Monthly Archives: May 2021

The Use and Misuse of Mathematical Modeling for Infectious Disease Policymaking: Lessons for the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Medical Decision Making (MDM)
Volume 41 Issue 4, May 2021
http://mdm.sagepub.com/content/current

 

Review
The Use and Misuse of Mathematical Modeling for Infectious Disease Policymaking: Lessons for the COVID-19 Pandemic
Lyndon P. James, Joshua A. Salomon, Caroline O. Buckee, Nicolas A. Menzies
First Published February 3, 2021; pp. 379–385

COVID vaccines: time to confront anti-vax aggression

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Nature
Volume 592 Issue 7856, 29 April 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/592/issues/7856

 

World View | 27 April 2021
COVID vaccines: time to confront anti-vax aggression
Halting the spread of the coronavirus will require a high-level counteroffensive against new destructive forces.
Peter Hotez
Nearly one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been delivered in less than six months, but anti-vaccine disinformation and targeted attacks on scientists are undermining progress. These threats must be confronted directly, and the authority and expertise of the health community alone aren’t enough to do this.

Even before the pandemic, I had a front-row seat to all of this. I have co-led efforts to develop vaccines in programmes, including a COVID-19 vaccine currently being tested in India. I also have an adult daughter with autism; my 2018 book, Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism, became a dog whistle for anti-vaccine activists.

The World Health Organization recognized vaccine hesitancy as a top threat to global health before the pandemic. As COVID-19 vaccines moved through development, the public-health communities anticipated considerable vaccine hesitancy. Teams of experts, including me, began meeting regularly online to discuss how best to amplify evidence-based messages, deliver public-service announcements and address concerns around COVID-19 immunization.

I experienced sinking feelings during our Zoom calls. Although certainly worthwhile, I knew that messaging alone would be inadequate. We’d already seen this inadequacy in our efforts to prevent measles from returning to the United States and Europe in 2019, and to bolster vaccination rates for human papillomavirus to prevent cervical and other cancers. With COVID-19, our pro-vaccine messages would be drops in a vast sea of misinformation, much of it poured in deliberately by anti-vaccine forces.

I have a long-standing disagreement with many of my US public-health colleagues. I admire their commitment to disease prevention, but when I ask for a more direct way to counter anti-vaccine aggression, I’m told, “that’s not our approach; confrontation gives them a platform and oxygen.” In my opinion, this attitude reflects a time when we had dial-up modems. Today, the anti-vaccine empire has hundreds of websites and perhaps 58 million followers on social media. The bad guys are winning, in part because health agencies either underestimate or deny the reach of anti-science forces, and are ill-equipped to counter it.

Investigations by the US State Department and the UK Foreign Office have described how Russian intelligence organizations seek to discredit Western COVID-19 vaccines. One campaign implies that it could turn people into monkeys. This builds on a longer, well-documented history of Russia-sponsored disinformation, presumably to destabilize the United States and other democratic countries. The administration of US President Joe Biden has warned Russian media groups to halt their anti-vaccine aggression, and announced sanctions tied to disinformation and other behaviour, but we need much more.

The United States hosts the world’s largest and best-organized anti-vaccine groups. According to the London-based Center for Countering Digital Hate, these are influential groups, not a spontaneous grass-roots movement. Many far-right extremist groups that spread false information about last year’s US presidential election are doing the same about vaccines. Anti-vaccine groups also target Black communities; an anti-vaccine documentary released in March vilifies COVID-19 vaccine testing among African Americans, calling it “medical racism”.

Global anti-vaccine messaging around the adenovirus vaccines means that more people will die and the pandemic will be prolonged. Extremely rare but life-threatening blood clots caused the United States to pause roll-out of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and many European nations have stopped or restricted use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine for similar reasons. However, those regions have other vaccine options, which is not the case for many countries. In March, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo halted use of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, and the African Union has stopped procurement.

Many people in Africa are tapping into anti-vaccine messaging. A rumour-tracking program from the analytics company Novetta in McLean, Virginia, finds that Russia specifically targets African countries to discredit Western vaccines in favour of its own Sputnik V. US-based anti-vaccine groups invoke colonialism and eugenics. Now, tens of thousands of vaccine doses are going unused. Anti-vaccine disinformation has turned reasonable questions and concerns over rare side effects into conspiracy worries, exaggerated fears, and outrage at being treated like ‘guinea pigs’.

Accurate, targeted counter-messaging from the global health community is important but insufficient, as is public pressure on social-media companies. The United Nations and the highest levels of governments must take direct, even confrontational, approaches with Russia, and move to dismantle anti-vaccine groups in the United States.

Efforts must expand into the realm of cyber security, law enforcement, public education and international relations. A high-level inter-agency task force reporting to the UN secretary-general could assess the full impact of anti-vaccine aggression, and propose tough, balanced measures. The task force should include experts who have tackled complex global threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and nuclear armament, because anti-science is now approaching similar levels of peril. It is becoming increasingly clear that advancing immunization requires a counteroffensive.

The influence of evolutionary history on human health and disease

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Nature Reviews Genetics
Volume 22 Issue 5, May 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrg/volumes/22/issues/5

 

Review Article | 06 January 2021
The influence of evolutionary history on human health and disease
Our evolutionary history has resulted in highly complex and sophisticated human physiology. Yet evolutionary footprints have also left us prone to diseases. In this Review, the authors discuss how events from the earliest history of life on Earth through to modern human evolution influence many disease traits and outcomes. They describe how an understanding and application of evolutionary frameworks can inform precision medicine initiatives.
Mary Lauren Benton, Abin Abraham, John A. Capra

African genetic diversity and adaptation inform a precision medicine agenda

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Nature Reviews Genetics
Volume 22 Issue 5, May 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrg/volumes/22/issues/5

 

Review Article | 11 January 2021
African genetic diversity and adaptation inform a precision medicine agenda
Africa is a continent with deep evolutionary history, which has implications for the genetic underpinnings of disease. In this Review, the authors discuss how genetic features of African populations provide both challenges and opportunities for understanding disease genetics in Africa. They describe how this genetic knowledge — combined with initiatives including capacity-building, data sharing and increased representation of African genomes in genetic variation databases — can be leveraged towards achieving precision medicine approaches in African healthcare.
Luisa Pereira, Leon Mutesa, Michèle Ramsay

Vaccination plus Decarceration — Stopping Covid-19 in Jails and Prisons

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New England Journal of Medicine
April 29, 2021 Vol. 384 No. 17
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

 

Perspective
Vaccination plus Decarceration — Stopping Covid-19 in Jails and Prisons
Benjamin A. Barsky, J.D., M.B.E., Eric Reinhart, B.A., Paul Farmer, M.D., Ph.D., and Salmaan Keshavjee, M.D., Ph.D.
… Stopping the epidemic in jails and prisons is vital for protecting staff and incarcerated people; it is also critical for curbing the spread of Covid-19 into surrounding communities, especially Black and Latinx communities that are disproportionately affected by jail- and prison-linked coronavirus spread.1 Furthermore, as we become aware of an increasing range of SARS-CoV-2 variants, we face greater urgency to disrupt the ideal environment that current carceral conditions provide for viral mutations that could undermine the efficacy of available vaccines and threaten health far beyond American borders.
Vaccination of incarcerated people is important for changing this dynamic, but it is not enough. We believe that it must be coupled with large-scale decarceration to increase the real-world effectiveness of vaccination, disrupt wide-ranging viral transmission chains, and turn off the epidemiologic pump that puts the health of all at risk from mass incarceration.
Decarceration strategies can guide decisions made by a range of actors who wield power to change current conditions, including federal and state legislators, state and local law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, mayors, governors, the U.S. attorney general, and the president of the United States. We believe the medical community has a parallel responsibility to ensure that science is heard and applied. On the grounds of scientific evidence and our ethical responsibility to protect the vulnerable and the public at large, we can use our influence to demand that policymakers implement decarceration alongside priority vaccination in jails and prisons.

Leveraging Open Science to Accelerate Research

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New England Journal of Medicine
April 29, 2021 Vol. 384 No. 17
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

 

Leveraging Open Science to Accelerate Research
Kushal T. Kadakia, M.Sc., Adam L. Beckman, B.S., Joseph S. Ross, M.D., M.H.S., and Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D.
… The idea of embracing open science represents a vision for research conduct that promotes standard processes for sharing protocols and registering studies, reporting and disseminating results, and sharing data, biospecimens, and code. The advancement of science — an intrinsically iterative process — is contingent on reporting practices that enable data to be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable to permit independent scrutiny, replication, and follow-on investigations. Realizing the value of research and fostering trust in science requires study information to be readily available to the public and the scientific community, including in open-access journals and on preprint platforms. Over the past 20 years, policymakers and investigators have promoted open science to counteract clinical researchers’ tendency to sequester data. Such efforts have included the recent release of NIH data-sharing guidelines and public–private partnerships for data sharing, such as the Yale University Open Data Access Project (which two of us help to lead). The urgency associated with the pandemic has created an imperative to accelerate the adoption of open science…

Choices in a Crisis — Individual Preferences among SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines

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New England Journal of Medicine
April 29, 2021 Vol. 384 No. 17
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

 

Choices in a Crisis — Individual Preferences among SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines
Daniel B. Kramer, M.D., M.P.H., Douglas J. Opel, M.D., M.P.H., Efthimios Parasidis, J.D., M.B.E., and Michelle M. Mello, J.D., Ph.D.
… We believe that public health officials should anticipate these good-faith concerns and provide clear recommendations regarding accommodation of individual preferences. Nevertheless, at this point in the pandemic, we find countervailing considerations more compelling, and we recommend restricting patient choice. The key guideposts for this position are expediency, equity, and equanimity…

Health Outcomes in Young Children Following Pertussis Vaccination During Pregnancy

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Pediatrics
Vol. 147, Issue 5 1 May 2021
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/

 

Articles
Health Outcomes in Young Children Following Pertussis Vaccination During Pregnancy
Meghan Laverty, Natasha Crowcroft, Shelly Bolotin, Steven Hawken, Kumanan Wilson, Gayatri Amirthalingam, Anne Biringer, Jocelynn Cook, Vinita Dubey, Romina Fakhraei, Scott A. Halperin, Frances Jamieson, Jeffrey C. Kwong, Manish Sadarangani, Ewa Sucha, Mark C. Walker, Deshayne B. Fell
Pediatrics, May 2021, 147 (5) e2020042507

Genomic and epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in Africa

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PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 1 May 2021)

 

Genomic and epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in Africa
Jones Lamptey, Favour Oluwapelumi Oyelami, Michael Owusu, Bernard Nkrumah, Paul Oluwagbenga Idowu, Enoch Appiah Adu-Gyamfi, Armin Czika, Philip El-Duah, Richmond Yeboah, Augustina Sylverken, Oluwatayo Israel Olasunkanmi, Ellis Owusu-Dabo, Christian Drosten, Yaw Adu-Sarkodie
Research Article | published 26 Apr 2021 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009335

Risk communication during COVID-19: A descriptive study on familiarity with, adherence to and trust in the WHO preventive measures

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 1 May 2021]

 

Risk communication during COVID-19: A descriptive study on familiarity with, adherence to and trust in the WHO preventive measures
Nirosha Elsem Varghese, Iryna Sabat, Sebastian Neumann-Böhme, Jonas Schreyögg, Tom Stargardt, Aleksandra Torbica, Job van Exel, Pedro Pita Barros, Werner Brouwer
Research Article | published 29 Apr 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250872

Potential impact of introducing vaccines against COVID-19 under supply and uptake constraints in France: A modelling study

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 1 May 2021]

 

Potential impact of introducing vaccines against COVID-19 under supply and uptake constraints in France: A modelling study
Laurent Coudeville, Ombeline Jollivet, Cedric Mahé, Sandra Chaves, Gabriela B. Gomez
Research Article | published 28 Apr 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250797

Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 among Bangladeshi adults: Understanding the strategies to optimize vaccination coverage

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 1 May 2021]

 

Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 among Bangladeshi adults: Understanding the strategies to optimize vaccination coverage
Minhazul Abedin, Mohammad Aminul Islam, Farah Naz Rahman, Hasan Mahmud Reza, Mohammad Zakir Hossain, Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Adittya Arefin, Ahmed Hossain
Research Article | published 27 Apr 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250495

Factors Influencing Health Care Workers’ Willingness to Respond to Duty during Infectious Disease Outbreaks and Bioterrorist Events: An Integrative Review

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Prehospital & Disaster Medicine
Volume 36 – Issue 3 – June 2021
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/prehospital-and-disaster-medicine/latest-issue

 

Systematic Review
Factors Influencing Health Care Workers’ Willingness to Respond to Duty during Infectious Disease Outbreaks and Bioterrorist Events: An Integrative Review
Eleanor J. Murray, Matt Mason, Vanessa Sparke, Peta-Anne P. Zimmerman
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 February 2021, pp. 321-337

Guidance for Health Risk Assessment at Recurrent Mass Gatherings: The Jeddah Tool Framework

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Prehospital & Disaster Medicine
Volume 36 – Issue 3 – June 2021
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/prehospital-and-disaster-medicine/latest-issue

 

Special Report
Guidance for Health Risk Assessment at Recurrent Mass Gatherings: The Jeddah Tool Framework
Kingsley L. Bieh, Anas Khan, Ahmed El-Ganainy, Badriah Alotaibi, Sujoud Ghallab, Nour Abdulmalek, Nomai Mukhtar, Hani Jokhdar
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2021, pp. 348-353

A nationwide post-marketing survey of knowledge, attitudes and recommendations towards human papillomavirus vaccines among healthcare providers in China

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Preventive Medicine
Volume 146 May 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/preventive-medicine/vol/146/suppl/C

 

Research article Open access
A nationwide post-marketing survey of knowledge, attitudes and recommendations towards human papillomavirus vaccines among healthcare providers in China
Xiaoqian Xu, Yueyun Wang, Yawen Liu, Yanqin Yu, … Fanghui Zhao
Article 106484

Equity in cost-benefit analysis

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Science
30 April 2021 Vol 372, Issue 6541
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

 

Editorial
Equity in cost-benefit analysis
By Robert W. Hahn
Summary
One key way that many governments around the world incorporate scientific research into policy-making is through cost-benefit analysis (CBA). But despite well-established practices for rigorous estimation of the pros and cons of policies, there is room to improve, particularly in characterizing difficult-to-measure benefits and the distribution of the costs and benefits across different segments of society. In this regard, announcements by US President Biden, if brought to fruition, could have far-reaching implications for how CBA is used in government decision-making. But such promising (and familiar) rhetoric is no guarantee of real progress, and the devil, as always, is in the details. These details are where the scientific community has an important role to play to improve the use of CBA and to hold the administration accountable.

Relief and worry for immune-suppressed people

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Science
30 April 2021 Vol 372, Issue 6541
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

 

In Depth
Relief and worry for immune-suppressed people
By Jennifer Couzin-Frankel
Science30 Apr 2021 : 443-444 Full Access
Early studies suggest COVID-19 vaccine protection varies by ailment and treatment.
Summary
Many millions of people worldwide have suppressed immune systems because of illness or medications, including those taken after an organ transplant, for an autoimmune disease, or to treat cancer—and a big question is how well COVID-19 vaccines work for them. In many, the vaccines do seem to maintain their potency. But in others—particularly organ transplant recipients and those taking specific immune-dampening medications—effectiveness is less assured or even absent. To learn more, researchers are launching larger studies, seeking clarity for these patients and ways to help those in need, especially as their weakened immune systems make protection against COVID-19 all the more urgent.

Dutch COVID-19 lockdown measures increased trust in government and trust in science: A difference-in-differences analysis

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Social Science & Medicine
Volume 275 April 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/275/suppl/C

 

Research article Open access
Dutch COVID-19 lockdown measures increased trust in government and trust in science: A difference-in-differences analysis
Joost Oude Groeniger, Kjell Noordzij, Jeroen van der Waal, Willem de Koster
Article 113819
Highlights
:: Studies the effect of COVID-19 lockdown measures on trust in government and science.
:: Implementing COVID-19 lockdown measures positively affected institutional trust.
:: Impact was greater among those with higher risk of serious health damage.

A decade of rotavirus vaccination in Africa – Saving lives and changing the face of diarrhoeal diseases: Report of the 12th African Rotavirus Symposium

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 17 Pages 2319-2478 (22 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/17

 

Conference info Abstract only
A decade of rotavirus vaccination in Africa – Saving lives and changing the face of diarrhoeal diseases: Report of the 12th African Rotavirus Symposium
M. Jeffrey Mphahlele, Michelle J. Groome, Nicola A. Page, Niresh Bhagwandin, … A. Duncan Steele
Pages 2319-2324

Parents’ knowledge, beliefs, acceptance and uptake of the HPV vaccine in members of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 17 Pages 2319-2478 (22 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/17

 

Review article Abstract only
Parents’ knowledge, beliefs, acceptance and uptake of the HPV vaccine in members of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies
Kurnia Eka Wijayanti, Heike Schütze, Catherine MacPhail, Annette Braunack-Mayer
Pages 2335-2343

Joining the herd? U.S. public opinion and vaccination requirements across educational settings during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 17 Pages 2319-2478 (22 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/17

 

Research article Full text access
Joining the herd? U.S. public opinion and vaccination requirements across educational settings during the COVID-19 pandemic
Simon F. Haeder
Pages 2375-2385

Pro-equity immunization and health systems strengthening strategies in select Gavi-supported countries

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 17 Pages 2319-2478 (22 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/17

 

Research article Abstract only
Pro-equity immunization and health systems strengthening strategies in select Gavi-supported countries
Ibrahim Dadari, Ariel Higgins-Steele, Alyssa Sharkey, Danielle Charlet, … Debra Jackson
Pages 2434-2444

The social experience of participation in a COVID-19 vaccine trial: Subjects’ motivations, others’ concerns, and insights for vaccine promotion

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 17 Pages 2319-2478 (22 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/17

 

Research article Full text access
The social experience of participation in a COVID-19 vaccine trial: Subjects’ motivations, others’ concerns, and insights for vaccine promotion
Emily Wentzell, Ana-Monica Racila
Pages 2445-2451

U.S. public support for COVID-19 vaccine donation to low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 17 Pages 2319-2478 (22 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/17

 

Research article Full text access
U.S. public support for COVID-19 vaccine donation to low- and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic
Jeanine P.D. Guidry, Paul B. Perrin, Linnea I. Laestadius, Emily K. Vraga, … Kellie E. Carlyle
Pages 2452-2457

Confidence, Acceptance and Willingness to Pay for the COVID-19 Vaccine among Migrants in Shanghai, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

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Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines

 

(Accessed 1 May 2021)
Open Access Article
Confidence, Acceptance and Willingness to Pay for the COVID-19 Vaccine among Migrants in Shanghai, China: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Kaiyi Han et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(5), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9050443 (registering DOI) – 02 May 2021
Abstract
Understanding the public’s attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination and their acceptance could help facilitate the COVID-19 rollout. This study aimed to assess the acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for the COVID-19 vaccine among migrants in Shanghai, China. A cross-sectional study was conducted among […]

Nursing Home and Vaccination Consent: The Italian Perspective

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Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines

 

Open Access Article
Nursing Home and Vaccination Consent: The Italian Perspective
by Nunzia Cannovo et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(5), 429; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9050429 – 24 Apr 2021
Abstract
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, many countries have begun vaccination campaigns, with different methods and timelines, with the goal of vaccinating over 75% of the population and thus achieving herd immunity. Initially it was necessary to identity the categories of citizens […]

Media/Policy Watch

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Media/Policy Watch
This watch section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media and selected think tanks and similar organizations on vaccines, immunization, global public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.
We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.
The sheer volume of vaccine and pandemic-related coverage is extraordinary. We will strive to present the most substantive analysis and commentary we encounter.

 

The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 1 May 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 1 May 2021
Covid-19: India’s vaccine shortage
Newshour Sat 1 May 2021

 

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 1 May 2021
Daily chart
Vaccine diplomacy boosts Russia’s and China’s global standing
It is a way to reward old friends and win new ones
Apr 29th 2021

 

Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/
Accessed 1 May 2021
Covid-19 vaccines
Is there a ban on Covid vaccine exports in the US?
Very few jabs made in America have gone overseas even though there are no formal controls

Coronavirus pandemic
Patchwork of vaccine passports complicates return of global travel 
April 30, 2021

Coronavirus pandemic
Indians vent fury as world’s richest cricket tournament plays on
The Indian Premier League has provoked outrage for playing through the country’s brutal Covid-19 wave, drawing accusations of “crass” conduct and diverting vital resources from fighting the public health emergency. Several players including Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s premier off-spinner, and three Australians pulled out of the cricket tournament this week over concerns about India’s rising caseload.
April 30, 2021

 

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 1 May 2021
Fake Covid-19 Vaccination Record Cards Are A Growing Problem, Says FBI
Templates and instructions to make such cards are appearing online. The FBI is warning that such activity could be breaking the law.
By Bruce Y. Lee Senior Contributor
May 1, 2021

 

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 1 May 2021
Snapshot April 28, 2021
A Country Gasping for Air
Indians pay the price of government inaction as COVID-19 surges.
Mandakini Gahlot

 

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 1 May 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 1 May 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 1 May 2021
World
Adar Poonawalla, head of India’s vaccine giant, speaks from London of the enormous pressure he is under.
The executive told The Times of London that he had arrived in Britain for “an extended time” just before travel restrictions would have blocked him. But he then tweeted he would return to India in days after business meetings.
By Sameer Yasir 1 May 2021

World
India’s Covid crisis has tarnished Modi’s aura of political invulnerability.
By Jeffrey Gettleman, Hari Kumar, Karan Deep Singh and Sameer Yasir 1 May 2021

World
Nepal runs out of hospital beds as India’s outbreak spills across the border.
Health officials in the Himalayan nation warn of an “unmanageable” situation as infections reach levels not seen since last fall.
By Bhadra Sharma 1 May 2021

World
Turkey braces for its strictest lockdown yet, as the virus surges and vaccinations lag.
With an order about to take effect keeping people at home for three weeks except for essential errands and jobs, many Turks rushed to stock their pantries or flee crowded cities.
April 29

 

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 1 May 2021
Asia
India’s coronavirus surge creates vaccine supply turmoil far beyond its borders
Adam Taylor · Apr 30, 2021
As coronavirus cases surged this month in India, the country that houses the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the government began to pause vaccine exports.
Shipments ground to a halt by mid-April. Now, with domestic need for vaccine in India overwhelming capacity and program extending to adults over 18 this weekend, it is not clear when India will begin exporting doses again.
The suspension of exports in April has contributed to a 90 million-dose shortfall for Covax, an international vaccine distribution effort, one of the group’s key backers said Friday. That number will only grow in May if restrictions are not lifted.
The limited supply would be a particularly big blow for low-income nations, many of which not only sought India-produced AstraZeneca through Covax but also pursued bilateral deals with Serum Institute of India, the Pune-based vaccine giant.
Arindam Bagchi, a spokesman for India’s Foreign Ministry, said Friday there was “no update” on when vaccine exports would resume…

Think Tanks et al

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Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 1 May 2021
[No new digest content identified]
 
 
Center for Global Development [to 1 May 2021]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
April 27, 2021
India Needs to Focus on Three Urgent Actions to Mitigate its COVID-19 Humanitarian Crisis
India’s second COVID-19 wave has been explosive, reaching world record totals of over 300,000 daily officially reported cases. The true number is likely to be much higher, with a large number of cases missed as indicated by the delays in testing and rapidly rising positivity rates – currently one in every four people tested are positive for COVID-19 across India. Leading models estimate that there could be over 1 million cases per day. The health service has collapsed, with queues of ambulances parked outside full hospitals, oxygen and drug shortages in multiple states, and life-saving non-COVID services interrupted.
Peter Baker et al.

Chatham House [to 1 May 2021]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
Accessed 1 May 2021
COVID-19: Tackling India’s second wave
Chatham House experts give insights into India’s current crisis, and lessons to be learned to better prepare for potential spikes or new waves of COVID-19.
Interview
28 April 2021

 
 
CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 1 May 2021
Critical Questions
The COVAX Advance Market Commitment ‘One World Protected’ Investment Opportunity Launch
April 27, 2021
Katherine E. Bliss
Senior Fellow, Global Health Policy Center

 
 

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 1 May 2021
April 30, 2021 News Release
What Could the U.S. Do to Help Improve Global COVID-19 Vaccine Equity?
As India and other countries continue to grapple with major COVID-19 outbreaks even as cases decline in this country, there is increasing attention to the global role that could be played by the U.S. government.  This is particularly the case now that the U.S. will soon have enough COVID-19 vaccine…
 
 
World Economic Forum [to 1 May 2021]
https://agenda.weforum.org/news/
Media
Public Supports COVID-19 Vaccine Certificate for International Travel, Not Everyday Activities
News 28 Apr 2021
:: The global public widely supports requiring vaccine certificates for international travel and accessing large venues, however, support is divided when it comes to measures around daily life
:: Only half agree vaccine certificates should be required for shops, restaurants, and offices, with a large majority in South Asia and Latin America supporting such measures
:: Health expert calls for international regulations to adapt and for universal access to vaccines to ensure two classes of global citizens are not created
:: Watch the Forum’s panel on ensuring vaccine equity; read the highlights blog
:: View the survey details