vaccinate younger age groups and anyone who has not previously accepted the vaccine.

There are already concerns within the government that the UK’s target date for ending all restrictions on social contact, June 21, may be reconsidered amid the proliferation of the new variant.

Experts are sounding the alarm that it is likely that the variant is already anchored. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, told the Guardian newspaper on Monday that the India variant could overtake a more transmissible variant of Covid (known as B.1.1.7)) This occurred in the UK last fall and has become a dominant strain in the country and other parts of the world.

“There is no evidence that the recent rapid increase in the B.1.617.2 variant shows any signs of slowing,” he told the newspaper. “This variant will overtake (the Kent variant) and become the dominant variant in the UK for the next few days if it has not already done so.”

Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, told CNBC Tuesday that vaccines looked like vaccines would prevent infection with the Indian variant, but it is now difficult to stop the spread.

“It is very difficult to contain these more transmissible variants once they are in the world,” he told CNBC’s “Street Signs Europe”. “What we have in the UK right now is obviously a race between the virus and the vaccinations.”

How serious is it

That the variant poses potential problems for the UK, a country with a high Covid vaccination rate (nearly 70% of the adult population had at least one dose of vaccine and nearly 40% had two doses), is not a good sign for other countries that are continuing their vaccination programs lag behind, especially in Europe.

The WHO has said that the Indian variant has been discovered in all European countries. By May 11, variant B.1.617 had been discovered in 44 countries in all six WHO regions, the organization announced in its last weekly update.

A panel of experts noted in the British Medical Journal on Monday that “there are many things we know and many things we do not know about variant B.1.617.2” but that “we know enough to say that this is new variant could be very serious. “

“We know that it is spreading rapidly (doubling roughly every week in the UK and nearly tripling from 520 to 1,313 cases last week) that it is establishing itself in a number of areas across the country,” wrote Dr. Stephen Reicher of the University of St. Andrews and Dr. Susan Michie and Dr. Christina Pagel from University College London, who are experts in advisory groups (SAGE and Independent SAGE) that provide scientific advice to the government.

“Compared to the dominant variant B.1.1.7, we know that B.1.617.2 is very likely to be more transmissible and possibly better transmitted between people who are fully vaccinated,” they added.

“We don’t yet know how much of the faster transmission is due to the characteristics of the variant itself as opposed to the characteristics of the infected, and … we do not yet know if and to what extent the new variant undermines the ability of vaccines to protect us from infection, hospitalization and death, or prevent us from passing infections on to others, “they added.

They found that SAGE’s worst-case scenario modeling suggests that if B.1.617.2 were 40-50% more transferable than variant B.1.1.7, it would lead to an increase in hospital admissions that could be worse than January 2021, “and also escapes The more vaccines, the higher the level could be.”

For now, however, they warned that “we don’t know enough to know exactly how serious it would be if it became the dominant line in the UK”.

US inventory futures increased after Wall Avenue begins the week in modest losses

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Pedestrians walk past Nasdaq on September 3, 2020 in New York.

Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images

Futures contracts linked to major US stock indices rebounded Tuesday from slight losses in the previous session following better-than-expected gains from Home Depot and a rebound in technology stocks.

The Dow Jones Industrial average futures rose 90 points. S&P 500 futures gained 0.3%. The futures on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index gained 0.7%.

Home Depot stocks rose 2% in early trading and are likely to add to their 20% year-to-date gains. The retailer reported earnings of $ 3.86 per share for the previous quarter, well above the $ 3.08 forecast by Refinitiv analysts. Net sales rose 32.7%, more than expected.

Walmart shares rose 1% in premarket trading after posting strong grocery sales and strong ecommerce growth for the quarter.

The most important technology stocks were higher in the pre-market. Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft were higher in premarket trading. Nvidia gained 1%.

On Monday, ongoing weakness in technology stocks caused major indices to decline.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 54.34 points, or 0.2%, to 34,327.79. The S&P 500 lost 0.3% to 4,163.29 as the tech sector pulled back 0.7%. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.4% to 13,379.05.

Big tech stocks fell earlier in the week, with Apple and Netflix each falling 0.9%. Microsoft lost 1.2% while Tesla fell more than 2% when famous investor Michael Burry revealed a large short position in the electric car maker.

High growth stocks have remained under pressure in recent sessions as investors fret whether an inflation spurt locks in or tips over, as the Federal Reserve expects. Extended inflation above the Fed’s 2% target could cause the central bank to tighten monetary policy and dampen stocks that outperform the market when interest rates are low.

“Rising inflation data has widened the gap between secular growth stocks, which depend on lower and longer interest rates, and value investments that require a steeper yield curve,” wrote Lisa Shalett, chief investment officer, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

“While markets expected the data to gradually change due to the economic reopening, the scope of the surprises was overwhelming, driving stock volatility and market indices up from all-time highs,” she added. “The imbalance between supply and demand for raw materials, manufactured goods and even labor explains much of the surge in inflation and supports the argument that the trend is temporary.”

Investors blamed this fear for the dismal performance of the S&P 500 last week, with the broad market index falling 4% by mid-week on rising inflation fears. The broad equity benchmark eventually rebounded, down 1.4% for the week.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, which is particularly sensitive to inflation fears, fell 2.3% last week. The blue chip Dow fell 1.1% over the period. All three benchmarks had their worst week since February 26th.

The Fed’s minutes of its last meeting, released on Wednesday, could provide some clues as to how policymakers thought about inflation.

Elsewhere, the first quarter earnings season ends with more than 90% of the S&P 500 companies reporting their results. To date, 86% of the S&P 500 companies have reported a positive EPS surprise, which is the highest percentage of positive earnings surprises since 2008 when FactSet began tracking this metric.

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Tips on how to lastly go paperless at house as a result of it is a factor of the previous

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Illustration for article titled How To Finally Go Paperless At Home Because It Is A PastPhoto: Kagai19927 (Shutterstock)

Going paperless doesn’t have to be limited to office work. Between online bill payment and services like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cell, CashApp, and Venmo, you can get rid of almost all of your finance-related problems. But why stop there? Going paperless can apply to virtually any area of ​​your life. Here are some ways to make the full transition at home.

Sign up for electronic bank statements

You can register for electronic account statements via your bank’s website or app. If you haven’t already, sign up for online banking. Once you have done this, you will be asked if you would prefer electronic statements and digital correspondence. Agree to the terms and provide an email address that you will check regularly so that you can keep track of your finances online.

Download online bill payment apps

Almost every bill you pay has an online platform or app that you can use to manage and pay your debt. Download them as needed and save them in a single folder on your device to keep your digital life organized too. Most apps can be found in your iPhone or Android app store.

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However, if you don’t have a million different apps, this is a good place to go simplification or Truebill to consolidate and easily track all of your billing information in one place. Just make sure you have signed up for e-bills and bank statements so that you no longer receive paper bills. Some banks like Allied Bank or Carillon run completely online.

Have your signature digitized

This process used to be a bit of a chore as you captured, uploaded and uploaded a picture of your signature Remove the background for easy insertion into a PDF or Word document. While you can still do this, there is an easier way: if you have a Mac with PDF Preview, you can create a saved signature. Just open a PDF on your Mac and click “Tools,” choose “Leave a Comment,” then “Signature.” You’ll see another drop-down menu with the option to “Manage signatures” and the option to “Create a signature.” You will be asked to use the trackpad to draw your signature (don’t worry, you can try as many times as you want)

The preview also accepts an image of the signature with the computer camera while you are under “Manage Signature”. The signature is saved in the preview so it can be used on any document that you need to sign. Just follow the same instructions.

If you need signatures from yourself and others, you should sign up for a digital signature service like Docusign and Hello sign. They are a convenient way to request a signature, have a document signed, and get a digital copy for your records. If you need other ways to electronically sign your documents, please see our guide Here.

Scan and clean up all of your old paperwork

Take a day (or a weekend or a week) to digitize all important documents. Once that’s done, it’s time to get rid of the paper that is already in your house.

You want to scan important documents like contracts and medical records. (Even better if you can find a digital copy in your inbox somewhere). You want to keep the original copies of Federal documents such as birth certificates, vaccination certificates, and marriage certificates, but you should still search these for an online backup. This makes them easier to replace if necessary.

Outside of a physical scanner have online platforms like Google Drive Scanning functions This is how you can take a picture of a document and upload it directly to your drive. We reported about the benefits of scanning apps like Scanbot for Android in the past, with features that are especially helpful for receipts and other documents.

How to unsubscribe from junk mail

It used to be really helpful to send vouchers and offers home. Now that newsletters are emailed and social media does everything, most catalogs are just added to our piles of trash and it can be difficult to stop those emails from being sent.

Fortunately, there are sites like Catalog selection and Eco cycle to stop the rush of junk mail. Websites like this one turn to the catalogs or credit card companies and turn off mailers for you. They do the legwork so you can remove papers from your house without them piling up again.

If you’d like to manually turn off credit card offers and mailers, check the fine print of your incessant promotions for the toll-free number terms to get off their marketing lists. It will be like playing a punch in the mouth though, so using a service like Catalog Choice or Ego-Cycle is an easier option.

Get used to saving documents as PDFs

Once everything is digitized and erased, get into the habit of keeping it that way. When you receive an invoice, invoice or form, click “Print” and select “Print”.save as PDF“Instead of printing them out. Store your files in a safe place with two-factor permissions and relax knowing that you have a lot more physical space in your house and that organizing your digital folders is a lot easier than a pile Paper.

Shock, we’re married! Secret star weddings and elopements

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Here is one way to avoid having to do the “chicken dance”.

On Monday, May 17th, E! News learned that over the years, two Hollywood couples have joined the long list of duos who have quietly married without tipping their fans.

The latest additions to the club are Justin Hartley and Sofia legs, along with Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez.

As for the singer “Positions”, a source told E! The news that the couple, who got engaged in December before tying the knot that weekend, had agreed to a small celebration would be perfect.

“They always wanted an intimate ceremony,” the insider explained. “They decided to get married last weekend because their dates are getting better and better and nobody wanted to wait.”

Meanwhile, Justin and his former co-star The Young and the Restless haven’t revealed any details about their wedding. The two started speculating on marriage for the first time on Saturday May 1st when they were spotted with ribbons on their ring fingers in Malibu.

How one can make mother and father with power and suppleness

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Illustration for article titled How to Become a Parent with Strength and FlexibilityPhoto: Vasyl Dolmatov (Getty Images)

A big part of parenting is setting up rules, expectations, and boundaries, and then enforcing them. Every parent learns at some point that if we don’t follow our rules, they’ll pick them up very quickly and begin to test the strength of our determination each round. Let them skip brushing their teeth only once and they will plead every night for the next month to skip the job.

But sometimes we find ourselves in a constant battle over a rule or routine that we started a long time ago. If we think about it long and hard, we may not even be able to remember why we made this particular rule – we just throw up our hands and say, “Good! As you like! “Feels like an invitation to push back other rules as well.

That’s why one of the parents wrote to me Meghan Leahy, Washington Post columnist for advice. They had struggled to get their eight- and ten-year-olds to shower and set the table for dinner at 6 p.m. each night – to the point where the eight-year-old skipped dinner in favor of play instead. While it is unclear why it was so important to have the shower before dinner or why dinner had to be on the table at that very time, the rule had created an inflexibility in the house that was just not worth it.

How Leahy explains::

As our children grow up and develop, we parents need to remain flexible and strong. In my book Parenthood out of boundsI compare our upbringing to swamp grass. It’s ingrained and strong, but extremely flexible on top. To avoid or bypass unnecessary power struggles, you need to zoom out and ask yourself, “Is the limit I hold on to an important value? Or is it about me and fear? “

By creating boundaries that are about values ​​and not “because I said so” you have a great opportunity to develop with your children. You are rooted and strong where you need to be and open and flexible when the family demands it.

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The “swamp grass” analogy is a more helpful version of the classic “choose your battles” parenting advice. We know that we have to give up certain things so that every day isn’t an hour-long battle of wills. But deciding which battles to fight and which to surrender can be difficult right now. Run the debate through the “Does this maintain an important value or do I want compliance for compliance?” Filter. actually gives us a more consistent measure of when to be firm and when to be flexible.

Indeed, in the case of these parents, the core value might be having the family sit down for dinner every evening (or most nights). To achieve this and to alleviate the lingering headaches that result from having the kids showered and presented at a fully set table until 6 p.m., they can postpone the shower time later or let the kids clean up the plates instead of setting the table, or move back the meal time by half an hour.

If you do any of these things, the core value stays rooted and you have the flexibility to choose how you actually want to achieve it.

Every thing for you: Sheng Siong Inventory and Dividend Information, Cash Information

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Sheng Siong, one of our local supermarkets, has been getting stronger on the back of Covid-19. If you are looking to add this grocer to your portfolio, there are some things you should know about dividends before you hit the buy button.

Sheng Siong, an inland supermarket, is a publicly traded stock that requires little introduction.

When news broke on May 14 that Singapore would enter Phase 2 (heightened alert), Sheng Siong’s share price rose 10 percent in one day.

Sheng Siong has more than 60 stores across the island, mostly in the neighborhood rather than in malls. They pride themselves on offering quality products that are great value for money.

Food and household products aside, frequent Sheng Siong shoppers are familiar with Sheng Siong lucky draws and competitions, where shoppers can win attractive prizes.

Sheng Siong also made the news last year with her silent acts of kindness, giving money for funerals for 30 years to promote a greater “kampung spirit.”

Before you decide to add Sheng Siong to your portfolio, there are a few important details you should know.

Sheng Siong’s growth in 2020 and beyond

Sheng Siong has been a beneficiary of the Covid-19 situation and has released outstanding numbers since the outbreak of the pandemic.

In the first quarter of 2021, Sheng Siong’s net income rose 6.5 percent year over year to $ 30.9 million. This despite the comparison with a relatively high base due to the demand for Covid-19 in the first quarter of last year.

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If we look at fiscal 2020 as a whole, Sheng Siong’s net income rose an impressive 83.7 percent year-over-year to $ 139.1 million.

Most people will remember the 16-month bonus some Sheng Siong employees received and the many memes from Sheng Siong that followed – a clear indication of their solid sales performance.

Sheng Siong’s CEO also mentioned that the group is determined to expand its presence in Singapore, especially in locations that do not have Sheng Siong stores.

They also aim to improve profitability by increasing gross margin – this is done through better cost efficiency in the supply chain and changing the sales mix to include more fresh produce.

Sheng Siong’s share price has seen a gradual upward trend in recent years, trading around $ 1.6 in May 2021, compared to less than $ 1 in 2018. Many investors choose Sheng Siong for its dividends rather than capital gains in their portfolio.

How Much Do You Get When You Own Sheng Siong Stock?

Sheng Siong usually pays dividends twice a year. This year, 2021, Sheng Siong will pay dividends of S $ 0.03 per share in May of this year. Ex-dividend day (the last day investors can buy Sheng Siong shares to receive dividends) was May 7th.

This means that if you own 10,000 Sheng Siong shares, you will receive dividends worth $ 300 on May 20th (the date the dividend will be paid).

In the past five years, Sheng Siong’s dividends have risen across the board. 2020 was a great year for investors with the highest dividend per share ever.

year Dividend per share yield
2020 $ 0.053 3.19 percent
2019 $ 0.035 2.11 percent
2018 $ 0.034 2.05 percent
2017 $ 0.034 2.05 percent
2016 $ 0.037 2.20 percent

Sheng Siong Dividend Payout Date: Based on historical data, Sheng Siong typically issues dividends every two years, especially in May and August.

While a two to three percent return might not be the most impressive (Singapore bank stocks and real estate mutual funds can offer higher returns), it’s still worth thinking about as it will help your wealth beat inflation with low volatility. This could also be a great way to diversify your portfolio.

Why Invest in Sheng Siong Stock?

The lines at Sheng Siong cashiers are significant. In such uncertain Covid-19 times, supermarkets like Sheng Siong continue to thrive. People still need to visit the supermarket for groceries and household items that will be needed at home for long periods of time.

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Sheng Siong is aimed at Heartlanders, offering quality products at affordable prices. Aside from groceries, there are other compelling reasons for locals to buy groceries from Sheng Siong rather than other supermarkets.

This includes the frequent raffles and up to 12 percent cashback that you get when you spend on a credit card such as the BOC Sheng Siong card. Seniors aged 60 and over receive a three percent discount every Wednesday for the whole of 2021.

Above all, dividends were constantly being paid out and increased due to Covid-19. If you are an investor looking to add a stock that will add to a steady passive income stream, Sheng Siong should be considered.

What Are the Risks of Investing in Sheng Siong?

Sheng Siong isn’t the only grocery store in Singapore. People like NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant and even HAO Mart are giving Sheng Siong a run for his money.

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However, it is also worth noting that different grocery stores have their own unique appeal, and in some cases special products are sold on the shelves.

Redmart, Pandamart, and Grab Mart are emerging online supermarkets that also offer door-to-door delivery to their customers – a huge draw for consumers who don’t have time to head out or just avoid the crowds.

While stocks like Sheng Siong have had good days since Covid-19 began, it is possible that pedestrian traffic and supermarket purchases will decline if the tide turns and travel and dining fully resumes.

How to Invest in Sheng Siong Stock?

To buy Sheng Siong shares, you must have a brokerage account. If you plan to hold the stock for an extended period of time, you can also open a CDP (Central Depository) account and store your Sheng Siong shares there.

Since Sheng Siong is listed on the SGX, be sure to choose a brokerage account that provides access to Singapore stocks.

This article was first published on SingSaver.com.sg. All content is displayed for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional financial advice.

US corporations bearing the brunt of Trump’s China tariffs, Moody’s says

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A Chinese and US flag on a booth during the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai, November 6, 2018.

Johannes Eisele | AFP | Getty Images

American companies are bearing most of the cost burden from the increased tariffs introduced at the height of the US-China trade war, Moody’s Investors Service said.

The rating agency said in a report on Monday that US importers absorbed more than 90% of the additional costs resulting from the US 20% tariff on Chinese goods.

This means that US importers will pay around 18.5% more for a Chinese product subject to this 20% tariff, while Chinese exporters will get 1.5% less for the same product, according to the report.

If tariffs persist, pressure on US retailers is likely to increase, resulting in greater passage to consumer prices

Moody’s Investors Service

“Much of the customs charges have been passed on to US importers,” Moody’s said in the report.

“If tariffs stay in place, pressure on US retailers is likely to increase, leading to more swirling through to consumer prices,” the agency added.

During the tenure of former US President Donald Trump, higher trade tariffs came into force. Most of these tariffs have remained and affect more than half of all trade flows between the US and China, Moody’s said.

US tariffs on Chinese goods averaged 19.3% on a trade-weighted basis in early 2021, while Chinese tariffs on American products were around 20.7%, according to the think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Before the US-China trade war in early 2018, US tariffs on Chinese goods averaged 3.1%, while Chinese tariffs on American goods averaged 8%.

This is the way to allow caller ID bulletins in your Android telephone

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The Google Phone app can now announce Caller ID for incoming calls aloud, so you know who’s calling without even looking at your phone. The new feature is available worldwide for all Android phones that use the Google Phone app for calls.

Caller ID Announcements don’t seem like a massive new feature, but they can be helpful in many situations.

Most people check Caller ID before answering a call when their phone is nearby. However, sometimes your phone will ring when it’s across the room or when you’re doing something else, such as speaking. B. wash the dishes. All of a sudden, you have to decide: quickly stop what you’re doing so you can check Caller ID before the phone stops ringing, or ignore it and miss a potentially important call.

Caller ID announcements also make it easier to review unwanted calls, especially when used in conjunction with the Google Assistant’s call review features. And they are an important accessibility feature for visually impaired people who rely on audio feedback and voice commands to operate their smartphones.

Regardless of the reason, the availability of caller ID prompts in one of the most widely used Android phone calling apps means that you can enable them natively on your phone without the need for third-party apps.

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How to enable caller ID announcements on Android

Illustration for article titled Your Android Phone Can Now Announce Who Is CallingScreenshot: Brendan Hesse

First, install the latest Google Phone app updates or Download it from the Google Play Store if it is not installed on your device.

With the current app, you can now activate announcements of caller IDs in the Google Phone settings:

  1. Open the Google Phone app.
  2. Tap the three-dot icon and select Settings> Caller ID Announcement.
  3. Tap “Announce Caller ID” Then choose one of the following options: “Always”, “Only when using a headset” or “Never.” You can close the app when you’re done.
  4. The next time you receive a call, the caller ID will be read aloud.

[9to5Google]

TI and Tiny are being investigated for alleged sexual assault towards girls

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According to the report, the alleged victim alleged that TI forced her to ride with him on his tour bus to Los Angeles and to have sex with her against her will. She claimed TI took her ID away the next day and forced her to go to Miami, where she had sex with several women without her consent.

Back in March, Tyrone A. Blackburn held a press conference calling for TI and Tiny to be investigated.

“The criminal allegations extend over 15 years of methodical, sadistic abuse of women in various locations around the country,” the lawyer said at the time. “This matter is ongoing and I suspect it will evolve over time as more people get in touch.”

During the press conference, Tyrone described allegations made by six anonymous women over alleged incidents between 2005 and 2018. The allegations against TI, Tiny and their staff included allegations of substance abuse and sexual assault, including rape.

According to letters from Tyrone to the California and Georgia Attorneys General, E! News, the lawyer is representing 11 people – 10 women and one man – who have made allegations against the star.

In January one of the 11 people Sabrina Petersonclaimed TI had previously put a gun to her head. She did not disclose when the alleged incident occurred.

Sabrina also posted a series of DM screenshots of more than a dozen anonymous women accusing “Whatever You Like” and Tiny of sexual abuse.

At the time, the TI representative denied these allegations, telling E! News in a statement: “Mr. and Mrs. Harris want to be on record and, most importantly, want the public to know that they strongly deny the egregiously appalling allegations Sabrina Peterson made against them. The Harrises have been in trouble.” with this woman for well over a decade. They take this matter very seriously and if these allegations don’t end they will take appropriate legal action. “

In February, a spokesman for MTV Entertainment told NBC News that production of the couple’s unspoken series TI & Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle had been suspended amid allegations.

“Given the gravity of the allegations, we have decided to stop production for more information,” the statement said.

Patent waiver and impression on international vaccine provide bottlenecks

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Losing intellectual property protection for Covid-19 vaccines will not help address global supply bottlenecks, the co-founder of a Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company told CNBC.

The demand for patent waivers is “political theater” and does not inherently allow others to make safe and effective vaccines that are already very difficult to make, said Jake Becraft, CEO and co-founder of Strand Therapeutics.

His company doesn’t make Covid-19 vaccines, but is developing a platform to develop programmable messenger RNA drugs that can trigger the body’s immune response to fight disease.

“We have to commit ourselves to what we already manufacture and scale this worldwide as much as possible,” Becraft said Monday in CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia”.

Lack of vaccine

Due to the global shortage of Covid-19 vaccines, some countries have searched for supplies to launch their vaccination programs. Indeed, India – the world’s largest vaccine maker – is facing domestic shortages in the midst of a devastating second wave.

Health experts, rights groups and international medical charities have argued that there is an urgent need to abandon intellectual property rights in order to address the global vaccine shortage and avoid prolonging the health crisis. It is because many countries, especially in Asia, are affected by new waves of infections due to mutated Covid variants.

However, vaccine makers argue that such a move could disrupt the flow of raw materials and result in less investment by smaller biotech innovators in health research.

Last year India and South Africa submitted a joint proposal to The World Trade Organization waives intellectual property rights in Covid vaccines.

Known as Trips Waiver – or trade-related intellectual property rights – the plan has been blocked by some high-income countries, including the UK, Switzerland, Japan, Norway, Canada and the European Union. France, for example, argued that the way to step up global vaccination is for vaccine-producing nations to increase their exports.

While the United States initially blocked the proposal, the Biden government said earlier this month it supports the waiver of intellectual property rights for Covid-19.

Increase in the supply chain

Becraft said the vaccines have to be made in very controlled, high-tech facilities and that the technology required doesn’t exist around the world. This means that despite a patent waiver, some countries do not have the expertise to manufacture their own vaccines.

Instead, Becraft suggested incentivizing pharmaceutical companies like Moderna, Pfizer, and BioNTech to roll out the technology to manufacturing facilities around the world.

“If we want vaccines that are safe and effective, we need to encourage these companies to actually build manufacturing capacities around the world,” he said.

“We have to go to Moderna, we have to go to BioNTech and say, ‘What do you need to transfer your technology to these developing countries?'” Becraft said.

When vaccines aren’t available to everyone around the world, there’s always a risk of a variant of Covid that makes vaccines ineffective, he added. “All of our progress up to this point will be in vain.”

Nisha Biswal, president of the US-India Business Council, agreed that waiving a patent will not resolve the issue of increasing vaccine supply to the rest of the world.

With a patent waiver, it would take months or years for the technology, raw materials and production capacity to meet the required standard So that countries can manufacture their own vaccines, she told CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia on Monday.

Instead, the focus should be on helping countries that already make vaccines increase their production.

“Many of these (vaccine) manufacturers are already in discussions with India and Indian companies about how they can try to make some of these products in India,” said Biswal. “This is probably a faster and more efficient way than talking about no trips.”

Strand Therapeutics’ Becraft added that longer term, world governments need more funding and infrastructure support to provide pharmaceutical companies with manufacturing facilities around the world.

Last week BioNTech announced that it would set up a manufacturing facility in Singapore to manufacture its mRNA-based vaccines.

– CNBC’s Silvia Amaro contributed to the coverage.

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