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

.– Request an Email Summary: Vaccines and Global Health : The Week in Review is published as a single email summary, scheduled for release each Saturday evening before midnight (EDT in the U.S.). If you would like to receive the email version, please send your request to david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org.

– pdf version:  A pdf of the current issue is available here:

– blog edition: comprised of the approx. 35+ entries posted below.

– Twitter:  Readers can also follow developments on twitter: @vaxethicspolicy.
.
– Links:  We endeavor to test each link as we incorporate it into any post, but recognize that some links may become “stale” as publications and websites reorganize content over time. We apologize in advance for any links that may not be operative. We believe the contextual information in a given post should allow retrieval, but please contact us as above for assistance if necessary.

Support this knowledge-sharing service: Your financial support helps us cover our costs and to address a current shortfall in our annual operating budget. Click here to donate and thank you in advance for your contribution.

.
David R. Curry, MS
Executive Director
Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID

Editor’s Note:
As is obvious to all, the sheer volume of strategic announcements, regulatory actions, country program decisions, commentary, and, indeed, misinformation around COVID response continues at extraordinary levels. Our weekly digest strives to present a coherent and comprehensive snapshot, but cannot be exhaustive, If you recognize a missed strategic development, a new source of rigorous analysis, or an insight/commentary that would benefit our common understanding, please advise me…we will review all suggestions and consider for inclusion in a subsequent edition: david.r.curry@ge2p2global.org

We are seeking access to modelling which engages scenarios and articulates imperatives around a pandemic end-game through at least a 2025 horizon. We assess that WHO must be conducting or contracting for such modeling – or should recognize an imperative to be doing so in its global health governance role. If we have missed such modeling in progress, we would be delighted to be advised of it and will include it in our coverage.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Joint Statement of the Multilateral Leaders Taskforce on Scaling COVID-19 Tools
A Crisis of Vaccine Inequity [Editor’s text bolding]
WASHINGTON, 27 August 2021—At its third meeting, the Multilateral Leaders Taskforce on COVID-19 (MLT) – the heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization -met with the leaders of the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), Africa CDC, Gavi and UNICEF to tackle obstacles to rapidly scale-up vaccines in low- and lower middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, and issued the following statement:

“The global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is progressing at two alarmingly different speeds. Less than 2% of adults are fully vaccinated in most low-income countries compared to almost 50% in highincome countries.

These countries, the majority of which are in Africa, simply cannot access sufficient vaccine to meet even the global goals of 10% coverage in all countries by September and 40% by end 2021, let alone the African Union’s goal of 70% in 2022.

This crisis of vaccine inequity is driving a dangerous divergence in COVID-19 survival rates and in the global economy. We appreciate the important work of AVAT and COVAX to try and address this unacceptable situation.

However, effectively tackling this acute vaccine supply shortage in low- and lower middle-income countries, and fully enabling AVAT and COVAX, requires the urgent cooperation of vaccine manufacturers, vaccine-producing countries, and countries that have already achieved high vaccination rates.

To ensure all countries achieve the global goals of at least 10% coverage by September and 40% by end-2021:
We call on countries that have contracted high volumes of vaccines to swap near-term delivery schedules with COVAX and AVAT.

We call on vaccine manufacturers to immediately prioritize and fulfill their contracts to COVAX and AVAT, and to provide regular, clear supply forecasts.

We urge G7 and all dose-sharing countries to fulfill their pledges urgently, with enhanced pipeline visibility, product shelf life and support for ancillary supplies, as barely 10% of nearly 900 million committed doses have so far been shipped.

We call on all countries to eliminate export restrictions and any other trade barriers on COVID-19 vaccines and the inputs involved in their production.

We are in parallel intensifying our work with COVAX and AVAT to tackle persistent vaccine delivery, manufacturing and trade issues, notably in Africa, and mobilize grants and concessional financing for these purposes. We will also explore financing mechanisms to cover future vaccine needs as requested by AVAT. We will advocate for better supply forecasts and investments to increase country preparedness and absorptive capacity. And we will continue to enhance our data, to identify gaps and improve transparency in the supply and use of all COVID-19 tools.

The time for action is now. The course of the pandemic—and the health of the world—are at stake.”

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Origin[s]

Editor’s Note:
We include the full text of the U.S. Intelligence Community Assessment, the associated White House statement, and the response by the Chinese Embassy in Washington. We assess that successful completion of a robust and transparent investigation of COVID-19 origins is critical to effective and coherent global response to the current pandemic as well as the effective functioning of the IHR for future pandemics, PHEICs, and health emergencies generally.

Unclassified Summary of Assessment on COVID-19 Origins :: Intelligence Community Assessment [USA]

August 27, 2021
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) today released an unclassified summary of the Intelligence Community assessment on COVID-19 origins:
UNCLASSIFIED
Key Takeaways [Editor’s text bolding]
The IC assesses that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, probably emerged and
infected humans through an initial small-scale exposure that occurred no later than November
2019 with the first known cluster of COVID-19 cases arising in Wuhan, China in December
2019. In addition, the IC was able to reach broad agreement on several other key issues. We
judge the virus was not developed as a biological weapon. Most agencies also assess with low confidence that SARS-CoV-2 probably was not genetically engineered; however, two agencies believe there was not sufficient evidence to make an assessment either way. Finally, the IC assesses China’s officials did not have foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak of COVID-19 emerged.

After examining all available intelligence reporting and other information, though, the IC
remains divided on the most likely origin of COVID-19. All agencies assess that two hypotheses
are plausible: natural exposure to an infected animal and a laboratory-associated incident.
:: Four IC elements and the National Intelligence Council assess with low confidence that the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection was most likely caused by natural exposure to an animal infected with it or a close progenitor virus—a virus that probably would be more than 99 percent similar to SARS-CoV-2. These analysts give weight to China’s officials’ lack of foreknowledge, the numerous vectors for natural exposure, and other factors.
:: One IC element assesses with moderate confidence that the first human infection with SARS-CoV-2 most likely was the result of a laboratory-associated incident, probably involving experimentation, animal handling, or sampling by the Wuhan Institute of Virology. These analysts give weight to the inherently risky nature of work on coronaviruses.
:: Analysts at three IC elements remain unable to coalesce around either explanation without additional information, with some analysts favoring natural origin, others a laboratory origin, and some seeing the hypotheses as equally likely.
:: Variations in analytic views largely stem from differences in how agencies weigh intelligence reporting and scientific publications, and intelligence and scientific gaps.

The IC judges they will be unable to provide a more definitive explanation for the origin of
COVID-19 unless new information allows them to determine the specific pathway for initial
natural contact with an animal or to determine that a laboratory in Wuhan was handling SARS-
CoV-2 or a close progenitor virus before COVID-19 emerged.
:: The IC—and the global scientific community—lacks clinical samples or a complete
understanding of epidemiological data from the earliest COVID-19 cases. If we
obtain information on the earliest cases that identified a location of interest or
occupational exposure, it may alter our evaluation of hypotheses.

China’s cooperation most likely would be needed to reach a conclusive assessment of the origins of COVID-19. Beijing, however, continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame other countries, including the United States. These actions reflect, in part, China’s government’s own uncertainty about where an investigation could lead as well as its frustration the international community is using the issue to exert political pressure on China.

::::::

Statement by President Joe Biden on the Investigation into the Origins of COVID-⁠19
August 27, 2021 :: Statements and Releases
This week, I received the report on the 90-day sprint I asked our intelligence community to conduct into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am grateful for the thorough, careful, and objective work of our intelligence professionals, and while this review has concluded, our efforts to understand the origins of this pandemic will not rest. We will do everything we can to trace the roots of this outbreak that has caused so much pain and death around the world, so that we can take every necessary precaution to prevent it from happening again.

Critical information about the origins of this pandemic exists in the People’s Republic of China, yet from the beginning, government officials in China have worked to prevent international investigators and members of the global public health community from accessing it. To this day, the PRC continues to reject calls for transparency and withhold information, even as the toll of this pandemic continue to rise. We needed this information rapidly, from the PRC, while the pandemic was still new. Since taking office, my administration has renewed U.S. leadership in the World Health Organization and rallied allies and partners to renew focus on this critical question. The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them. Responsible nations do not shirk these kinds of responsibilities to the rest of the world. Pandemics do not respect international borders, and we all must better understand how COVID-19 came to be in order to prevent further pandemics.

The United States will continue working with like-minded partners around the world to press the PRC to fully share information and to cooperate with the World Health Organization’s Phase II evidence-based, expert-led determination into the origins of COVID-19 – including by providing access to all relevant data and evidence. We will also continue to press the PRC to adhere to scientific norms and standards, including sharing information and data from the earliest days of the pandemic, protocols related to biosafety, and information from animal populations. We must have a full and transparent accounting of this global tragedy. Nothing less is acceptable.

::::::

Statement by the Chinese Embassy in the United States on the “COVID-19 Origin-Tracing” Report of the U.S. Side
2021/08/27
On August 27, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States released a summary of the intelligence community assessment on COVID-19 origins, which does not rule out either natural exposure or laboratory accident as the origin of SARS-CoV-2. The report wrongly claims that China “continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information and blame other countries”. The statement by the White House issued on the same day also purported that China tries to hold back international investigation and rejects calls for transparency. It urges like-minded partners to exert pressure on China. The Chinese side expresses its firm opposition and strong condemnation to this.

First, a report fabricated by the U.S. intelligence community is not scientifically credible. The origin-tracing is a matter of science; it should and can only be left to scientists, not intelligence experts. There has been no lack of “masterpieces” by the U.S. intelligence community, such as using a tube of laundry powder to convict Iraq of possessing weapons of mass destruction, or staging the “white helmets” video as evidence for chemical weapon attack in Syria. Now, the US side is using its old trick again. Ignoring the Report by the WHO-China joint mission, it chooses to have its intelligence community put together a report instead. How can this possibly be science-based and reliable origin-tracing?

Second, the assertion of lack of transparency on the part of China is only an excuse for its politicizing and stigmatizing campaign. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has taken an open, transparent and responsible attitude. We have released information, shared the genome sequencing of the virus, and carried out international cooperation to fight the disease, all done at the earliest possible time. On December 27, 2019, Wuhan authorities made the first reporting of suspected cases. On December 30, emergency notices were issued on the treatment of pneumonia of unknown cause. On December 31, China informed the WHO China Country Office of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan. On January 3, 2020, China began sending regular updates about the novel coronavirus to the WHO and other countries, including the United States. On origin-tracing, China has followed a science-based, professional, serious and responsible approach. We are the first to cooperate with the WHO on global origin-tracing, and we have invited WHO experts to conduct the investigations twice in China. We were completely open, transparent and cooperative when the experts were in China. They visited every site on their list, met every individual they asked for, and were provided with all the data they wanted. The formulation of the Report of the WHO-China joint mission issued on March 30, 2021 follows WHO procedures and adopts a scientific approach. It is authoritative and science-based. The openness and transparency China has displayed has won full recognition from international experts.

Third, the report by the U.S. intelligence community shows that the U.S. is bent on going down the wrong path of political manipulation. The U.S. has registered the most infections and death cases from COVID-19 in the world, and the American people have paid a heavy price. The report by the intelligence community is based on presumption of guilt on the part of China, and it is only for scapegoating China. Such a practice will only disturb and sabotage international cooperation on origin-tracing and on fighting the pandemic, and has been widely opposed by the international community. Over 300 political parties, social organizations and think tanks from more than 100 countries and regions have submitted a joint statement to the WHO Secretariat, firmly opposing politicization of origin-tracing. Doesn’t the U.S. side feel it necessary to listen to what they have to say?

Finally, the U.S. has been shying away from tracing the origin in the United States and closing the door on any such possibility. If the US.. side is “transparent and responsible”, it should make public and examine the data of its early cases. The timeline of the outbreak in the United States has been revised to earlier dates several times. In at least five American states, there had been infections before the first confirmed case in the U.S. was announced. According to a latest coverage from American media, the first COVID-19 death in the U.S. was in early January 2020, several weeks earlier than previously announced by the authorities, which was early February.

In addition, Wuhan Institute of Virology has received two visits from WHO experts and the WHO-China joint study report has reached the clear conclusion that introduction through a lab accident in Wuhan is “extremely unlikely”. If the US insists on the lab leak theory, isn’t it necessary for the U.S. side to invite WHO experts to Fort Detrick and the University of North Carolina (UNC) for investigation? Fort Detrick has long been engaged in coronavirus research and modification. After its shutdown in 2019 because of serious safety incidents, disease with symptoms similar to COVID-19 broke out in the U.S. The team of Professor Ralph Baric in the UNC possesses extremely mature capability in synthesizing and modifying coronavirus. From January 2015 to June 2020, the UNC reported to the National Institutes of Health 28 lab incidents involving genetically engineered organisms. Six of them involved coronaviruses including SARS, MERS and SARS-CoV-2. However, instead of finding out what happened in its own labs first, the U.S. keeps slinging mud at others.

China’s position on global origin-tracing is consistent and clear. This is a matter of science. China always supports and will continue to participate in science-based origin-tracing. What we are against is political manipulation, presumption of guilt and putting blame on others. Any Phase II origins study must be a comprehensive extension of Phase I and conducted in multiple places and countries to find out the truth.

The report by the U.S. intelligence community has not produced an exact answer the U.S. side wants. Continuing such an effort will also be in vain, because its subject is simply non-existent and anti-science.

::::::

Nature
Volume 596 Issue 7873, 26 August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/596/issues/7873
Comment | 25 August 2021
Origins of SARS-CoV-2: window is closing for key scientific studies
Authors of the March WHO report into how COVID-19 emerged warn that further delay makes crucial inquiry biologically difficult.
Marion Koopmans, Peter Daszak, John Watson
Our group was convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in October 2020. We have been the designated independent international members of a joint WHO–China team tasked with understanding the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Our report was published this March¹. It was meant to be the first step in a process that has stalled. Here we summarize the scientific process so far, and call for action to fast-track the follow-up scientific work required to identify how COVID-19 emerged, which we set out in this article.
The window of opportunity for conducting this crucial inquiry is closing fast: any delay will render some of the studies biologically impossible. Understanding the origins of a devastating pandemic is a global priority, grounded in science…

::::::

WHO: Call for experts to join Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens
20 August 2021 News release
Issued on: 20 August Deadline: 10 September
The World Health Organization (WHO) today issued an open call for experts to serve as members of the new WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO).
The SAGO will advise WHO on technical and scientific considerations regarding the origins of emerging and re-emerging pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential, and will be composed of a wide range of experts acting in their personal capacity. SAGO will also guide WHO on next steps for understanding the SARS-CoV-2 origins…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 [IMF, World Bank Group, WHO, WTO]
A joint initiative from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization, and World Trade Organization to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics by leveraging multilateral finance and trade solutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Data to help track, coordinate, and advance delivery of COVID-19 health tools to developing countries and to mobilize relevant stakeholders and national leaders to remove critical roadblocks – in support of the priorities set out by the WBG, IMF, WHO, and WTO.

Website accessed 28 Aug 2021: https://data.covid19taskforce.com/data The global view below is complemented by country-specific dashboards here.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

World Bank Vaccine Operations Portal
https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/news/coronavirus-covid19/world-bank-support-for-country-access-to-covid-19-vaccines
As of July 29, 2021, the World Bank approved operations to support vaccine rollout in 54 countries amounting to $4.6 billion. See the latest project financing, project documents and procurement information in the list below:

Countries receiving World Bank support for vaccines
As of July 29, 2021
This list of countries, project documents, and procurement notices and contracts will be updated as data becomes available.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccines – OCHA:: HDX

COVID-19 Data Explorer: Global Humanitarian Operations
COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out
Aug 21, 2021 | COVAX (WHO,GAVI,CEPI), UNDESA, Press Reports | DATA

Global COVID-19 Figures: 214M total confirmed cases; 4.5M total confirmed deaths
Global vaccines administered: 5.13B
Number of Countries: 26 [26]
COVAX Allocations Round 4-6 (Number of Doses): 120M
COVAX Delivered (Number of Doses): 68M [53M week ago]
Other Delivered (Number of Doses): 98M [93M week ago]
Total Delivered (Number of Doses): 170M [150M week ago]
Total Administered (Number of Doses): 140M [110M week ago]

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: 27 Aug 2021
Confirmed cases :: 214 468 601 [209 876 613 week ago]
Confirmed deaths :: 4 470 969 [4 400 284 week ago]
Vaccine doses administered: 4 953 887 422 [4 562 256 778 week ago]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

27 August 2021 Speech
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at Member State Information Session on COVID-19 – 27 August 2021
…We are now seeing more than 650 thousand new cases a day.
Of course, the situation remains very different around the world, with steep increases and overwhelmed hospitals in some regions and countries, and welcome declines in others.
There are no shortcuts. The Secretariat continues to recommend a comprehensive, risk-based approach of proven public health and social measures, in combination with equitable vaccination.
Our global targets are to support every country to vaccinate at least 10% of its population by the end of September, at least 40% by the end of this year, and 70% of the world’s population by the middle of next year.
We are making progress. Globally, 140 countries have vaccinated at least 10% of their populations. But in many parts of the world, vaccination coverage is still under two percent. This is unacceptable.
That is why we have called for a global moratorium on booster doses at least until the end of September.
Our 10% target is still achievable, but only if all Member States work together in solidarity. The Secretariat is working directly with producers, countries with high vaccination levels, and producing countries, to solve this problem.
Between now and the end of the year, we expect the volume of vaccines to increase substantially. That makes it crucial that all countries step up their preparations to roll out vaccines.
Just as the pandemic has highlighted the need for improved mechanisms to share vaccines, it has also shown that the world needs better systems for collecting, analyzing and sharing information on pandemic and epidemic threats.
Currently, WHO assesses 4,500 events every month for epidemic and pandemic risk. With the availability of new technologies and the fast-moving global information landscape, we have an opportunity to identify and understand risks much more quickly and comprehensively…

25 August 2021 Speech
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 25 August 2021

24 August 2021 Remarks
Director-General’s opening remarks at the Seventy-first session of the Regional Committee for Africa
…But I don’t need to tell you that the distribution of vaccines has been terribly unfair. We’re all disappointed by the injustice.
More than 4.8 billion doses of vaccine have been administered globally. Just 87 million doses have been administered in the African region – less than 2 percent of the global total.
Globally, 140 countries have vaccinated at least 10% of their populations, but in our continent, only four countries have been able to reach that target, owing to the shocking disparity in access to vaccines.
WHO’s global targets are to support every country to vaccinate at least 10% of its population by the end of September, at least 40% by the end of this year, and 70% of the world’s population by the middle of next year.
WHO and our partners are doing everything we can to find ways of scaling up production as much as possible, as fast as possible, as Tshidi said.
More than 44 million doses have been distributed to 40 AFRO countries through COVAX, and we’re pleased to see that COVAX is picking up speed. More doses were shipped in July than in the previous 5 months. COVAX aims to deliver around 475 million more doses in the region by the end of December.
I also recognize and congratulate the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust, AVAT, which was established under the leadership of President Ramaphosa. This will be a very innovative and important complement to COVAX for achieving our targets, and we are committed to working with African Union Special Envoy Strive Masiyiwa to make AVAT a success. Africa should invest in this continental initiative.
I’m pleased that the first shipments started this month, using Johnson & Johnson vaccines that were filled in Africa. We have also made progress towards increasing production in Africa, through the recent establishment of a technology transfer hub for mRNA vaccines in South Africa, and through our work with many countries including Rwanda and Senegal to boost local production.
Between now and the end of the year, we expect the volume of vaccines coming to Africa to increase substantially. That makes it crucial that all countries step up their preparations to roll out vaccines.
The vaccine crisis illustrates the fundamental weakness at the root of the pandemic: the lack of global solidarity and sharing – sharing of information and data, biological samples, resources, technology and tools.
That’s why there is now an emerging global consensus for the idea of an international treaty or other legal instrument, to provide the basis for improved international cooperation to prepare for, detect and respond to epidemics and pandemics. At the World Health Assembly in May, Member States agreed to discuss this idea at a Special Session of the Assembly in November.
We seek the support of all African Member States for this very important initiative….

::::::

Weekly operational update on COVID-19 – 23 August 2021
Overview
In this edition of the COVID-19 Weekly Operational Update, highlights of country-level actions and WHO support to countries include:
Restoring essential health services in Haiti post-earthquake
Strengthening Infection Prevention Control with the Georgian ambulance service
Delivering critical health services in Afghanistan
Lao People’s Democratic Republic receives 616,820 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX facility
All-women teams trek miles to vaccinate in Meghalaya, India
Progress on a subset of indicators from the SPRP 2021 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
Updates on WHO’s financing to support countries in SPRP 2021 implementation and provision of critical supplies

Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 24 August 2021
Overview
With over 4.5 million new cases reported this week (16-22 August), the number of new cases reported globally seems to be plateauing after increasing for nearly two months (since mid-June). The Regions of the Americas and Western Pacific reported an increase in new cases in the past week, 8% and 20% respectively. Globally, the number of deaths reported this week remained similar to last week, with over 68 000 new deaths reported. Two Regions, Europe and the Americas, reported an increase in new deaths, 11% and 10% respectively. As of the 22 August, the cumulative number of cases reported globally is now over 211 million and the cumulative number of deaths is just over 4.4 million.

In this edition, one special focus update is provided:
:: A detailed description of the phenotypic characteristics (transmissibility, disease severity, and vaccine effectiveness) of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. It also includes updates on the geographic distribution of VOCs.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 19 August 2021
For 22 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
[No updates since 19 Aug 2021]
::::::

COVID Vaccine Developer/Manufacturer Announcements
[relevant press releases/announcement from organizations from WHO EUL/PQ listing above]

AstraZeneca
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

BioCubaFarma – Cuba
Últimas Noticias – [Website not responding at inquiry; receiving 403=Forbidden message]

CanSinoBIO
News – [Website not responding at inquiry]

Clover Biopharmaceuticals – China
News – No new digest announcements identified

Curevac [Bayer Ag – Germany]
News – No new digest announcements identified

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

IMBCAMS, China
Home – – [Website not responding at inquiry; receiving 502 Bad Gateway]

Janssen/JNJ
Press Releases
Johnson & Johnson Announces Data to Support Boosting its Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine booster, after single dose primary regimen, provided rapid and
robust increase in spike-binding antibodies
New studies build on data demonstrating strong durability through eight months after immunization
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., August 25, 2021 – Johnson & Johnson today announced data supporting the use of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot for people previously vaccinated with the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
In July, the Company reported interim Phase 1/2a data published in the New England Journal of Medicine that demonstrated neutralizing antibody responses generated by the Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine were strong and stable through eight months after immunization.
In anticipation of the potential need for boosters, the Company conducted two Phase 1/2a studies in individuals previously vaccinated with its single-shot vaccine. New interim data from these studies demonstrate that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine generated a rapid and robust increase in spike-binding antibodies, nine-fold higher than 28 days after the primary single-dose vaccination. Significant increases in binding antibody responses were observed in participants between ages 18 and 55, and in those 65 years and older who received a lower booster dose. The study summaries were submitted to medRxiv on August 24…

Moderna
Press Releases
August 25, 2021
Moderna Completes Submission of Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its COVID-19 Vaccine
Final blinded analysis of Phase 3 COVE study of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shows 93% efficacy; efficacy remains durable through six months after second dose
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 25, 2021– Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced it has completed the rolling submission process for its Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the full licensure of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older. As part of the completed BLA submission, Moderna has requested Priority Review designation…

Novavax
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified
Novavax to Participate in OCTAVE-DUO Study to Evaluate Third Dose of Vaccine in Participants with Impaired Immune Systems
GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced that Novavax’ recombinant nanoparticle protein vaccine candidate is being studied in OCTAVE-DUO, now underway in the UK to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a third COVID-19 vaccine dose in participants with impaired immune systems.
Funded by the UK government’s Vaccines Taskforce and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the study is being led by the University of Glasgow and University of Birmingham. It is a follow-on to OCTAVE (Observational Cohort Trial -T-cells Antibodies and Vaccine Efficacy in SARS-CoV-2), which evaluated the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in participants with impaired immune systems due to cancer, inflammatory arthritis, kidney or liver diseases, or a stem cell transplant…

Pfizer
Recent Press Releases
08.26.2021
Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Collaboration With Brazil’s Eurofarma to Manufacture COVID-19 Vaccine Doses for Latin America
NEW YORK & MAINZ, Germany–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) today announced the signing of a letter of intent with Eurofarma Laboratórios SA, a Brazilian biopharmaceutical company, to manufacture COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) for distribution within Latin America…

08.25.2021
Pfizer and BioNTech Initiate Rolling Submission of Supplemental Biologics License Application to U.S. FDA for Booster Dose of COMIRNATY® in Individuals 16 and Older
New Phase 3 data show booster (third) dose of COMIRNATY induces significant SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody titers and demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile
SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing titers against the wild-type strain one month after booster dose were 3.3 times the titers one month after the second dose
Pfizer and BioNTech intend to file these data with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other regulatory authorities around the world in coming weeks

08.23.2021
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine COMIRNATY® Receives Full U.S. FDA Approval for Individuals 16 Years and Older

Sanofi Pasteur
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

Serum Institute of India
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS – No new digest announcements identified

Sinopharm/WIBPBIBP
News – [Website not responding at inquiry]

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]

::::::

GSK
Press releases for media – No new digest announcements identified

SK Biosciences
Press releases – No new digest announcements identified

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

UNICEF COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard :: Agreements Table Accessed 28 Aug 2021
An overview of information collected from publicly announced bilateral and multilateral supply agreements [agreements view since last week’s edition]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Duke – Launch and Scale Speedometer

The Race for Global COVID-19 Vaccine Equity
A flurry of nearly 200 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are moving forward through the development and clinical trials processes at unprecedented speed; more than ten candidates are already in Phase 3 large-scale trials and several have received emergency or limited authorization. Our team has aggregated and analyzed publicly available data to track the flow of procurement and manufacturing and better understand global equity challenges. We developed a data framework of relevant variables and conducted desk research of publicly available information to identify COVID vaccine candidates and status, deals and ongoing negotiations for procurement and manufacturing, COVID burden by country, and allocation and distribution plans. We have also conducted interviews with public officials in key countries to better understand the context and challenges facing vaccine allocation and distribution
[accessed 24 July 2021]
See our COVID Vaccine Purchases research
See our COVID Vaccine Manufacturing research
See our COVID Vaccine Donations & Exports research

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Global Dashboard on COVID-19 Vaccine Equity
The Dashboard is a joint initiative of UNDP, WHO and the University of Oxford with cooperation across the UN system, anchored in the SDG 3 Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All.

Dashboard on Vaccine Equity [accessed 28 Aug 2021]: https://data.undp.org/vaccine-equity/
See also visualization on Vaccine Access and Vaccine Affordability

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Our World in Data
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations [Accessed 28 Aug 2021]
33.2% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
5.18 billion doses have been administered globally, and 38.02 million are now administered each day.
Only 1.6% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine
Approval Signifies Key Achievement for Public Health
August 23, 2021 [Text bolding from original]
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.

“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While this and other vaccines have met the FDA’s rigorous, scientific standards for emergency use authorization, as the first FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, the public can be very confident that this vaccine meets the high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality the FDA requires of an approved product,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated. Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.” 

Since Dec. 11, 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been available under EUA in individuals 16 years of age and older, and the authorization was expanded to include those 12 through 15 years of age on May 10, 2021. EUAs can be used by the FDA during public health emergencies to provide access to medical products that may be effective in preventing, diagnosing, or treating a disease, provided that the FDA determines that the known and potential benefits of a product, when used to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease, outweigh the known and potential risks of the product…

Media Call Recording: https://youtu.be/aHAGnDz9F_w

::::::

August 27, 2021 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: August 27, 2021

August 24, 2021 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: August 24, 2021
:: On Aug. 22, the FDA updated the Pfizer-BioNTech emergency use authorization (EUA) to support the extension of shelf-life of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine stored at -90 degrees to -60 degrees Celsius from 6 months to 9 months. The extension is also applicable to batches that might have expired prior to the EUA amendment, provided the product was stored at the same temperatures.

::::::

Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee– FDA
:: Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee September 30, 2021 Meeting Announcement – 09/30/2021 – 09/30/2021
No agenda or meeting materials posted as of 28 Aug 2021

::::::

White House [U.S.]
Briefing Room – Selected Major COVID Announcements
Statement by President Joe Biden on the Investigation into the Origins of COVID-⁠19
August 27, 2021 • Statements and Releases
[See full text of statement above]

Press Briefing by White House COVID-⁠19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
August 27, 2021 • Press Briefings

Press Briefing by White House COVID-⁠19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
August 24, 2021 • Press Briefings

Remarks by President Biden on the COVID-⁠19 Response and the Vaccination Program
August 23, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

European Medicines Agency
News & Press Releases
News: Increase in vaccine manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines from BioNTech / Pfizer and Moderna (new)
CHMP, Last updated: 24/08/2021
Additional manufacturing site and scaled-up process for Comirnaty
CHMP has approved an additional manufacturing site for the production of Comirnaty, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer. The site, located in Saint Rémy sur Avre, France, is operated by Delpharm and will manufacture finished product. The site will allow to provide approximately up to 51 million additional doses in 2021.
EMA has also approved a new manufacturing line at BioNTech’s manufacturing site in Marburg, Germany which increases the active substance manufacturing capacity by approximately 410 million doses in 2021.
Additional manufacturing site for Spikevax
CHMP has also approved an additional manufacturing site for the production of Spikevax, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna.
The site, located in Bloomington, Indiana, United States (US), is operated by Catalent. The site will perform finished product manufacturing.
In addition to the new manufacturing facility for this vaccine, CHMP has also approved several alternative sites responsible for batch control/testing and packaging of the finished product manufactured by Catalent…

::::::

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
Latest Updates
News
Communicable disease threats report, 22-28 August, week 34
Publication
27 Aug 2021

::::::

–

Data as of 2021-08-27
https://vaccinetracker.ecdc.europa.eu/public/extensions/COVID-19/vaccine-tracker.html#uptake-tab

::::::

European Commission
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/home/en
No new digest content identified.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

Current at 08/25/2021 Full scale, interactive dashboard available at:
https://africacdc.org/covid-19-vaccination/

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Russia: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment
Russia: Sputnik V – “the first registered COVID-19 vaccine”
https://sputnikvaccine.com/newsroom/pressreleases/
Press Releases
A new study in Argentina on Sputnik V: “Our observations suggest that protection increases over 6 months following vaccination as a consequence of antibody maturation, resulting in improved potency of antibodies to viral escape mutations.”
Press release, 25.08.2021

Indonesia becomes the 70th country to approve the Sputnik V vaccine
Press release, 25.08.2021

The single-component Sputnik Light vaccine authorized in Philippines
Press release, 23.08.2021

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

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

Latest Updates
No new digest content identified

Government of India – Press Information Bureau
Latest Press Releases
PM lauds record vaccination numbers today
Posted on: 27 Aug 2021

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

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

Xi eyes deeper vaccine cooperation with Russia
2021-08-26
BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China is ready to work with Russia to deepen cooperation on vaccine development and production and ensure the safety and stability of the global supply chain for vaccines…

[Also see China CDC below]

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

No new digest content identified

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

WHO/OCHA Emergencies

Editor’s Note:
WHO has apparently reorganized and fundamentally shifted how it judges and tracks “emergencies”. We found no announcement of descriptive information to share and present the webpage structure as encountered below. Obviously, the dates associated with some of these emergencies suggest that this is an archival platform as well as a current emergencies resource.

Health emergencies list – WHO
“The health emergencies list details the disease outbreaks, disasters and humanitarian crises where WHO plays an essential role in supporting countries to respond to and recover from emergencies with public health consequences.”

Crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia [Last apparent update: 5 Aug 2021]

Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2021
:: 17 August 2021 News release Cote d’Ivoire starts Ebola vaccination of frontline workers

Ebola outbreak outbreak, N’Zerekore, Guinea, 2021
:: 17 August 2021 News release Cote d’Ivoire starts Ebola vaccination of frontline workers

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic [See COVID above]

Ebola outbreak, Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2020
:: 17 August 2021 News release Cote d’Ivoire starts Ebola vaccination of frontline workers

Ebola outbreak, North Kivu, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018 – 2020
:: 17 August 2021 News release Cote d’Ivoire starts Ebola vaccination of frontline workers

Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018 [Last apparent update: 24 July 2018]

Yemen crisis [Last apparent update: 12 February 2021]

Syria crisis [Last apparent update: 18 June 2021]

Somalia crisis [Last apparent update: 24 March 2018]

Nigeria crisis [Last apparent update: 9 May 2018]

Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2017 [Last apparent update: 3 May 2021]
:: 17 August 2021 News release Cote d’Ivoire starts Ebola vaccination of frontline workers

Zika virus disease outbreak, 2015-2016 [Last apparent update: 24 Jan 2020]

Ebola outbreak: West Africa, 2014-2016
:: 17 August 2021 News release Cote d’Ivoire starts Ebola vaccination of frontline workers

Iraq crisis [Last apparent update: 9 Jan 2008]

South Sudan crisis [Last apparent update: 23 Sep 2020]

Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus outbreak [Last apparent update: 21 May 2021]

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) outbreak [Last apparent update: 8 July 2019]

Influenza A (H1N1) virus, 2009-2010 pandemic [Last apparent update: 10 Aug 2010]

::::::

UN OCHA – Current Emergencies
Current Corporate Emergencies
Northern Ethiopia
Ethiopia – Tigray Region Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 26 August 2021

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

CDC-ACIP
Meeting – August 30-31, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. is a virtual COVID-19 meeting.
No registration is required.
Webcast [No agenda identified on ACIP pages]

Draft Agenda – August 30, 2021 pdf icon
:: VOTE – Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals ≥16 years of age

MMWR News Synopsis Friday, August 27, 2021
:: Recommendations and Reports: Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2021–22 Influenza Season
:: Progress Toward Polio Eradication — Worldwide, January 2019–June 2021
:: Mental Health and Substance Use Among Adults with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, February–March 2021
:: New COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Among Adults, by Vaccination Status — New York, May 3–July 25, 2021 (Early Release August 18, 2021)
:: Sustained Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines Against COVID-19 Associated Hospitalizations Among Adults — United States, March–July 2021 (Early Release August 18, 2021)
:: Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Nursing Home Residents Before and During Widespread Circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant — National Healthcare Safety Network, March 1–August 1, 2021 (Early Release August 18, 2021)
:: Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Frontline Workers Before and During B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant Predominance — Eight U.S. Locations, December 2020–August 2021 (Early Release August 24, 2021)
:: SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Hospitalizations Among Persons Aged ≥16 Years, by Vaccination Status — Los Angeles County, California, May 1–July 25, 2021 (Early Release August 24, 2021)

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)– CDC
Approximately 50 announcements/reports/data summaries.
8/28/21

Africa CDC [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
Press Releases
Africa CDC and the IFRC ramp up COVID-19 response in Africa
25 August 2021
Addis Ababa, 25 August 2021 – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) today launched a new collaboration to strengthen community resilience and response to public health emergencies at community level. The two institutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to ramp up pandemic response—including testing support to countries; community mobilization; advocacy and scaling up of contact tracing. In addition to COVID-19, the collaboration includes other areas of public health.
Africa CDC and IFRC will strengthen investments in locally-led action—for prevention and response purposes—while working with governments to ensure they intensify efforts to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, Africa CDC and IFRC will scale up advocacy against vaccine wastage…

China CDC http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
Aug 28: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On Aug 27, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 21 new cases of confirmed infections.

Xi eyes deeper vaccine cooperation with Russia
2021-08-26
BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China is ready to work with Russia to deepen cooperation on vaccine development and production and ensure the safety and stability of the global supply chain for vaccines…

National Medical Products Administration – PRC [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://english.nmpa.gov.cn/news.html
News
Over 1.98b doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in China
2021-08-27
More than 1.98 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in China as of Wednesday, data from the National Health Commission showed on Aug 26.

CCDC Weekly – Weekly Reports: Current Volume (3)
2021-08-27 / No. 35 PARASITIC DISEASE ISSUE (2)
PDF of this issue
Preplanned Studies: Assessment on the Diagnostic Capacity for Parasitic Diseases of Health Facilities — China, 2019
Preplanned Studies: Modelling the Ecological Suitability of the Chagas Disease Vector Triatoma rubrofasciata — China
Preplanned Studies: Surveillance of Malaria Vectors — 18 Sites, 12 PLADs, China, 2018–2020
Commentary: Diversity, Geography, and Host Range of Emerging Mosquito-Associated Viruses — China, 2010–2020

::::::

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 28 Aug 2021]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
News
No new digest content identified.

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center
Press Releases and Statements
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 28 Aug 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 28 Aug 2021]
https://carb-x.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy – GE2P2 Global Foundation [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.net/
News/Analysis/Statements
:: Past weekly editions and posting of all segments of Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review are available here.
:: [NEW] Informed Consent: A Monthly Review – August 2021 is now posted here

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
Zalgen Awarded CEPI Contract to Provide Test Kits for Largest Ever Lassa Fever Study in West Africa
The study, Enable, seeks to better understand the rate, location, and spread of Lassa virus across the region, while also informing the location and implementation of future late-stage trials of Lassa vaccines.
25 Aug 2021

CEPI partners, IVI and BBIL, launch global Chikungunya vaccine Phase II/III trial in Costa Rica
IVI is leading the Global Chikungunya vaccine Clinical Development Program consortium in partnership with Bharat Biotech, and with support from CEPI and Ind-CEPI.
24 Aug 2021

CEPI welcomes US FDA approval of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine
Statement from the CEO of CEPI, Dr. Richard Hatchett.
24 Aug 2021

DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency [to 28 Aug 2021
https://www.darpa.mil/news
News
8/27/2021
Taking Guess Work out of Vaccine Development
Military service members rely on effective vaccination for the prevention of communicable disease and to guard against biothreat exposure, but current vaccine development is expensive, time-consuming and prone to failure. Many current vaccines do not provide effective protection over long periods of time, and there are multiple pathogens that lack prophylactic options. Immune response to vaccines is unpredictable, transient and ineffective, largely due to a lack of understanding of the complex mechanisms of action underlying immune memory. The Assessing Immune Memory (AIM) program seeks to develop a platform capability to predict immune memory informed by a systems-level view of the host response to vaccination and its mechanisms.

8/25/2021
Delivering Next-Gen Biomanufacturing Capability
Slow production methods and reliance on a global supply chain currently limit DoD access to critical proteins such as medical countermeasures (MCMs) (i.e. antibodies, vaccines, and clotting factors), diagnostic components, and key enzymes for producing nucleic acids. State-of-the-art protein-based MCM production calls for massive centralized infrastructure and complex pipelines that require lengthy cellular engineering, sufficient growth of cells, and intensive purification and quality control.

Duke Global Health Innovation Center [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://dukeghic.org/
Our Blog
No new digest content identified.

EDCTP [to 28 Aug 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
No new digest content identified.

Emory Vaccine Center [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Vaccine Initiative [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

Fondation Merieux [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.gavi.org/
News Releases
26 August 2021
First Danish doses delivered through COVAX arrive in Algeria
As part of its pledge to deliver 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the first doses donated by Denmark have been delivered to Algeria

GHIT Fund [to 28 Aug 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 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
No new digest content identified.

Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness [GloPID-R] [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.glopid-r.org/news/
News
The power of tracking COVID-19 research funding in real time
25/08/2021
In a Wellcome Open Research blog post, Dr. Alice Norton explains how the COVID-19 Project Tracker and associated Living Mapping Review were developed and why they are so valuable for funders.
The living mapping review, created jointly by UKCDR and GloPID-R, is a powerful tool for global funders to inform their ongoing research funding decisions. With analyses updated every three months, it allows them identify funding gaps and trends and avoid duplication.
As of the 1st July 2021 publication on Wellcome Open, the analysis contained 10,608 projects, funded by 201 funders, conducted in 142 countries and representing an investment of at least $4.7 billion.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
Website reports “under maintenance” at inquiry

Human Vaccines Project [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
Latest News
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 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new
Selected News Releases, Statements, Reports
No new digest content identified.

IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/
Press Releases/Announcements
No new digest content identified.

IFRC [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Africa
Africa CDC and IFRC ramp up COVID-19 response in Africa
Addis Ababa, 25 August 2021 – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) today launched a new collaboration to strengthen community resilience and response to public health emergencies at community level. The two institutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to ramp up pandemic response—including testing support to countries; community mobilization; advocacy and scaling up of contact tracing. In addition to COVID-19, the collaboration includes other areas of public health.
Africa CDC and IFRC will strengthen investments in locally-led action—for prevention and response purposes—while working with governments to ensure they intensify efforts to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, Africa CDC and IFRC will scale up advocacy against vaccine wastage.
This new initiative comes at a time Africa continues to face major vaccine shortages, amid a high level of community transmission in countries such as Botswana, Burundi, Eswatini, Cabo Verde, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe…

Institut Pasteur [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.pasteur.fr/en/press-area
Press Documents
Press Info
26.08.2021
COVID-19: Will telecommuting strategies stop the virus from circulating?
How can we best organise on-site workplace and school attendance periods and remote work to slow the circulation of…

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases
News
26 Aug 2021
USD 24 Million Urgently Needed for Acute Humanitarian Needs in Afghanistan

News
23 Aug 2021
IOM Appeals for USD 15 Million for Critical Needs of Families Affected by Haiti Earthquake

ISC / International Science Council [to 28 Aug 2021]
ISC is a non-governmental organization with a unique global membership that brings together 40 international scientific Unions and Associations and over 140 national and regional scientific organizations including Academies and Research Councils.
https://council.science/current/
News
No new digest content identified.

IVAC [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates; Events
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News, Announcements, Events
IVI and BBIL launch global Chikungunya vaccine Phase II/III trial in Costa Rica
IVI is leading the Global Chikungunya vaccine Clinical Development Program (GCCDP) consortium in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Ltd. and with support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Ind-CEPI.
August 24, 2021 – SEOUL, Republic of Korea – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) announced today the first participant received Bharat Biotech International Ltd’s (BBIL) Chikungunya vaccine candidate (BBV87) in a Phase II/III clinical trial in Costa Rica, marking the start of a multi-country study led by IVI in partnership with BBIL and funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with support from the Ind-CEPI mission of the Department of Biotechnology, India.
IVI is advancing clinical development of BBV87 through a Phase II/III randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a 2-dose regimen of BBV87 Chikungunya vaccine in healthy adults at 9 clinical trial sites across 5 countries with endemic Chikungunya. In addition to the trial at Clinica San Agustin in Costa Rica, trials are expected to begin in Panama and Colombia by September 2021 and in Thailand and Guatemala soon after…

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/news/center-news/
Center News
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
South Sudan
Hepatitis E on the rise among poor sanitary conditions in Bentiu camp
Press Release 25 Aug 2021

National Academy of Medicine – USA [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://nam.edu/programs/
Selected News/Programs
No new digest content identified.

National Academy of Sciences – USA [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/
News
No new digest content identified.

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
Upcoming Meetings/Latest Updates
No new digest content identified.

NIH [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
News Releases
NIH launches study of extra COVID-19 vaccine dose in people with autoimmune disease
Trial also will test pausing immunosuppressive medication to improve antibody response.
August 27, 2021 — The National Institutes of Health has begun a clinical trial to assess the antibody response to an extra dose of an authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine in people with autoimmune disease who did not respond to an original COVID-19 vaccine regimen. The trial also will investigate whether pausing immunosuppressive therapy for autoimmune disease improves the antibody response to an extra dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in this population. The Phase 2 trial is sponsored and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH, and is being conducted by the NIAID-funded Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence…

PATH [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Press Releases
PATH welcomes remarkable results from clinical trial combining RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine with Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention
Seattle, WA, August 25, 2021 — Today, the results of a three-year Phase 3 malaria vaccine study conducted in Burkina Faso and Mali by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, and the Malaria Research and Training Centre, University of Bamako, were published. The study found that not only was the impact of seasonal vaccination with RTS,S/AS01E (RTS,S) comparable to that of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC), but that combining the two interventions reduced malaria episodes and deaths in children by about 70 percent compared to either intervention alone…

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
24 August 2021
Key population-led social enterprises awarded UNAIDS Solidarity Fund grants begin implementation

23 August 2021
The humanitarian activist supporting Venezuelan migrants living with HIV in Brazil

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/media-centre.htmlS
Selected News Releases, Announcements
No new digest content identified.

UNICEF [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Press Releases, News Notes, Statements [Selected]
Press release
08/24/2021
Poverty, conflict and displacement leave children at risk from renewed Bubonic plague outbreaks in Ituri region of eastern DRC
The centuries-old illness, easily treatable with antibiotics, is making a comeback through a combination of poverty and continuing insecurity

Statement
08/22/2021
Amidst Kabul airport blockage, WHO and UNICEF call for assistance to deliver critical health supplies to Afghanistan
Joint statement by WHO Regional Director for Eastern and Mediterranean Region, Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, and UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, George Laryea-Adjei

Unitaid [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Equity Initiative [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://vaccineequitycooperative.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

Vaccination Acceptance & Demand Initiative [Sabin) [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.vaccineacceptance.org/
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 28 Aug 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).

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
News
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News and reports
Opinion
No new digest content identified.

The Wistar Institute [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
Aug. 25, 2021
Wistar Scientists Unveil Widespread Tumor Suppression Mechanism That Stops Cancer Progression by Interfering With Cancer Cell Metabolism
Parkin tumor suppressor blocks tumor growth and invasion by inhibiting metabolic reprogramming and mitochondrial function.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

World Bank [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
Selected News, Announcements
Joint Statement of the Multilateral Leaders Taskforce on Scaling COVID-19 Tools
A Crisis of Vaccine Inequity
Date: August 27, 2021 Type: Statement
[See COVID above for full text]

World Customs Organization – WCO [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.wcoomd.org/
Latest News – Selected Items
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2021/
Press Releases, Statements
No new digest content identified.

WTO – World Trade Organisation [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news_e.htm
WTO News and Events
No new digest content identified.

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 28 Aug 2021]
Press Releases – Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (alliancerm.org)
Selected Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases, Letters, Testimony, Comments [Selected]
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://internationalbiotech.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
IFPMA Statement at the 11th APEC High-level Meeting on Health and the Economy – Session
24 August 2021 – The biopharmaceutical industry is delivering. We have several safe and highly effective vaccines. We estimate that we are on track to produce more than 11 billion doses by the end of the year.  This is a massive scale up from zero to billions in a matter of months and would be enough to fulfill the promise of fair and equitable access to vaccines.
Critically, however, COVID-19 vaccines are not equally reaching priority populations worldwide. Since May, the industry has been calling for five steps to urgently advance COVID-19 vaccine equity – top of the list is dose sharing, and we are very pleased that political leaders have responded to the call. But more needs to be done. We know that, just in the US and the EU, there could be 1 billion doses in surplus by the end of the year. We have it in our gasp to make a difference; and get the vaccines to those who need them – wherever they live.
A key lesson of equitable access for future pandemics is that we can only leverage the full potential of multilateral effort such as COVAX if we manage to lock funding to secure doses earlier in the process.
Our solutions need to be sustainable. We should avoid quick fixes that respond to political pressure. For example, when we talk about increasing manufacturing capacity, we need to ensure its sustainability and guard against creating more problems than solutions.
There is a misconception that waiving intellectual property (IP) rights would lead to increased manufacturing capacity and solve the vaccine inequality we are witnessing. There is no such evidence. The challenge of vaccines production is manufacturing infrastructure, lack of skilled workers, trade restriction, and shortages of raw materials, not IP.
To scale up manufacturing, technology transfer is already happening. To date, there are 157 such deals, out of over 230 voluntary collaborations. Many of these were forged in the early days of the pandemic…

IFPMA Statement at the 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa: Special Event
24 August 2021
… IFPMA also supports the objectives of increasing local production of vaccines on the African continent, and we recognize the importance of voluntary technology transfer collaborations to meet this goal.
IFPMA and member companies will continue to work with countries to administer all the doses allocated to them and limit the risk of dose wastage. Likewise, IFPMA will continue to work on countering misinformation, misunderstanding, and disinformation on vaccines, which have led to vaccine hesitancy and the tragic destruction of unused vaccines on the continent.
IFPMA welcomes WHO AFRO’s commitment to work with the private sector as a partner; to address policies that enable access to vaccines and treatments for those in need, such as review of national stockpiling; and to foster an environment that encourages innovation, research, and development. The industry supports Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through collaborations and partnerships with governments, NGOs, and private sector entities to strengthen healthcare systems, ensure the quality and integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain, train healthcare workers, and explore innovative approaches to financing UHC…

International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations – IAPO [to 28 Aug 2021]
https://www.iapo.org.uk/news/topic/6
Press and media [Selected]
APPIS examines capability building gaps of Patient Organizations
Monday, 23 August 2021
The Asia Pacific Patient innovation Summit has published a whitepaper, which aims to serve as a blueprint to help patient organizations improve their approach to sustainable funding, digitalization, and multi-stakeholder partnerships.
PDF: https://www.iapo.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/The%20Asia%20Pacific%20Patient%20Innovation%20Summit%20Whitepaper.pdf

PhRMA [to 28 Aug 2021]
http://www.phrma.org/
Latest News [Selected]
Driving further innovation is critical to global vaccine equity
August 24, 2021 [Text bolding from original]
Since the start of the pandemic, biopharmaceutical companies have worked around the clock to research, develop and manufacture treatments and vaccines to fight COVID-19…
Thankfully, scientists and researchers have continued their tireless work to find solutions. In addition to the more than 100 candidate vaccines currently in clinical development and another 184 in pre-clinical development, scientists are:
Studying how well current vaccines can protect against new COVID-19 variants, and how vaccines might be updated to address these emerging variants. Several companies are researching vaccines that protect against multiple strains and looking into the impact of tailored booster shots in defending against new COVID-19 variants.
Exploring ways to improve dosage formulations and more convenient storage methods, as well as options for co-administration of vaccines. Pfizer and BioNTech, for instance, are currently exploring a freeze-dried COVID-19 vaccine that would allow for the vaccine to be stored at 2-8 °C—addressing vaccine storage requirements that are not always available in some parts of the world. Moderna is exploring the efficacy of boosters that contain lower dose levels, which could help provide more doses to communities worldwide.
Conducting clinical trials in populations that have not yet been cleared to receive vaccines, such as children and those with certain conditions. Vaccine manufacturers are currently studying the safety and efficacy of their COVID-19 vaccines for children—an important step in ensuring all populations are able to receive protection against the virus and serious disease.
Researching innovative treatment approaches. To date, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization for six COVID-19 treatments and fully approved one antiviral therapy. And scientists around the world currently have nearly 600 different therapies in clinical trials that could potentially allow clinicians to more effectively treat COVID-19 and ultimately improve patient outcomes…Blog Post
Vaccine Approval Important Step Forward Against Pandemic, Reminder of What’s at Stake in Drug Pricing Debate
August 23, 2021
The FDA’s approval of Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine marks a significant step forward in our work to end COVID-19. But ironically, while we celebrate this major step forward, members of Congress are meeting to advance policies that could inhibit our industry’s ability to find future groundbreaking treatments and cures.
Press release

Journal Watch
Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review continues its weekly scanning of key peer-reviewed journals to identify and cite articles, commentary and editorials, books reviews and other content supporting our focu-s on vaccine ethics and policy. Journal Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues the Center is actively tracking. We selectively provide full text of some editorial and comment articles that are specifically relevant to our work. Successful access to some of the links provided may require subscription or other access arrangement unique to the publisher.
If you would like to suggest other journal titles to include in this service, please contact David Curry at: david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org

American Journal of Public Health
July 2021 111(52)
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/toc/ajph/current

Supplement 2 2021
When Dying Really Counts
This new fully Open Access supplement issue looks at the urgent need to improve the quality of mortality data and routine surveillance in the context of COVID-19 and beyond. Consequences of inaccuracies in mortality data threaten the mission of public health, while challenges facing the professions of those who encounter and study death are facing unprecedented pressures

Annals of Internal Medicine
August 2021 Volume 174, Issue 8
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Research and Reporting Methods
A Deferred-Vaccination Design to Assess Durability of COVID-19 Vaccine Effect After the Placebo Group Is Vaccinated
Dean Follmann, PhD, Jonathan Fintzi, PhD, Michael P. Fay, PhD, Holly E. Janes, PhD,
… et al. Pages:1118–1125
This study discusses how continued follow-up of participants in COVID-19 vaccine trials after vaccination of the placebo group permits determination of vaccine durability and allows the incorporation of a booster trial if waning vaccine efficacy is observed while ensuring ethical treatment of participants.

Annals of Internal Medicine
August 2021 Volume 174, Issue 8
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Special Articles
Developing Treatment Guidelines During a Pandemic Health Crisis: Lessons Learned From COVID-19
Safia Kuriakose, PharmD, Kanal Singh, MD, MPH, Alice K. Pau, PharmD, Eric Daar, MD, Rajesh Gandhi, MD, … et al.
Pages:1151–1158

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 28 Aug 2021)

Vaccine preferences driving vaccine-decision making of different target groups: a systematic review of choice-based experiments
Choice-based experiments have been increasingly used to elicit preferences for vaccines and vaccination programs. This study aims to systematically identify and examine choice-based experiments assessing (diff…
Authors: Marilyn Emma Diks, Mickael Hiligsmann and Ingeborg Maria van der Putten
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2021 21:879
Content type: Research
Published on: 28 August 2021

Developing World Bioethics
Volume 21, Issue 2 June 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14718847/current

Special Issue: Conscientious objection to termination of pregnancy in the global south: legal and ethical challenges
Issue Edited by:  Anita Kleinsmidt

The European Journal of Public Health
SUPPLEMENT – Volume 31, Issue Supplement_1, July 2021
https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/issue/31/Supplement_1

Supplement: E-Mental-Health: Exploring the Evidence Base and Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Internet-Based Interventions for the Prevention of Mental Health Conditions
Mental illness represents an enormous personal, social and societal burden for European citizens1 calling for the need to expand existing models of mental healthcare delivery. In Europe, the Internet is a key source of health information,2 and technology-enhanced (psychological) interventions such as Internet- and mobile-delivered applications (‘eHealth’3 and ‘m-Health’4) have become increasingly popular and studied. There is already strong evidence of the efficacy of online interventions for the prevention and treatment of several psychological disorders5,6 and meta-analyses show effect sizes similar to face-to-face interventions.7

Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 28 Aug 2021]

Research Article metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
Asymptomatic COVID-19 in the elderly: dementia and viral clearance as risk factors for disease progression. [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Ignacio Esteban, Georgina Bergero, Camila Alves, Micaela Bronstein, Valeria Ziegler, Cristian Wood, Mauricio T. Caballero, Diego Wappner, Romina Libster, Gonzalo Perez Marc, Fernando P. Polack
Peer Reviewers Invited
Funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
PUBLISHED 27 Aug 2021

Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 28 Aug 2021]

Advancing sustainable development goals through immunization: a literature review
Authors: Catherine Decouttere, Kim De Boeck and Nico Vandaele
Citation: Globalization and Health 2021 17:95
Content type: Review
Published on: 26 August 2021
Abstract
Background
Immunization directly impacts health (SDG3) and brings a contribution to 14 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as ending poverty, reducing hunger, and reducing inequalities. Therefore, immunization is recognized to play a central role in reaching the SDGs, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite continuous interventions to strengthen immunization systems and to adequately respond to emergency immunization during epidemics, the immunization-related indicators for SDG3 lag behind in sub-Saharan Africa. Especially taking into account the current Covid19 pandemic, the current performance on the connected SDGs is both a cause and a result of this.
Methods
We conduct a literature review through a keyword search strategy complemented with handpicking and snowballing from earlier reviews. After title and abstract screening, we conducted a qualitative analysis of key insights and categorized them according to showing the impact of immunization on SDGs, sustainability challenges, and model-based solutions to these challenges.
Results
We reveal the leveraging mechanisms triggered by immunization and position them vis-à-vis the SDGs, within the framework of Public Health and Planetary Health. Several challenges for sustainable control of vaccine-preventable diseases are identified: access to immunization services, global vaccine availability to LMICs, context-dependent vaccine effectiveness, safe and affordable vaccines, local/regional vaccine production, public-private partnerships, and immunization capacity/capability building. Model-based approaches that support SDG-promoting interventions concerning immunization systems are analyzed in light of the strategic priorities of the Immunization Agenda 2030.
Conclusions
In general terms, it can be concluded that relevant future research requires (i) design for system resilience, (ii) transdisciplinary modeling, (iii) connecting interventions in immunization with SDG outcomes, (iv) designing interventions and their implementation simultaneously, (v) offering tailored solutions, and (vi) model coordination and integration of services and partnerships. The research and health community is called upon to join forces to activate existing knowledge, generate new insights and develop decision-supporting tools for Low-and Middle-Income Countries’ health authorities and communities to leverage immunization in its transformational role toward successfully meeting the SDGs in 2030.

Health Affairs
Vol. 40, No. 7 July 2021
https://www.healthaffairs.org/toc/hlthaff/current

July 2021 | Borders, Immigrants & Health
About one in seven residents of the US is an immigrant, and about fifteen million people live within 100 kilometers of the US-Mexico border. Disparities in health status exist between people born in the US and those who have immigrated. Immigration policy has been contentious throughout US history, and current policies in the US and Mexico have significant effects on the health and well-being of tens of millions of people. This thematic issue of Health Affairs focuses on immigrants and borders. The overview article by Arturo Vargas Bustamante and coauthors describes a range of health policy issues raised by the continuously shifting demography of US immigrants.

Humanitarian Exchange Magazine
Number 79, May 2021
https://odihpn.org/magazine/localisation-and-local-humanitarian-action/

Localisation and local humanitarian action
by HPN October 2020
The theme of this edition of Humanitarian Exchange is localisation+ and local humanitarian action. Five years ago this week, donors, United Nations (UN) agencies,  non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) committed within the Grand Bargain to increase multi-year investments in the institutional capacities of local and national responders, and to provide at least 25% of humanitarian funding to them as directly as possible. Since then, there is increasing consensus at policy and normative level, underscored by the Covid-19 pandemic, that local leadership should be supported.  Localisation has gone from a fringe conversation among policy-makers and aid agencies in 2016 to a formal priority under the Grand Bargain. Wider global movements on anti-racism and decolonisation have also brought new momentum to critical reflections on where power, knowledge and capacity reside in the humanitarian system. Yet progress has been slow and major gaps remain between the rhetoric around humanitarian partnerships, funding and coordination and practices on the ground.

JAMA
August 24/31, 2021, Vol 326, No. 8, Pages 685-778
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Original Investigation
Association Between BNT162b2 Vaccination and Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Pregnant Women
Inbal Goldshtein, PhD; Daniel Nevo, PhD; David M. Steinberg, PhD; et al.
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;326(8):728-735. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.11035
This cohort study explores the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women vaccinated with BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) vs those unvaccinated.

JAMA
August 24/31, 2021, Vol 326, No. 8, Pages 685-778
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Research Letter
Lottery-Based Incentive in Ohio and COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
Allan J. Walkey, MD, MSc; Anica Law, MD, MS; Nicholas A. Bosch, MD, MSc
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;326(8):766-767. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.11048
This study assesses changes in COVID-19 vaccination rates before and after the Ohio vaccine lottery announcement compared with national rates to control for the expansion of vaccine indications to adolescents.

JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update August 28, 2021

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

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (JHCPU)
Volume 32, Number 2, May 2021 Supplement
https://muse.jhu.edu/issue/44396

Table of Contents
Overview of the Issue
Kevin B. Johnson, Tiffani J. Bright, Cheryl R. Clark
…The importance of techquity—defined as the strategic development and deployment of technology in health care and health to advance health equity—was even more apparent after the events of 2020. COVID-19 upended access to care and illuminated the impact of structural racism as a cause for a widening gap of access during the pandemic. Black Lives Matter became more than a trending hashtag on Twitter, or a movement resulting in peaceful protests and calls for policy reform: it put additional focus on the issue of race as a social and not a biological construct and called into question the rationale for common practices in health care that were triggered by race. A notable example was the emerging realization that kidney function assessment was tied to race and hardwired into many of our electronic health records. The real-world evidence around our lack of techquity was incontrovertible.
This Supplemental Issue of JHCPU provides articles that describe challenges to techquity, frameworks to improve the role of technology in care, and examples of how technology can transform health, public health, and health care…

Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume 224, Issue 3, 1 August 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jid/issue/224/3

MAJOR ARTICLES AND BRIEF REPORTS
BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Preliminary Report
Francesco Paolo Bianchi, Cinzia Annatea Germinario, Giovanni Migliore, Luigi Vimercati, Andrea Martinelli …
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 224, Issue 3, 1 August 2021, Pages 431–434, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiab262

The Lancet
Aug 28, 2021 Volume 398 Number 10302 p725-816, e11
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Comment
COVID-19 vaccines for children in LMICs: another equity issue
Beate Kampmann, Uduak Okomo
… During deliberations on the potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccines for CYP, it is important to recognise that this pandemic has already deprived more than 8 million children, primarily in LMICs, from life-saving, routine childhood vaccines.19 Immunisation services are preoccupied with the implementation of COVID-19 vaccine programmes for adults. At present, greater benefit for children’s health globally will be derived by delivering the health interventions we already know will save their lives, such as vaccines against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, than by focusing on delivering COVID-19 vaccines to part of a population that does not currently represent a strategic priority in the response to this pandemic. Although maybe not equitable, we believe this approach is more important for the health of CYP at this point in time.

Nature
Volume 596 Issue 7873, 26 August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/596/issues/7873

Comment | 25 August 2021
Origins of SARS-CoV-2: window is closing for key scientific studies
Authors of the March WHO report into how COVID-19 emerged warn that further delay makes crucial inquiry biologically difficult.
Marion Koopmans, Peter Daszak, John Watson

Nature
Volume 596 Issue 7873, 26 August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/596/issues/7873

Perspective | 08 July 2021
After the pandemic: perspectives on the future trajectory of COVID-19
This Perspective discusses possible future patterns of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the development of variants, potential changes in the patterns of spread and the implications for vaccine deployment and the potential consequences of these issues for the development of policy.
Amalio Telenti, Ann Arvin, Herbert W. Virgin

New England Journal of Medicine
August 26, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 9
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Original Articles
A Monoclonal Antibody for Malaria Prevention M.R. Gaudinski and Others
Conclusions
Among adults who had never had malaria infection or vaccination, administration of the long-acting monoclonal antibody CIS43LS prevented malaria after controlled infection. (Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; VRC 612 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04206332. opens in new tab.)

New England Journal of Medicine
August 26, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 9
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Editorials
Audio Interview: Assessing Vaccine Safety E.J. Rubin, L.R. Baden, and S. Morrissey
In this audio interview conducted on August 24, 2021, the editors discuss various approaches to assessing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine safety, including a new study involving more than 1.7 million people in Israel.

PharmacoEconomics
Volume 39, issue 8, August 2021
https://link.springer.com/journal/40273/volumes-and-issues/39-8

Review Article
Jointly Modelling Economics and Epidemiology to Support Public Policy Decisions for the COVID-19 Response: A Review of UK Studies
Authors (first, second and last of 6) Ana Duarte, Simon Walker, Mark Sculpher
Published: 19 June 2021
Pages: 879 – 887

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 28 Aug 2021]

Inactivated influenza vaccine effectiveness among department of defense beneficiaries aged 6 months-17 years, 2016–2017 through 2019–2020 influenza seasons
Wenping Hu, Laurie S. DeMarcus, Paul A. Sjoberg, Anthony S. Robbins
Research Article | published 27 Aug 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256165