Lancet Global Health
Aug 2021 Volume 9 Number 8 e1028-e1175
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Delivery channels and socioeconomic inequalities in coverage of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health interventions: analysis of 36 cross-sectional surveys in low-income and middle-income countries
Daniel G P Leventhal, Inácio Crochemore-Silva, Luis P Vidaletti, Nancy Armenta-Paulino, Aluísio J D Barros, Cesar G Victora
Lancet Global Health
Aug 2021 Volume 9 Number 8 e1028-e1175
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Health Policy
Completeness of reporting and risks of overstating impact in cluster randomised trials: a systematic review
Elizabeth L Turner, et al. on behalf of the CRT Binary Outcome Reporting Group
Summary
Overstating the impact of interventions through incomplete or inaccurate reporting can lead to inappropriate scale-up of interventions with low impact. Accurate reporting of the impact of interventions is of great importance in global health research to protect scarce resources. In global health, the cluster randomised trial design is commonly used to evaluate complex, multicomponent interventions, and outcomes are often binary. Complete reporting of impact for binary outcomes means reporting both relative and absolute measures. We did a systematic review to assess reporting practices and potential to overstate impact in contemporary cluster randomised trials with binary primary outcome. We included all reports registered in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials of two-arm parallel cluster randomised trials with at least one binary primary outcome that were published in 2017. Of 73 cluster randomised trials, most (60 [82%]) showed incomplete reporting. Of 64 cluster randomised trials for which it was possible to evaluate, most (40 [63%]) reported results in such a way that impact could be overstated. Care is needed to report complete evidence of impact for the many interventions evaluated using the cluster randomised trial design worldwide.
Lancet Global Health
Aug 2021 Volume 9 Number 8 e1028-e1175
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Polio eradication at the crossroads
Konstantin Chumakov, Ellie Ehrenfeld, Vadim I Agol, Eckard Wimmer
Summary
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, launched in 1988 with anticipated completion by 2000, has yet to reach its ultimate goal. The recent surge of polio cases urgently calls for a reassessment of the programme’s current strategy and a new design for the way forward. We propose that the sustainable protection of the world population against paralytic polio cannot be achieved simply by stopping the circulation of poliovirus but must also include maintaining high rates of population immunity indefinitely, which can be created and maintained by implementing global immunisation programmes with improved poliovirus vaccines that create comprehensive immunity without spawning new virulent viruses. The proposed new strategic goal of eradicating the disease rather than the virus would lead to a sustainable eradication of poliomyelitis while simultaneously promoting immunisation against other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Aug 2021 Volume 21 Number 8 p1051-1192, e208-e257
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current
Comment
The interplay between COVID-19 restrictions and vaccination
Chad R Wells, Alison P Galvani
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Aug 2021 Volume 21 Number 8 p1051-1192, e208-e257
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current
Fractional-dose IPV in polio eradication
Grace R Macklin, Ondrej Mach
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Aug 2021 Volume 21 Number 8 p1051-1192, e208-e257
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current
Articles
Prioritising COVID-19 vaccination in changing social and epidemiological landscapes: a mathematical modelling study
Peter C Jentsch, Madhur Anand, Chris T Bauch
Summary
During the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities must decide which groups to prioritise for vaccination in a shifting social–epidemiological landscape in which the success of large-scale non-pharmaceutical interventions requires broad social acceptance. We aimed to compare projected COVID-19 mortality under four different strategies for the prioritisation of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
We developed a coupled social–epidemiological model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in which social and epidemiological dynamics interact with one another. We modelled how population adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions responds to case incidence. In the model, schools and workplaces are also closed and reopened on the basis of reported cases. The model was parameterised with data on COVID-19 cases and mortality, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, population mobility, and demography from Ontario, Canada (population 14·5 million). Disease progression parameters came from the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological literature. We assumed a vaccine with 75% efficacy against disease and transmissibility. We compared vaccinating those aged 60 years and older first (oldest-first strategy), vaccinating those younger than 20 years first (youngest-first strategy), vaccinating uniformly by age (uniform strategy), and a novel contact-based strategy. The latter three strategies interrupt transmission, whereas the first targets a vulnerable group to reduce disease. Vaccination rates ranged from 0·5% to 5% of the population per week, beginning on either Jan 1 or Sept 1, 2021…
Lancet Infectious Diseases
Aug 2021 Volume 21 Number 8 p1051-1192, e208-e257
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current
Fractional dose compared with standard dose inactivated poliovirus vaccine in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Thandiwe R Mashunye, et al.
Lancet Public Health
Aug 2021 Volume 6 Number 8 e534-e619
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/issue/current
Articles
Genomics-informed responses in the elimination of COVID-19 in Victoria, Australia: an observational, genomic epidemiological study
Courtney R Lane, et al.
A cornerstone of Australia’s ability to control COVID-19 has been effective border control with an extensive supervised quarantine programme. However, a rapid recrudescence of COVID-19 was observed in the state of Victoria in June, 2020. We aim to describe the genomic findings that located the source of this second wave and show the role of genomic epidemiology in the successful elimination of COVID-19 for a second time in Australia.
Nature
Volume 596 Issue 7871, 12 August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/596/issues/7871
Article | 09 June 2021 | Open Access
Immunogenicity of Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants in humans
Analysis of the immunogenicity of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine against the B1.351 and P.1 SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern shows reduced neutralization antibody titres, but comparable T cell responses and antibody-dependent effector functions.
Galit Alter, Jingyou Yu, Dan H. Barouch
Nature
Volume 596 Issue 7871, 12 August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/596/issues/7871
Article | 10 June 2021
BNT162b2-elicited neutralization of B.1.617 and other SARS-CoV-2 variants
Samples of serum from individuals immunized with the BNT162b2 vaccine show neutralization activity against engineered SARS-CoV-2s bearing the spike mutations from B.1.617 and other variants.
Jianying Liu, Yang Liu, Pei-Yong Shi
Nature
Volume 596 Issue 7871, 12 August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/596/issues/7871
Article | 08 July 2021
Reduced sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta to antibody neutralization
The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant partially evades neutralization by several monoclonal antibodies and by sera from individuals who have had COVID-19, but two doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccines still generate a strong neutralizing response.
Delphine Planas, David Veyer, Olivier Schwartz
Nature Genetics
Volume 53 Issue 7, July 2021
https://www.nature.com/ng/volumes/53/issues/7
Perspective | 28 June 2021
Advancing human genetics research and drug discovery through exome sequencing of the UK Biobank
The UK Biobank Exome Sequencing Consortium aims to sequence all the exomes of approximately 500,000 UK Biobank participants. This Perspective describes the results from approximately 200,000 exomes and discusses the lessons learned from this UK Biobank–biopharmaceutical company collaboration.
Joseph D. Szustakowski, Suganthi Balasubramanian, Zhan Ye
Nature Human Behaviour
Volume 5 Issue 7, July 2021
https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/volumes/5/issues/7
Review Article | 28 June 2021
A review and agenda for integrated disease models including social and behavioural factors
Social and behavioural factors impact the emergence, spread and control of human disease. This paper reviews current disease modelling methodologies and the challenges and opportunities for integration with data from social science research and risk communication and community engagement practice.
Jamie Bedson, Laura A. Skrip, Benjamin M. Althouse
Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/8
Editorial | 12 August 2021
Gene therapies should be for all
Are healthcare systems prepared to deal with cost and accessibility of gene therapies on a global scale?
Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/8
Article | 09 June 2021 | Open Access
Impact of vaccination on new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the United Kingdom
Results from the Office of National Statistics COVID-19 Infection Survey in the United Kingdom demonstrate that the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and BNT162b2 vaccines reduce the incidence of new SARS-CoV-2 infections by up to 65% with a single dose and up to 80% after two doses, with no significant differences in efficacy observed between the two vaccines.
Emma Pritchard, Philippa C. Matthews, Koen B. Pouwels
Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/8
Article | 14 June 2021 | Open Access
Evidence for increased breakthrough rates of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in BNT162b2-mRNA-vaccinated individuals
At early time points after vaccination with a single dose or two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections can be disproportionately caused by the B.1.1.7 or B.1.351 variants of concern, underlining the need to ensure rapid and complete vaccination.
Talia Kustin, Noam Harel, Adi Stern
Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/8
Article | 16 July 2021 | Open Access
COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in low- and middle-income countries
Survey data collected across ten low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa and South America compared with surveys from Russia and the United States reveal heterogeneity in vaccine confidence in LMICs, with healthcare providers being trusted sources of information, as well as greater levels of vaccine acceptance in these countries than in Russia and the United States.
Julio S. Solís Arce, Shana S. Warren, Saad B. Omer
Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/8
Article | 24 June 2021
Evaluation of the extended efficacy of the Dengvaxia vaccine against symptomatic and subclinical dengue infection
Multiyear analysis of antibody responses in recipients of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in the Philippines supports their utility as a predictor of protection against disease, and reveals that Dengvaxia efficacy declines 3 years after complete vaccination.
Henrik Salje, Maria Theresa Alera, Alan L. Rothman
Nature Reviews Genetics
Volume 22 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrg/volumes/22/issues/8
Review Article | 08 April 2021
Advances and opportunities in malaria population genomics
In this Review, Neafsey, Taylor and MacInnis discuss how population genomics approaches are currently used to study malaria parasites and mosquito vectors. They explore information that can be derived from such genomics approaches and discuss the use of relatedness-based measures of population variation to understand parasite and vector dynamics at highly resolved spatiotemporal scales.
Daniel E. Neafsey, Aimee R. Taylor, Bronwyn L. MacInnis
Nature Reviews Immunology
Volume 21 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nri/volumes/21/issues/8
Comment | 24 June 2021
Understanding COVID-19 in Africa
In this Comment article, Sofonias Tessema and John Nkengasong provide an overview of the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa and the challenges posed by the triple burden of emerging, endemic and non-communicable diseases.
Sofonias K. Tessema, John N. Nkengasong
Nature Reviews Immunology
Volume 21 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nri/volumes/21/issues/8
Progress | 01 July 2021
Immunological mechanisms of vaccine-induced protection against COVID-19 in humans
This Progress article summarizes our current understanding of the immune mechanisms of protection induced by the available COVID-19 vaccines. The authors compare vaccine-induced antibody responses following one or two doses of different vaccines and consider the relative importance of neutralizing antibodies for vaccine-mediated protection against SARS-CoV-2.
Manish Sadarangani, Arnaud Marchant, Tobias R. Kollmann
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Volume 20 Issue 8, August 2021
https://www.nature.com/nrd/volumes/20/issues/8
Comment | 12 April 2021
Trust in Science: a novel research partnership model in Latin America
Ten years ago, GlaxoSmithKline established an innovative model for public–private research partnerships in Latin America known as Trust in Science. Here, we summarize this novel initiative, illustrate its achievements in terms of scientific advances and local talent development, and highlight the key learnings that could be applied to similar initiatives.
Israel S. Gloger, Rosana Felice, Kevin P. Madauss
New England Journal of Medicine
August 12, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 7
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal
Original Articles
Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant J. Lopez Bernal and Others
New England Journal of Medicine
August 12, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 7
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal
Perspective
Confronting Our Next National Health Disaster — Long-Haul Covid S. Phillips and M.A. Williams
New England Journal of Medicine
August 12, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 7
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal
Editorials
Vaccine Effectiveness Studies in the Field S.J.W. Evans and N.P. Jewell
New England Journal of Medicine
August 12, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 7
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal
Enhancing HIV Prevention with Injectable Preexposure Prophylaxis Q. Abdool Karim
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
Research Article
Cost-effectiveness and budget impact analyses of dengue vaccination in Indonesia
Auliya Abdurrohim Suwantika, Woro Supadmi, Mohammad Ali, Rizky Abdulah
Research Article | published 12 Aug 2021 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009664
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
Use of lay vaccinators in animal vaccination programmes: A scoping review
Christian Tetteh Duamor, Katie Hampson, Felix Lankester, Maganga Sambo, Katharina Kreppel, Sally Wyke, Sarah Cleaveland
Research Article | published 10 Aug 2021 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009691
PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 14 Aug 2021]
Knowledge, acceptance and perception on COVID-19 vaccine among Malaysians: A web-based survey
Nurul Azmawati Mohamed, Hana Maizuliana Solehan, Mohd Dzulkhairi Mohd Rani, Muslimah Ithnin, Che Ilina Che Isahak
Research Article | published 13 Aug 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256110
PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 14 Aug 2021]
Shifting research priorities in maternal and child health in the COVID-19 pandemic era in India: A renewed focus on systems strengthening
Kayur Mehta, Sanjay Zodpey, Preetika Banerjee, Stephanie L. Pocius, Baldeep K. Dhaliwal, Andrea DeLuca, Sangeeta Das Bhattacharya, Shailendra Hegde, Paramita Sengupta, Madhu Gupta, Anita Shet
Research Article | published 12 Aug 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256099
PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 14 Aug 2021]
Influenza vaccination hesitancy in large urban centers in South America. Qualitative analysis of confidence, complacency and convenience across risk groups
Miguel Ángel González-Block, Blanca Estela Pelcastre-Villafuerte, Daniela Riva Knauth, Andréa Fachel-Leal, Yamila Comes, Pedro Crocco, Laura Noboa, Berenice Rodríguez Zea, Mónica Ruoti, Sandra Patricia Díaz Portillo, Elsa Sarti
Research Article | published 12 Aug 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256040
PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
July 27, 2021; vol. 118 no. 31
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/31
Commentaries
Building toward useful SARS-CoV-2 models in Africa
Belinda Archibong and C. Jessica E. Metcalf
PNAS August 3, 2021 118 (31) e2110873118;
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2110873118
PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
July 27, 2021; vol. 118 no. 31
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/31
Statistics
Open Access
Estimating SARS-CoV-2 infections from deaths, confirmed cases, tests, and random surveys
Nicholas J. Irons and Adrian E. Raftery
PNAS August 3, 2021 118 (31) e2103272118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2103272118
PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
July 27, 2021; vol. 118 no. 31
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/31
Environmental Sciences
Quantifying COVID-19 importation risk in a dynamic network of domestic cities and international countries
Xiaoyi Han, Yilan Xu, Linlin Fan, Yi Huang, Minhong Xu, and Song Gao
PNAS August 3, 2021 118 (31) e2100201118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100201118
Risk Analysis
Volume 41, Issue 7 Pages: 1047-1253 July 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15396924/current
Special Issue: Interdisciplinary Theory, Methods, and Approaches for Hazards and Disaster Research
Original Research Articles
Interdisciplinary Theory, Methods, and Approaches for Hazards and Disaster Research: An Introduction to the Special Issue
Lori Peek, Seth Guikema
Pages: 1047-1058
First Published: 28 June 2021
Abstract
What is interdisciplinary research? Why is it vital to the advancement of the field of hazards and disaster research? What theory, methods, and approaches are fundamental to interdisciplinary research projects and their applications? This article addresses these and other pressing questions by taking stock of recent advancements in interdisciplinary studies of hazards and disasters. It also introduces the special issue of Risk Analysis, which includes this introductory article and 25 original perspectives papers meant to highlight new trends and applications in the field. The papers were written following two National Science Foundation-supported workshops that were organized in response to the growing interest in interdisciplinary hazards and disaster research, the increasing number of interdisciplinary funding opportunities and collaborations in the field, and the need for more rigorous guidance for interdisciplinary researchers and research teams. This introductory article and the special collection are organized around the cross-cutting themes of theory, methods, approaches, interdisciplinary research projects, and applications to advance interdisciplinarity in hazards and disaster research.
Social Science & Medicine
Volume 284 September 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/284/suppl/C
Review article Open access
Community engagement and vulnerability in infectious diseases: A systematic review and qualitative analysis of the literature
Jacob Osborne, John Paget, Tamara Giles-Vernick, Ruth Kutalek, … Michel Dückers
Article 114246
Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Volume 42 July–August 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/travel-medicine-and-infectious-disease/vol/42/suppl/C
Editorial No access
Tokyo olympics, Hajj pilgrimage, Grand Magal of Touba and COVID-19
Van Thuan Hoang, Ndiaw Goumballa, Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq, Cheick Sokhna, Philippe Gautret
Article 102088
Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Volume 42 July–August 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/travel-medicine-and-infectious-disease/vol/42/suppl/C
Editorial No access
Emerging issues in COVID-19 vaccination in tropical areas: Impact of the immune response against helminths in endemic areas
Leonor Chacin-Bonilla, Nathalie Chacón-Fonseca, Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales
Article 102087
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 31 Pages 4239-4390 (13 July 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/31
Discussion Full text access
The need for broadly protective COVID-19 vaccines: Beyond S-only approaches
Gregory A. Poland, Inna G. Ovsyannikova, Richard B. Kennedy
Pages 4239-4241
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 31 Pages 4239-4390 (13 July 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/31
Discussion Full text access
Helping patients with ethical concerns about COVID-19 vaccines in light of fetal cell lines used in some COVID-19 vaccines
Richard K. Zimmerman
Pages 4242-4244
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 31 Pages 4239-4390 (13 July 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/31
Short communication Full text access
COVID-19 vaccination rates vary by community vulnerability: A county-level analysis
Clare C. Brown, Sean G. Young, George C. Pro
Pages 4245-424
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 31 Pages 4239-4390 (13 July 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/31
Research article Full text access
Should older adult pneumococcal vaccination recommendations change due to decreased vaccination in children during the pandemic? A cost-effectiveness analysis
Kenneth J. Smith, Angela R. Wateska, Mary Patricia Nowalk, Chyongchiou J. Lin, … Richard K. Zimmerman
Pages 4278-4282
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 31 Pages 4239-4390 (13 July 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/31
Research article Full text access
Early influenza vaccination rates decline in children during the COVID-19 pandemic
Benjamin Fogel, Eric W. Schaefer, Steven D. Hicks
Pages 4291-4295
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 31 Pages 4239-4390 (13 July 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/31
Research article Open access
COVID-19 related immunization disruptions in Rajasthan, India: A retrospective observational study
Radhika Jain, Ambika Chopra, Camille Falézan, Mustufa Patel, Pascaline Dupas
Pages 4343-4350
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 31 Pages 4239-4390 (13 July 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/31
Research article Abstract only
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of routine childhood immunizations in Ontario, Canada
Pierre-Philippe Piché-Renaud, Catherine Ji, Daniel S. Farrar, Jeremy N. Friedman, … Shaun K. Morris
Pages 4373-4382
Think Tanks et al
Brookings [to 14 Aug 2021]
http://www.brookings.edu/
Order from Chaos
Delta variant outbreak challenges Vietnam’s COVID-19 response strategy
Huong Le Thu
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Report
Global governance after COVID-19: Survey report
Kemal Derviş and Sebastian Strauss
Monday, August 9, 2021
Center for Global Development [to 14 Aug 2021]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Podcast
Lagos to Mombasa: How Does the Pandemic End in Africa?
August 12, 2021
This first episode of the new Africa-centered podcast series Lagos to Mombasa examines how African governments can shape their responses to the pandemic and prepare for the future. Patrick Tippoo of Biovac and the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative and Prashant Yadav from CGD join Gyude Moore to discuss options and opportunities.
W. Gyude Moore
Malaria Case Management in the Private Sector in Africa: A Call for Action to Identify Sustainable Solutions
Publication
August 11, 2021
Over the past two decades, partnerships between bilateral and multilateral funders, philanthropy, national governments, and the private sector have substantially increased global access to effective malaria treatment. Nevertheless, further action on malaria case management is needed to meet global targets for reduced malaria morbidity and mortality.
Chatham House [to 14 Aug 2021]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
Accessed 14 Aug 2021
[No new digest content identified]
CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 14 Aug 2021
Report
Beyond Emergency Pandemic Response: The Case for Prioritizing Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention
August 10, 2021 | By Erol Yayboke, Janina Staguhn
Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
August 13, 2021 News Release
Children Head Back to School Amid an Ongoing Pandemic That Has Had Significant Effects on Their Health and Well-Being
As students head back to in-person school this fall, a new KFF brief highlights the effects of the ongoing pandemic on the health and well-being of children, including missed routine vaccinations and preventive care, mental health challenges and economic setbacks that can influence health. There had been over 4 million…
August 12, 2021 News Release
Drug Overdose Deaths Rose During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Particularly Among Black and American Indian/Alaska Native People
Drug overdose deaths rose during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some of the biggest jumps occurring among people of color, a new KFF analysis finds. The analysis breaks out drug overdose deaths by race and ethnicity for the first nine months of 2020, when the pandemic triggered…
August 11, 2021 News Release
Most Parents Don’t Want Their Schools to Require COVID-19 Vaccination, But Most Favor Requiring Masks for Unvaccinated Children and Staff
Worries about Long-Term and Serious Side Effects are Parents’ Top Concern; Hispanic and Black Parents Are More Likely than White Parents to Cite Access and Cost Issues As schools around the country prepare to reopen, a majority of parents of school-age children say they do not want their children’s schools…
August 10, 2021 News Release
Direct Care Workforce Shortages Have Worsened in Many States During the Pandemic, Hampering Providers of Home and Community-Based Services
During the pandemic many states have experienced worsening direct care workforce shortages that have affected providers of home- and community-based long-term care services (HCBS), according to early findings of a new KFF survey of Medicaid HCBS programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Most states reported workforce…
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
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the Member State Information Session on COVID-19 – 5 August 2021
5 August 2021
Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening to all Member States, and thank you for joining us once again in our weekly session.
With the development of vaccines in record time we have come so far. But the world is now in a period of real danger. Many of the gains we have made are now being eroded.
The total number of reported cases will likely pass 200 million tomorrow. And we know the real figures are much higher. The highly transmissible Delta variant has now been detected in at least 132 countries. But the rise in cases is not just a natural process; it is being fuelled by increased social mixing, inconsistent public health and social measures, and inequitable vaccination.
Over 4 billion vaccines have been administered globally, but more than 80% have gone to high- and upper-middle income countries. Health workers and people most at risk in lower-income countries are not receiving vaccines, while some countries are vaccinating those at low risk of serious disease.
This is wrong. The hard-won gains we have made are being lost, and health systems in many countries are being overwhelmed as the increased number of infections is creating a shortage of life-saving treatments.
Twenty-nine countries have high and rising oxygen needs, and many countries have inadequate supplies of basic equipment to protect frontline health workers. Meanwhile, testing rates in low-income countries are less than 2% of what they are in high-income countries. This leaves us blind to understanding where the disease is and whether new, more dangerous variants are emerging.
So far, the Secretariat has supported 117 countries with oxygen concentrators and generators; we’re providing guidance to help countries better detect variants; and we continue to work daily with our global networks of experts to understand why the Delta variant spreads so readily. But the needs are much greater than the resources we have to meet them.
The WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for 2021 faces a funding shortfall of US$900 million, almost half of what we need. Of the funds we have received, nearly all of them are earmarked. This shortfall is already having an impact on our operations, and the lack of flexibility, in particular, leaves us in real danger of not being able to sustain urgent priorities for vaccination, surveillance and response in countries experiencing surges in cases.
In addition, the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator is launching the Rapid ACT-Accelerator Delta Response, or RADAR, issuing an urgent call for US$7.7 billion for tests, treatments and vaccines. In parallel, we will need $3.8 billion in additional financing this year for COVAX to exercise its options to purchase vaccines for 2022.
At the same time, we are working to find new ways of scaling up vaccine production. Last week we took another step forward in setting up a technology transfer hub for mRNA vaccines in South Africa, with a letter of intent that sets out the terms of collaboration.
WHO’s goal remains to support every country to vaccinate at least 10% of its population by the end of September and at least 40% by the end of this year, and 70% of the world’s population by the middle of next year.
Yet even while a large percentage of the world’s people are still waiting for their first dose, some countries are moving towards booster doses. I understand the concern of all governments to protect their people from the Delta variant. But we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it, while the world’s most vulnerable people remain unprotected.
High-income countries have now administered almost 100 doses for every 100 people. Meanwhile, low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 doses for every 100 people, due to lack of supply.
We need an urgent reversal, from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries, to the majority going to low-income countries. That’s why I am calling for a moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September, to enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated.
To make that happen, we need everyone’s cooperation, especially the handful of countries and companies that control the global supply of vaccines. We call on those countries and vaccine producers to prioritize COVAX.
At the same time, we must all remember that vaccines are not the only tool. Indeed, there is no single tool that will defeat this pandemic. We can only defeat it with a comprehensive approach of vaccines in combination with the proven public health and social measures that we know work.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
Elevating political leadership for Pandemic Preparedness and Response Meeting with the UN General Assembly
28 July 2021
Statement [Excerpts]
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
…So today there is a choice – to carry on with business as usual with the inevitability of a future pandemic catastrophe, or to make real and lasting change.
That choice is clear: now we must act – this must be the last pandemic to cause devastation on the scale we are witnessing today. We need a stronger international system for pandemic preparedness and response that understands the threats, is alert, and is poised to take collective action. The job can’t be done by any single country working alone. It can’t even be done by a group of countries, no matter how willing, because we are only as strong as our weakest link. Therefore, the UN General Assembly has a decisive role to play in strengthening the multilateral infrastructure so that it can identify and respond more quickly to the next virus with pandemic potential.
Helen Clark
…The international system needs to work as a coherent and effective system – and it must also work across sectors and silos. The pandemic is not only a health crisis; it is also a social economic, political, and peace and security crisis. That is why we have come to you – the UN General Assembly. Our Panel believes that the General Assembly has a crucial role to play in ensuring that the international system is co-ordinated and empowered to identify and act against future diseases with pandemic potential.
We said earlier that our recommendations are a package. We propose that a negotiated political declaration be adopted by the UN General Assembly later this year, setting out the road map for a stronger international system for the future.
That roadmap should set out the architecture required and the steps to be taken to create it. It should encompass support for a new high-level oversight council, a dedicated financing mechanism, a new pandemic convention, and a redesigned, permanent mechanism replacing ACT-A based on a global public goods model.
At the top of that system, our Panel recommends the creation of a Global Health Threats Council at the level of Heads of State and Government and including private sector and civil society representation. Pandemic preparedness must be led from the top, and it must be multisectoral.
Indeed, that Council would be tasked with maintaining political commitment to pandemic preparedness and response. It would not be an operational body, but rather a body that monitors progress, draws attention to gaps, and holds actors accountable – all key functions that the Panel found were missing in the international system.
WHO has an indispensable role in responding to global health emergencies and ensuring longer-term public health and health security through the strengthening of primary health systems in all countries. WHO is and should remain the lead agency for health in the international system. The quality, timing, and clarity of the technical advice and direction WHO provides to the world are of the utmost importance and Member States must adequately resource, empower, and further strengthen it. We welcome the initiative taken by the World Health Assembly to establish a Working Group on strengthening WHO.
The Panel backs the calls for a new pandemic framework convention which should, among other things, fill gaps in the current legal system and clarify the responsibilities between States and international actors. This pandemic treaty or framework convention would give state parties the opportunity to commit to the principles of pandemic preparedness and response in the spirit of mutual obligation, and give a framework for the institutional architecture needed to prevent future pandemics. The Panel recommended that it be adopted using the powers under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, and be complementary to the International Health Regulations.
We propose the creation of an international pandemic financing facility. It must be able distribute up to ten billion dollars a year for preparedness and disburse up to one hundred billion in the event of a crisis. Ultimately, investing billions in preparedness now will save trillions in the future, as the current pandemic has so clearly illustrated. Funding for response to this pandemic generally was too little and came too late.
The facility should raise resources on an ability-to-pay formula with all countries contributing and allocations being made to those requiring solidarity funding. This should be a sustainable core commitment – not subtracted from an already stretched development assistance envelope. The facility could be hosted by an existing institution which is representative of countries big and small, rich and poor – we have proposed that the Global Health Threats Council be the allocator of funds.
The Panel considered that the current model of development and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for pandemics is not fit for purpose. We believe there is a need to shift away from a market-based model to one based on global public goods. This can be achieved through a transformation of ACT-A.
The Panel has recommended increasing the authority and independence of WHO, including by it having adequate, predictable, flexible and sustainable funding, and having its Director General and Regional Directors in future each serving a single term of seven years.
A greatly improved system for disease surveillance and alert is needed. WHO must have the authority to investigate outbreaks of concern rapidly, and publish information rapidly on its own authority. Future declarations of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO Director-General should be based on the precautionary principle where warranted, as in the case of respiratory infections. PHEIC declarations should be based on clear, objective, and published criteria.
The Panel recommended that WHO set measurable benchmarks for country preparedness and response capacities, and for countries to invest accordingly, with support coming from the dedicated financing mechanism for those with limited resources. WHO should formalise universal periodic peer reviews of country progress against the benchmarks it sets. We also brought the IMF into the picture – proposing that it incorporate assessments of preparedness as part of its Article Four consultations.
Ultimately preparedness rests on national governments setting up the right structures, developing the needed capacities, and investing in vital assets such as health and other system resilience and social protection. Governments can listen and learn from the best practices we illustrate in our report.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
…I speak with conviction when I say that this current pandemic must be the last to cause devastation to human life, societies, and economies. As a world, we must do better.
This time we must act and not bury this analysis and these recommendations in the vault as has happen many times before.
To implement a package of reforms like that which our Panel has developed will require the engagement of Heads of State and Government. Every Head of State and Government is currently focused on the problems created by the pandemic.
It is vital now to mobilise the political will to make the changes required for a more effective and timely global response next time a pandemic threat emerges. We owe this to future generations.
The General Assembly has the authority to convene at the highest level to endorse a negotiated political declaration which will drive reform. That is what our Panel has requested the General Assembly to do, and we hope that you will give this your most serious consideration.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Joint Statement of the Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines, Therapeutics, and Diagnostics for Developing Countries following its Second Meeting
New Global Database to Enhance Transparency and Improve Delivery of COVID-19 Tools
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2021 — The Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics for Developing Countries, established by the heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization to identify and resolve finance and trade impediments to vaccine, diagnostics, therapeutic production and deliveries, today launched a new website that includes the first phase of a global database and country dashboards on vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to guide their work and advocacy. It also today issued the following joint statement:
“We reiterate the urgency of providing access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments to people throughout the developing world. In the area of vaccines, a key constraint is the acute and alarming shortage in the supply of doses to low and low-middle income countries, especially for the rest of 2021. We call on countries with advanced COVID-19 vaccination programs to release as soon as possible as much of their contracted vaccine doses and options as possible to COVAX, AVAT, and low and low-middle income countries.
We are concerned that vaccine delivery schedules and contracts for COVAX, AVAT, and low and low-middle income countries are delayed or too slow. Less than 5% of vaccine doses that were pre-purchased by or for low-income countries have been delivered. Our common target is for at least 40% of people in low and low-middle income countries to be vaccinated by the end of 2021. We estimate that less than 20% of the necessary vaccines is currently scheduled for delivery to these countries, whether through COVAX, AVAT, or bilateral deals and dose-sharing agreements.
We urge COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to redouble their efforts to scale up production of vaccines specifically for these countries, and to ensure that the supply of doses to COVAX and low and low-middle income countries takes precedence over the promotion of boosters and other activities. We call on governments to reduce or eliminate barriers to the export of vaccines and all materials involved in their production and deployment. We underscore the urgent need for all parties to address supply chain and trade bottlenecks for vaccines, testing, and therapeutics as well as all of the materials involved in their production and deployment.
As per the IMF staff’s $50 billion proposal to end the pandemic, and in line with the priorities set out by WHO, WTO, IMF and the World Bank Group, over $35 billion in grant are needed with only one third of this financed to date. We welcome the recent announcement by COVAX and the World Bank to accelerate vaccine supplies for developing countries through a new financing mechanism. We also welcome the partnership between the World Bank and AVAT, noting that World Bank financing is now available to support the purchase and deployment of doses secured by both AVAT and COVAX.
It is critical to improve clarity and transparency around the evolving vaccine market, expected production volumes, delivery schedules, and pre-purchase options. We call on manufacturers to accelerate delivery to developing countries and we call on advanced economies to scale-up near-term deliveries to developing countries.”
The database and country-by-country dashboards, which also build on the IMF-WHO COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Tracker, seek to focus international attention and mobilize action by illuminating specific gaps, not just globally but also country-by-country.
TASK FORCE ON COVID-19 VACCINES, THERAPEUTICS, AND DIAGNOSTICS
International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization, World Trade Organization
Through this web site, which includes a global database and country-by-country data dashboards, the Task Force is tracking and monitoring specific global and country-level gaps to support faster and more targeted solutions to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and tests in developing countries. Read more on the purpose of this website and how to explore the data
Website accessed 7 Aug 2021: https://data.covid19taskforce.com/data
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 