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

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

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

House-to-house polio vaccination set to recommence across Afghanistan in November
KABUL / AMMAN / KATHMANDU, 18 October 2021 – WHO and UNICEF welcome the decision by the Taliban leadership supporting the resumption of house-to-house polio vaccination across Afghanistan.

The vaccination campaign, which begins on November 8, will be the first in over three years to reach all children in Afghanistan, including more than 3.3 million children in some parts of the country who have previously remained inaccessible to vaccination campaigns. A second nationwide polio vaccination campaign has also been agreed and will be synchronised with Pakistan’s own polio campaign planned in December.

“This is an extremely important step in the right direction,” said Dapeng Luo, WHO Representative in Afghanistan. “We know that multiple doses of oral polio vaccine offer the best protection, so we are pleased to see that there is another campaign planned before the end of this year. Sustained access to all children is essential to end polio for good. This must remain a top priority,” he said.

With only one case of wild poliovirus reported so far in 2021, Afghanistan has an extraordinary opportunity to eradicate polio. Restarting polio vaccination now is crucial for preventing any significant resurgence of polio within the country and mitigating the risk of cross-border and international transmission…

The safety and security of health workers remain a prime concern for the polio programme. The Taliban leadership has expressed their commitment for the inclusion of female frontline workers and for providing security and assuring the safety of all health workers across the country, which is an essential prerequisite for the implementation of polio vaccination campaigns.

WHO and UNICEF call on authorities and community leaders at all levels to respect and uphold the neutrality of health interventions and ensure unhindered access to children now and for future campaigns.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Over 80 million reached as Africa trailblazes novel polio vaccine
22 October 2021
Brazzaville – More than 80 million children have been vaccinated with the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) in six countries in Africa, the world’s first region to rollout of the vaccine just months after the World Health Organization (WHO) gave it Emergency Use Listing status in November 2020.
Nigeria became the first country in the world to use nOPV2 to tackle an outbreak in March 2021, vaccinating 7 million children in six states. By September, Benin, Congo, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone had also rolled out the vaccine. Africa was certified free of wild polio in August 2020, but outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived polio type 2 are still being reported…

The nOPV2 is a modified form of the monovalent oral polio vaccine designed to be more genetically stable and less likely to, in under-immunized populations, revert to a form that can cause permanent paralysis in children from vaccine-derived poliovirus. Given the urgent public health need to address vaccine-derived polio globally, nOPV2 became the first vaccine to receive authorization for use under Emergency Use Listing (EUL). WHO has urged countries to rapidly implement the process for national approval for importation and deployment of the vaccine once it was approved for use.

“Africa’s trailblazing rollout of the novel polio vaccine shows a true determination to ending polio for good. The progress made by the six countries and the upcoming rollout in five additional countries targeting 30 million children by the end of 2021 promise effective and lasting protection from the threat of lifelong paralysis,” said Dr Pascal Mkanda, Polio Eradication Programme Coordinator at WHO Regional Office for Africa…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

WHO-SAGE – October 2021 Meeting

Editor’s Note:
In last week’s edition, we presented the full text of SAGE October 2021 meeting highlights. WHO has added the link to the slide presentations supporting 30+ sessions in the meeting agenda. We include two sample slides from the presentation on IA2030 as examples of the content available.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

As COVID-19 vaccine output estimated to reach over 12 billion by year end and 24
19 October 2021 IFPMA Press Release
This month, COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing output will pass the 9.3 billion dose mark. The biopharmaceutical industry renews its May commitment to the G20 to collaborate with governments to support effective solutions to urgently address vaccine equity.
At current production rates, swiftly rolling out vaccines to those who still need them looks achievable, if the political will, planning and collective action efforts are redoubled. The G20 can play a critical role in focusing political attention on ramping up dose sharing, addressing bottlenecks in the supply chain and supporting country preparedness.
With COVID-19 vaccine supplies on track to outstrip global demand and voluntary collaborations with innovative vaccine manufacturers set to change Africa’s vaccine manufacturing landscape in years to come, initiatives such as the proposed Intellectual Property TRIPS waiver are a distraction. All efforts should be directed towards advancing vaccinations.

19 October 2021, Geneva – As G20 heads of state and government prepare to meet in Rome on 30-31 October, COVID-19 vaccine production will reach the 9,3 billion doses mark. Of the world’s 5.8 billion adult population, 3.3 billion people have been vaccinated[1]. Urgent steps need to be taken to advance vaccinations programmes that reach the remaining 2.5 billion adults. The biopharmaceutical industry renews the commitment it made to the G20 in May 2021 to work with governments to support these efforts. The vaccine production effort is estimated to reach 12.5 billion doses by the end of 2021 and double again to 24 billion doses by June 2022, at which time vaccine supplies will most likely outstrip global demand. These numbers show that the premise for the Intellectual Property TRIPS waiver proposed a year ago, to help address an assumed shortage of vaccines as the solution to vaccine equity, has been overtaken by the facts. The solution to vaccine equity today resides in dose sharing, continuing to optimize output through manufacturing scaling up and voluntary licensing; as well as working together to enable countries to efficiently and effectively vaccinate their people…

…COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing output, driven principally by USA, EU, China, and India, is now amounting to over 1 billion vaccines each month. The 9.3 billion COVID-19 vaccine dose output by the end of October, and the estimated production of 12.5 billion by the end of the year, demonstrates the industry’s success in trebling global vaccine capacity in less than a year. In addition, major strides have been made over the past year to support production capacity with vaccine manufacturers setting up over 300 voluntary collaborations. In particular in Africa, a number of important agreements and commitments have been made to share know-how of mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccine platforms via voluntary collaborations. Building on this, efforts must continue towards working together to vaccinate people in those parts of the world where vaccination rates are too low, including working to ensure countries are prepared to roll out vaccinations.

Thomas Cueni, Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) proposes: “As an industry, we have put our energies into developing and producing treatments and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.  The numbers show that the scale up of vaccines is on track to ensure that everybody who needs to be vaccinated can be. We see a turning of the tide. The supplies are available; now all efforts should be focused on distributing and sharing doses. It would be our hope that the energy focused on undermining intellectual property could be channelled into collectively addressing vaccine equity, supporting the growing political will of G20 countries to ensure the necessary, collective action to get jabs into arms; we all agree this is the right thing to do.”

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Health and Care Worker Deaths during COVID-19 – WHO
20 October 2021
Health and care workers are the foundation of health systems and the driving force to achieving universal health coverage and global health security. Their commitment and professionalism throughout the pandemic are evident to all: extraordinary people, performing extraordinary work.

However, too many of them have become infected, ill or died as a result of COVID-19.

WHO estimates that between 80 000 and 180 000 health and care workers could have died from COVID-19 in the period between January 2020 to May 2021, converging to a medium scenario of 115 500 deaths1.

These deaths are a tragic loss. They are also an irreplaceable gap in the world’s pandemic response.
Encouragingly, the reported rate of infections and deaths among health and care workers has reduced over time: but the world cannot be complacent. More work is needed to minimize the risk of infection in the workplace.

As of September 2021, available data from 119 countries suggest that two in five health and care workers were fully vaccinated on average, with considerable difference across regions and economic groupings. Fewer than 1 in 10 have been fully vaccinated in the African and Western Pacific regions, while 22 mostly high income countries reported that above 80% of their personnel are fully vaccinated.

The Steering Committee of the International Year of Health and Care Workers, in coordination with a press conference with WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus, issued a joint statement underscoring their deep concern about the probable number of deaths, the overall low rate of vaccinations and the vaccines inequities among health and care workers in low- and middle-income countries.

The Joint Statement calls for immediate and concrete action to protect health and care workers:
Strengthen data collection and reporting on infections, ill-health and deaths among health and care workers due to COVID-19;
Protect health and care workers during and beyond the current global COVID-19 pandemic; and
Accelerate the vaccination of all health and care workers in all countries.

Failure to take action undermines the physical, mental, and social well-being of those individuals we depend upon to manage the pandemic. Recognition and commemoration are not enough. It is our moral obligation to protect and invest in health and care workers. And we must move forward together.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccines – OCHA:: HDX

COVID-19 Data Explorer: Global Humanitarian Operations
COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out
23 Oct 2021 | COVAX (WHO,GAVI,CEPI), UNDESA, Press Reports | DATA
Global COVID-19 Figures: 239M total confirmed cases; 4.9M total confirmed deaths
Global vaccines administered: 6.64B
Number of Countries: 29 [29 week ago]
COVAX Allocations Round 4-6 (Number of Doses): 120M [120M week ago]
COVAX Delivered (Number of Doses): 120M [110M week ago]
Other Delivered (Number of Doses): 200M [190M week ago]
Total Delivered (Number of Doses): 320M [300M week ago]
Total Administered (Number of Doses): 2560M [240M week ago]

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. Website accessed 23 Oct 2021: https://data.covid19taskforce.com/data The global view below is complemented by country-specific dashboards here.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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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: 23 Oct 2021
Confirmed cases :: 242 348 657 [239 437 517 week ago]
Confirmed deaths :: 4 927 723 [4 879 235 week ago]
Vaccine doses administered: 6 655 399 359 [6 495 672 0 32 week ago]

Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 19 October 2021
Overview
Globally, the numbers of weekly COVID-19 cases and deaths has stabilized this week, with over 2.7 million cases and over 46 000 new deaths, a 4% and 2% decrease respectively, representing similar numbers as those reported last week’s. With the exception of the European region, which for the third consecutive week reported an increase in new COVID-19 cases (7% increase as compared with the previous week), all the other regions reported a decline. The largest decrease in new weekly cases was reported from the African Region (18%), followed by the Western Pacific Region (17%). The cumulative number of confirmed cases reported globally is now over 240 million and the cumulative number of deaths is over 4.8 million.
The number of new weekly deaths reported globally also showed a stabilization (2% decrease as compared with the previous week), with similar numbers as those reported last week’s in the European region (4% increase), Western Pacific region (1% increase) and the American region (1% decrease). The largest decline in new weekly deaths was reported from the African region showing a 24% decrease as compared to the previous week.
In this edition, we provide updates on the evolution and geographic distribution of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOCs), and summarise phenotypic characteristics (transmissibility, disease severity, risk of reinfection, and impacts on diagnostics and vaccine performance) of VOCs based on published studies.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Director General Speeches

22 October 2021
Speech
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the 9th meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee on COVID-19 – 22 October 2021
…Inequitable access to vaccines and other life-saving tools means that a large proportion of the world’s population remains susceptible to infection and at increased risk of severe disease and death.
As you know, we have set a target to vaccinate 40% of the population of every country by the end of this year. 82 countries are at risk of missing that target. For most of those countries, it’s simply a problem of insufficient and unpredictable supply. A small group of countries have some limitations in their ability to absorb vaccines, and we are working to address those problems.
Recent months have also shown the importance of monitoring vaccine protection.
Data show that vaccines slow but don’t fully stop transmission; however, they are very effective at protecting against symptomatic and severe disease as well as hospitalization and death caused by the Delta variant.
However, given the still-unknown benefits of revaccinating the general population, WHO has decided that additional doses should be targeted to at-risk population groups, such as those who are immunocompromised and older people…

21 October 2021
Speech
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 21 October 2021

21 October 2021
Speech
Director-General’s opening remarks at Member States Information Session on COVID-19 – 21 October 2021

19 October 2021
Keynote
Director-General’s speech on building health systems resilience during COVID-19 and beyond

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Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 29 September 2021
For 23 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
[Full scale view available at title ling above]

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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]

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 – No new digest announcements identified

Janssen/JNJ
Press Releases
Oct 21, 2021 United States
U.S. CDC Advisory Committee Unanimously Recommends Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine as a Booster for All Eligible Individuals Who Receive Authorized COVID-19 Vaccines

Oct 20, 2021 United States
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot Authorized for Emergency Use by U.S. FDA

Oct 18, 2021 United States
17 Million Doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine to be Donated to African Union Countries

Oct 15, 2021 United States
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot Unanimously Recommended for Emergency Use Authorization by U.S. FDA Advisory Committee

Moderna
Press Releases
October 21, 2021
U.S. CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Recommends Booster Vaccination with Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine

October 20, 2021
Moderna Announces FDA Authorization of a Booster Dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S.

October 14, 2021
Moderna Announces FDA Advisory Committee Unanimously Votes in Support of Emergency Use for a Booster Dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S.

October 14, 2021
Moderna Announces COVAX Exercises Option to Purchase 176.5 Million Additional Doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine for Low Income Countries in First Half of 2022

Novavax
Press Releases
Novavax Statement on Initial Com-COV2 Phase 2 Clinical Trial Results Presented at World Vaccine Congress Europe Oct 19, 2021

Pfizer
Recent Press Releases
10.20.2021
Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Phase 3 Trial Data Showing High Efficacy of a Booster Dose of Their COVID-19 Vaccine

10.20.2021
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Votes to Recommend Routine Use of Pfizer’s PREVNAR 20™ (Pneumococcal 20-valent Conjugate Vaccine) in Adults

Sanofi Pasteur
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

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

Sinopharm/WIBPBIBP
News – No new digest announcements identified

Sinovac
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

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

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

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GSK
Press releases for media
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices votes unanimously to recommend Shingrix for immunocompromised adults aged 19 and up
20 October 2021

Merck
News releases
CDC ACIP Unanimously Votes to Provisionally Recommend Merck’s VAXNEUVANCE™ (Pneumococcal 15-valent Conjugate Vaccine) in Series with PNEUMOVAX ® 23 (Pneumococcal Vaccine Polyvalent) as an Option for Pneumococcal Vaccination in Appropriate Adults
October 29, 2021

Merck and Ridgeback Announce Submission of Emergency Use Authorization Application to the U.S. FDA for Molnupiravir, an Investigational Oral Antiviral Medicine, for the Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 in At Risk Adults
October 15, 2021

Novartis
News
Novartis signs new initial agreement with BioNTech to support fill and finish of the mRNA Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
Oct 21, 2021
:: At least 24 million doses of the mRNA-based vaccine will be filled in 2022 into vials under sterile conditions at Novartis Technical Operations state-of-the-art facility in Ljubljana, Slovenia
:: New agreement follows earlier supply agreement for the fill and finish of more than 50 million doses in 2021 at the Novartis Stein site in Switzerland

SK Biosciences
Press releases – No new digest announcements identified

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

UNICEF COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard :: Agreements Table Accessed 23 Oct 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 23 Oct 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 23 Oct 2021]
:: 48.4% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
:: 6.82 billion doses have been administered globally, and 23.89 million are now administered each day.
:: Only 3% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

CDC-ACIP
Next ACIP Meetings
:: November 2-3, 2021 – No agenda posted at 23 Oct 2021

White House [U.S.]
Briefing Room – Selected Major COVID Announcements
Press Briefing by White House COVID-⁠19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
October 22, 2021 • Press Briefings

Press Briefing by White House COVID-⁠19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
October 20, 2021 • Press Briefings

FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Announces Update on Operational Planning for COVID-⁠19 Vaccinations for Kids Ages 5-11
October 20, 2021 • Statements and Releases
…In anticipation of the FDA’s independent advisory committee meeting on October 26 and the CDC’s independent advisory committee meeting on November 2-3, today the Biden Administration is announcing a plan to ensure that, if a vaccine is authorized for children ages 5-11, it is quickly distributed and made conveniently and equitably available to families across the country. The start of a vaccination program for children ages 5-11 will depend on the independent FDA and CDC process and timeline, but our planning efforts mean that we will be ready to begin getting shots in arms in the days following a final CDC recommendation. These steps will be critical in ensuring that we are staying ahead of the virus by keeping kids and families safe, especially those at highest risk…

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

European Medicines Agency
News & Press Releases
News: EMA starts evaluating use of COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty in children aged 5 to 11 (new)
CHMP, Last updated: 18/10/2021

News: New manufacturing sites and new formulation approved for COVID-19 vaccine from BioNTech/Pfizer (new)
CHMP, Last updated: 18/10/2021

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European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
Latest Updates
Publication
COVID-19 surveillance guidance – Transition from COVID-19 emergency surveillance to routine surveillance of respiratory pathogens
Technical report – 18 Oct 2021

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Accessed 23 Oct 2021
https://vaccinetracker.ecdc.europa.eu/public/extensions/COVID-19/vaccine-tracker.html#uptake-tab

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European Commission
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/home/en
Questions and answers 22 October 2021
Questions and answers on the list of 10 candidate COVID-19 therapeutics
Vaccination is our primary tool to protect against infection, severe disease and hospitalisation and ultimately to put an end the pandemic.

Press release 22 October 2021
European Health Union: Commission establishes portfolio of 10 most promising treatments for COVID-19
Delivering on a key action from the EU Strategy on COVID-19 Therapeutics, the Commission is today establishing a portfolio of 10 potential COVID-19 therapeutics.

Statement 18 October 2021
Statement by President von der Leyen on vaccine exports
President von der Leyen has made a statement about an important milestone in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the world.
“We have reached an important milestone in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the world. The European Union has exported over 1 billion vaccine doses worldwide, over the past ten months. Vaccines produced in the EU have been shipped to more than 150 countries on all continents – from Japan to Turkey, from the UK to New Zealand, from South Africa to Brazil. We delivered around 87 million doses to low- and middle-income countries through COVAX. Very clearly, the European Union is the largest exporter of COVID-19 vaccines. We have always shared our vaccines fairly with the rest of the world. We have exported as much as we delivered to EU citizens. Indeed, at least every second vaccine produced in Europe is exported.
In parallel, the EU has enabled the vaccination of our citizens. And more than 75% of adults in the EU are now fully vaccinated. But we remained open to the world from the start and continued to export, even when vaccines were scarce at home. Because we knew that we will only beat COVID-19 if we fight it everywhere. And we will do more. Together with President Biden, we aim for a global vaccination rate of 70% by next year. The EU-US Agenda for Beating the Global Pandemic will help us achieve that. The European Union is doing its part.
On top of our exports, the EU will donate in the next months at least 500 million doses to the most vulnerable countries. But other countries need to step up, too. I work closely with Prime Minister Draghi and President Biden to rally G20 leaders at the Rome Summit next week behind this ambitious goal: beating the global pandemic.”

Press release 18 October 2021
The EU Digital COVID Certificate: a global standard with more than 591 million certificates
Today, the Commission adopted a report on the EU Digital COVID Certificate  and its implementation across the EU…The success of the EU Digital COVID Certificate system in figures:
:: EU Member States have issued more than 591 million EU Digital COVID Certificates
:: 43 countries are already connected to the EU system: 27 EU Member States, 3 European Economic Area (EEA) countries, Switzerland, and 12 other countries and territories. In total, the Commission was approached by 60 third countries interested in joining the EU system. Beyond the ones already connected, technical discussions are ongoing with 28 of these countries…

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

Accesses 23 Oct 2021. Full scale, interactive dashboard available at:
https://africacdc.org/covid-19-vaccination/

Russia: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment
Russia: Sputnik V – “the first registered COVID-19 vaccine”
https://sputnikvaccine.com/newsroom/pressreleases/
Press Releases
On information attacks against Sputnik V vaccine
Press release, 21.10.2021
…Instead of attacking Sputnik, we urge Western mRNA vaccine producers to consider using the one-component Sputnik Light as a booster to help them achieve stronger immunity that lasts longer…

Approval of mixing and matching of COVID booster shots by FDA is yet another confirmation of efficacy of vaccine cocktail approach pioneered by the Russian Sputnik V vaccine
Press release, 21.10.2021

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

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

20.10.2021 Guidelines for International Arrivals
20.10.2021 List of Countries to be referred to in context of ‘Guidelines for international arrivals’ dated 20th October 2021

Government of India – Press Information Bureau
Latest Press Releases
COVID-19 Vaccination Update – Day 281
Posted On: 23 OCT 2021 8:30PM by PIB Delhi
:: India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crosses 102 crore
:: More than 70 lakh Vaccine doses administered today till 7 pm
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 102 Crore (1,02,03,34,409) today. More than 70 lakh (70,71,127) Vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm today.  The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late tonight.

PIB’S BULLETIN ON COVID-1
Posted On: 23 OCT 2021 7:51PM by PIB Delhi
101.30 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
16,326 new cases in the last 24 hours
Recovery Rate currently at 98.16%; Highest since March 2020
17,677 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to 3,35,32,126
Active cases account for less than 1% of total cases, currently at 0.51%; Lowest since March 2020
India’s Active caseload stands at 1,73,728; lowest in 233 days
Weekly Positivity Rate (1.24%) less than 2% for last 29 days
Daily positivity rate (1.20%) less than 2% for last 19 days
59.84 crore Total Tests conducted so far

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

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

See China CDC below for announcements.

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
https://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-now/this-week/

Polio this week as of 20 October 2021
:: This week, the GPEI got the greenlight to resume house-to-house vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan which had been halted for over three years. Starting November 8, the campaigns will target over 3.3 million children in parts of the country that were previously inaccessible. Read more on this positive development.
:: For many of the women and men who spent their careers fighting polio, retirement offers not rest and relaxation, but a continuation of their life’s work towards eradication. Across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, once and forever polio fighters are inspiring the next generation of eradicators with their commitment to the cause, and belief in the benefits of a polio-free future. Read more in our latest feature story.
:: Following careful review of safety and genetic stability data from mass immunization campaigns conducted with the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE) endorsed the transition to the next use phase for the vaccine. Read more…

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
:: Nigeria: 37 cVDPV2 cases and 19 cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Senegal: one cVDPV2 case
:: Somalia: one cVDPD2 case

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House-to-house polio vaccination set to recommence across Afghanistan in November
18 October 2021
[See Milestones above for detail]

Over 80 million reached as Africa trailblazes novel polio vaccine
22 October 2021
[See Milestones above for detail]

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WHO/OCHA Emergencies

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.”
Afghanistan crisis
:: House-to-house polio vaccination set to recommence across Afghanistan in November
18 October 2021

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

Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2021 [Last apparent update: 17 Aug 2021]

Ebola outbreak outbreak, N’Zerekore, Guinea, 2021 [Last apparent update: 17 Aug 2021]

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

Ebola outbreak, Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2020
[Last apparent update: 17 Aug 2021]

Ebola outbreak, North Kivu, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018 – 2020
[Last apparent update: 17 Aug 2021]

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
:: Case study: Pilot implementation in Nigeria and Zambia, SBI COVID-19 data collection tool
1 October 2021

Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2017 [Last apparent update: 17 Aug 2021]

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

Ebola outbreak: West Africa, 2014-2016 [Last apparent update: 17 Aug 2021]

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: 13 September 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
Afghanistan: Weekly Humanitarian Update (11 – 17 October 2021)

Afghanistan: ICCT Real-Time Response Overview Situation Report (21 October 2021)
HIGHLIGHTS
Humanitarians seek US$606 million as part of the Flash Appeal to provide prioritised multi-sectoral assistance to 11 million people in the four remaining months of 2021. Donors are urged to fast-track funding to mitigate against avoidable deaths, prevent displacement and reduce suffering. Donors are also urged to ensure that funding is flexible enough to adapt to the fast-changing conditions on the ground. As at 21 October, the Flash Appeal remained only 45 per cent funded, with a shortfall of some $334 million.
Humanitarians remain concerned about “conditional humanitarianism” or attempts to “leverage” humanitarian assistance for political purposes. Humanitarian action should never be conditioned to political, development, human rights or other non-humanitarian objectives. The conditioning of humanitarian aid is antithetical to the core principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, serves to erode respect for International Humanitarian Law and compromises humanitarian actors. Donors are urged to ensure transactions and other activities required for humanitarian operations are excluded from the scope of sanctions regimes to allow humanitarian activities to continue without impediment.
Since 1 September 2021, partners have reached 39,383 children with community-based education activities, supported 53,983 people with standard NFIs assistance, provided 4 million people with food assistance, reached 790,000 people with primary healthcare, provided treatment for Acute Malnutrition to 85,623 children under five, supported 27,310 people with psychosocial support services, and assisted 165,000 drought-affected people with water trucking.
The majority of activities during the reporting period have been carried out with existing funding. Humanitarians continue to urge for pledged funding to be rapidly translated into commitments to resource immediate response and preparedness activities.

Northern Ethiopia
Ethiopia – Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 21 Oct 2021
HIGHLIGHTS
Two airstrikes on Mekelle killing three children and injuring 10 people, according to health officials.
Another airstrike carried on 20 October, injuring a number of people.
Between 7-13 October, only about 52,000 people reached with food or 1 per cent of the targeted population in Tigray, in which half of them received only one or two food items.
Fuel is still not allowed to enter Tigray via Afar.
The percentage of children identified with severe acute malnutrition in Tigray is rising on weekly basis and alarming at above two per cent.
Partners reached more than 807,000 people with food since early August in Amhara Region, including nearly 97,000 people during the reporting period.

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

WHO & Regional Offices [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.who.int/
22 October 2021
Departmental news
WHO, WIPO, WTO update information note on an integrated health, trade, IP response to COVID-19

21 October 2021
Departmental news
Determination, innovation and adaptation can keep lymphatic filariasis elimination on track

21 October 2021
News release
WHO unveils action plan to address findings of Independent Commission on DRC SEA allegations

21 October 2021
News release
WHO and partners call for action to better protect health and care workers from COVID-19

21 October 2021
Departmental news
Global TB Report app – Updated data in line with 2021 Global TB Report

20 October 2021
Departmental news
NTDs: countries must adapt and innovate to mitigate COVID-19 disruptions

20 October 2021
Departmental news
Health and Care Worker Deaths during COVID-19
[See Milestones above for detail]

20 October 2021
Departmental news
WHO launches women’s health chatbot with messaging on breast cancer

19 October 2021
Departmental news
Scientists share data from first WHO-recommended malaria vaccine

19 October 2021
Departmental news
WHO’s 7 policy recommendations on building resilient health systems

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Over 80 million reached as Africa trailblazes novel polio vaccine 22 October 2021

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: World Polio Day 2021 highlights progress and ongoing commitment to end polio everywhere 21-10-2021
:: Azerbaijan strengthens its health workforce to boost primary health care 21-10-2021
:: One billion COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the WHO European Region – but risks for the unvaccinated leave no room for complacency 21-10-2021

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: House-to-house polio vaccination set to recommence across Afghanistan in November 18 October 2021

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified

::::::

New WHO Publications [Selected]
https://www.who.int/publications/i
Selected Titles
22 October 2021
Integrated health, trade and IP approach to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, 30 August 2021
Overview
The Trilateral Study is a result of the more than 10 years of trilateral cooperation between the Secretariats of WHO, WIPO and WTO. It seeks to strengthen the understanding of the ever-evolving interplay between the distinct policy domains of health, trade and intellectual property and their effect on innovation and access to health technologies, such as medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices.

21 October 2021
Interim recommendations for use of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, developed by Sinovac

21 October 2021
Annexes to the recommendations for use of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine against COVID-19: Grading of…

21 October 2021
Coadministration of seasonal inactivated influenza and COVID-19 vaccines
Overview
Vaccination programmes against COVID-19 and seasonal influenza are currently being implemented in parallel in many countries. Administration of both vaccines during the same visit has potential advantages. This document presents the evidence related to coadministration of Covid-19 and influenza vaccines and the interim guidance.

19 October 2021
Fourteenth report of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases (STAG-NTDs)

19 October 2021
Infection prevention and control in primary care: a toolkit of resources

19 October 2021
Building health systems resilience for universal health coverage and health security during the COVID-19…

19 October 2021
WHO consultative meeting on science and technology foresight function for global health, 13 July 2021
…The Global Health Foresight function in the Science Division aims to address the following areas:
strengthen capabilities for the early identification of trends or advances in science and technology with notable impacts on public health;
generate country foresight and scenarios through structured, transparent processes that help identify how these trends might affect health and health systems in countries; and
develop strategic options to prepare future health systems to take advantage of opportunities, and proactively confront risks and challenges, and informing globalhealth policy.
WHO’s Science Division is working with various stakeholders, including international and regional organizations, technical experts, and other partnerships. It is important that the foresight function provides timely, useful, and actionable outputs relevant to all levels of the organization, member states, as well as the global community…

19 October 2021
Mapping health systems’ responsiveness to refugee and migrant health needs
Overview
This mapping exercise reviews the ways in which countries with significant refugee and migrant populations have adapted their health-care systems and service delivery to meet the diverse needs of refugee and migrant populations. Understanding the models of care through which countries provide health services to refugees and migrants is critical to determining how the delivery of these services can be improved to ensure safe, effective and culturally sensitive care that also recognizes the strengths of refugee and migrant populations. The review identifies four models of care adopted by countries in response to migration trends and health needs of refugees and migrants: mainstream, specialized-focus, gateway and limited. It examines the strengths and weaknesses associated with each model. The application of these models in practice is described using case studies from 18 countries engaged in local integration or third-country resettlement of refugees and migrants.

19 October 2021
An overview of infodemic management during COVID-19, January 2020–May 2021

CDC/ACIP [U.S.] [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases, Announcements
CDC Expands Eligibility for COVID-19 Booster Shots
Thursday, October 21, 2021
[See U.S. COVID above for detail]

CDC to Renew Advisory Committee to the Director
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
The Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACD), as authorized by federal law, is being re-established.
The ACD advises the CDC director, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Assistant Secretary for Health on policy and broad strategies that will enable CDC to fulfill its mission of protecting the nation’s health. It specifically recommends ways to prioritize CDC’s activities, improve results, and address health disparities.
As an official federal advisory committee, the ACD also provides guidance to help CDC work more effectively with its various private and public sector constituents to make health protection a reality. Meetings are open to the public.
“As a physician scientist, I have always valued collaboration and diversity of thought,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H.  “For 57 years, this committee provided invaluable advice and counsel to prior CDC directors to help shape public health policy intended to protect people and save lives.  I look forward to future collaborations with the committee.”…

Next ACIP Meetings
No registration is required to watch the webcast.
:: November 2-3, 2021 – No agenda posted at 23 Oct 2021

MMWR News Synopsis Friday, October 22, 2021
Selected Content
:: HIV Infection and HIV-Associated Behaviors Among Persons Who Inject Drugs — 23 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, United States, 2018
:: Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Vaccination Against COVID-19 Hospitalization Among Persons Aged 12–18 Years — United States, June–September 2021

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)– CDC
Approximately 25 announcements/reports/data summaries.

Africa CDC [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
No new digest content identified

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

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
Oct 23: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On Oct 22, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 50 new cases of confirmed infections.

National Medical Products Administration – PRC [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://english.nmpa.gov.cn/news.html
News
Over 2.238b COVID-19 vaccine doses administered on Chinese mainland
2021-10-22
More than 2.238 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered on the Chinese mainland as of Wednesday, data from the National Health Commission showed on Oct 21.

CCDC Weekly – Weekly Reports: Current Volume (3)
2021-10-22 / No. 43
View  PDF of this issue
Perspectives: Senior Research Scholars in China CDC’s National Immunization Program
China CDC’s National Immunization Program’s Senior Research Scholars Program (NIP-SRSP) is a program created to foster the professional development of early-to-mid-career immunization experts, strengthen knowledge exchange and cooperation between national and provincial/prefectural-level CDCs, and deepen scientific and programmatic capacity of the National Immunization Program and provincial/prefectural immunization programs. Initiated in September 2019, the NIP-SRSP recruits immunization professionals for a 12-to-18-month experience in Beijing who have worked at the Vice-Senior professional level or above and are recommended by their provincial/prefectural CDC supervisor and leadership. The first cohort of National Immunization Program Senior Research Scholars successfully completed the program and were recognized by CDC Director, Academician George F. Gao at a commencement ceremony on August 25, 2021…

::::::

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 23 Oct 2021]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/new s-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
News
No new digest content identified.

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center
Press Releases and Statements
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Commits up to $120 Million to Accelerate Access to COVID-19 Drug for Lower-Income Countries, Calls on Other Donors to Mobilize Resources
Financial commitment aims to secure dedicated, low-cost supply of molnupiravir, if the drug is authorized by regulators; builds on long-term efforts to increase access to tests, treatments, vaccines
Oct 19, 2021
… This commitment builds on the foundation’s ongoing efforts, including $1.9 billion in funding, since the start of the pandemic to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests by supporting R&D, regulatory work, at-risk manufacturing, and product delivery…

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 23 Oct 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 23 Oct 2021]
https://carb-x.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy – GE2P2 Global Foundation [to 23 Oct 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 – October 2021 is now posted here

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency [to 23 Oct 2021
https://www.darpa.mil/news
News
No new digest content identified.

Duke Global Health Innovation Center [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://dukeghic.org/
Our Blog
No new digest content identified.

EDCTP [to 23 Oct 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
News
18 October 2021
The Tenth EDCTP Forum has started
Join the Forum proceedings (registration only)

Emory Vaccine Center [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Vaccine Initiative [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

Fondation Merieux [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.gavi.org/
News releases
18 October 2021
First Portuguese COVAX doses reach Senegal

GHIT Fund [to 23 Oct 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 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
No new digest content identified.

Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness [GloPID-R] [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.glopid-r.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
Website reports “under maintenance” at inquiry

Human Vaccines Project [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/
News
Press Release
Oct 22, 2021
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory joins Human Vaccines Project

IAVI [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
Latest News
October 20, 2021
TB survivors from G20 countries call upon their leaders to invest $1 billion per year to develop new TB vaccines
The call is endorsed by a global coalition advocating for a fully funded and resourced TB vaccine pipeline by 2023
October 20, 2021
In a direct address to their Heads of State and Government, a group of tuberculosis (TB) survivors from the G20 nations sent a letter to their political leaders as they prepare to gather at the G20 Summit in Rome, calling upon them to uphold their promise made at the United Nations High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on TB in 2018 to develop new vaccines against TB. Written by a group of TB survivors and signed by TB survivors from each of the G20 countries and over 55 organizations around the world, the letter asks G20 leaders to secure an annual investment of at least US$1 billion in TB vaccine research so that new TB vaccines are possible as early as 2025.
The letter is endorsed by the TB Vaccine Advocacy Roadmap (TB Vax ARM), a new global coalition of TB advocates and allied organizations spearheaded by IAVI, Results UK, and TAG. The coalition has come together to accelerate TB vaccine development by ensuring a fully funded and resourced TB vaccine pipeline by 2023, a requirement for delivering new TB vaccines in time to end the TB epidemic by 2030, the goal set at the UN HLM in 2018.
In the letter, TB survivors remind their leaders that even in the face of COVID-19, which killed 1.7 million people in 2020, TB remained the leading infectious cause of death in much of the world: “TB is a disease of inequity — over 90% of people who fall sick with TB live in developing and emerging economies. New TB vaccines could help protect us from the suffering we have experienced and save the precious lives and livelihoods of millions around the world from the leading infectious killer before COVID-19. We call on G20 countries to commit the resources needed to develop life-saving vaccines so that we can truly end TB during this decade,’’ said Rhea Lobo, a TB survivor from India who helped lead this initiative…

October 18, 2021
Vaccines Security in Africa – Which Way Next?
…“Vaccines Security in Africa – Which Way Next?” brought together researchers, policymakers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, civil society organizations, and the media to discuss and advocate for pathways toward a sustainable vaccine development and manufacturing ecosystem backed with sustainable financing, strategic partnerships, innovative financing approaches, and domestic resource mobilization. Forum participants also highlighted opportunities to accelerate vaccine development and manufacturing in Africa. Speakers included representatives of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), AVMI, IAVI, WHO, and WHO Regional office for Africa (WHO/AFRO).
Keynote speaker Dr. Lindiwe Makubalo, assistant regional director, WHO/AFRO, stated that now is not the time to ask for political will, but rather political action, leadership, and practical support aimed at accelerating sustainable access to vaccines on the continent. She noted that COVID-19 presents new opportunities for action in domestic vaccine manufacturing and reiterated WHO’s commitment to partnering with governments, policymakers, and regulators to support a sustainable market for locally produced vaccines….

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 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new
Selected News Releases, Statements, Reports 
Statement on behalf of the 160 signatories to the Climate and Environment Charter for Humanitarian Organizations to the 26th UNFCCC COP
“Today’s climate and environmental crises threaten the survival of humanity. All dimensions of our lives are affected, from our physical and mental health to our food, water and economic security.
20-10-2021 | Statement

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

IFRC [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Red Cross rushes relief as severe floods and landslides hit Nepal, India
21/10/2021 | Press release

Institut Pasteur [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.pasteur.fr/en/press-area
Press Documents
No new digest content identified.

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases
News – Selected
News 19 Oct 2021
Djibouti Rolls Out COVID-19 Vaccinations for Migrants
Djibouti – Migrants in Djibouti are being vaccinated against COVID-19 for the first time, as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) works with the Government to support the national immunization effort.
Since the start of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out globally, IOM has been advocating for the inclusion of migrants and Djibouti is one of the first countries in the region to initiate a campaign for them. Around 70 migrants have received jabs since the vaccination drive began on 12 October and it will continue till at least the end of the year…

ISC / International Science Council [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://council.science/current/
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.
News
Freedom and responsibility in the 21st century: a contemporary perspective on the free and responsible practice of science
CFRS Draft Discussion Paper
September 2021 ;; 41 pages
The Paper is intended for a broad readership, including researchers, research managers, policymakers, science diplomats, and those in the private sector. As such, we invite you to identify a range of readers affiliated with your organization who can review the content of the draft Paper from these diverse perspectives.
6. Conclusion
This Discussion Paper concludes on an optimistic note. Science is a unique human activity that, over time, has given us deep knowledge of ourselves and our place in the universe. Broadly defined, the sciences, including technology, the social sciences and humanities, have played vital roles in the human story in the 21st century. Researchers are key members of contemporary society. Their contribution to human wellbeing and to planetary health is maximized when they are allowed appropriate freedoms to meet their individual and collective responsibilities. The international scientific community, governments, the public, and private research institutions should each have a clear sense of their freedoms and responsibilities, and a clear strategy to achieve the free and responsible practice of scientific research.

Draft Report on the ISC Strategy in the Intergovernmental System
ISC/GA-2/DOC.17.1
October 2021 :: 13 pages
In March 2021, the ISC Chief Executive Officer Heide Hackmann invited Julia Marton-Lefèvre to chair a Steering Group to lead the development of a strategy for the ISC to engage with the intergovernmental system in order to enhance the impact of the Council and strengthen the voice of science in global policy processes…

IVAC [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates; Events
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.ivi.int/
IVI News & Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/news/center-news/
Center News
New Local Research Report Released on Improving COVID-19 Vaccination Equity for Latino Populations in Baltimore City
October 20, 2021

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Contributing Scholar Tener Goodwin Veenema Elected to National Academy of Medicine
October 18, 2021

New Report: Striving Toward Health Equity in COVID-19 – The Role of Pharmacies in a National Response
October 18, 2021

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Tuberculosis
Clinical trial results offer hope to DR-TB patients with short, effective treatment
Press Release 20 Oct 2021

Tuberculosis
EndTB clinical trial for multidrug-resistant TB completes enrolment
Press Release 18 Oct 2021

National Academy of Medicine – USA [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://nam.edu/programs/
Selected News/Programs/Events
National Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members
October 18, 2021
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) today announced the election of 90 regular members and 10 international members during its annual meeting. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. “It is […]
[Excerpt]
Newly elected regular members of the National Academy of Medicine and their election citations include:
Kathrin U. Jansen, PhD, senior vice president and head of vaccine research and development, Pfizer Inc. For leading the teams that produced three revolutionary vaccines: Gardasil, targeting human papillomavirus; Prevnar 13, targeting 13 strains of pneumococcus; and the Pfizer/BioNTech SARS-Covid-2 mRNA vaccine.
Nancy Messonnier, MD, executive director, pandemic prevention and health systems, Skoll Foundation. For her efforts in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and building a global preparedness and response system to prevent future pandemics.
Rochelle Paula Walensky, MD, MPH, director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For her work that motivated changes to HIV and COVID-19 guidelines, influenced public health practice, and provided rigorous evidence for decisions by the U.S. Congress, the World Health Organization, and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

National Academy of Medicine Announces Creation of David and Beatrix Hamburg Award for Advances in Biomedical Research and Clinical Medicine
October 17, 2021
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has announced the creation of a new award — the David and Beatrix Hamburg Award for Advances in Biomedical Research and Clinical Medicine — to recognize creative and accomplished biomedical scientists who are advancing health and the human condition around the world.

National Academy of Sciences – USA [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/
News
No new digest content identified.

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
Upcoming Meetings/Latest Updates
No new digest content identified.

NIH [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
News Releases
COVID vaccine booster increases antibody responses, is protective in rhesus macaques
October 21, 2021 — Different mRNA-1273 boosters are equally protective against variants.

Interferon does not improve outcomes for hospitalized adults with COVID-19
October 18, 2021 — Results of NIH clinical trial published today.

PATH [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Press Releases
New HPV vaccine from Innovax receives WHO prequalification
This important milestone will provide countries with an additional option for HPV vaccination at an affordable price and will contribute to sustainable supply of HPV vaccine—allowing more girls to be reached with HPV vaccines.
October 19, 2021 b
Cecolin®, a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), has received prequalification by the World Health Organization (WHO). Cecolin is manufactured by Xiamen Innovax Biotech CO., LTD. (Innovax), a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmaceutical Co., LTD. (Wantai), and is designed to protect against HPV types 16 and 18, the most common virus types that lead to cervical cancer. Countries facing barriers to national introduction or expanding their HPV vaccine program to the full cohort due to price or supply constraints will now have another option for affordable, sustainable access….
Prior to Cecolin’s licensure in China, PATH provided Innovax with technical assistance for the WHO prequalification process. Activities included improving the quality management system, establishing a post-marketing pharmacovigilance system, and collecting information on regulatory requirements for registration of vaccines in Gavi countries…
Prior to Cecolin’s licensure in China, PATH provided Innovax with technical assistance for the WHO prequalification process. Activities included improving the quality management system, establishing a post-marketing pharmacovigilance system, and collecting information on regulatory requirements for registration of vaccines in Gavi countries.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
Sabin Vaccine Institute Receives Additional $34.5 Million from BARDA for Further Development of Ebola Sudan and Marburg Vaccines
Thursday, October 21, 2021
The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has exercised the third contract option, valued at $34.5 million, under the 2019 contract to advance the development of vaccines against Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses through Phase 2 clinical trials…

UNAIDS [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
21 October 2021
A Dose of Reality: How rich countries and pharmaceutical corporations are breaking their vaccine promises

19 October 2021
Strengthening the response of health systems to pandemics in the Commonwealth of Independent States

18 October 2021
“Realizing the right to reproductive health and the future starts with sexual education”

18 October 2021
Capitalizing on experiences to improve HIV care for key populations in western Africa

18 October 2021
Upper-middle-income countries pay more for HIV medicines, but price reductions can be achieved

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/media-centre.htmlS
Selected News Releases, Announcements
No new digest content identified.

UNICEF [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Press Releases, News Notes, Statements [Selected]
Press release 10/19/2021
UNICEF medical supplies arrive in Kabul to treat rising cases of acute watery diarrhoea in Afghanistan

Press release 10/18/2021
House-to-house polio vaccination set to recommence across Afghanistan in November
[See Milestones above for detail]

Unitaid [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Equity Cooperative [nee Initiative] [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://vaccineequitycooperative.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

Vaccination Acceptance & Demand Initiative [Sabin) [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.vaccineacceptance.org/
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 23 Oct 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 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
News
Vaccine Update Newsletter – September 2021
Vaccine Update is our monthly email newsletter that will keep you up to date on current vaccine-related issues.

Wellcome Trust [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News and reports
News
Wellcome appoints first climate director
18 October 2021
Alan Dangour, an expert in the impact of climate change on food systems, is to join Wellcome as our first director of climate and health.

The Wistar Institute [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
Pandemic Treaty: A Public Health View
News
Oct 20, 2021
The World Health Assembly (WHA) will meet in a special session from 29 November – 1 December 2021 to consider the benefits of developing a World Health Organisation (WHO) convention, agreement or another international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response.
As countries are preparing for discussions at the special session, the Global Health Centre (GHC) at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva offers to support governments and other actors with knowledge and evidence in the process. This is part of a broader project exploring options and benefits of a pandemic treaty, which includes also, inter alia, a series of policy papers by lead experts, dialogue with diplomats, policymakers, and stakeholders.
Against this backdrop, the WFPHA and the GHC called for a meeting for WFPHA members and all allied partners on options and benefits of a pandemic treaty. The meeting took place in a virtual format on 20 October 2021.
The meeting was comprised of two sections: An introductory presentation on key global and public health/role of civil society aspects of the subject matter by the GHC and the WFPHA, followed by a Q&A session. The second section was an informal exchange and discussion between participants under the Chatham House rule. The knowledge gained, and the informal dialogues convened can contribute to WFPHA’s members and partners’ cooperation with governmental and non-state actors on the subject matter and may lead to a follow-up statement.
During the meeting, a Guide on key aspects and frequently asked questions on a pandemic treaty developed at the GHC was made available to the registered participants.

World Bank [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
Selected News, Announcements
Food Security and COVID-19
Oct. 21, 2021 – An increasing number of countries are facing growing levels of acute food insecurity, reversing years of development gains. Even before COVID-19 reduced incomes and disrupted supply chains…
Date: October 21, 2021 Type: Brief

Rolling out COVID-19 Vaccines in Malawi Amid Hesitancy and Supply Challenges
LILONGWE, October 19, 2021— One early morning in August, Priscilla Pahuwa walked into St. Montfort hospital in Nchalo, Chikwawa District, to get the COVID-19 vaccine. She was eager to receive the vaccine…
Date: October 19, 2021 Type: Feature Story

Arrival of 4.73 Million Doses of WB-funded Vaccines Boosts Drive Against COVID-19 in the Philippines
MANILA, October 19, 2021 — To date, 4.73 million doses of vaccines out of 13 million doses procured by the country under the Philippines US$500 million COVID-19 Emergency Response Project Additional Financing…
Date: October 19, 2021 Type: Press Release

World Customs Organization – WCO [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.wcoomd.org/
Latest News – Selected Items
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.oie.int/en/media/news/
Press Releases, Statements
Building resilience against agro-terrorism and agro-crime
13 October 2021
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) are partners in an international project to build sustainable global resilience against animal health emergencies caused by agro-terrorism and agro-crime.
Established in October 2018, the project aims to foster coordination at the national, regional, and international levels. It focuses on regions where the previous work of the three organisations has identified gaps in various aspects of emergency management that may make countries vulnerable to agro-crime and agro-terrorism. The target regions include the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia. However, while the project concentrates on these regions, its outputs will be relevant to all countries worldwide.
To ensure that the resulting capacity building is fit for purpose, the project is currently assessing the global situation for emergency management by identifying areas that are vulnerable to agro-crime and agro-terrorism; understanding the cost-effectiveness of investing in preparedness; and using OIE, FAO and INTERPOL tools to examine emergency management, including the relationship between the law enforcement and veterinary sectors…

WTO – World Trade Organisation [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news_e.htm
WTO News and Events
Coordinated global response key to MSMEs’ post-pandemic economic recovery — DDG Zhang
22 October 2021
Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang highlighted the importance of targeted policies and a coordinated global response to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). DDG Zhang was speaking at a workshop organized by the WTO Chairs Programme at the University of Mauritius on 22 October. Noting that “MSMEs are the backbone of many economies”, he called on WTO members to “foster a transparent, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and predictable global trade environment that supports and enhances MSMEs’ involvement in international trade.” His remarks are below.

WHO, WIPO, WTO update information note on integrated health, trade, IP response to COVID-19
22 October 2021
On 22 October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the WTO launched an update of the extract “Integrated health, trade and IP approach to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic”. This extract, from the second edition of the Trilateral Study Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation, maps the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the integrated health, trade and intellectual property policy framework set out in the Trilateral Study.

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ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 23 Oct 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 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://internationalbiotech.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
As COVID-19 vaccine output estimated to reach over 12 billion by year end and 24
19 October 2021
This month, COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing output will pass the 9.3 billion dose mark. The biopharmaceutical industry renews its May commitment to the G20 to collaborate with governments to support effective solutions to urgently address vaccine equity.
At current production rates, swiftly rolling out vaccines to those who still need them looks achievable, if the political will, planning and collective action efforts are redoubled. The G20 can play a critical role in focusing political attention on ramping up dose sharing, addressing bottlenecks in the supply chain and supporting country preparedness.
With COVID-19 vaccine supplies on track to outstrip global demand and voluntary collaborations with innovative vaccine manufacturers set to change Africa’s vaccine manufacturing landscape in years to come, initiatives such as the proposed Intellectual Property TRIPS waiver are a distraction. All efforts should be directed towards advancing vaccinations.

International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
News
IGBA Biosimilars Committee White Paper: A Biosimilar medicines Access Policy Blueprint (October 2021)
Effective Strategies to Advance Access to Biologic Therapies for Non-Communicable Diseases
October 2021 :: 32 pages PDF: https://www.globalbiosimilarsweek.org/2021/doc/A-Biosimilar-medicines-Access-Policy-Blueprint-IGBA.pdf

International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations – IAPO [to 23 Oct 2021]
https://www.iapo.org.uk/news/topic/6
Press and media [Selected]
Registration is now open for the 3rd Asia-Pacific Patients Congress (APPC 2021)
Monday, 18 October 2021
We are delighted to invite you to register for our upcoming virtual 3rd Asia-Pacific Patients Congress (APPC 2021) taking place on 16 -17 November 2021. This flagship event will once again bring together our regional membership of expert patients with a variety of high-level healthcare stakeholders…
Sample Program Element [Day 2]
Meaningful patient engagement in co-creation in medicines and health devices R&D – moving from tokenism to meaningful engagement at all levels
The COVID-19 ‘fast-track’ vaccines development process has educated many patients on how clinical trials are conducted. Asia-Pacific patients are now more aware of the opportunities and challenges faced by R&D teams. This session will invite experts to showcase how meaningful patient engagement in clinical R&D settings is undertaken now. We will also invite PPI Japan EUPATI’s national platform in Japan to show how meaningful patient engagement in clinical trials is conducted in Japan.

PhRMA [to 23 Oct 2021]
http://www.phrma.org/
Latest News [Selected]
In Honor of Visionary Leader, PhRMA Announces the Kenneth C. Frazier PhRMA Scholars Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 21, 2021) – In honor of retiring PhRMA board member and visionary industry leader Ken Frazier, PhRMA today announced The Kenneth C. Frazier PhRMA Scholars Program to provide college scholarships to academically high achieving, low-income students in Washington, D.C. and in Ken’s hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frazier, currently executive chairman of Merck & Co, Inc., has served on the PhRMA board since 2011…

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

AJOB Empirical Bioethics
Volume 12, 2020 Issue 4
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uabr21/current

Article
Deliberation on Childhood Vaccination in Canada: Public Input on Ethical Trade-Offs in Vaccination Policy
Kieran C. O’Doherty, Sara Crann, Lucie Marisa Bucci, Michael M. Burgess, Apurv Chauhan, Maya J. Goldenberg, C. Meghan McMurtry, Jessica White & Donald J. Willison
Pages: 253-265
Published online: 30 Jul 2021
We conclude that conducting deliberative democratic processes on topics that are polarizing and controversial is viable and should be further developed and implemented to support democratically legitimate and trustworthy policy about childhood vaccination.

AMA Journal of Ethics
Volume 23, Number 10: E757-831
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/issue/palliative-surgery

Palliative Surgery
Palliative care is not just for dying patients. In fact, dying patients are living patients, and all patients deserve palliation. Contrary to popular belief among many patients and clinicians, palliative interventions can be invasive and include not only medical, but surgical care. In any case, palliative care should be defined by intention: partnering clinicians, patients, and their loved ones aim neither to cure disease nor to prolong life, but to improve the quality of a patient’s life at any needed time. Quality of life is motivated by goal-elucidating conversation, counseling, and symptom management-directed intervention. This issue investigates surgical palliation specifically, with sharp focus on intention formation and trust preservation.

Annals of Internal Medicine
October 2021 Volume 174, Issue 10
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Position Papers
Financial Profit in Medicine: A Position Paper From the American College of Physicians
FREE
Ryan Crowley, BSJ, Omar Atiq, MD, David Hilden, MD,
Pages:1447–1449

Annals of Internal Medicine
October 2021 Volume 174, Issue 10
http://annals.org/aim/issue

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Effectiveness in a High-Risk National Population in a Real-World Setting
FREE

Adeel A. Butt, MBBS, MS, Saad B. Omer, MBBS, MPH, PhD, Peng Yan, MS, Obaid S. Shaikh, MD, … et al.
Pages:1404–1408

Annals of Internal Medicine
October 2021 Volume 174, Issue 10
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Original Research
Use of Hydroxychloroquine, Remdesivir, and Dexamethasone Among Adults Hospitalized With COVID-19 in the United States – A Retrospective Cohort Study
FREE
Hemalkumar B. Mehta, MS, PhD, Huijun An, MS, Kathleen M. Andersen, MSc, Omar Mansour, MHS, … et al.
Pages:1395–1403

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Effectiveness in a High-Risk National Population in a Real-World Setting
FREE

Editorials
Thrombosis After Vaccination With Messenger RNA–1273: Is This Vaccine-Induced Thrombosis and Thrombocytopenia or Thrombosis With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome?
FREE
Allyson M. Pishko, MD, Adam Cuker, MD, MS
Pages:1468–1469

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 23 Oct 2021)

The incidence and mortality of yellow fever in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Understanding the occurrence of yellow fever epidemics is critical for targeted interventions and control efforts to reduce the burden of disease. We assessed data on the yellow fever incidence and mortality r…
Authors: Akuoma U. Nwaiwu, Alfred Musekiwa, Jacques L. Tamuzi, Evanson Z. Sambala and Peter S. Nyasulu
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2021 21:1089
Content type: Research
Published on: 23 October 2021

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 23 Oct 2021)

Systematic review of invasive meningococcal disease epidemiology in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa region
Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) represents a global health burden. However, its epidemiology in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) and North Africa (NA) regions is currently not well understood. This review h…
Authors: Alp Giray Dogu, Anouk M. Oordt-Speets, Femke van Kessel-de Bruijn, Mehmet Ceyhan and Amine Amiche
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2021 21:1088
Content type: Research
Published on: 22 October 2021

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 23 Oct 2021)

Uses of equipoise in discussions of the ethics of randomized controlled trials of COVID-19 therapies
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the urgent need to discover effective therapies for COVID-19 prompted questions about the ethical problem of randomization along with its widely accepted solution: equipoise. In…
Authors: Hayden P. Nix and Charles Weijer
Citation: BMC Medical Ethics 2021 22:143
Content type: Research
Published on: 21 October 2021

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 23 Oct 2021)

Effects of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine on COVID-19 infection and hospitalisation amongst older people: matched case control study for England
The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine has been shown to be effective at preventing serious COVID-19 events in clinical trials. There is less evidence on effectiveness in real-world settings, especially for older people. H…
Authors: Thomas F. D. Mason, Matt Whitston, Jack Hodgson, Ruth E. Watkinson, Yiu-Shing Lau, Omnia Abdulrazeg and Matt Sutton
Citation: BMC Medicine 2021 19:275
Content type: Research article
Published on: 18 October 2021

Ethics & International Affairs
Fall 2021 (35.3) | October 2021
https://www.ethicsandinternationalaffairs.org/2021/fall-2021-35-3/

The editors of Ethics & International Affairs are pleased to present the Fall 2021 issue of the journal! The highlight of this issue is a book symposium organized by Peter Balint on Ned Dobos’s Ethics, Security, and the War Machine, featuring contributions by Peter Balint; Neta C. Crawford; C. A. J. Coady; Ned Dobos; Cécile Fabre; Christopher J. Finlay; David Rodin; and Cheyney Ryan. Additionally, the issue includes a feature article by Philipp Gisbertz-Astolfi on the reduced legal equality of combatants in war and an essay by Hendrik Schopmans and Jelena Cupać on ethical AI, gender equality, and illiberal backlash politics. It also contains a review essay by Andreas Papamichail on the global politics of health security, and a book review by Claire Finkelstein.

Ethics & International Affairs
Fall 2021 (35.3) | October 2021
https://www.ethicsandinternationalaffairs.org/2021/fall-2021-35-3/

REVIEW ESSAY
The Global Politics of Health Security before, during, and after COVID-19
Andreas Papamichail
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been shaped by preexisting political, social, and economic relations and governance structures, and will remold these structures going forward. This review essay considers three books on global health politics written by Simon Rushton, Clare Wenham, and Jeremy Youde. Here, I explore what these books collectively and individually can tell us about these preexisting dynamics, the events of the first eighteen months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and possible future directions in the politics of global health. I argue that they provide a firm basis for understanding the inequitable burdens of the pandemic, while juxtaposing these inequities against the narratives of shared vulnerability that sit at the heart of the global health security regime. They also help us make sense of the surveillance, detection, containment, and response mechanisms we have seen during the pandemic; the failures to address the systemic dynamics that drive disease outbreaks; and the national and international politics that have shaped the pandemic response. However, COVID-19 has also vividly and brutally demonstrated how global health hierarchies, racism, border politics, and neoliberal forms of knowledge production have led to a stratified burden of the pandemic. These areas are less apparent in the three books, but ought to be situated front and center in future critical scholarship on global health security.

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

Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 23 Oct 2021]

Comparing COVID-19 physical distancing policies: results from a physical distancing intensity coding framework for Botswana, India, Jamaica, Mozambique, Namibia, Ukraine, and the United States
Understanding the differences in timing and composition of physical distancing policies is important to evaluate the early global response to COVID-19. A physical distancing intensity monitoring framework comprising 16 domains was recently published to compare physical distancing approaches across 12 U.S. States. We applied this framework to a diverse set of low and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Botswana, India, Jamaica, Mozambique, Namibia, and Ukraine) to test the appropriateness of this framework in the global context and to compare the policy responses in these LMICs with a sample of U.S. States during the first 100-days of the pandemic.
Authors: Jeff Lane, Arianna Rubin Means, Kevin Bardosh, Anna Shapoval, Ferruccio Vio, Clive Anderson, Anya Cushnie, Norbert Forster, Jenny Ledikwe, Gabrielle O’Malley, Shreshth Mawandia, Anwar Parvez, Lucy Perrone and Florindo Mudender
Content type: Research
23 October 2021

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.

Infectious Diseases of Poverty
http://www.idpjournal.com/content
[Accessed 23 Oct 2021]

Roll-out of vaccination against COVID-19 pandemic
With the rebound of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in some countries with high vaccination rate, many concerns on vaccine efficacy have emerged. For example, are the current vaccines ineffective against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) variants? What’s the status of breakthrough infection? To what extent are non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) lifted after high vaccination rate? To clarify these questions, we summarized important findings based on literature and Chinese experience.
Authors: Xiao-Feng Liang, Guan-Hao He, Wen-Jun Ma and Jian-Peng Xiao
Citation: Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2021 10:125
Content type: Commentary
Published on: 18 October 2021

JAMA
October 19, 2021, Vol 326, No. 15, Pages 1463-1544
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Research Letter
Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Response Following Vaccination With BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273
Deborah Steensels, PharmD, PhD; Noella Pierlet, MSc; Joris Penders, MD, PhD; et al.
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;326(15):1533-1535. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.15125
This study compares the immune responses to the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) COVID-19 vaccines in health care workers in Belgium.

JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update October 23, 2021

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

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews
Volume 8, Issue 4 (2021)
https://digitalrepository.aurorahealthcare.org/jpcrr/

Cancer Screening

Nature
Volume 598 Issue 7881, 21 October 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/598/issues/7881

News & Views | 06 October 2021
A step towards therapeutics for dengue
Finding a treatment for dengue, the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease in humans, has been difficult. A compound called JNJ-A07 displays promising activity against dengue virus in mouse models of infection.
Scott B. Biering, Eva Harris

Nature Human Behaviour
Volume 5 Issue 10, October 2021
https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/volumes/5/issues/10

Editorial | 19 October 2021
Description, prediction, explanation
Description, prediction and explanation are all important in science. We welcome descriptive, predictive and explanatory studies, so long as the work is clear about its aims and uses appropriate methods to achieve its goals.

New England Journal of Medicine
October 21, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 17
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Correspondence
SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization with BNT162b2 Vaccine Dose 31627-1629