Monthly Archives: March 2022

A call to action for translational sciences in COVID-19 and future pandemics

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Nature Reviews Drug Discovery
Volume 21 Issue 3, March 2022
https://www.nature.com/nrd/volumes/21/issues/3

 

Comment | 28 January 2022
A call to action for translational sciences in COVID-19 and future pandemics
Translation Together, a transnational consortium of translational research organizations, reflects on successes and challenges in regional COVID-19 pandemic responses and proposes five priorities to improve preparedness for future global public health crises and improve the global approach to translational research and science.
Kanny K. Wan, Danielle Davis, Christine M. Cutillo

A Malaria Vaccine for Africa — An Important Step in a Century-Long Quest

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New England Journal of Medicine
March 17, 2022 Vol. 386 No. 11
https://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

 

Perspective
A Malaria Vaccine for Africa — An Important Step in a Century-Long Quest P.L. Alonso and K.L. O’Brien
Malaria continues to devastate people’s health and livelihoods worldwide. In October 2021, the WHO for the first time recommended the large-scale use of a malaria vaccine for children living in areas with moderate-to-high malaria transmission.

Use of oral polio vaccine and the incidence of COVID-19 in the world

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 19 Mar 2022]

 

Research Article
Use of oral polio vaccine and the incidence of COVID-19 in the world
Farrokh Habibzadeh, Konstantin Chumakov, Mohammad M. Sajadi, Mahboobeh Yadollahie, Kristen Stafford, Ashraf Simi, Shyamasundaran Kottilil, Iman Hafizi-Rastani, Robert C. Gallo
Research Article | published 17 Mar 2022 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265562

Testing fractional doses of COVID-19 vaccines

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PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
March 1, 2022 | vol. 119 | no. 9
https://www.pnas.org/toc/pnas/119/9

 

February 22, 2022 | vol. 119 | no. 8
https://www.pnas.org/toc/pnas/119/8
Research Article February 7, 202 2Open Access
Testing fractional doses of COVID-19 vaccines
Due to the enormous economic, health, and social costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are high expected social returns to investing in parallel in multiple approaches to accelerating vaccination. We argue there are high expected social returns to …
Witold Więcek, Amrita Ahuja,[…]Brandon Joel Tan

Widespread use of National Academies consensus reports by the American public

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PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
March 1, 2022 | vol. 119 | no. 9
https://www.pnas.org/toc/pnas/119/9

 

Research Article February 22, 2022 Open Access
Widespread use of National Academies consensus reports by the American public
In seeking to understand how to protect the public information sphere from corruption, researchers understandably focus on dysfunction. However, parts of the public information ecosystem function very well, and understanding this as well will help in …
Diana Hicks, Matteo Zullo,[…]Omar I. Asensio

Health and security risks of humanitarian aid workers during field missions: Experience of the International Red Cross

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Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Volume 46 March–April 2022
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/travel-medicine-and-infectious-disease/vol/46/suppl/C

 

Research article Open access
Health and security risks of humanitarian aid workers during field missions: Experience of the International Red Cross
S.C. Guisolan, M. Ambrogi, A. Meeussen, F. Althaus, G. Eperon
Article 102275

How to accelerate the supply of vaccines to all populations worldwide? Part I: Initial industry lessons learned and practical overarching proposals leveraging the COVID-19 situation

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Vaccine
Volume 40, Issue 9 Pages 1191-1384 (23 February 2022)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/40/issue/9

 

Review article Open access
How to accelerate the supply of vaccines to all populations worldwide? Part I: Initial industry lessons learned and practical overarching proposals leveraging the COVID-19 situation
Mic McGoldrick, Thierry Gastineau, Diane Wilkinson, Cristiana Campa, … Samir Desai
Pages 1215-1222

How to accelerate the supply of vaccines to all populations worldwide? Part II: Initial industry lessons learned and detailed technical reflections leveraging the COVID-19 situation

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Vaccine
Volume 40, Issue 9 Pages 1191-1384 (23 February 2022)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/40/issue/9

 

Review article Open access
How to accelerate the supply of vaccines to all populations worldwide? Part II: Initial industry lessons learned and detailed technical reflections leveraging the COVID-19 situation
Mic McGoldrick, Thierry Gastineau, Diane Wilkinson, Cristiana Campa, … Samir Desai
Pages 1223-1230

COVID-19 vaccination intention and behavior in a large, diverse, U.S. refugee population

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Vaccine
Volume 40, Issue 9 Pages 1191-1384 (23 February 2022)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/40/issue/9

 

Research article Full text access
COVID-19 vaccination intention and behavior in a large, diverse, U.S. refugee population
Jana Shaw, Kathryn B. Anderson, Rachel E. Fabi, Carlie A. Thompson, … Andrea V. Shaw
Pages 1231-1237

Phase I interim results of a phase I/II study of the IgG-Fc fusion COVID-19 subunit vaccine, AKS-452

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Vaccine
Volume 40, Issue 9 Pages 1191-1384 (23 February 2022)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/40/issue/9

 

Research article Open access
Phase I interim results of a phase I/II study of the IgG-Fc fusion COVID-19 subunit vaccine, AKS-452
Yester F. Janssen, Eline A. Feitsma, Hendrikus H. Boersma, David G. Alleva, … Todd C. Zion
Pages 1253-1260

Critical success factors for conducting human challenge trials for vaccine development in low- and middle-income countries

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Vaccine
Volume 40, Issue 9 Pages 1191-1384 (23 February 2022)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/40/issue/9

 

Research article Abstract only
Critical success factors for conducting human challenge trials for vaccine development in low- and middle-income countries
Keiko Pempho Msusa, Taryn Rogalski-Salter, Henshaw Mandi, Ralf Clemens
Pages 1261-1270

Health and economic impact of seasonal influenza mass vaccination strategies in European settings: A mathematical modelling and cost-effectiveness analysis

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Vaccine
Volume 40, Issue 9 Pages 1191-1384 (23 February 2022)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/40/issue/9

 

Research article Open access
Health and economic impact of seasonal influenza mass vaccination strategies in European settings: A mathematical modelling and cost-effectiveness analysis
Frank G. Sandmann, Edwin van Leeuwen, Sibylle Bernard-Stoecklin, Itziar Casado, … Marc Baguelin
Pages 1306-1315

Think Tanks

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Think Tanks

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 19 Mar 2022
[No new digest content identified]

Center for Global Development [to 19 Mar 2022]
https://www.cgdev.org/
Publications [Selected]
March 15, 2022
Learning Loss and Student Dropouts during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of the Evidence Two Years after Schools Shut Down
Following the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 in 2020, schools around the world closed for significant periods of time. Many scholars provided projections of the likely impacts on educational outcomes, with potentially dire impacts on learning loss and—especially in low-income contexts–dropout rates. Now, two years after schools began shutting down, we identify 40 empirical studies directly estimating student learning loss (29 studies) or dropout rates (15 studies) for students in pre-primary, primary, or secondary school in countries at any income level.
Laura Moscoviz and David Evans

Chatham House [to 19 Mar 2022]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
Accessed 19 Mar 2022
[No new digest content identified]

 

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 19 Mar 2022
Podcast Episode
Live From Munich: Dr. Richard Hatchett “Pandemic Preparedness Needs to Be Viewed as a Security Challenge”
March 15, 2022 | By J. Stephen Morrison

 

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 19 Mar 2022
March 16, 2022 News Release
States Are Planning for the End of the Continuous Enrollment Requirement in Medicaid After the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Expires, But Many Have Not Made Key Decisions
As states plan for the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the resumption of eligibility redeterminations and disenrollments when the continuous Medicaid enrollment requirement is lifted could lead to coverage disruptions and losses, according to a new KFF 50-state survey. The requirement, a condition of states receiving enhanced federal…

March 15, 2022 News Release
Telehealth Continues to Account for More Than a Third of Outpatient Visits for Mental Health and Substance Use Services Well into the COVID-19 Pandemic
A new analysis from KFF and Epic Research finds that telehealth visits for outpatient mental health and substance use services went from virtually zero percent in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to a peak of 40% in mid-2020 – and continued to account for more than a third (36%)…

Rand [to 19 Mar 2022]
https://www.rand.org/pubs.html
Reports, Selected Journal Articles
[No new digest content identified]

This week A special edition on our coronavirus coverage

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Selected General Media

The Economist
This week A special edition on our coronavirus coverage
March 19th 2022
China is enduring its first big outbreak of the Omicron variant. At least 40m people are under some form of lockdown (though the authorities in some regions prefer the term “life on pause”). The restrictions pose a threat to China’s economic rebound and the world’s supply chains.

In Hong Kong the death rate from covid-19 is twice as large as the peak of Britain’s second wave in early 2021. Morgues are overflowing with victims and hospitals are struggling to cope.

The latest outbreak has delayed any relaxation of China’s zero-covid policy. Our Chaguan column explains why beating covid on the mainland will require less fear, and more vaccinations.

African countries are also struggling to get people jabbed against covid. Just 13% of the continent has been fully vaccinated. Africa has plenty of covid doses but the increased deliveries are exposing logistical defects in the distribution of vaccines.

To end on a sliver of good news: covid has led to other vaccine victories. Our data-driven coverage this week shows how a jab against malaria is arriving at last. It could save as many lives as covid has taken. And in our Asia section, we look at changing attitudes towards the human papillomavirus vaccine in Japan as inoculations become more routine.

Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review :: 12 March 2022

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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:

vaccines-and-global-health_the-week-in-review_12-march-2022Download

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

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

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

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

Global community comes together in support of 100 Days Mission and pledges over $1.5 billion for CEPI’s pandemic-busting plan

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Global community comes together in support of 100 Days Mission and pledges over $1.5 billion for CEPI’s pandemic-busting plan
OSLO, Norway, 8 March 2022: The global community today came together to commit to the 100 Days Mission – the ambition to have safe and effective vaccines within 100 days of an epidemic or pandemic threat being identified – and pledged $1.535 billion to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to help kick start the organization’s ambitious plan to tackle epidemics and pandemics, potentially saving millions of lives and trillions of dollars in lost economic output.

The pledges of political and financial support were made at the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit, co-hosted by the UK Government, in London on 7-8 March 2022. Representatives from over 20 countries joined leaders from international agencies, science and academia, industry, philanthropy, and civil society to galvanize action around pandemic preparedness, and build momentum for the fundraising effort for CEPI’s five-year plan…

 

A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO ACHIEVE THE 100-DAY MISSION AND STRENGTHEN PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS WITH EQUITY AT ITS HEART  
The Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit marks a landmark moment in the global community’s collective efforts to build a world that is better prepared to respond to epidemic and pandemic threats. Leading figures came together to share their insights and perspectives on COVID-19 and other infectious diseases such as Ebola and Lassa fever, to celebrate the innovations developed in response to the pandemic, to highlight the importance of access-focused R&D as a cornerstone of global health security, and to explore how to boost vaccine manufacturing across the world.

In addition to the funding pledged by investors, several important developments were announced on the day of the Summit which will contribute to CEPI’s plan to advance global pandemic preparedness and response:
– The UK Government, CEPI and representatives of the life sciences industry published a joint statement outlining their collective commitment to delivering on the 100 Days Mission

– UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed a new partnership between CEPI and Cambridge, UK based company DioSynVax to develop a new vaccine that could provide protection against a broad range of coronaviruses. CEPI will invest up to £31m ($42m) to support the development of the vaccine. This is the 7th award made by CEPI in pursuit of a broadly protective coronavirus vaccine

– CEPI and the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) – the two leading global funders of research into broadly protective coronavirus vaccines – will collaborate to establish a joint scientific forum for awardees who are developing pan-coronavirus vaccines to share scientific progress and challenges, with the aim of accelerating their progress. Eminent global vaccine experts Dr Barney Graham and Dr Peter Paradiso will serve as co-chairs of the first in its kind collaboration between the two organizations.

– CEPI and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), a specialized technical institute of Rwanda, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize a collaboration which aims to improve and accelerate vaccine research, development, and manufacturing in Rwanda. The MoU was signed while the Honourable Dr Daniel Ngamije Minister of Health for Rwanda was attending the Summit.

– Moderna announced its global health strategy, including a commitment to advance vaccines targeting 15 pathogens identified as the biggest public health risk by WHO and CEPI into clinical studies by 2025

– Aspen Pharmacare announced a landmark agreement with Johnson & Johnson to manufacture and make available a COVID-19 vaccine throughout Africa…

 

GLOBAL FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS
The UK Government pledged £160 million (US$211 million) to CEPI. Other top donors included the governments of Japan, Norway, USA, Germany, Australia, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome. G20 President Indonesia reaffirmed its support for CEPI with a pledge of $5m. Additional pledges were made at the Summit, and further commitments and donations are expected to follow in the coming months.

…Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, said: “Today’s Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit represents an important moment for the global health community to come together to meet the challenges of this and future pandemics. We are extremely grateful to our investors, supporters and partners for their visionary contribution to CEPI’s work.

“For the first time in history, we have the tools we need to eliminate the risk of future pandemics. It is vital that we capitalise on the scientific developments we’ve seen over the last two years and seize the rare alignment of political will, practical experience, and technical and scientific progress emerging from the pandemic to prevent such devastation happening again. The support and funding pledged today will kick-start CEPI’s plan to end pandemics. This is the start of an incredibly important journey.”

Eighth Meeting of the Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19, 1 March 2022: “Third Consultation with the CEOs of leading vaccine manufacturers” Joint Statement

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Eighth Meeting of the Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19, 1 March 2022: “Third Consultation with the CEOs of leading vaccine manufacturers” Joint Statement
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2022 —
The heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization, and World Trade Organization held high-level consultations with UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Lead Coordinator for the COVID-19 Vaccine Country Readiness and Delivery and the CEOs of leading vaccine manufacturers on 1 March 2022 aimed at ensuring the rapid delivery of vaccines to where they are needed the most and putting those vaccines into arms.

The Multilateral Leaders Task Force issued the following statement:
“In the past few months, we have seen unprecedented levels of disease transmission across the world due to the Omicron variant. Still, unequal access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments is rampant, prolonging the pandemic. 23 countries are yet to fully vaccinate 10% of their populations, 73 countries are yet to achieve 40% coverage and many more are projected to miss the 70% target by middle of this year.

The biggest challenges are in low-income countries (LICs), which are concentrated in Africa. Only 7% of people in LICs have been fully vaccinated, compared with 73% in high-income countries. Safeguarding the health of people living in the world’s poorest countries in the face of a changing pandemic is a key priority. We must and can ensure that these countries have the access, the means, and the capacity to vaccinate their populations, especially those who are most at risk.

Despite the challenges, there has been progress. The vaccine supply constraints from last year have eased, and export restrictions are not currently an issue. Our efforts must now focus on supporting countries to increase vaccination rates. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach as each country faces different political, administrative, and capacity challenges.

Insufficient health care infrastructure, including warehouses, cold chain capacity; lack of trained vaccinators; complexities associated with the management of multiple vaccines; lack of data systems to support vaccination campaigns; and misinformation and vaccine hesitancy are common hurdles that governments must confront. But we have good lessons to draw on from countries around the world that have managed to overcome obstacles and rollout vaccination campaigns, including from low-income countries.

Sustained investment in geographically diversified manufacturing capacity and new technologies for vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics is key for ensuring more equitable, affordable, and timely access to tools for developing countries. In this context, we welcome the work of the leading vaccine manufacturers in exploring and undertaking new partnerships and call for them to work closely with international organizations (IOs) and countries to capitalize on practical solutions, sharing licenses, technology and know-how.

A top priority to end the pandemic is deploying financing quickly to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines in low- and middle-income countries. Fully funding the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is critical.

As vaccine supply increases in 2022, close coordination among all stakeholders will be crucial to aligning supply with demand, reducing supply fragmentation, and deploying vaccines in the most effective way. We must adjust to constantly evolving challenges and keep working together. As the late Dr. Paul Farmer said: “Any time there’s a new tool developed – whether they are vaccines or therapeutics – there must also be a delivery plan.”

Let us acknowledge the importance of delivery, as this is where lives are saved, families are kept whole, children continue their education, communities stay strong, and economies grow.”

Germany to co-host 2022 Gavi COVAX AMC Summit, pledges additional funding for COVID-19 vaccination in lower-income countries

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COVAX AMC Summit

Germany to co-host 2022 Gavi COVAX AMC Summit, pledges additional funding for COVID-19 vaccination in lower-income countries
Germany will co-host the 2022 AMC Summit to help raise urgent funding to support lower-income countries’ dynamic COVID-19 vaccination needs
In addition, Germany has pledged an additional EUR 350 million to Gavi for the COVAX AMC, as part of a broader US$1.22 billion funding package for the ACT-Accelerator, pending cabinet and parliamentary approval.
Both the Summit and pledge are in support of Germany’s G7 Presidency goal to promote healthy lives worldwide, strengthen efforts to address COVID-19 on a global scale, and prepare for future pandemics and health crises.
Prof. José Manuel Barroso, Board Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: “Germany’s support for global vaccination and the fight against COVID-19 has been clear from the beginning. We thank the German government in their G7 Presidency year for their support in helping to break the COVID-19 pandemic by hosting this summit and pledging additional funding to the Gavi COVAX AMC and ACT-Accelerator. We particularly recognize and value that this leadership comes at a time when Berlin along with many other capitals are mobilizing to respond to the terrible civilian suffering created by the conflict in Ukraine.”
Svenja Schulze, German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development: “To be agile and flexible in our response, we need sufficient resources – this is one of the key lessons learned in 2021 and essential to pandemic preparedness. We need to respond quickly to in-country needs and invest in strengthening country delivery systems in order to put an end to this pandemic. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Geneva, 11 March 2022 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance announced today that the Government of Germany will host a leader-level meeting aimed at helping raise at least US$5.2 billion in urgent financial support for COVAX, including US$ 3.8 billion in donor funding for lower-income countries supported by the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC). The virtual event – “2022 Gavi COVAX AMC Summit: Break COVID Now” – will be co-chaired by Svenja Schulze, German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development and José Manuel Barroso, Gavi Board Chair. It will take place on 8 April 2022…

…Hundreds of millions of people, mainly in lower-income countries, remain unvaccinated and unprotected, while the virus continues to evolve in uncertain ways: a major variant has been identified every 4 months, on average, since the pandemic was declared.

In 2022, COVAX will be focused on building on the foundation in place to tackle those challenges, serving as an adaptable and flexible mechanism to support lower-income countries’ national COVID-19 vaccine objectives, and contributing to the global effort to break COVID. That will mean providing urgent delivery support to those furthest behind in coverage – while closely monitoring each country’s continually evolving needs and strategies, including the need to prioritise and sequence COVID-19 immunization alongside routine immunization and other essential health systems activities. It will also mean learning from the lessons of the past year and making sure funding is available now to support countries’ needs in the face of inevitable future evolutions of the pandemic. To support these goals, COVAX is seeking urgent additional funding of at least US$5.2 billion, of which Gavi is seeking to raise US$3.8 billion from sovereign and private donors.

Catalytic delivery funding will help countries increase rates of administration, now that supply is in place, and there is short and medium-term visibility of supply for the first time in the 12 months that vaccines have been available to AMC participants. In response to the high demand to-date for the $900m COVID-19 Delivery Support package that Gavi and partners have already put in place, urgent additional funding of US$ 1 billion will help lower-income countries rapidly protect more people against COVID-19. Of this amount, Gavi is seeking US$ 600 million to build on its Alliance work and provide direct support to lower-income governments for a range of readiness activities, while UNICEF is seeking US$400 million to support the critical work of its offices in lower-middle income countries and humanitarian contexts. Germany has also committed to work towards this effort with additional funding.

While seeking to build on the progress made, however, it is equally critical that we do not squander the lead we finally have in terms of supply meeting demand. COVAX’s current portfolio can meet current demand, but this situation will not remain static. It is essential that we continue to mitigate and guard against future risks: variant-adapted vaccines, new vaccines, changes in booster policies or target populations, shift towards an annual shot model are all potential scenarios that the world must account for. Financing will need to already be in place to respond quickly in each scenario. Failing to do so will result in repeating the past, with lower-income countries once again being at the back of the queue.

To avoid such a situation and manage those risks, Gavi is seeking urgent funding for a “Pandemic Vaccine Pool” – a flexible financial instrument that blends direct, contingent and innovative financing and will be able to act as a rapid response mechanism to support lower-income countries’ needs in the face of these inevitable changes. Alongside US$ 2.7 billion in funding from sovereign and private sector donors, multilateral development banks and lower-income countries can also contribute via cost-sharing, providing another source of rapid funding for vaccines made available through the pandemic vaccine pool to the COVAX AMC.

Gavi is also seeking US$545 million to fund ancillary costs of dose donations, buying syringes and paying for logistics to get doses to countries, helping donations continue to be a sustainable and complementary source of supply alongside funded doses from COVAX agreements…

…“COVAX will need additional support through 2022 to ensure we can act now to support readiness and delivery to continue to accelerate rollout in countries, and anticipate and address future risks rapidly to meet future country demand. We must hope for the best, and plan for the worst: COVAX cannot again be at the back of the queue,” added Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “We look forward to bringing countries, manufacturers, donors, civil society and the private sector together on April 8th to strengthen the world’s collective response to COVID and commitment to future pandemic preparedness – and thank Germany for helping lead this effort.”

IFPMA Statement delivered at Panel Discussion on Universal Access to Vaccines – 20th meeting, 49th Regular

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OHCHR Session – Resolution 46/14
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

IFPMA Statement delivered at Panel Discussion on Universal Access to Vaccines – 20th meeting, 49th Regular
Statement from Mr. Thomas Cueni, Director General of IFPMA, in the Panel discussion on ensuring equitable, affordable, timely and universal access for all countries to vaccines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (March 10th, 2022)
Excellencies, Chairperson,
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) would like to thank the OHCHR for convening this half-day panel discussion in line with the resolution 46/14.

Being aware of the responsibility our industry has to patients and society, pharma companies large and small, in developing and developed countries have engaged, since the first days of the pandemic, in unprecedented levels of collaboration to find solutions to COVID-19. Industry stepped up, bringing its knowledge and expertise in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics and vaccines and in building manufacturing capacity and distribution networks. And yet, a large part of the eligible population in many African nations remains unvaccinated.

Some aspects of our collective efforts in mounting a response have been successful. We have witnessed the fastest vaccine development ever, in just under a year. Within less than three months of the first vaccine getting emergency use approval by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 31 December 2020, we have seen COVID-19 vaccines reaching people across the world.

A commitment to work together to achieve fair and equitable access was also forged in the early days of the pandemic, with the creation of a unique global public-private partnership, Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which IFPMA joined as founding partner. The vaccine pillar COVAX has been an important vehicle for vaccine equity, with its first billion vaccine doses delivered end of January. Innovative biopharmaceutical companies have supplied four out of five of these vaccines, and more than 80 per cent of the COVAX vaccines have been supplied by our member companies. In addition to COVAX, over 3 billion doses, have been delivered to low- and lower-middle-income countries through bilateral or regional arrangements. Today, over 12 billion doses of vaccines have been produced – trebling pre-pandemic vaccine capacity – and more than 60 percent of the world’s population have received at least one dose.

The record speed development and successful scaling up of COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing was a remarkable triumph of science and engineering. We have seen bumps and glitches, vaccine projects in vaccine development and scaling up of manufacturing, including challenges faced due to export restrictions and bans by a number of countries. However, we made it and most public health experts today accept that the challenge is no longer the lack of vaccines, but the need for more vaccinations. Significant number of doses will continue to be delivered to lower-income countries, but at present we see that supply is exceeding absorption capacity in many countries.

But despite these successes, collectively, and this includes the biopharmaceutical industry, we have not managed to meet our ambitions of vaccine equity. The global challenge we now face to guarantee a widespread access to vaccines has turned from one concerning supply constraints to one regarding the ability to quickly administer the vaccines. To turn vaccines into vaccinations, and ensure that vaccines shipped effectively reach populations, attention is urgently needed on concrete measures in recipient countries to support COVID-19 vaccine deployment and uptake.

 

Manufacturers, governments, international institutions, and other non-governmental organizations must work together and redouble efforts now to support countries as they mobilize to execute national vaccine rollouts and remove barriers to the efficient distribution and administration of vaccine doses, so that they reach those who need them most.

To urgently support this endeavor, innovative biopharmaceutical companies will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders on the following three overarching priorities and supporting activities:
1) Step up support for country readiness to roll out COVID-19 vaccine doses
2) Contribute to equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine doses
3) Continue to drive innovation

 

As access to all who need the vaccines remains a fundamental issue that needs urgently addressing; but the focus on how intellectual property contributes to this inequity are misplaced and are not backed up by what has happened over the past two years.

The strength of a robust innovation ecosystem in response to the pandemic has been unprecedented and more than proven its effectiveness: driving innovation, underpinning partnerships, facilitating knowledge-sharing, and voluntary licensing, and technology transfer. The positive from this pandemic is the geographic diversity of vaccine manufacturing agreements that have been formed through voluntary collaborations amongst trusted partners, including via 370 collaborations across all five continents. Big companies with small biotechs, developing manufacturers with established ones. IP incentives are enabling the current R&D to combat variants, ongoing technology transfer and voluntary collaborations.

In addition to the technology transfer agreements in South Africa, put in place in the first days of the pandemic between for example Aspen Pharma and J&J, and Pfizer together with BioVac, new solutions are now being set up in other parts of the Sub-Saharan Africa. For example, BioNTech has announced it will establish its first manufacturing facility in the African Union in mid-2022 and expects to ship the modular production units to Rwanda and Senegal. Moderna has signed an agreement to build a manufacturing plant, with a planned capacity of 500 million doses, in Kenya; and has pledged to invest in R&D on 15 CEPI priority pathogens with aim to develop a ‘base’ vaccine against each of these pathogens.

 

Flexibility and voluntary solutions to collaborate have been and should continue to be a fundamental pillar to address future healthcare challenges.

To ensure that no-one is left behind in the race to tackle the pandemic which now enters its third year, the biopharmaceutical industry is fully committed to effective international cooperation focusing on getting vaccines from the tarmac into arms is what’s needed now more than ever.

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Featured Analysis

 

WHO – Emerging trends and technologies: a horizon scan for global public health
11 March 2022
Overview
This publication presents the findings of a global horizon scan, conducted by a group of international experts, on emerging technologies and trends relevant to global public health conducted in 2020 and 2021. The group identified 15 new and emerging technologies and scientific advances that may have a significant impact on global health over the next two decades. 

Advances in science and technology hold great promise and hope for new and improved ways to address global health and ensure healthier populations worldwide. They could potentially fundamentally transform global health. This horizon scan presents 15 priority topics, including ethical and societal challenges, and risks and opportunities that require closer attention.

 

Issues identified to become prominent within 5 years
[Examples from list above]
Pandemic preparedness and prevention
A response to the COVID-19 pandemic requires a significant shift in resources and attention towards pandemic preparedness, particularly for zoonotic infections. Pandemics are likely to become more complex, frequent and difficult to contain for various reasons, including climate change, urbanization and interconnectivity (6).

An area for significant improvement in pandemic preparedness and response is trials of therapeutic interventions. A recent review by the US Food and Drug Administration (7) indicates that only about 5% of almost 2900 trial arms for potential COVID-19 therapeutics (involving > 500 000 patients) could be considered both randomized and adequately powered. Most of the studies could not provide useful results for the pandemic. Adaptive platform trials, in which multiple interventions are studied continuously, offer a promising way forward (8, 9).

As finance and policy shift towards infectious disease, efforts must be made to ensure that coordinated multilateral action prevails over national unilateralism. The Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly recommended a timely start to negotiation of an international treaty on pandemic preparedness and response. On 1 September 2021, the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence was inaugurated in Berlin, Germany, and on 1 December 2021 a Special Session of World Health Assembly agreed by consensus to start a global process to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

 

Vaccine distribution
More coordinated, effective systems of vaccine production and global distribution will be necessary both in the coming years, as COVID-19 vaccination programmes unfold, and in the longer term, as countries prepare for future disease outbreaks. During COVID-19, wide inequity in vaccination distribution have become apparent, ranging from “vaccine nationalism”, whereby countries prioritize their own populations over the global good, to “vaccine diplomacy”, whereby countries strategically
provide vaccines to others for geopolitical ends. Targeted, equitable, efficient distribution of vaccines would contain the pandemic sooner, lower global morbidity and mortality rates and reduce the chance of new strains arising (10).

Improving vaccine access will require coordination and significant changes to current approaches, not only extending vaccine production. Vaccines must also be accessible, affordable, trusted and used efficiently (10). Achievement of each of these criteria will require a cooperative global approach…

Conclusions [p.14]
[Excerpts]
In this horizon scan, we identified various technical, societal and economic issues that deserve close attention. WHO is already addressing a number of these areas and is actively engaged, for example, by convening expert groups, issuing guidelines and guidance and setting norms and standards on many of the topics identified…

…Proactive engagement must include not only critical assessment of the ethical dimensions, such as misuse, but also issues of access and equity. Equally important is building robust capacity and deploying resources to promote benefits and confront challenges arising from advances in science and emerging technologies with relevant skills to assist and inform the work of WHO, its Member States and stakeholders.

USA – AU/Africa CDC

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USA – AU/Africa CDC

FACT SHEET: United States Partnership with the African Union – Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
March 11, 2022 • Statements and Releases
Today, the United States and African Union (AU) – Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) renewed our partnership by signing an updated Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This strategic memorandum signifies a continued and expanded commitment to this partnership by outlining our shared priorities for a safer, healthier, and more equitable future. Together, we will continue efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Agenda.

At the February 2022 AU Heads of State Summit, a resolution was approved to elevate Africa CDC’s status to an autonomous health agency of the African Union – a recognition of its global and regional leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola outbreaks, and many other health events. In its support to Member States, Africa CDC serves as a platform to share and exchange knowledge and lessons from public health interventions. Since our partnership officially began in 2015, the U.S. government and Africa CDC have worked together to combat some of the world’s most pressing crises, including Ebola and COVID-19. We have continued to build on our strong relationship through technical assistance, embedded experts and deployed staff to work alongside the organization, and funding to support Africa CDC activities and staffing.

Today, we celebrate ongoing work and highlight key areas of future engagement, including:

National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs): National public health institutes (NPHIs) serve as a functional home for public health activities and the foundation of Africa CDC’s operating model. These science-based agencies monitor the population’s health and respond to disease outbreaks and other public health priorities. They provide leadership and coordination to focus on core public health functions, including surveillance, laboratory, workforce, and public health emergency management. There is natural synergy between Africa CDC and the United States in establishing NPHIs and strengthening their core functions.
The United States has also supported Africa CDC’s three-tiered operational model by developing and strengthening NPHIs at the national level and at five Regional Collaborating Centers (RCCs). The RCCs help build capacity of, coordinate public health initiatives with, and coordinate resources among AU Member States. Current Africa CDC initiatives, in partnership with the United States, can address capacity needs of NPHIs, including surveillance networks, health information exchange, early warning systems, and development of testing and diagnostics capacity. Our partnership will help support Africa CDC’s ongoing efforts to expand health security throughout the continent, and help countries reach the goals and target of the Global Health Security Agenda.

Public Health Workforce: The United States and Africa CDC share the perspective that the public health and healthcare workforce plays a critical role in strengthen health systems, including preparing for and responding to pandemics while continuing to address health needs. The United States works with Africa CDC in building Africa’s public health workforce through supporting global human resources for health, expanding the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), and partnering with Africa CDC’s Institute for Workforce Development (IWD) on other capacity building efforts.

COVID-19: As part of President Biden’s commitment to leading an international and coordinated vaccine effort, the United States has shared over 166 million COVID-19 vaccine doses with 48 countries in Africa, as of February 2022, with plans for sending more.  Africa CDC, in partnership with the African Union, the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust and COVAX, has helped guide allocations of those doses. The United States is supporting updates to regulatory structures and is facilitating engagement with private sector and international organizations that will help expand vaccine manufacturing and enable African public health institutions to produce and supply vaccines for the continent. The U.S. government has partnered with Africa CDC to enhance surveillance and laboratory capacity to identify, detect, and respond to COVID-19 outbreaks and variants of concern. The United States has also deployed staff to support and collaborate with Africa CDC in its leadership of COVID-19 response in Africa.

Critical Medical Commodities:  Through the United States Government’s Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global VAX), we are expanding efforts to work with international partners like Africa CDC to support infrastructure and capacity in vaccine delivery. While we currently work together on COVID-19 vaccine development, these efforts lay the foundation for accelerating the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and other critical medicals tools for a range of diseases.  This complements existing work and technical partnerships across Africa for similar efforts to meet immediate and long-term health needs.

Advanced Molecular Detection: Advanced technologies such as next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics are essential public health tools to help prevent and respond to emerging health threats. Genomics is an increasingly important tool in emerging potential in global public health. The United States, Africa CDC, and other partners have worked together to launch Africa CDC’s Pathogen Genomics initiative to strengthen laboratory systems and enhance disease surveillance by equipping the continent’s public health institutions with the tools, training, and data infrastructure to fully leverage critical genomic sequencing technologies.

SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife/animal reservoirs

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SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife/animal reservoirs

Joint statement on the prioritization of monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection in wildlife and preventing the formation of animal reservoirs
7 March 2022
Joint Statement by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and World Health Organization (WHO)

As we enter the third year of the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is spreading between people at an intense level globally.  There are many factors that are driving transmission. One of these is the emergence of highly transmissible variants of concern, the latest being Omicron.  The virus continues to evolve and the risk of future emergence of variants is high.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is driven by human-to-human transmission, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is also known to infect animal species. Current knowledge indicates that wildlife does not play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in humans, but spread in animal populations can affect the health of these populations and may facilitate the emergence of new virus variants.

In addition to domestic animals, free-ranging, captive or farmed wild animals such as big cats, minks, ferrets, North American white-tailed deer and great apes have thus far been observed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. To date, farmed mink  and pet hamsters have been shown to be capable of infecting humans with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and a potential case of transmission between white-tailed deer and a human is currently under review.

The introduction of SARS-CoV-2 to wildlife could result in the establishment of animal reservoirs. For example, it has been reported that, approximately one-third of wild white-tailed deer in the United States of America have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, initially via several human-to-deer transmission events. The SARS-CoV-2 lineages detected in white-tailed deer have also been circulating in close-by human populations. White-tailed deer have been shown to shed virus and transmit it between each other.

FAO, OIE and WHO call on all countries to take steps to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between humans and wildlife with the aim of reducing the risk of variant emergence and for protecting both humans and wildlife. We urge authorities to adopt relevant regulations and disseminate previously released recommendations by FAO, OIE and WHO to (1) people working in close contact with or handling wildlife, including hunters and butchers; and (2) the public.

Personnel working closely with wildlife should be trained to implement measures that reduce the risk of transmission between people and between people and animals, using WHO advice on how to protect oneself and prevent the spread of COVID-19, and OIE and FAO guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and good hygiene practices around animals, including good hygiene practices for hunters and butchers .

Current evidence suggests that humans are not infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus by eating meat. However, hunters should not track animals that appear sick or harvest those that are found dead. Appropriate butchering and food preparing techniques, including proper hygiene practices, can limit transmission of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and other zoonotic pathogens.

FAO, OIE and WHO stress that the public should be educated about contact with wildlife. Some wild animals may come close to human settlements and residential areas. As a general precaution, people should not approach or feed wild animals or touch or eat those that are orphaned, sick or found dead (including road kills). Instead, they should contact local wildlife authorities or a wildlife health professional.

It is also crucial to safely dispose of uneaten food, masks, tissues, and any other human waste to avoid attracting wildlife, especially to urban areas and, if possible, keep domestic animals away from wildlife and their droppings.

 

We furthermore encourage countries’ national animal and human health services to adopt the following measures:
Encourage collaboration between national veterinary services and national wildlife authorities, whose partnership is key to promoting animal health and safeguarding human and environmental health.
Promote monitoring of wildlife and encourage sampling of wild animals known to be potentially susceptible to SARS-CoV-2.
Share all genetic sequence data from animal surveillance studies through publicly available databases.
Report confirmed animal cases of SARS-CoV-2 to the OIE through the World Animal Health Information System (OIE-WAHIS).
Craft messages about SARS-CoV-2 in animals with care so that inaccurate public perceptions do not negatively impact conservation efforts. No animal found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 should be abandoned, rejected, or killed without providing justification from a country- or event-specific risk assessment.
Suspend the sale of captured live wild mammals in food markets as an emergency measure .

Our organizations emphasize the importance of monitoring mammalian wildlife populations for SARS-CoV-2 infection, reporting results to National Veterinary Services (who report these findings to the OIE) and sharing genomic sequencing data on publicly available databases. Countries should also adopt precautions to reduce the risk of establishment of animal reservoirs and potential acceleration of virus evolution in novel hosts, which could lead to the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Such measures will preserve the health of precious wildlife as well as humans.

We invite governments and other stakeholders to bring the contents of this joint statement to the attention of competent authorities and all parties concerned.

COVID IP – WIPO Report

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COVID IP – WIPO Report

New COVID-19 Research: Universities and Research Organizations Highly Active in Vaccine Patenting During Pandemic’s Early Days; China, U.S.-based Applicants Lead in Vaccine and Therapeutics Innovation
Mar 9, 2022 PR/2022/887
Universities and research organizations filed nearly as many patent applications as corporations for COVID-19 vaccines during the early months of the global pandemic, with China and U.S.-based innovators most actively patenting new anti-COVID19 vaccine and therapeutic technologies, according to a WIPO report on pandemic-era innovation trends released today.

“This report underlines that collaboration – across organizations, agencies, sectors and borders – is essential if we are to make meaningful progress in addressing the global challenges that we face,” said Mr. Tang, who was joined at an event launching the report by World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

 

Among the report’s key findings
In the first 21 months of the pandemic, close to 5,300 patent applications relating to COVID-19 were filed across 49 patent offices.
This included nearly 1,500 filings related to therapeutics and over 400 filings related to vaccines.
For vaccine filings, universities and public research organizations accounted for 44 percent of the total, compared with 49 percent by companies. As one point of comparison, universities and public research organizations accounted for only 8 percent of total international patent applications filed with WIPO in 2021.
The top 10 applicant locations for vaccines were China, the U.S., the Russian Federation, the U.K., Republic of Korea, Germany, India, Austria, Switzerland and Australia.
China, the U.S. and India were the top origins for therapeutics. India and the Republic of Korea saw higher filing activity for therapeutics than vaccines.
Initial data from top patent offices showed comparatively quick grants for patent applications related to COVID-19, with innovators utilizing general fast-track avenues or specific COVID-19 measures designed to bring new products to the public quickly. By comparison, they were processed faster than patent applications in the field of chemistry and bioscience in the same period (January 2020 to September 2021).
The report also highlights how research organizations and universities worked together with private industry to help speed the development of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, and confirms that accelerated innovation and vaccine development during the pandemic were possible thanks to research breakthroughs and technological advancements pre-pandemic.

WIPO Patent Landscape Report – COVID-19-related vaccines and therapeutics
Preliminary insights on related patenting activity during the pandemic
Author(s): World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) |
Publication year: 2022 :: 83 pages
Download: https://www.wipo.int/publications/en/details.jsp?id=4589

Members updated on high-level talks aimed at finding convergence on IP COVID-19 response

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IP/TRIPS/WTO

Members updated on high-level talks aimed at finding convergence on IP COVID-19 response
World Trade Organisation – 10 March 2022
WTO members were updated on the high-level political consultations taking place to try to find a landing zone on the intellectual property-related aspects of a WTO COVID-19 response. At a meeting of the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 9-10 March, members agreed to keep open two related agenda items on the WTO response to allow the Council to be reconvened at short notice when and if convergence is within reach. The Council elected Ambassador Lansana Gberie (Sierra Leone) as its new chair.

[Excerpts]
Some of the members participating since December 2021 in the high-level talks – the European Union, India, South Africa and the United States – expressed cautious optimism about a possible outcome and asked for patience from the rest of the membership. These members said that the small-group discussions continue to take place in good faith, with the objective of finding a landing zone that delivers on the common purpose of ensuring equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.

They stressed that any framework that emerges from this process, under the coordination of WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Deputy Director-General Anabel González, will be subject to consideration by the TRIPS Council and its full membership. They also underlined that achieving an effective outcome on this critical issue would serve the ultimate purpose of tackling the ongoing crisis as well as ensuring that the credibility of the WTO is restored.

Generally, members were supportive of the small-group consultations and encouraged those participating to regularly update the TRIPS Council. However, some members asked for greater transparency and inclusiveness in order to reach an outcome that represents the views of the whole membership. For these members, progress towards an outcome on an IP COVID-19 response cannot be expected if the TRIPS Council does not know the details of discussions that can result in taking forward discussions on the wider pandemic response.

The chair of the TRIPS Council, Ambassador Dagfinn Sørli of Norway, said that expectations and hopes remain, as the current high-level process may result in framing a platform upon which the membership at large may be able to build something that can result in a consensus-based solution. He added that all efforts should be made to keep the entire membership informed and involved in the deliberation of the items which are part of the Council’s agenda.

Members agreed to keep open in the agenda of the TRIPS Council the proposal for a waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 (IP/C/W/669/Rev.1) and the Draft General Council Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Heath in the Circumstances of a Pandemic  (IP/C/W/681) so that the Council can be reconvened at short notice if substantial progress is made in the high-level talks…

 

…COVID-19 update
Members were updated on IP measures in the context of COVID-19. The basis for the discussions was once more the compilation “COVID-19: Measures Regarding Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights“. The WTO webpage contains a non-exhaustive list of IP-related measures taken in the context of COVID-19, compiled by the Secretariat from official sources and verified by the members concerned.
At the request of members, the WTO Secretariat provided an interim update on the number of voluntary licence agreements regarding COVID-19 vaccine production over time and on the projected and observed volume of vaccine dose production under these agreements.

The Secretariat also introduced the Annual Report on Notifications and other information flows (IP/C/W/687/Rev.1), which provides analysis and trends in members’ fulfilment of the TRIPS transparency obligations, including detailed member-by-member information on notifications and other TRIPS submissions…

…To date, 134 members have accepted the TRIPS Amendment, which entered into force on 23 January 2017, securing for developing countries a legal pathway to access affordable medicines under WTO rules. The chair said that, together with the Director-General, he had sent letters to the remaining 30 members encouraging them to expedite action in good time before the current deadline for acceptance, which was extended until 31 December 2021…

Coronavirus [COVID-19] – WHOPublic Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

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Coronavirus [COVID-19] – WHO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

 

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
Last update: 25 Feb 2022
Confirmed cases :: 452 201 564
Confirmed deaths :: 6 029 852
Vaccine doses administered: 10 704 043 684

 

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Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 8 March 2022
Overview
Globally, during the week of 28 February through 6 March 2022, the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths has continued to decline by 5% and 8% respectively, as compared to the previous week. Across the six WHO regions, over 10 million new cases and over 52 000 new deaths were reported. As of 6 March 2022, over 433 million confirmed cases and over 5.9 million deaths have been reported globally.

At the regional level, while the Western Pacific Region continue to report an increase (+46%) in the number of new weekly cases, all other regions reported decreases. The number of new weekly deaths increased in the Western Pacific (+29%) and the Eastern Mediterranean (+2%) Regions, while decreases were reported by the African Region (-39%), Europe Region (-15%), the Region of the Americas (-9%) and South-East Asia Region (-3%)…

 

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WHO Director General Speeches [selected]
https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches
Selected
10 March 2022
Speech
WHO Director-General’s remarks at Launch of the WIPO Patent Landscape Report on COVID-19 – 10 March 2022

9 March 2022
Speech
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 and Ukraine – 9 March 2022

8 March 2022
Speech
WHO Director-General’s keynote speech at the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit

Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 02 March 2022
[Full scale view available at title link above]
[Updated on 02 March 2022]

 

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COVID Vaccines/Therapeutics – Developer/Manufacturer Announcements
[Selected press releases/announcements from organizations from WHO EUL/PQ listing above and other organizations]

COVID Vaccines/Therapeutics – Developer/Manufacturer Announcements

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COVID Vaccines/Therapeutics – Developer/Manufacturer Announcements
[Selected press releases/announcements from organizations from WHO EUL/PQ listing above and other organizations]

 

AstraZeneca
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

Bharat Biotech
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

BioCubaFarma – Cuba
Últimas Noticias – Website not leading at inquiry

 

Biontech
Press Releases
Statement on Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine
7 March 2022

 

CanSinoBIO
News – [Website not responding at inquiry]

Clover Biopharmaceuticals – China
News – No new digest announcements identified

 

Curevac [Bayer Ag – Germany]
News
CureVac Establishes Fully-Owned Company Dedicated to Advancing The RNA Printer®
March 1, 2022
The RNA Printer® is CureVac’s integrated and automated manufacturing solution for RNA vaccines and therapeutics
CureVac RNA Printer GmbH to provide dedicated infrastructure to accelerate development and broaden application range of The RNA Printer®
Dr. Markus Bergmann appointed as General Manager for CureVac RNA Printer GmbH

 

Gamaleya National Center
Latest News and Events – See Russia below and under Ukraine above

IMBCAMS, China
Home – Website not responding at inquiry

 

Janssen/JNJ
Press Releases
Johnson & Johnson Announces Landmark Agreement to Enable its COVID-19 Vaccine to be Manufactured and Made Available by an African Company for People Living in Africa
United States
:: Aspen will manufacture and provide the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine under its own brand name per the terms of agreement
:: Ensuring equitable, global access to COVID-19 vaccines has been a pillar of Johnson & Johnson’s response since the earliest days of the pandemic
:: The production of COVID-19 vaccines on multiple continents is critical to supporting an equitable response, controlling the pandemic, and improving long-term health security
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (March 8, 2022) – Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (the Company) today announced the completion of a landmark agreement between Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and manufacturer Aspen SA Operations (Pty) Ltd, based in South Africa, to enable the first COVID-19 vaccine to be manufactured and made available by an African company for people living in Africa, with the goal of increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates across the continent…

 

Moderna
Press Releases
March 10, 2022
Moderna Announces First Participant Dosed in Phase 2 Study of Omicron-Specific Bivalent Booster Candidate

March 7, 2022
Moderna Announces Its Global Public Health Strategy
:: Moderna announces commitment to advance vaccines targeting 15 pathogens identified as biggest public health risk by WHO and CEPI into clinical studies by 2025
:: Moderna launches mRNA Access, a new collaborative enabling researchers around the world to utilize Moderna’s mRNA technology platform to pursue research in their own labs on emerging and neglected infectious diseases
:: Moderna expands commitment to never enforce COVID-19 patents in the Gavi COVAX AMC for 92 low- and middle-income countries
:: Moderna has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of the Republic of Kenya to establish its first mRNA manufacturing facility on the continent of Africa

March 7, 2022
Moderna Announces Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of the Republic of Kenya to Establish its First mRNA Manufacturing Facility in Africa

 

Novavax
Press Releases
Novavax Announces Launch of Global Vaccine Education Programs
Mar 10, 2022

Novavax Statement on Availability of its COVID-19 Vaccine in New Zealand
Mar 08, 2022

 

Pfizer
Recent Press Releases
03.09.2022
Pfizer Initiates Phase 2/3 Study of Novel COVID-19 Oral Treatment in Pediatric Participants

 

Sanofi Pasteur
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

 

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

Shifa Pharmed [Iran]
http://shafapharmed.com/
No news page identified.

 

Sinopharm/WIBPBIBP
News – No new digest announcements identified

 

Sinovac
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

 

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

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

 

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GSK
Press releases for media – No new digest announcements identified

 

Merck
News releases – No new digest announcements identified

 

Novartis
News – No new digest announcements identified

 

SK Biosciences
Press releases – No new digest announcements identified

 

Valneva
Press Releases
March 11, 2022
Valneva Provides Regulatory Update on its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

March 8, 2022
Valneva Successfully Completes Pivotal Phase 3 Trial of Single-Shot Chikungunya Vaccine Candidate

COVID-19 Global Targets and Progress Tracker – IMF

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COVID-19 Global Targets and Progress Tracker – IMF
The COVID-19 Global Targets and Progress Tracker presents a consolidated view of the progress towards global COVID-19 targets, barriers in access to COVID-19 tools, and delivery of donor pledges. The global targets presented in the Tracker are based on an alignment of the targets identified in the IMF Pandemic Proposal, ACT-A Strategic Plan & Budget, and the US-hosted Global C19 Summit, and as such have been reaffirmed by multilateral institutions and global leaders. We will continue to enhance the tracker as we improve our data collection efforts.

Global Dashboard on COVID-19 Vaccine Equity

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

Dashboard on Vaccine Equity [accessed 12 Mar 2022]: https://data.undp.org/vaccine-equity/
See also visualization on Vaccine Access and Vaccine Affordability

The Race for Global COVID-19 Vaccine Equity

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

COVID-19 Data Explorer: Global Humanitarian Operations

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COVID Vaccines – OCHA:: HDX

COVID-19 Data Explorer: Global Humanitarian Operations
COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out
12 Mar 2022 | COVAX (WHO,GAVI,CEPI), UNDESA, Press Reports | DATA
Global COVID-19 Figures: 4.52M total confirmed cases; 6.0M total confirmed deaths
Global vaccines administered: 10.9B
Number of Countries: 28
COVAX Allocations Round 4-9 (Number of Doses): 170M
COVAX Delivered (Number of Doses): 260M
Other Delivered (Number of Doses): 250M
Total Delivered (Number of Doses): 520M
Total Administered (Number of Doses): 350M

Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 [IMF, World Bank Group, WHO, WTO]

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Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 [IMF, World Bank Group, WHO, WTO]
https://data.covid19taskforce.com/data
A global effort to help developing countries access and deliver COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and therapeutics, as they work to end the pandemic and boost economic recovery.
The International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization have joined forces to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics by leveraging multilateral finance and trade solutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Website accessed 12 Mar 2022: https://data.covid19taskforce.com/data The global view below is complemented by country-specific dashboards here.

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

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

 

 

HHS
News
Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Launches Nationwide Test-to-Treat Initiative Ensuring Rapid ‘On the Spot’ Access to Lifesaving COVID Treatments
March 8, 2022 | News Release

 

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 12 Mar 2022]
https://aspr.hhs.gov/newsroom/Pages/NewsRoomHome.aspx
News
No new digest content identified.

 

 

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FDA
Press Announcements
No new digest content identified.

 

 

Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee– FDA
https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/blood-vaccines-and-other-biologics/vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee
Calendar
No calendar announcements identified.

 

 

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White House [U.S.] [to 12 Mar 2022]
Briefing Room – Selected Major COVID Announcements
FACT SHEET: United States Partnership with the African Union – Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
March 11, 2022 Statements and Releases
[See Perspectives above for detail]

Statement of President Joe Biden on the Justice Department Naming a Chief Pandemic Prosecutor [Fraud]

March 10, 2022 Statements and Releases

 

U.S. Department of State [to 12 Mar 2022]
https://www.state.gov/coronavirus/releases/
Media Notes
Eighth Annual U.S.-AUC High-Level Dialogue Joint Statement
March 12, 2022

 

USAID [to 12 Mar 2022]
https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/2021
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Announcements
News
The United States Announces Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Ukrainians
March 10, 2022
Today, Vice President Kamala Harris announced nearly $53 million in additional humanitarian assistance from the United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to support Ukrainians affected by Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine.

USAID Announces $150 Million To Stimulate and Accelerate The Development Of Vaccines And Other Countermeasures Against Biological Threats
March 8, 2022
Today at the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit hosted by the Government of the United Kingdom, Administrator Samantha Power announced that the United States, through USAID, intends to provide $150 million over three years, subject to Congressional appropriations, to support the work of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The new commitment will support key goals of the American Pandemic Preparedness plan and G7 100 Days Mission by stimulating and accelerating the development of life-saving vaccines and other countermeasures against biological threats, including COVID-19. Once the President’s Budget Request is released, additional information will be shared about how the U.S. will help advance shared goals.

USAID Administrator Samantha Power at the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit
March 8, 2022
We strongly share CEPI’s aspiration to produce a new, highly effective vaccine to treat any emerging, infectious disease within 100 days—and we applaud the Coalition’s work to rally the world behind this goal. That’s why we’re pleased to announce today that the United States, through USAID, intends to invest $150 million over three years, to support CEPI’s work—our largest financial investment in the Coalition to date, and we look forward to working with Congress to secure support for this critical investment.

U.S. Government Announces Largest-Ever Budget Request, $2.6 Billion, to Advance Gender Equity and Equality Around the World
March 8, 2022
Today, on International Women’s Day, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Shalanda Young, previewed that the President’s 2023 Budget will request approximately $2.6 billion for foreign assistance programs that promote gender equity and equality worldwide, more than doubling the amount requested for gender programs in the prior year. This marks the largest-ever gender budget request and would fund programming led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department, with USAID taking forward the majority of this historic budget request to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls around the world. Administrator Power, Secretary Blinken, and OMB Acting Director Young, joined White House Gender Policy Council Director Jennifer Klein for an event at the White House to mark the historic announcement.

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

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

 

 

European Medicines Agency
News & Press Releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

 

 

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European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en
Latest Updates [Selected]
Prevention and control of infectious diseases in the context of Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine
News – 8 Mar 2022

 

 

Operational public health considerations for the prevention and control of infectious diseases in the context of Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine
Technical report – 8 Mar 2022
Executive summary
This operational document focuses on infectious disease vulnerabilities of those fleeing from Ukraine, and the associated requirements for infection prevention and control. It is important to note, however, that these are just few of the risks to the health and well-being of the displaced people, and that the measures described in this document should be part of more generalised health measures provided in support of those who have been displaced.
Public health authorities should increase awareness among their community healthcare providers regarding the need to ensure access to services and continuity of vaccination programmes, and to be aware of the vulnerability of displaced people to infectious diseases. Doctors should be informed so that they can adjust their diagnostic and reporting algorithms accordingly. This should be an integral part of the overall provision of healthcare to those fleeing Ukraine, as should the diagnosis and treatment of chronic disease and mental and psychosocial health.
Ensuring continuity of routine vaccinations and addressing gaps in prior vaccination histories is an essential element of the public health support for displaced people. In this context, ensuring vaccination coverage against poliomyelitis, measles and COVID-19 should be a priority. Vaccination acceptance also needs to be assessed and addressed among those fleeing Ukraine.
Surveillance systems should be enhanced by increasing awareness among health professionals taking care of displaced people, to ensure that vaccine-preventable diseases and other communicable diseases are appropriately detected.
Syndromic surveillance should be considered for those accommodated in reception centres.
In people presenting with traumatic wounds, healthcare providers should be made aware that infections associated with these injuries can often include infection due to multidrug-resistant organisms. Diagnostic and treatment procedures should therefore be appropriate for identifying and managing such organisms.
Health risk communication activities should follow the standard principles of consistency and clarity and attempt to acknowledge and clear up any uncertainties that may exist.

 

 

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Accessed 12 Mar 2022
https://vaccinetracker.ecdc.europa.eu/public/extensions/COVID-19/vaccine-tracker.html#uptake-tab

European Commission
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/home/en
Latest [Selected]
Statement 10 March 2022
Statement by the European Commission calling for the protection of children in Ukraine

Statement 10 March 2022
State aid: Commission statement on consulting Member States on a proposal for a Temporary Crisis Framework to support the economy in context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Today, the European Commission has sent to Member States for consultation a draft proposal for a State aid Temporary Crisis Framework to support the EU economy in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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

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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
COVID – 19 Vaccination Update – Day 421
:: India’s cumulative vaccination coverage crosses 180 Crore landmark milestone
:: More than 17 lakh Vaccine doses administered today till 7 pm
Posted On: 12 MAR 2022 8:53PM by PIB Delhi

 

 

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

POLIO Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

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Emergencies

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

Polio this week as of 23 February 2022
:: On Monday 7 March 2022, a case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) was confirmed in an unvaccinated girl aged three years and nine months in Israel. The girl had developed acute flaccid paralysis and upon testing of her stool, poliovirus was confirmed…Read more
:: International Women’s Day was marked on 8 March and among several online activities, the GPEI released a video featuring the voices of some of the women involved in the polio eradication effort in Pakistan. Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation and Gender Champion for Polio Eradication José Manuel Albares also paid tribute to all the women in polio eradication.

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
– Côte d’Ivoire: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
– DR Congo: one cVDPV2 case
– Israel: one cVDPV3 case and six positive environmental samples
– Mauritania: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
– Nigeria: one cVDPV2 case
– Occupied Palestinian territory: eight cVDPV3 positive environmental samples

 

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Statement of the Thirty-first Polio IHR Emergency Committee
11 March 2022
Statement
The thirty-first meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on the international spread of poliovirus was convened by the WHO Director-General on 28 February 2022 with committee members and advisers attending via video conference, supported by the WHO Secretariat. The Emergency Committee reviewed the data on wild poliovirus (WPV1) and circulating vaccine derived polioviruses (cVDPV)…

 

Wild poliovirus
The committee was encouraged that WPV1 transmission has fallen to very low levels, with no new case in Pakistan since January 2021 and only four in Afghanistan in 2021 and one in 2022. Environmental surveillance continues to detect low levels of WPV1 transmission in Pakistan with 7.6% of samples testing positive in 2021 compared to 56% in 2020. In the second half of 2021 the proportion was only 1.5%. So far in 2022 there has been no positive sample; the most recent positive sample was collected 3 December 2021 in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The committee was very concerned that for the first time since the PHEIC was declared in 2014, there has been a case of polio due to new international spread from the Afghanistan – Pakistan epidemiological block, with WPV1 confirmed in a three year old child from Lilongwe, capital city of Malawi with onset of paralysis in November 2021. Genomic sequencing indicates the closest matching virus to that found in the case is a virus found in 2019 in Pakistan. Of concern, it is unknown whether transmission has been missed in Africa or Asia. This is the first WPV1 detection in the WHO African Region since 2016, when four cases occurred due to endemic transmission in Nigeria. This long distance international spread of polio, presumably by sea or by air traffic, is the first such spread since the 2013 introduction of WPV1 into Syria and Israel. The committee noted that a strong multi country response is being planned in Malawi and four neighboring countries, including a thorough investigation to try to determine more clearly when and how importation of WPV1 occurred.

The committee was very disturbed by the news that eight front line workers in Afghanistan had been attacked and killed in four different locations. These are the first attacks on polio workers since nationwide campaigns resumed in November last year and underline that major challenges remain in the country including security challenges and the adverse economic situation. Nevertheless it was encouraging that 2.6 million previously unreached children had been vaccinated in the November 2021 polio campaign. Data provided to the committee clearly showed that where house to house polio campaigns are possible the vaccine coverage is far higher.

 

Circulating vaccine derived poliovirus (cVDPV)
There have been four new countries infected with cVDPV2, Chad, Djibouti, Mozambique and Yemen bringing the total number of cVDPV2 infected countries to 29. Of these 29 cVDPV2 infected countries, 12 appear to have halted transmission with no detection for at least six months. Chad which appeared to have halted transmission for 12 months has had a new importation and is again considered infected. The total number of cVDPV2 cases in 2021 is 614, of which 413 have occurred in Nigeria, which is considerably less than the 1079 cases in 2020. As in all the years following 2016 when OPV2 was withdrawn, the number of cVDPV2 cases globally has been greater than the number of WPV1 cases.

Based on analysis of genetic linkages between viruses, cross border spread continues to occur, with spread from Nigeria into Cameroon, CAR, Chad and Niger and from Yemen into Djibouti and Egypt. Despite the ongoing decline in the number of cases and lineages circulating, the risk of international spread of cVDPV2 remains high.

The committee noted that the roll out of wider use of novel OPV2 continues under EUL. The committee also noted the delays concerning the importance of timely, quality outbreak response with countries avoiding timely response with monovalent OPV2, preferring to wait for novel OPV2 to become available.

 

Conclusion
Although heartened by the apparent progress particularly in Pakistan, the Committee unanimously agreed that the risk of international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and recommended the extension of Temporary Recommendations for a further three months. The Committee recognizes the concerns regarding the lengthy duration of the polio PHEIC and the importance of exploring alternative IHR measures in the future but concluded that there are still significant risks as exemplified by the importation of virus into Malawi…

…The Committee warned of the ongoing effects of COVID-19 particularly on essential immunization and possible future disruptions of immunization activities, and suggested the polio programme could play a role in expediting delivery of COVID vaccines. The committee noted the ongoing work around the duration of the polio PHEIC, and suggested that any lessons learnt from the COVID-19 PHEIC be made available to the committee.

Based on the current situation regarding WPV1 and cVDPV, and the reports provided by affected countries, the Director-General accepted the Committee’s assessment and on 4 March 2022 determined that the situation relating to poliovirus continues to constitute a PHEIC, with respect to WPV1 and cVDPV…

 

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Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
No new reports identified.

 

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WHO/OCHA Emergencies

 

Editor’s Note:
WHO has issued a single situation report on Ukraine [5 March 2022 Emergency in Ukraine – Situation Report 1] which we featured in last week’s edition. Ukraine has not yet been listed in the omnibus inventory on WHO emergencies below.

Health emergencies list – WHO
“The health emergencies list details the disease outbreaks, disasters and humanitarian crises where WHO plays an essential role in supporting countries to respond to and recover from emergencies with public health consequences.”
Afghanistan crisis [Last apparent update: 17 Jan 2022]

Crisis in Northern Ethiopia [Last apparent update: 1 June 2021]

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

Yemen crisis [Last apparent update: 12 February 2021]

Syria crisis [Last apparent update: 18 June 2021]

Somalia crisis [Last apparent update: 24 March 2018]

Nigeria crisis [Last apparent update: 1 Oct 2021]

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

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

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

Iraq crisis [Last apparent update: 9 Jan 2008]

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

Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus outbreak [Last apparent update: 13 September 2021]

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

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

 

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UN OCHA – Current Emergencies
Current Corporate Emergencies
Afghanistan
No new updates identified.

Northern Ethiopia
Ethiopia – Northern Ethiopia Humanitarian Update Situation Report, 10 March 2022
HIGHLIGHTS
Ongoing hostilities continue to increase humanitarian needs with a growing number of displaced people in Afar and Amhara.
About 100 metric tons of health and nutrition supplies were airlifted during the reporting week to Mekelle, Tigray.
Only about 10,000 people and about 22,500 refugees were assisted with food during the reporting period in Tigray.
More than 102,000 displaced people were reached with essential health service in Amhara during February.
About 87,000 people were assisted with food in Afar during the reporting week, while high energy biscuits were distributed to more than 5,000 newly displaced people.

Ukraine
Ukraine: Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 3:00 p.m. (EET), 11 March 2022)

 

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WHO & Regional Offices [to 12 Mar 2022]

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WHO & Regional Offices [to 12 Mar 2022]
https://www.who.int/
News [Selected]
11 March 2022
Statement
Statement of the Thirty-first Polio IHR Emergency Committee
[See Polio above for detail]

8 March 2022
Statement
Interim Statement on COVID-19 vaccines in the context of the circulation of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 Variant from the WHO Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC), 08 March 2022
[See COVID above for detail]

7 March 2022
Departmental news
WHO launches new repository on urban health

7 March 2022
Joint News Release
Act Now to Save Lives and Prevent Migrants From Going Missing

7 March 2022
Statement
Eighth Meeting of the Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19, 1 March 2022: “Third Consultation with the CEOs of leading vaccine manufacturers”
[See Perspectives above for detail]

7 March 2022
Statement
Joint statement on the prioritization of monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection in wildlife and preventing the formation of animal reservoirs
[See Perspectives above for detail]

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WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region
No new digest content identified

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: “Too soon to lower our guard”, warns PAHO Director as pandemic reaches two-year mark
9 Mar 2022
As the COVID-19 death toll surpasses 2.6 million in the Americas and restrictions lift, countries must prepare to respond quickly to new variants or outbreaks Washington D.C. 9 March 2022 (PAHO) – As the world reaches two-years since  COVID-19 was characterized as a pandemic, and public health measures are being lifted in many parts of the…
:: WHO issues new guidelines on abortion to help countries deliver lifesaving care
9 Mar 2022
Access to safe abortion critical for health of women and girls: WHO Geneva, 9 March 2022 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing new guidelines on abortion care today, in a bid to protect the health of women and girls and help prevent over 25 million unsafe abortions that currently occur each year. “Being able to obtain…
:: COVID-19 Pandemic Disproportionately Affected Women in the Americas
8 Mar 2022
PAHO report shows that gender inequalities in health have increased in the region; calls for disaggregated data to design more inclusive response. Washington, DC, March 8, 2022 (PAHO)- The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on women in the Americas, contributing to increased gender inequality in health and threatening women’s…

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: A life-saving journey – critical WHO supplies arrive in Ukraine 11-03-2022
:: Two years of COVID-19: new report highlights the 100 weeks of WHO/Europe’s efforts to protect lives and livelihoods during the pandemic 11-03-2022
:: Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus confirmed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory 10-03-2022
:: Access to vaccination for refugees from Ukraine needed to protect the most vulnerable among them from vaccine-preventable diseases 10-03-2022
:: Putting health at the centre of post-COVID recovery: WHO European Region faces stark choices that will shape its future 10-03-2022

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Protecting the most vulnerable from health effects of drought in Somalia 10 March 2022
:: Restoration of central drug warehouse in Lebanon 10 March 2022
:: Mission discusses progress in implementation of Jordan’s antimicrobial resistance national action plan
9 March 2022
:: Women leaders in polio eradication: Pariva Hashemi 8 March 2022

WHO Western Pacific Region
:: Eight steps to help with safe home-based recovery for COVID-19 9 March 2022

 

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WHO Events
https://www.who.int/news-room/events/1
[Selected]
Launch – One Health: approach for action against neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030
16 March 2022 14:00 – 15:15 CET

 

Webinar: Launch of the WHO implementation handbook for national action plans on AMR
17 March 2022

 

COVID-19 Case Management Webinar Series: COVID-19 in children and young persons
22 March 2022 13:30 – 15:30 CET

 

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New WHO Publications
https://www.who.int/publications/i
Selected Titles
11 March 2022
Emerging trends and technologies: a horizon scan for global public health
Overview
This publication presents the findings of a global horizon scan, conducted by a group of international experts, on emerging technologies and trends relevant to global public health conducted in 2020 and 2021. The group identified 15 new and emerging technologies and scientific advances that may have a significant impact on global health over the next two decades.
[See Perspectives above for detail]

11 March 2022
Safety monitoring of molnupiravir for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 infection in low and middle-income…

10 March 2022
Western Pacific regional framework to end TB: 2021-2030: brief summary

9 March 2022
Accelerating malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong

9 March 2022
Use of SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 self-testing

8 March 2022
Executive summary ‒ Ending the neglect to attain the sustainable development goals. One health: approach…

7 March 2022
Infection prevention and control in the context of coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A living guideline