Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Statement 03/02/2021
Remarks by Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director at COVAX media briefing on first deliveries and first round of allocations
As prepared for delivery
NEW YORK, 2 March 2021 – “The last year has been a dark one for families all over the world, but the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines provided a hopeful light at the end of the tunnel. At long last, the COVAX Facility begins to make good on its promise to make sure that light shines for all.

“And we are off and running. Vaccine doses have arrived in West Africa and Asia, with many more countries to follow in the coming days and weeks. We’ve now seen Africa’s first vaccinations with COVAX doses in Ghana and Ivory Coast, in truly moving ceremonies in both countries yesterday.

“But what took place Monday is more than a feel-good story that speaks to our collective best natures, it is a necessary first step that speaks to our collective best interests. The only way out of this pandemic is to ensure vaccination is available around the globe, and that people from less wealthy countries are not left behind in the race to be protected.

“At UNICEF, we are committed to making this happen. Last week’s momentous arrivals are just the first batches of vaccines that UNICEF will ship through the COVAX Facility as part of this historic effort to deliver close to 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to around 190 countries and territories. To date, more than 1.1 million doses have been delivered, with more than twenty more countries expected to receive hundreds of thousands of doses this week.  

“I would like to thank SII for being the first to help deliver vaccines to AMC countries and for working around the clock to package and make vaccines available in record time, as well as to the Government of India for their immense support. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

“In terms of delivery, UNICEF is also working closely with airlines and other partners to find innovative solutions to help us deliver COVAX vaccines as quickly as possible. We’ve already seen tremendous partnership. I would like to thank freight forwarders and Emirates Airlines for helping UNICEF with shipments to Ghana and Ivory Coast in record turnaround time. Only today we have 5 shipments including to DRC, Angola and Nigeria where we are delivering COVID19 vaccines consolidated with syringes and routine vaccines insuring children are also protected, among many other 20 countries receiving vaccines this week.

“We have also supported governments in developing national vaccination plans and preparing for the arrival of vaccines. Along with our partners, we have mapped out existing cold chain equipment and storage capacity. And we have delivered and installed thousands of new fridges to keep vaccines at the right temperature in health facilities this past year. In Ghana, for example, we have delivered 2,500 fridges since May of last year. But much work still remains.

“With each of these steps, we move closer to the moment when we can start to return to normal for the billions of children and families affected around the world. And this is, obviously, our focus at UNICEF. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be talking a lot about how this pandemic has impacted the lives of children, starting later today when we will be issuing estimates of the number of children who have been unable to attend class in person for almost the entire past year…

“These are remarkable efforts, and the work we all – the private sector, UN and development agencies, governments, donors, and other partners – will doubtlessly continue to do more moving together, and will stand for generations to come as proof of what the world can do, when we do it together. It is history in the making. Thank you.”

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 :: 115 653 459 [week ago: 113 076 707] [two weeks ago: 110 384 747]
Confirmed deaths :: 2 571 823 [week ago: 2 512 272] [two weeks ago 2 446 008]
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 223

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

WHO: Regulation and Prequalification

Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 24 Feb 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 6 Mar 2021
An overview of information collected from publicly announced bilateral and multilateral supply agreements [Agreements view from 2021-02-19 to date]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Our World in Data
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations – Fully Vaccinated Population Percentage
Our World in Data and the SDG-Tracker are collaborative efforts between researchers at the University of Oxford, who are the scientific editors of the website content; and the non-profit organization Global Change Data Lab, who publishes and maintains the website and the data tools that make our work possible. At the University of Oxford we are based at the Oxford Martin Programme on Global Development.

Research and data: Hannah Ritchie, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, Diana Beltekian, Edouard Mathieu, Joe Hasell, Bobbie Macdonald, Charlie Giattino, and Max Roser
Web development: Breck Yunits, Ernst van Woerden, Daniel Gavrilov, Matthieu Bergel, Shahid Ahmad, Jason Crawford, and Marcel Gerber

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
Fact Sheet: The U.S. Response to Ebola Outbreaks in West and East Africa
March 05, 2021 • Statements and Releases

Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
March 05, 2021 • Press Briefings

Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
March 03, 2021 • Press Briefings

Remarks by President Biden on the Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts
March 02, 2021 • Speeches and Remarks

Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials
March 01, 2021 • Press Briefings

Biden Administration Announces Historic Manufacturing Collaboration Between Merck and Johnson & Johnson to Expand Production of COVID-19 Vaccines
President Biden Invokes Defense Production Act to Support Measures to Accelerate Vaccine Development
March 2, 2021
President Biden announced today that his Administration has helped forge a historic manufacturing collaboration between two of the largest U.S. health care and pharmaceutical companies, Merck and Johnson & Johnson (J&J), to expand production of J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine. The collaboration will increase manufacture of vaccine drug substance, as well as its fill-finish capacity – two of the biggest bottlenecks facing J&J in the production of its vaccine.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will collaborate with Merck to repurpose some of its existing Merck facilities for rapid large-scale manufacturing of vaccines and therapeutics for use in public health emergencies including the current pandemic. The facilities will be available to private sector partners working with the federal government on the COVID-19 response or to produce Merck products against COVID-19. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, part of Johnson & Johnson, will be the first federal partner to use repurposed Merck facilities to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine. Merck will use two of its facilities to produce drug substance, formulate and fill vials of J&J’s vaccine.

Consistent with the Administration’s mission to ensure that the United States has sufficient long term sustainable capacity to manufacture vaccines, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), will leverage the Defense Production Act to provide an initial investment of $105 million in funding for Merck, at the Administration’s request, to convert, upgrade and equip Merck facilities to the standards necessary to safely manufacture the vaccine. The company will address all the necessary qualification and validation activities needed for the facilities to be used for large-scale manufacturing.

To further accelerate production of the J&J vaccine, President Biden also announced he has invoked the Defense Production Act to expedite materials in vaccine production, such as equipment, machinery and supplies like single use bags, and he has directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide daily logistical support to strengthen J&J’s efforts. With the urging and assistance of the Administration, J&J also will begin operating its manufacturing facilities 24/7 to maximize production output.

These efforts will contribute to J&J’s ability to accelerate delivery of their vaccine doses from 100 million doses by the end of June to at or near 100 million doses by the end of May. In the long term, these actions will ultimately double J&J’s U.S. capacity to produce drug substance and increase the U.S. capacity for fill-finish.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

News: EMA starts rolling review of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
Last updated: 04/03/2021
EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has started a rolling review of Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), a COVID-19 vaccine1 developed by Russia’s Gamaleya National Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology. The EU applicant for this medicine is R-Pharm Germany GmbH.
The CHMP’s decision to start the rolling review is based on results from laboratory studies and clinical studies in adults. These studies indicate that Sputnik V triggers the production of antibodies and immune cells that target the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and may help protect against COVID-19.
EMA will evaluate data as they become available to decide if the benefits outweigh the risks. The rolling review will continue until enough evidence is available for formal marketing authorisation application.
EMA will assess Sputnik V’s compliance with the usual EU standards for effectiveness, safety and quality…

News: EMA and Health Canada publish clinical data used to support their authorisations of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
Last updated: 02/03/2021
Openness and transparency are key to building confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. Today, EMA and Health Canada collaboratively published the full clinical data reviewed as part of their authorisations of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
This international partnership highlights the shared commitment of both organisations to ensure the public has as much information as possible to make decisions regarding vaccination. Increasing access to clinical data can also have widespread benefits for the health care system and the research community. EMA and Health Canada are the only two jurisdictions in the world publishing this comprehensive information.
“With the publication of the data package for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, we are publishing the clinical reports that we assessed in support of the authorisation of this vaccine, and going forward, we will continue with this open data approach for all other COVID-19 vaccines,” said Emer Cooke, EMA’s Executive Director. “EMA and Health Canada’s joint commitment to openness and transparency will support global research, allow for public scrutiny and reinforce society’s trust in COVID-19 vaccines as mass vaccination campaigns continue to be rolled out across the EU, Canada and the rest of the world.”…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

UNICEF
Press release 03/05/2021
More than 1.7 million COVID-19 vaccines arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Press release 03/03/2021
Sudan receives first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines with over 800,000 doses
Sudan becomes first country in the Middle East and North Africa to receive vaccines via the COVAX Facility

Press release 03/03/2021
340,000 doses of COVAX vaccines due in Rwanda today
Air freight carrying the AstraZeneca/Oxford SII vaccines supplied through the COVAX Facility arrives in Kigali. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines expected to arrive later today.

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 authorized in Iraq
Press release, 04.03.2021

Sputnik V authorized in Laos
Press release, 04.03.2021

Sputnik V authorized in Sri Lanka
Press release, 04.03.2021

EMA starts rolling review of Sputnik V
Press release, 04.03.2021

Sputnik V approved for use in Angola, Congo and Djibouti
Press release, 03.03.2021

Sputnik V approved for use in Slovakia
Press release, 01.03.2021

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR)
https://www.icmr.gov.in/media.html
Phase 3 Clinical Trial of COVAXIN, developed by ICMR & Bharat Biotech, shows 81% efficacy
The results, evaluated by an independent data safety and monitoring board, show that the vaccine is well-tolerated and efficacious against SARS-CoV-2 across a wide range of age groups and variants in the country
New Delhi, 3 March 2021: Phase 3 results of the COVAXIN, developed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL),has shown an interim vaccine efficacy of 81% in preventing Covid-19. The Phase 3 trial, jointly initiated by ICMR and BBIL in mid-November 2020,wasconducted in a total of 25,800 individuals across 21 sites. The interim efficacy trend of 81%, analyzed as per the protocol approved by the DCGI, puts it at par with other global front-runner vaccines. “The bench-to-bedside journey of completely indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in less than 8months’ time showcases the immense strength of Atmanirbhar Bharat[self-reliant India] to fight the odds and stand tall in the global public health community. It is also a testament to India’s emergence as a global vaccine superpower” said Dr. Balram Bhargava, Director General, ICMR. The COVAXIN is the first COVID-19 vaccine that has been developed completely in India…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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

National Medical Products Administration – PRC [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://english.nmpa.gov.cn/news.html
News
Sinopharm chairman says vaccines can protect against COVID variants
2021-03-05
Early research shows that the inactivated COVID-19 vaccines produced by Sinopharm can provide protection against 10 mutated variants of SARS-CoV-2, including strains from the United Kingdom and South Africa, said Yu Qingming, Sinopharm’s board chairman and a deputy to the National People’s Congress.

Output of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to top 1 bln doses in 2021
2021-03-04
China has put the inactivated COVID-19 vaccines developed by state-owned pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm into mass production and this year’s output is expected to surpass 1 billion doses, Yu Qingming, chairman of Sinopharm Group, said on March 3.

Over 5 mln get COVID-19 vaccine in Beijing
2021-03-04
Over 5 million people in Beijing had received COVID-19 vaccines as of 2 pm on March 2, local authorities said.

New vaccine to ‘provide 2-year protection’
2021-03-01
An adenovirus vector vaccine against COVID-19 by CanSino Biologics is projected to provide protection for two years if a booster shot is administered, said a scientist who played a key role in the vaccine’s development.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccine Developer Announcements

Moderna Announces Supply Agreement to Provide 13 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna to the Philippines
March 06, 2021

Moderna Announces New Drug Application Submitted to Import and Distribute Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in Japan
March 04, 2021

Merck to Help Produce Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine; BARDA to Provide Merck With Funding to Expand Merck’s Manufacturing Capacity for COVID-19 Vaccines and Medicines
March 02, 2021
KENILWORTH, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today it has entered into multiple agreements to support efforts to expand manufacturing capacity and supply of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 medicines and vaccines. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will provide Merck with funding of up to $268.8 million to adapt and make available a number of existing manufacturing facilities for the production of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines and medicines. Merck has also entered into agreements with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to support the manufacturing and supply of Johnson & Johnson’s SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccine. Merck will use its facilities in the United States to produce drug substance, formulate and fill vials of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.

“We are steadfast in our commitment to contribute to the global response to the pandemic as part of the remarkable efforts of the entire medical and scientific community,” said Mike Nally, executive vice president, Human Health at Merck. “This funding from BARDA will allow us to accelerate our efforts to scale up our manufacturing capacity to enable timely delivery of much needed medicines and vaccines for the pandemic.”

Under the terms of the BARDA agreement, Merck will adapt and make available some of the company’s existing manufacturing sites to accelerate manufacturing efforts for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines and medicines. This funding is in addition to Merck’s continued investment in its global vaccines manufacturing network as part of its planned capital investments of more than $20 billion from 2020 through the end of 2024…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID Vaccination: Incentives/Mandates/Passports

Marriott International to Provide Associates Financial Award for COVID-19 Vaccination
BETHESDA, Md., March 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) today announced it has created the Vaccination Care Program, which will provide a financial award to U.S. and Canadian associates at its managed properties who get vaccinated for COVID-19. Employees will receive the equivalent of four hours of pay upon completion of the vaccination…

EU to propose Covid-19 vaccine passports in March
01/03/2021 – text by: FRANCE 24
The European Commission will present a proposal in March on creating an EU-wide digital vaccination passport, an issue that has divided member states, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.
“We will submit a legislative proposal in March,” von der Leyen told German conservative lawmakers during a video conference on Monday.
With vaccinations now well under way, governments are increasingly seeing vaccine “passports” – or other forms of Covid-19 status certificates – as a way out of the cycles of shutdowns and curfews that have ground travel to a near halt.
The certificates would enable people to present proof of vaccination and thus skip quarantine protocols when arriving in a new country.
Greece unveiled a digital vaccination certificate in February for those who have received two doses of the vaccine.
Other countries that are currently issuing or asking for vaccine certificates include the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Spain and Portugal…

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 03 March 2021

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
:: Afghanistan: one cVDPV2 case and nine cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Pakistan: three WPV1 environmental samples, three cVDPV2 cases and 10 cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Egypt: two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Ethiopia: one cVDPV2 case and one positive environmental sample
:: Liberia: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: South Sudan: seven cVDPV2 cases
:: Tajikistan: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample

::::::
::::::

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 6 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]

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 6 Mar 2021]
Angola
:: Angola becomes the first country in Eastern and Southern Africa region to receive COVAX Vaccines… 02 March 2021
Angola today received 624,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine from the Sérum Institute of India as part of the COVAX initiative, which aims to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines against COVID-19 worldwide.

Burkina Faso
:: Au Burkina Faso, la « menace non perçue par les populations » de la résistance aux a… 05 mars 2021

Malawi Floods
:: Malawi receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX 05 March 2021

Niger
:: La Première Dame du Niger Dr Lalla Malika Issoufou s’exprime sur l’impact de la COVI… 04 mars 2021

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 5 July 2020]
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 04 July 2019]
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]
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]
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]

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 6 Mar 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]
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 11 December 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]

::::::
::::::

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. 
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Syrian Arab Republic: COVID-19 Humanitarian Update No. 24 As of 3 March 2021

Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

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
:: Desert Locust situation update 3 March 2021

COVID-19
::  Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update (2 March 2021)
[See Week in Review above for detail]

::::::
::::::

WHO & Regional Offices [to 6 Mar 2021]
5 March 2021
News release
New WHO/IAEA publication provides guidance on radiotherapy equipment to fight cancer

5 March 2021
Departmental news
WHO publishes materials that aim to provide high-quality care to people affected by lymphatic filariasis

4 March 2021
News release
Rotavirus vaccines made available for use in humanitarian crises
[See Milestones above for detail]

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

3 March 2021
Departmental news
New WHO report on Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 highlights strategies for its prevention and control

2 March 2021
Statement
COVAX publishes first round of allocations

2 March 2021
News release
WHO: 1 in 4 people projected to have hearing problems by 2050

1 March 2021
Departmental news
World Pharmacopoeias support public health during COVID-19 pandemic

1 March 2021
News release
First COVID-19 COVAX vaccine doses administered in Africa

::::::

Weekly Epidemiological Record [WER] 5 March 2021, Vol. 96, No. 09, pp. 65–68
:: Performance of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance and incidence of poliomyelitis, 2020

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Niger’s First Lady, Dr Lalla Malika Issoufou, speaks on COVID-19 impact on women 04 March 2021

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: WHO/Europe launches caregiver skills training in Kazakhstan to support children with neurodevelopmental delays 05-03-2021
:: Republic of Moldova prepares for COVID-19 vaccine deployment 04-03-2021
:: International Women’s Day: the need to build back better, with women in the lead 04-03-2021
:: Inspiring change: women’s leadership in health care is vital during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond 04-03-2021
:: How healthy are children’s eating habits? – WHO/Europe surveillance results 03-03-2021

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: First COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Djibouti 6 March 2021

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified

CDC/ACIP [U.S.] [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases, Announcements
CDC to Require Airlines to Collect Contact Information from Passengers from DRC and Guinea
Tuesday, March 2, 2021

MMWR News Synopsis Friday, March 5, 2021
:: SARS-CoV-2 Infection Risk among Active Duty Military Members Deployed to a Field Hospital—New York City, April 2020
:: Estimated SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Among Persons Aged <18 Years — Mississippi, May–September 2020
:: Community Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at Three Fitness Facilities — Hawaii, June–July 2020 (Early Release February 24, 2021)
:: COVID-19 Outbreak Among Attendees of an Exercise Facility — Chicago, Illinois, August–September 2020 (Early Release February 24, 2021)
:: Reduction in COVID-19 Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation Following Implementation of a National COVID-19 Vaccination Program — Israel, December 2020–February 2021 (Early Release February 26, 2021)
:: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Use of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine — United States, February 2021 (Early Release March 2, 2021)

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)– CDC
Selected Resources
:: Overall US COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution and Administration Update as of Fri, 05 Mar 2021 06:00:00 EST Friday, March 05, 2021
:: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Use of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine – United States, February 2021 Thursday, March 04, 2021
:: US COVID-19 Cases Caused by Variants Thursday, March 04, 2021
:: Media Statement from CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, on Signing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Recommendation to Use Janssen’s COVID-19 Vaccine in People 18 and Older Sunday, February 28, 2021

Africa CDC [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
Africa CDC and EDCTP partner to train highly skilled epidemiologists and biostatisticians in Africa
4 March 2021

China CDC
http://www.chinacdc.cn/en/
No new digest content identified.

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
March 6: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On March 5, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 10 new cases of confirmed infections.

National Medical Products Administration – PRC [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://english.nmpa.gov.cn/news.html
News
Sinopharm chairman says vaccines can protect against COVID variants
2021-03-05
[See China above for detail]

Output of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to top 1 bln doses in 2021
2021-03-04
[See China above for detail]

Over 5 mln get COVID-19 vaccine in Beijing
2021-03-04
Over 5 million people in Beijing had received COVID-19 vaccines as of 2 pm on March 2, local authorities said.

New vaccine to ‘provide 2-year protection’
2021-03-01
[See China above for detail]

Organization Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
BARDA News
March 2, 2021: Biden Administration Announces Historic Manufacturing Collaboration Between Merck and Johnson & Johnson to Expand Production of COVID-19 Vaccines
[See COVID above for detail]

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
Press Releases and Statements
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.gatesmri.org/
The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute is a non-profit biotech organization. Our mission is to develop products to fight malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases—three major causes of mortality, poverty, and inequality in developing countries. The world has unprecedented scientific tools at its disposal; now is the time to use them to save the lives of the world’s poorest people
No new digest content identified.

CARB-X [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://carb-x.org/
News
03.01.2021  |
CARB-X is funding GSK to support the development of two unique vaccine projects that aim to prevent serious bacterial infections killing thousands worldwide each year
CARB-X is funding the GSK Biologicals and its affiliate GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health (GVGH), based in Siena, Italy, to develop new vaccines to prevent serious infections caused by two different pathogens. Together, the two awards could be worth potentially more than $18 million if project milestones are met, subject to available funding.

Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy – GE2P2 Global Foundation [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.net/
News/Analysis/Statements
:: Past weekly editions of Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review are available here.
:: A new edition of Informed Consent: A Monthly Digest is now posted here and via a PDF.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
Going universal: The search for an all-in-one coronavirus vaccine
Instead of working to make vaccines against each unique coronavirus or variant, what if we could provide broad protection across the field through an all-in-one coronavirus shot?
01 Mar 2021

First COVID-19 COVAX vaccine doses administered in Africa
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana began COVID-19 vaccination campaigns aimed at protecting healthcare workers. A further 11 million COVAX doses are expected to be delivered over the next seven days.
01 Mar 2021

DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency [to 6 Mar 2021
https://www.darpa.mil/
News
No new digest content identified.

Duke Global Health Innovation Center [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://dukeghic.org/
Launch and Scale Speedometer
No new digest content identified.

EDCTP [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.edctp.org/
The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as well as other poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on phase II and III clinical trials
04 March 2021
EDCTP and Africa CDC partner to train highly skilled epidemiologists and biostatisticians in Africa

Emory Vaccine Center [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Commission [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://europa.eu/rapid/search-result.htm?query=18&locale=en&page=1
Latest
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
News: EMA starts rolling review of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
Last updated: 04/03/2021
[See COVID above for detail]

News: EMA and Health Canada publish clinical data used to support their authorisations of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
Last updated: 02/03/2021
[See COVID above for detail]

European Vaccine Initiative [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

FDA [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements /Selected Details
March 5, 2021 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: March 5, 2021
March 2, 2021 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: March 2, 2021

FDA – COVID-19 Vaccines [to 6 Mar 2021]
www.fda.gov/covid19vaccines
News and Updates; Upcoming Events
FDA Statement on Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting
02/26/2021
Following today’s positive advisory committee meeting outcome regarding the Janssen Biotech Inc. COVID-19 Vaccine, the FDA has informed the sponsor that it will rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization.

Fondation Merieux [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
Mérieux Foundation co-organized event
Advanced Course on Diagnostics (ACDx): Special Edition on COVID-19
March 15 – 17, 2021 – Virtual

Gavi [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.gavi.org/
News Releases
2 March 2021
COVAX publishes first round of allocations

1 March 2021
First COVID-19 COVAX vaccine doses administered in Africa
[See COVID above for detail on these announcements]

GHIT Fund [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 212 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

Global Fund [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
News
Global Fund and Fondation CHANEL Form New Partnership to Advance Women’s Health in Western and Central Africa
04 March 2021
The Global Fund and Fondation CHANEL have signed a new agreement to set up a civil society-led fund to strengthen women’s and girls’ engagement in developing health policies, including Global Fund-related processes, in western and central Africa. The partnership, worth US$1.5 million, will run for three years starting in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness [GloPID-R] [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.glopid-r.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
HVP COVID Report
Universal Coronavirus Vaccines: Invest Now or Pay Later
Wayne Koff, Ph.D.
Founding President and CEO
The Human Vaccines Project

IAVI [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
PRESS RELEASES/FEATURES
March 5, 2021
International Women’s Day 2021

International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities [ICMRA]
http://www.icmra.info/drupal/en/news
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Research
No new digest content identified.

International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
*News
Press Releases/Announcements
No new digest content identified.

IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/
Press Releases/Announcements
No new digest content identified.

IFRC [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Middle East and North Africa, Syria
Syria crisis: 10 years on, humanitarian situation is worse than ever
The daily suffering of Syrians is worse now than it has been at nearly any point throughout the decade-long conflict that has ravaged the country. This is the sobering message delivered today by three senior Red Cross and Red Crescent officials as Syria enters the second decade of a relentless crisis.
4 March 2021

Institut Pasteur [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.pasteur.fr/en/press-area
No new digest content identified.

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index
Media highlights [Selected]
Press Release
New IRC report: A decade of attacks on health care in Syria
March 3, 2021
IRC survey of 237 people + 74 health workers on 10th anniversary of the Syria conflict
:: 81% of surveyed health workers said they had a coworker or patient who had been injured or killed due to an attack
:: 77% had witnessed an average of four attacks on health care – some had witnessed as many as 20 over the course of the war
:: 68% were inside a health facility when it was attacked
:: 59% of civilians surveyed had been directly impacted by an attack on a health facility during the course of the conflict
:: 49% fear accessing health care as a result of attacks
:: 8 in 10 indicate having fled home at least 6 times during the conflict – some as many as 25 times

IVAC [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates; Events
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News, Announcements, Events
No new digest content identified.

JEE Alliance [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/news/center-news/
Center News
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
DRC Ebola outbreaks
DRC’s twelfth Ebola outbreak
Crisis Update 5 Mar 2021

Syria
A decade of war in Syria: 10 years of increasing humanitarian needs
Project Update 3 Mar 2021

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
Upcoming Meetings/Latest Updates
No new digest content identified.

NIH [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
News Releases
NIH-Sponsored ACTIV-3 Clinical Trial Closes Enrollment into Two Sub-Studies
March 4, 2021 — ACTIV-3 is a master protocol designed to allow for the study of multiple investigational agents compared to placebo in adults hospitalized with COVID-19.

NIH halts trial of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in emergency department patients with mild symptoms
March 2, 2021 — Study shows the treatment is safe, but provides no significant benefit in this group.

NIH effort seeks to understand MIS-C, range of SARS-CoV-2 effects on children
March 2, 2021 — Program to investigate why some children are at greater risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection than others.

UN OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.unocha.org/
Selected Research, Announcement
No new digest content identified.

PATH [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
3 March 2021
From HIV survivor to COVID-19 responder

2 March 2021
Faith-based project against paediatric HIV launched in Côte d’Ivoire

1 March 2021
US$ 64 million to respond to HIV, TB and malaria in Congo

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html
Latest from News Centre
UNDP calls for temporary basic income to help world’s poorest women cope with effects of COVID-19 pandemic
A temporary basic income (TBI) given specifically to hundreds of millions of women in the world’s developing countries could prevent rising poverty and widening gender inequalities during the COVID-19…   Posted on March 4, 2021

UNESCO [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://en.unesco.org/news
Selected Latest News
No new digest content identified.

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/media-centre.htmlS
Selected Announcements
No new digest content identified.

UNICEF [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press releases, Statements
Press release 03/05/2021
More than 1.7 million COVID-19 vaccines arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Press release 03/03/2021
At least 1 in 7 children and young people has lived under stay-at-home policies for most of the last year, putting mental health and well-being at risk
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, UNICEF urges greater investment in mental health services

Press release 03/03/2021
Sudan receives first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines with over 800,000 doses
Sudan becomes first country in the Middle East and North Africa to receive vaccines via the COVAX Facility

Press release 03/03/2021
340,000 doses of COVAX vaccines due in Rwanda today
Air freight carrying the AstraZeneca/Oxford SII vaccines supplied through the COVAX Facility arrives in Kigali. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines expected to arrive later today.

Statement 03/02/2021
Remarks by Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director at COVAX media briefing on first deliveries and first round of allocations
As prepared for delivery
[See COVID above for detail]

Statement 03/02/2021
COVAX publishes first round of allocations

Unitaid [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
No new digest content identified.

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
News, Research and Reports
Coronavirus global impact
Launched April 2, 2020 and recurring every 3 days, Premise Data is utilizing its global network of Contributors to assess economic, social, and health sentiment surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
News
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
Q&A
Anna Mouser, Jeremy Farrar
Why we need fair global vaccine allocation to end Covid-19
2 March 2021

Explainer
Why is a global Covid-19 vaccine rollout vital?
2 March 2021

The Wistar Institute [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
WFPHA Has Joined the WHO’s Campaign for #VaccinEquity
Mar 4, 2021
WFPHA Has Joined the WHO’s Campaign for #VaccinEquityHealth workers have been at the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic response. In January 2021, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called all countries to work together…

Coalition of International NGOs Call for Equitable Access for Vaccines and Treatment during COVID-19 Pandemic
Mar 4, 2021
Coalition of International NGOs Call for Equitable Access for Vaccines and Treatment during COVID-19 Pandemic
Around the world, governments are struggling to find ways to work together and control the spread of COVID-19. The virus does not recognize…
[See COVID above for detail]

Call to Governments to Support the TRIPS Waiver Proposal to End the COVID-19 Pandemic
Mar 1, 2021
Call to Governments to Support the TRIPS Waiver Proposal to End the COVID-19 Pandemic
The time is now to stop vaccine nationalism, private profiteering, and stand in solidarity with the world for health equity and human rights. WFPHA joins the…

World Bank [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
Selected News, Announcements
World Bank Bond Expands Support to COVID-19 Resilience Through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Washington, DC, March 4, 2021—The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or IBRD) has issued a US$100 million 5-year bond which both supports IBRD’s ongoing sustainable development…
Date: March 04, 2021 Type: Press Release
[See COVID above for detail]

Reversing the Disproportionate Impact of the Pandemic on Female Workers in Latin America and the Caribbean
Women were 44 percent more likely to lose their jobs in the crisis than men. Permanent job losses affected one in five women according to a new World Bank report. WASHINGTON, March 4, 2021 – Working women…
Date: March 04, 2021 Type: Press Release

Future of Cities Will Shape Post-COVID-19 World
Cities have a once -in-a-lifetime chance to leverage the pandemic and build back in a resilient, inclusive and sustainable way
Date: March 02, 2021 Type: Feature Story

World Customs Organization – WCO [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.wcoomd.org/
Latest News – Selected Items
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2021/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 6 Mar 2021]
Press Releases – Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (alliancerm.org)
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 6 Mar 2021]
https://internationalbiotech.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 6 Mar 2021]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
No new digest content identified.

Journal Watch
Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review continues its weekly scanning of key peer-reviewed journals to identify and cite articles, commentary and editorials, books reviews and other content supporting our focu-s on vaccine ethics and policy. Journal Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues the Center is actively tracking. We selectively provide full text of some editorial and comment articles that are specifically relevant to our work. Successful access to some of the links provided may require subscription or other access arrangement unique to the publisher.
If you would like to suggest other journal titles to include in this service, please contact David Curry at: david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org

AMA Journal of Ethics
Volume 23, Number 2: E83-211 Feb 2021
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/issue/racial-and-ethnic-health-equity-us-part-2

Racial and Ethnic Health Equity in the US: Part 2
Health equity is defined by the World Health Organization as the “absence of unfair and avoidable or remediable differences in health among social groups.” Domestically and globally, health inequity is not a historical accident. Inequity today is not unfortunate—that is, not a product of a mere turn of the proverbial cosmic wheel—but unjust—that is, generated by colonial, White supremacist policies and practices structured and maintained over time, forged to persist in hierarchies that serve some of us, our ancestors, and our descendants well and some of us, our ancestors, and our descendants ill. This first of a 2-part theme issue focuses specifically on racial and ethnic inequity in morbidity, mortality, and access to services that are endemic to American life. We investigate health inequity as a product of transgenerational patterns of oppression that must be remediated by all of us compassionately and more deliberately and quickly than they were created.

BMJ Global Health
March 2021 – Volume 6 – 3
https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3

An urgent call to collect data related to COVID-19 and Indigenous populations globally (2 March, 2021)
Alistair Mallard, Maria Amalia Pesantes, Carol Zavaleta-Cortijo, James Ward

BMJ Global Health
March 2021 – Volume 6 – 3
https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3

Commentary
Communicating COVID-19 vaccines: lessons from the dengue vaccine controversy in the Philippines (2 March, 2021)
Gideon Lasco, Vincen Gregory Yu

BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 6 Mar 2021)

Regional differences in general practitioners’ behaviours regarding influenza vaccination: a cross-sectional study
The World Health Organization recommends vaccination rates of 75% against seasonal influenza for patients over 65 years old. In the 2013/2014 season, the German vaccination rates ranged between 14 and 65%. Thi…
Authors: Jonathan Arlt, Kristina Flaegel, Katja Goetz and Jost Steinhaeuser
Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2021 21:197
Content type: Research article
Published on: 4 March 2021

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 6 Mar 2021)

Antibiotic resistance in Pakistan: a systematic review of past decade
During the last six decades, extensive use of antibiotics has selected resistant strains, increasing the rate of fatal infectious diseases, and exerting an economic burden on society. This situation is widely …
Authors: Hazrat Bilal, Muhammad Nadeem Khan, Tayyab Rehman, Muhammad Fazal Hameed and Xingyuan Yang
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2021 21:244
Content type: Research article
Published on: 6 March 2021

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 6 Mar 2021)

Research article
Systematic review: bioethical implications for COVID-19 research in low prevalence countries, a distinctly different set of problems
A systematic review failed to identify articles relating to COVID-19 research ethics, specific to low prevalence countries. It shows that there is a significant gap in the literature that warrants further investigation. Common ethical principles were used to present a distinct set of challenges experienced by a country with a low prevalence of COVID-19. This unique perspective of some of the common ethical problems surrounding research, may help guide further discussion and guide research in similar countries.
Authors: Tony Skapetis, Constance Law and Rohan Rodricks
Citation: BMC Medical Ethics 2021 22:22
Content type: Research article
Published on: 3 March 2021

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 6 Mar 2021)

Facing new challenges to informed consent processes in the context of translational research: the case in CARPEM consortium
In the context of translational research, researchers have increasingly been using biological samples and data in fundamental research phases. To explore informed consent practices, we conducted a retrospective study on informed consent documents that were used for CARPEM’s translational research programs. This review focused on detailing their form, their informational content, and the adequacy of these documents with the international ethical principles and participants’ rights.
Authors: Elise Jacquier, Pierre Laurent-Puig, Cécile Badoual, Anita Burgun and Marie-France Mamzer
Citation: BMC Medical Ethics 2021 22:21
Content type: Research article
Published on: 2 March 2021

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 6 Mar 2021)

Disparities in influenza vaccination: Arab Americans in California
Influenza vaccination among minoritized groups remains below federal benchmarks in the United States (US). We used data from the 2004–2016 California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS) to characterize influenza v…
Authors: Rose-Marie Jungquist and Nadia N. Abuelezam
Citation: BMC Public Health 2021 21:443
Content type: Research article
Published on: 5 March 2021

Measles outbreak in complex emergency: estimating vaccine effectiveness and evaluation of the vaccination campaign in Borno State, Nigeria, 2019
From January to May 2019, large measles outbreaks affected Nigeria. Borno state was the most affected, recording 15,237 suspected cases with the state capital of Maiduguri having 1125 cases investigated and li…

Authors: Anne Eudes Jean Baptiste, John Wagai, Richard Luce, Balcha Masresha, Don Klinkenberg, Irene Veldhuijzen, Joseph Oteri, Boubacar Dieng, Obianuju Caroline Ikeonu, Sule Meleh, Audu Musa, Fiona Braka, Susan Hahné, E. A. M. Sanders and Eelko Hak
Citation: BMC Public Health 2021 21:437
Content type: Research article
Published on: 4 March 2021

BMJ Open
March 2021 – Volume 11 – 3
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/3

Protocol: Evaluation of the decision-making process underlying the initial off-label use of vaccines: a scoping review protocol (4 March, 2021)
Dieynaba Diallo, Caroline Quach
Vaccination has become a central part of public health prevention. Vaccines are introduced after licensure by national regulatory authorities, whereas recommendations for use of licensed vaccines are made by national or international advisory committees and may include off-label use. The methodological and decision-making processes that are used to assess novel initial off-label vaccine use are unclear. This review aims to examine the off-label assessment processes to map evidence and concepts used in the decision-making process and present a common approach between all recommendations and specifics of each decision.
Strengths and limitations of this study
:: Strengths of this review comprise the substantial significance of mapping the decision-making processes and methods used for off-label vaccine recommendations.
:: The use of recognised scoping review methodology.
:: A search strategy developed in collaboration with an experienced senior health research librarian.
:: Systematic screening and extraction of data independently conducted in duplicate.
:: Off-label vaccine use established practices, not published in an official form by national authorities, potentially represent a limitation for this review.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 99, Number 3, March 2021, 169-240
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/99/3/en/

EDITORIALS
The quality-of-care agenda in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings
— Matthew Neilson, Sheila Leatherman & Shamsuzzoha Syed
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.21.285627

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 99, Number 3, March 2021, 169-240
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/99/3/en/

Coordinating COVID-19 vaccine deployment through the WHO COVID-19 Partners Platform
— M Anne Yu, Angela K Shen, Michael J Ryan & Linda Lucy Boulanger
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.21.285550
…WHO, in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Development Coordination Office, launched the WHO COVID-19 Partners Platform to operationalize the plan.⁶ On this platform, for the first time, governments, UN agencies and partners can plan and coordinate, in real time, for an acute event. This innovative digital ecosystem operationalizes the nine pillars of the plan: country-level coordination, planning and monitoring; risk communication and community engagement; surveillance, rapid-response teams and case investigation; points of entry, international travel and transport; national laboratories; infection prevention and control; case management; operational support and logistics; and maintaining essential health services and systems.

The platform has facilitated actions within these initial nine strategic pillars and continues to do so.⁶ As a tool for emergency management, the platform supports transparency, collaboration and efficiency for countries, UN agencies, implementing partners and donors in their COVID-19 response. At the core of the platform is a centralized digital environment where countries and partners, in the context of an outbreak, can: (i) develop and share plans; (ii) monitor and review implemented actions; (iii) cost plans, share resource needs, and request critical supplies; and (iv) view and track donor contributions. These four basic functionalities are fundamental to emergency response in every nation, regardless of whether resources come from the international community or are domestically available.

As of 4 February 2021, the platform has tracked 9.3 billion United States dollars (US$) of requested resources and approximately US$ 8 billion in donor contributions.⁶ A total of 120 countries, areas and territories have integrated the platform into their emergency management cycle (disease prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery), supporting preparedness and response using a model that optimizes near real-time management of public health emergency needs and demands. The platform allows for rapid response in public health practice, provides a centralized hub to house information for decision-making, and brings stakeholders from across sectors within countries, including donors and key implementing partners, to collaborate using a common planning framework. The platform is accessible to and enabled by countries, regions and partners, and governed by the countries, who determine how to support their own needs.

Coordination is at the centre of the platform and critical to an effective response. In January 2021, a tenth pillar was added to the platform to support national deployment of COVID-19 vaccines when available…

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 99, Number 3, March 2021, 169-240
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/99/3/en/

PERSPECTIVES
Adapting environmental surveillance for polio to the need to track antimicrobial resistance
— Christine Årdal, David McAdams, Astrid Louise Wester & Sigrun Møgedal
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.20.258905

Developing World Bioethics
Volume 21, Issue 1 Pages: i, 1-54 March 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14718847/current

ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Lessons from the Ebola epidemics and their applications for COVID‐19 pandemic response in sub‐Saharan Africa
Muhammed O. Afolabi et al
Pages: 25-30
First Published: 12 July 2020

Developing World Bioethics  
Volume 21, Issue 1 Pages: i, 1-54 March 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14718847/current

Allocation of scarce resources in Africa during COVID‐19: Utility and justice for the bottom of the pyramid?
Keymanthri Moodley et al

Pages: 36-43
First Published: 26 August 2020

Developing World Bioethics  
Volume 21, Issue 1 Pages: i, 1-54 March 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14718847/current

Considerations for stakeholder engagement and COVID‐19 related clinical trials’ conduct in sub‐Saharan Africa
Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan et a;

Pages: 44-50
First Published: 15 August 2020
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to determine how stakeholder engagement can be adapted for the conduct of COVID‐19‐related clinical trials in sub‐Saharan Africa. Nine essential stakeholder engagement practices were reviewed: formative research; stakeholder engagement plan; communications and issues management plan; protocol development; informed consent process; standard of prevention for vaccine research and standard of care for treatment research; policies on trial‐related physical, psychological, financial, and/or social harms; trial accrual, follow‐up, exit trial closure and results dissemination; and post‐trial access to trial products or procedures. The norms, values, and practices of collectivist societies in Sub‐Saharan Africa and the low research literacy pose challenges to the conduct of clinical trials. Civil‐society organizations, members of community advisory boards and ethics committees, young persons, COVID‐19 survivors, researchers, government, and the private sector are assets for the implementation and translation of COVID‐19 related clinical trials. Adapting ethics guidelines to the socio‐cultural context of the region can facilitate achieving the aim of stakeholder engagement.

Epidemics
Volume 34 March 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/epidemics/vol/34/suppl/C

Research article Open access
Optimised prophylactic vaccination in metapopulations
Mingmei Teo, Nigel Bean, Joshua V. Ross
Article 100420
Highlights
:: A flexible SIR stochastic metapopulation model is studied.
:: Insights to when it is best to allocate vaccines (pre-versus post-outbreak) and to whom they should be allocated are provided.
:: In practice it is generally optimal to distribute all vaccines prophylactically, rather than withholding vaccines.
:: An approximately optimal vaccination scheme is introduced and is shown to be consistently at least as good as three strategies reported in the literature.
Abstract
A highly effective method for controlling the spread of an infectious disease is vaccination. However, there are many situations where vaccines are in limited supply. The ability to determine, under this constraint, a vaccination strategy which minimises the number of people that become infected over the course of a potential epidemic is essential. Two questions naturally arise: when is it best to allocate vaccines, and to whom should they be allocated? We address these questions in the context of metapopulation models of disease spread. We discover that in practice it is generally optimal to distribute all vaccines prophylactically, rather than withholding until infection is introduced. For small metapopulations, we provide a method for determining the optimal prophylactic allocation. As the optimal strategy becomes computationally intensive to obtain when the population size increases, we detail an approximation method to determine an approximately optimal vaccination scheme. We find that our approximate strategy is consistently at least as good as three strategies reported in the literature across a wide range of parameter values.

Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 6 Mar 2021]

Software Tool Article metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
Route Optimization Tool (RoOT) for distribution of vaccines and health products [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Zelda B. Zabinsky, Mariam Zameer, Larissa P.G. Petroianu, Mamiza M. Muteia, Aida L. Coelho
Peer Reviewers Invited
Funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
PUBLISHED 01 Mar 2021

Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 6 Mar 2021]

A survey of International Health Regulations National Focal Points experiences in carrying out their functions
The 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR (2005)) require States Parties to establish National Focal Points (NFPs) responsible for notifying the World Health Organization (WHO) of potential events that might constitute public health emergencies of international concern (PHEICs), such as outbreaks of novel infectious diseases. Given the critical role of NFPs in the global surveillance and response system supported by the IHR, we sought to assess their experiences in carrying out their functions.
Authors: Corinne Packer, Sam F. Halabi, Helge Hollmeyer, Salima S. Mithani, Lindsay Wilson, Arne Ruckert, Ronald Labonté, David P. Fidler, Lawrence O. Gostin and Kumanan Wilson
Citation: Globalization and Health 2021 17:25
Content type: Research
Published on: 6 March 2021

Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 6 Mar 2021]

COVID-19 preparedness: capacity to manufacture vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic is a biosecurity threat, and many resource-rich countries are stockpiling and/or making plans to secure supplies of vaccine, therapeutics, and diagnostics for their citizens. We review the products that are being investigated for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19; discuss the challenges that countries in sub-Saharan Africa may face with access to COVID-19 vaccine, therapeutics, and diagnostics due to the limited capacity to manufacture them in Africa; and make recommendations on actions to mitigate these challenges and ensure health security in sub-Saharan Africa during this unprecedented pandemic and future public-health crises.
Authors: Bisi Bright, Chinedum Peace Babalola, Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu, Augustine Anayochukwu Onyeaghala, Adebola Olatunji, Ufuoma Aduh, Patrick O. Sobande, Trevor A. Crowell, Yenew Kebede Tebeje, Sunny Phillip, Nicaise Ndembi and Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan
Citation: Globalization and Health 2021 17:24
Content type: Review
Published on: 3 March 2021

Health Affairs
Vol. 40, No. 3 March 2021
https://www.healthaffairs.org/toc/hlthaff/current

March 2021 | Nursing Homes, COVID-19 & More
Analysis COVID-19
How New Models Of Vaccine Development For COVID-19 Have Helped Address An Epic Public Health Crisis
David E. Bloom, Daniel Cadarette, Maddalena Ferranna, Randall N. Hyer, and Daniel L. Tortorice
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine development and manufacturing have proceeded at a historically unprecedented pace. This speed may be accounted for by the unprecedented scale of resources being devoted to addressing COVID-19; an unusual …

Health Affairs
Vol. 40, No. 3 March 2021
https://www.healthaffairs.org/toc/hlthaff/current

Analysis COVID-19
Reflections On Governance, Communication, And Equity: Challenges And Opportunities In COVID-19 Vaccination
Daniel Salmon, Douglas J. Opel, Matthew Z. Dudley, Janesse Brewer, and Robert Breiman

Health and Human Rights
Volume 22, Issue 2, December 2020
https://www.hhrjournal.org/volume-22-issue-2-december-2020/

Special Section: Big Data, Technology, Artificial Intelligence and the Right to Health
Recent Viewpoints
The Value of Human Rights for Vaccine Prioritization at the National Level
Sharifah Sekalala, 8 February 2021
In this Viewpoint I argue that human rights have been largely left out of conversations about how to prioritise allocation within national vaccine programmes, but an intersectional human-rights approach is the fairest and most effective way to address COVID-19 vaccine prioritization.

Health Policy and Planning
Volume 36, Issue 1, February 2021
https://academic.oup.com/heapol/issue/36/1

Original Articles
Competing interests, clashing ideas and institutionalizing influence: insights into the political economy of malaria control from seven African countries
Justin Parkhurst, Ludovica Ghilardi, Jayne Webster, Robert W Snow, Caroline A Lynch
Health Policy and Planning, Volume 36, Issue 1, February 2021, Pages 35–44, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaa166

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

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

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

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

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Vol 8, No 3 (2021) March 2021
https://www.ijcmph.com/index.php/ijcmph/issue/view/74

Table of Contents
Knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID-19 vaccination acceptance in West India
This is a cross-sectional study done in an urban slum in Mumbai, India. The main outcome variable was the responses related to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the study participants.
Shibal Bhartiya, Nishant Kumar, Tarundeep Singh, Sathiabalan Murugan, Saranya Rajavel, Meenakshi Wadhwani

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Vol 8, No 3 (2021) March 2021
https://www.ijcmph.com/index.php/ijcmph/issue/view/74

A study on predictors of complete immunization in children aged 12-23 months in slums of Kanpur Nagar, India
Educational status of the parents particularly mothers and the economic status of the family have great bearing on the immunization coverage of under 5 children. So female empowerment measures may prove helpful in improvement of the immunization status.
Ruchi Chaturvedi, R. P. Sharma, D. S. Martolia, Tanu Midha

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Vol 8, No 3 (2021) March 2021
https://www.ijcmph.com/index.php/ijcmph/issue/view/74

Attitude towards childhood vaccination among parents in a rural area of Trivandrum district
A cross-sectional study was carried out among parents of children below the age of 15 years, who are residents of a rural area in Thiruvananthapuram district. Data was collected using the parents’ attitude about childhood vaccination (PACV) survey, with the consent of the participants. The collected data entered into MS Excel and analysis was carried out using SPSS 20.
Nithya Girija, Deena Divakaran Sreelatha, Benny Purandaran Vasanthamani, Anil Bindhu Sukumaran, Regi Jose, Manju Leelavathy, Divija ., Ramiz Raja

JAMA
March 2, 2021, Vol 325, No. 9, Pages 805-898
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Viewpoint
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines and the Growing Threat of Viral Variants
John P. Moore, PhD; Paul A. Offit, MD
free access has active quiz has multimedia has audio
JAMA. 2021;325(9):821-822. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1114
This Viewpoint reviews circulating SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants and mechanisms of immunity by which they might escape coronavirus vaccine-induced protection and proposes 6 measures to address them, including enhanced variant isolation and testing procedures and continued adherence to mask-wearing and other established public health measures.
Audio Clinical Review: Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Variants
Conversations with Dr Bauchner: Coronavirus Vaccine Update with Paul Offit and Robert Wachter
Conversations with Dr Bauchner: Coronavirus Update With Peter Piot, MD, PhD
Conversations with Dr Bauchner: Coronavirus Vaccine Update With Paul Offit – February 11, 2021
Conversations with Dr Bauchner: Coronavirus Vaccine Update From the CDC With Nancy E. Messonnier, MD