Pandemic Preparedness

New global partnership launched to fight future pandemics
The Government will launch a new Pandemic Preparedness Partnership (PPP) to save lives from future diseases and prevent another global pandemic.
Updated: 20 April 2021
:: International Pandemic Preparedness Partnership (PPP) will support PM’s target to slash the time to develop vaccines for new diseases to 100 days
:: Partnership will be chaired by UK Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and will report to leaders at June’s G7 Summit
:: New £16m funding to Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will also support global vaccine supply and development

The [U.K.] Government will today (20 April) launch a new Pandemic Preparedness Partnership (PPP) to save lives from future diseases and prevent another global pandemic.

The PPP will advise the UK G7 Presidency on how to meet the Prime Minister’s ambition to slash the time to develop and deploy high quality vaccines for new diseases from 300 to 100 days, backed by additional funding to support CEPI’s work on global vaccine supply. It will be chaired by the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.

The public-private partnership will bring together industry, international organisations and leading experts. They will provide recommendations for delivering ambitious targets to more quickly develop vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics through greater global co-operation on research and development, manufacturing, clinical trials and data-sharing.

The £16 million investment will fund global vaccine manufacturing capacity and critical research and development to rapidly respond to the threat of new strains, supporting the development of new variant-specific vaccines. CEPI’s work to coordinate research, development and manufacturing of vaccines will aid efforts to have millions of doses of vaccine available for emergency use 100 days from a variant of concern being identified.

The PPP is meeting formally for the first time today at a two day virtual Pandemic Preparedness Partnership Conference, taking place under the UK’s Presidency of the G7…

…There 20 members of the PPP include WHO Vaccines Envoy Sir Andrew Witty, Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford & member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee, Sir John Bell, Managing Director of the COVAX Facility Gavi, Aurelia Nguyen, and Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) Richard Hatchett.

Industry members include representatives from leading vaccine developers and life sciences companies such as Head of Global Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer at Novartis, John Tsai, Executive Vice President Biopharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, Sir Mene Pangalos, Chief Scientific Officer at Pfizer, Mikael Dolsten and Chief Scientific Officer at Johnsen & Johnsen, Paul Stoffels.

These experts will be joined by scientific advisers from our G7 partners, who will play a key role in shaping the recommendations into an actionable roadmap over the next two months through a series of meetings ahead of the June Leader’s Summit…

Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review is a weekly digest  summarizing news, events, announcements, peer-reviewed articles and research in the global vaccine ethics and policy space. Content is aggregated from key governmental, NGO, international organization and industry sources, key peer-reviewed journals, and other media channels. This summary proceeds from the broad base of themes and issues monitored by the Center for Vaccine Ethics & Policy in its work: it is not intended to be exhaustive in its coverage. You are viewing the blog version of our weekly digest, typically comprised of between 30 and 40 posts below all dated with the current issue date

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David R. Curry, MS
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Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Malaria

21 April 2021 News release
World Malaria Day: WHO launches effort to stamp out malaria in 25 more countries by 2025
Ahead of World Malaria Day, marked annually on 25 April, WHO congratulates the growing number of countries that are approaching, and achieving, zero cases of malaria. A new initiative launched today aims to halt transmission of the disease in 25 more countries by 2025.

Of the 87 countries with malaria, 46 reported fewer than 10 000 cases of the disease in 2019 compared to 26 countries in 2000. By the end of 2020, 24 countries had reported interrupting malaria transmission for 3 years or more. Of these, 11 were certified malaria-free by WHO.

“Many of the countries we are recognizing today carried, at one time, a very high burden of malaria. Their successes were hard-won and came only after decades of concerted action” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Together, they have shown the world that malaria elimination is a viable goal for all countries.”…

New report: “Zeroing in on malaria elimination”
Through the E-2020 initiative, launched in 2017, WHO has supported 21 countries in their efforts to get to zero malaria cases within the 2020 timeline. A new WHO report summarizes progress and lessons learned in these countries over the last 3 years.

According to the report, 8 of the E-2020 member countries reported zero indigenous cases of human malaria by the end of 2020:  Algeria, Belize, Cabo Verde, China, El Salvador, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia and Paraguay.  In Malaysia, the P. knowlesi parasite, normally found in monkeys, infected approximately 2600 people in 2020.

A number of other countries made excellent progress: Timor-Leste reported only 1 indigenous case, while 3 other countries – Bhutan, Costa Rica and Nepal – reported fewer than 100 cases.

Building on the successes of the E-2020, WHO has identified a new group of 25 countries that have the potential to stamp out malaria within a 5-year timeline. Through the E-2025 initiative, launched today, these countries will receive specialized support and technical guidance as they work towards the target of zero malaria…

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20 April 2021 Departmental news
RTS,S malaria vaccine reaches more than 650 000 children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi through groundbreaking pilot programme
Malaria vaccine coverage through childhood immunization programme signals strong community demand for vaccine.
Two years on from the launch of a pilot programme, more than 1.7 million doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine have been administered in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, benefitting more than 650 000 children with additional malaria protection.

The number of children reached in this relatively short period indicates strong community demand for the vaccine as well as the capacity of the countries’ child immunization programmes to deliver the vaccine on a novel schedule (4 doses up to about age 2 years).

At a time when global progress in malaria control has stalled, the protection provided by the RTS,S malaria vaccine, when added to currently recommended malaria control interventions, has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives per year.

“Ghana, Kenya and Malawi show that existing childhood vaccination platforms can effectively deliver the malaria vaccine to children, some of whom have not been able to access an insecticide treated bed net or other malaria prevention measures,” says Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO Director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. “This vaccine may be key to making malaria prevention more equitable, and to saving more lives.”

“Over the last 2 decades, we have achieved remarkable results with existing malaria control tools, averting more than 7 million deaths and 1.5 billion cases of the disease,” says Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme. “However, progress towards key targets of our global malaria strategy remains off course. To get back on track, new tools are urgently needed – and malaria vaccines must be a critical component of the overall toolkit.”…

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World Malaria Day : Unitaid commits to ensure increased and equitable access to life-saving tools against malaria
23 April 2021 Unitaid Press Release
Geneva – Ahead of World Malaria Day, marked annually on April 25, Unitaid reaffirms its strong commitment to combat malaria by increasing its efforts to prevent, control, and ultimately eliminate the disease.
The emergence of COVID-19 more than one year ago has thrown health systems into disarray and forced many countries to shift their focus and resources away from malaria. This threatens to reverse hard-won gains, particularly in the highest malaria burden countries where the rate of progress has slowed in recent years.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns countries that disruptions to programmes that prevent and treat malaria could lead to a potential doubling of malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020 compared to 2018.
A new report by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria highlights the urgent need to scale-up the adaptative measures adopted to counter the impact of COVID-19 to ensure the continuing delivery of lifesaving health services for malaria..

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID 19 Vaccines – Equity/Access

France makes important vaccine dose donation to COVAX
:: Today, to mark the first year of the creation of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France has begun sharing vaccine doses with COVAX, starting with a first batch of 105,600 doses – with 500,000 by the middle of June. These doses are provided free of charge to the COVAX AMC.

:: This is the first donation of doses acquired by a high-income country to COVAX, and launches Team Europe’s dose sharing through COVAX, with France becoming the first EU Member State to activate this mechanism.

:: France will ramp its commitment up to at least 5% of its total doses by the end of 2021. A number of other countries have expressed willingness to share vaccine doses with COVAX. President Macron has called on all G7 and high-income countries to follow suit.

Geneva, 23 April 2021 – Today saw France become the first country to donate doses of COVID-19 vaccines from its domestic supply to COVAX, with an initial commitment of 500,000 doses. This new pledge by President Emmanuel Macron allows COVAX to start a new chapter – where, in addition to doses secured through deals with manufacturers, high-income economies can provide doses directly to the global vaccine equity mechanism.

This initial donation will be provided through COVAX, with a first batch of 105,500 doses for April. The initial shipment will be allocated through the COVAX Facility to Mauritania. This pilot shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine is part of a commitment of 500,000 doses from multiple manufacturers planned by mid-June, with a goal to provide at least 5% of all doses acquired by France to COVAX over the course of 2021. These doses have been purchased by France and are being provided free of charge to the COVAX Facility, to be distributed to lower-income economies in line with the equitable allocation mechanism that underpins COVAX. This donation – the first of its kind – will be an example to be followed by Team Europe more broadly.

This pledge follows on from a call by President Macron for high-income countries to provide a proportion of their doses to the 92 lower-income economies eligible for support under the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC). The announcement came on the first anniversary of the launch of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, the global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable allocation and distribution of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.

Commenting on this announcement, President Macron said: “Our goal, with these donations, is to allow all countries, especially in Africa, to vaccinate the populations who need it most urgently, beginning with healthcare professionals.”

The donation follows the publication by COVAX in December of its Principles for Dose-Sharing, which provide a framework for high-income economies to make additional volumes, secured via their own bilateral deals, available through the Facility primarily to Gavi COVAX AMC-eligible economies, on an equitable basis. This dose donation mechanism has been designed with “Team Europe”, in coordination with France, the European Commission, Norway and European partners. The Government of Canada provided support to operationalise the COVAX dose sharing mechanism, to ensure doses can be welcomed by other countries. UNICEF will provide contracting, insurance and delivery of donated doses to the receiving countries…

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PRINCIPLES FOR SHARING COVID-19 VACCINE DOSES WITH COVAX
COVAX 18 December 2020
[Excerpt]
Given the increasing number of emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines by stringent regulatory authorities (SRAs), some countries have secured sufficient doses to begin sharinga portion of those doses rapidly with other countries. Consequently, the Facility is accelerating its work with potential dose-sharing countries, and vaccine manufacturers, to include these doses in the Facility and facilitate their equitable global distribution. These shared doses will complement the early doses procured through the Facility. They can accelerate the Facility’s goal of ensuring participating countries – primarily AMC-eligible countries, but potentially others – achieve coverage of up to 20% of their population as soon as possible in 2021 and can expand coverage beyond that in 2021.

To maximize impact, the Facility promotes the following principles for shared doses:
1. Safe and effective: shared doses must be of assured quality with, at a minimum, WHO prequalification/emergency use listing or licensure/authorization from an SRA. Vaccine doses could be transferred to countries most rapidly if they are already in the COVAX Portfolio; other vaccines can be considered if they meet WHO’s Target Product Profile and the standards set by the Independent Product Group for vaccines in the COVAX portfolio.

2. Early availability: shared doses should be made available as soon as possible and ideally concurrently by the sharing country as it receives vaccines to increase equitable access and have maximum impact. Dose sharing should begin very early in 2021. Doses provided later in 2021 and beyond could still help increase coverage in countries and impact the pandemic.

3. Rapidly deployable: sharing of doses should be signaled as early as possible in the manufacturing process, with the dose-sharing country facilitating authorizations, so that doses are shipped directly from the manufacturer with universal labelling and packaging, allowing rapid deployment and maximizing shelf-life.

4. Unearmarked: to facilitate equitable access and in keeping with COVAX’s allocation mechanism, doses should not be earmarked for specific geographies or populations.

5. Substantive quantity: shared doses should be of sufficient and predictable volumes to have a substantive impact in achieving the goals of the Facility.

Shared COVID-19 doses would ideally be fully paid for by the dose-sharing country, including ancillary costs where possible. When shared vaccines are being provided to AMC-eligible economies, the Facility may also consider contributing to the costs of doses or options for doses at Facility prices (for example, for doses that are available early in 2021). These principles will be implemented in consultation with dose-sharing countries and vaccine manufacturers.

In keeping with the Facility’s goals, principles, and operations, the Facility will ensure that shared doses are distributed equitably, effectively, and transparently through the COVAX Allocation Mechanism. In parallel, COVAX is supporting AMC-eligible economies to optimize readiness for vaccination and ensure that ‘no dose sits idle’. For AMC-eligible economies, shared doses would be eligible for the Indemnity and Liability provisions for these economies.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID 19 Vaccines – ACT-A/Access/Logistics

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore’s remarks at the one-year anniversary of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator
Statement
NEW YORK, 23 April 2021 – “UNICEF is proud to be part of the ACT-Accelerator and COVAX.
“We’re applying our experience as the largest single vaccine buyer in the world. We’re working with manufacturers and partners to procure COVID-19 vaccine doses, as well as freight, logistics and storage. And we’re procuring diagnostics, therapeutics and PPE.

“In the race to defeat this virus, equity is not a ‘nice to have’ — it’s a necessity. Each time the virus is transmitted somewhere in the world, it can evolve and new variants could emerge This threatens recovery everywhere.

“So we need to get vaccines off the tarmac and into the arms of those who need them.

“That means helping governments prepare to receive the vaccines. It means having appropriate cold chain equipment in place. It means training health workers. It means building trust and tackling misinformation. And it means delivering other critical interventions – infection control, PPE, handwashing supplies, and more.

“All of this requires funding. And countries are having a hard time finding room in their domestic budgets for the rollout — which could lead to vaccine supplies being wasted or countries sacrificing other vital health programmes.

“They need our support now.

“Help us close the overall funding gap for ACT-A. UNICEF urgently requires flexible funds for the vaccine rollout and for tests, treatments and supplies.
“Let’s make sure the light at the end of the tunnel shines for us all. Thank you.”

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ACT-Accelerator 1-Year Anniversary: the biopharmaceutical industry is committed to continue to play a critical role
IFPMA Press Release
Geneva, 23 April 2021 – Today we welcome the one-year Anniversary of ACT Accelerator (ACT-A) – an unprecedented global partnership established to defeat a global health crisis. The force of ACT-A has been its flexible, solution-oriented and collaborative approach, with all players – governments, business, civil society, and global health organizations – having a seat at the table. Beating COVID-19 will require constant global surveillance, continued innovation, and close cooperation.

Since the beginning of this pandemic, the biopharmaceutical industry committed to fair and equitable access to new COVID-19 tools. In joining the ACT-A last year, the biopharmaceutical industry signed up to bring to this partnership the industry’s unique knowledge and expertise in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics and vaccines and in building manufacturing capacity and distribution networks.

Within the year of ACT-A coming together considerable progress has been made, in particular with regards to vaccines. COVAX has secured nearly 2 billion vaccine doses; and 38 million have reached over 100 countries. This has only been possible, because within that time, several highly safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines have been approved, compressing a decade of normal development times in just ten months. In parallel to conducting the necessary steps to gain approval for the new vaccines, vaccine manufacturers prepared the manufacturing base from which today historic quantities of COVID-19 vaccines are being produced and deployed across the world. The speed of response is impressive.

This month, on the first anniversary of the ACT-Accelerator, the 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine production milestone has been reached, and current projections[1] to produce close to 10 billion doses by the end of 2021 is thought to be feasible. According to a recent World Bank report[2], this should be sufficient to achieve global equity in the distribution of vaccines and attain worldwide herd immunity by March 2022. However, vaccine makers warn that their manufacturing scale up projections to meet global demand are dependent on immediate action being taken to promote the free flow of goods and trade as well as better visibility of demands on supplies…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccine – Response Financing

World Bank Financing for COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Reaches $2 Billion
Financing for the poorest countries is on grant or highly concessional terms
WASHINGTON, April 20, 2021— The World Bank announced today that it has reached $2 billion in approved financing for the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for 17 developing countries.

This financing is part of the $12 billion envelope over 24 months for developing countries to acquire and deploy vaccines and strengthen their vaccination systems. For poorer countries financing is on grant or highly concessional terms. The Bank expects to support 50 countries with $4 billion financing for COVID-19 vaccines by mid-year.

The $2 billion funding is supporting COVID-19 vaccination in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Honduras, Lebanon, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, Tajikistan, and Tunisia.

“Access to vaccines is key to altering the course of the pandemic and helping countries move toward a resilient recovery,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “Our programs are helping developing countries respond to the health emergency and have financing available for vaccines. As the world attempts to carry out the largest vaccination effort in history, we have stressed the need for countries with excess vaccine supplies to release them as soon as possible, and for financing commitments to COVAX to be encashed.”

The Bank’s vaccine finance package is designed to be flexible. It can be used by countries to procure doses through COVAX or other sources. It can also finance other key deployment and health system strengthening activities, such as medical supplies, personal protective equipment, vaccine cold-chains, training health workers, data- and information systems and communications and outreach campaigns to key stakeholders which are key to ensure vaccination acceptance. The Bank has aligned its eligibility criteria of COVID 19 vaccines with the revised eligibility criteria of COVAX and other Multilateral partners…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccines – Industry, IP/TRIPS, Manufacturing

COVID-19 vaccine industry cautions immediate action needed to remove manufacturing supply barriers to meet production
23 April 2021
:: On the 1st anniversary of ACT-Accelerator, COVID-19 vaccine makers representing biotechnology firms, developing and developed country manufacturers renew their commitment to produce sufficient vaccines to meet world needs.
:: Increased production output of COVID-19 vaccines is forecast and can be attributed to over 200 manufacturing deals coming online and greater efficiency of a complex process, however, the manufacturing scale up depends on overcoming major manufacturing supply challenges.
:: Vaccine industry warns that their manufacturing scale up projections are dependent on immediate action being taken to promote the free flow of goods and trade as well as better visibility of demands on supplies.
23 April 2021: Washington DC, Geneva, Hyderabad: The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network (DCVMN) and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) are all key players in the historic effort to scale up the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines. All three entities signed up as partners of ACT-Accelerator last year and committed to fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. This month, on the first anniversary of the ACT-Accelerator, the 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine production milestone has been reached, and current projections[1] to produce close to 10 billion doses by the end of 2021 is thought to be feasible. According to a recent World Bank report[2], this should be sufficient to achieve global equity in the distribution of vaccines and attain worldwide herd immunity by March 2022.

This forecast is based on over 275 manufacturing deals that have been agreed to date coming on-line. Of these deals, 214 include various forms of partnership or collaboration that rely on technology transfer. There are early signs that the sharing of know-how of the processes and the technologies used to make the vaccines, as well as training specialist personnel to ensure quality standards throughout the process, are now starting to have an impact on the projected output. As these facilities get up to speed, they are able to produce more vaccines, as well as achieve increasingly better yields.

But the vaccine industry groups warn that success in achieving the manufacturing targets which by the end of 2021 should meet the needs of 70% of the world’s population, hinge on resolving immediately trade barriers and removing export restrictions that hinder the movement of global supply of vaccine components and the vaccines themselves during the manufacturing process. The demand on vaccine raw materials, ingredients and manufacturing components will need to meet the demand associated with the increase in vaccine production. This is of particular concern since there is currently a global shortage of some of the over 100 components and ingredients needed for vaccine manufacturing. While a great deal of focus has been put on ensuring there are enough vials or syringes; today we are seeing shortages in the lipids that are used in mRNA vaccines; as well as tubing and the plastic bags that are used in the production process for many vaccines.

The three vaccine industry groups have been actively engaged in highlighting these currents together with COVAX, both at the Global COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturing Supply Chain Summit in March 2021, as well as more recently at a WTO event “COVID-19 and Vaccine Equity: What can the WTO Contribute”. These discussions have started to point towards a number of potential short-term solutions; namely:
:: Further exploring voluntary manufacturing partnerships where feasible.
:: Removing current export restrictions and ensuring free flow of goods and workforce across the
world.
:: Facilitating and speeding up of trade in the global supply chain of COVID-19 vaccines and their
components. This would require the involvement of the World Trade Organization and the World
Customs Organization.
:: Identifying and finding solutions to constraints of raw materials, critical components and
technology for vaccine manufacturing. Industry believes that a voluntary scheme for increasing
visibility on demand and supply of COVID-19 vaccine components could improve the efficiency of
the market place. The vaccine industry groups would welcome the creation of a clearing house or
hub managed by a trusted third party to head off problems before they occur by knowing where
there could be spare resources or bottlenecks in supplies of critical items.

The recently announced COVAX manufacturing task force where industry intends to play a key role, needs to see these solutions through from concept to reality within the next month. In the following months, the taskforce would be the appropriate forum for vaccine makers to share their experience of technology transfer and contribute to exploring the skills set needed to build a platform for sustainable vaccine manufacturing.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

OCHA:: HDX
COVID-19 Data Explorer: Global Humanitarian Operations
COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out
Apr 24, 2021 | COVAX (WHO,GAVI,CEPI), UNDESA, Press Reports | DATA
Global COVID-19 Figures: 141M total confirmed cases; 3.1M total confirmed deaths
Global vaccines administered: 970M
Number of Countries: 26
COVAX First Allocations (Number of Doses): 73M
COVAX Delivered (Number of Doses): 13M
Other Delivered (Number of Doses): 17M
Total Delivered (Number of Doses): 30M
Total Administered (Number of Doses): 8.8M

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Coronavirus [COVID-19] – WHO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
Last update: 24 April 2021
Confirmed cases :: 145 216 414 [week ago: 134 139 501]
Confirmed deaths :: 3 079 390 [week ago: 2 992 193]
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 223

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Statement on the seventh meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
19 April 2021 Statement
The seventh meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) took place on Thursday, 15 April 2021 from 12:00 to 16:30 Geneva time (CEST)…

The Committee recognized WHO’s and States Parties’ progress in implementing the previous advice and Temporary Recommendations from the 6th meeting of the Emergency Committee. The Committee congratulated the mission team and the report from the WHO-convened Global Study of Origins of SARS-CoV-2 and encouraged implementation of the recommendations published in the Mission report.

The Committee remains concerned that the world will not exit the pandemic unless, and until, all countries have access to appropriate supplies of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines, irrespective of their ability to pay and the capacity and financial resources to rapidly and effectively vaccinate their populations. Inequities within and among all countries is slowing the return to normal social and economic life. The Committee provided the following advice to the Director-General accordingly.  

The Director-General determined that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a PHEIC. He accepted the advice of the Committee to WHO and issued the Committee’s advice to States Parties as Temporary Recommendations under the IHR. 

The Emergency Committee will be reconvened within three months or earlier, at the discretion of the Director-General. The Director-General thanked the Committee for its work.

Advice to the WHO Secretariat [Excerpts]
COVID-19 Vaccination
1. Promote global solidarity and equitable vaccine access by encouraging States Parties and manufacturers to support the COVAX Facility, including by sharing vaccine doses, and to conduct technology transfer for local production of COVID-19 vaccines and ancillary supplies, including in low- and middle-income countries with scalable capacities.
2. Accelerate evaluation of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, encourage regulatory agencies to use reliance mechanisms, and support States Parties in strengthening their regulatory agencies to facilitate supply of vaccines with assured quality, efficacy, and safety…

…Health Measures in Relation to International Traffic
14. Update the WHO December 2020 risk-based guidance for reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission related to international travel (by air, land, and sea) based on current science and best practices that include clear recommendations for testing approaches and traveler quarantine duration, as appropriate. Incorporate an ethical framework into the updated guidance to guide national decision making. The guidance should take into consideration COVID-19 vaccination roll out, immunity conferred by past infection, risk settings, movements of migrants, temporary workers, and purpose of travel (non-essential versus essential).
15. Continue to coordinate with relevant stakeholders in the fields of international travel and transport, including ICAO, UNWTO, and IATA, for the regular review, updating, and dissemination of evidence-based guidance on travel-related risk reduction measures.
16. Continue to update the WHO interim position on the considerations regarding requirements of proof of vaccination and to produce interim guidance and tools related to standardization of paper and digital documentation of COVID-19 travel-related risk reduction measures (vaccination status, SARS-COV-2 testing and COVID-19 recovery status) in the context of international travel.
17. Continue to work with States Parties and partners to enable essential travel and repatriation and to facilitate the movement of goods to prevent delays in access to aid and essential supplies.
18. Continue to encourage vaccination of seafarers and air crews in line with the Joint statement on prioritization of COVID-19 vaccination for seafarers and aircrew.

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Weekly operational update on COVID-19 – 19 April 2021
Overview
In this edition of the Weekly Operational Update on COVID-19, highlights of country-level actions and WHO support to Member States include:
:: Training critical care nurses for COVID-19 in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem
:: Health for all in India during the COVID-19 pandemic
:: Supporting monitoring health inequities and minimizing health service disruptions in Nigeria
:: COVAX Facility delivers COVID-19 vaccine doses to Brunei Darussalam
:: Workshop and technical dialogue on COVID-19 surveillance, testing and contact tracing in the Czech Republic
:: Addressing mental health needs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal
:: Updates from the UN Crisis Management Team meeting and the Global Health Cluster
:: Advancing health emergency preparedness in cities and urban settings in COVID-19 and beyond
:: The Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) 2021 resource requirements and progress made to continue investing in the COVID-19 response and for building the architecture to prepare for, prevent and mitigate future health emergencies
:: Updates on WHO/PAHO procured items, Partners Platform, implementation of the Unity Studies, and select indicators from the COVID-19 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 20 April 2021
Overview
Globally, new COVID-19 cases rose for the eighth consecutive week, with over 5.2 million new cases reported in the last week. The number of new deaths increased for the fifth consecutive week, increasing by 8% compared to last week, with over 83 000 new deaths reported. While all regions except the European Region reported an increase in incident cases in the last week, the largest increase continues to be reported by the South-East Asia Region, largely driven by India, followed by the Western Pacific Region.
In this edition, special focus updates are provided on:
:: WHO COVID-19 global rapid risk assessment
:: Pandemic influenza surveillance—drawing a parallel with the COVID-19 pandemic
:: SARS-CoV-2 variants

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

WHO – COVID Vaccines EUAL, Prequalification

Statement of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization: Continued review of emerging evidence on AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccines
22 April 2021 Statement
WHO is committed to updating its policy guidance whenever relevant new information has been obtained through the use of the vaccine in populations around the world and new results from clinical research.
Accordingly, new data continues to regularly emerge from ongoing clinical trials and monitoring on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine and other vaccines. On the basis of this additional evidence, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization has updated its interim guidance on the use of the AstraZeneca vaccines against COVID-19 that are produced by different manufacturers (Astra Zeneca-Vaxzevria, Serum Institute India SII Covishield, and SK Bioscience).
WHO continues to support the conclusion that the benefits of these vaccines outweigh the risks. Pursuant to the latest data, further clarification of precautions and types of risk (ie. Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome) has been added.  More data have been obtained on the effectiveness of the vaccines in different population groups, such as older adults, making the evidence base more robust. Clarifications and specifications have been added as to the vaccination of specific population groups (pregnant and lactating women, person with previous SARS-CoV2 infection and others).
The changes to these Interim Recommendations apply to multiple sections of the document.  The updated version is available here.
The SAGE Working Group on COVID-19 Vaccines will continue to evaluate available data and modify the guidance as required.

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Draft landscape and tracker of COVID-19 candidate vaccines
23April 2021 | Publication
The COVID-19 candidate vaccine landscape and tracker database compiles detailed information on COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development.
The landscape is updated regularly – twice a week (Tuesday and Friday, 17:00 CET).
Download: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/blue-print/23.04.2021-novel-coronavirus_landscape_covid-19.xlsx.zip?sfvrsn=57aa8073_3&download=true

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Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 14 April 2021
For 19 vaccine candidates, presents Manufacturer, Name of Vaccine, NRA of Record, Platform, EOI Accepted Status, Pre-submission Meeting Held Status, Dossier Accepted for Review, Status of Assessment; Anticipated/Completed Decision Date
[click on the link above for full scale view]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccine Developer/Manufacturer Announcements [organizations from WHO EUL/PQ listing above]

AstraZeneca
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

Bharat Biotech, India
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified
Apr 21: Bharat Biotech and ICMR Announce Interim Results from Phase 3 trials of COVAXIN®; Demonstrates overall Interim Clinical Efficacy of 78% and 100% efficacy against Severe COVID-19 disease

Apr 20: Bharat Biotech Announces COVAXIN® Capacity Expansion to Support vaccination campaigns in India and Worldwide.
·Capacity expansion has been implemented across multiple facilities in Hyderabad and Bangalore, to reach ~700 million doses/year, one of the largest production capacities for Inactivated viral vaccines worldwide,
· IMDG agonist molecule synthesis and manufacturing has been successfully implemented in India eliminating dependency on imports,
· Raw materials, packing materials and single use consumables for manufacturing have been secured to meet our capacity requirements

BioCubaFarma – Cuba
Últimas Noticias
Comenzó segunda fase de ensayos clínicos del candidato vacunal Soberana Plus
Con la vacunación de una veintena de personas comenzó este sábado en el capitalino Instituto de Hematología e Inmunología, la fase II A de los ensayos clínicos con el candidato vacunal cubano anti-COVID-19 Soberana Plus, desarrollado por el Instituto Finlay de Vacunas (IFV)…

CanSinoBIO
News – No new digest announcements identified

Clover Biopharmaceuticals – China
News – Website under maintenance

Curevac [Bayer Ag – Germany]
April 19, 2021
CureVac Swiss AG Initiates Rolling Submission Process for mRNA-based COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, CVnCoV, with Swissmedic

Gamaleya National Center
Latest News and Events – No new digest announcements identified [See Russia/RFID below]

IMBCAMS, China
Home – No new digest announcements identified

Janssen/JNJ
Press Releases
Apr 23, 2021 United States
Johnson & Johnson Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccinations to Resume in the U.S. for All Adults Aged 18 and Older Following CDC and FDA Decision
… Johnson & Johnson has updated the EUA Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine (Vaccination Providers), and Recipients and Caregivers for the Company’s COVID-19 vaccine, to include information about the diagnosis and treatment of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia. The revised EUA fact sheets is available at: www.janssencovid19vaccine.com…

Apr 23, 2021 United States
Johnson & Johnson Statement on April 23 CDC Advisory Committee Meeting on Company COVID-19 Vaccine
… Statement from Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer at Johnson & Johnson: “We are grateful to the Advisory Committee and its medical experts for the rigorous evaluation of our COVID-19 vaccine. The Committee’s recommendation is an essential step toward continuing urgently needed vaccinations in a safe way for millions of people in the U.S. As the global pandemic continues to devastate communities around the world, we believe a single-shot, easily transportable COVID-19 vaccine with demonstrated protection against multiple variants can help protect the health and safety of people everywhere. We will continue to collaborate with the CDC, FDA and health authorities around the world, including the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization, to ensure this very rare event can be identified early and treated effectively. We remain committed to the health and safety of people worldwide.”

Moderna
Press Releases
April 20, 2021
Moderna Announces New Supply Agreement with Israel for 2022
:: First firm order reached with the Company for 2022 supply
:: Israel also retains an option to purchase doses of variant-specific vaccine booster candidate, pending regulatory approval

Novavax
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

Pfizer
Recent Press Releases
Pfizer and BioNTech to Supply the European Union with 100 Million Additional Doses of COMIRNATY®
04.19.2021

Serum Institute of India
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Media Statement
Serum Institute of India (SII), welcomes the recent announcement made by Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Finance Ministry to accelerate India’s vaccination drive. The promising directives will help to scaleup vaccine production, and allow state governments, private hospitals, and vaccination centers to procure vaccines directly.
For the next two months, we will address the limited capacity by scaling up the vaccine production. Going ahead, 50% of our capacities will be served to the Government of India’s vaccination program, and the remaining 50% of the capacity will be for the State governments and private hospitals.
…Considering the global vaccine prices, we are ensuring that our vaccines are affordable in comparison to any other vaccines in the world.
… Furthermore, owing to the complexity, and urgency of the situation it is challenging to supply it independently to each corporate entity. We would urge all corporate and private individuals to access the vaccines through the state facilitated machinery and private health systems. Post 4-5 months, the vaccines will be made available in retail and free trade.
We at Serum, would like to assure you that we will continue to do our best to help everyone and would request you all to be patient with us.
ADAR C POONAWALLA, CEO, SERUM INSTITUTE OF INDIA

Sinopharm/WIBPBIBP
News – No new digest announcements identified

Sinovac
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

Vector State Research Centre of Viralogy and Biotechnology
Home – No new digest announcements identified

Zhifei Longcom, China
[Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy Co., Ltd.]
[No website identified]

UNICEF COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard :: Agreements Table Accessed 24 Apr 2021

An overview of information collected from publicly announced bilateral and multilateral supply agreements [Agreements view from 2021-04-09 to date]

Our World in Data

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations

U.S.: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment

FDA and CDC Lift Recommended Pause on Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine Use Following Thorough Safety Review

April 23, 2021

Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume.

The pause was recommended after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine. During the pause, medical and scientific teams at the FDA and CDC examined available data to assess the risk of thrombosis involving the cerebral venous sinuses, or CVST (large blood vessels in the brain), and other sites in the body (including but not limited to the large blood vessels of the abdomen and the veins of the legs) along with thrombocytopenia, or low blood platelet counts. The teams at FDA and CDC also conducted extensive outreach to providers and clinicians to ensure they were made aware of the potential for these adverse events and could properly manage and recognize these events due to the unique treatment required for these blood clots and low platelets, also known as thrombosis-thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

The two agencies have determined the following:

:: Use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine should be resumed in the United States. 

:: The FDA and CDC have confidence that this vaccine is safe and effective in preventing

    COVID-19.

:: The FDA has determined that the available data show that the vaccine’s known and

    potential benefits outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age

    and older.

:: At this time, the available data suggest that the chance of TTS occurring is very low, but

    the FDA and CDC will remain vigilant in continuing to investigate this risk.

:: Health care providers administering the vaccine and vaccine recipients or caregivers

    should review the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine (Vaccination Providers) and Fact Sheet for Recipients and   Caregivers, which have been revised to include information about the risk of this syndrome, which has occurred in a very small number of people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.

CDC’s independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met today to discuss the latest data on TTS, hearing from the vaccine manufacturer Janssen and the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical (VaST) Subgroup, as well as a risk benefit analysis. ACIP is committed to be vigilant and responsive to additional information that could impact the risk benefit analysis of any of these vaccines. Vaccine safety monitoring will continue and any new information about TTS will be brought to ACIP as needed. 

“Safety is our top priority. This pause was an example of our extensive safety monitoring working as they were designed to work—identifying even these small number of cases. We’ve lifted the pause based on the FDA and CDC’s review of all available data and in consultation with medical experts and based on recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. We have concluded that the known and potential benefits of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks in individuals 18 years of age and older. We are confident that this vaccine continues to meet our standards for safety, effectiveness and quality. We recommend people with questions about which vaccine is right for them have those discussions with their health care provider,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., Acting FDA Commissioner.

“Above all else, health and safety are at the forefront of our decisions,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky. “Our vaccine safety systems are working. We identified exceptionally rare events – out of millions of doses of the Janssen COVID-19 administered – and we paused to examine them more carefully. As we always do, we will continue to watch all signals closely as more Americans are vaccinated. I continue to be encouraged by the growing body of real-world evidence that the authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and they protect people from disease, hospitalization, and death. I urge anyone with questions about the COVID-19 vaccines to speak with their healthcare provider or local public health department.”…

White House [U.S.]
Briefing Room – Selected Major COVID Announcements
Remarks by President Biden on the COVID-19 Response and the State of Vaccinations
April 21, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks

FACT SHEET: President Biden to Call on All Employers to Provide Paid Time Off for Employees to Get Vaccinated After Meeting Goal of 200 Million Shots in the First 100 Days
April 21, 2021 • Statements and Releases

COVID Data Tracker [U.S.] April 3, 2021

Europe: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment

European Medicines Agency
News & Press Releases
News: AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine: benefits and risks in context (new)
CHMP, Last updated: 23/04/2021
[Excerpt]
Vaxzevria (formerly COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) is authorised in the EU to prevent COVID-19, which can cause severe disease and death. The disease can also have long-term consequences in people of all ages, including in otherwise healthy people.
The benefits of Vaxzevria outweigh its risks in adults of all age groups; however, very rare cases of blood clots with low blood platelets1 have occurred following vaccination.
To support national authorities making decisions on how to best use the vaccine in their territories, EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has further analysed available data to put the risk of these very rare blood clots in the context of the vaccine’s benefits for different age groups and different rates of infection.
The analysis will inform national decisions on the roll out of the vaccine, taking into account the pandemic situation as it evolves and other factors, such as vaccine availability. The analysis could change as new data become available.
The Committee also considered available data on the use of the second dose…

News: Increase in vaccine manufacturing capacity and supply for COVID-19 vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna (new)
CHMP, Last updated: 23/04/2021
EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has adopted two important recommendations that will increase manufacturing capacity and supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the EU.

News: Meeting highlights from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) 19-22 April 2021 (new)
CHMP, Last updated: 23/04/2021

News: COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen: EMA finds possible link to very rare cases of unusual blood clots with low blood platelets (new)
PRAC, Last updated: 20/04/2021
[Excerpt]
At its meeting of 20 April 2021, EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) concluded that a warning about unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be added to the product information for COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen. PRAC also concluded that these events should be listed as very rare side effects of the vaccine.
In reaching its conclusion, the Committee took into consideration all currently available evidence including eight reports from the United States of serious cases of unusual blood clots associated with low levels of blood platelets, one of which had a fatal outcome. As of 13 April 2021, over 7 million people had received Janssen’s vaccine in the United States.
All cases occurred in people under 60 years of age within three weeks after vaccination, the majority in women. Based on the currently available evidence, specific risk factors have not been confirmed…

European Commission
Statement 23 April 2021
Statement by Commissioner Kyriakides on the review by the European Medicines Agency of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
Following a  formal request by the European Commission, the European Medicines Agency has reviewed additional vaccination and epidemiological data submitted by Member States in relation to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Press release 20 April 2021
EU launches €100 million humanitarian initiative to support COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Africa
Today, Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, will visit the Africa Centres for Disease control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in Addis Ababa. This visit marks the start of the implementation of the EU’s new €100 million humanitarian initiative in support of the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in Africa. As announced by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the G7 meeting in February 2021, this €100 million initiative is part of the European Commission’s efforts to ensure equitable and fair access to safe and effective vaccines to all. By joining forces with the Africa CDC and other international partners, the European Commission aims to support a fast and safe rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in Africa…

Africa: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment

Statement
UPDATE: Statement to Member States regarding thromboembolic events after vaccination with Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson)
24 April 2021
…Recommendations to AU Member States and health authorities
COVID-19 vaccines remain a key tool to prevent severe cases and deaths from COVID-19 infection. As such rapid access to safe and effective vaccines is paramount to the African Union vaccination strategy to achieve control of the pandemic.
The currently available evidence underscores the safety and efficacy of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, notably in settings with high prevalence of the 501Y.V2 (or B.1.351) SARS CoV2 variant.
The position of Africa CDC is that the benefits of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks for people who receive it.
National health care authorities should reinforce vaccine safety monitoring.  Health care providers and clinicians should be informed of the risk of thrombotic thrombocytopenia in order to recognize and properly manage this very rare adverse event. Africa CDC will continue to monitor reports of adverse events following immunization, for all COVID-19 vaccines, including the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, and will provide further guidance to Member States.

Russia: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment

Russia: Sputnik V – “the first registered COVID-19 vaccine”
https://sputnikvaccine.com/newsroom/pressreleases/
Press Releases
RDIF and Minapharm agree to produce over 40 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine in Egypt
Press release, 22.04.2021

Production of Sputnik V launched in Argentina
Press release, 20.04.2021

Sputnik V demonstrates 97.6% efficacy according to analysis of data from 3.8 million vaccinated persons in Russia making it the most efficient COVID-19 vaccine in the world
Press release, 19.04.2021

RDIF and Hualan Biological Bacterin agree to produce over 100 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine in China
Press release, 19.04.2021

India: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment

Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR)
https://www.icmr.gov.in/media.html
No new digest content identified.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/

17.02.2021 Guidelines for International Arrivals

17.02.2021 Algorithm for international arrivals
[For full size image click on link]

China: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment

[See China CDC section below]

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 21 April 2021
:: The GPEI has made available reports from the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meetings for Pakistan and Afghanistan which were held virtually in February and March this year.

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
:: Afghanistan: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Pakistan: three WPV1 and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Benin: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Iran: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Sierra Leone: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Tajikistan: two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples

::::::
::::::

WHO/OCHA Emergencies

Editor’s Note:
Continuing with this edition, we include information about the last apparent update evident on the WHO emergency country webpages, recognizing almost universal and significant interims since last update regardless of the level of the emergency listed.

WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 24 Apr 2021]

Democratic Republic of the Congo – No new digest announcements [Last apparent update: 12 Jan 2021]
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 3 November 2020]
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 29 Jun 2020]
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 17 July 2020]
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 4 February 2020]
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 24 October 2020]
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 30 June 2020]

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 24 Apr 2021]
Malawi
:: Boosting equity to malaria prevention in Malawi through vaccination 22 April 2021

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 5 July 2020]
Angola – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 16 March 2021]
Burkina Faso – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 01 avril 2021]
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 04 July 2019]
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 22 August 2019]
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 12 June 2018]
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 22 August 2019]
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 2 March 2020]
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 11 April 2021]
Libya – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 7 October 2019]
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 16-12-2020]
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 8 July 2019]
Mozambique – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 03 November 2020]
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: ²9 March 2021]
Niger – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 16 avril 2021]
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 4 September 2019]
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 27 August 2019]
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – No new digest announcements
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 24 June 2020]
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 1 May 2019]
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 10 May 2019]

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 24 Apr 2021]

Kenya
:: Kenya Third Wave Response: A time to synergize and re-energize 23 April 2021

Chad – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 30 June 2018]
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 25 novembre 2020]
Mali – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 3 May 2017]
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 20 July 2018]
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 21 October 2020]

::::::
::::::

UN OCHA – Current Emergencies
COVID-19 – No new unique digest announcements identified

::::::
::::::

WHO & Regional Offices [to 24 Apr 2021]
23 April 2021 Departmental news
Fair Pricing Forum ends with good intentions and new undertakings from WHO

23 April 2021 News release
ACT-Accelerator one year on

23 April 2021 News release
COVID-19 continues to disrupt essential health services in 90% of countries

22 April 2021 Statement
Statement of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization: Continued review of emerging evidence on AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccines
[See COVID above for detail]

21 April 2021 News release
World Malaria Day: WHO launches effort to stamp out malaria in 25 more countries by 2025

20 April 2021 Departmental news
RTS,S malaria vaccine reaches more than 650 000 children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi through groundbreaking pilot programme

20 April 2021 Departmental news
Message from Director SRH/HRP

20 April 2021 Departmental news
WHO validates Gambia for having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem

19 April 2021 Departmental news
Applications for the 23rd WHO Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Essential Medicines available for public review and comment

19 April 2021 Statement
Statement on the seventh meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
[See COVID above for detail]

::::::

Weekly Epidemiological Record, Vol. 96, No. 16, pp. 125–132 23 April 2021
:: WHO’s role in SARS-CoV-2 laboratory diagnostics: an end-to-end approach

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Cabo Verde attains zero local malaria transmission 22 April 2021
:: Boosting equity to malaria prevention in Malawi through vaccination 22 April 2021
:: Getting malaria prevention back on track 22 April 2021

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
:: Technical experts advise on how to ensure the best possible schooling during COVID-19 23-04-2021
:: WHO, FAO, and OIE call for stronger coordination in mitigating health threats 23-04-2021
:: COVAX helps make equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines a reality in the WHO European Region 23-04-2021
:: New report from WHO on health spending calls on governments not to repeat past mistakes when rebuilding from COVID-19 22-04-2021
:: Using the arts to improve health: WHO pioneers large-scale, arts-based health interventions 21-04-2021

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: World Immunization Week 2021 22 April 2021
:: Syria receives its first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility
22 April 2021

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified

CDC/ACIP [U.S.] [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases, Announcements
FDA and CDC Lift Recommended Pause on Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine Use Following Thorough Safety Review
Friday, April 23, 2021
[See COVAX US above for full text]

MMWR News Synopsis Friday, April 23, 2021
:: Airport Traveler Testing Program for SARS-CoV-2 — Alaska, June–November 2020
:: COVID-19 Outbreaks in Correctional Facilities with Work-Release Programs — Idaho, July–November 2020
:: Laboratory Modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Exposure Reduction Through Physically Distanced Seating in Aircraft Cabins Using Bacteriophage Aerosol — November 2020 (Early Release April 14, 2021)

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)– CDC
Selected Resources
Overall US COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Administration Update as of Fri, 23 Apr 2021 06:00:00 EST

COVID Data Tracker Recent Updates – 2021-04-22 – Updated Variant Proportions tab that shows variant proportions by region

4/23/21 COVID Data Tracker Recent Updates – 2021-04-22 – New Global Vaccinations tab displays vaccination counts and rates by country

4/23/21 ACIP Presentation Slides: April 23, 2021 Meeting

Africa CDC [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
Statement
UPDATE: Statement to Member States regarding thromboembolic events after vaccination with Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson)
24 April 2021

Statement
Statement on donation and distribution of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through AVATT
21 April 2021

China CDC
http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/
No new digest content identified.

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
April 24: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On April 23, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 9 new cases of confirmed infections.

Chinese health official stresses preventing COVID-19 import
2021-04-22

Over 204 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across China
2021-04-23

China to produce more than 3b COVID-19 vaccines this year: Official
2021-04-21

National Medical Products Administration – PRC [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://english.nmpa.gov.cn/news.html
News
Xi says China committed to making vaccines a global public good
2021-04-21
President Xi Jinping on April 20 said China will honor its commitment of making vaccines a global public good…China will continue anti-COVID cooperation with the World Health Organization and other countries and do more to help developing countries defeat the virus, Xi said.

Organization Announcements
Editor’s Note:
Careful readers will note that the number and range of organizations now monitored in our Announcements section below has grown as the impacts of the pandemic have spread across global economies, supply chains and programmatic activity of multilateral agencies and INGOs.

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
[Website not responding at inquiry]

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
News
No new digest content identified.

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center
Press Releases and Statements
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 24 Apr 2021]
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 24 Apr 2021]
https://carb-x.org/
News
04.20.2021  |
CARB-X is funding Baebies Inc. to develop a rapid diagnostic for neonatal sepsis
CARB-X is awarding Baebies Inc., based in Durham, North Carolina, USA, up to $3.9 million to develop a rapid easy-to-use diagnostic for neonatal sepsis, a severe condition related to bacterial infections which, according to studies, kills an estimated 1.4 million young children world-wide each year.

04.19.2021  |
CARB-X is funding Phico Therapeutics to develop an engineered bacteriophage drug to treat ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
CARB-X is funding Phico Therapeutics, in Cambridge, UK, to develop a new intravenous engineered bacteriophage drug to treat ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a serious problem in hospitals, intensive-care units and health-care settings.

Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy – GE2P2 Global Foundation [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.net/
News/Analysis/Statements
:: Past weekly editions of Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review are available here.
:: [NEW] Webinar Recording – Posting of Informed Consent Content on Clinical Trials Registries Center for Informed Consent Integrity Webinar Series – 21 April 2021

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency [to 24 Apr 2021
https://www.darpa.mil/news
News
4/19/2021
DARPA Selects Teams to Defend Against Chemical, Biological Threats from Inside and Out
Chemical and biological (CB) threats have become increasingly ubiquitous and diverse, presenting significant risks to warfighters in theater and stability operators during pandemic outbreaks. State-of-the-art personal protective equipment (PPE) can be bulky, heavy, and cumbersome, often severely limiting user mobility and performance. The Personalized Protective Biosystem (PPB) program aims to develop technology that reduces the need for burdensome protective equipment while increasing individual protection against CB threats.

Duke Global Health Innovation Center [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://dukeghic.org/
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE
Last dated update: FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

EDCTP [to 24 Apr 2021]
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
24 April 2021
EDCTP-funded trial of R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine shows efficacy of 77%
Positive results from an EDCTP-funded clinical trial in Burkina Faso, published as a preprint with The Lancet, demonstrate that the malaria vaccine candidate R21/Matrix-M is safe, immunogenic and has an efficacy of 77%, exceeding the WHO goal of 75% efficacy for malaria vaccines.
[University of Oxford news item: Malaria vaccine becomes first to achieve WHO-specified 75% efficacy goal]

Emory Vaccine Center [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Vaccine Initiative [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
World Malaria Day 2021: Reaching the zero malaria target by 2030

FDA [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements /Selected Details
April 23, 2021 – FDA and CDC Lift Recommended Pause on Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine Use Following Thorough Safety Review
[See COVID U.S. above for detail]

April 23, 2021 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: April 23, 2021

April 21, 2021 – FDA Continues Important Steps to Ensure Quality, Safety and Effectiveness of Authorized COVID-19 Vaccines
…As part of our regulatory processes for reviewing all manufacturing facilities, the FDA recently completed an inspection of Emergent BioSolutions, a proposed manufacturing facility for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine. As Johnson & Johnson announced last month, the FDA has not authorized this facility to manufacture or distribute any of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine or components and, to date, no COVID-19 vaccine manufactured at this plant has been distributed for use in the U.S.
The FDA’s inspections are thorough, and these assessments review the quality of manufacturing procedures, including records, staff training, facility operations, drug production and testing and the systems in place to ensure product quality. During an inspection of Emergent BioSolutions that ended Tuesday, the FDA cited a number of observations concerning whether the facility’s processes met our requirements and standards. These observations are outlined in our inspection closeout report, also known as a “FDA Form 483.”…

April 20, 2021 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: April 20, 2021

Fondation Merieux [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.gavi.org/
News Releases
23 April 2021
France makes important vaccine dose donation to COVAX
[See COVAX above for detail]

GHIT Fund [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 212 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that
No new digest content identified.

Global Fund [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
Global Fund Applauds Netherlands’ Contribution to ACT-Accelerator
20 April 2021
The Global Fund warmly welcomed the announcement by the Netherlands of a contribution of €52 million to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator – a groundbreaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
Of the new funds, €12 million will be channeled through the Global Fund to strengthen its response to the COVID-19 pandemic while protecting gains made against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria over the last two decades. The rest, €40 million, will be invested in the purchase of vaccines through COVAX – the vaccines pillar of the ACT-Accelerator. This latest commitment follows €85 million the Netherlands has contributed to the global response to COVID-19 since the pandemic began, bringing its total investment to date to €137 million…

Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness [GloPID-R] [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.glopid-r.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.
[Website not fully loading at inquiry]

IAVI [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
PRESS RELEASES/FEATURES
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.

ICRC [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new
Selected News Releases, Statements, Reports
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/
Press Releases/Announcements
No new digest content identified.

IFRC [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Europe, Greece, Italy, Serbia, Spain
COVID-19: IFRC warns Europe’s poorest countries are being left behind, as deaths hit grim milestone
As Europe reaches the grim milestone of 50 million infections and 1 million lives lost to COVID-19, IFRC calls for more equitable access to vaccination to counter disparities across countries and ensure no one is left behind.
21 April 2021

Institut Pasteur [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.pasteur.fr/en/press-area
Press release
21.04.2021
SARS-CoV-2: infection induces antibodies capable of killing infected cells regardless of disease severity
Drawing on epidemiological field studies and the French COVID hospital cohort coordinated by Inserm, teams from the…

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index
Media highlights [Selected]
No new digest content identified.

IVAC [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates; Events
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News, Announcements, Events
Webinar | COVID-19 and Public Governance: Effective Global Vaccination Strategies for Vaccine Access
While vaccination campaigns are rolled out across the globe and access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines come into sight, more work, funding and collaboration are still needed to overcome the tremendous health and economic consequences of this pandemic. In this crisis, international cooperation needs to succeed—also to set itself up for further challenges to come. Register below!
April 29, 2021 | 9:30 Berlin | 16:30 Seoul

JEE Alliance [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/news/center-news/
Center News
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements
Malaria
Pumps, bicycles and satellites: fighting malaria in Burundi
Project Update 22 Apr 2021

Peru
COVID-19 leaves high numbers of deaths and overwhelmed hospitals in Peru
Press Release 20 Apr 2021

National Academy of Medicine – USA [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://nam.edu/programs/
Selected News/Programs
Upcoming Events:
Researching Novel Therapeutics in a Pandemic: Lessons from COVID-19 (April 22)
Implementation Science and Non-Vaccine Public Health Measures during COVID-19 (April 23)
Exploring Influenza Vaccine Critical Inputs, Technologies, and Logistics Day 1 (April 23)
Exploring Influenza Vaccine Critical Inputs, Technologies, and Logistics Day 2 (April 27)

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
Upcoming Meetings/Latest Updates
No new digest content identified.

NIH [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
News Releases
COVID-19 vaccine responses to be studied in people with immune deficits
April 23, 2021 — Enrollment begins at NIH Clinical Center.

Clinical trial of therapeutics for severely ill hospitalized COVID-19 patients begins
April 22, 2021 — Patients with acute respiratory failure may now enroll in NIH-sponsored trial.

Large NIH clinical trial will test polyclonal antibody therapeutic for COVID-19
April 21, 2021 — Study is part of an effort to speed development of the most promising treatments and vaccine candidates.

Large clinical trial to study repurposed drugs to treat COVID-19 symptoms
April 19, 2021 — Using an ACTIV master protocol, the trial will focus on potential interventions for mild-to-moderate illness.

UN OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.unocha.org/
Press Releases
20 April 2021
United Nations launches $29 million appeal for St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other affected countries as volcano eruption continues

18 April 2021
United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Imran Riza, condemns killing of two aid workers in Deir-Ez-Zor, Syria [EN/AR]

PATH [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
21 April 2021
Civil society from Asia and the Pacific join the first regional consultation on the High-Level Meeting on AIDS

19 April 2021
Regional network of people living with HIV launched in the Middle East and North Africa

19 April 2021
Less than 60% of pregnant women living with HIV in western and central Africa have access to services to stop vertical transmission of HIV

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html
Latest from News Centre
No new digest content identified.

UNESCO [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://en.unesco.org/news
Selected Latest News
Making COVID-19 Vaccine a “global public good” for its timely allocation to Africa
19/04/2021
…In this context, the Framework for Fair, Equitable and Timely Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccines in Africa, issued in January 2021 by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), as well as the UNESCO Ethics Commissions’ Call for Global Vaccines Equity and Solidarity, issued in February 2021 as a joint statement by UNESCO International Bioethics Committee (IBC) and the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), needed to be reaffirmed for ensuring that a COVID-19 Vaccine is considered a “global public good” that is accessible to everyone, irrespective of ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, race and religion. This is the rationale behind the Series of Community Engagement and Experience Sharing Virtual Workshops on Ethical Considerations in Covid-19 immunization campaigns for its fair, equitable and timely allocation in Africa, with the first of the series held on 14 April 2021.’’…

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/media-centre.htmlS
Selected News Releases, Announcements
UNHCR’s Grandi calls on the international community to stand with DR Congo
23 Apr 2021

Mounting death toll in the Central Mediterranean calls for urgent action
JOINT UNHCR/IOM PRESS RELEASE
23 Apr 2021

Data visualization reveals impacts of climate change on displacement
22 Apr 2021

UNHCR’s Protection Chief visits Cyprus, addresses challenges in access to asylum
22 Apr 2021

More refugees arrive in Chad following recent clashes in CAR
20 Apr 2021

Relocations in Brazil offer dignity and hope to thousands of Venezuelans
Joint UNHCR/IOM Press Release
20 Apr 2021

UNICEF [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press Releases, Statements
Statement 04/23/2021
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore’s remarks at the one-year anniversary of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator
As prepared for delivery

Press release 04/23/2021
COVID-19 continues to disrupt essential health services in 90 per cent of countries
Some signs of recovery emerging but major efforts required to restore and strengthen health services

Press release 04/22/2021
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham leads global vaccination drive during World Immunization Week
Global partners pledge a $1 donation for every like, share or comment on social media posts mentioning ‘UNICEF’ using the hashtag #VaccinesWork until the end of April

Statement 04/22/2021
Syria receives its first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility
Joint Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ted Chaiban, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Ahmad Al-Mandhari, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Director of Country Support, Pascal Bijleveld

Press release 04/19/2021
Nine times more migrant children in Mexico over the past three months – UNICEF

Unitaid [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
23 April 2021
World Malaria Day : Unitaid commits to ensure increased and equitable access to life-saving tools against malaria
Geneva – Ahead of World Malaria Day, marked annually on April 25, Unitaid reaffirms its strong commitment to combat malaria by increasing its efforts to prevent, control, and ultimately eliminate the disease.
The emergence of COVID-19 more than one year ago has thrown health systems into disarray and forced many countries to shift their focus and resources away from malaria. This threatens to reverse hard-won gains, particularly in the highest malaria burden countries where the rate of progress has slowed in recent years.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns countries that disruptions to programmes that prevent and treat malaria could lead to a potential doubling of malaria deaths in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020 compared to 2018.
A new report by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria highlights the urgent need to scale-up the adaptative measures adopted to counter the impact of COVID-19 to ensure the continuing delivery of lifesaving health services for malaria…

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
News, Research and Reports
Coronavirus global impact
Launched April 2, 2020 and recurring every 3 days, Premise Data is utilizing its global network of Contributors to assess economic, social, and health sentiment surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19).
[Data arrays do noy seem to loading]

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
News
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News and reports
Explainer
What are human infection studies and why do we need them?
19 April 2021

The Wistar Institute [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
Apr. 22, 2021
Low-dose Administration of MERS DNA Vaccine Candidate Induces Potent Immunity and Protects From Virus Challenge in Preclinical Models
Dose-sparing regimens and intradermal delivery have important implication for rapid clinical development of effective, well-tolerated and easy-to-distribute vaccines against MERS and other emerging coronaviruses.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
Together We Can Overcome the COVID-19 Pandemic: Letters to G7 & G20
Apr 22, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health issue requiring a global solution with regional, national and local applicability. The extreme COVID-19 fatigue and uncertainty experienced by populations worldwide urgently requires both short-term and long-term practical solutions.
In countries that have been more successful in containing COVID-19, health and social professionals have been in leading roles formulating evidence-informed recommendations on the basis of best practice, and supporting societal engagement.
Therefore, the Coalition of Global Health, Primary Care and Social Work Professionals has sent an open letter to the Presidents of the 2021 G7 and G20 Summits to call on the G7 and G20 Summits to engage with the representatives of the Coalition to work directly on the co-design and co-production of local, national, regional and international strategies to effectively combat the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Together we can overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
Letter to G7
Letter to G20

Advancing Essential Public Health Functions to Prevent the Next Pandemic
Apr 19, 2021
Advancing Essential Public Health Functions to Prevent the Next Pandemic
The Essential Public Health Functions (EPHFs) are a set of fundamental actions taken to achieve the public health goal of improving, promoting, protecting, and restoring the…

World Bank [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
Selected News, Announcements
COVID 19: Debt Service Suspension Initiative
In the interest of greater transparency, this webpage offers a country-by-country accounting of DSSI participants and the amounts they owe to creditors, based on information from the World Bank’s International…
Date: April 23, 2021 Type: Brief

World Bank Financing for COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Reaches $2 Billion
Date: April 20, 2021 Type: Press Release
[See COVID – Access above for detail]

World Bank Approves $30 Million to Support COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout in Rwanda
WASHINGTON, April 16, 2021 — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved  $30 million in additional financing to the Republic of Rwanda for the acquisition and deployment of safe and…
Date: April 16, 2021 Type: Press Release

World Customs Organization – WCO [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.wcoomd.org/
Latest News – Selected Items
20 April 2021
The SAFE Working Group endorses the SAFE 2021 Framework of Standards after a successful Review Cycle and paves the way to prioritize its activities in line with the WCO’s COVID-19 Action Plan

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2021/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

WTO – World Trade Organisation [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news_e.htm
WTO News and Events
Members note sharp downturn in LDCs’ trade, discuss role of trade in eradicating poverty
19 April 2021
An analysis of least-developed countries’ (LDCs) trade flows in 2020, presented to WTO members at a meeting of the Sub-Committee on LDCs on 19 April, revealed that the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade was worse for LDCs than for the world as a whole. In addition, delegations discussed preparations for the Fifth United Nations Conference on LDCs as well as the latest research on LDCs carried out by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)…
Introduced by UNCTAD, “The least-developed countries report 2020 — productive capacities for the new decade” notes that LDCs were innovative in setting up measures to combat the crisis, both productive and institutional. For example, Senegal came up with rapid COVID-19 testing facilities and Bangladesh revamped its manufacturing production capacity.
Yet, it is estimated that over 300 million people are still living in extreme poverty, according to UNCTAD. The organization’s new productive capacities index indicates that LDCs lag behind other developing countries in several productive capacity areas. The transition to a digital economy remains pending. This is due to costly adoption of new technological capabilities, to insufficient skills and inadequate infrastructure. Policies are needed to develop LDCs’ productive capacities through investment and industrial transition…

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 24 Apr 2021]
Press Releases – Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (alliancerm.org)
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
Proposed “TRIPS” Waiver Is the WRONG Way To Attack Global Access for Vaccines to Developing Countries
April 20, 2021
Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), yesterday sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai sharing BIO perspectives regarding the proposed WTO “TRIPS waiver”…

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 24 Apr 2021]
https://internationalbiotech.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
ACT-Accelerator 1-Year Anniversary: the biopharmaceutical industry is committed to continue to play a critical role
23 April 2021
[See COVAX above for detail]

COVID-19 vaccine industry cautions immediate action needed to remove manufacturing supply barriers to meet production
23 April 2021
[See COVAX above for detail]

PhRMA [to 24 Apr 2021]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
Data shows that Americans are relying on vaccines to get us through the pandemic
April 22, 2021
Data shows that Americans are relying on vaccines to get us through the pandemic.
Blog Post

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

AJOB Empirical Bioethics
Volume 12, 2020 Issue 2
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uabr21/current

Article
Assessment of the All of Us research program’s informed consent process
Megan Doerr, Sarah Moore, Vanessa Barone, Scott Sutherland, Brian M. Bot, Christine Suver & John Wilbankson behalf of the All of Us Consent Working Group* and the Low Health Literacy Consent Study Research Team*
Published online: 04 Dec 2020
Abstract
Informed consent is the gateway to research participation. We report on the results of the formative evaluation that follows the electronic informed consent process for the All of Us Research Program. Of the nearly 250,000 participants included in this analysis, more than 95% could correctly answer questions distinguishing the program from medical care, the voluntary nature of participation, and the right to withdraw; comparatively, participants were less sure of privacy risk of the program. We also report on a small mixed-methods study of the experience of persons of very low health literacy with All of Us informed consent materials. Of note, many of the words commonly employed in the consent process were unfamiliar to or differently defined by informants. In combination, these analyses may inform participant-centered development and highlight areas for refinement of informed consent materials for the All of Us Research Program and similar studies.

AMA Journal of Ethics
Volume 23, Number 3 Apr 2021
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/issue/compassionate-force

Compassionate Force
Using force in caregiving is most often justified based on risk-benefit or best interest analyses. Careful, inclusive deliberation about whether force should be used in the course of a patient’s care is a rise-to-the minimum precursor of responsible force implementation, as is minimizing a patient’s risk of harm. Even when clinically indicated and ethically justifiable, force protocols drawing on physical, pharmaceutical, and legal means of restraint or seclusion can undermine therapeutic capacity in patient-clinician relationships, erode trust, and exacerbate emotional and moral distress for both patients and clinicians. These high stakes cum patients’ extreme vulnerability prompt us to consider how clinicians’ and organizations’ clinical and ethical obligations extend beyond harm minimization to compassion maximization. Although the words “compassion” and “force” rarely appear together, this issue investigates what their union could mean for and make possible in the enterprise of health care.

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 104 (2021): Issue 4 (Apr 2021)
https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/104/4/tpmd.104.issue-4.xml

Perspective Piece
The COVID-19 Pandemic in Peru: What Went Wrong?
Alvaro Schwalb and Carlos Seas
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-1323

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 104 (2021): Issue 4 (Apr 2021)
https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/104/4/tpmd.104.issue-4.xml

Contact Tracing and the COVID-19 Response in Africa: Best Practices, Key Challenges, and Lessons Learned from Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda
Jean B. Nachega, Rhoda Atteh, Chikwe Ihekweazu, Nadia A. Sam-Agudu, Prisca Adejumo, Sabin Nsanzimana, Edson Rwagasore, Jeanine Condo, Masudah Paleker, Hassan Mahomed, Fatima Suleman, Alex Riolexus Ario, Elsie Kiguli-Malwadde, Francis G. Omaswa, Nelson K. Sewankambo, Cecile Viboud, Michael J. A. Reid, Alimuddin Zumla, and Peter H. Kilmarx
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.21-0033

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 104 (2021): Issue 4 (Apr 2021)
https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/104/4/tpmd.104.issue-4.xml

Review Article
Open access
Hematological Abnormalities in COVID-19: A Narrative Review
Asma Rahman, Roshan Niloofa, Umesh Jayarajah, Sanjay De Mel, Visula Abeysuriya, and Suranjith L. Seneviratne
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-1536
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2. Although pulmonary manifestations have been identified as the major symptoms, several hematological abnormalities have also been identified. This review summarizes the reported hematological abnormalities (changes in platelet, white blood cell, and hemoglobin, and coagulation/fibrinolytic alterations), explores their patho-mechanisms, and discusses its management. Common hematological abnormalities in COVID-19 are lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated D-dimer levels. These alterations are significantly more common/prominent in patients with severe COVID-19 disease, and thus may serve as a possible biomarker for those needing hospitalization and intensive care unit care. Close attention needs to be paid to coagulation abnormalities, and steps should be taken to prevent these occurring or to mitigate their harmful effects. The effect of COVID-19 in patients with hematological abnormalities and recognized hematological drug toxicities of therapies for COVID-19 are also outlined.

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 104 (2021): Issue 4 (Apr 2021)
https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/104/4/tpmd.104.issue-4.xml

A Realist Synthesis of Community-Based Interventions in Vector-Borne Diseases
Dennis Pérez, Emilie Robert, Elsury Johanna Pérez, Veerle Vanlerberghe, Pierre Lefèvre, and Valéry Ridde
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0944
ABSTRACT
Randomized control trials have provided evidence that some community-based interventions (CBIs) work in vector-borne diseases (VBDs). Conversely, there is limited evidence on how well those CBIs succeed in producing specific outcomes in different contexts. To conduct a realist synthesis for knowledge translation on this topic, we examined the extent to which realist concepts (context, mechanisms, and outcomes) and their relationships are present in the existing literature on CBIs for VBDs. Articles on CBIs were identified from prior scoping reviews of health interventions for VBDs. Content of the articles was extracted verbatim if it referred either to realist concepts or CBI features. The number of articles and the average number of words extracted per category per CBI were quantified. Content of the articles was scrutinized to inductively gather qualitative evidence on the interactions between realist concepts. We reviewed 41 articles on 17 CBIs from 12 countries. The average number of words used for mechanisms was much lower than those used for outcomes and context (309,474, and 836, respectively). The average number of words used for mechanisms increased when a CBI was described in three or more articles. There were more extensive accounts on CBI features than on mechanisms. It was difficult to gather evidence on the interactions among realist concepts from the content of the articles. Scarce reporting on mechanisms in published articles limits conducting a realist synthesis of CBIs in VBDs. More transdisciplinary research that goes beyond the biomedical paradigm is needed to boost the development of intervention mechanisms in this field.

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 104 (2021): Issue 4 (Apr 2021)
https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/104/4/tpmd.104.issue-4.xml

Articles
Refugee Settlements and Cholera Risks in Uganda, 2016–2019
Godfrey Bwire, Christopher Garimoi Orach, Freda Loy Aceng, Sam Emmanuel Arianitwe, David Matseketse, Edson Tumusherure, Issa Makumbi, Allan Muruta, Rebecca D. Merrill, Amanda Debes, Mohammad Ali, and David A. Sack
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0741

Annals of Internal Medicine
April 2021 Volume 174, Issue 4
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Original Research
Population Mortality and Laws Encouraging Influenza Vaccination for Hospital Workers
Mariana Carrera, PhD, Emily C. Lawler, PhD, Corey White, PhD
Pages:444–452

Annals of Internal Medicine
April 2021 Volume 174, Issue 4
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Position Papers
A Comprehensive Policy Framework to Understand and Address Disparities and Discrimination in Health and Health Care: A Policy Paper From the American College of Physicians
FREE
Josh Serchen, BA, Robert Doherty, BA, Omar Atiq, MD, David Hilden, MD, MPH, … et al.
Pages:529–532

Annals of Internal Medicine
April 2021 Volume 174, Issue 4
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Ideas and Opinions
A Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy to Maximize the Health Gains for Every Single Vaccine Dose
FREE
Ruanne V. Barnabas, MBChB, MSc, DPhil,
Anna Wald, MD, MPH
Pages:552–553

Annals of Internal Medicine
April 2021 Volume 174, Issue 4
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Editorials
U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Challenges Go Beyond Supply
FREE
Thomas J. Bollyky, JD
Pages:558–559

Cell
Apr 15, 2021 Volume 184 Issue 8 p1941-2258
https://www.cell.com/cell/current

Previews
Advancing the ethical dialogue about monkey/human chimeric embryos
Henry T. Greely, Nita A. Farahany
In this issue of Cell, Tan et al. report the first injection of human stem cells into in vitro non-human primate blastocysts with significant survival of the human cells, raising new scientific possibilities but also important ethical issues.

Cell
Apr 15, 2021 Volume 184 Issue 8 p1941-2258
https://www.cell.com/cell/current

Article
Chimeric contribution of human extended pluripotent stem cells to monkey embryos ex vivo
Tao Tan, et a;
Human cells, in the form of extended pluripotent stem cells, have the ability to contribute to both embryonic and extra-embryonic lineages in ex-vivo-cultured monkey embryos.

Cell
Apr 15, 2021 Volume 184 Issue 8 p1941-2258
https://www.cell.com/cell/current

Featured Article
Toward a fine-scale population health monitoring system
Gillian M. Belbin, et al
Taking a quantitative approach to genetic ancestry in health systems furthers understanding of disease burdens specific to fine-scale populations and the environmental and demographic ties that can impact disease.

Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 24 Apr 2021]

Research Article metrics
Revised
Antenatal care providers’ attitudes and beliefs towards maternal vaccination in Kenya [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 1 not approved]
Subhash Chander, Ines Gonzalez-Casanova, Sandra S. Chaves, Nancy A. Otieno, Marc-Alain Widdowson, Jennifer Verani, Paula Frew, Andrew Wilson, Saad B. Omer, Fauzia Malik
Peer Reviewers Clarissa Simas; Zhihua Liu
Funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
LATEST VERSION PUBLISHED 22 Apr 2021

Genome Medicine
https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 24 Apr 2021]

Articles
The impact of genomics on precision public health: beyond the pandemic
Authors: Muin J. Khoury and Kathryn E. Holt
Citation: Genome Medicine 2021 13:67
Content type: Editorial
Published on: 23 April 2021
Precision public health has been defined in many ways [¹]. It can be viewed as an emerging multidisciplinary field that uses genomics, big data, and machine learning/artificial intelligence to predict health risks and outcomes and to improve health at the population level. Just like precision medicine seeks to provide the right intervention to the right patient at the right time, the aim of precision public health is to provide the right intervention to the right population at the right time, with the goal of improving health for all.

Humanitarian Exchange Magazine
Number 78, October 2020
https://odihpn.org/magazine/inclusion-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-humanitarian-action-what-now/

Disability inclusion in humanitarian action
by HPN October 2020
The theme of this edition of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Sherin Alsheikh Ahmed from Islamic Relief Worldwide, is disability inclusion in humanitarian action. Persons with disabilities are not only disproportionately impacted by conflicts, disasters and other emergencies, but also face barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance. At the same time, global commitments and standards and the IASC Guidelines on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action all emphasise how persons with disabilities are also active agents of change. Disability and age-focused organisations have led on testing and demonstrating how inclusion can be done better. Yet despite this progress, challenges to effective inclusion remain.

As Kirstin Lange notes in the lead article, chief among these challenges is humanitarian agencies’ lack of engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities. Simione Bula, Elizabeth Morgan and Teresa Thomson look at disability inclusion in humanitarian response in the Pacific, and Kathy Al Jubeh and Alradi Abdalla argue for a ‘participation revolution’, building on learning from the gender movement. Tchaurea Fleury and Sulayman AbdulMumuni Ujah outline how the Bridge Article 11 training initiative is encouraging constructive exchange between humanitarian and disability actors. The lack of good, disaggregated data is highlighted by Sarah Collinson; Frances Hill, Jim Cranshaw and Carys Hughes emphasise the need for training resources in local languages and accessible formats; and Sophie Van Eetvelt and colleagues report on a review of the evidence on inclusion of people with disabilities and older people.

Rebecca Molyneux and co-authors analyse the findings of a review of a DFID programme in north-east Nigeria, while Carolin Funke highlights the importance of strategic partnerships between disability-focused organisations, drawing on her research in Cox’s Bazar. Sherin Alsheikh Ahmed describes Islamic Relief Worldwide’s approach to mainstreaming protection and inclusion, while Pauline Thivillier and Valentina Shafina outline IRC’s Client Responsive Programming. The edition ends with reflections by Mirela Turcanu and Yves Ngunzi Kahashi on CAFOD’s SADI approach.

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 17, Issue 5, 2021
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Assessing COVID-19 vaccine literacy: a preliminary online survey
Luigi Roberto Biasio, Guglielmo Bonaccorsi, Chiara Lorini & Sergio Pecorelli
Pages: 1304-1312
Published online: 29 Oct 2020

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 17, Issue 5, 2021
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
The estimated impact of decreased childhood vaccination due to COVID-19 using a dynamic transmission model of mumps in Japan
Taito Kitano & Hirosato Aoki
Pages: 1313-1316
Published online: 29 Oct 2020

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 17, Issue 5, 2021
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Review
Real-world evidence of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine safety in the United States: a systematic review
Tracy a Becerra-Culqui, Lina S. Sy, Zendi Solano & Hung Fu Tseng
Pages: 1432-1441
Published online: 17 Dec 2020

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 17, Issue 5, 2021
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

Article
Determinants of policy and uptake of national vaccine programs for pregnant women: results of mixed method study from Spain, Italy, and India
Lois Privor-Dumm
Pages: 1474-1482
Published online: 20 Nov 2020

Infectious Diseases of Poverty
http://www.idpjournal.com/content
[Accessed 24 Apr 2021]

From 30 million to zero malaria cases in China: lessons learned for China–Africa collaboration in malaria elimination
Authors: Jun-Hu Chen, Jun Fen and Xiao-Nong Zhou
Content type: Editorial
20 April 2021

JAMA
April 20, 2021, Vol 325, No. 15, Pages 1489-1575
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Original Investigation
Immunogenicity of the Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine for COVID-19
Kathryn E. Stephenson, MD, MPH; Mathieu Le Gars, PhD; Jerald Sadoff, MD; et al.
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;325(15):1535-1544. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.3645
This randomized trial compares the immunogenicity of a SARS-CoV-2 Ad26.COV2.S vaccine at high vs low vs no dose (placebo) in humans, including the kinetics, magnitude, and phenotype of coronavirus spike-specific humoral and cellular immune responses.