American Consequences - June 2020

to make the vaccine available to almost every person on the planet. We’ve never delivered something to every corner of the world before. And... vaccines are particularly difficult to make and store. There’s a lot we can’t figure out about manufacturing and distributing the vaccine until we know what exactly we’re working with. Many other experts agree with Gates’ 18-month timeline for a vaccine. Even that would be an incredible feat considering the fastest a vaccine has ever been developed is five years. That’s a long time to spend “flattening the curve.” Meanwhile, we’re flattening the economy. And that’s without considering what would happen if a “second wave” of the virus were to hit... I like to listen to doctors who don’t have politicians looking over their shoulders. And from what I’ve seen, we’re much more likely to see a second wave of the virus before we see a vaccine. Some experts say a second wave in the fall or winter is almost inevitable. What do you think a second wave will do to the market’s expected V-shaped recovery? AN UNSTOPPABLE WAVE OF BANKRUPTCIES And even if we don’t see a second wave of the virus, we must worry about another dangerous “wave”... This wave is unstoppable. And thanks to our economic slowdown, it’s already forming today.

time to search before being battered by several more waves. Finally, Edie managed to climb on to some nearby rocks... and realized that she suffered wounds on her legs so deep that she could see her bones. Dehydrated and physically drained, Edie somehow found the strength to hike up the rocks and along the shore until she was rescued. While being treated, she reunited with Matt, who had also managed to survive. Sadly, her sister and mother weren’t as fortunate... They died that day, along with nearly 230,000 other people in the deadliest tsunami in world history. We can learn an important lesson from survivors of tsunamis like Edie... No matter what, be prepared for more than one wave . Look, I’m not a pessimist... I hope there isn’t a second wave and that things go “back to normal” soon, too. But hope alone is not enough. Hope is what’s driving the stock market today. The market rallies on every glimmer of hope, every promising study of a potential vaccine... no matter how small or early-stage they are. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has poured billions into studying viruses and finding vaccines. He said we shouldn’t expect a vaccine in less than 18 months. And even after that, Gates knows it’s still an uphill battle. As he wrote on his Gates Notes blog in April... We need to manufacture and distribute at least 7 billion doses of the vaccine. In order to stop the pandemic, we need

American Consequences

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