JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update March 20, 2021

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

Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume 223, Issue Supplement_1, 1 February 2021
https://academic.oup.com/jid/issue/223/Supplement_1

SUPPLEMENT – Challenges and Promising Approaches for HIV Remission
Articles
The Search for an HIV Cure: Where Do We Go From Here?
Jonathan Z Li, Rajesh T Gandhi
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 223, Issue Supplement_1, 1 February 2021, Pages S1–S3, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaa738

Journal of Public Health Policy
Volume 42, issue 1, March 2021
https://link.springer.com/journal/41271/volumes-and-issues/42-1

Original Article
Timeliness of childhood vaccinations in the Philippines
Authors (first, second and last of 8)
Peter Francis Raguindin, Merrylle Morales-Dizon, Anna Lena Lopez
Open Access
Published: 04 January 2021
Pages: 53 – 70

Journal of Public Health Policy
Volume 42, issue 1, March 2021
https://link.springer.com/journal/41271/volumes-and-issues/42-1

Balancing public health and civil liberties in times of pandemic
Marcin Orzechowski, Maximilian Schochow, Florian Steger
Content type: Viewpoint
Open Access
Published: 18 January 2021
Pages: 145 – 153

Nature
Volume 591 Issue 7850, 18 March 2021
https://www.nature.com/nature/volumes/591/issues/7850

Editorial | 16 March 2021
Revamp of UK CRISPR regulation will require public trust
The United Kingdom is considering innovative ways of regulating gene editing in food and farming. Robust processes and public confidence will be vital for success.

Nature Human Behaviour
Volume 5 Issue 3, March 2021
https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/volumes/5/issues/3

Editorial | 19 March 2021
Scientific interactions in a virtual world
COVID-19 has forced a rethink of many practices we previously took for granted, and academic travel is no exception. Virtual conferences have demonstrated their promise for encouraging a more equitable and environmentally friendly future.

Nature Human Behaviour
Volume 5 Issue 3, March 2021
https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/volumes/5/issues/3

Comment | 15 March 2021
Changing scientific meetings for the better
Conferences are a pivotal part of the scientific enterprise, but large in-person meetings have several disadvantages. As the pandemic experience has shown, online meetings are a viable alternative. Accelerating efforts to improve conferences in virtual formats can lead to a more equitable and sustainable conference culture.
Sarvenaz Sarabipour, Aziz Khan  & Tomislav Mestrovic

Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 3, March 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/3

Editorial | 15 March 2021
Preparing for the next pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has opened a window of opportunity for rethinking the way countries prepare for public-health crises. This window must not be wasted.

Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 3, March 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/3

Comment | 15 March 2021
Promoting diagnostics as a global good
The COVID-19 pandemic has reasserted the central role of effective diagnostics in the response to outbreaks. But a lack of coordination still hampers widespread access to these critical tools. A diagnostics agenda for global health is urgently needed for the promotion of diagnostics as a global good and to ensure their delivery.
Catharina Boehme, Emma Hannay  & Madhukar Pai

Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 3, March 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/3

Comment | 15 March 2021
Beyond recruitment: good participatory practice enhances the impact of research in a pandemic
In a health emergency, clear, two-way communication between researchers and a broad spectrum of stakeholders is essential to establishing trust—a prerequisite for meaningful uptake of new treatments and vaccines.
Barthalomew Wilson, Katharine Wright & Elizabeth Higgs

Nature Medicine
Volume 27 Issue 3, March 2021
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/27/issues/3

Review Article | 15 March 2021
Developing therapeutic approaches for twenty-first-century emerging infectious viral diseases
As the emergence of viral diseases is expected to accelerate, proactive programs to develop broadly active family-specific and cross-family antiviral therapeutics will be key to prepare for future disease outbreaks.
Rita M. Meganck & Ralph S. Baric

New England Journal of Medicine
March 18, 2021 Vol. 384 No. 11
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Editorial
Audio Interview: Efficacy of Current Covid-19 Vaccines against Variant Viruses E.J. Rubin, L.R. Baden, and S. Morrissey

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 20 Mar 2021]

A systematic review on improving implementation of the revitalised integrated disease surveillance and response system in the African region: A health workers’ perspective
Arthur K. S. Ng’etich, Kuku Voyi, Ruth C. Kirinyet, Clifford M. Mutero
Research Article | published 19 Mar 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248998

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
March 16, 2021; vol. 118 no. 11
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/11

Brief Report Open Access
Vaccinating the oldest against COVID-19 saves both the most lives and most years of life
Joshua R. Goldstein, Thomas Cassidy, and Kenneth W. Wachter
PNAS March 16, 2021 118 (11) e2026322118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.20263221

Public Health
Volume 192 Pages 1-74 (March 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/public-health/vol/192/suppl/C

Review article Full text access
The right to health, public health and COVID-19: a discourse on the importance of the enforcement of humanitarian and human rights law in conflict settings for the future management of zoonotic pandemic diseases
M.C. Van Hout, J.S.G. Wells
Pages 3-7
Abstract
Objectives
The catastrophic effects of armed conflict, particularly prolonged armed conflict, on individual and public health are well established. The ‘right’ to healthcare during armed conflict and its lack of enforcement despite a range of United Nations mandated requirements regarding health and healthcare provisions is likely to be a significant feature in future conflicts, as zoonotic-induced pandemics become a more common global public health challenge. The issue of enforcement of health rights assurance and its implications for the public health management of global pandemics such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in and between countries and regions in conflict is the objective of this Review.

Science
19 March 2021 Vol 371, Issue 6535
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Editorial
COVID-19 vaccination passports
By Christopher Dye, Melinda C. Mills
[See COVID above for full text]

Science
19 March 2021 Vol 371, Issue 6535
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Policy Forum
Justice, diversity, and research ethics review
By David H. Strauss, Sarah A. White, Barbara E. Bierer
Science19 Mar 2021 : 1209-1211 Full Access
It is time for institutional review boards and research ethics committees to address the ethics of inclusion
Summary
The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain populations, such as Black, Latinx, and Indigenous populations in the United States, has focused attention on inequalities in health and on the need to increase enrollment of racial and ethnic minorities and other underrepresented groups in biomedical research (1). Yet too often, in the United States and globally, participant enrollment in research has not reflected the demographic composition of the general population, those affected by the health conditions being studied, or those for whom the investigational product is intended (2), with racial and ethnic minorities and the young and the elderly, among others, being consistently underrepresented (3). Underlying causes for this underrepresentation have been described (4, 5), but change has been slow. Notwithstanding the roles of other stakeholders in addressing this issue, we maintain that the specific value of institutional review boards (IRBs) and research ethics committees (RECs) in promoting diversity has been underrecognized and their authority underutilized. Here, we substantiate the role of and outline practical steps for the IRB and REC (hereafter “IRB”) to help achieve greater diversity in clinical research.

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 12 Pages 1667-1796 (19 March 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/12

Discussion Full text access
Building the global vaccine manufacturing capacity needed to respond to pandemics
Tara Kirk Sell, Daniel Gastfriend, Matthew Watson, Crystal Watson, … Nancy Connell
Pages 1667-1669

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 12 Pages 1667-1796 (19 March 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/12

Review article Open access
Sex difference in the immunogenicity of the quadrivalent Human Papilloma Virus vaccine: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Lafi Aldakak, Vera Maria Huber, Frank Rühli, Nicole Bender
Pages 1680-1686

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 12 Pages 1667-1796 (19 March 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/12

Research article Full text access
Perspectives on the receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine: A survey of employees in two large hospitals in Philadelphia
Barbara J. Kuter, Safa Browne, Florence M. Momplaisir, Kristen A. Feemster, … Paul A. Offit
Pages 1693-1700
Health care personnel have been identified by the ACIP as a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination. We conducted a survey in November-December 2020 at two large, academic hospitals in Philadelphia to evaluate the intention of hospital employees to be vaccinated.

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 12 Pages 1667-1796 (19 March 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/12

Research article Abstract only
Estimating pneumococcal vaccine coverage among Australian Indigenous children and children with medically at-risk conditions using record linkage
Alamgir Kabir, Anthony T. Newall, Deborah Randall, Rob Menzies, … Heather F. Gidding
Pages 1727-1735

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 12 Pages 1667-1796 (19 March 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/12

Research article Abstract only
Improving adolescent human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization uptake in school-based health centers through awareness campaigns
Madhura S. Rane, Libby C. Page, Emma McVeigh, Kaetlin Miller, … Jeffrey S. Duchin
Pages 1765-1772

Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 20 Mar 2021)

Open Access Article
The Impact of a Single Educational Lecture on the Vaccine Confidence among Pregnant Women and Young Mothers
by Katarzyna Tkaczyszyn et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(3), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9030290 (registering DOI) – 20 Mar 2021
Abstract
Background: We investigated the impact of a single unstructured educational lecture about vaccinations on the vaccine confidence in volunteer participants. Methods: We conducted a survey-based study during a series of open meetings related to pregnancy and parenting. Before and after the pediatrician’s lecture […]

Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 20 Mar 2021)

Open Access Article
Perception of COVID-19 Vaccination Amongst Physicians in Colombia
by Jorge L. Alvarado-Socarras et al
Vaccines 2021, 9(3), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9030287 (registering DOI) – 19 Mar 2021
Abstract
Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic has triggered the need to develop rapidly effective and safe vaccines to prevent infection, particularly in those at-risk populations such as medical personnel. This study’s objective was to assess the perception of COVID-19 vaccination amongst Colombian physicians featuring […]

Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 20 Mar 2021)

Open Access Article
Vaccination Coverage for Routine Vaccines and Herd Immunity Levels against Measles and Pertussis in the World in 2019
by Pedro Plans-Rubió
Vaccines 2021, 9(3), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9030256 – 13 Mar 2021
Abstract
In 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Global Vaccine Action Plan with the objective to promote essential vaccinations in all countries and achieve at least 90% vaccination coverage for all routine vaccines by 2020. The study assessed the mean percentages of […

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

The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Covid: Rich states ‘block’ vaccine plans for developing nations
March 19, 2021
Wealthy countries – including the UK – are blocking proposals to help developing nations increase their vaccine manufacturing capabilities, documents leaked to BBC Newsnight show.
Several poorer countries have asked the World Health Organization to help them.
But richer nations are pushing back on provisions in international law that would enable them to achieve this.
This is according to a leaked copy of the negotiating text of a WHO resolution on the issue.
Among those richer nations are the UK, the US, as well as the European Union…

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Olympic Games
Japan bans foreign spectators from Tokyo Olympics
March 20, 2021

The Big Read
‘Everyone’s scrambling and hoarding’: Europe’s vaccine blunders
The faltering immunisation campaign has created a picture of rattled leaders losing their nerve as the pandemic worsens
March 19, 2021
…The EU’s faltering vaccination campaign has been hamstrung by a botched central procurement process, supply shortfalls, logistical hurdles and excessive risk aversion from some national medical regulators. The suspension of the jab, albeit only for three days in most EU nations, was another hammer blow, with experts warning it would undermine public confidence and feed conspiracy theories about vaccine risks…

Coronavirus Business Update
AstraZeneca jabs resume but vaccination tensions deepen
March 19, 2021

Covid-19 vaccines
Scandinavian countries keep AstraZeneca vaccine on hold
France recommends use only for those aged 55 and over as other European nations resume rollout
Norway, Denmark and Sweden have continued to pause the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine while France recommended not to use it on people under 55, as other European nations slowly resumed the rollout of the jab amid questions over its side effects.
The countries said they wanted to further analyse the vaccine’s possible role in a number of unusual deaths involving blood clots, despite an assessment from the European Medicines Agency on Thursday that the AstraZeneca vaccine was “effective and safe”.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said it would take a decision on whether to restart the vaccine next week as it needed a “fuller picture of the situation”…

Bottom of Form

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Mar 19, 2021
U.S. Meets Major Vaccine Milestone On Friday, But Vaccine Hesitancy Is High
Over 115 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the U.S., including 100 million since January 20.
By Melissa Holzberg Forbes Staff

Mar 18, 2021
Can Employers Force Employees To Get Vaccinated Or Return To The Office?
Some 69% of Americans believe employees should decide for themselves whether to get vaccinated instead of employers imposing vaccine mandates.
By Kristin Stoller Forbes Staff

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
America Can—and Should—Vaccinate the World
The Case for an All-Out Global Approach to Ending the Pandemic
By Helene Gayle, Gordon LaForge, and Anne-Marie Slaughter
March 19, 2021
After a virtual “Quad summit” last Friday, the leaders of the United States, India, Japan, and Australia announced that they would cooperate to deliver one billion vaccine doses in the Indo-Pacific, directly countering China’s lead in distributing vaccines to the region. The agreement brings together Indian manufacturing and U.S., Japanese, and Australian financing, logistics, and technical assistance to help immunize hundreds of millions of people by the end of 2022. Headlines over the weekend proclaimed that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden was preparing to catch up in global vaccine diplomacy. Yesterday the administration took a further step in this direction, leaking to reporters that it would lend four million AstraZeneca doses to Mexico and Canada.
These initiatives come not a moment too soon…

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Asia Pacific
Spectators From Overseas Are Barred From Tokyo Olympics
The move, announced Saturday, is a significant concession to the realities of the pandemic, even as organizers remain determined to hold the Games this summer.
By Motoko Rich and Ben Dooley
PRINT EDITION March 21, 2021

Europe
Europe Begins Administering AstraZeneca Vaccines Again
On Friday, governments across Europe raced to restart use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after the announcement from the European Union’s top drug regulator on Thursday that the shots were safe and effective.
By The Associated Press March 19, 2021

Europe
Europe’s Vaccine Ethics Call: Do No Harm and Let More Die?
Ethicists are worried about the gamble Germany took to halt AstraZeneca doses over seven cases of blood clots. It will not be the last time hard decisions are made in this pandemic.
By Max Fisher
PRINT EDITION March 20, 2021, Page A6

Technology
Walmart becomes largest U.S. vaccine provider to join push for digital vaccination credentials.
The retail giant joined an international push to provide standardized digital vaccination credentials.
By Natasha Singer March 17

World
On vaccines, Trump tells his hesitant supporters, ‘I would recommend it.’
A third of Republicans said in a recent poll that they would not be vaccinated, compared with 10 percent of Democrats, and another 20 percent of Republicans said they were unsure.
By Bryan Pietsch and Annie Karni

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Egypt receives 2nd shipment of vaccine as gift from China
The 300,000-dose shipment of the vaccine manufactured by China…
Mar 20, 2021

Mexico: 2.7M U.S. vaccine doses to arrive next week
Mar 19, 2021

Indonesia clears use of AstraZeneca vaccine to resume after European Union’s drug regulator said
Associated Press · Mar 19, 2021

Video
Laurie Garrett says vaccine hesitancy is biggest threat from AstraZeneca fallout
Journalist and author Laurie Garrett says one of the biggest threats from the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine in several European countries is increased vaccine hesitancy. “The biggest risk here — and it is huge — is this is in some of the very same countries… where there was a huge amount of vaccine hesitancy.”
Washington Post Live · Mar 17, 2021

How Chile’s vaccination push outpaced the rest of the Western Hemisphere
…have delayed vaccine rollouts in other countries. It has secured enough doses to vaccinate its entire adult…
Antonia Noori Farzan · Americas · Mar 17, 2021

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Brown Center Chalkboard
Coronavirus and schools: Reflections on education one year into the pandemic
Daphna Bassok, Lauren Bauer, Stephanie Riegg Cellini, Helen Shwe Hadani, Michael Hansen, Douglas N. Harris, Brad Olsen, Richard V. Reeves, Jon Valant, and Kenneth K. Wong
Friday, March 12, 2021
 
 
Center for Global Development [to 20 Mar 2021]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Publication
[No new digest content identified]
 
 
Chatham House [to 20 Mar 2021]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Brussels Silent on Vaccinating Undocumented Migrants
Often working in frontline jobs, and therefore among those most exposed to and likely to transmit COVID-19, undocumented migrants are also the least protected.
Expert Comment
Anna Iasmi Vallianatou Stavros Niarchos Foundation Academy Fellow, Europe Programme
Emily Venturi Schwarzman Academy Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme

Sophie Zinser Schwarzman Academy Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme and Middle East North Africa Programme
16 March 2021
During the last few weeks, the European Union (EU) has been widely criticized for its ‘failed’ vaccination strategy. But with all the focus on the general slowness of the EU in vaccinating the populations of its member states, another aspect of the EU’s public health crisis has been ignored.
Undocumented persons are being left out of COVID-19 national vaccination programmes and Brussels remains alarmingly silent about it. This should come as no surprise as migration is a toxic issue and governments in EU countries are now under immense pressure to vaccinate their own citizens as soon as possible.
Undocumented migrants are the least protected, but similar challenges extend to individuals without residence or secure legal status, such as asylum seekers, homeless, and Roma people – making the true number of people being left behind much higher
But the race towards herd immunity cannot afford the luxury of another EU standstill. It is past time for member states and EU institutions to unequivocally include all who reside within EU territories in their pandemic responses, irrespective of legal status…

 
 
CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
Upcoming Event
Africa’s Global Reset: Foreign Relations in a Post-Pandemic Era
March 23, 2021

Podcast Episode
John Nkengasong of Africa CDC On Learning From the Pandemics of the Past
March 18, 2021 | By Katherine E. Bliss, J. Stephen Morrison

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 20 Mar 2021
March 19, 2021 News Release
KFF/Post Survey of Frontline Health Care Workers Finds Nearly Half Remain Unvaccinated
As of early March, just over half (52%) of frontline health care workers say they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, leaving 48% who have not, a new KFF/The Washington Post national survey of health care workers finds. Most who work in hospitals (66%) and outpatient…

March 11, 2021 News Release
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBT People
The latest report from the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and finds that larger shares of LGBT adults report economic losses and mental health struggles than their non-LGBT counterparts. Based on data gathered on…
 
 
Urban Institute [to 20 Mar 2021]
https://www.urban.org/publications
Publications
[No new digest content identified]
 
 
World Economic Forum [to 20 Mar 2021]
https://agenda.weforum.org/news/
Media
Top electronics brands and global organizations launch first private sector alliance for circular electronics
News 18 Mar 2021
· The World Economic Forum convened a special dialogue with Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and more than 80 business leaders from around the world
· The virtual session offered participants an insight into Egypt’s post-COVID-19 strategic priorities and structural reforms

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

.– Request an Email Summary: Vaccines and Global Health : The Week in Review is published as a single email summary, scheduled for release each Saturday evening before midnight (EDT in the U.S.). If you would like to receive the email version, please send your request to david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org.

– pdf version:  A pdf of the current issue is available here: 

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

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

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

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

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccines – Global Public Good

COVID-19 Vaccines Must Be Global Public Good, Secretary-General Says, Announcing ‘Only Together’ Campaign to Encourage Sharing of Technology, Doses
11 March 2021 SG/SM/20620
One full year into the COVID-19 pandemic, our world has faced a tsunami of suffering. So many lives have been lost. Economies have been upended and societies left reeling. The most vulnerable have suffered the most. Those left behind are being left even further behind.

It has been a year of empty office buildings, quiet streets and closed schools in much of the world. I commend women, men and young people everywhere for adapting to work, learn and live in new ways. I honour health workers for their dedication and sacrifice and all other essential workers who have kept societies running. I salute all those who have stood up to the deniers and disinformation, and have followed science and safety protocols. You have helped save lives.

The United Nations will continue mobilizing the international community to make vaccines affordable and available for all, to recover better, and to put a special focus on the needs of those who have borne the burden of this crisis on so many levels — women, minorities, older persons, persons with disabilities, refugees, migrants and indigenous peoples.

With the vaccine roll-out, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. COVAX —the global vaccine equity mechanism —  has started delivery around the world, including to some of the lowest-income countries.

Yet I am deeply concerned that many low-income countries have not yet received a single dose, while wealthier countries are on track to vaccinating their entire population. We see many examples of vaccine nationalism and vaccine hoarding in wealthier countries — as well as continued side deals with manufacturers that undermine access for all.

The global vaccination campaign represents the greatest moral test of our times.

It is also essential to restart the global economy — and help the world move from locking down societies to locking down the virus.

COVID-19 vaccines must be seen as a global public good. The world needs to unite to produce and distribute sufficient vaccines for all, which means at least doubling manufacturing capacity around the world.

That effort must start now. Only together can we end this pandemic and recover. Only together can we revive our economies. And then, together, we can all get back to the things we love.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccination – Equity/Integrity

Rwanda vaccinates refugees and asylum-seekers against COVID-19
12 Mar 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten the lives and rights of refugees, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the Rwandan government’s vaccination this week of 416 refugees – one of the first countries in Africa to do so.
Nearly one year since the country’s first registered COVID-19 case and as part of Rwanda’s national vaccination drive, the Rwandan Ministry of Health inoculated 224 refugees residing in the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) centre in Gashora and 192 refugees in six refugee settlements working on the front lines of the pandemic as community health workers and cleaners or security guards at health clinics in the refugee settlements.
Some 230,000 people in Rwanda have been vaccinated against COVID-19, one week after a countrywide campaign began.
“We commend Rwanda’s inclusion of refugees in its response to the pandemic,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, UNHCR’s Regional Bureau Director Bureau for the East, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes. “We appeal to all countries to include refugees in their vaccination programs on par with nationals to ensure that everyone is safe.”…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Quad Leaders’ Joint Statement: “The Spirit of the Quad”
March 12, 2021 Statements and Releases
[Editor’s text bolding]
1. We have convened to reaffirm our commitment to quadrilateral cooperation between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific. We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion. We recall that our joint efforts toward this positive vision arose out of an international tragedy, the tsunami of 2004. Today, the global devastation wrought by COVID-19, the threat of climate change, and security challenges facing the region summon us with renewed purpose. On this historic occasion of March 12, 2021, the first-ever leader-level summit of the Quad, we pledge to strengthen our cooperation on the defining challenges of our time.

2. Together, we commit to promoting a free, open rules-based order, rooted in international law to advance security and prosperity and counter threats to both in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. We support the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic values, and territorial integrity. We commit to work together and with a range of partners. We reaffirm our strong support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality as well as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Full of potential, the Quad looks forward to the future; it seeks to uphold peace and prosperity and strengthen democratic resilience, based on universal values.

3. Our common goals require us to reckon with the most urgent of global challenges. Today, we pledge to respond to the economic and health impacts of COVID-19, combat climate change, and address shared challenges, including in cyber space, critical technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure investment, and humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief as well as maritime domains.

4. Building on the progress our countries have achieved on health security, we will join forces to expand safe, affordable, and effective vaccine production and equitable access, to speed economic recovery and benefit global health. With steadfast commitment to the health and safety of our own people, we also recognize that none of us can be safe as long as the pandemic continues to spread. We will, therefore, collaborate to strengthen equitable vaccine access for the Indo-Pacific, with close coordination with multilateral organizations including the World Health Organization and COVAX. We call for transparent and results-oriented reform at the World Health Organization. We are united in recognizing that climate change is a global priority and will work to strengthen the climate actions of all nations, including to keep a Paris-aligned temperature limit within reach. We look forward to a successful COP 26 in Glasgow. We will begin cooperation on the critical technologies of the future to ensure that innovation is consistent with a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific. We will continue to prioritize the role of international law in the maritime domain, particularly as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and facilitate collaboration, including in maritime security, to meet challenges to the rules-based maritime order in the East and South China Seas. We reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, and also confirm the necessity of immediate resolution of the issue of Japanese abductees. As long-standing supporters of Myanmar and its people, we emphasize the urgent need to restore democracy and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience.

5. To advance these goals and others, we will redouble our commitment to Quad engagement. We will combine our nations’ medical, scientific, financing, manufacturing and delivery, and development capabilities and establish a vaccine expert working group to implement our path-breaking commitment to safe and effective vaccine distribution; we will launch a critical- and emerging-technology working group to facilitate cooperation on international standards and innovative technologies of the future; and we will establish a climate working group to strengthen climate actions globally on mitigation, adaptation, resilience, technology, capacity-building, and climate finance. Our experts and senior officials will continue to meet regularly; our Foreign Ministers will converse often and meet at least once a year. At the leader level, we will hold an in-person summit by the end of 2021. The ambition of these engagements is fit to the moment; we are committed to leveraging our partnership to help the world’s most dynamic region respond to historic crisis, so that it may be the free, open, accessible, diverse, and thriving Indo-Pacific we all seek.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID-19: UN experts urge WTO cooperation on vaccines to protect global public health
1 March 2021
GENEVA (1 March 2021) – UN experts said today billions of people, especially in the Global South, risk being excluded from the benefits of COVID-19 immunisation until 2024 and urged rich States to end short-sighted vaccine nationalism that is fuelling a vaccine-divide and undermining worldwide recovery.
“Recovery from the pandemic is impossible unless it ends for everyone. New mutating forms of the virus that may emerge in largely unvaccinated populations can pose a threat to all, including those previously vaccinated,” said the independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council.

“Recovery requires all States to realise their duty to cooperate in global solidarity to ensure equitable access to the vaccines worldwide without discrimination,” the experts said.

They said the challenges of addressing the pandemic initially appeared to bring people and nations together in the face of an unknown disease.

“The collective global efforts of scientists, states and civil society organisations to find a vaccine had the promising signs of a new era of cooperation and equality, where nobody would in fact be left behind. However, as things stand, the supply of vaccines casts a long shadow on equitable access to the scientific achievement of several vaccines being produced,” the experts said.

Division, inequality, national and regional self-interest currently dictate access to COVID-19 vaccines, they said. “According to WHO, almost 95 percent of vaccines produced thus far have gone to 10 wealthy countries. This is an abject failure of the duty to cooperate inherent in the right to development, which all human persons and peoples enjoy.”

While the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Facility (COVAX) led by the World Health Organisation is an important step towards globally coordinated vaccine distribution, States are not engaging with it sufficiently.

The experts strongly urge WTO members to positively consider necessary waivers to the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) during the March 2021 TRIPS Council meetings, in a manner conducive to the right to development for everyone.

The WTO’s sustainable development objective cannot be realised by undermining the ability of countries to interpret the TRIPS Agreement in a way supportive of their development needs and ways to deal with public health crisis, the experts said.

“The TRIPS Agreement can and should facilitate the protection of public health on a global scale, promote self-sufficiency of all members, and not be a barrier to accessibility of COVID-19-related medicines and vaccines.

“COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge which can only be effectively addressed through concerted global action. Lives cannot be saved and the vulnerable cannot be protected by mere rhetoric, without concrete commitment to universal and equitable vaccine access,” the experts said.

“We urge States to engage in meaningful international cooperation, as an obligation not an option, in order to avoid delaying distributions to the vulnerable population around the world, and not leave them further behind.”
ENDS

*Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development
(Ms. Klentiana Mahmutaj (Chair), Mr. Koen de Feyter (Vice-Chair), Mr. Bonny Ibhawoh, , Mr. Armando Antonio de Negri Filho, Mr. Mihir Kanade);
** Special Procedures experts:
Mr. Saad Alfarargi, Special Rapporteur on the right to development;
Mr. Obiora Okafor, Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity;
Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, and
Ms. Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Meeting discusses COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing bottlenecks that must be urgently tackled for C19 vaccine output
09 March 2021
Chatham House, in collaboration with COVAX, IFPMA, DVCMN, and BIO, convened a Global COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Chain & Manufacturing Summit on 8th and 9th March. The unprecedented scaling up of vaccine manufacturing, from zero to billions of doses in record time, has led to shortages that are impacting the entire vaccine supply chain. Open dialogue among manufacturers, suppliers, international organizations and governments is urgently needed to address these shortages so that they do not interrupt vaccine manufacturing. The meeting aimed to kick start the dialogue to identify, understand, and discuss potential solutions for these supply chain challenges.
Held under the Chatham House Rule, the meeting provided the opportunity for frank, open and problem-solving discussions while respecting anti-trust rules.

A discussion document[1 see below] was prepared to help inform participants, giving an overview of the current landscape of COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing and emerging supply chain challenges. Vaccine manufacturers, and suppliers of vaccine components, are part of a global supply chain that is scaling up from zero to billions of doses in record time and tripling previous annual vaccine output. As founding partners of COVAX, vaccine manufacturers are playing their part in achieving fair and equitable access to vaccines. COVID-19 is an exceptional crisis of global magnitude with several unforeseen and shifting challenges and complexities.

Vaccine manufacturing processes (upstream, downstream, fill-and-finish) are highly complex and involve cutting-edge science and technologies. Effective manufacturing capacity expansion needs to overcome major challenges, including but not limited to the need for highly specialised equipment, qualified and trained personnel, difficult and time-consuming technology transfers, and, not least, managing complex international supply chains frequently involving more than 100 components.

All stakeholders agreed there is a need to expand capacity and in a way that promotes equitable access and leaves no one behind. Other approaches were discussed including:
:: Free flow of goods and workforce;
:: Continue technology transfer and manufacturing partnerships between innovators and manufacturers to scale up and scale out COVID19 vaccine capacity;
:: Better demand forecasting and inventory management of raw materials and critical consumables;
:: Support from the highest political level is needed;
:: Value of regulatory harmonization and streamlining to accelerate manufacturing capacity and supply;
:: Better production, demand and supply, forecast and visibility;
:: Give consideration to the potential impacts of COVID-19 production on non-COVID products…

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Towards Vaccinating The World :: Landscape of Current COVID-19 Supply Chain and Manufacturing Capacity, Potential Challenges, Initial Responses, and Possible “Solution Space” – a Discussion Document
Released March 9, 2021 :: 29 pages
Authors:
Richard Hatchett, Chief Executive Officer, CEPI
Melanie Saville, Director Vaccine R&D, CEPI
Matthew Downham, Sustainable Manufacturing Lead, CEPI
Thomas Cueni, Director General, IFPMA
Laetitia Bigger, Vaccines Policy Director, IFPMA
Phyllis Arthur, Vice President, Infectious Diseases & Diagnostics Policy, BIO
Rajinder Suri, Chief Executive Officer, DCVMN
Sai D. Prasad, President, DCVMN
Rasmus Bech Hansen, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Airfinity
[Excerpt]
5. Overview of Potential Solutions for Discussion [p.21]
Key insights
:: A broad range of potential solutions could be considered to mitigate acute supply challenges and enhance longer-term supply sustainability: o Three levers could be considered to directly scale input supply and manufacturing: (i) increasing efficiency of existing capacity; (ii) repurposing of existing capacity; (iii) adding new capacity.

:: Five enablers could be considered to support the scale up and enhance efficiency: (i) free flow of goods; (ii) regulatory; (iii) collaboration; (iv) financing; (v) visibility.

:: The solutions outlined under the scale-up levers and enablers aim to show the breadth of potential interventions and do not constitute recommendations. Potentially, a combination of solutions may need to be employed that carefully considers trade-offs and externalities.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
Last update: 23 January 2021
Confirmed cases :: 118 754 336 [week ago: 115 653 459] [two weeks ago: 113 076 707]
Confirmed deaths :: 2 634 370 [week ago: 2 571 823] [two weeks ago: 2 512 272]
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 223

9 March 2021
Weekly epidemiological update – 9 March 2021

8 March 2021
Weekly operational update on COVID-19 – 8 March 2021

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

WHO – COVID Vaccines EUAL, Prequalification

WHO adds Janssen vaccine to list of safe and effective emergency tools against COVID-19
12 March 2021 News release
The World Health Organization (WHO) today listed the COVID-19 vaccine Ad26.COV2.S, developed by Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), for emergency use in all countries and for COVAX roll-out. The decision comes on the back of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) authorization, which was announced yesterday.
The vaccine from Janssen is the first to be listed by WHO as a single dose regimen, which should facilitate vaccination logistics in all countries. The ample data from large clinical trials shared by the company also shows that the vaccine is effective in older populations.
To expedite listing of the vaccine, WHO and a team of assessors from all regions adopted what is called an ‘abbreviated assessment’ based on outcomes of the EMA review, and evaluation of quality, safety and efficacy data focused on low- and middle-income country needs. The WHO assessment also considered suitability requirements such as cold chain storage and risk management plans to be implemented in countries…

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Draft landscape and tracker of COVID-19 candidate vaccines
12 March 2021  | Publication
The COVID-19 candidate vaccine landscape and tracker database compiles detailed information on COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development.
The landscape is updated regularly – twice a week (Tuesday and Friday, 17:00 CET).
Download: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/blue-print/12.03.2021-novel-coronavirus_landscape_covid-19.xlsx.zip?sfvrsn=c2a25511_3&download=true

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Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 10 Mar 2021
For 16 vaccine candidates, the presents Manufacturer, Name of Vaccine, NRA of Record, Platform, EOI Accepted Status, Pre-submission Meeting Held Status, Dossier Accepted for Review, Status of Assessment; Anticipated/Completed Decision Date
[click on the link above for full scale view]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

UNICEF COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard :: Agreements Table Accessed 13 Mar 2021
An overview of information collected from publicly announced bilateral and multilateral supply agreements [Agreements view from 2021-03-02 to date]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Our World in Data
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations – Fully Vaccinated Population Percentage

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

:: COVID Data Tracker Friday, March 6, 2021

White House [U.S.]
Briefing Room
Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
March 12, 2021 • Press Briefings

Remarks by President Biden, Prime Minister Modi of India, Prime Minister Morrison of Australia, and Prime Minister Suga of Japan in the Virtual Quad Leaders Summit
March 12, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks

Quad Leaders’ Joint Statement: “The Spirit of the Quad”
March 12, 2021 • Statements and Releases
[See Milestones above for full text]

Fact Sheet: President Biden Expands Efforts to Recruit More Vaccinators
March 12, 2021 • Statements and Releases

Remarks by President Biden on the Anniversary of the COVID-19 Shutdown
March 11, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks

Fact Sheet: President Biden to Announce All Americans to be Eligible for Vaccinations by May 1, Puts the Nation on a Path to Get Closer to Normal by July 4th
March 11, 2021 • Statements and Releases

Remarks by President Biden at Signing of the American Rescue Plan
March 11, 2021 • Statements and Releases

Remarks by President Biden at Event with the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck
March 10, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

EMA
EMA News: COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca: PRAC investigating cases of thromboembolic events – vaccine’s benefits currently still outweigh risks – Update
PRAC, Last updated: 11/03/2021

EMA News: EMA recommends COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen for authorisation in the EU
CHMP, Last updated: 11/03/2021
EMA has recommended granting a conditional marketing authorisation for COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen to prevent COVID-19 in people from 18 years of age.
After a thorough evaluation, EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) concluded by consensus that the data on the vaccine were robust and met the criteria for efficacy, safety and quality. COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen is the fourth vaccine recommended in the EU for preventing COVID-19.
“With this latest positive opinion, authorities across the European Union will have another option to combat the pandemic and protect the lives and health of their citizens,” said Emer Cooke, EMA’s Executive Director, adding, “this is the first vaccine which can be used as a single dose”…

EMA News: EMA starts rolling review of Eli Lilly antibodies bamlanivimab and etesevimab for COVID-19
CHMP, Last updated: 11/03/2021

EMA News: COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca: PRAC preliminary view suggests no specific issue with batch used in Austria
PRAC, Last updated: 10/03/2021

European Commission [to 13 Mar 2021]
http://europa.eu/rapid/search-result.htm?query=18&locale=en&page=1
Latest
Press release 11 March 2021
Commission extends transparency and authorisation mechanism for exports of COVID-19 vaccines
The Commission has today extended until end of June the transparency and authorisation mechanism for COVID-19 vaccine exports. This follows persistent delays in some of the deliveries of vaccines to the EU.
Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis said: “The first weeks of the application of this instrument have shown that the trade disruption feared by many did not take place. Since the measure was introduced, shipments were authorised to more than 30 countries. This confirms that even during a very critical health situation, the EU has made a considerable effort to be a reliable and responsible trading partner.”
Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said: “We expect companies with which we have signed a contract to fulfil their obligations towards EU citizens. The EU exports very significant volumes of COVID-19 vaccines, true to our commitment to global solidarity. Yet, not all companies are honouring their agreements with the EU despite having received a down payment to enable sufficient production. We will insist that compliance is ensured and we will continue to work with companies to ramp up production in Europe as quickly as possible.”
EU number one supplier of COVID-19 vaccines to the world
The EU continues to be the leading provider of vaccines around the world. Six weeks into the existence of this mechanism, 249 export requests to 31 different countries* have been granted for a total of 34,090,267 doses, as they did not threaten the contractual engagements between the EU and the vaccine producers. Only one export request was not granted. The main export destinations include the United Kingdom (with approximately 9.1 million doses), Canada (3.9 million), Mexico (3.1 million), Japan (2.7 million), Saudi Arabia (1.4 million), Hong Kong (1.3 million), Singapore (1 million), United States (1 million), Chile (0.9 million) and Malaysia (0.8 million).
The export authorisation mechanism
This export authorisation mechanism only applies to exports from companies with which the EU has concluded Advance Purchase Agreements (APAs). These APAs commit the vaccine producers to deliver to EU Member States a pre-agreed number of vaccines. The mechanism provides for authorisations of exports of COVID-19 vaccines outside the EU…

Press release 11 March 2021
European Commission authorises fourth safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19
Today, the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) for the COVID19 vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and the fourth COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU.

Press release 10 March 2021
Commission supports Member States in tackling coronavirus hotspots with offer of four million additional doses of BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine to be delivered this month
The European Commission has reached an agreement with BioNTech-Pfizer for the supply of four million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines for Member States in the next two weeks in order to tackle coronavirus hotspots and to facilitate free border movement.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

No new digest content identified.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

Russia: Sputnik V – “the first registered COVID-19 vaccine”
https://sputnikvaccine.com/newsroom/pressreleases/
Press Releases
Sputnik V approved for use in Azerbaijan
Press release, 12.03.2021

Namibia becomes the 50th country to authorize Sputnik V
Press release, 11.03.2021

Jordan authorizes Sputnik V
Press release, 10.03.2021

Sputnik V authorized in Morocco
Press release, 10.03.2021

Sputnik V authorized in Kenya
Press release, 10.03.2021

Sputnik V authorized in North Macedonia
Press release, 07.03.2021 13:06:00

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

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

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

National Medical Products Administration – PRC [to 13 Mar 2021]
http://english.nmpa.gov.cn/news.html
News
China’s recombinant protein vaccine to aid global fight against COVID-19: Expert
2021-03-08
China’s homegrown recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine, recently approved for use in Uzbekistan, is expected to be another “powerful weapon” in fighting the global pandemic, a senior Chinese CDC official has said.

Scientists should bolster defense against COVID-19 strains, senior biomedical engineer says
2021-03-08
The country’s scientific community should continue its rigorous and intensive research on COVID-19, and bolster the nation’s preparedness by developing vaccines and diagnostic kits against mutated strains of SARS-CoV-2, a senior biomedical engineer said during the second plenary meeting of the fourth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference on March 7

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccine Developer Announcements

Sanofi and Translate Bio initiate Phase 1/2 clinical trial of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate
:: Clinical trial to assess safety, immune response and reactogenicity, after preclinical data showed high neutralizing antibody levels
:: Expected to enroll 415 participants; interim results expected in Q3 2021
:: In parallel, preclinical studies are underway to evaluate additional mRNA candidates against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants
Press releases March 12 2021

Johnson & Johnson Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine Granted Emergency Use Listing by the World Health Organization
Mar 12, 2021,
:: Data have demonstrated vaccine protects against COVID-19 related hospitalization and death in broad geographic regions, including those with variants of significant concern(1)
:: Available on not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use
:: Compatible with standard vaccine storage, distribution channels, enabling delivery to remote areas

Johnson & Johnson Single-Shot COVID-19 Vaccine Granted Conditional Marketing Authorization by European Commission
March 11, 2021
:: Data have demonstrated vaccine protects against COVID-19 related hospitalization in broad geographic regions, including those with emerging variants1
:: Decision follows the European Medicines Agency recommendation of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine2
:: The Company aims to begin delivery of its vaccine to the EU in the second half of April and is committed to supply 200 million doses in 20213

Novavax Confirms High Levels of Efficacy Against Original and Variant COVID-19 Strains in United Kingdom and South Africa Trials
Mar 11, 2021
:: 100% protection against severe disease
:: Final analysis in U.K. trial confirms 96% efficacy against original strain of COVID-19
:: Efficacy against variants confirmed in U.K. and South Africa

Moderna Announces First Participants Dosed in Study Evaluating COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Candidates
March 10, 2021
:: Study to enroll 60 participants previously vaccinated with mRNA-1273 in Phase 2, to evaluate booster vaccine candidates against the B.1.351 variant first identified in South Africa

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccination: Incentives/Mandates/Passports

EU’s ‘vaccine passports’ will only be valid with EMA-approved COVID jabs
By Euronews   Updated: 12/03/2021
A proposal to introduce so-called “vaccine passports”, to be put forward on March 17th to aid free movement within the bloc, will only be valid with EMA-approved vaccinations.
Why? Because the vaccinations from unapproved companies will not be covered by the EU liability clause and quality control.
…The source reported that EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders made it clear that member states were free to get their citizens vaccinated by other products, but they would not be allocated a licensed travel certificate unless their jab had been from an approved company, of which there are currently four. Pfizer/BioNtech, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson…

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization [to 13 Mar 2021]
http://www.icao.int/
Latest News
ICAO Council approves new pandemic response and recovery measures
Montréal, 12 March 2021 – The ICAO Council approved six new COVID-19 recommendations today, and amended two others, as countries continue to address latest information and cooperate to optimize the role of international air transport in global pandemic recovery and ensure the speedy resumption of air travel.
The new and amended recommendations and updated guidelines are contained in the High-Level Cover Document and ‘Take-off’ Guidelines issued by the Council’s Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART), established shortly after the pandemic was identified by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Following the emergence of new virus variants, the vaccine rollouts, and other innovations to battle COVID-19, the work of CART has targeted specific issues related to testing and vaccination of passengers as part of a State’s multilayer risk management strategy with the ultimate objective of restoring public confidence in air travel and getting passengers to fly again. After the 70% decrease in air traffic, international air transport can now see the light at the end of the tunnel thanks also to these new recommendations and guidelines” commented ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano.
“The Council has also taken into account the latest position of the WHO, which specifies that proof of COVID-19 vaccination should not be made a condition for international travel,” he noted…

Recommendation 19 
Vaccination should not be a prerequisite for international travel. At such time as evidence shows that vaccinated persons would not transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus or would present a reduced risk of transmitting the virus, Member States may exempt such individuals from testing and/or quarantine measures, in accordance with a State’s accepted risk threshold, national framework, the COVID-19 situation and the multilayered risk mitigation framework described in the Take-off: Guidance for Air Travel through the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis.

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 10 March 2021
:: In this special op-ed, Spanish Foreign Minister and Gender Champion for Polio Eradication Ms Arancha González Laya, reflects on the role of women in polio eradication following her recent visit to Chad.

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
:: Afghanistan: 14 cVDPV2 cases and 10 cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Pakistan: six WPV1 positive environmental samples
:: Côte d’Ivoire: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Dr Congo: three cVDPV2 cases
:: Mali: five cVDPV2 cases
:: Niger: four cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Sierra Leone: Five cVDPV2 cases
:: Sudan: one cVDPV2 case
:: Tajikistan: two cVDPV2 cases

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WHO/OCHA Emergencies

Editor’s Note:
Continuing with this edition, we include information about the last apparent update evident on the WHO emergency country webpages, recognizing almost universal and significant interims since last update regardless of the level of the emergency listed.

WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 13 Mar 2021]

Democratic Republic of the Congo – No new digest announcements [Last apparent update: 12 Jan 2021]
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 3 November 2020]
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 29 Jun 2020]
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 17 July 2020]
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 4 February 2020]
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 24 October 2020]
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 30 June 2020]

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 13 Mar 2021]
Burkina Faso
:: Revue sectorielle de l’année 2020 du secteur de planification santé 10 mars 2021

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 5 July 2020]
Angola – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 02 March 2021]Burundi –
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 22 August 2019]
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 12 June 2018]
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 22 August 2019]
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 2 March 2020]
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 21 February 2020]
Libya – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 7 October 2019]
Malawi Floods – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update 05 March 2021]
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 16-12-2020]
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 8 July 2019]
Mozambique – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 03 November 2020]
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 11 février 2021]
Niger– No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update:06 mars 2021]occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 4 September 2019]
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 27 August 2019]
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – No new digest announcements
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 24 June 2020]
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 1 May 2019]
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 10 May 2019]

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 13 Mar 2021]

Kenya
:: Kenya receives COVID-19 vaccines and launches landmark national campaign 06 March 2021

Chad – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 30 June 2018]
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 25 novembre 2020]
Mali – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 3 May 2017]
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 20 July 2018]
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 21 October 2020]

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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Yemen
:: 12 March 2021 Yemen: Ma’rib Situation Update No. 2, 12 March 2021

Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified

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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
East Africa Locust Infestation – No new digest announcements identified
COVID-19 – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO & Regional Offices [to 13 Mar 2021]
12 March 2021 News release
WHO adds Janssen vaccine to list of safe and effective emergency tools against COVID-19

12 March 2021 News release
ACT-Accelerator releases prioritised strategy and budget for 2021 to change the course of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic

10 March 2021 Medical product alert
Medical Product Alert N°1/2021: Falsified Vitamin A

10 March 2021 Departmental news
WHO signs MoU with Women in Global Health on International Women’s Day

9 March 2021 Joint News Release
Devastatingly pervasive: 1 in 3 women globally experience violence

8 March 2021 Statement
GACVS COVID-19 Vaccine Safety subcommittee meeting to review reports on influenza-like illness in individuals vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines
…Based on a careful scientific review of the information made available, the Subcommittee came to the following conclusions:
:: Symptoms of an influenza-like illness may be expected as immune responses following vaccinations in general.
:: The current reports with the COVID-19 vaccines are consistent with the expected side-effect profile of these vaccines, all of which were well tolerated.
In view of this, the committee considers that the benefit-risk balance of the COVID-19 vaccines (for which reports of the influenza-like reactions are available to date) remains favourable and does not suggest any revision, at present, to the recommendations around the safety of these vaccines…

8 March 2021 Departmental news
New global breast cancer initiative highlights renewed commitment to improve survival

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Weekly Epidemiological Record, Vol. 96, No. 10, pp. 69–76, 12 March 2021
:: El Salvador certified as malaria-free by Who, 25 February 202172
:: COVAX publishes first round of allocations

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WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Countries gear-up to kick all forms of polio out of Africa, once and for all 13 March 2021

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
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WHO European Region EURO
:: Serbia’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign off to a strong start 11-03-2021
:: Republic of Moldova first country in Europe to receive COVID-19 vaccine through COVAX Facility 10-03-2021
:: Women at the forefront of the COVID-19 response in Albania: “We will keep fighting until this virus is defeated” 09-03-2021
:: One year of WHO/Europe’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic 09-03-2021

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: First shipment of European Union-funded COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX Facility arrived in Jordan
13 March 2021
:: COVID-19 vaccines shipped by COVAX arrive in Afghanistan 8 March 2021

WHO Western Pacific Region
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CDC/ACIP [U.S.] [to 13 Mar 2021]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases, Announcements
Media Statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, In Observance of One-Year Pandemic Milestone Thursday, March 11, 2021

CDC Issues First Set of Guidelines on How Fully Vaccinated People Can Visit Safely with Others Monday, March 8, 2021
The new guidance—which is based on the latest science — includes recommendations for how and when a fully vaccinated individual can visit with other people who are fully vaccinated and with other people who are not vaccinated. This guidance represents a first step toward returning to everyday activities in our communities. CDC will update these recommendations as more people are vaccinated, rates of COVID-19 in the community change, and additional scientific evidence becomes available.

“We know that people want to get vaccinated so they can get back to doing the things they enjoy with the people they love,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. “There are some activities that fully vaccinated people can begin to resume now in their own homes. Everyone – even those who are vaccinated – should continue with all mitigation strategies when in public settings. As the science evolves and more people get vaccinated, we will continue to provide more guidance to help fully vaccinated people safely resume more activities.”

:: Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart.
:: Visit with unvaccinated people from one other household indoors without wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart if everyone in the other household is at low risk for severe disease.
“” Refrain from quarantine and testing if they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 after contact with someone who has COVID-19.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine. Although vaccinations are accelerating, CDC estimates that just 9.2% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine that the FDA has authorized for emergency use…

MMWR News Synopsis Friday, March 12, 2021
:: Screening for HIV Among Patients at Tuberculosis Clinics —Results from Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment Surveys, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, 2015–2016
:: First Identified Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Variant P.1 in the United States — Minnesota, January 2021 (Early Release March 3, 2021)
:: Travel from the United Kingdom to the United States by a Symptomatic Patient Infected with the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant — Texas, January 2021 (Early Release March 3, 2021)
:: Association of State-Issued Mask Mandates and Allowing On-Premises Restaurant Dining with County-Level COVID-19 Case and Death Growth Rates — United States, March 1–December 31, 2020 (Early Release March 5, 2021)
:: Body Mass Index and Risk for COVID-19–Related Hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit Admission, Invasive Mechanical Ventilation, and Death — United States, March–December 2020 (Early Release March 8, 2021)

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)– CDC
Selected Resources
:: Overall US COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Administration Update as of Fri, 12 Mar 2021 06:00:00 EST
:: When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated March 09, 2021
:: How CDC is responding to SARS-CoV-2 variants globally March 09, 2021
:: Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People March 08, 2021

Africa CDC [to 13 Mar 2021]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
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