PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
July 20, 2021; vol. 118 no. 29
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/29
Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Open Access
Transparent communication about negative features of COVID-19 vaccines decreases acceptance but increases trust
Michael Bang Petersen, Alexander Bor, Frederik Jørgensen, and Marie Fly Lindholt
PNAS July 20, 2021 118 (29) e2024597118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2024597118
Research Ethics
Volume 17 Issue 3, July 2021
http://journals.sagepub.com/toc/reab/current
Editorial
Research integrity: emphasising our commitment
Stuart G. Nicholls
First Published July 19, 2021
It is just over a year since the editors of this journal announced a broadening of the remit for submission. In doing so they made an explicit commitment to supporting work that examines research integrity issues. Furthering this commitment, we announce that Dr Edward Dove has joined Research Ethics as Associate Editor, with a focus on overseeing manuscripts that concern research integrity and/or misconduct matters.
As detailed in the previous editorial, research integrity is a counterpart to research ethics. Where research ethics focuses more on research governance at the programme or study level, research integrity takes as its focus the researcher themselves, emphasising the values and virtues of those conducting research. The Canadian Council of Academies research integrity framework, for example, articulates values of honesty, fairness, trust, accountability and openness as being key to research integrity (Davenport et al., 2010). A concrete example of efforts to improve research integrity is seen through the push for Open Science and research reporting guidelines (Glasziou et al., 2014; Nicholls et al., 2016). The use of reporting guidelines to facilitate more transparent and complete publication practices promotes what Masic (2012) calls ‘intellectual honesty’; being straightforward in description of the research process. When reporting guidelines are combined with what O’Neill (2002) has described as the ‘audit agenda’ and the ‘openness agenda’, the completeness and transparency of reporting can be assessed through peer review more easily. This, in turn, promotes trust in research findings and reporting, and ultimately the research process.
Research integrity is at the core of several papers in this issue. For instance, in their study of ethical issues in internet research and research using online data, Stommel and de Rijk examine how ethical issues are reported, and in what ways, as well as the steps that authors take to protect the privacy of the sources of publicly available online data. They note that almost two thirds of the 132 articles they examined did not report ethical considerations yet commonly took steps to anonymise data. Notably, the discussion of ethical issues was highly variable with discrepancies between ethics principles in theory and in practice.
Online platforms also feature in the work of Littler and Joy, although their focus is on the use of social media for research recruitment, specifically within LGBTQ communities. Littler and Joy examine the researcher role as gatekeepers. They reflect on what they have learned from their experience of negative hate speech posted in response to recruitment adverts on social media, and the impact it has on them as researchers. They conclude that it is incumbent upon researchers to become experts in the use and misuse of social media if they are to use these platforms for recruitment in research.
The impact of research on the researchers themselves, is also picked up by Podschuweit, who reports on quantitative covert observational research and the processes they employed to help student researchers deal with their personal discomfort in observing personal interactions. The findings show how mentally stressful covert observations can be for the student observers and suggestions are made for preparing students appropriately.
Finally, Reid et al. report on the development of a toolkit for global researchers designed to help navigate ethical challenges that they face when conducting research. They note that sharing experiences is an all too rare activity that is not generally encouraged within the competitive academic environment. Foundational to their work is the view that research integrity and research ethics matters are ongoing throughout the study, and not just about gaining ethics approval. The authors offer the 4P (place, people, principles and precedent) framework as a guiding structure to assist researchers approach ethical dilemmas that occur outside of the ethics approval process.
We hope that this collection of papers, as well as the other excellent manuscripts included in this issue, inspire readers to continue to examine and publish on matters of research integrity. We look forward to welcoming these at Research Ethics.
Science
23 July 2021 Vol 373, Issue 6553
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Editorial
Colleges need vaccine mandates
By H. Holden Thorp
Summary
Finally, in the United States, colleges and universities are ramping up for a relatively normal school year. Most pandemic restrictions have been lifted and—barring any unforeseen new coronavirus variants—parents and students will soon be pulling up to residence halls and unloading their belongings. At many schools in “blue” states, there will be a great deal of confidence that good times are on the horizon as everyone there will have shown proof of vaccination against COVID-19. But for some public universities in “red” states, where vaccine mandates are not permitted, an aura of uncertainty will hang over the campus and the local community, a foreboding sense that another outbreak could be at hand.
Science
23 July 2021 Vol 373, Issue 6553
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
In-Depth
WHO chief pressures China on pandemic origin
By Jon Cohen
Science23 Jul 2021 : 378 Restricted Access
Agency director calls for lab audits and more studies of how SARS-CoV-2 emerged.
Summary
In a sharp tightening of the diplomatic screws, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is urging China to increase its transparency about the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and allow greater access to its labs to help resolve the origin of SARS-CoV-2. Tedros also says WHO will create a new body to conduct the next phase of studies into the emergence of the virus, an unexpected move that concerns some scientists, including at least one member of an existing mission the agency organized to study COVID-19’s origin. Tedros called for more aggressively probing the two leading theories of how SARS-CoV-2 first infected humans and then emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019: that the virus made a natural “zoonotic” jump from an unknown animal species into humans or, more controversially, that it first infected a human during laboratory or field studies of coronaviruses found in animals. (An even more contentious theory suggests the virus was genetically engineered in a Wuhan lab.)
Science Translational Medicine
21 July 2021 Vol 13, Issue 603
https://stm.sciencemag.org/
Research Articles
The antimalarial MMV688533 provides potential for single-dose cures with a high barrier to Plasmodium falciparum parasite resistance
By James M. Murithi, Cécile Pascal, Jade Bath, Xavier Boulenc, Nina F. Gnädig, Charisse Flerida A. Pasaje, Kelly Rubiano, Tomas Yeo, Sachel Mok, Sylvie Klieber, Paul Desert, María Belén Jiménez-Díaz, Jutta Marfurt, Mélanie Rouillier, Mohammed H. Cherkaoui-Rbati, Nathalie Gobeau, Sergio Wittlin, Anne-Catrin Uhlemann, Ric N. Price, Grennady Wirjanata, Rintis Noviyanti, Patrick Tumwebaze, Roland A. Cooper, Philip J. Rosenthal, Laura M. Sanz, Francisco Javier Gamo, Jayan Joseph, Shivendra Singh, Sridevi Bashyam, Jean Michel Augereau, Elie Giraud, Tanguy Bozec, Thierry Vermat, Gilles Tuffal, Jean-Michel Guillon, Jérôme Menegotto, Laurent Sallé, Guillaume Louit, Marie-José Cabanis, Marie Françoise Nicolas, Michel Doubovetzky, Rita Merino, Nadir Bessila, Iñigo Angulo-Barturen, Delphine Baud, Lidiya Bebrevska, Fanny Escudié, Jacquin C. Niles, Benjamin Blasco, Simon Campbell, Gilles Courtemanche, Laurent Fraisse, Alain Pellet, David A. Fidock, Didier Leroy
Science Translational Medicine21 Jul 2021 Full Access
We report an acylguanidine preclinical candidate with pharmacological features compatible with single low-dose malaria cure.
Antimalarial advance
The need for antimalarial drugs is urgent in the face of growing resistance to existing therapies. Murithi et al. characterized MMV688533, an acylguanidine identified from compounds inhibiting known human drug targets that were screened for activity against Plasmodium falciparum. MMV688533 showed rapid in vitro killing of multiple P. falciparum strains as well as P. vivax. A single dose of MMV688533 rapidly reduced parasitemia in a P. falciparum NSG mouse model of infection, and this agent displayed favorable pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles. MMV688533 selected for only low-grade resistance, with resistant parasites remaining sensitive to existing antimalarials. These findings suggest that MMV688533 is a promising antimalarial candidate with a low resistance risk and the promise of a single-dose cure, which merits further study.
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 29 Pages 3785-4012 (29 June 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/29
Commentaries
Discussion No access
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: Lessons from Israel
David Gurwitz
Pages 3785-3786
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 29 Pages 3785-4012 (29 June 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/29
HPV vaccine: Expanding indications and global disparity
Christina Uwins, Sunu Cyriac, Geetu Bhandoria
Pages 3787-3789
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 29 Pages 3785-4012 (29 June 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/29
Review article Abstract only
Methodologic approaches in studies using real-world data (RWD) to measure pediatric safety and effectiveness of vaccines administered to pregnant women: A scoping review
Tamar Lasky, Ann W. McMahon, Wei Hua, Richard Forshee
Pages 3814-3824
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 29 Pages 3785-4012 (29 June 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/29
Review article Open access
Health inequities related to vaccination: An evidence map of potentially influential factors and systematic review of interventions
Allison Gates, Sholeh Rahman, Shannon Sim, Jennifer Pillay, … Lisa Hartling
Pages 3825-3833
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 29 Pages 3785-4012 (29 June 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/29
Research article Abstract only
Optimising HPV vaccination communication to adolescents: A discrete choice experiment
Sandra Chyderiotis, Jonathan Sicsic, Jocelyn Raude, Isabelle Bonmarin, … Judith E. Mueller
Pages 3916-3925
Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 29 Pages 3785-4012 (29 June 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/29
Research article Abstract only
Association of vaccine hesitancy and immunization coverage rates in the European Union
Florian Stoeckel, Charlie Carter, Benjamin A. Lyons, Jason Reifler
Pages 3935-3939
Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
Open Access Article
Examining Vaccine Hesitancy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Survey of the Knowledge and Attitudes among Adults to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana
by Theophilus Acheampong et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(8), 814; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9080814 – 22 Jul 2021
Abstract
The impact of COVID-19 vaccination programmes on disease transmission, morbidity and mortality relies heavily on the population’s willingness to accept the vaccine. We explore Ghanaian adult citizens’ vaccine hesitancy attitudes and identify the likelihood of participation or non-participation in the government’s effort to […
Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
Open Access Article
Who Is Willing to Get Vaccinated? A Study into the Psychological, Socio-Demographic, and Cultural Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions
by Giuliani Mattia et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(8), 810; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9080810 – 21 Jul 2021
Abstract
Crucial to the success of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign is the rate of people who adhere to it. This study aimed to investigate the reasons underlying people’s willingness to get vaccinated in a sample of Italian adults, considering the effects of different individual […]
Value in Health
July 2021 Volume 24 Issue 7 p917-1088
https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/current
POLICY PERSPECTIVE
Measuring Attitudes About Genomic Medicine: Validation of the Genomic Orientation Scale (GO Scale)
Caroline Horrow, Joel E. Pacyna, Minji K. Lee, Richard R. Sharp
Published online: April 02, 2021
p1030-1037
Media/Policy Watch
This watch section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media and selected think tanks and similar organizations on vaccines, immunization, global public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.
We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.
The sheer volume of vaccine and pandemic-related coverage is extraordinary. We will strive to present the most substantive analysis and commentary we encounter.
The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
Ideas
Vaccinated America Has Had Enough
In the United States, this pandemic could be almost over by now. The reasons it’s still going are pretty clear.
By David Frum
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]
The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
Asia
Australia’s covid-19 strategy is being tested
The Delta variant combined with a low vaccination rate is causing trouble
July 24, 2021
No vaccine? No problem
Kazakhstan is awash in fake vaccination passports
Corruption helps spread covid-19
July 24, 2021
PEOPLE TEND to join dating apps to find love. But social-media users in Kazakhstan swipe right for less romantic services. On an array of platforms hustlers now do a roaring trade in fake vaccination documents.
“Vaccination passport without the vaccination” is how one account offers to register you in Kazakhstan’s e-government system…
Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/
Covid-19 vaccines
AstraZeneca admits ‘complicated’ Thai vaccine production launch
July 24, 2021
Coronavirus latest
Tennessee to restart vaccine outreach to teens following backlash
July 24, 2021
Coronavirus latest:
Iranian supreme leader receives second dose of domestically made vaccine
July 23, 2021
Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
Jul 23, 2021
‘They’ve Seen The Lord’: Biden Praises GOP Governors For ‘Altar Call’ On Vaccines
By Andrew Solender Forbes Staff
Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
Argument
Vaccines Are Japan’s New Tool to Counter China
Despite its worsening pandemic, Tokyo’s vaccine diplomacy has gained traction.
Argument | Samuel Ramani July 23, 2021, 2:43 PM
New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
Letter from Biden’s Washington
Suddenly, (Some) Republicans Are All In on the Vaccine
The new G.O.P. politics of the pandemic follow the grim new math of the coronavirus for Red America.
By Susan B. Glasser
July 22, 2021
Annals of Medicine
Coexisting with the Coronavirus
COVID-19 is likely to become an endemic disease. How will our immune systems resist it?
By Katherine S. Xue
July 21, 2021
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
World
Large Covid-related protests hit France, Italy and Australia.
Protesters’ targets include mandatory health passes in France and Italy, and lockdowns in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
By Aurelien Breeden July 24 2021
World
Hospitalized with Covid, a conservative Tennessee radio host shifts his message to urge vaccinations.
Phil Valentine is currently one of hundreds of Covid patients in Tennessee, which has seen a 77 percent increase in hospitalizations over the past two weeks.
By Jesus Jiménez
PRINT EDITION July 25, 2021
De Blasio Urges New York Businesses to Require Employee Vaccinations
The debate over mandates is intensifying as the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus surges in many parts of the United States.
By Michael Gold, Emma G. Fitzsimmons and Michael D. Shear
PRINT EDITION |July 24, 2021, Page A1
Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
[No new, unique, relevant content]
Think Tanks et al
Brookings [to 24 Jul 2021]
http://www.brookings.edu/
Africa in Focus
What lessons can Africa learn from India’s COVID-19 crisis?
Jamie MacLeod, Vera Songwe, Stephen Karingi, Hopestone Chavula, Jean Paul Boketsu Bofili, Sokunpanha You, and Veerawin Su
Friday, July 23, 2021
Brown Center Chalkboard
6 priorities for future research into COVID-19 and its effects on early learning
Christina Weiland, Erica Greenberg, Daphna Bassok, Anna Markowitz, Paola Guerrero Rosada, and Grace Luetmer
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Center for Global Development [to 24 Jul 2021]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Publication
[No new digest content identified]
Chatham House [to 24 Jul 2021]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
[No new digest content identified]
CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 24 Jul 2021
Upcoming Event
A Conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci
August 2, 2021
Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
July 21, 2021 News Release
Disparities in Global Vaccination Progress Are Large and Growing, With Low-Income Countries and Those in Africa Lagging Behind
A new KFF analysis finds that only 1% of those in low-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose compared to 51% in high-income countries, highlighting the substantial vaccine inequities around the world. The analysis examines these inequities by country income level and by region, finding large differences for each.
By region, Africa has the lowest coverage (2%) while Europe has the highest (40%), followed by the Americas (39%) and the Western Pacific (37%).
At the current pace of vaccinations, low-income countries are unlikely to meet the global vaccine targets set by the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank of 40% coverage by the end of 2021, and 60% by mid-2022. Low-income countries would need to increase their daily vaccination rate by nearly 19 times to reach 40% coverage by the end of 2021. And while the Western Pacific, Europe, the Americas, and South-East Asia are ahead of schedule for reaching these vaccination goals, Africa would need to increase its rate of first dose administration by 8 times to reach 40% by the end of 2021.
The new analysis digs deeper into the growing equity gap and what this trend means for the future of global COVID-19 vaccination efforts…
Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review is a weekly digest summarizing news, events, announcements, peer-reviewed articles and research in the global vaccine ethics and policy space. Content is aggregated from key governmental, NGO, international organization and industry sources, key peer-reviewed journals, and other media channels. This summary proceeds from the broad base of themes and issues monitored by the Center for Vaccine Ethics & Policy in its work: it is not intended to be exhaustive in its coverage. You are viewing the blog version of our weekly digest, typically comprised of between 30 and 40 posts below all dated with the current issue date
.– Request an Email Summary: Vaccines and Global Health : The Week in Review is published as a single email summary, scheduled for release each Saturday evening before midnight (EDT in the U.S.). If you would like to receive the email version, please send your request to david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org.
– pdf version: A pdf of the current issue is available here:
– blog edition: comprised of the approx. 35+ entries posted below.
– Twitter: Readers can also follow developments on twitter: @vaxethicspolicy.
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– Links: We endeavor to test each link as we incorporate it into any post, but recognize that some links may become “stale” as publications and websites reorganize content over time. We apologize in advance for any links that may not be operative. We believe the contextual information in a given post should allow retrieval, but please contact us as above for assistance if necessary.
Support this knowledge-sharing service: Your financial support helps us cover our costs and to address a current shortfall in our annual operating budget. Click here to donate and thank you in advance for your contribution.
.
David R. Curry, MS
Executive Director
Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
COVID-19 pandemic leads to major backsliding on childhood vaccinations, new WHO, UNICEF data shows
23 million children missed out on basic childhood vaccines through routine health services in 2020, the highest number since 2009 and 3.7 million more than in 2019
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 15 July 2021 — 23 million children missed out on basic vaccines through routine immunization services in 2020 – 3.7 million more than in 2019 – according to official data published today by WHO and UNICEF. This latest set of comprehensive worldwide childhood immunization figures, the first official figures to reflect global service disruptions due to COVID-19, show a majority of countries last year experienced drops in childhood vaccination rates.
Concerningly, most of these – up to 17 million children – likely did not receive a single vaccine during the year, widening already immense inequities in vaccine access. Most of these children live in communities affected by conflict, in under-served remote places, or in informal or slum settings where they face multiple deprivations including limited access to basic health and key social services.
“Even as countries clamour to get their hands on COVID-19 vaccines, we have gone backwards on other vaccinations, leaving children at risk from devastating but preventable diseases like measles, polio or meningitis,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Multiple disease outbreaks would be catastrophic for communities and health systems already battling COVID-19, making it more urgent than ever to invest in childhood vaccination and ensure every child is reached.”
In all regions, rising numbers of children miss vital first vaccine doses in 2020; millions more miss later vaccines
Disruptions in immunization services were widespread in 2020, with the WHO Southeast Asian and Eastern Mediterranean Regions most affected. As access to health services and immunization outreach were curtailed, the number of children not receiving even their very first vaccinations increased in all regions. As compared with 2019, 3.5 million more children missed their first dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTP-1) while 3 million more children missed their first measles dose.
“This evidence should be a clear warning – the COVID-19 pandemic and related disruptions cost us valuable ground we cannot afford to lose – and the consequences will be paid in the lives and wellbeing of the most vulnerable,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Even before the pandemic, there were worrying signs that we were beginning to lose ground in the fight to immunize children against preventable child illness, including with the widespread measles outbreaks two years ago. The pandemic has made a bad situation worse. With the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines at the forefront of everyone’s minds, we must remember that vaccine distribution has always been inequitable, but it does not have to be.”…
…“These are alarming numbers, suggesting the pandemic is unravelling years of progress in routine immunization and exposing millions of children to deadly, preventable diseases”, said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “This is a wake-up call – we cannot allow a legacy of COVID-19 to be the resurgence of measles, polio and other killers. We all need to work together to help countries both defeat COVID-19, by ensuring global, equitable access to vaccines, and get routine immunization programmes back on track. The future health and wellbeing of millions of children and their communities across the globe depends on it.”
Concerns are not just for outbreak-prone diseases. Already at low rates, vaccinations against human papillomavirus (HPV) – which protect girls against cervical cancer later in life – have been highly affected by school closures. As a result, across countries that have introduced HPV vaccine to date, approximately 1.6 million more girls missed out in 2020. Globally only 13 per cent of girls were vaccinated against HPV, falling from 15 per cent in 2019.
Agencies call for urgent recovery and investment in routine immunization
As countries work to recover lost ground due to COVID-19 related disruptions, UNICEF, WHO and partners like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance are supporting efforts to strengthen immunization systems by:
Restoring services and vaccination campaigns so countries can safely deliver routine immunization programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Helping health workers and community leaders communicate actively with caregivers to explain the importance of vaccinations;
Rectifying gaps in immunization coverage, including identifying communities and people who have been missed during the pandemic.
Ensuring that COVID-19 vaccine delivery is independently planned for and financed and that it occurs alongside, and not at the cost of childhood vaccination services.
Implementing country plans to prevent and respond to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, and strengthen immunization systems as part of COVID-19 recovery efforts
The agencies are working with countries and partners to deliver the ambitious targets of the global Immunization Agenda 2030, which aims to achieve 90% coverage for essential childhood vaccines; halve the number of entirely unvaccinated, or ‘zero dose’ children, and increase the uptake of newer lifesaving vaccines such as rotavirus or pneumococcus in low and middle-income countries.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
COVAX
CEPI launches COVAX Marketplace to match buyers and sellers of critical manufacturing supplies and speed up global access to COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX
15 July 2021, Oslo, Norway – The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and COVAX partners are launching an innovative ‘marketplace’ to accelerate the global production of COVID-19 vaccine doses for COVAX by matching suppliers of critical inputs with vaccine manufacturers who urgently need them to produce vaccines for fair and equitable distribution through COVAX. This initiative is a key deliverable of the COVAX Manufacturing Task Force, which is co-led by COVAX and industry partners [1].
In the past year unprecedented efforts by vaccine manufacturers and suppliers of vaccine components have aimed to triple previous annual vaccine output, scaling up to produce an estimated 11 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021 [2,3]. As a result of this historic scaling up, bottlenecks are affecting the global supply chain leading to acute shortages of vital supplies which are preventing COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers from operating at full capacity. This is delaying vaccine production and contributing to inequity.
The new COVAX Marketplace announced today is designed to address short-term bottlenecks by facilitating access to supplies needed to produce COVID-19 vaccines intended for distribution through COVAX. It will provide a secure platform for vaccine manufacturers and suppliers of critical inputs to confidentially indicate their needs or available supplies to CEPI, in its role as facilitator. CEPI will identify matching offers and requests and connect potential matches, prioritising based on objective criteria including whether the manufacturer has a COVAX advance purchase agreement and WHO EUL in place, as well as dose volumes and delivery timings. Future versions of the Marketplace may include supplies required to manufacture other lifesaving therapies and vaccines which are also being affected by current global supply shortages.
The Marketplace is expected to improve the free flow of critical COVID-19 vaccine supplies by:
Providing suppliers with a platform to allocate and reallocate unused materials.
Mobilizing idle stock from vaccines and candidates that fail prior to gaining regulatory approval – as well as from those that might scale down their production in the future.
Mobilizing potential surplus stock from manufacturers with non-vaccine activities.
Vaccine manufacturing processes are highly complex and expanding manufacturing capacity requires managing intricate cross-border supply chains frequently involving more than 100 components. Participants will be able to offer and request any materials required for vaccine production through the COVAX Marketplace, but it will initially focus on six categories of supplies which have been identified as critical: bioreactor bags, single use assemblies, cell culture media, filters, lipids, vials and stoppers.
Towards a scalable Marketplace platform
The COVAX Marketplace launching today is an initial version which aims to respond quickly to immediate market needs and bottlenecks. It will launch with approximately 10 – 15 participants, comprising COVAX vaccine manufacturers and suppliers of the key materials which have been identified as being most urgently needed. In parallel, in consultation with stakeholders CEPI is urgently exploring extending the Marketplace to include additional participants such as vaccine manufacturers with unused inputs – including those with failed products – Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs), and pharmaceutical companies not currently involved in COVID-19 vaccine production. This would provide a platform to resolve supply bottlenecks which could extend beyond COVID-19 vaccines to other lifesaving therapies and vaccines which are being impacted by the current supply situation.
Prospective participants in the Marketplace are encouraged to visit the COVAX Marketplace webpage and submit an expression of interest at marketplace@cepi.net.
Dr Richard Hatchett, CEPI CEO, said: “Vaccine manufacturers have described the ways in which shortages of critical supplies have limited the speed and scale at which vaccines can be produced, which means many vaccine production lines haven’t been operating at full capacity. Optimizing the use of scarce resources that may otherwise be sitting idle – by matching buyers and sellers around the globe – could contribute to improving the global supply of vaccines through COVAX. The pandemic has led to extraordinary innovation in vaccine development and production, and the COVAX Marketplace is an example of how we must continue to look beyond business as usual to find pragmatic solutions to fixable problems – such as supply chain bottlenecks – so that we can urgently unlock more COVID-19 vaccine doses for COVAX.”…
::::::
US-donated vaccine deliveries to Africa set to begin, with first deliveries planned to Burkina Faso, Djibouti, and Ethiopia
16 July 2021 – Following close collaboration between the African Union (AU)/ African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), COVAX and the United States Government, AU Member States are set to receive approximately 25 million COVID-19 vaccines to enhance coverage across the continent – contributing to the AU target of vaccinating at least 60% of the African population. The shipments of these donated doses follow from the pledge made by President Biden, President of the United States of America in May to share 80 million doses globally.
The first shipments, planned for the coming days, will see nearly a million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine delivered to Burkina Faso, Djibouti, and Ethiopia.
In total, approximately 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be made available to 49 African countries in the coming weeks. The African Union/Africa CDC, AVAT, AFreximbank, COVAX and the US Government have collaborated fully in this process and will continue to support countries’ access to COVID-19 vaccines and readiness for delivery…
::::::
Gavi signs agreements with Sinopharm and Sinovac for immediate supply to COVAX
The signed advance purchase agreements will make doses available to COVAX starting from July to help address immediate and critical gaps in supply
Addition of the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines, which have already been granted WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL), further diversifies the Gavi-managed COVAX Facility portfolio, which now includes 11 vaccines and vaccine candidates
Gavi CEO Seth Berkley: “I welcome today’s agreements, which will make doses immediately available to COVAX participants.”
Geneva, 12 July 2021 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance announced today that it had signed advance purchase agreements (APAs) with Sinopharm for its “BBIBP-CorV” inactivated virus vaccine against COVID-19 as well as with Sinovac for its inactivated virus vaccine against COVID-19, “CoronaVac”. The agreements, which come at a time when the Delta variant is posing a rising risk to health systems, will begin to make 110 million doses immediately available to participants of the COVAX Facility, with options for additional doses.
The Sinopharm APA enables Q3 supply, with Gavi committing to purchase, on behalf of the COVAX Facility, 60 million doses that will be made available from July through October 2021. In addition, Gavi has the option to purchase a further 60 million doses in Q4 2021 and 50 million more doses in the first half of 2022, if necessary. This equates to a potential total of 170 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine that could be made available to self-financing participants of the Facility as well as participants supported by the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).
The Sinovac APA also enables Q3 supply, with Gavi committing to purchase, on behalf of the COVAX Facility, 50 million doses to be made available from July through September 2021. In addition, Gavi has the option to purchase a further 150 million doses in Q4 2021 and 180 million more doses in the first half of 2022. In total, up to 380 million potential doses of the Sinovac vaccine could be available to both self-financing participants of the Facility as well as those supported by the Gavi COVAX AMC.
“I welcome today’s agreements with Sinopharm and Sinovac, which will make doses immediately available to COVAX participants,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi. “This is yet another example of Gavi’s active portfolio management strategy, ensuring the Facility has options in the face of constraints such as supply delays. Thanks to this deal, and because these vaccines have already received WHO Emergency Use Listing, we can move to start supplying doses to countries immediately.”
Gavi and COVAX partners will now move quickly to ensure all the critical elements required before doses can be shipped – including official allocation by the Facility, UNICEF and PAHO procurement agreements, among others – are in place…
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
WHO SAGE Roadmap For Prioritizing Uses Of COVID-19 Vaccines In The Context Of Limited Supply
An approach to inform planning and subsequent recommendations based upon epidemiologic setting and vaccine supply scenarios
16 July 2021
Overview
Given the urgency and wide-ranging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, SAGE has developed an approach to help inform deliberation around the range of recommendations that may be appropriate under different epidemiologic and vaccine supply conditions. To assist in developing recommendations for use of vaccines against COVID-19, SAGE proposes a Roadmap for Prioritizing Uses of COVID-19 Vaccines that considers priority populations for vaccination based on epidemiologic setting and vaccine supply scenarios. This Roadmap builds on the WHO SAGE values framework for the allocation and prioritization of COVID-19 vaccination.
(New version from 16 July 2021). https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1357250/retrieve
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Carrying Equity in COVID-19 Vaccination Forward: Guidance Informed by Communities of Color
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Authors: Brunson EK, Schoch-Spana M, Carnes M, Hosangadi D, Long R, Ravi S, Taylor M, Trotochaud M, Veenema TG, on behalf of the CommuniVax Coalition
Date posted: July 14, 2021 :: 71 pages
View full report (PDF)
Introduction:
Seven months into the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States, nearly 50% of the American population has been vaccinated. While this is a monumental accomplishment, there is still much work to do.
In the coming months, the country will face a series of vaccination challenges including serving groups with persistently low vaccine uptake (due to, for example, low/no access, vaccine hesitancy, or a combination of factors), expanding COVID-19 vaccination to children (particularly those whose parents may be less willing to vaccinate their children than to get vaccinated themselves), and orchestrating a potential booster dose campaign (with its own hesitancy issues). As the COVID-19 vaccination campaign continues, lessons from the vaccine rollout to date can help provide direction moving forward.
One challenge that deserves closer attention and more refined solutions is the campaign’s limited success at delivering vaccines to low-income persons and communities of color. During the pandemic, these populations have experienced significant physical, financial, and psychological harms at a disproportionate rate. The continued emergence and spread of new SARS-CoV-2 virus variants and the resumption of routine social, commercial, and educational activities across the country amplify the risks that COVID-19 poses to these groups.
This report provides specific guidance on adapting COVID-19 vaccination efforts to achieve greater vaccine coverage in underserved populations and, through this, to develop sustainable, locally appropriate mechanisms to advance equity in health.
In the first half of the report, we outline findings from local, ethnographic research conducted within Black and Hispanic/Latino communities in Alabama, California, Idaho, Maryland, and Virginia. Since January, local research teams have been assessing community infrastructure; listening to community members, public health officials, and government leaders; and coordinating engagement activities to understand how best to promote awareness of, access to, and acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines. In the second half of this report, we present the policy and practice implications of the local research. The Working Group on Equity in COVID-19 Vaccination—an advisory body of community advocates, public health experts, and social scientists—developed the recommendations, eliciting local team feedback.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
COVID
Editor’s Note:
As is obvious to all, the sheer volume of strategic announcements, regulatory actions, country program decisions, commentary, and, indeed, misinformation around COVID response continues at extraordinary levels. Our weekly digest strives to present a coherent and comprehensive snapshot, but cannot be exhaustive, If you recognize a missed strategic development, a new source of rigorous analysis, or an insight/commentary that would benefit our common understanding, please advise me…we will review all suggestions and consider for inclusion in a subsequent edition: david.r.curry@ge2p2global.org
We are seeking access to modelling which engages scenarios and articulates imperatives around a pandemic end-game through at least a 2025 horizon. We assess that WHO must be conducting or contracting for such modeling – or should recognize an imperative to be doing so in its global health governance role. If we have missed such modeling in progress, we would be delighted to be advised of it and will include it in our coverage.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
COVID Vaccines – OCHA:: HDX
COVID-19 Data Explorer: Global Humanitarian Operations
COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out
Jul 17, 2021 | COVAX (WHO,GAVI,CEPI), UNDESA, Press Reports | DATA
Global COVID-19 Figures: 189M total confirmed cases; 4.1M total confirmed deaths
Global vaccines administered: 3.58B
Number of Countries: 26 [26]
COVAX First Allocations (Number of Doses): 73M [73M]
COVAX Delivered (Number of Doses): 22M [22M]
Other Delivered (Number of Doses): 52M [51M]
Total Delivered (Number of Doses): 75M [73M]
Total Administered (Number of Doses): 70M [61M]
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Coronavirus [COVID-19] – WHO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
Last update: 2 Jul 2021
Confirmed cases :: 188 655 968 [week ago: 185 291 530]
Confirmed deaths :: 4 067 517 [week ago 4 010 834]
Vaccine doses administered: 3 402 275 866 [week ago: 3 078 787 056
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16 July 2021 Speech
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the first meeting of the working group on strengthening WHO preparedness and response to health emergencies
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 15 July 2021
15 July 2021
I would especially like to express my concern and condolences over the floods that are currently affecting Germany. I offer my deep condolences to those who have lost someone they love, and my sincere hopes that those who are missing will be found soon.
Since 2020, Germany contributed close to 750 million US dollars to WHO, including more than 500 million dollars to support the COVID-19 response. Germany was also one of the main drivers behind the formation of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator last year, and we are very grateful for the further contribution of 260 million euros and 30 million vaccine doses that Minister Spahn has just announced. We will be signing the agreement under the WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response plan after today’s press conference.
As you know, the WHO Emergency Committee met yesterday and will publish its statement shortly. The Committee has expressed concern that the pandemic is being mischaracterized as coming to an end when it is nowhere near finished. It has also warned about the strong likelihood for the emergence and global spread of new and possibly more dangerous variants of concern that may be even more challenging to control.
The Committee also expressed deep concern about the level of funding for WHO’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19, which constrains WHO’s ability to coordinate the global response to the pandemic, particularly in terms of having the flexibility we need to move at the speed this virus moves. And the committee has called on all countries to support WHO’s call to vaccinate at least 10% of the population of every country by the end of September.
::::::
Statement on the eighth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
15 July 2021
…The Committee discussed key themes including:
global inequitable access to COVID-19 vaccines which is compounded by use of the available vaccines beyond SAGE recommended priority populations and the administration of booster doses while many countries do not have sufficient access to initial doses;
the need for technology transfer to enhance global vaccination production capacity,
the importance of adapting PHSM to epidemiological and socio-economic contexts and to diverse types of gatherings,
challenges posed by the lack of harmonization in documentation requirements for vaccination and recovery status for international travel,
threats posed by current and future SARS CoV-2 variants of concern, and
efforts made by some States Parties to apply a risk-management approach to religious or sports-based mass gathering events.
…The Committee unanimously agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic still constitutes an extraordinary event that continues to adversely affect the health of populations around the world, poses a risk of international spread and interference with international traffic, and requires a coordinated international response. As such, the Committee concurred that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and offered the following advice to the Director-General.
The Director-General determined that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a PHEIC. He accepted the advice of the Committee to WHO and issued the Committee’s advice to States Parties as Temporary Recommendations under the IHR…
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Weekly operational update on COVID-19 – 12 July 2021
Overview
n this edition of the COVID-19 Weekly Operational Update, highlights of country-level actions and WHO support to countries include:
Scaling up COVID-19 vaccination in Africa
Supporting Malaysia’s COVID-19 response and emergency preparedness
Enhancing COVID-19 testing – an investment in health
Biosafety and biosecurity training in Uzbekistan
Renovation of biosafety laboratories: enabling advancements in Thailand
Donating portable pulse oximeters to Belize
2020 Progress Report of the Incident Management Support Team for COVID-19 in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region
Using OpenWHO to disseminate pandemic biosafety learning materials in Angola
Preparing cities for health emergencies from all-hazards risks and WHO Partners Platform teaming up with ECHO to support the scale up and roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine doses
Progress on a subset of indicators from the SPRP 2021 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
Updates on WHO’s financing to support countries in SPRP 2021 implementation and provision of critical supplies.
Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 13 July 2021
Overview
Globally, in the past week the number of new cases and deaths both increased when compared to the previous week. Nearly 3 million new cases of COVID-19 were reported globally and with just under 56 000 new deaths in the past week; cumulative deaths have now surpassed 4 million. All Regions apart from the Region of the Americas reported increases in new cases in the past week and the largest increase in new deaths was observed in the African Region.
In this edition, two special focuses are provided:
A synopsis of the latest WHO COVID-19 Rapid Risk Assessment, which aims to review the current status of global public health risks associated with the pandemic through an in-depth hazard, exposure and context assessment.
A short update on the geographical distribution of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 26 June 2021
For 22 vaccine candidates, presents Manufacturer, Name of Vaccine, NRA of Record, Platform, EOI Accepted Status, Pre-submission Meeting Held Status, Dossier Accepted for Review, Status of Assessment; Anticipated/Completed Decision Date
[Update posted 15 July 2021; click on the link above for full scale view]
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
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]
CanSinoBIO
News – No new digest announcements identified
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
Janssen/JNJ
Press Releases
Jul 149, 2021 United States
Johnson & Johnson Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine Demonstrated a Durable Immune Response and Elicited Dual Mechanisms of Protection Against Delta and Other SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Data Published in New England Journal of Medicine
Jul 12, 2021 United States
Johnson & Johnson Statement on COVID-19 Vaccine (7/12) [Guillain-Barré syndrome]
Moderna
Press Releases
July 12, 2021
Moderna Announces Supply Agreement with Argentina for 20 Million Doses of its COVID-19 Vaccine
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jul. 12, 2021– Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced a supply agreement with the government of Argentina for 20 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine or its updated variant booster vaccine candidate, if authorized, to begin delivery in the first quarter of 2022…
Novavax
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified
Pfizer
Recent Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified
Sanofi Pasteur
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified :
July 10 2021 Press releases
MenQuadfi® demonstrates superior immune response against serogroup C meningococcal disease in toddlers
Serum Institute of India
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS – No corporate announcements identified
[Last media release still posted is dated February 15, 2021; media release of April 21, 2021 apparently removed]
See production agreement for Sputnik vaccine below
Sinopharm/WIBPBIBP
News – No new digest announcements identified
Sinovac
Press Releases
SINOVAC Enters Into Agreement to Supply CoronaVac® to COVAX
BEIJING, China, July 12, 2021 — SINOVAC Biotech Ltd. (NASDAQ: SVA) (“Sinovac” or the “Company”), a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today that it had signed an advance purchase agreement (APA) with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi Alliance), which is on behalf of COVAX Facility, to provide up to 380 million doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac®for distribution under COVAX Facility.
According to the APA, SINOVAC will supply 50 million doses of CoronaVac® by the end of September of 2021. In addition, Gavi has the option to purchase an additional 150 million doses in the fourth quarter of 2021 and 180 million more doses in the first half of 2022. In total, up to 380 million doses of CoronaVac® will be available to both self-financing participants of the Facility as well as those supported by the Gavi COVAX AMC…
Mr. Weidong Yin, Chairman, President, and CEO of SINOVAC said, “Our mission at Sinovac is to supply vaccines in an effort to eliminate human disease. We appreciate the efforts from international organizations, including WHO and COVAX partners, to accelerate the efforts of disease prevention. Sinovac has delivered over one billion doses globally as of the end of June 2021with the aim of contributing to the accessibility and affordability of Covid-19 vaccines during this pandemic. Further, safety and regular transportation and storage condition of inactivated vaccine supports easy access to the vaccine in every corner on the globe.”..
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 – No new digest announcements identified
SK Biosciences
Press releases – No new digest announcements identified
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
UNICEF COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard :: Agreements Table Accessed 17 Jul 2021
An overview of information collected from publicly announced bilateral and multilateral supply agreements [Agreements view since last week’s edition]
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
World Bank Vaccine Operations Portal
https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/news/coronavirus-covid19/world-bank-support-for-country-access-to-covid-19-vaccines
Countries receiving World Bank support for vaccines
As of July 1, 2021
This list of countries, project documents, and procurement
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Duke – Launch and Scale Speedometer
TRACKING COVID-19 VACCINE PURCHASES ACROSS THE GLOBE
[accessed 17 July 2021]
No new data encountered.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Our World in Data
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations
26.1% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
3.61 billion doses have been administered globally, and 30.46 million are now administered each day.
Only 1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
U.S.: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment
Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee
:: No meetings scheduled
::::::
White House [U.S.]
Briefing Room – Selected Major COVID Announcements
Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
July 16, 2021 • Press Briefings
Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Vaccine Mobilization Event
July 12, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks
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Joint CDC and FDA Statement on Vaccine Boosters
July 08,2021
The United States is fortunate to have highly effective vaccines that are widely available for those aged 12 and up. People who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country such as Delta. People who are not vaccinated remain at risk. Virtually all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are among those who are unvaccinated. We encourage Americans who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves and their community.
Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time. FDA, CDC, and NIH are engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary. This process takes into account laboratory data, clinical trial data, and cohort data – which can include data from specific pharmaceutical companies, but does not rely on those data exclusively.
We continue to review any new data as it becomes available and will keep the public informed. We are prepared for booster doses if and when the science demonstrates that they are needed.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Europe: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment
European Medicines Agency
News & Press Releases
News: International regulators work towards alignment on development and authorisation of second-generation COVID-19 vaccines (new)
Last updated: 16/07/2021
Regulatory convergence is critical for expediting and streamlining global development and authorisation of new or modified COVID-19 vaccines to address emerging coronavirus variants. The important role of regulatory alignment is described in the summary of the second workshop on COVID-19 vaccine development and virus variants, organised under the umbrella of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA), which has been published today.
COVID-19 variants have been emerging since March 2020, steadily spreading already before the start of the vaccination campaigns in Europe and abroad. In light of continued mutations and new variants emerging globally, medicines regulators from around the globe have stressed the urgent public health priority to streamline regulatory processes and requirements for the development of new and adaptations of already-approved vaccines to protect against current or future strains.
Workshop participants discussed key regulatory considerations related to the development of second-generation COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses. In particular, they exchanged views on the use of immunobridging (i.e. an approach to infer the likelihood of a vaccine’s protective effect) in the assessment of second-generation COVID-19 vaccines, the design and use of controlled clinical trials (placebo or other controls), and correlates of immunity (i.e. levels of a specific immune marker that indicates optimal protection has been achieved) for vaccines against COVID-19. They also highlighted challenges and issues, such as authorisation of second-generation vaccines and alternative approaches to demonstrate vaccine efficacy, where alignment between regulators is needed to respond to the emerging COVID-19 virus variants. The virtual workshop took place on 24 June 2021
News: EMA and ECDC update on COVID-19 (new)
Last updated: 14/07/2021
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European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
Latest Updates
SARS-CoV-2 resurgence in EU and EEA related to relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions and increasing spread of Delta variant
News story
16 Jul 2021
There has been a 64.3% increase of weekly COVID-19 cases compared to last week, according to ECDC’s epidemic intelligence and TESSy data reported by EU and EEA countries, as of 15 July 2021.
EMA and ECDC update on COVID-19
News story
14 Jul 2021
Complete vaccination courses vital for maximum protection.
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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
Press release 16 July 2021
European Green Deal: Commission proposes new strategy to protect and restore EU forests
Today, the European Commission adopted the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030, a flagship initiative of the European Green Deal that builds on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
Press release 15 July 2021
EU founding values: Commission starts legal action against Hungary and Poland for violations of fundamental rights of LGBTIQ people
Equality and the respect for dignity and human rights are core values of the EU, enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union. The Commission will use all the instruments at its disposal to defend these values.
Press release 15 July 2021
Coronavirus: Over 3 million vaccines doses shared via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism
Following new offers of assistance from EU Member States to countries in need, the Commission has so far supported the sharing of over 3 million COVID-19 vaccines with countries outside of the EU through the European Civil Protection Mechanism…
Currently the EU is supporting the delivery of the following offers via the European Civil Protection Mechanism:
Albania: 250 000 doses from Denmark and 30 000 from Latvia;
Bhutan: 129 000 vaccine doses from Denmark and 10 000 doses from Croatia;
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 250 000 doses from Denmark;
Kosovo: 250 000 doses from Denmark;
North Macedonia: 250 000 doses from Denmark;
Taiwan: 10 000 doses from Slovakia;
Tunisia: 50 400 doses from Latvia;
Ukraine: 500 000 doses from Denmark and 100 800 doses from Romania;
The following offers have already been delivered via the European Civil Protection Mechanism:
Albania: 100 000 doses shared by Greece;
Bhutan: 121 900 vaccine doses delivered from Denmark;
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 120 000 doses delivered from Greece;
Cabo Verde: 150 150 doses shared by the Netherlands;
Kosovo: 182 900 vaccines doses delivered from Norway;
Moldova: 405 600 vaccine doses shared by Romania;
North Macedonia: 100 000 doses delivered from Greece;
Serbia: 50 400 doses shared by Romania;
Suriname: 156 000 doses shared by the Netherlands;
Press release 15 July 2021
Commission refers HUNGARY to the Court of Justice of the European Union for unlawfully restricting access to the asylum procedure
Today the Commission has decided to refer Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union for unlawfully restricting access to the asylum procedure in breach of Article 6 of the Asylum Procedures Directive (Directive 2013/32/EU).
Press release 12 July 2021
Humanitarian aid: EU mobilises €22 million to support most vulnerable in Iran and Pakistan
Today the Commission has announced renewed support for those most in need in Iran and Pakistan with €22 million in humanitarian aid.
Press release 10 July 2021
Taxation: Historic global agreement to ensure fairer taxation of multinational enterprises
The European Commission welcomes the historic global agreement endorsed by G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors today, which will bring fairness and stability to the international corporate tax framework.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Africa: COVID-19 – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment
::::::
Full scale, interactive dashboard available at: https://africacdc.org/covid-19-vaccination/
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
Russia: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment
Russia: Sputnik V – “the first registered COVID-19 vaccine”
https://sputnikvaccine.com/newsroom/pressreleases/
Press Releases
Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus authorized in Nigeria
Press release, 15.07.2021
Single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine registered in Kazakhstan
Press release, 15.07.2021
RDIF and Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, to start production of Sputnik vaccine at Company’s facilities in September
Press release, 13.07.2021
Technology transfer process has already started; cultivation process has begun following the approval by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
The parties intend to produce over 300 million doses of the vaccine in India per year with the first batch expected in September 2021.
Moscow, July 13, 2021 – The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund), and Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, today announced cooperation to produce the Russian Sputnik vaccine against coronavirus.
SII is the world’s largest company in terms of COVID vaccines production with over 500 million doses manufactured. Through several strategic associations, SII has been front running India’s fight against the pandemic. In addition to developing its own vaccine, it is currently manufacturing Covishield (developed by AstraZeneca-Oxford), Covovax (by Novavax) and conducting trials of Codagenix in UK.
The first batch of Sputnik vaccine is expected to be produced at SII’s facilities in September. The parties intend to produce over 300 million doses of the vaccine in India per year…
Sputnik V vaccine effective against new variants of coronavirus, the Gamaleya Center study published in Vaccines leading international journal, shows
Press release, 12.07.2021
Sputnik V vaccine elicits high IGG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies titers, a study in Argentina published in international Cell Reports Medicine journal shows
Press release, 12.07.2021
Sputnik V vaccine demonstrates strong safety profile during vaccination campaign in San Marino
Press release, 11.07.2021
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
India: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/
Government of India – Press Information Bureau
Latest Press Releases
No new digest content identified.
Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR)
https://www.icmr.gov.in/media.html
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.
Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research
China: COVID-19 Vaccines – Announcements/Regulatory Actions/Deployment
China provides 500m COVID-19 vaccine doses to intl community
2021-07-12
BEIJING — China has provided more than 100 countries and international organizations with 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and concentrates, accounting for one-sixth of the current global COVID-19 vaccine production, a Foreign Ministry official told Xinhua on July 9.
Guo Xuejun, deputy director-general of the department of international economic affairs at the Foreign Ministry, said during an interview with Xinhua that China has also actively supported other developing countries in producing vaccines to expand the global vaccine capacity.
China has always accommodated domestic and foreign needs for COVID-19 vaccines, said Guo, adding that China opposes vaccine nationalism.
With the help of the Chinese government, Chinese vaccine enterprises have carried out joint vaccine production in countries including the UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Brazil, Turkey, Pakistan and Mexico, with production exceeding 200 million doses, Guo said.
Among the 140 countries that have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, 84 countries have proposed introducing Chinese vaccines in the first half of this year, said Guo, adding that China has made a positive response to all these countries and provided vaccines…
Emergencies
POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 14 July 2021
Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
:: Nigeria: one cVDPV2 case and two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Senegal: two cVDPV2 cases and two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Sierra Leone: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Somalia: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Tajikistan: one cVDPV2 case
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WHO/OCHA Emergencies
Editor’s Note:
WHO has apparently reorganized and fundamentally shifted how it judges and tracks “emergencies”. We found no announcement of descriptive information to share and present the webpage structure as encountered below. Obviously, the dates associated with some of these emergencies suggest that this is an archival platform as well as a current emergencies resource.
Health emergencies list – WHO
“The health emergencies list details the disease outbreaks, disasters and humanitarian crises where WHO plays an essential role in supporting countries to respond to and recover from emergencies with public health consequences.”
Crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia
:: Ethiopia – Tigray Region Humanitarian Update Situation Report Last updated: 9 Jul 2021
Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2021
[Last apparent update: 3 May 2021]
Ebola outbreak outbreak, N’Zerekore, Guinea, 2021 [Last apparent update: 3 May 2021]
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic [Last apparent update 16 July 2021; See COVID above]
Ebola outbreak, Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2020 [Last apparent update: 1 June 2021]
Ebola outbreak, North Kivu, Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018 – 2020 [Last apparent update: 3 May 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 [Last apparent update: 9 May 2018]
Ebola outbreak, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2017 [Last apparent update: 3 May 2021]
Zika virus disease outbreak, 2015-2016 [Last apparent update: 24 Jan 2020]
Ebola outbreak: West Africa, 2014-2016 [Last apparent update: 3 May 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: 21 May 2021]
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) outbreak [Last apparent update: 8 July 2019]
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, 2009-2010 pandemic [Last apparent update: 10 Aug 2010]
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UN OCHA – Current Emergencies
Current Corporate Emergencies
Northern Ethiopia
[No new digest content identified]
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CDC/ACIP [U.S.] [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases, Announcements
MMWR News Synopsis Friday, July 16, 2021
:: COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Insured Persons Aged ≥16 Years, by Race/Ethnicity and Other Selected Characteristics — Eight Integrated Health Care Organizations, United States, December 14, 2020–May 15, 2021
:: COVID-19 Vaccine Administration, by Race and Ethnicity — North Carolina, December 14, 2020–April 6, 2021
:: Acceptability of Adolescent COVID-19 Vaccination Among Adolescents and Parents of Adolescents — United States, April 15–23, 2021 (Early Release July 9, 2021)
:: SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant COVID-19 Outbreak Associated with a Gymnastics Facility — Oklahoma, April–May 2021 (Early Release July 9, 2021)
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)– CDC
Approximately 50 announcements/reports/data summaries.
Africa CDC [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
Press Releases
Statement on the remarkable progress made by several African countries as part of the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM)
13 July 2021
Press Releases
Wearing A Mask Still Matters: The World Rallies to Continue Masking to Stop the Spread of COVID-19
12 July 2021
China CDC http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/
National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
July 17: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On July 16, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 30 new cases of confirmed infections.
China provides 500m COVID-19 vaccine doses to intl community
2021-07-12
BEIJING — China has provided more than 100 countries and international organizations with 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and concentrates, accounting for one-sixth of the current global COVID-19 vaccine production, a Foreign Ministry official told Xinhua on July 9.
Guo Xuejun, deputy director-general of the department of international economic affairs at the Foreign Ministry, said during an interview with Xinhua that China has also actively supported other developing countries in producing vaccines to expand the global vaccine capacity.
China has always accommodated domestic and foreign needs for COVID-19 vaccines, said Guo, adding that China opposes vaccine nationalism.
With the help of the Chinese government, Chinese vaccine enterprises have carried out joint vaccine production in countries including the UAE, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Brazil, Turkey, Pakistan and Mexico, with production exceeding 200 million doses, Guo said.
Among the 140 countries that have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, 84 countries have proposed introducing Chinese vaccines in the first half of this year, said Guo, adding that China has made a positive response to all these countries and provided vaccines…
National Medical Products Administration – PRC [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://english.nmpa.gov.cn/news.html
News
Vaccination push extends to teenagers
2021-07-16
Some local governments in China are planning to administer COVID-19 vaccines to teenagers as the country pushes ahead with its mass immunization drive, with over 1.4 billion doses already administered.
The health commission in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region said on Tuesday that it will focus on vaccinating those aged 12 to 17 and the elderly in the second half of this year…
Over 1.4b doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in China
2021-07-15
Over 1.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China as of Tuesday, as the country continues to ramp up its inoculation drive, the National Health Commission said on July 14.
CCDC Weekly – Weekly Reports: Current Volume (3)
2021-07-16 / No. 29
PDF of this issue
Preplanned Studies: Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistant of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolated from Diarrheal Patients — Six PLADs, China, 2016−2020
Organization Announcements
Editor’s Note:
Careful readers will note that the number and range of organizations now monitored in our Announcements section below has grown as the impacts of the pandemic have spread across global economies, supply chains and programmatic activity of multilateral agencies and INGOs.
Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.
BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
News
No new digest content identified.
BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center
Press Releases and Statements
No new digest content identified.
Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 17 Jul 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 17 Jul 2021]
https://carb-x.org/
News
No new digest content identified.
Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy – GE2P2 Global Foundation [to 17 Jul 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 – July 2021 is now posted here
CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
CEPI launches COVAX Marketplace to match buyers and sellers of critical manufacturing supplies and speed up global access to COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX
15 Jul 2021
[See COVAX above for detail]
CIOMS – COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OF MEDICAL SCIENCES [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://cioms.ch/
News; Publications
No new digest content identified.
DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency [to 17 Jul 2021
https://www.darpa.mil/news
News
No new digest content identified.
Duke Global Health Innovation Center [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://dukeghic.org/
No new digest content identified.
EDCTP [to 17 Jul 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
16 July 2021
Biofabri and IAVI announce partnership to advance MTBVAC into efficacy trials
Biofabri and IAVI have announced their intention to partner on efficacy trials of the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate MTBVAC. This highly promising vaccine candidate has the potential to be used as an alternative to BCG vaccination in infants and for prevention of TB disease in adolescents and adults…
Emory Vaccine Center [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.
European Vaccine Initiative [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified
FDA [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
July 16, 2021 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: July 16, 2021
Today, as Pfizer has announcedExternal Link Disclaimer, the FDA has formally accepted the company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) requesting licensure (approval) of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older and has granted the application priority review. Currently, the vaccine is authorized for emergency use to prevent COVID-19 in individuals ages 12 and older. The Prescription Drug User Fee (PDUFA) Goal Date of January 2022 reflects the PDUFA deadline for Priority Review and does not mean approval will not happen before that time. Quite to the contrary, the review of this BLA has been ongoing, is among the highest priorities of the agency, and the agency intends to complete the review far in advance of the PDUFA Goal Date.
July 13, 2021 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: July 13, 2021
Today, the FDA is announcing revisions to the vaccine recipient and vaccination provider fact sheets for the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine to include information pertaining to an observed increased risk of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) following vaccination.
Fondation Merieux [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
Announcement
IRD and the Mérieux Foundation renew their agreement and strengthen their cooperation on healthcare and research relating to infectious diseases
July 7, 2021, Global
Gavi [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.gavi.org/
News Releases
16 July 2021
US-donated vaccine deliveries to Africa set to begin, with first deliveries planned to Burkina Faso, Djibouti, and Ethiopia
[See COVAX above for detail]
12 July 2021
Gavi signs agreements with Sinopharm and Sinovac for immediate supply to COVAX
[See COVAX above for detail]
GHIT Fund [to 17 Jul 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
July 15, 2021
GHIT Fund Announces New Investment: 97.4 Million Yen to Identify Novel Dual-Acting Bactericidal Drug Targets Against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Global Fund [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
News
Global Fund Applauds Switzerland’s Leadership in The Global Fight Against COVID-19
14 July 2021
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria praised the decision by the Swiss Federal Council to make available CHF300 million to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator – a ground-breaking global collaboration of leading public health agencies to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines, while strengthening health systems. This new commitment follows an earlier announcement made in 2020 by the Swiss Federal Council of a CHF400 million contribution.
Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness [GloPID-R] [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.glopid-r.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.
Hilleman Laboratories [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
Website reports “under maintenance” at inquiry
Human Vaccines Project [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/
News
News webpage not responding at inquiry
IAVI [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
Latest News
PRESS RELEASES
Spanish pharmaceutical company Zendal and IAVI partner to advance the tuberculosis vaccine candidate MTBVAC into efficacy trials
TB kills 1.4 million people a year, an infectious disease toll only recently surpassed by COVID-19.
COVID-19 has reversed years of progress in TB response, costing additional lives and adding to the urgency of the global TB problem.
MTBVAC is a highly promising vaccine candidate that has the potential to be used as an alternative to BCG vaccination in infants and for prevention of TB disease in adolescents and adults.
PORRIÑO, SPAIN, and NEW YORK, U.S. — JULY 14, 2021 — Spanish biopharmaceutical company Biofabri and IAVI today announced their intention to partner on efficacy trials of the tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate MTBVAC.
was in-licensed and is being manufactured and developed by Biofabri, a subsidiary of the Zendal Group, in collaboration with University of Zaragoza, IAVI, and Europe-based Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI)…
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 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new
Selected News Releases, Statements, Reports
Humanitarian space – or spaces – must be protected, without exception
Written statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross to the UN Security Council Briefing: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: Preserving Humanitarian Space.
16-07-2021 | Statement
Ethiopia: Communities in Tigray hit hard by growing food and fuel prices
ICRC operational updated following the ongoing crisis that began with fighting nine months ago in the Tigray region.
15-07-2021 | News release
The World Bank, ICRC and UNICEF launch a report on joining forces in humanitarian and development collaboration to improve responses to protracted crises
Water and sanitation are priorities in both humanitarian and development work, but evidence shows that a lack of collaboration in conflict and violence-affected contexts between humanitarian and development support agencies is increasing costs, reduc
09-07-2021 | News release
International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
News
No new digest content identified.
IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/
Press Releases/Announcements
COVAX begins vaccine rollout amid global supply challenges
09 Jul 2021
Camel riders traverse Northern Kenya to spread the word about COVID-19 vaccines. Planes bearing half a million vaccines touch down in Manila. Mongolian villagers gather in a health centre waiting room in Batsumber. Around the world, millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines have begun arriving through the COVAX Facility in the largest and most rapid g…
Monique Barbut, Hassatou N’Sele and Ingrid van Wees to join IFFIm Board of Directors
01 Jul 2021
New Board members bring diverse backgrounds in global development and finance
London, 1 July 2021 – IFFIm, the International Finance Facility for Immunisation, has appointed three new global development and finance executives to its Board of Directors. Monique Barbut, President of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) France, Hassatou Diop N’Sele, Treasurer…
IFRC [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
IFRC warns only way to win race against variants is to boost vaccinations and protection measures
eneva, 16 July 2021 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warns that the global vaccination rate must increase rapidly and protection measures upheld, if we are to win the race against more transmissible, and potentially more deadly, variants.
At least three quarters of people in most countries want to be vaccinated worldwide, in the face of emerging new variants, according to new survey data.1 However, despite lofty rhetoric about global solidarity, there is a deadly gap in the global plan to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines. Only around a quarter of the world’s population have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This number drops dramatically in low-income countries, where only 1% of people have received one dose.2 And some countries are yet to start mass vaccination campaigns.
Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the IFRC, said: “To world leaders we say, it is time to pull out all the stops to boost vaccine production. This includes a temporary waiver on intellectual property, as well as the sharing of knowledge and technology between countries. Vaccine equity is key to reducing the likelihood of variants and saving lives by limiting the spread of the virus. This is the only way we can truly end this pandemic.
“The IFRC is already playing its part to get vaccines into the arms of the most vulnerable, but in some countries, vaccination campaigns have hardly started. Our data shows that people want to be vaccinated, but production and vaccine dose sharing needs to happen much faster if we want vaccination to outpace the variants.”…
Asia Pacific, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
South East Asia: COVID-19 vaccine divide widens as Delta surges
Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta/Geneva, 13 July 2021: A deadly wave of COVID-19 fuelled by the Delta variant is crashing into South East Asia as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warns of a widening global vaccine divide. Countr …
13 July 2021
Institut Pasteur [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.pasteur.fr/en/press-area
Press Documents
No new digest content identified.
IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases
News
IOM Provides Over 1,300 Migrants with Emergency Shelter and Assistance on the Canary Islands
2021-07-16 10:45
Madrid – As more migrants arrive in the Canary Islands, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has provided shelter, protection services, medical, legal and other types of assistance to 1,361 migrants on Tenerife.
IOM Ethiopia Appeals for USD 40 Million to Assist Additional 1.6 Million People in Northern Ethiopia
2021-07-16 10:45
Addis Ababa – Nearly two million people affected by the crisis in northern Ethiopia desperately need life-saving assistance, including water, medicine and shelter, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said today as it issued an urgent appeal for USD 40 million to…
Deaths on Maritime Migration Routes to Europe Soar in First Half of 2021: IOM Brief
2021-07-13 23:54
Berlin – At least 1,146 people died attempting to reach Europe by sea in the first six months of 2021 according to a new briefing released today by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Dominican Republic and IOM Help Clear Hurdles for 100,000 Venezuelan Migrants
2021-07-13 13:57
Santo Domingo – The first group of almost 100,000 Venezuelan migrants without legal status in the Dominican Republic have received visas allowing them to work, open bank accounts and join the social security system under the country’s Migration Normalization Plan.
IVAC [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates; Events
Webinar: Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy, Surveillance and COVID Vaccines
When: Jul 30, 2021 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time
Description: Join Dr. Peter Hotez for a 60-minute webinar hosted by the International Vaccine Access Center to discuss topics ranging from vaccine diplomacy, the antivaccine movement, safety surveillance, and a new COVID vaccine.
IVI [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News, Announcements, Events
IVI welcomes Bangladesh as state party with ratification ceremony
July 15, 2021 – SEOUL, South Korea – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) hosted a ceremony at headquarters today honoring the People’s Republic of Bangladesh’s ratification of the IVI Establishment Agreement. Over 20 years of vaccine research and capacity-building initiatives with partners in Bangladesh have led to significant achievements in global public health, including the domestic development and delivery of IVI’s oral cholera vaccine, and IVI officially welcomes Bangladesh as its 19th state party.
JEE Alliance [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/news/center-news/
Center News
Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Commends the Interacademy Partnership for Endorsing Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists
July 14, 2021
Wednesday, July 14, 2021 – Advances in the biological sciences bring about wellbeing for humanity, but the same advances could be misused, particularly for the development and proliferation of biological weapons.
Since January 2021, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security has worked with Tianjin University, the Interacademy Partnership, with support from the US Department of State and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists. The Codes of Conduct outline a set of guiding principles and standards of conduct for all involved in the biological sciences to guard against the misuse of biology and the development of biological weapons. The Tianjian Biosecurity Guidelines will help to prevent misuse of bioscience research without hindering beneficial outcomes, in accordance with the articles and norms of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and in advancement of progress towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
:: Read the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists.
New Report: Carrying Equity in COVID-19 Vaccination Forward: Guidance Informed by Communities of Color
July 14, 2021
MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
South Sudan
South Sudan: 10 years of independence, violence, disease and dire needs
Project Update 16 Jul 2021
Somalia
Increasing vaccination against measles in Lower Juba could prevent thousands of deaths
Project Update 14 Jul 2021
National Academy of Medicine – USA [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://nam.edu/programs/
Selected News/Programs
No new digest content identified.
National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
Upcoming Meetings/Latest Updates
No new digest content identified.
NIH [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
News Releases
NIH-funded study finds gene therapy may restore missing enzyme in rare disease
July 16, 2021 — Results provide hope for children with aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency.
PATH [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Press Releases
PATH and Quansys Biosciences launch Q-Plex™ Human Environmental Enteric Dysfunction Diagnostic (11-Plex) to accelerate EED interventions
Effective and affordable new research diagnostic tool can measure up to 11 key biomarkers of environmental enteric dysfunction with a single test
July 14, 2021
New partnership launched to accelerate elimination of relapsing P. vivax malaria that poses a risk to an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide
The Partnership for Vivax Elimination (PAVE) will support endemic countries in achieving their Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria elimination goals.PAVE will advance the development of quality-assured, child-friendly treatments for relapse prevention, and generate and consolidate evidence to support malaria-endemic countries in developing and implementing new strategies to eliminate P. vivax malaria.
July 14, 2021
Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.
UNAIDS [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
12 July 2021
UNAIDS saddened by the death of Geoff Makhubo, Executive Mayor of Johannesburg
UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/media-centre.htmlS
Selected News Releases, Announcements
Attacks by armed group displace 20,000 civilians in eastern DRC
16 Jul 2021
News comment: UNHCR latest update on deteriorating situation of Eritrean refugees in Tigray
This news comment is attributable to Ann Encontre, UNHCR Representative in Ethiopia
15 Jul 2021
UNHCR warns of imminent humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
13 Jul 2021
UNICEF [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Press Releases, News Notes, Statements [Selected]
Statement
07/15/2021
Syria: Up to 1 million people at risk due to severe interruptions to Alouk Water Station
Joint statement by United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Imran Riza, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Muhannad Hadi and UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ted Chaiban
Press release
07/15/2021
COVID-19 pandemic leads to major backsliding on childhood vaccinations, new WHO, UNICEF data shows
23 million children missed out on basic childhood vaccines through routine health services in 2020, the highest number since 2009 and 3.7 million more than in 2019
[See COVID above for detail]
Statement
07/14/2021
Statement on the arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines in Haiti
Statement by Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean
Press release
07/14/2021
Nearly 40 per cent of young people on the move identify education and training as top priorities, according to new UNICEF poll
Press release
07/13/2021
1 in 3 countries are not taking action to help students catch up on their learning post-COVID-19 school closures
A new UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank and OECD report documents education responses to COVID-19 in 142 countries
Statement
07/13/2021
Message from UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore to staff
News note
07/12/2021
UNICEF signs supply agreement for Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine
[See COVID above for detail]
Remarks
07/12/2021
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore’s remarks at the launch of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report 2021
Press release
07/12/2021
UN report: Pandemic year marked by spike in world hunger
Africa posting biggest jump. World at critical juncture, must act now for 2030 turnaround
Unitaid [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
15 July 2021
FIND and Unitaid invest to support technology transfer and boost local production of COVID-19 rapid tests in low- and middle-income countries
Technology transfer agreements signed to enable expanded production of high-quality antigen rapid tests in Africa and Latin America
Agreements signed with DCN Dx to transfer know-how to WAMA Diagnóstica (Brazil), and Bionote and Mologic to transfer know-how to DIATROPIX of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (Senegal)
Separate partnership between Viatris (South Africa) and Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech (China) supported to enable commercialization and distribution of high-quality Ag RDTs in low- and middle-income countries
Agreements follow open call launched last year by FIND and Unitaid on behalf of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, to drive equitable access to rapid tests for COVID-19
14 July 2021
New Partnership launched to accelerate elimination of relapsing P. vivax malaria that poses a risk to an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide
The Partnership for Vivax Elimination (PAVE) will support endemic countries in achieving their Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria elimination goals.
PAVE will advance the development of quality-assured, child-friendly treatments for relapse prevention, and generate and consolidate evidence to support malaria-endemic countries in developing and implementing new strategies to eliminate P. vivax malaria.
Vaccine Equity Initiative [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://vaccineequitycooperative.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.
Vaccination Acceptance & Demand Initiative [Sabin) [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.vaccineacceptance.org/
Announcements
No new digest content identified.
Vaccine Confidence Project [to 17 Jul 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 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
News
No new digest content identified.
Wellcome Trust [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News and reports
No new digest content identified.
The Wistar Institute [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.
WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.
World Bank [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
Selected News, Announcements
African Heads of State Call for an Ambitious Replenishment of the IDA20 to Support Their Recovery Agenda
ABIDJAN, July 15, 2021 – Thirteen African Heads of State and governments concluded their one-day meeting in Abidjan today with a strong resolution to accelerate economic…
Date: July 15, 2021 Type: Press Release
Statement July 15, 2021
Abidjan’s Declaration
Following the Meeting of Heads of State and Government of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania and Togo to Support A Twentieth (20th) Ambitious Replenishment of the Resources of the International Development Association (IDA20)
Food Security and COVID-19
July 16, 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: July 14, 2021 Type: Brief
Africa’s Scientific Solutions and Innovation in the Fight Against COVID-19
Challenge Increased productivity, economic diversification, and structural reforms across Africa will require the strategic production and retention of many highly skilled and employable graduates, particularly…
Date: July 14, 2021 Type: Result Brief
1 in 3 countries are not taking action to help students catch up on their learning post-COVID-19 school closures
A new UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank and OECD Report documents education responses to COVID-19 in 142 countries
Date: July 13, 2021 Type: Press Release
Remarks by World Bank Group President David Malpass at the G20 Session on International Financial Architecture – Lead Intervention
VENICE, July 9, 2021 – Good afternoon. The recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will require huge resources and coordination among development partners. Early in the pandemic, the World Bank…
Date: July 09, 2021 Type: Speeches and Transcripts
World Customs Organization – WCO [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.wcoomd.org/
Latest News – Selected Items
14 July 2021
Joint Indicative List of Critical COVID-19 Vaccine Inputs issued by the joint effort of WCO/WTO and other organizations
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2021/
Press Releases, Statements
Bridging partnerships towards the global control of African swine fever
News
12 July 2021
In the context of the global initiative for the control of African swine fever (ASF) launched in 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have committed to create a forum of discussion between the public and the private sectors to discuss the latest findings and ways forward to control this deadly animal disease.
WTO – World Trade Organisation [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news_e.htm
WTO News and Events
WTO issues joint indicative list of critical inputs for COVID-19 vaccines
13 July 2021
The WTO Secretariat has published an indicative list compiling information on the critical inputs for the manufacturing, distributing and administering of COVID-19 vaccines. The list was jointly produced with the Asian Development Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Customs Organization, some COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, researchers Chad Bown and Chris Rogers, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and DHL.
WTO holds two-day workshop on SPS risk analysis
13 July 2021
The WTO held on 12-13 July a virtual Workshop on Risk Assessment, Risk Management and Risk Communication in relation to food safety, animal and plant health. With over 1,000 registered participants, the workshop brought together a variety of speakers from the public and private sector, academia, international standard-setting bodies and other international organizations for an in-depth discussion on all aspects of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) risk analysis.
ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 17 Jul 2021]
Press Releases – Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (alliancerm.org)
Selected Press Releases
No new digest content identified.
BIO [to 17 Jul 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 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.
ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://internationalbiotech.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.
IFPMA [to 17 Jul 2021]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
COVAX launches Marketplace to match buyers and sellers of critical manufacturing suppliers and speed up
15 July 2021 – IFPMA welcomes the launch of an innovative ‘marketplace’. The new Marketplace aims to accelerate the global production of COVID-19 vaccine doses for COVAX by matching suppliers of critical inputs with vaccine manufacturers who urgently need them to produce vaccines for fair and equitable distribution through COVAX. This initiative spearheaded by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is a key deliverable of the COVAX Manufacturing Task Force, which is co-led by COVAX and industry partners[1]…
International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations – IAPO [to 17 Jul 2021]
https://www.iapo.org.uk/news/topic/6
Press and media [Selected]
No new digest content identified.
PhRMA [to 17 Jul 202
http://www.phrma.org/
Latest News [Selected]
Promoting global vaccine equity while protecting innovation
July 15, 2021
The transformative promise of COVID-19 vaccines only extends as far as patients’ ability to access them. Equitable distribution worldwide is critical. Despite significant cross-sector and multi-stakeholder efforts like COVAX, we are still seeing vaccine access and distribution challenges across many regions of the world due to complex barriers.
Blog Post
Journal Watch
Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review continues its weekly scanning of key peer-reviewed journals to identify and cite articles, commentary and editorials, books reviews and other content supporting our focu-s on vaccine ethics and policy. Journal Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues the Center is actively tracking. We selectively provide full text of some editorial and comment articles that are specifically relevant to our work. Successful access to some of the links provided may require subscription or other access arrangement unique to the publisher.
If you would like to suggest other journal titles to include in this service, please contact David Curry at: david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org
AMA Journal of Ethics
Volume 23, Number 6: E435-504 June 2021
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/issue/transgenerational-trauma
Transgenerational Trauma
One thing that makes trauma transgenerational is narrative. Narrative, for example, is what makes a Confederate flag from 1865 flint for insurrection in 2021. Consequences of global and domestic insults, such as slavery and forced migration, have long ramified intergenerationally in communities, families, and individuals’ bodies. Legacies of trauma travel in stories across places and over time, and their effects include health status inequity and cumulative stress embodiment. Transmission of historically entrenched patterns of oppression also influence persons’ lived experiences of marginalization, convey health risk, and can play out during clinical encounters.
American Journal of Infection Control
July 2021 Volume 49 Issue 7 p857-972
http://www.ajicjournal.org/current
Major Articles
Social dynamics of a population-level dashboard for antimicrobial stewardship: A qualitative analysis
Peter Taber, Charlene Weir, Jorie M. Butler, … Matthew H. Samore, Matthew Bidwell Goetz, Peter A. Glassman
Published online: January 27, 2021
p862-867
American Journal of Infection Control
July 2021 Volume 49 Issue 7 p857-972
http://www.ajicjournal.org/current
Face masks to prevent transmission of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Yanni Li, Mingming Liang, Liang Gao,…Ce Cheng, Qin Zhou, Chenyu Sun
Published online: December 18, 2020
p900-906
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
July 2021 Volume 61 Issue 1 p1-148
http://www.ajpmonline.org/current
Research Articles
Higher-Valency Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines: An Exploratory Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in U.S. Seniors
Kenneth J. Smith, Angela R. Wateska, Mary Patricia Nowalk,…Lee H. Harrison, William Schaffner, Richard K. Zimmerman
Published online: April 29, 2021
p28-36
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
July 2021 Volume 61 Issue 1 p1-148
http://www.ajpmonline.org/current
Easing Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Hesitancy: A Communication Experiment With U.S. Parents
Parth D. Shah, William A. Calo, Melissa B. Gilkey,…Susan Alton Dailey, Karen G. Todd, Noel T. Brewer
Published online: May 08, 2021
p88-95
Published online: May 18, 2021
p105-114
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
July 2021 Volume 61 Issue 1 p1-148
http://www.ajpmonline.org/current
Timeliness of Early Childhood Vaccinations and Undervaccination Patterns in Montana
Sophia R. Newcomer, Rain E. Freeman, Bekki K. Wehner, Stacey L. Anderson, Matthew F. Daley
Published online: May 08, 2021
e21-e29
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 