Yearly Archives: 2021

Toward a fine-scale population health monitoring system

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Cell
Apr 15, 2021 Volume 184 Issue 8 p1941-2258
https://www.cell.com/cell/current

 

Featured Article
Toward a fine-scale population health monitoring system
Gillian M. Belbin, et al
Taking a quantitative approach to genetic ancestry in health systems furthers understanding of disease burdens specific to fine-scale populations and the environmental and demographic ties that can impact disease.

Antenatal care providers’ attitudes and beliefs towards maternal vaccination in Kenya

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Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 24 Apr 2021]

 

Research Article metrics
Revised
Antenatal care providers’ attitudes and beliefs towards maternal vaccination in Kenya [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 1 not approved]
Subhash Chander, Ines Gonzalez-Casanova, Sandra S. Chaves, Nancy A. Otieno, Marc-Alain Widdowson, Jennifer Verani, Paula Frew, Andrew Wilson, Saad B. Omer, Fauzia Malik
Peer Reviewers Clarissa Simas; Zhihua Liu
Funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
LATEST VERSION PUBLISHED 22 Apr 2021

The impact of genomics on precision public health: beyond the pandemic

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Genome Medicine
https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 24 Apr 2021]

 

Articles
The impact of genomics on precision public health: beyond the pandemic
Authors: Muin J. Khoury and Kathryn E. Holt
Citation: Genome Medicine 2021 13:67
Content type: Editorial
Published on: 23 April 2021
Precision public health has been defined in many ways [1]. It can be viewed as an emerging multidisciplinary field that uses genomics, big data, and machine learning/artificial intelligence to predict health risks and outcomes and to improve health at the population level. Just like precision medicine seeks to provide the right intervention to the right patient at the right time, the aim of precision public health is to provide the right intervention to the right population at the right time, with the goal of improving health for all.

Disability inclusion in humanitarian action

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Humanitarian Exchange Magazine
Number 78, October 2020
https://odihpn.org/magazine/inclusion-of-persons-with-disabilities-in-humanitarian-action-what-now/

 

Disability inclusion in humanitarian action
by HPN October 2020
The theme of this edition of Humanitarian Exchange, co-edited with Sherin Alsheikh Ahmed from Islamic Relief Worldwide, is disability inclusion in humanitarian action. Persons with disabilities are not only disproportionately impacted by conflicts, disasters and other emergencies, but also face barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance. At the same time, global commitments and standards and the IASC Guidelines on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action all emphasise how persons with disabilities are also active agents of change. Disability and age-focused organisations have led on testing and demonstrating how inclusion can be done better. Yet despite this progress, challenges to effective inclusion remain.

As Kirstin Lange notes in the lead article, chief among these challenges is humanitarian agencies’ lack of engagement with organisations of persons with disabilities. Simione Bula, Elizabeth Morgan and Teresa Thomson look at disability inclusion in humanitarian response in the Pacific, and Kathy Al Jubeh and Alradi Abdalla argue for a ‘participation revolution’, building on learning from the gender movement. Tchaurea Fleury and Sulayman AbdulMumuni Ujah outline how the Bridge Article 11 training initiative is encouraging constructive exchange between humanitarian and disability actors. The lack of good, disaggregated data is highlighted by Sarah Collinson; Frances Hill, Jim Cranshaw and Carys Hughes emphasise the need for training resources in local languages and accessible formats; and Sophie Van Eetvelt and colleagues report on a review of the evidence on inclusion of people with disabilities and older people.

Rebecca Molyneux and co-authors analyse the findings of a review of a DFID programme in north-east Nigeria, while Carolin Funke highlights the importance of strategic partnerships between disability-focused organisations, drawing on her research in Cox’s Bazar. Sherin Alsheikh Ahmed describes Islamic Relief Worldwide’s approach to mainstreaming protection and inclusion, while Pauline Thivillier and Valentina Shafina outline IRC’s Client Responsive Programming. The edition ends with reflections by Mirela Turcanu and Yves Ngunzi Kahashi on CAFOD’s SADI approach.

The estimated impact of decreased childhood vaccination due to COVID-19 using a dynamic transmission model of mumps in Japan

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Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 17, Issue 5, 2021
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

 

Article
The estimated impact of decreased childhood vaccination due to COVID-19 using a dynamic transmission model of mumps in Japan
Taito Kitano & Hirosato Aoki
Pages: 1313-1316
Published online: 29 Oct 2020

Real-world evidence of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine safety in the United States: a systematic review

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Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 17, Issue 5, 2021
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

 

Review
Real-world evidence of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine safety in the United States: a systematic review
Tracy a Becerra-Culqui, Lina S. Sy, Zendi Solano & Hung Fu Tseng
Pages: 1432-1441
Published online: 17 Dec 2020

Determinants of policy and uptake of national vaccine programs for pregnant women: results of mixed method study from Spain, Italy, and India

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Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics (formerly Human Vaccines)
Volume 17, Issue 5, 2021
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/khvi20/current

 

Article
Determinants of policy and uptake of national vaccine programs for pregnant women: results of mixed method study from Spain, Italy, and India
Lois Privor-Dumm
Pages: 1474-1482
Published online: 20 Nov 2020

Immunogenicity of the Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine for COVID-19

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JAMA
April 20, 2021, Vol 325, No. 15, Pages 1489-1575
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

 

Original Investigation
Immunogenicity of the Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine for COVID-19
Kathryn E. Stephenson, MD, MPH; Mathieu Le Gars, PhD; Jerald Sadoff, MD; et al.
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;325(15):1535-1544. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.3645
This randomized trial compares the immunogenicity of a SARS-CoV-2 Ad26.COV2.S vaccine at high vs low vs no dose (placebo) in humans, including the kinetics, magnitude, and phenotype of coronavirus spike-specific humoral and cellular immune responses.

Acute Allergic Reactions to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

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JAMA
April 20, 2021, Vol 325, No. 15, Pages 1489-1575
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

 

Research Letter
Acute Allergic Reactions to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
Kimberly G. Blumenthal, MD, MSc; Lacey B. Robinson, MD, MPH; Carlos A. Camargo Jr, MD, DrPH; et al.
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;325(15):1562-1565. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.3976
This study examines the incidence of acute allergic reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine administrations in health care employees in Massachusetts.

CDC Interim Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People An Important First Step

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JAMA
April 20, 2021, Vol 325, No. 15, Pages 1489-1575
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

 

Viewpoint
CDC Interim Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People An Important First Step
Athalia Christie, MIA; Sarah A. Mbaeyi, MD; Rochelle P. Walensky, MD
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;325(15):1501-1502. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.4367
This Viewpoint summarizes CDC activity recommendations for individuals fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 infection, including resumption of low-risk gatherings among vaccinated people and maintenance of public health measures in activities involving unvaccinated people.

Incentivizing Vaccination Uptake – The “Green Pass” Proposal in Israel

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JAMA
April 20, 2021, Vol 325, No. 15, Pages 1489-1575
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

 

Incentivizing Vaccination Uptake – The “Green Pass” Proposal in Israel
Rachel Wilf-Miron, MD, MPH; Vicki Myers, PhD; Mor Saban, PhD
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2021;325(15):1503-1504. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.4300
This Viewpoint explains the “green pass” program in Israel to encourage residents to seek COVID-19 vaccination, with incentives including access to social, cultural, and sports events and gyms, hotels, and restaurants as well as exemption from quarantine after travel or exposure to an individual with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

COVID-19 Vaccination of Adolescents and Young Adults of Color: Viewing Acceptance and Uptake With a Health Equity Lens

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Journal of Adolescent Health
Volume 68 Issue 5 p833-1024
https://www.jahonline.org/current

 

Commentary
COVID-19 Vaccination of Adolescents and Young Adults of Color: Viewing Acceptance and Uptake With a Health Equity Lens
Tamera Coyne-Beasley, Samantha V. Hill, Gregory Zimet,…Maria Veronica Svetaz, Maria Trent, Leslie Walker-Harding
Published online: April 01, 2021
p844-846

2021: the beginning of a new era of immunisations?

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The Lancet
Apr 24, 2021 Volume 397 Number 1028 4p1519-1596
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

 

Editorial
2021: the beginning of a new era of immunisations?
The Lancet
While the world is firmly focused on the efficacy, adverse events, licensing, and roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, the disruption of and barriers to routine immunisations during the pandemic have garnered much less attention. World Immunization Week (April 24–30) presents an opportunity to reflect on the state of immunisation efforts for vaccine-preventable diseases, how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected progress, and what lessons can accelerate efforts to prevent diseases through immunisation.

The Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) will be officially launched on April 26. This agenda provides a new global vision and strategy for vaccines for the next decade, following on from the Global Vaccine Action Plan (2011–20). Before the beginning of the pandemic, progress in vaccine coverage had already been stalling between 2010 and 2019. For example, according to WHO and UNICEF data, global rates of immunisation with the first dose of measles-containing vaccine remained at 84–85%. The Global Vaccine Action Plan was important to bring partners together and broadened the vaccine coverage to include newer vaccines, such as those for rotavirus and hepatitis B. However, the conclusion of a WHO evaluation was that it did not make progress in addressing inequity and was only partly successful in influencing national actions as a top–down approach.

IA2030 sets out a very ambitious plan, taking lessons learnt into account and hoping that COVID-19 prevention provides a stark reminder of the importance and power of vaccines. The agenda, which was designed with the cooperation of countries, puts much more emphasis on an approach tailored to the national context and integrated into primary health-care services, particularly to prioritise populations that have not been reached. Immunisation at all ages should be part of such a national plan and will vary in national strategies according to demographics. The agenda aims to be adaptable to changing circumstances brought on by, for example, increased migration, civil unrest, climate change, or future pandemics, but the specifics on how such resilience can be achieved are not established. The four overarching principles the IA2030 puts forward are a people-centred, country-owned, partnership-based, and data-guided approach.

Nobody would disagree with the agenda’s aims. It is laudable that previous shortcomings have been considered and health systems strengthening, especially at the primary care level, is seen as crucial for sustainable progress. The key to success, however, will be how to implement the national plans and to ensure financing is sustained. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this task much more difficult by severely disrupting routine immunisation. Because of travel restrictions, deployment of scarce health workers to COVID-19 care, shortage of personal protective equipment, and disruption of supply chains, many countries will have to provide catch-up services and risk severe outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases when easing lockdown. Interruptions in survey data collection will mean data gaps will make it harder to identify those most in need. COVID-19 has further exacerbated inequities and poverty and has led to mass migration from urban to rural areas in many countries, making it difficult to keep track of people needing vaccinations.

But COVID-19 has also catalysed new approaches to vaccine development and mass vaccination efforts that could be taken forward in national routine immunisation plans and vaccine development more generally. For example, house-to-house COVID-19 vaccinations, as offered in some high-income countries to vaccinate individuals shielding or unable to travel, might reach those otherwise missed. Short-term vaccination centres could be used, and school-based or work-based vaccinations could be offered. Electronic immunisation registries should be rolled out widely to facilitate data collection and identification of gaps with attention to data protection and security. Accelerating vaccine development, testing in trials, and licensing with robust post-licensing surveillance should become the new norm. Techniques used for COVID-19 vaccines, such as the use of mRNA, might be applicable to other diseases. Early-phase research for mRNA and vector-based vaccines for HIV has started.

Much has been achieved through vaccination, with many lives saved and disabilities prevented. Science has brought us options for many diseases, with further possibilities on the horizon. A new era of immunisations is much needed and the IA2030 sets out a very good framework. But vaccine hesitancy remains an important issue to tackle. And without addressing the fundamental underlying barriers of inequity, poverty, political posturing, and commercial interest protection, the next decade will not achieve much more than the past.

Human rights and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines: the International AIDS Society–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights

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The Lancet
Apr 24, 2021 Volume 397 Number 1028 4p1519-1596
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

 

Comment
Human rights and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines: the International AIDS Society–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights
Commissioners of and collaborators with the International AIDS Society–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights
… The Commission had its first meeting in early 2021 and expects to produce its first full report in 2022. The key questions that will inform our work are shown in the panel. We are charged with examining how to ensure that human rights are at the core of global health efforts, enabling them to fulfil the lofty goals outlined in the WHO Constitution, in international human rights treaties, and in many national constitutions and legal frameworks: that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction and that the health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent on the fullest cooperation of individuals and states.23
The Commission’s work will seek to strengthen and expand health and human rights efforts to include emerging areas that impact the right to health, including misinformation, disinformation, social media, and the politicisation of health information; the climate crisis and the right to a sustainable environment; and the social determinants of health arising from inequity, social injustice, and conflict and displacement.
Framing questions the Commission will interrogate
1. What is the future of the health and human rights framework?
2. How can the health and human rights framework be revitalised and reinvigorated to achieve healthy communities?
3. What domains of the health and human rights framework are most relevant for ensuring robust health systems and universal access to prevention and care?

The escalating tuberculosis crisis in central and South American prisons

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The Lancet
Apr 24, 2021 Volume 397 Number 1028 4p1519-1596
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

 

Health Policy
The escalating tuberculosis crisis in central and South American prisons
Katharine S Walter, et al
Summary
In the past decade, tuberculosis incidence has declined in much of the world, but has risen in central and South America. It is not yet clear what is driving this reversal of progress in tuberculosis control. Since 2000, the incarcerated population in central and South America has grown by 206%, the greatest increase in the world. Over the same period, notified tuberculosis cases among the incarcerated population (hereinafter termed persons deprived of their liberty [PDL], following the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights) have risen by 269%. In both central and South America, the rise of disease among PDL more than offsets tuberculosis control gains in the general population. Tuberculosis is increasingly concentrated among PDL; currently, 11% of all notified tuberculosis cases in central and South America occur among PDL who comprise less than 1% of the population. The extraordinarily high risk of acquiring tuberculosis within prisons creates a health and human rights crisis for PDL that also undermines wider tuberculosis control efforts. Controlling tuberculosis in this region will require countries to take urgent measures to prioritise the health of PDL.

Quadrivalent influenza nanoparticle vaccines induce broad protection

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Nature
Volume 592 Issue 7855, 22 April 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/592/issues/7855

 

Article | 24 March 2021
Quadrivalent influenza nanoparticle vaccines induce broad protection
A nanoparticle influenza vaccine candidate is shown to induce broad cross-reactive antibody responses in animal models.
Seyhan Boyoglu-Barnum, Daniel Ellis  & Masaru Kanekiyo

Intelligence, health and death

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Nature Human Behaviour
Volume 5 Issue 4, April 2021
https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/volumes/5/issues/4

 

Review Article | 01 April 2021
Intelligence, health and death
Cognitive epidemiology studies prospective associations between cognitive abilities and health outcomes. Deary et al. review research in this field over the past decade, synthesizing evidence and outlining open questions.
Ian J. Deary, W. David Hill & Catharine R. Gale

A global panel database of pandemic policies (Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker)

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Nature Human Behaviour
Volume 5 Issue 4, April 2021
https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/volumes/5/issues/4

 

Resource | 08 March 2021
A global panel database of pandemic policies (Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker)
The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) records data on 19 different government COVID-19 policy indicators for over 190 countries. Covering closure and containment, health and economics measures, it creates an evidence base for effective responses.
Thomas Hale, Noam Angrist & Helen Tatlow

An Uncertain Public — Encouraging Acceptance of Covid-19 Vaccines

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New England Journal of Medicine
April 22, 2021 Vol. 384 No. 16
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

 

Perspective
An Uncertain Public — Encouraging Acceptance of Covid-19 Vaccines
Gillian K. SteelFisher, Ph.D., Robert J. Blendon, Sc.D., and Hannah Caporello, B.A.
… To understand public attitudes toward taking a Covid-19 vaccine and the factors likely to affect willingness to do so going forward, we examined 39 nationally representative, randomized polls with publicly available tabulations that were conducted between August 2020 and February 2021 (see Supplementary Appendix, available at NEJM.org). Our framework provides a perspective different from that of much of the media reporting on individual polls and informs our recommendations for outreach efforts to encourage vaccine uptake — efforts in which we believe physicians can play an important role…

Towards the elimination of Plasmodium vivax malaria: Implementing the radical cure

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PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 24 Apr 2021)

 

Towards the elimination of Plasmodium vivax malaria: Implementing the radical cure
Kamala Thriemer, Benedikt Ley, Lorenz von Seidlein
Collection Review | published 23 Apr 2021 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003494
Summary points
:: Efforts to control Plasmodium vivax malaria have been less successful than for Plasmodium falciparum, resulting in higher prevalence of P. vivax malaria in most coendemic regions. One of the key differences between the 2 species is the ability of P. vivax to form hypnozoites causing relapses which facilitate transmission. Preventing P. vivax relapses is key for the elimination of P. vivax malaria.
:: The widescale use of the radical cure to clear hypnozoites has been underutilized in most endemic countries. Two breakthroughs have increased the likelihood that the radical cure will be rolled out in P. vivax endemic regions: To clear hypnozoites, primaquine can be administered in short, high-dose regimens or a single dose of the recently licensed tafenoquine is administered. Novel technologies allow measurement of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity at the point of care. Identifying patients with low G6PD activity, not eligible for these novel regimens, is a precondition for their safe administration.
:: Novel approaches to P. vivax elimination such as mass drug administrations of antimalarial drugs including 8-aminoquinolines require considerable resources and carry safety risks.
:: A safe and protective P. vivax vaccine would be an asset in the elimination of P. vivax malaria but is unlikely to be available in the near future.
:: Case management that includes a radical cure is currently the most promising approach to P. vivax elimination. New regimens for radical cure and the possibility to minimise the risk of haemolysis through novel G6PD tests bring up operational challenges, but if deployed wisely could have sufficient impact to eliminate if not eradicate P. vivax malaria.

Addressing power asymmetries in global health: Imperatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

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PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 24 Apr 2021)

 

Addressing power asymmetries in global health: Imperatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
Seye Abimbola, Sumegha Asthana, Cristian Montenegro Cortes, Renzo R. Guinto, Desmond Tanko Jumbam, Lance Louskieter, Kenneth Munge Kabubei, Shehnaz Munshi, Kui Muraya, Fredros Okumu, Senjuti Saha, Deepika Saluja, Madhukar Pai
Collection Review | published 22 Apr 2021 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003604
Summary points
:: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Black Lives Matter and Women in Global Health movements, and ongoing calls to decolonise global health have all created space for uncomfortable but important conversations that reveal serious asymmetries of power and privilege that permeate all aspects of global health.
:: In this article, we, a diverse, gender-balanced group of public (global) health researchers and practitioners (most currently living in the so-called global South), outline what we see as imperatives for change in a post-pandemic world.
:: At the individual level (including and especially ourselves), we emphasise the need to emancipate and decolonise our own minds (from the colonial conditionings of our education), straddle and use our privilege responsibly (to empower others and avoid elite capture), and build “Southern” networks (to affirm our ownership of global health).
:: At the organisational level, we call for global health organisations to practice real diversity and inclusion (in ways that go beyond the cosmetic), to localise their funding decisions (with people on the ground in the driving seat), and to progressively self-decentralise (and so, divest themselves of financial, epistemic, and political power).
:: And at both the individual and organisational level, we emphasise the need to hold ourselves, our governments, and global health organisations accountable to these goals, and especially for governance structures and processes that reflect a commitment to real change.
:: By putting a spotlight on coloniality and existing inequalities, the COVID-19 pandemic inspires calls for a more equitable world and for a decolonised and decentralised approach to global health research and practice, one that moves beyond tokenistic box ticking about diversity and inclusion into real and accountable commitments to transformative change.

Dynamic prioritization of COVID-19 vaccines when social distancing is limited for essential workers

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PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
April 20, 2021; vol. 118 no. 16
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/16

 

Economic Sciences
Open Access
Dynamic prioritization of COVID-19 vaccines when social distancing is limited for essential workers
Jack H. Buckner, Gerardo Chowell, and Michael R. Springborn
PNAS April 20, 2021 118 (16) e2025786118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2025786118

Introduction to Special Issue on Risk Assessment, Economic Evaluation, and Decisions

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Risk Analysis
Volume 41, Issue 4 Pages: 559-699 April 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15396924/current

 

Special Issue: Risk Assessment, Economic Evaluation, and Decisions
Perspectives
Introduction to Special Issue on Risk Assessment, Economic Evaluation, and Decisions
James K. Hammitt, Lisa A. Robinson
Abstract
Integrating risk assessment, economic evaluation, and uncertainty to inform policy decisions is a core challenge to risk analysis. In September 2019, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, with support from the Society for Risk Analysis Economics and Benefits Analysis Specialty Group and others, convened a workshop to address this issue. The workshop built in part on the recommendations of the 2009 National Research Council report, Science and Decisions: Advancing Risk Assessment. It honored John S. Evans, whose thoughtful and innovative teaching and scholarship have significantly advanced thinking on these issues. This special issue features a profile of Dr. Evans and nine articles that build on work presented at the workshop.

Determinants of Incomplete Vaccination Among Children Aged 12 to 23 Months in Gindhir District, Southeastern Ethiopia: Unmatched Case–Control Study

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Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
https://www.dovepress.com/risk-management-and-healthcare-policy-archive56
[Accessed 24 Apr 2021]

 

Original Research
Determinants of Incomplete Vaccination Among Children Aged 12 to 23 Months in Gindhir District, Southeastern Ethiopia: Unmatched Case–Control Study
Zenbaba D, Sahiledengle B, Debela MB, Tufa T, Teferu Z, Lette A, Gezahegn H, Solomon D, Tekalegn Y
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy 2021, 14:1669-1679
Published Date: 21 April 2021

Safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines – Lessons learned from the 1976 national influenza immunization program about detecting rare vaccine-related severe adverse events in emergency mass-vaccination programs

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 16 Pages 2183-2318 (15 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/16

 

Discussion Full text access
Safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines – Lessons learned from the 1976 national influenza immunization program about detecting rare vaccine-related severe adverse events in emergency mass-vaccination programs
Alan Kendal
Pages 2187-2189

Systematic literature review of cross-protective effect of HPV vaccines based on data from randomized clinical trials and real-world evidence

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 16 Pages 2183-2318 (15 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/16

 

Review article Abstract only
Systematic literature review of cross-protective effect of HPV vaccines based on data from randomized clinical trials and real-world evidence
Darron R. Brown, Elmar A. Joura, Glorian P. Yen, Smita Kothari, … Margaret Stanley
Pages 2224-2236

Projected COVID-19 epidemic in the United States in the context of the effectiveness of a potential vaccine and implications for social distancing and face mask use

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 16 Pages 2183-2318 (15 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/16

 

Research article Open access
Projected COVID-19 epidemic in the United States in the context of the effectiveness of a potential vaccine and implications for social distancing and face mask use
Mingwang Shen, Jian Zu, Christopher K. Fairley, José A. Pagán, … Lei Zhang
Pages 2295-2302

Pertussis infant morbidity and mortality trends after universal maternal immunisation in Mexico: An ecological database study with time-series analysis

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 16 Pages 2183-2318 (15 April 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/16

 

Research article Open access
Pertussis infant morbidity and mortality trends after universal maternal immunisation in Mexico: An ecological database study with time-series analysis
Adriana Guzman-Holst, Gerardo Luna-Casas, Maria Y. Cervantes-Apolinar, Gloria C. Huerta-Garcia, … Gilberto Sánchez-González
Pages 2311-2318

Nursing Home and Vaccination Consent: The Italian Perspective

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Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 24 Apr 2021)

 

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

Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination among Front-Line Health Care Workers: A Nationwide Survey of Emergency Medical Services Personnel from Germany

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Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 24 Apr 2021)

 

Open Access Article
Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination among Front-Line Health Care Workers: A Nationwide Survey of Emergency Medical Services Personnel from Germany
by André Nohl et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(5), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9050424 (registering DOI) – 23 Apr 2021
Abstract
Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance of emergency medical services (EMS) personnel as front-line health care workers (HCW) in Germany. Several studies have shown low willingness for vaccination (e.g., seasonal influenza) among HCWs and EMS personnel. […]

Off-Label Use of COVID-19 Vaccines from Ethical Issues to Medico-Legal Aspects: An Italian Perspective

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Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 24 Apr 2021)

 

Open Access Article
Off-Label Use of COVID-19 Vaccines from Ethical Issues to Medico-Legal Aspects: An Italian Perspective
by Davide Ferorelli et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(5), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9050423 (registering DOI) – 23 Apr 2021
Abstract
During the COVID-19 outbreak, the lack of official recommendations on the treatment has led healthcare workers to use multiple drugs not specifically tested and approved for the new insidious disease. After the availability of the first COVID-19 vaccines (Comirnaty Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID19 […] R

COVID-19 Vaccination Intent and Willingness to Pay in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

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Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 24 Apr 2021)

 

Open Access Article
COVID-19 Vaccination Intent and Willingness to Pay in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study
by Russell Kabir et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(5), 416; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9050416 – 21 Apr 2021
Abstract
This article reports the intent to receive a SARS-COV-2 vaccine, its predictors and willingness to pay in Bangladesh. We carried out an online cross-sectional survey of 697 adults from the general population of Bangladesh in January 2021. A structured questionnaire was used to […]

COVID-19 Vaccination Scenarios: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Turkey

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Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 24 Apr 2021)

 

Open Access Article
COVID-19 Vaccination Scenarios: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Turkey
by Arnold Hagens et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(4), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9040399 – 18 Apr 2021
Abstract
As of March 2021, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 2.7 million people worldwide. Vaccination has started in most countries around the world. In this study, we estimated the cost-effectiveness of strategies for COVID-19 vaccination for Turkey compared to a baseline […]

Media/Policy Watch

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

 

The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
Covid catastrophe
India’s giant second wave is a disaster for it and the world
The government’s distraction and complacency have amplified the surge
Leaders Apr 24th 2021 edition

Doses of scepticism
Africa’s covid-19 vaccination drive is off to a slow start
Scant supply is the biggest problem, but not the only one
Apr 24th 2021 edition

Free exchange
How to think about vaccines and patents in a pandemic
Do public-health crises call for a departure from the rules?
Apr 24th 2021 edition

 

Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
Coronavirus latest: CDC head warns of ‘unsettling gaps’ in vaccine coverage across US
University of Michigan to mandate vaccines for students living on-campus
April 23, 2021

Japanese politics & policy
Japan to impose new state of emergency as Covid-19 cases rise
April 23, 2021
Top of Form
Bottom of Form

Coronavirus latest: Canada bans flights from India and Pakistan over variants
Thailand reports record infections as it secures more vaccines
April 23, 2021

 

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

 

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
Climate
U.S. Is Under Pressure to Release Vaccine Supplies as India Faces Deadly Surge
The Biden administration is blocking the export of supplies that Indian vaccine makers say they need to expand production.
By Somini Sengupta
PRINT EDITION April 25, 2021

Africa
Africa’s already slow vaccine drive is threatened as supplies from a stricken India are halted.
India’s dire Covid crisis is having global ripple effects, especially in Africa, which has 17 percent of the world’s people but is far behind in vaccinations.
By Abdi Latif Dahir

U.S.
Vaccines Made at Troubled Baltimore Plant Were Shipped to Canada and Mexico
The Biden administration said it did not know of manufacturing problems at the Emergent factory when it approved shipping millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine. The company says the doses were safe.
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Chris Hamby
PRINT EDITION Vaccines From Troubled Site Were Shipped Out of U.S.| April 24, 2021, Page A6

Opinion
I Run the W.H.O., and I Know That Rich Countries Must Make a Choice
If they keep their vaccine promises, the pandemic can end.
By Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
April 22, 2021
Almost one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered around the world, and yet the weekly number of cases hit a record high last week, and deaths are climbing, on pace to eclipse 2020’s grim tally. How can this be? Weren’t vaccines supposed to douse the flames of the pandemic?

Yes, and they are. But here’s the thing about an inferno: If you hose only one part of it, the rest will keep burning.

Many countries all over the world are facing a severe crisis, with high transmission and intensive care units overflowing with patients and running short on essential supplies, like oxygen.

Why is this happening? For several reasons: The rise of more transmissible variants, the inconsistent application and premature easing of public health measures like mask mandates and physical distancing, populations that are understandably weary of adhering to those measures and the inequitable distribution of vaccines

Scientists developed several vaccines for Covid-19 in record time. Yet of the more than 890 million vaccine doses that have been administered globally, more than 81 percent have been given in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Low-income countries have received just 0.3 percent.

This problem is sadly predictable. When the H.I.V. epidemic erupted in the 1980s, lifesaving antiretrovirals were developed rapidly, and yet a decade passed before they became available in sub-Saharan Africa.

A year ago, the World Health Organization and many global health partners came together in an effort to avoid history repeating. The Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, including the vaccine sharing initiative Covax, was begun to ensure the most equitable possible distribution of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for Covid-19.

The concept was crystal clear: At a time when no one knew which vaccines would prove effective in clinical trials, Covax was designed to share the huge inherent risks of vaccine development, and to offer a mechanism for pooled procurement and equitable rollout.

While scientists toiled in laboratories, the W.H.O. and partners set standards, facilitated trials, raised funds, tracked manufacturing progress and worked with countries to prepare for rollout.

Countries at all income levels, manufacturers and others in the private sector committed to participate.
But many of the same wealthy countries that were publicly expressing support for Covax were in parallel preordering the same vaccines on which Covax was relying.

In January, I issued a global challenge to see vaccination underway in all countries within the first 100 days of the year. This was an eminently achievable goal.

By April 10 — the 100th day — we had come close to achieving it: All but 26 countries had started vaccination, and of those, 12 were about to start, leaving 14 countries that had either not requested vaccines through Covax or were not ready to start vaccinating.

But the amount of vaccines delivered has been totally insufficient. As of Thursday, Covax has distributed 43 million doses of vaccine to 119 countries — covering just 0.5 percent of their combined population of more than four billion.

Since the ACT Accelerator’s birth a year ago, many of the world’s biggest economies have given strong support to Covax politically and financially, but they have also undermined it in other ways.

First, vaccine nationalism has weakened Covax, with a handful of rich countries gobbling up the anticipated supply as manufacturers sell to the highest bidder, while the rest of the world scrambles for the scraps. Some countries have placed orders for enough doses to vaccinate their entire population several times over, promising to share only after they have used everything they need, perpetuating the pattern of patronage that keeps the world’s have-nots exactly where they are.

Second, vaccine diplomacy has undermined Covax as countries with vaccines make bilateral donations for reasons that have more to do with geopolitical goals than public health. This inevitably leaves countries with the least political clout as wallflowers at the vaccine ball.

Third, vaccine hesitancy has hampered the rollout of vaccines, through the same combination of myth and misinformation that has enabled measles to resurge around the world. Reports of very rare side effects linked to some vaccines have spurred countries with other options to cast some aside. This includes vaccines that many of the world’s low-income nations were relying on but now question. Let’s be clear: While safety is paramount and we pay careful attention to any signs of adverse events, the shots’ benefits vastly outweigh the risks for all four vaccines with W.H.O. emergency use listing.

And fourth, a new trend — let’s call it vaccine euphoria — is undermining hard-won gains as some countries relax public health measures too quickly and some people assume that vaccines have ended the pandemic, at least where they live.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Scarcity drives inequity and puts the global recovery at risk. The longer this coronavirus circulates anywhere, the longer global trade and travel will be disrupted, and the higher the chances that a variant could emerge that renders vaccines less effective. That’s just what viruses do.

We face the very real possibility of affluent countries administering variant-blocking boosters to already vaccinated people when many countries will still be scrounging for enough vaccines to cover their most-at-risk groups.

This is unacceptable. Analysts predict vaccines will generate huge revenues for manufacturers. Meanwhile, the ACT Accelerator is still $19 billion short of the funds it needs to expand access not just to vaccines but also to diagnostics and treatments like oxygen. But even if we had all the funds we need, money doesn’t help if there are no vaccines to buy.

The solution is threefold: We need the countries and companies that control the global supply to share financially, to share their doses with Covax immediately and to share their know-how to urgently and massively scale up the production and equitable distribution of vaccines.

One way to do this is through voluntary licensing with technology transfer, in which a company that owns the patents on a vaccine licenses another manufacturer to produce its shots, usually for a fee. Some companies have done this on a bilateral basis. But such agreements tend to be exclusive and nontransparent, compromising equitable access.

A more transparent method is for companies to share licenses through the Covid-19 Technology Access Pool, a globally coordinated mechanism proposed by Costa Rica and started by the W.H.O. last year.
Another option, proposed by South Africa and India, is to waive intellectual property rights on Covid-19 products through a World Trade Organization agreement that would level the playing field and give countries more leverage in their discussions with companies. Governments could drive greater sharing of intellectual property by offering incentives to companies to do it.

If this is not a time to take those actions, it’s hard to fathom when that would be.

In combination with proven public health measures, we have all the tools to tame this pandemic everywhere in a matter of months. It comes down to a simple choice: to share or not to share.

Whether or not we do is not a test of science, financial muscle or industrial prowess; it’s a test of character.

 

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 24 Apr 2021
World
A gift to Damascus: 150,000 COVID-19 Chinese vaccines
DAMASCUS, Syri a — The Syrian government received the first batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday, a gift of 150,000 jabs to Damascus, Syrian and Chinese officials said.
The Chinese vaccines arrived in Damascus airport where they were received by Syria’s Health Minister Hassan Ghabbash and China’s ambassador to Damascus.
The Chinese batch comes a few days after more than 200,000 jabs were delivered to Syria through the United Nations-led platform which provides vaccines to the needy…
Apr 24, 2021