WHO & Regional Offices [to 15 Aug 2020]
14 August 2020 Statement
INCB, WHO and UNODC statement on access to internationally controlled medicines during COVID-19 pandemic
[See COVID-19 above for details]

12 August 2020 News release
2 in 5 schools around the world lacked basic handwashing facilities prior to COVID-19 pandemic — UNICEF, WHO

::::::

Weekly Epidemiological Record, 14 August 2020, vol. 95, 33 (pp. 381–392)
:: Meeting of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH), June 2020 Conclusions and advice
:: Validation of maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination in 90% of the population of Mali

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: COVID-19 response in southern Nigeria boosts surveillance of other diseases 13 August 2020
In many countries, tackling the COVID-19 pandemic has taken cues from other disease approaches, such as lessons from protecting communities against Ebola. But in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, health workers have found inspiration from guarding against the coronavirus.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
No new digest content identified

WHO European Region EURO
:: Revised COVID-19 case definitions 13-08-2020
:: Measles and rubella elimination: verification process continues amid COVID-19 pandemic 13-08-2020
:: Azerbaijan response to COVID-19: better testing and contact tracing are key 11-08-2020
:: Announcing the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development: :: Rethinking Policy Priorities in the light of Pandemics 11-08-2020
:: WHO, EU supply critical COVID-19 equipment to the Republic of Moldova 10-08-2020

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Statement by WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the deaths of children in Syria’s Al Hol camp Cairo/Damascus, August 13, 2020

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified

CDC/ACIP [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases
Updated Isolation Guidance Does Not Imply Immunity to COVID-19
Friday, August 14, 2020
On August 3, 2020, CDC updated its isolation guidance based on the latest science about COVID-19 showing that people can continue to test positive for up to 3 months after diagnosis and not be infectious to others.  Contrary to media reporting today, this science does not imply a person is immune to reinfection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the 3 months following infection.  The latest data simply suggests that retesting someone in the 3 months following initial infection is not necessary unless that person is exhibiting the symptoms of COVID-19 and the symptoms cannot be associated with another illness.
People with COVID-19 should be isolated for at least 10 days after symptom onset and until 24 hours after their fever subsides without the use of fever-reducing medications.
There have been more than 15 international and U.S.-based studies recently published looking at length of infection, duration of viral shed, asymptomatic spread and risk of spread among various patient groups.  Researchers have found that the amount of live virus in the nose and throat drops significantly soon after COVID-19 symptoms develop.  Additionally, the duration of infectiousness in most people with COVID-19 is no longer than 10 days after symptoms begin and no longer than 20 days in people with severe illness or those who are severely immunocompromised.
CDC will continue to closely monitor the evolving science for information that would warrant reconsideration of these recommendations.

Africa CDC [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

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
Aug 15: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On Aug 14, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 22 new cases of confirmed infections

Inner Mongolia banner to offer free HPV shots
Juungar Banner in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, became the first area in China to offer free vaccinations against HPV for female students ages 13 to 18.

NHC responds to US health secretary’s visit to Taiwan
Updated: 2020-08-12
In response to the visit to Taiwan by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, a spokesperson of China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Aug 12 that the Taiwan question is China’s internal affairs that don’t allow external interference. The wrong US move has caused serious damage to China-US health cooperation. China urges the US to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués and stop any official interactions and contact with Taiwan. China and the US should work together to promote constructive health cooperation and safeguard the health security and well-being of the people of the two countries and the world.

Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
BARDA News
August 11, 2020: Trump Administration collaborates with Moderna to produce 100 million doses of COVID-19 investigational vaccine
[See Milestones above for detail]

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 15 Aug 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
No new digest content identified.

CARB-X [to 15 Aug 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.
08.11.2020  |
CARB-X is funding Evotec to develop a new class of broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections
CARB-X is awarding up to US$2.91 million to Evotec SE, a drug discovery and development company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, to develop a new class of antibiotics to treat infections caused by deadly multidrug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Evotec will be eligible for an additional $5.53 million in non-dilutive funding from CARB-X if project milestones are met, subject to available funds.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
CEPI reserves manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines at SK bioscience
13 Aug 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]

EDCTP [to 15 Aug 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
14 August 2020
Annual Report 2019 – steering a portfolio for impact

Emory Vaccine Center [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

European Vaccine Initiative [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

FDA [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements
August 15, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization to Yale School of Public Health for SalivaDirect, Which Uses a New Method of Saliva Sample Processing

August 14, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 14, 2020

August 13, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 13, 2020

August 12, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 12, 2020

August 11, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 11, 2020

August 10, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 10, 2020

Fondation Merieux [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.gavi.org/
News releases
No new digest content identified.

GHIT Fund [to 15 Aug 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 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News/Updates
Updates
Country Coordinating Mechanism Evolution: Implementation
12 August 2020

News
Global Fund Launches Search for Inspector General
10 August 2020
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has launched a search for its next Inspector General.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
Press Release
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
Features
August 10, 2020
Expanding access to monoclonal antibody-based products: A global call to action
A roadmap to making monoclonal antibodies, one of the most powerful tools in modern medicine, affordable and available to all.
… IAVI has teamed with Wellcome, the independent global charitable foundation, to produce a call to action entitled Expanding Access to Monoclonal Antibody-based Products.
The call to action asks global health stakeholders, both public and private, to make four parallel and vital commitments to ensure equitable access to mAbs:
:: Increase awareness that mAbs save lives and need to be more affordable and widely available.
:: Facilitate broader licensure of mAbs across the globe.
:: Invest in and apply new technologies to lower mAb production and development costs.
:: Create new business models to enable innovative market approaches that promote global access.
…IAVI and Wellcome will launch a series of webinars, virtual meetings, and publications to engage key stakeholders in taking concrete actions to make the recommendations in the report a reality…

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 15 Aug 2020]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Lebanon
Beirut Explosion: Urgent relief for survivors underway as IFRC appeals for 20 million Swiss francs
Geneva, 9 August 2020 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) appealed today for 20 million Swiss francs (US$ 21.8 million dollars) to rapidly scale up emergency medical support and economic relief for survivors of …
9 August 20

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index
Media highlights
Press Release
As COVID cases hit 20M, David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC, raises alarm on growing numbers in fragile contexts
August 10, 2020

IVAC [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
Honoring a life-long advocate for vaccine science and equity
[Undated]

Gordon Dougan, professor in the Department of Medicine at Cambridge University and IVI Board Member, awarded the 2020 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal
…George Bickerstaff, Chairperson of IVI’s Board of Trustees, congratulated Dougan on his award: “Gordon’s receipt of the Sabin Gold Medal is an outstanding and highly deserved recognition of a true innovator in vaccinology. His contributions will continue to shape vaccine development and delivery, and we at IVI are incredibly fortunate to have his expertise in vaccine science and global health on our Board.”…

JEE Alliance [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Lebanon
MSF provides medical and mental health support to Beirut’s most affected communities
Project Update 12 Aug 2020

Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic
RESPONDING TO COVID-19: Global Accountability Report – March to May 2020
Report 10 Aug 2020
This report is the fi rst in a series of accountability reports and operational snapshots offering insight into MSF’s global COVID-19 response, highlighting activities and outcomes, documenting expenditures, and shedding light on challenges faced in accessing and supplying communities with essential medicines and supplies.

Iraq
Yazidi community suffers one crisis after another
Project Update 9 Aug 2020

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
NVAC Meetings
September 23-24, 2020 Meeting (Virtual)
February 4-5, 2021 NVAC Meeting
June 16-17, 2021 NVAC Meeting

NIH [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
Clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies to prevent COVID-19 now enrolling
August 10, 2020 — Phase 3 trials conducted in the NIAID COVID-19 Prevention Network.
Two Phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials testing whether experimental monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are now enrolling healthy adults at clinical trial sites in the United States. Many of the trial sites and study investigators are part of the COVID-19 Prevention Network(link is external) (CoVPN), recently established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The trials are enrolling adults who are at risk of infection due to close contact at work or home to persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
“The COVID-19 Prevention Network is designed to conduct large-scale trials rapidly and efficiently,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “This network will allow us to test the safety and efficacy of monoclonal antibodies and other preventive measures to help identify how best to reduce the level of SARS-CoV-2 infection and ultimately end the COVID-19 pandemic.”…

PATH [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
Professor Gordon Dougan Receives the 2020 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal; Sabin Vaccine Institute’s New Rising Star Award Presented to Dr. Katherine E. Gallagher
August 13, 2020
Sabin today announced that it has awarded its annual Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal to Gordon Dougan, FRS, professor in the Department of Medicine and the Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Cambridge. Sabin also presented the inaugural Rising Star Award to Katherine E. Gallagher, MSc, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The Gold Medal, now in its 27th year, is Sabin’s highest scientific honor, given each year to a distinguished member of the global health community who has made extraordinary contributions to vaccinology or a complementary field. Past award recipients include leaders of vaccinology and vaccine advocacy such as Drs. D.A. Henderson, Maurice Hilleman, Anne Gershon, Myron Levine and Paul Offit…

UNAIDS [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
11 August 2020
Strengthening the role of faith-based organizations in the HIV response

UNICEF [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press releases/Announcements
Statement
08/14/2020
UNICEF statement on the situation of children in Belarus
Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Ms. Afshan Khan

Press release
08/14/2020
UNICEF appeals for $46.7 million dollars to reach 100,000 children affected by Beirut explosions over the next three months
Geneva Palais briefing note on latest situation for children affected by Beirut explosions and UNICEF response

Press release
08/13/2020
2 in 5 schools around the world lacked basic handwashing facilities prior to COVID-19 pandemic — UNICEF, WHO

Statement
08/12/2020
Eight children die in Al Hol camp, northeastern Syria in less than a week
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore

Press release
08/11/2020
UNICEF provides assistance to 40,000 people displaced by inter-ethnic violence in the South Kivu highlands, DRC

Press release
08/11/2020
Polio vaccination campaigns resume in Afghanistan and Pakistan after COVID-19 disruptions leave 50 million children unimmunized
[See Milestones above for detail]

Press release
08/11/2020
Geneva Palais Briefing on children affected by Beirut explosions and UNICEF response

Press release
08/10/2020
Remarks by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore at the virtual briefing on the humanitarian situation in Lebanon
Prepared remarks – check against delivery

Unitaid [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
No new digest content identified.

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Research and Reports
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
No new digest content identified.

The Wistar Institute [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
Aug. 10, 2020
Breast Cancer Cells Use Message-carrying Vesicles to Send Oncogenic Stimuli to Neighboring Normal Cells 
Pro-tumorigenic messages reprogram mitochondrial function in normal cells to promote migration and invasion.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2020/
No new digest content identified.

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://internationalbiotech.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
Press Release
Supporting access to vaccines for Part D beneficiaries
Tom Wilbur   |     August 12, 2020
Today, in honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, we’ll take a look at how Medicare Part D supports access to critical vaccines and strengthens public health. Vaccines represent some of the most impactful advances in public health, helping to prevent the spread of many infectious diseases. Here in the United States, there are currently 16 diseases that are now preventable as a result of childhood vaccines.

A recent report found that there are nearly 260 vaccines in development by America’s biopharmaceutical companies, including dozens for COVID-19 in the pipeline. Biopharmaceutical companies are exploring a wide range of approaches to COVID-19 for older adults including increasing the doses or adding a booster to the shot. Yet no matter the approach, biopharmaceutical researchers must comply with a number of regulations throughout the development process to help ensure vaccine safety.

Continued progress in the research and development of new vaccines is important news for Americans of all ages, but especially for seniors. It is important for adults and seniors to receive certain vaccinations as they age to avoid a variety of serious conditions. The immune system naturally weakens over a patient’s lifespan and vaccines can be critical to prevent illness among the elderly, who may be particularly vulnerable to infection. For example, shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster) and can occur in adults who had chickenpox as children. It is thought that lowered immunity to infections as people grow older may be the cause.

Ensuring greater uptake of and access to vaccines will improve public health and reduce broader health care costs over time. Increasing awareness of the availability and value of vaccines, particularly among adults, can help improve vaccine rates. It is also important to provide robust insurance coverage for preventative care more broadly, including vaccines, in order to avoid vaccine-preventable diseases.

Low adult immunization rates are due to multiple barriers, including lack of information about recommended vaccines, financial hurdles, as well as technological and logistical obstacles.

For medically necessary, commercially available adult vaccines not covered under Medicare Part B, Part D covers available vaccines and, since 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has encouraged Part D plans to offer either $0 or low-cost sharing for vaccines to help increase adult immunization rates. Despite this encouragement, Part D plans continue to apply cost-sharing for vaccines that may limit access for beneficiaries. This effort to ensure vaccines are affordable and accessible to seniors is critical as illnesses attributed to vaccine-preventable diseases remains higher in adults than children…

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

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 103, Issue 2, August 2020
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/14761645/103/2

Editorial
African Resources and the Promise of Resilience against COVID-19
Ronald E. Blanton, Nancy B. Mock, Honelgn N. Hiruy, John S. Schieffelin, Seydou Doumbia, Christian Happi, Robert J. Samuels and Richard A. Oberhelman
Pages: 539–541
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0470
The COVID-19 pandemic has been slow to arrive in the world’s poorest countries, especially in Africa. There are good reasons to believe that the consequences for the continent could be worse than anywhere else.¹–³ The weaknesses of some governments, healthcare systems, and economies, plus armed conflict, are factors that the virus can and will exploit. A recent British Broadcasting Corporation article noted that there are 10 African countries that have no ventilators, nine have < 1 per 1 million people, and most of the others have too few to serve their populations in an outbreak of U.S. proportions.² African countries need help but are not all helpless. To adequately preview the impact of COVID-19 on the continent, however, both weaknesses and strengths must be considered. The Africa of 2020 is not the Africa of 1960 or even 2014. Africa is a continent of 54 countries, with a range of climatic, cultural, demographic, and economic conditions that contrast them with more developed regions and with each other (Table 1). The country-to-country effects of COVID-19 could be quite different, and there are resources that may help produce better than expected outcomes.

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 103, Issue 2, August 2020
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/14761645/103/2

COVID-19, Quarantines, Sheltering-in-Place, and Human Rights: The Developing Crisis
John J. Openshaw and Mark A. Travassos

Pages: 578–580
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0528

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 103, Issue 2, August 2020
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/14761645/103/2

Perspectives on Battling COVID-19 in Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean
Jon Kim Andrus, Tracy Evans-Gilbert, Jose Ignacio Santos, Maria G. Guzman, Philip J. Rosenthal, Cristiana Toscano, Maria Teresa Valenzuela, Marilda Siqueira, Carissa Etienne and Joel G. Breman

Pages: 593–596
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0571

Annals of Internal Medicine
4 August 2020 Volume 173, Issue 3
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Ideas and Opinions
Caution Warranted: Using the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Model for Predicting the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Nicholas P. Jewell, PhD, Joseph A. Lewnard, PhD, and Britta L. Jewell, PhD
The IHME model for predicting the course of the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted considerable attention, including from the U.S. government. The appearance of certainty of model estimates is seductive when the world is desperate to know what lies ahead, but caution is warranted regarding the validity and usefulness of model projections for policymakers.

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Public trust and global biobank networks
Biobanks provide an important foundation for genomic and personalised medicine. In order to enhance their scientific power and scope, they are increasingly becoming part of national or international networks. Public trust is essential in fostering public engagement, encouraging donation to, and facilitating public funding for biobanks. Globalisation and networking of biobanking may challenge this trust…We conclude that robust ethical oversight and governance standards can both promote trust in global biobanking and ensure that this trust is warranted.
Authors: Lisa Dive, Christine Critchley, Margaret Otlowski, Paul Mason, Miriam Wiersma, Edwina Light, Cameron Stewart, Ian Kerridge and Wendy Lipworth
Content type: Research article
15 August 2020

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Hepatitis C in the criminal justice system: opportunities for global action in the era of viral hepatitis elimination
Globally, HCV disproportionately affects individuals who intersect with the criminal justice system. Of the estimated 10.2 million people incarcerated worldwide on any given day, approximately 15%, or 1.5 million, are living with HCV [2]. Despite the dramatic epidemiologic disparity between corrections and the community, HCV is overwhelmingly transmitted outside correctional settings. HCV is far more common among marginalized populations such as people who use drugs, the homeless, and mentally ill. These groups are overrepresented in correctional settings due to policies related to the criminalization of drug use and crimes of poverty. High HCV rates coupled with a point of contact with these marginalized populations make correctional settings critically important to provide all phases of the HCV care cascade (screening, linkage to care, treatment, and prevention).
Authors: Matthew J. Akiyama
Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:208
Content type: Commentary
Published on: 14 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

What can over 30 years of efforts to eradicate polio teach us about global health?
Authors: Olakunle Alonge
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 2):1177
Content type: Introduction
Published on: 12 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Synthesis and translation of research and innovations from polio eradication (STRIPE): initial findings from a global mixed methods study
Lessons from polio eradication efforts and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) are useful for improving health service delivery and outcomes globally. The Synthesis and Translation of Research and I…
Authors: Olakunle Alonge, Abigail H. Neel, Anna Kalbarczyk, Michael A. Peters, Yodi Mahendradhata, Malabika Sarker, Eme Owoaje, Wakgari Deressa, Patrick Kayembe, Ahmad Shah Salehi and S. D. Gupta
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 2):1176
Content type: Research
Published on: 12 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Synthesis and translation of research and innovations from polio eradication (STRIPE): initial findings from a global mixed methods study
Lessons from polio eradication efforts and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) are useful for improving health service delivery and outcomes globally. The Synthesis and Translation of Research and I…
Authors: Olakunle Alonge, Abigail H. Neel, Anna Kalbarczyk, Michael A. Peters, Yodi Mahendradhata, Malabika Sarker, Eme Owoaje, Wakgari Deressa, Patrick Kayembe, Ahmad Shah Salehi and S. D. Gupta
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 2):1176
Content type: Research
Published on: 12 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Socio-demographic correlates of first dose of measles (MCV1) vaccination coverage in India
Between 2010 and 2018, measles-related mortality had halved in India mainly with effective measles vaccination campaigns and widespread coverage across the states and population subgroups. Despite the commenda…
Authors: Basant Kumar Panda, Suyash Mishra and Niyi Awofeso
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1221
Content type: Research article
Published on: 10 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

The association between protection motivation and hepatitis b vaccination intention among migrant workers in Tianjin, China: a cross-sectional study
Migrant workers are a susceptible population to the hepatitis b virus (HBV) and a vulnerable spot in China’s immunization procedures. There is no free HBV immunization program for migrant workers in China, so …
Authors: Cai Liu, Stephen Nicholas and Jian Wang
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1219
Content type: Research article
Published on: 10 August 2020

Clinical Trials
Volume 17 Issue 4, August 2020
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/ctja/17/4

Conference Proceedings
Proceedings of the University of Pennsylvania 12th annual conference on statistical issues in clinical trials: Electronic health records (EHR) in randomized clinical trials—Challenges and opportunities
Susan S Ellenberg, Jonas H Ellenberg
First Published June 10, 2020; pp. 343–345

Genome Medicine
https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 15 Aug 2020]

Sequence-based prediction of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine targets using a mass spectrometry-based bioinformatics predictor identifies immunogenic T cell epitopes
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgency to identify novel vaccine targets for protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Early reports identify protective roles for both humoral and cell-mediated imm…
Authors: Asaf Poran, Dewi Harjanto, Matthew Malloy, Christina M. Arieta, Daniel A. Rothenberg, Divya Lenkala, Marit M. van Buuren, Terri A. Addona, Michael S. Rooney, Lakshmi Srinivasan and Richard B. Gaynor
Citation: Genome Medicine 2020 12:70
Content type: Research
Published on: 13 August 2020

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
August 2020 Volume 97, p1-404
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(20)X0009-9

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collection
Does COVID-19 infection impact on the trend of seasonal influenza infection? 11 countries and regions, from 2014 to 2020
Takahiro Itaya, Yuki Furuse, Kazuaki Jindai
p78–80
Published online: June 1, 2020

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
August 2020 Volume 97, p1-404
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(20)X0009-9

What works and what does not work in response to COVID-19 prevention and control in Africa
Erigene Rutayisire, Gerard Nkundimana, Honore K. Mitonga, Alex Boye, Solange Nikwigize
p267–269
Published online: June 11, 2020

JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update August 15, 2020

These articles on COVID-19 were published across the JAMA Network in the last week.

JAMA
August 11, 2020, Vol 324, No. 6, Pages 529-614
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

COVID-19: Beyond Tomorrow
The Work of Philanthropy in Responding to COVID-19 and Addressing InequalityA New Foundation
Darren Walker, JD
free access has active quiz has multimedia has audio
JAMA. 2020;324(6):541-542. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12904
In this Viewpoint the president of the Ford Foundation calls on philanthropic and other wealthy organizations to make creative and generous grants to less well-endowed counterpart institutions and communities to redress the racial and socioeconomic disparities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and continued killings of Black Americans.

JAMA
August 11, 2020, Vol 324, No. 6, Pages 529-614
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Pooling Data From Individual Clinical Trials in the COVID-19 Era
Eva Petkova, PhD; Elliott M. Antman, MD; Andrea B. Troxel, ScD
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(6):543-545. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.13042
This Viewpoint proposes principles and processes to allow pooling of individual patient data from clinical trials given decelerating participant recruitment at sites where the COVID-19 surge has been controlled and new cases are diminishing.

JAMA
August 11, 2020, Vol 324, No. 6, Pages 529-614
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and Its Role in the Pandemic Vaccine Response
Grace M. Lee, MD, MPH; Beth P. Bell, MD, MPH; José R. Romero, MD
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(6):546-547. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.13167
This Viewpoint discusses the role of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a federal advisory committee that makes vaccine-related recommendations to the CDC and DHHS, in guiding the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.

JAMA
August 11, 2020, Vol 324, No. 6, Pages 529-614
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

COVID-19 Response in Lebanon – Current Experience and Challenges in a Low-Resource Setting
Petra Khoury, PharmD; Eid Azar, MD; Eveline Hitti, MD, MBA

free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(6):548-549. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12695
This Viewpoint describes the unique challenges faced by Lebanon, a small densely populated country with a fragmented health care system, in its response to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, and it summarizes organizational, testing, and communications policies the nation has implemented that might be useful to other resource-limited countries and settings.

Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 3 Pages: 179-249 August 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17565391/current

COMMENTARY
Are randomized controlled trials being conducted with the right justification?
Corbin Walters, Trevor Torgerson, Ian Fladie, Angela Clifton, Chase Meyer, Matt Vassar
Pages: 181-182
First Published: 02 July 2020

Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
https://joppp.biomedcentral.com/
[Accessed 15 Aug 2020]

Articles
Registration and local production of essential medicines in Uganda
Authors: Petra Brhlikova, Karen Maigetter, Jude Murison, Amon G. Agaba, Jonans Tusiimire and Allyson M. Pollock
Content type: Research
11 August 2020

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
Humanitarian crises in a global pandemic
The Lancet

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Comment
The Lancet COVID-19 Commission
Jeffrey D Sachs, Richard Horton, ey al
[See Milestones above for detail]

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Articles
Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a phase 1/2, single-blind, randomised controlled trial
Pedro M Folegatti, et al on behalf of the Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Immunogenicity and safety of a recombinant adenovirus type-5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine in healthy adults aged 18 years or older: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial
Feng-Cai Zhu, et aL

Nature
Volume 584 Issue 7820, 13 August 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Editorial | 12 August 2020
How to stop COVID-19 fuelling a resurgence of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
A focus on the coronavirus has disrupted detection and treatment of other infectious diseases. Governments and funders can do four things to avert a catastrophe.

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Focus on COVID-19 and digital privacy
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the acceleration of the development of digital technologies to monitor the spread of the outbreak. Emergency powers are being used to track not just individuals’ health data, but other personal information. The image shows the data that are being monitored on people’s cell phones, and the effects on healthcare are discussed in this focus issue on COVID-19 and digital privacy.

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Editorial | 07 August 2020
Build trust in digital health
The rapid rollout of digital health approaches in the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has neglected to prioritize data privacy and is a missed opportunity for building users’ trust in these technologies for future outbreaks and quotidian healthcare.

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Comment | 02 June 2020
Building an international consortium for tracking coronavirus health status
We call upon the research community to standardize efforts to use daily self-reported data about COVID-19 symptoms in the response to the pandemic and to form a collaborative consortium to maximize global gain while protecting participant privacy.
Eran Segal, Feng Zhang[…] & Paul Wilmes

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Comment | 26 May 2020
Use of apps in the COVID-19 response and the loss of privacy protection
Mobile apps provide a convenient source of tracking and data collection to fight against the spread of COVID-19. We report our analysis of 50 COVID-19-related apps, including their use and their access to personally identifiable information, to ensure that the right to privacy and civil liberties are protected.
Tanusree Sharma  & Masooda Bashir

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Comment | 26 May 2020
Mass-surveillance technologies to fight coronavirus spread: the case of Israel
As the COVID-19 pandemic escalates, teams around the world are now advocating for a new approach to monitoring transmission: tapping into cellphone location data to track infection spread and warn people who may have been exposed. Here we present data collected in Israel through this approach so far and discuss the privacy concerns, alternatives and different ‘flavors’ of cellphone surveillance. We also propose safeguards needed to minimize the risk for civil rights.
Moran Amit, Heli Kimhi[…] & Avi Benov

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Perspective | 07 August 2020
Regulatory, safety, and privacy concerns of home monitoring technologies during COVID-19
Home monitoring technologies are being rushed to market during the COVID-19 pandemic; here, safety and privacy considerations are discussed.
Sara Gerke, Carmel Shachar[…] & I. Glenn Cohen

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Review Article | 07 August 2020
Digital technologies in the public-health response to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an accelerated development of applications for digital health, including symptom monitoring and contact tracing. Their potential is wide ranging and must be integrated into conventional approaches to public health for best effect.
Jobie Budd, Benjamin S. Miller[…] & Rachel A. McKendry

New England Journal of Medicine
August 13, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 7
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Perspective
Hepatitis C Treatment in Prisons — Incarcerated People’s Uncertain Right to Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy A.M. Daniels and D.M. Studdert

New England Journal of Medicine
August 13, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 7
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Editorials
WHO’s Next — The United States and the World Health Organization B.R. Bloom, P.E. Farmer, and E.J. Rubin

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Diagnosis of neglected tropical diseases during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
Dziedzom K. de Souza, Albert Picado, Sylvain Biéler, Sarah Nogaro, Joseph Mathu Ndung’u
Viewpoints | published 14 Aug 2020 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008587

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Simultaneous dengue and COVID-19 epidemics: Difficult days ahead?
Mathieu Nacher, Maylis Douine, Mélanie Gaillet, Claude Flamand, Dominique Rousset, Cyril Rousseau, Chedli Mahdaoui, Stanley Carroll, Audrey Valdes, Nathalie Passard, Gabriel Carles, Félix Djossou, Magalie Demar, Loïc Epelboin
Viewpoints | published 14 Aug 2020 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008426

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

The process of building the priority of neglected tropical diseases: A global policy analysis
Nathaly Aya Pastrana, David Beran, Claire Somerville, Olivia Heller, Jorge C. Correia, L. Suzanne Suggs
Research Article | published 12 Aug 2020 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008498

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/

Comparing catch-up vaccination programs based on analysis of 2012–13 rubella outbreak in Kawasaki City, Japan
Chiyori T. Urabe, Gouhei Tanaka, Takahiro Oshima, Aya Maruyama, Takako Misaki, Nobuhiko Okabe, Kazuyuki Aihara
Research Article | published 14 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237312

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/

Vaccination discourses among chiropractors, naturopaths and homeopaths: A qualitative content analysis of academic literature and Canadian organizational webpages
Eric Filice, Eve Dubé, Janice E. Graham, Noni E. MacDonald, Julie A. Bettinger, Devon Greyson, Shannon MacDonald, S. Michelle Driedger, Greg Kawchuk, Samantha B. Meyer
Research Article | published 12 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236691

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/

Modelling hepatitis B virus infection and impact of timely birth dose vaccine: A comparison of two simulation models
Margaret J. de Villiers, Ivane Gamkrelidze, Timothy B. Hallett, Shevanthi Nayagam, Homie Razavi, Devin Razavi-Shearer
Research Article | published 10 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237525

PLoS Pathogens
http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/
[Accessed 15 Aug 2020]

No more business as usual: Agile and effective responses to emerging pathogen threats require open data and open analytics
Dannon Baker, Marius van den Beek, Daniel Blankenberg, Dave Bouvier, John Chilton, Nate Coraor, Frederik Coppens, Ignacio Eguinoa, Simon Gladman, Björn Grüning, Nicholas Keener, Delphine Larivière, Andrew Lonie, Sergei Kosakovsky Pond, Wolfgang Maier, Anton Nekrutenko, James Taylor, Steven Weaver
Opinion | published 13 Aug 2020 PLOS Pathogens
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008643

Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH)
https://www.paho.org/journal/en

 
14 Aug 2020
A COVID-19 opportunity: Applying a systems approach to food security and noncommunicable diseases
Letter | English |