Global Vaccine Action Plan papers
Research article Open access
Global vaccine action plan lessons learned I: Recommendations for the next decade
Noni MacDonald, Ezzeddine Mohsni, Yagob Al-Mazrou, Jon Kim Andrus, … Alejandro Cravioto
Pages 5364-5371
Global Vaccine Action Plan papers
Research article Open access
Research article Open access
Global Vaccine Action Plan Lessons Learned II: Stakeholder Perspectives
Angela Hwang, Chantal Veira, Stefano Malvolti, Thomas Cherian, … Carsten Mantel
Pages 5372-5378
Global Vaccine Action Plan papers
Research article Open access
Research article Open access
Global Vaccine Action Plan lessons learned III: Monitoring and evaluation/accountability framework
Thomas Cherian, Angela Hwang, Carsten Mantel, Chantal Veira, … Alan Hinman
Pages 5379-5383
Global Vaccine Action Plan papers
Research article Open access
Discussion Open access
The global vaccine action plan monitoring and evaluation/accountability framework: Perspective
Thomas Cherian, Narendra Arora, Noni E. MacDonald
Pages 5384-5386
Media/Policy Watch
This watch section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media and selected think tanks and similar organizations on vaccines, immunization, global public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.
We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.
The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Government invests £100m to ‘scale up’ Covid-19 vaccine at Braintree facility
23 July 2020
The government is investing £100m in a new centre to ensure any successful Covid-19 vaccine can be mass produced in the UK.
It is upgrading an existing facility in Braintree into a state-of-the-art Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Innovation Centre.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said it would have the capacity to produce “millions of doses” each month.
It is due to open in December 2021.
The new centre will complement the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), under construction in Oxfordshire, which will be able to produce enough vaccine doses to serve the entire UK population.
Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine appears safe and triggers an immune response
20 Jul 2020
The UK government has secured early access to millions of doses of potential Covid-19 vaccines that are being prepared by medical researchers.
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 25 July 2020
Person in the News
Sarah Gilbert, the researcher leading the race to a Covid-19 vaccine
July 24, 2020
…The vaccinology professor at Oxford university’s Jenner Institute had been preparing for just such a momentous event. Her lab had developed technology to create vaccines against virulent viruses. As soon as Chinese scientists published genetic details of the new coronavirus — providing a target for vaccine development — she moved ahead at full speed. This week, Oxford published encouraging results from the first phase of testing of its ChAdOx1 vaccine, showing it generated antibodies and immune cells to recognise and kill the Sars-Cov-2 virus responsible for Covid-19….
Coronavirus
Rich country vaccine rush threatens supply security |
July 23, 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Jul 20, 2020
Over 100,000 People Volunteered For Covid-19 Vaccine Trial In Less Than Two Weeks
At least 30,000 volunteers are needed for each of the four companies that plan to launch Phase 3 trials in the U.S.
By Daniel Cassady Forbes Staff
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020 | [No new, unique, relevant content]
[No new, unique, relevant content]
The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Boris Johnson says ‘anti-vaxxers are nuts’ | Society | The Guardian
24 July 2020
Covid-19 kills scores of health workers in war-torn Yemen
23 July 2020
New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Medical Dispatch
The Long Game of Coronavirus Research
Warp-speed vaccine trials grab our attention, but more deliberate work is just as urgent.
By Jerome Groopman
July 23, 2020
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Business
Corporate Insiders Pocket $1 Billion in Rush for Coronavirus Vaccine
Well-timed stock bets have generated big profits for senior executives and board members at companies developing vaccines and treatments.
By David Gelles and Jesse Drucker
PRINT EDITION July 26, 2020
Business
Asia Today: Amid New Surge, India Tests Potential Vaccine
India began its first human trials of a novel coronavirus vaccine candidate as the world’s second-most populous country recorded nearly 49,000 new cases.
By The Associated Press July 24
U.S.
U.S. Panel Charged to Plan Fair Distribution of Eventual COVID-19 Vaccine
U.S. public health officials on Friday charged a group of independent scientists and ethicists with developing guidelines to determine who should get the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, once one becomes available.
By Reuters July 24
Europe
Human Trials of Second Russian COVID-19 Vaccine to Start July 27-TASS
Human trials of second potential coronavirus vaccine, developed by the Siberian Vector institute, will begin on July 27, the TASS news agency cited Russia’s consumer safety watchdog as saying on Friday.
By Reuters July 24
U.S.
Exclusive: EU Eyes COVID-19 Vaccines at Less Than $40, Shuns WHO-Led Alliance-Sources
The European Union is not interested in buying potential COVID-19 vaccines through an initiative co-led by the World Health Organisation as it deems it slow and high-cost, two EU sources told Reuters, noting the bloc was in talks with drugmakers for shots cheaper than $40.
By Reuters
Asia Pacific
WHO Scientist Sees Regulators Cooperating to Speed COVID-19 Vaccine Approval
Regulators that normally work within their own countries or regions will likely harmonize efforts on potential COVID-19 vaccines to speed up their approvals once they become available, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Friday.
By Reuters July 24
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Editorial Board – Countries should stop hacking each other and start cooperating on a vaccine
Jul 25, 2020
Video
Dr. Anthony Fauci details the COVID-19 vaccine timeline
Dr. Anthony Fauci says we will likely know if a potential coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective by the end of December of this year. “It is likely that in the beginning of next year we would have tens of millions of doses available…as we get into 2021, several months in, you would have vaccine that would be widely available to people in the United States.”
Washington Post Live · Jul 24, 2020
Think Tanks et al
Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new relevant content]
Center for Global Development [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 25 July 2020
Testimony on Critical US Supply Chains Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Publication
7/24/20
On July 23, 2020, CGD Senior Fellow Prashant Yadav appeared before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade at a hearing titled “Trade, Manufacturing, and Critical Supply Chains: Lessons From COVID-19.” Yadav’s testimony noted the vulnerabilities in supply chains for medical products clearly exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined key considerations for US policy toward medical supply chains moving forward.
Vaccine Preliminary Results: Here Is Why We Need to Exercise Caution
July 23, 2020
As vaccines complete the different phases of development (pre-clinical, phase I, phase II, phase III, regulatory review, and license), results will be published in the scientific literature and announced to the public through the media and press releases. We our currently working as part of a larger group to interview experts and give better guidance on the timelines and probabilities of success for a vaccine against COVID-19. In the meantime, it is important not to read too much into early stage results—this is why.
Anthony McDonnell et al.
Chatham House [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
[No new relevant content]
CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Transcript
Online Event: A Conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci
July 24, 2020
Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 25 July 2020
July 23, 2020
Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines
What Is the World Doing to Create a COVID-19 Vaccine?
The race to find a vaccine for the new coronavirus is well underway. Governments and researchers are aiming to provide billions of people with immunity in eighteen months or less, which would be unpr…
Backgrounder by Claire Felter
Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new relevant content]
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19
News release
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 15 July 2020 – The World Health Organization and UNICEF warned today of an alarming decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world. This is due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to new data by WHO and UNICEF, these disruptions threaten to reverse hard-won progress to reach more children and adolescents with a wider range of vaccines, which has already been hampered by a decade of stalling coverage.
The latest data on vaccine coverage estimates from WHO and UNICEF for 2019 shows that improvements such as the expansion of the HPV vaccine to 106 countries and greater protection for children against more diseases are in danger of lapsing. For example, preliminary data for the first four months of 2020 points to a substantial drop in the number of children completing three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3). This is the first time in 28 years that the world could see a reduction in DTP3 coverage – the marker for immunization coverage within and across countries.
“Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in the history of public health, and more children are now being immunized than ever before,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “But the pandemic has put those gains at risk. The avoidable suffering and death caused by children missing out on routine immunizations could be far greater than COVID-19 itself. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Vaccines can be delivered safely even during the pandemic, and we are calling on countries to ensure these essential life-saving programmes continue.”
COVID-19 disruptions
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 30 measles vaccination campaigns were or are at risk of being cancelled, which could result in further outbreaks in 2020 and beyond. According to a new UNICEF, WHO and Gavi pulse survey, conducted in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, three quarters of the 82 countries that responded reported COVID-19 related disruptions in their immunization programmes as of May 2020. The reasons for disrupted services vary. Even when services are offered, people are either unable to access them because of reluctance to leave home, transport interruptions, economic hardships, restrictions on movement, or fear of being exposed to people with COVID-19. Many health workers are also unavailable because of restrictions on travel or redeployment to COVID response duties as well as a lack of protective equipment.
“COVID-19 has made previously routine vaccination a daunting challenge,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “We must prevent a further deterioration in vaccine coverage and urgently resume vaccination programs before children’s lives are threatened by other diseases. We cannot trade one health crisis for another.”…
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
COVAX – More than 150 countries engaged in COVID-19 vaccine global access facility
:: Seventy-five countries submit expressions of interest to COVAX Facility, joining up to 90 further countries which could be supported by the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC)
:: The COVAX Facility, and the AMC within it, is designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world, rich and poor, to make rapid progress towards slowing the pandemic
:: Interest from governments representing more than 60% of the world’s population offers ‘tremendous vote of confidence’ in the effort to ensure truly global access to COVID-19 vaccines, once developed
Geneva/London, 15 July 2020 – Seventy-five countries have submitted expressions of interest to protect their populations and those of other nations through joining the COVAX Facility, a mechanism designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.
The 75 countries, which would finance the vaccines from their own public finance budgets, partner with up to 90 lower-income countries that could be supported through voluntary donations to Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Together, this group of up to 165 countries represents more than 60% of the world’s population. Among the group are representatives from every continent and more than half of the world’s G20 economies.
“COVAX is the only truly global solution to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “For the vast majority of countries, whether they can afford to pay for their own doses or require assistance, it means receiving a guaranteed share of doses and avoiding being pushed to the back of the queue, as we saw during the H1N1 pandemic a decade ago. Even for those countries that are able to secure their own agreements with vaccine manufacturers, this mechanism represents, through its world-leading portfolio of vaccine candidates, a means of reducing the risks associated with individual candidates failing to show efficacy or gain licensure.”
The COVAX Facility forms a key part of the COVAX pillar (COVAX) of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers. COVAX aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.
It will achieve this by sharing the risks associated with vaccine development, investing in manufacturing upfront so vaccines can be deployed at scale as soon as they are proven successful, and pooling procurement and purchasing power to achieve sufficient volumes to end the acute phase of the pandemic by 2021.
“This early level of interest represents a tremendous vote of confidence in COVAX and our shared goal to protect people around the globe through the fair allocation of a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. “COVAX offers an innovative solution to the gravest public health crisis in living memory. It will speed up the availability of safe and effective vaccines through early investment in manufacturing capacity, and maximise the chances of success by backing a broad and diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates. Through COVAX our aspiration is to be able to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of the population of every country that participates, regardless of income level, by the end of 2021. Ensuring fair access is not only a matter of equity; it is the fastest way to end this pandemic”
The goal of COVAX is by the end of 2021 to deliver two billion doses of safe, effective vaccines that have passed regulatory approval and/or WHO prequalification. These vaccines will be delivered equally to all participating countries, proportional to their populations, initially prioritising healthcare workers then expanding to cover 20% of the population of participating countries. Further doses will then be made available based on country need, vulnerability and COVID-19 threat. The COVAX Facility will also maintain a buffer of doses for emergency and humanitarian use, including dealing with severe outbreaks before they spiral out of control.
“The COVID-19 pandemic, like every health crisis, also presents us with opportunities,” said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist. “A vaccine that is affordable and accessible to all will help us address systemic health inequalities. We need all countries to support COVAX to achieve this goal and bring an end to the acute phase of the pandemic.”
The success of these efforts will ultimately depend on securing enough funding from governments and commitments from vaccine manufacturers to participate at a scale large enough to deliver a global solution. The formal expressions of interest submitted are non-binding; the COVAX pillar will now begin a process of consultation with all 165 countries, with countries funding vaccines through their own domestic budgets being required to provide an upfront payment and a commitment to purchase doses by the end of August to secure involvement in the COVAX Facility.
Significant progress has been achieved by the COVAX partners to date, with seven of the nine candidate vaccines supported by CEPI already in clinical trials. A memorandum of understanding with AstraZeneca also commits them to supply 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to COVAX.
In addition, in June Gavi launched the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), a financing instrument aimed at incentivising vaccine manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of eventual COVID-19 vaccines to ensure access for developing countries. The Gavi COVAX AMC has already raised close to US$ 600 million against an initial target of US$ 2 billion from high income donors as well as the private sector. Gavi will also work with developing countries to assure readiness of supply and cold chain and training to reach high risk groups.
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Project Syndicate
Opinion
The Fastest Way Out of the Pandemic
Jul 15, 2020 Seth Berkley , Richard Hatchett, Soumya Swaminathan
During the 2009 swine flu pandemic, a few countries cornered the vaccine market, leaving the vast majority of the global population with no vaccine at all until the outbreak was effectively over. This scenario must be avoided at all costs during the current crisis – and, thanks to the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, it can be.
…COVAX employs a radically different approach. In addition to using “push” financing – direct investment in research, development, and manufacturing – it uses “pull” financing, in the form of advance purchase commitments for large numbers of doses upon licensure. This provides powerful incentives for the private sector to support urgent vaccine development.
Moreover, COVAX pools government resources to fund scaling up the most promising candidates even before clinical trials are completed. That way, when approval comes, large quantities of vaccine doses will be ready to go. Already, WHO is working with a range of stakeholders, including member states and civil-society organizations, to develop and implement a mechanism for equitable and fair allocation of vaccine doses, once they become available.
COVAX will support only vaccine candidates that are developed in accordance with the highest possible safety standards. By working with experts around the world to develop target product profiles, share best-practice testing models, facilitate multi-country clinical trials, and promote regulatory harmonization, COVAX will establish a new benchmark for rapid, safe, and efficacious vaccine development and delivery.
We cannot afford to leave our economies on their current path for much longer. As global GDP shrinks – the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank forecast about a 5% contraction in 2020 – poverty and hunger are rising sharply. With the world economy losing more than $10 billion each day, shortening the pandemic by even a few days would more than offset the costs of COVAX. Global collaboration – where risks and benefits are shared equally – has never been a better value proposition.
New England Journal of Medicine
July 14, 2020
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2025111
Editorial
The Covid-19 Vaccine-Development Multiverse
Penny M. Heaton, M.D.
Leaving in its wake more than 12 million infections, over 550,000 deaths, and an economic toll in the trillions of dollars to date,1 the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has devastated the most vulnerable in our society — adults 65 years of age or older, persons with underlying conditions, and the economically deprived.2 A vaccine is urgently needed to prevent Covid-19 and thereby stem complications and deaths resulting from transmission of the disease.
Jackson et al. now report in the Journal preliminary findings from a phase 1 trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.3 Phase 1 involves 45 healthy adults, 18 to 55 years of age, who were assigned to receive the candidate vaccine at one of three dose levels (25 μg, 100 μg, or 250 μg) given as two vaccinations 28 days apart. These preliminary findings represent the first of three reports of data from a phase 1 study of this candidate vaccine; a second report including similar data from adults older than 55 years of age and a final report summarizing the safety and durability of immunity for both study cohorts are also planned.
The speed with which this vaccine has been developed is remarkable — from publication of the first SARS-CoV-2 sequences through phase 1 in 6 months, as compared with a typical timeline of 3 to 9 years (Figure 1). The rapid pace of development of vaccines against Covid-19 is enabled by several factors: prior knowledge of the role of the spike protein in coronavirus pathogenesis and evidence that neutralizing antibody against the spike protein is important for immunity4,5; the evolution of nucleic acid vaccine technology platforms that allow creation of vaccines and prompt manufacture of thousands of doses once a genetic sequence is known6; and development activities that can be conducted in parallel, rather than sequentially, without increasing risks for study participants.
The safety and immunogenicity data in this preliminary report are promising, and they support continued development of this vaccine. However, we must bear in mind the complexity of vaccine development and the work still to be done before Covid-19 vaccines are widely available.
Many phase 3 studies fail because of incorrect identification of the dose that best balances safety and efficacy.7 The dosing regimen for this mRNA vaccine is still under study. The 250-μg dose did not appear to be associated with markedly higher antibody titers than the 100-μg dose, but it was associated with a higher proportion of severe systemic adverse events. As the investigators indicate, it is prudent to evaluate doses of 100 μg and lower to define the regimen that provides the most appropriate benefit–risk profile for this vaccine. Another special dosing consideration in this case is age: the immune functions that decline with age and that are likely to be responsible for the greater risk of severe Covid-19 in older adults may also lead to poor vaccine responses. Will a high-dose Covid-19 vaccine be needed for effective protection of older adults, as observed with influenza vaccines?8
The clinical significance of SARS-CoV-2 binding and neutralizing antibody titers and their ability to predict efficacy will need to be confirmed. These measures are currently being used to guide dose selection before being verified; they are the best tools available and are supported by findings in nonhuman primates.9 Confirmation of the correlation between antibody titers and protection against Covid-19 will be possible only in a large clinical efficacy study. In the meantime, the validity of the assays for measuring antibody will also need to be documented. These assays are notoriously variable because they use live virus or protein expression in cell culture with a readout that relies on an in vitro biologic reaction (i.e., serum antibodies binding or killing viral antigen). Optimization of the performance characteristics of these assays will be invaluable in streamlining further development and supporting bridging across varied populations and manufacturing processes.
The authors indicate that a planned phase 3 trial of this mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is imminent; the trial will require thousands of subjects in order to confirm the safety of the vaccine and to show statistically robust efficacy in preventing Covid-19. The operational complexity inherent in a large study is compounded by the undulations of the pandemic; efficacy can be determined only if there is a match between the location of vaccinated participants and pandemic hot spots. Uncertainty regarding the expected efficacy profile also drives complexity; the profiles observed for other viral vaccines suggest that efficacy against severe Covid-19 may be higher than efficacy against mild disease. Careful selection of primary end points and event-driven study designs with the possibility of sample size reestimation should be considered.
Accelerating the development of Covid-19 vaccine candidates beyond phase 1 depends on continued parallel tracking of activities and fulsome resources. The world has now witnessed the compression of 6 years of work into 6 months. Can the vaccine multiverse do it again, leading to a reality of a safe, efficacious Covid-19 vaccine for the most vulnerable in the next 6?
EMERGENCIES
Coronavirus [COVID-19]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Situation report – 180 – WHO
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
18 July 2020
Confirmed cases :: 13 876 441 [week ago: 12 322 395]
Confirmed deaths :: 593 087 {week ago: 556 335]
Highlights
:: WHO has published an interim checklist for local authorities on Practical actions in cities to strengthen preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The checklist accompanies the interim guidance on Strengthening preparedness for COVID-19 in cities and urban settings.
:: The WHO Regional Office for Europe joined the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF to issue a policy paper on how to strengthen protection against, and address, social and economic shocks such as those caused by the pandemic.
: Ghana’s nurses are delivering child healthcare services to communities in need amid COVID-19. Segla, a community nurse who provides preventive healthcare to children in the north of Accra, emphasized the importance of visiting households if pediatric patients do not attend clinics due to COVID-19
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WHO urges greater COVID-19 health services in Africa’s humanitarian settings
16 July 2020
Brazzaville – The World Health Organization (WHO) today called for greater access to COVID-19 detection, testing and care among vulnerable populations grappling with the impacts of protracted conflict and humanitarian emergencies across Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to over 26% of the world’s refugees. Long-running conflicts in regions like the Sahel have led to the closure of health facilities and the flight of health workers. In Burkina Faso, 110 health facilities have been closed due to insecurity while services have been impaired in 186 others, leaving around 1.5 million people without adequate health care. In Mali’s central and northern regions, health services have been paralysed by persistent attacks. In 2019 alone, 18 attacks on health facilities were reported. So far this year, one health centre has been attacked.
“COVID-19 has exacerbated existing humanitarian challenges, particularly with regards to access to health services in many countries in the region,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “With the pandemic, we have seen some humanitarian operations delayed due to lockdowns, curfews and the restrictions of movement for both personnel and cargo vital for COVID-19 response.”
Crowded settings such as displacement camps can heighten the risk of COVID-19 transmission due to difficult access to clean water, leading to inadequate hygiene, and where physical distancing is almost impossible.
The United Nations system has activated health clusters in eight countries where the humanitarian situation requires support from the international community, including Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger and South Sudan. Although information on COVID-19 transmission in humanitarian settings remains limited so far, about 1800 COVID-19 cases have been reported in seven of these countries among the displaced, refugees, migrants or in areas affected by humanitarian crises. Due to the limited detection and testing capacity, the number is likely to be an under-estimate.
“WHO urges the humanitarian community and Member States to increase support to the millions of people in dire need of assistance in the region. If we don’t step up health services, including testing, tracing, isolation and care for people already living in precarious settings and displacement camps, COVID-19 could spark untold tragedy,” said Dr Moeti…
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Emergencies
Ebola – DRC+
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Last WHO Situation Report published 23 June 2020
Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola cases rise, surpass previous outbreak
16 July 2020
Brazzaville – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Equateur Province continues to grow, causing major concern as the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners face critical funding gaps. Confirmed cases have now surpassed the total number recorded during the province’s last outbreak in 2018.
The latest outbreak, DRC’s 11th, was declared on 1 June 2020 after a cluster of cases was detected in Mbandaka area of Equateur Province. The outbreak has since spread to six health zones, with 56 cases recorded. The city of Mbandaka and its surroundings were also the site of the country’s 9th Ebola outbreak which lasted from May to July 2018 and in which 54 cases were confirmed.
Of the 56 cases reported so far, 53 are confirmed and three are probable. In the last three weeks alone, 28 cases have been confirmed.
“Responding to Ebola in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is complex, but we must not let COVID-19 distract us from tackling other pressing health threats,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “The current Ebola outbreak is running into headwinds because cases are scattered across remote areas in dense rain forests. This makes for a costly response as ensuring that responders and supplies reach affected populations is extremely challenging.”
The ongoing Ebola response is also facing funding shortfalls. So far WHO has mobilized US$ 1.75 million, which will last only a few more weeks. Additional support is needed to rapidly scale up the efforts by WHO, the DRC health authorities and partners to ensure all the affected communities receive key services including health education and community engagement, vaccination, testing, contact tracing and treatment.
Significant achievements have been made since the outbreak began. In six weeks, more than 12 000 people have been vaccinated. During the 2018 outbreak in Equateur, it took two weeks to start vaccinations. This time around vaccinations started within four days of the outbreak being declared…
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Emergencies
POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 14 July 2020
:: A virtual meeting of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on polio eradication in Pakistan was held on 11 and 15 of June 2020. The meeting report is now available here.
:: The polio eradication programme has stepped up to help the Sudanese Ministry of Health limit spread of the COVID-19 virus. The programme is working in 14 states in the country supporting COVID-19 surveillance, information dissemination and training of health workers. Read more…
Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
:: Afghanistan: four cVDPV2 cases
:: Pakistan: two WPV1 cases and seven WPV1 positive environmental samples
:: Angola: one cVDPV2 case
:: Cameroon: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Chad: two cVDPV2 cases
:: Malaysia: one cVDPV1 positive environmental sample
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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 18 July 2020]
Somalia
:: Strengthening laboratory capacity in Somalia 17 July 2020
Democratic Republic of the Congo – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified
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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 18 July 2020]
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso [in French] – No new digest announcements identified:
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – No new digest announcements identified
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified
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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 18 July 2020]
Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – Page not responding at inquiry
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified
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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises.
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Recent Developments in Northwest Syria – Situation Report No. 17 – As of 13 July 2020
Yemen
:: 12 July 2020 Yemen: COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Monthly Report (June 2020) [EN/AR]
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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
East Africa Locust Infestation
:: Desert Locust situation update – 13 July 2020
COVID-19
:: (COVID-19) Situation Report 36: occupied Palestinian territory, issued 16 July 2020, information for period: 5 March – 16 July 2020
Highlights
:: The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 continues to surge in the West Bank with an average of 365 new cases per day since July 1
:: WHO has visited Hebron to consult with the governor and health teams on support priorities for this most affected governorate
WHO preparedness, readiness and response
:: WHO is continuing to work with partners to support Ministry of Health’s (MoH) efforts to respond to the COVID-19 situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
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WHO & Regional Offices [to 18 July 2020]
16 July 2020
News release
WHO Director-General pays tribute to Spain’s sacrifices and leadership to confront COVID-19
15 July 2020
News release
More than 150 countries engaged in COVID-19 vaccine global access facility
[See Milestones above for detail]
15 July 2020
News release
WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19
[See Milestones above for detail]
13 July 2020
News release
As more go hungry and malnutrition persists, achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 in doubt, UN report warns
::::::
Weekly Epidemiological Record, 17 July 2020, vol. 95, 29 (pp. 337–348)
:: Update on immunodeficiency-associated vaccine-derived polioviruses worldwide, July 2018–December 2019
:: Performance of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance and incidence of poliomyelitis, 2020
::::::
WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: WHO urges greater COVID-19 health services in Africa’s humanitarian settings 16 July 2020
The World Health Organization (WHO) today called for greater access to COVID-19 detection, testing and care among vulnerable populations grappling with the impacts of protracted conflict and humanitarian emergencies across Africa.
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola cases rise, surpass previous outbreak 16 July 2020
:: Ghana’s community nurses deliver child health care amid COVID-19 16 July 2020
A backpack containing simple but essential medicines and supplies is all Antoinette Nuselie Segla, principal community health nurse, needs to embark on a health outreach in Fadama, a populous community in the north of Ghana’s capital, Accra.
WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: PAHO Director calls for protection of health workers in face of the advancing COVID19 pandemic in the region of the Americas (04/07/2020)
:: Amid COVID-19 pandemic, new WHO report urges greater investments in the nursing workforce (04/07/2020)
WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: Maldives, Sri Lanka eliminate measles and rubella, ahead of 2023 target 8 July 2020 News release
WHO European Region EURO
:: New WHO study shows how Ireland can reduce health-related financial hardship and unmet need by delivering universal access to health care 08-07-2020
:: WHO/Europe expert team reaches Turkmenistan to support the country’s COVID-19 response 07-07-2020
WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: COVID-19 presents opportunities for greater collaboration on the SDGS, says WHO’s Regional Director 8 July 2020
:: WHO delivers essential COVID-19 supplies to Afghanistan 5 July 2020
WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified
CDC/ACIP [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases
Cruise ship No Sail Order extended through September 2020 Thursday, July 16, 2020
CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield and HHS Chief Information Officer Jose Arrieta Remarks on HHS Protect Thursday, July 16, 2020
CDC calls on Americans to wear masks to prevent COVID-19 spread Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Americans are increasingly adopting the use of cloth face masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, and the latest science may convince even more to do so.
In an editorial published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), CDC reviewed the latest science and affirms that cloth face coverings are a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19 that could reduce the spread of the disease, particularly when used universally within communities. There is increasing evidence that cloth face coverings help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others…
MMWR News Synopsis Friday, July 17, 2020
Update on Immunodeficiency-Associated Vaccine-Derived Polioviruses — Worldwide, July 2018–December 2019
Symptom profiles of COVID-19 cases — United States, January–April 2020
Africa CDC [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
Government of Japan supports Africa’s Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 response
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, 16 JULY 2020. The Permanent Mission of Japan to the African Union has announced a donation of US$ 1 million by the Government of Japan to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The grant is for implementing the Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19. It will be used to strengthen the capacity of Africa CDC Regional Collaboration Centres so they can support effective and efficient communication and knowledge exchange on COVID-19 among Member States, as well as to support infection prevention and control activities and improve clinical case management of COVID-19…
China CDC
http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/
No new digest content identified.
National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
July 18: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On July 17, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 22 new cases of confirmed infections.
Beijing: Number of medium-risk areas lowered to four
2020-07-17
Beijing reports no new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases for 10th day
2020-07-16
Announcements
Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 18 July 2020]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.
BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
BARDA News
No new digest content identified.
BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.
Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.gatesmri.org/
The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute is a non-profit biotech organization. Our mission is to develop products to fight malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases—three major causes of mortality, poverty, and inequality in developing countries. The world has unprecedented scientific tools at its disposal; now is the time to use them to save the lives of the world’s poorest people
NEJM
Editorial
The Covid-19 Vaccine-Development Multiverse
Penny M. Heaton, M.D.
[See Milestones above for detail]
CARB-X [to 18 July 2020]
https://carb-x.org/
CARB-X is a non-profit public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
No new digest content identified.
CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 18 July 2020]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
More than 150 countries engaged in COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility
Interest from governments represents more than 60% of the world’s population.
COVID-19
15 Jul 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]
University of Queensland vaccine becomes seventh CEPI-supported COVID-19 vaccine candidate to enter clinical trials
The first participants were today enrolled into a Phase 1 clinical trial of the University of Queensland’s candidate vaccine.
Blog
13 Jul 2020
EDCTP [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.edctp.org/
The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as well as other poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on phase II and III clinical trials
Latest news
No new digest content identified.
Emory Vaccine Center [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
mRNA Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2 Preliminary Report
European Medicines Agency [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
No new digest content identified.
European Vaccine Initiative [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.
FDA [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements
July 18, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Issues First Emergency Authorization for Sample Pooling in Diagnostic Testing
July 17, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 17, 2020
July 16, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 16, 2020
July 15, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 15, 2020
July 14, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 14, 2020
July 13, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 13, 2020
Fondation Merieux [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
No new digest content identified.
Gavi [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.gavi.org/
News releases
15 July 2020
More than 150 countries engaged in COVID-19 vaccine global access facility
[See Milestones above detail]
GHIT Fund [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 2012 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that No new digest content identified.
Global Fund [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
No new digest content identified.
Hilleman Laboratories [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.
Human Vaccines Project [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.
IAVI [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
No new digest content identified.
International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities [ICMRA]
http://www.icmra.info/drupal/en/news
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Research
No new digest content identified.
International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
News
No new digest content identified.
IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/
Announcements
No new digest content identified.
IFRC [to 18 July 2020]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Asia Pacific, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan
Red Cross Red Crescent braces for COVID spike in South Asia
Kuala Lumpur/Delhi/Islamabad/Dhaka/Geneva, 16 July 2020 – South Asia is fast becoming the next COVID-19 epicentre as cases soar in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. John Fleming, Asia Pacific Head of Health, International Federation of Red Cross and Red …
16 July 2020
Afghanistan, Asia Pacific
Race to avert COVID-19 caused catastrophes in Afghanistan
Kabul/Kuala Lumpur/Geneva, 14 July 2020: Afghanistan is on the edge of potential health, social and economic catastrophes caused by COVID-19 as the disease places a crippling burden on one of the ten most fragile states in the world. More than 34,000 p …
14 July 2020
IVAC [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
Webinar: Responding to the Impact of COVID-19 on Refugees
July 2020
Register: The International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) on July 29, 2020 at 1pm ET will host a 60-minute webinar, “Responding to the Impact of COVID-19 on Refugees.”
Description: The concern for refugee populations and their risk to preventable diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic is high. Refugee camps are home to concentrated groups of people with limited access to health services – making the spread of disease easy but the delivery of treatments difficult. Existing vaccines offer vulnerable populations a critical piece of preventative medicine, especially to children who suffer most during a humanitarian crisis. Disease modeling and humanitarian health experts at JHU will discuss what impact COVID-19 will have in terms of infections and outcomes in refugee camps, and the response needed to protect children with routine immunizations and a potential COVID-19 vaccine.
Register Here
IVI [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
No new digest content identified.
JEE Alliance [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.
MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Philippines
Displaced communities in Marawi living with COVID-19 and ongoing un…
Project Update 17 Jul 2020
Belgium
Left behind in the time of COVID-19
Report 17 Jul 2020
Burkina Faso
Displaced in Burkina Faso face extra challenges amid increasing violence and rain
Project Update 16 Jul 2020
Greece
Greek government must end lockdown for locked up people on Greek islands
Project Update 16 Jul 2020
Iraq
Displaced people are extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 in Iraq
Press Release 14 Jul 2020
Greece
Vulnerable refugees evicted and left to sleep on streets
Press Release 13 Jul 2020
National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
NVAC 2020 Meetings
September 23-24, 2020 Meeting (Virtual)
NIH [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
Experimental COVID-19 vaccine safe, generates immune response
July 14, 2020 — NIH-sponsored Phase 1 trial tested mRNA vaccine.
An investigational vaccine, mRNA-1273, designed to protect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was generally well tolerated and prompted neutralizing antibody activity in healthy adults, according to interim results published online today in The New England Journal of Medicine….
Placenta lacks major molecules used by SARS-CoV-2 virus to cause infection
July 14, 2020 — NIH study may help explain why the virus has rarely been found in fetuses or newborns of women with COVID-19.
PATH [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Selected Announcements
No new digest content identified.
Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
Sabin’s President of Global Immunization Dr. Bruce Gellin Testifies at House Briefing on Approval Processes for Safe, Effective COVID-19 Vaccine
Bruce Gellin, M.D., M.P.H., president of Global Immunization at the Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the National Vaccine Program Office at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), testified on July, 14, 2020, at the House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy’s briefing entitled “Guardrails to Ensure a Safe and Effective COVID-19 Vaccine.”
UNAIDS [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
17 July 2020
Fostering an economy of kindness through traditional bartering in Fiji
14 July 2020
Delivering antiretroviral medicines to homes in Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria
UNICEF [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press releases/Announcements
Press release
07/15/2020
WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19
WHO and UNICEF call for immediate efforts to vaccinate all children as new data shows that, before the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine coverage stalled at 85 per cent for nearly a decade, with 14 million unvaccinated infants yearly
Press release
07/13/2020
As more go hungry and malnutrition persists, achieving Zero Hunger by 2030 in doubt, UN report warns
Securing healthy diets for the billions who cannot afford them would save trillions in costs
Unitaid [to 18 July 2020]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
No new digest content identified.
Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 18 July 2020]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.
Vaccine Confidence Project [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Latest News & Archive
Event: Vaccine confidence in the time of COVID-19
The VCP will be launching a new Lancet publication analysing 5 years of global vaccine confidence trends & discussing the implications for new COVID-19 vaccines
22nd July, 2-3.30pm (BST)
This webinar will mark the launch of a five-year analysis of vaccine confidence data to be published in the Lancet on July 21st (23:30 BST embargo). “Spatio-temporal trends in vaccine confidence: a global analysis exploring volatility, polarization, and trust.” is a valuable mapping of the current global vaccine confidence landscape and trends. This webinar will present the key findings and highlights from the study and discuss the implications for the introduction of potential COVID-19 vaccines.
Register here.
Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.
Wellcome Trust [to 18 July 2020]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
Opinion | 14 July 2020
How could COVID-19 change research culture for the better?
Ben Bleasdale
Senior Policy Adviser Wellcome
COVID-19 is transforming every aspect of society – and research is no exception. But how can we use what we’ve learned in the past six months to build a better research culture?
The Wistar Institute [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Released
No new digest content identified.
WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2020/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.
::::::
ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 18 July 2020]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.
BIO [to 18 July 2020]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
BIO CEO Defends Dr. Fauci, Says Criticisms “Undermine Our Response to this Pandemic”
July 16, 2020
In response to attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci’s credibility and character, BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath issued the following statement: “As this global pandemic continues to wreak havoc, we must stand behind the scientists and…
DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
WEBINAR: Defining the concept on fair pricing for medicines
21 July 2020
IFPMA [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.
ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 18 July 2020]
https://internationalbiotech.org/
News
No new digest content identified.
PhRMA [to 18 July 2020]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
R&D Focus: 5 things to know about the biopharmaceutical research ecosystem
Jocelyn Ulrich | July 13, 2020 |
America’s biopharmaceutical companies are at the heart of a robust research and development (R&D) ecosystem that develops more innovative medicines than any other country in the world. In recent years, rapid advances in scientific discovery have ushered in a new era of medicine, transforming our ability to treat, and in some cases cure, some of the most challenging diseases, including cancer, rare diseases and autoimmune conditions. These advancements are due to the productivity of the United States’ biomedical research ecosystem, which is sustained by a policy framework that is designed to support and advance America’s leadership in the innovation of new medicines.
Journal Watch
Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review continues its weekly scanning of key peer-reviewed journals to identify and cite articles, commentary and editorials, books reviews and other content supporting our focu-s on vaccine ethics and policy. Journal Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues the Center is actively tracking. We selectively provide full text of some editorial and comment articles that are specifically relevant to our work. Successful access to some of the links provided may require subscription or other access arrangement unique to the publisher.
If you would like to suggest other journal titles to include in this service, please contact David Curry at: david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org
Annals of Internal Medicine
7 July 2020 Volume 173, Issue 1
http://annals.org/aim/issue
Latest
16 July 2020
Original Research
Hydroxychloroquine in Nonhospitalized Adults With Early COVID-19
Caleb P. Skipper, MD, et al
There is no known effective oral therapy for early COVID-19. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated effects of oral hydroxychloroquine on symptoms and disease severity in adult outpatients with early COVID-19.
Annals of Internal Medicine
7 July 2020 Volume 173, Issue 1
http://annals.org/aim/issue
Editorials
The Saga of Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19: A Cautionary Tale
Neil W. Schluger, MD
In their article, Skipper and colleagues report the results of trial of hydroxychloroquine for patients presenting with nonsevere COVID-19. The editorialists discuss the findings and the need to examine carefully not only what we know about hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19 but also how we learned it, disseminated it, and put it into practice.
BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 18 July 2020)
Rotavirus group A genotype circulation patterns across Kenya before and after nationwide vaccine introduction, 2010–2018
Kenya introduced the monovalent G1P [8] Rotarix® vaccine into the infant immunization schedule in July 2014. We examined trends in rotavirus group A (RVA) genotype distribution pre- (January 2010–June 2014) an…
Authors: Mike J. Mwanga, Betty E. Owor, John B. Ochieng, Mwanajuma H. Ngama, Billy Ogwel, Clayton Onyango, Jane Juma, Regina Njeru, Elijah Gicheru, Grieven P. Otieno, Sammy Khagayi, Charles N. Agoti, Godfrey M. Bigogo, Richard Omore, O. Yaw Addo, Seheri Mapaseka…
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2020 20:504
Content type: Research article
Published on: 13 July 2020
BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 18 July 2020)
Systems and implementation science should be part of the COVID-19 response in low resource settings
Authors: Mike English, Mosa Moshabela, Jacinta Nzinga, Edwine Barasa, Benjamin Tsofa, Bruno Marchal and Margaret E Kruk
Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:219
Content type: Commentary
Published on: 15 July 2020
BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 18 July 2020)
The role of the Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program in developing countries: the experience of Kenya
In 1988, the 41st World Health Assembly (WHA) marked the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) for the eradication of polio. A key component of the GPEI has been the development and deployment …
Authors: Brook Tesfaye, Jeevan K. Makam, Kibet Sergon, Iheoma Onuekwusi, Charles Muitherero and Alieu Sowe
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1110
Content type: Research article
Published on: 14 July 2020
BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 18 July 2020)
Parental awareness and utilization of meningococcal serogroup B vaccines in the United States
Meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) is the most common cause of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in the United States. The US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends vaccination of heal…
Authors: Amit Srivastava, Amanda Dempsey, Alex Galitsky, Mansour Fahimi and Liping Huang
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1109
Content type: Research article
Published on: 14 July 2020
BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 18 July 2020)
Barriers to childhood immunization in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
Immunization to prevent infectious diseases is a core strategy to improve childhood health as well as survival. It remains a challenge for some African countries to attain the required childhood immunization c…
Authors: Joseph Benjamin Bangura, Shuiyuan Xiao, Dan Qiu, Feiyun Ouyang and Lei Chen
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1108
Content type: Research article
Published on: 14 July 2020
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Volume 108, Issue 1 Pages: 1-161 July 2020
https://ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15326535/2020/108/1
Editorial Free Access
COVID‐19: A Defining Moment for Clinical Pharmacology?
Piet H. van der Graaf, Kathleen M. Giacomini
Pages: 11-15
First Published:29 April 2020
Ethics & Human Research
Volume 42, Issue 4 Pages: 1-40 July–August 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/25782363/current
Pregnant Women Covid‐19 Vaccine Challenge Trials Lotteries
Articles
The Pathway Forward: Insights on Factors that Facilitate Research with Pregnant Women
Anna C. Mastroianni, Robert Franceschini, Sarah L. Wicks, Leslie Meltzer Henry
Pages: 2-16
First Published: 16 July 2020
Ethics & Human Research
Volume 42, Issue 4 Pages: 1-40 July–August 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/25782363/current
Articles
Free Access
Pregnant Women in Trials of Covid‐19: A Critical Time to Consider Ethical Frameworks of Inclusion in Clinical Trials
Ruth Farrell, Marsha Michie, Rachel Pope
Pages: 17-23
First Published: 20 June 2020
Ethics & Human Research
Volume 42, Issue 4 Pages: 1-40 July–August 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/25782363/current
Why Challenge Trials of SARS‐CoV‐2 Vaccines Could Be Ethical Despite Risk of Severe Adverse Events
Nir Eyal
Pages: 24-34
First Published: 22 May 2020
Ethics & Human Research
Volume 42, Issue 4 Pages: 1-40 July–August 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/25782363/current
Advantages of Using Lotteries to Select Participants for High‐Demand Covid‐19 Treatment Trials
Alexander A. Iyer, Saskia Hendriks, Annette Rid
Pages: 35-40
First Published: 22 June 2020
Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 18 July 2020]
Open Letter metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
Supporting communities of practice – A Journey to effective problem-solving [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Christina Hanschke, James Baer, Alok Gangaramany, Janneke Verheijen, Nduku Kilonzo, Bryan Okiya, Leonard Kibe Ranji, Stephen Amolo Amolo, Simon Zwane, Rejoice Nkambule, Violet Buluma, Sylvia Ojoo, Susan Kim, Sharon Kibwana, Mark Dybul, Steve Kretschmer
Peer Reviewers Invited
Funder
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
PUBLISHED 17 Jul 2020
Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 18 July 2020]
Open Letter metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
Direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 on perinatal outcomes in low- and middle-income countries [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Felisita Tupou Ratu, Kathleen Ryan, Netsanet Workneh Gidi, Ilisapeci Vereti, Tsinuel Girma, Jeremy Oats, Ingrid Bucens, Alexandra Robinson, Claire von Mollendorf, Fiona M. Russell
Peer Reviewers Invited
Funder
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
PUBLISHED 16 Jul 2020
Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 18 July 2020]
Open Letter metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
How to engage communities on a large scale? Lessons from World Mosquito Program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Guilherme B. Costa, Ruth Smithyman, Scott L. O’Neill, Luciano A. Moreira
Peer Reviewers Invited
Funders
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Ministério da Saúde Brasil
PUBLISHED 17 Jul 2020
Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 18 July 2020]
Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus: a menace to the end game of polio eradication
Authors: Long Chiau Ming, Zahid Hussain, Siang Fei Yeoh, David Koh and Kah Seng Lee
Content type: Letter to the Editor
16 July 2020
The World Health Organisation Western Pacific Region countries were declared free of polio in 2000 until a polio outbreak involving 305 cases occurred in Indonesia in 2006. It was not until 2014 that the World Health Organisation South East Asia region was officially declared polio-free again. However, in February 2019, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative announced a new circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreak in the Papua province of Indonesia. To make matter worse, the outbreak responses were tardy and led to transmission among migrating communities to other cities. The pressing regional issues of polio outbreak caused by circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus and use of oral polio vaccine have not been well presented. Our letter highlighted the suboptimal outbreak responses as well as the necessity of cross-border vaccination to curb continued poliovirus transmission.
Health Affairs
Vol. 39, No. 7 July 2020
https://www.healthaffairs.org/toc/hlthaff/current
Food, Income, Work & More
Interview Culture Of Health
Tackling Social Determinants Of Health Around The Globe
Alan R. Weil
Open Access
Infectious Diseases of Poverty
http://www.idpjournal.com/content
[Accessed 18 July 2020]
Social innovation for health: engaging communities to address infectious diseases
Universal health coverage emphasises the value of the community-based delivery of health services to ensure that underserved populations have access to care. In areas where infectious diseases are endemic, the…
Authors: Phyllis Dako-Gyeke, Uche V. Amazigo, Beatrice Halpaap and Lenore Manderson
Citation: Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2020 9:98
Content type: Commentary
Published on: 18 July 2020
Infectious Diseases of Poverty
http://www.idpjournal.com/content
[Accessed 18 July 2020]
Estimation of exponential growth rate and basic reproduction number of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Africa
Since the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Africa was detected on February 14, 2020, the cumulative confirmations reached 15 207 including 831 deaths by April 13, 2020. Africa has been desc…
Authors: Salihu S. Musa, Shi Zhao, Maggie H. Wang, Abdurrazaq G. Habib, Umar T. Mustapha and Daihai He
Citation: Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2020 9:96
Content type: Research Article
Published on: 16 July 2020
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
July 2020 Volume 96, p1-714
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(20)X0008-7
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collection
Coronavirus 2019 and health systems affected by protracted conflict: The case of Syria
Aula Abbara, Diana Rayes, Ola Fahham, Omar Alrashid Alhiraki, Munzer Khalil, Abdulrahman Alomar, Ahmad Tarakji
p192–195
Published online: May 7, 2020
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
July 2020 Volume 96, p1-714
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(20)X0008-7
COVID-19 and religious congregations: Implications for spread of novel pathogens
Sayed A. Quadri
p219–221
Published online: May 7, 2020
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
July 2020 Volume 96, p1-714
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(20)X0008-7
Mitigating lockdown challenges in response to COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa
Leonard E.G. Mboera, George O. Akipede, Amitava Banerjee, Luis E. Cuevas, Thomas Czypionka, Mishal Khan, Richard Kock, David McCoy, Blandina T. Mmbaga, Gerald Misinzo, Elizabeth H. Shayo, Meru Sheel, Calvin Sindato, Mark Urassa
p308–310
Published online: May 10, 2020
JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update July 18, 2020
These articles on COVID-19 were published across the JAMA Network in the last week.
JAMA
July 14, 2020, Vol 324, No. 2, Pages 121-206
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue
Viewpoint
Monoclonal Antibodies for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19
Mary Marovich, MD; John R. Mascola, MD; Myron S. Cohen, MD
free access has multimedia
JAMA. 2020;324(2):131-132. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.10245
This Viewpoint discusses the potential role of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) as a treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and as a means of prevention in high-risk populations, and it also raises possible limitations of the approach that need to be disproven or addressed for the strategy to be effective.
JAMA
July 14, 2020, Vol 324, No. 2, Pages 121-206
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue
COVID-19: Beyond Tomorrow
The Urgency and Challenge of Opening K-12 Schools in the Fall of 2020
Joshua M. Sharfstein, MD; Christopher C. Morphew, PhD
free access has active quiz has multimedia has audio
JAMA. 2020;324(2):133-134. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.10175
This Viewpoint proposes a policy framework for reopening of US primary, middle, and high schools (kindergarten through 12th grade) in fall 2020, including ramping up community public health responses in the summer, symptom screening of students, and privileging return-to-school decisions for younger children and others at risk for education disparities.
Audio Author Interview: Coronavirus Q&A: Opening School in the Fall
Audio Author Interview: The Next COVID-19 Phase
JAMA
July 14, 2020, Vol 324, No. 2, Pages 121-206
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue
Regulating Medicines in a Globalized World With Increased Recognition and Reliance Among RegulatorsA National Academies Report
Lawrence O. Gostin, JD; Alastair J. Wood, MD; Patricia A. Cuff, MS, MPH
JAMA. 2020;324(2):145-146. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.21793
This Viewpoint summarizes recommendations from a 2020 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee report on ways to improve regulatory oversight of drugs in an era of global pharmaceutical research and development.
JAMA
July 14, 2020, Vol 324, No. 2, Pages 121-206
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue
Sustainability, Business, and Health
George Serafeim, DBA; Amanda M. Rischbieth, PhD; Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH
has audio
JAMA. 2020;324(2):147-148. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.8714
This Viewpoint discusses examples of how many private sector businesses have aligned their core missions with civil and human rights and sustainability reforms, and emphasizes the importance of engaging the sector in achieving public health goals and accelerating worldwide recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
August 2020 – Volume 74 – 8
https://jech.bmj.com/content/74/8
Commentary
Harnessing behavioural science in public health campaigns to maintain ‘social distancing’ in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: key principles (8 May, 2020) Free
Chris Bonell, Susan Michie, Stephen Reicher, Robert West, Laura Bear, Lucy Yardley, Val Curtis, Richard Amlôt, G James Rubin
Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
https://joppp.biomedcentral.com/
[Accessed 18 July 2020]
Unrealized potential of drug repositioning in europe during COVID-19 and beyond: a physcian’s perspective
Drug repositioning is the scientific strategy of investigating existing drugs for additional clinical indications. The advantages of drug repositioning are that it benefits patients and that it adds new indica…
Authors: A. B. Bayoumy, N. K. H. de Boer, A. R. Ansari, F. Crouwel and C. J. J. Mulder
Citation: Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice 2020 13:45
Content type: Review
Published on: 17 July 2020
Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 27, Issue 4, May 2020
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue/27/4
Editorial
Successful smallpox eradication: what can we learn to control COVID-19?
D L Heymann, MD, Profeseor, Annelies Wilder-Smith, MD, Professor
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 27, Issue 4, May 2020, taaa090, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa090
The public health community needs to learn from history and needs to regain its ability to do shoe-leather public health. If we come together collectively and use the public health tools that we have at hand, we will be successful in containing COVID-19 despite geopolitical tensions, just as we were successful in eradicating smallpox despite the Cold War at the time.
Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 27, Issue 4, May 2020
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue/27/4
Original Article
Meningococcal and pneumococcal carriage in Hajj pilgrims: findings of a randomized controlled trial
Al-Mamoon Badahdah, PhD, Marwan A Bakarman, FFCM, Ameneh Khatami, MD, Mohamed Tashani, PhD, Osamah Barasheed, MPH …
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 27, Issue 4, May 2020, taaa032, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa032
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 