Africa CDC [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
WHO, Africa CDC in joint push for COVID-19 traditional medicine research in Africa
Addis Ababa/Brazzaville, 22 July 2020 – In a joint effort to enhance research and development of traditional medicines for COVID-19 in Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) today launched an expert advisory committee/panel to provide independent scientific advice and support to countries on the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine therapies.
The 25-member Regional Expert Committee on Traditional Medicine for COVID-19 will support countries in collaborative efforts to conduct clinical trials of traditional medicines in compliance with international standards…

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

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
July 25: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On July 24, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 34 new cases of confirmed infections.

China to intensify infectious disease prevention in H2: document
2020-07-24
BEIJING — China will give priority to the prevention of COVID-19 while deepening healthcare reform in the second half of this year, according to a document issued on July 23.
Released by the General Office of the State Council, the document clarifies the key tasks for deepening reform of medical and health systems.
It calls for strengthening the public health system, improving the monitoring and early warning system for infectious diseases, and preparing for COVID-19 prevention in autumn and winter.
Public hospitals should strengthen the ability to treat infectious diseases, the document says, adding efforts should be made to improve the containment of infectious diseases at border ports.
The mechanism for monitoring diseases of unknown causes and abnormal health events should be improved, according to the document, which also urges the military and civilian authorities to strengthen information sharing about infectious diseases.
The document demands the enhancement of the country’s nucleic acid detection capability, as well as more investment in developing vaccines, drugs and rapid-detection technologies.
In preparation for a possible COVID-19 outbreak during the autumn and winter, the document requires local authorities to strengthen personnel training to guard against the epidemic and conduct emergency drills.
The document also seeks to deepen reform of public hospitals, promote the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, improve basic medical insurance, and complete the medicine supply system.

Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 25 July 2020]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
BARDA News
July 22, 2020: U.S. Government Engages Pfizer to Produce Millions of Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense (DoD) today announced an agreement with U.S.-based Pfizer Inc. for large-scale production and nationwide delivery of 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States following the vaccine’s successful manufacture and approval. The agreement also allows the U.S. government to acquire an additional 500 million doses.
The federal government will own the 100 million doses of vaccine initially produced as a result of this agreement, and Pfizer will deliver the doses in the United States if the product receives Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or licensure from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as outlined in FDA guidance, after completing demonstration of safety and efficacy in a large Phase 3 clinical trial.
By entering into this agreement now, a safe and effective vaccine can be shipped quickly if FDA grants EUA or licensure. This approach helps meet the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed goal to begin delivering 300 million of doses of safe and effective vaccine to the American people by
the end of the year…

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 25 July 2020]
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 25 July 2020]
https://carb-x.org/
CARB-X is a non-profit public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
No new digest content identified.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 25 July 2020]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
CEPI extends funding call to accelerate development and global manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines
21 Jul 2020 By Jodie Rogers
CEPI has extended its Call for Proposals to advance development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccine candidates
Vaccine developers with end-to-end experience and capability for the global supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses in 12-18 months are encouraged to apply
The new call will look more favourably on vaccine candidates that, based on field experience to date, have indications that their candidate vaccine is able to offer measurable protection after one dose.

EDCTP [to 25 July 2020]
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
Latest news
No new digest content identified.

Emory Vaccine Center [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
Meeting highlights from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) 20-23 July 2020
News 24/07/2020
Eleven new medicines recommended for approval
EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) recommended eleven medicines for approval at its July 2020 meeting, including a medicine for use in countries outside the European Union.
The CHMP adopted a positive opinion for Dapivirine Vaginal Ring (dapivirine) used to reduce the risk of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), in combination with safer sex practices when oral pre-exposure prophylaxis is not used, cannot be used or is not available. Placed in the vagina, the ring slowly releases the antiretroviral medicine dapivirine over a period of 28 days.
This is the eleventh medicine recommended by EMA under EU Medicines for all (EU-M4All), a mechanism that allows the CHMP to assess and give opinions on medicines that are intended for use in countries outside the EU under Article 58 of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004…

News: EMA starts review of dexamethasone for treating adults with COVID-19 requiring respiratory support
CHMP, Last updated: 24/07/2020

News: COVID-19: EMA sets up infrastructure for real-world monitoring of treatments and vaccines
Last updated: 21/07/2020
EMA has now set up an infrastructure to support the monitoring of the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines when used in day-to-day clinical practice. This is underpinned by three contracts for observational research that EMA has signed with academic and private partners over recent months, to be ready to effectively monitor vaccines in the real world as soon as they are authorised, and support the safe and effective use of COVID-19 vaccines and medicines.
The latest contract was finalised in mid-July with Utrecht University and the University Medical Center Utrecht as coordinators of the CONSIGN project (‘COVID-19 infectiOn aNd medicineS In preGNancy’). This project will collect data on the impact of COVID-19 in pregnancy in order to guide decision-making about vaccine indications, vaccination policies and treatment options for COVID-19 in pregnant women. CONSIGN will analyse existing data sources (e.g. electronic health records, hospital data) and cohorts of pregnant women to provide information on the effect of infection and its treatments in different trimesters of pregnancy and on neonates. The project will be carried out in collaboration with the ConcePTION consortium, which was established under the EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative, the COVI-PREG project and the International Network of Obstetric Survey Systems (INOSS) network.
In June, EMA contracted the company IQVIA with a project to build a framework for the conduct of multicentre cohort studies on the use of medicines in COVID-19 patients. This project will include the identification of large national cohorts of COVID-19 patients and appropriate comparator groups, the development of a study protocol template for multinational studies as well as the establishment of a collaborative framework for researchers. The project will be carried out in collaboration with the European Health Data & Evidence Network (EHDEN) consortium, which was established under the Innovative Medicines Initiative and includes the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam and the University of Oxford as project lead and research coordinator, respectively.*
In May, EMA commissioned the ACCESS project (‘vACcine Covid-19 monitoring readinESS’) for preparatory research into data sources and methods that can be used to monitor the safety, effectiveness and coverage of COVID-19 vaccines in clinical practice, once authorised…

European Vaccine Initiative [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

FDA [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements
July 24, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes First Diagnostic Test for Screening of People Without Known or Suspected COVID-19 Infection

July 24, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 24, 2020

July 23, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 23, 2020

July 22, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 22, 2020

July 21, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 21, 2020

July 20, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup July 20, 2020

Fondation Merieux [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
Project
The Mérieux Foundation, FIND, ASLM and LSHTM are launching a MOOC on COVID-19 Diagnostics and Testing
July 21, 2020 – Lyon, France
This online course, available in English and French as of July 20, is open for registration. It is designed for professionals involved in the diagnostics and testing of COVID-19, with a focus on low- and middle-income settings.

Gavi [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.gavi.org/
News releases
24 July 2020
Why the UK wants to recruit half a million people in a COVID-19 vaccine trial

²3 July 2020
Delivering life-saving vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic

22 July 2020
What happens if COVID-19 mutates?

GHIT Fund [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 2012 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that No new digest content identified.

Global Fund [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
No new digest content identified.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
Features
July 21, 2020
Surveying the HIV Vaccine and Cure Landscape at AIDS 2020 Virtual
Thumbi Ndung’u, Ph.D., provides a view of current strategies for HIV vaccine and cure design

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
No new digest content identified.

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

IFRC [to 25 July 2020]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Americas
Red Cross on the ground bracing for tropical storm Gonzalo in the Caribbean
Panama/Port of Spain, 23 July 2020 — The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is preparing a humanitarian response as the Caribbean braces for their first tropical storm of 2020. A hurricane watch is in effect for Bar …
24 July 2020

Asia Pacific, Indonesia
Red Cross urges Indonesians to change behavior to slow COVID-19
Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur, 24 July 2020 –  Indonesian Red Cross is calling on Indonesians to continue practising physical distancing and to exercise greater caution to prevent COVID-19 infections from spiralling out of control as the country adapts to a `ne …
24 July 2020

Asia Pacific, Bangladesh, India, Nepal
South Asia floods: 9.6 million people swamped as humanitarian crisis deepens
Kuala Lumpur/Delhi/Dhaka/Kathmandu/Geneva, 22 July 2020 – A humanitarian crisis is deepening in South Asia as new figures reveal that more than 9.6 million people have been affected by monsoon floods, devastating large areas of India, Bangladesh and Ne …
22 July 2020

IVAC [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
Q&A: Enhancing Public Trust and Health with COVID-19 Vaccination
July 2020
IVAC experts contribute to the Center for Health Security report on Enhancing Public Trust and Health With COVID-19 Vaccination.

IVI [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
No new digest content identified.

JEE Alliance [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Nigeria
MSF condemns the killing of five aid workers in northeast Nigeria
Statement 23 Jul 2020

Kyrgyzstan
In remote Kyrgyzstan, COVID-19 puts a strain on the health system
Project Update 22 Jul 2020

Syria
COVID-19 provokes fears over further health system decline in northwestern Sy…
Project Update 21 Jul 2020

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
NVAC Meetings
September 23-24, 2020 Meeting (Virtual)
February 4-5, 2021 NVAC Meeting
June 16-17, 2021 NVAC Meeting

NIH [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
Vaginal ring for HIV prevention receives positive opinion from European regulator
July 24, 2020 — NIAID celebrates pivotal step toward expanding HIV prevention choices for women.

NIH leadership details unprecedented initiative to ramp up testing technologies for COVID-19
July 22, 2020 — RADx efforts seek to create capacity for 6 million daily tests by the end of 2020, address underserved populations.
In a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine(link is external), scientific leaders from the National Institutes of Health set forth a framework to increase significantly the number, quality and type of daily tests for detecting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and help reduce inequities for underserved populations that have been disproportionally affected by the disease. The authors describe the current testing landscape and explain the urgent need for nationwide deployment of low-complexity, point-of-care molecular diagnostics with rapid results. To fill this urgent need, the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program was established in just five days following the announcement of $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funding in April 2020. RADx covers the entire life cycle of the target testing technologies,..

PATH [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Selected Announcements
Milestone study identifies immune markers that may help predict success of vaccination with RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine
July 22, 2020 by PATH
Results of partnership between the Ragon Institute, GSK Vaccines, and PATH is key step in understanding human protection against Plasmodium falciparum infection; could help accelerate clinical trials of future malaria vaccines

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
23 July 2020
Phenomenal Positive Youths lead the way during COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia

21 July 2020
UNAIDS celebrates the life of Mozambican AIDS activist Tauzene Murgo

21 July 2020
A safe space for key populations in Armenia

UNICEF [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press releases/Announcements
Press release
07/23/2020
Millions of children affected by devastating flooding in South Asia, with many more at risk as COVID-19 brings further challenges

Press release
07/23/2020
UNICEF and partners respond to the triple threat of floods, locusts and COVID-19 in Somalia
Over 3 million Somali children in need of humanitarian assistance

Press release
07/23/2020
Number of separated children rising fast as Ebola spreads in Equateur Province of DRC

Press release
07/21/2020
40 million children miss out on early education in critical pre-school year due to COVID-19

Statement
07/21/2020
Joint Call to Action: Reimagining the World We Need
by Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, and John W.H. Denton, AO Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce
[See Milestones above for detail]

Unitaid [to 25 July 2020]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
No new digest content identified.

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 25 July 2020]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Latest News & Archive
Confusion spreads over system to determine priority access to Covid-19 vaccines
23 July 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 25 July 2020]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
Opinion | 24 July 2020
Our response to COVID-19 will help define the 21st century
Jeremy Farrar, Director Wellcome
The true impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt beyond its immediate effects. Jeremy Farrar explains why the choices leaders make now will help define the 21st century.
[See Milestones above for detail]

The Wistar Institute [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Released
No new digest content identified.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
WFPHA Statement on COVID-19 Immunization
Friday, 24 July 2020
Immunization is one of the most successful public health measures of modern times. Annually immunization prevents an estimated 2.5 million deaths globally and reduces disease-specific treatment costs (WHO 2018). For all the devastation caused by COVID-19, an important lesson is that the balance needs to shift from treating disease to preventing it. Specific to COVID-19, almost everyone is at risk and may require vaccination if given the opportunity. Hence, it is likely that demand will surpass supply. The concern of the WFPHA Immunisation Taskforce is the tendency for the rich to acquire and pay for the limited supply of available efficacious vaccines to the detriment of the at-risk populations in low income settings. Therefore, the WFPHA Immunisation Taskforce provides some recommendations. Read the recommendations and statement here.
[See Milestones above for detail]

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2020/
Press Releases
Global action needed now to halt spread of deadly pig disease
The escalation of the spread of African swine fever (ASF) has placed most of the world’s domestic and wild pig populations under direct threat. To support countries’ efforts to protect economies and food security, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today launch a joint initiative for the Global Control of ASF.
Paris | Rome, 20 July 2020 – Pork is the most consumed meat in the world, representing 35.6 percent of global meat consumption. In recent years, ASF – which may cause up to 100 percent mortality in pigs – has become a major crisis for the pork industry, causing massive losses in pig populations and generating drastic economic consequences. Currently affecting several countries of Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe, and with no effective vaccine, the disease is not only impeding animal health and welfare but has detrimental impacts on the livelihoods of farmers.

“Today, 51 countries are affected by African swine fever. Amid the difficult situation posed by COVID-19, ASF continues to spread, intensifying the current health and socioeconomic crises,” said Dr Matthew Stone, OIE Deputy Director General for International Standards and Science.
Many countries that are affected by ASF lack sufficient human, financial or technical resources to rapidly detect, respond and contain animal diseases.

“In this globalised world, where diseases can spread rapidly across borders, timely sharing of latest scientific information, international collaboration and notification of ASF are needed to prevent transboundary spread and minimise impact,” said FAO Deputy Director-General, Maria Helena Semedo…

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 25 July 2020]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
BIO’s Dr. McMurry-Heath Warns Executive Order to “Cripple Small, Innovative Companies” Working to Eradicate COVID-19
July 24, 2020
[See PhRMA below]

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 25 July 2020]
https://internationalbiotech.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
PhRMA Statement on Drug Pricing Executive Orders
July 24, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 24, 2020) – Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl made the following statement:
“In his 2020 State of the Union Address, President Trump declared that ‘we will never let socialism destroy American health care.’
“Yet, in the middle of a global pandemic, when nearly 145,000 Americans have lost their lives and millions of others have suffered untold economic hardships, this administration has decided to pursue a radical and dangerous policy to set prices based on rates paid in countries that he has labeled as socialist, which will harm patients today and into the future.
“The research-based biopharmaceutical industry has been working around the clock to develop therapeutics and vaccines to treat and prevent COVID-19. The administration’s proposal today is a reckless distraction that impedes our ability to respond to the current pandemic – and those we could face in the future. It jeopardizes American leadership that rewards risk-taking and innovation and threatens the hope of patients who need better treatments and cures.
“The president’s attempt to open our country up to socialized health care sets America, our economic recovery and scientific progress back at a time when we need them most.”

Executive Order on Increasing Drug Importation to Lower Prices for American Patients
Issued on: July 24, 2020
Section 1.  Purpose.  Americans spend more per capita on pharmaceutical drugs than residents of any other developed country.  Americans often pay more for the exact same drugs, even when they are produced and shipped from the exact same facilities.

One way to minimize international disparities in price is to increase the trade of prescription drugs between nations with lower prices and those with persistently higher ones.  Over time, reducing trade barriers and increasing the exchange of drugs will likely result in lower prices for the country that is paying more for drugs.

Sec. 2.  Permitting the Importation of Safe Prescription Drugs from Other Countries.  The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, take action to expand safe access to lower-cost imported prescription drugs by:
(a)  facilitating grants to individuals of waivers of the prohibition of importation of prescription drugs, provided such importation poses no additional risk to public safety and results in lower costs to American patients, pursuant to section 804(j)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), 21 U.S.C. 384(j)(2);…

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

Artificial Intelligence – An International Journal
Volume 285 August 2020
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/artificial-intelligence/vol/285/suppl/C

BMC Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation
http://resource-allocation.biomedcentral.com/
(Accessed 25 July 2020)
Introduction of birth dose of hepatitis B virus vaccine to the immunization program in Ethiopia: an economic evaluation
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality with a very high burden in Africa. The risk of developing chronic infection is marked if the infection is acquired perinatally…
Authors: Solomon Tessema Memirie, Hailemichael Desalegn, Mulugeta Naizgi, Mulat Nigus, Lisanu Taddesse, Yared Tadesse, Fasil Tessema, Meseret Zelalem and Tsinuel Girma
Citation: Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation 2020 18:23
Content type: Research
Published on: 22 July 2020

BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 25 July 2020)

Normalizing inconvenience to promote childhood vaccination: a qualitative implementation evaluation of a novel Michigan program
In 2015, Michigan implemented a rule requiring parents to attend an education session at a local health department (LHD) prior to waiving mandatory child vaccinations. This study utilizes Normalization Process…
Authors: Denise F. Lillvis, Charley Willison and Katia Noyes
Citation: BMC Health Services Research 2020 20:683
Content type: Research article
Published on: 23 July 2020

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 25 July 2020)

The potential impact of preventive therapy against tuberculosis in the WHO South-East Asian Region: a modelling approach
The prevention of tuberculosis (TB) is key for accelerating current, slow declines in TB burden. The 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on eligibility for preventive therapy to treat latent TB inf…
Authors: Sandip Mandal, Vineet Bhatia, Mukta Sharma, Partha Pratim Mandal and Nimalan Arinaminpathy
Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:163
Content type: Research article
Published on: 20 July 2020

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 25 July 2020)

The potential impact of preventive therapy against tuberculosis in the WHO South-East Asian Region: a modelling approach
The prevention of tuberculosis (TB) is key for accelerating current, slow declines in TB burden. The 2018 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on eligibility for preventive therapy to treat latent TB inf…
Authors: Sandip Mandal, Vineet Bhatia, Mukta Sharma, Partha Pratim Mandal and Nimalan Arinaminpathy
Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:163
Content type: Research article
Published on: 20 July 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 25 July 2020)

Vaccine uptake and associated factors in an irregular urban settlement in northeastern Brazil: a cross-sectional study
Globally, childhood immunization saves the lives of 2–3 million children annually by protecting them against vaccine-preventable diseases. In 2017, 116.2 million children were vaccinated worldwide according to…
Authors: Ana Amélia Corrêa de Araújo Veras, Eduardo Jorge da Fonseca Lima, Maria de Fátima Costa Caminha, Suzana Lins da Silva, Amanda Alves Moreira de Castro, Andressa Lílian Bezerra Bernardo, Maria Lídia Amaral Barbosa Ventura, Pedro Israel Cabral de Lira and Malaquias Batista Filho
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1152
Content type: Research article
Published on: 22 July 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 25 July 2020)

Immunization coverage in Ethiopia among 12–23 month old children: systematic review and meta-analysis
Immunization is a cost-effective public health strategy. Immunization averts nearly three million deaths annually but immunization coverage is low in some countries and some regions within countries. The aim o…
Authors: Tahir Yousuf Nour, Alinoor Mohamed Farah, Omer Moeline Ali and Kalkidan Hassen Abate
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1134
Content type: Research article
Published on: 20 July 2020

Global Public Health
Volume 15, 2020 Issue 8
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rgph20/current

Article
The ghost in the data: Evidence gaps and the problem of fake drugs in global health research
Sarah Hodges & Emma Garnett
Pages: 1103-1118
Published online: 31 Mar 2020

Global Public Health
Volume 15, 2020 Issue 8
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rgph20/current

Article
Is expanding service through an outreach programme enough to improve immunisation uptake? A qualitative study in Indonesia
Anna Wahyuni Widayanti , Pauline Norris , James A. Green & Susan Heydon
Pages: 1168-1181
Published online: 14 Apr 2020

JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update July 25, 2020

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

JAMA
July 21, 2020, Vol 324, No. 3, Pages 209-310
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Viewpoint
The Moral Determinants of Health
Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(3):225-226. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.11129
In this Viewpoint, Berwick emphasizes that moral commitment to others, expressed through working for universal health coverage, criminal justice, and housing policy reform, climate change intervention, and more, is necessary if society is to meaningfully address adverse social determinants of health and reduce health inequalities.

JAMA
July 21, 2020, Vol 324, No. 3, Pages 209-310
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Editorial
COVID-19 and Health Equity—A New Kind of “Herd Immunity”
David R. Williams, PhD, MPH; Lisa A. Cooper, MD, MPH

JAMA
July 21, 2020, Vol 324, No. 3, Pages 209-310
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

2020—A Year That Will Be Remembered
Howard Bauchner, MD

JAMA
July 21, 2020, Vol 324, No. 3, Pages 209-310
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

COVID-19 Pandemic, Unemployment, and Civil UnrestUnderlying Deep Racial and Socioeconomic Divides
Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH; Salma M. Abdalla, MBBS, MPH
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(3):227-228. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.11132
This Viewpoint discusses the inequalities underlying the preferential spread of COVID-19 and of economic hardship in lower-income communities of color in the US, and sees the national protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement as a natural consequence of those inequities and an opportunity to change the systems that create them.

JAMA
July 21, 2020, Vol 324, No. 3, Pages 209-310
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

COVID-19: Beyond Tomorrow
Health Care Policy After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Victor R. Fuchs, PhD
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(3):233-234. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.10777
This Viewpoint discusses the necessity and prospects for health care reform in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reviewing policy options to fund universal coverage, incentivize efficiencies, and reduce political opposition to change.

JAMA
July 21, 2020, Vol 324, No. 3, Pages 209-310
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Research Letter
Use of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies by the US Food and Drug Administration, 2008-2019
Jenny S. Guadamuz, PhD; Dima M. Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD; G. Caleb Alexander, MD, MS
JAMA. 2020;324(3):299-301. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.6611
This study uses publicly available FDA.gov data to characterize trends in the US Food and Drug Administration’s use of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) programs between 2008 and 2019 and to describe the number and classes of medications included, the strategies deployed, and the risks the program was intended to mitigate.

JBI Database of Systematic Review and Implementation Reports
July 2020 – Volume 18 – Issue 7
https://journals.lww.com/jbisrir/Pages/currenttoc.aspx

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOLS
Interventions delivered in secondary or tertiary medical care settings to improve routine vaccination uptake in children and young people: a scoping review protocol
Edge, Rhiannon; Isba, Rachel
JBI Evidence Synthesis. 18(7):1566-1572, July 2020.

Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
https://joppp.biomedcentral.com/
[Accessed 25 July 2020]

COVID-19 therapeutics: how to sow confusion and break public trust during international public health emergencies
Since SARS-CoV2 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, those tasked with the stewardship of public health at a global, regional, and local level—policymakers, politicians, scientists, drug regulators, health officials, professional associations, journal editors, publishers, and clinicians—have displayed rushed decisions and lapses in judgment in their handling of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as potential COVID-19 therapeutics and prophylactics. These lapses merit noting as they hold lessons for how the guardians of medicines regulation and public health can inadvertently sow confusion and damage public trust.
Authors: Jerome Amir Singh and Rafaella Ravinetto
Content type: Commentary
24 July 2020

The Lancet
Jul 25, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10246 p213-290, e6-e11
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
COVID-19 and China: lessons and the way forward
The Lancet
… China is facing legitimate questions in many areas of its domestic and foreign policy, but when it comes to COVID-19, scapegoating China for the pandemic is not a constructive response. “Now is the time for global leaders to decide: will we succumb to chaos, division and inequality? Or will we right the wrongs of the past and move forward together, for the good of all?”, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres asked in his 2020 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture. Tackling a global health emergency like a pandemic requires open collaboration. The lack of global solidarity to address COVID-19 amid geopolitical instability is a threat to us all.

The Lancet
Jul 25, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10246 p213-290, e6-e11
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Comment
Offline: Preparing for a vaccine against COVID-19
Richard Horton
The results of two randomised trials reported this week in The Lancet give great encouragement to the view that a vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be produced within the next 18 months. There are no guarantees. But the evidence is hopeful. Pedro Folegatti and colleagues from The Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford used a chimpanzee adenovirus viral vector expressing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to create a vaccine given by a single intramuscular injection. The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, tested in five trial sites in the UK, was safe and well tolerated, and led to striking findings of both humoral and cellular immune responses. This candidate vaccine is now undergoing phase 3 trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK. Feng-Cai Zhu and colleagues completed a single-centre phase 2 randomised trial in Wuhan, China, using a recombinant adenovirus type-5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine. They found rapid onset of an immune response within 14 days, with evidence of humoral and cellular immune responses by day 28. This vaccine was also safe and well tolerated. There were signs that it produced a poorer immune response in older recipients. As the vaccine enters phase 3 trials, a second dose will be considered for this group to boost their immunity. These results are unquestionable breakthroughs in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lancet
Jul 25, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10246 p213-290, e6-e11
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Articles
Emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide vs emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (DISCOVER): primary results from a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, active-controlled, phase 3, non-inferiority trial
Kenneth H Mayer,et al

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/

Opinion: It’s ethical to test promising coronavirus vaccines against less-promising ones
Front Matter
Nir Eyal and Marc Lipsitch
PNAS first published July 22, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014154117

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/

News Feature: Finding a vaccine for misinformation
Front Matter
Gayathri Vaidyanathan
PNAS first published July 22, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2013249117

Science
24 July 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6502
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

In Depth
Polio vaccinators are back after pandemic pause
By Leslie Roberts
Science24 Jul 2020 : 360 Full Access
Mass campaigns resume after modelers warn about risk of “explosive” outbreaks.
Summary
In March, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) abruptly halted all mass vaccination campaigns, worried they could inadvertently spread the novel coronavirus. The move further imperiled the troubled 3-decade drive to wipe out polio. But now, armed with new data and perspective, GPEI and the countries it supports are resuming vaccination campaigns. Burkina Faso was first in early July; Pakistan followed this week. Polio cases are surging in many countries, and models suggested there might be “explosive” outbreaks if campaigns don’t restart soon. To reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus, vaccinators will be screened, wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and practice physical distancing as much as possible.

Science
24 July 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6502
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Policy Forum
Ecology and economics for pandemic prevention
By Andrew P. Dobson, Stuart L. Pimm, Lee Hannah, Les Kaufman, Jorge A. Ahumada, Amy W. Ando, Aaron Bernstein, Jonah Busch, Peter Daszak, Jens Engelmann, Margaret F. Kinnaird, Binbin V. Li, Ted Loch-Temzelides, Thomas Lovejoy, Katarzyna Nowak, Patrick R. Roehrdanz, Mariana M. Vale
Science24 Jul 2020 : 379-381 Full Access
Investments to prevent tropical deforestation and to limit wildlife trade will protect against future zoonosis outbreaks

Science
24 July 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6502
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

The impact of COVID-19 and strategies for mitigation and suppression in low- and middle-income countries
By Patrick G. T. Walker, Charles Whittaker, Oliver J. Watson, Marc Baguelin, Peter Winskill, Arran Hamlet, Bimandra A. Djafaara, Zulma Cucunubá, Daniela Olivera Mesa, Will Green, Hayley Thompson, Shevanthi Nayagam, Kylie E. C. Ainslie, Sangeeta Bhatia, Samir Bhatt, Adhiratha Boonyasiri, Olivia Boyd, Nicholas F. Brazeau, Lorenzo Cattarino, Gina Cuomo-Dannenburg, Amy Dighe, Christl A. Donnelly, Ilaria Dorigatti, Sabine L. van Elsland, Rich FitzJohn, Han Fu, Katy A. M. Gaythorpe, Lily Geidelberg, Nicholas Grassly, David Haw, Sarah Hayes, Wes Hinsley, Natsuko Imai, David Jorgensen, Edward Knock, Daniel Laydon, Swapnil Mishra, Gemma Nedjati-Gilani, Lucy C. Okell, H. Juliette Unwin, Robert Verity, Michaela Vollmer, Caroline E. Walters, Haowei Wang, Yuanrong Wang, Xiaoyue Xi, David G. Lalloo, Neil M. Ferguson, Azra C. Ghani

Global prospects for COVID-19 control
Lower-income countries have recognized the potential impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from observing ongoing epidemics. Many have intervened quickly and early with measures to slow viral transmission, which may partly explain the low rates observed so far in these countries. Walker et al. calibrated a global model with country-specific data (see the Perspective by Metcalf et al.). Despite the potentially protective effects of younger demographics, the closer intergenerational contact, limitations on health care facilities, and frequency of comorbidities in lower-income countries require sustained nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to avoid overwhelming health care capacity. As a result of strict NPIs, the protective effects of immunity will be reduced, and it will be important to improve testing capacity. Ensuring equitable provision of oxygen and—when they are ready—pharmaceutical interventions should be a global priority.
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a severe threat to public health worldwide. We combine data on demography, contact patterns, disease severity, and health care capacity and quality to understand its impact and inform strategies for its control. Younger populations in lower-income countries may reduce overall risk, but limited health system capacity coupled with closer intergenerational contact largely negates this benefit. Mitigation strategies that slow but do not interrupt transmission will still lead to COVID-19 epidemics rapidly overwhelming health systems, with substantial excess deaths in lower-income countries resulting from the poorer health care available. Of countries that have undertaken suppression to date, lower-income countries have acted earlier. However, this will need to be maintained or triggered more frequently in these settings to keep below available health capacity, with associated detrimental consequences for the wider health, well-being, and economies of these countries.

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Conference info Open access
Human monkeypox – After 40 years, an unintended consequence of smallpox eradication
Karl Simpson, David Heymann, Colin S. Brown, W. John Edmunds, … Andy Wapling
Pages 5077-5081

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Discussion Full text access
COVID-19 vaccine development: Time to consider SARS-CoV-2 challenge studies?
G. Owen Schaefer, Clarence C. Tam, Julian Savulescu, Teck Chuan Voo
Pages 5085-5088

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Discussion Full text access
COVID-19 vaccine development: Time to consider SARS-CoV-2 challenge studies?
G. Owen Schaefer, Clarence C. Tam, Julian Savulescu, Teck Chuan Voo
Pages 5085-5088

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Vaccination against coronaviruses in domestic animals
Ian R. Tizard
Pages 5123-5130

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Review article Abstract only
Vaccine hesitancy and perceived behavioral control: A meta-analysis
Xizhu Xiao, Rachel Min Wong

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Research article Open access
The impact of maternal RSV vaccine to protect infants in Gavi-supported countries: Estimates from two models
Ranju Baral, Xiao Li, Lander Willem, Marina Antillon, … Clint Pecenka
Pages 5139-5147

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Research article Abstract only
Economic evaluation and budget impact analysis of dengue vaccination following pre-vaccination serological screening in India
Yuvaraj Krishnamoorthy, Marie Gilbert Majella
Pages 5154-5162

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Research article Open access
Assessment of risk of intussusception after pilot rollout of rotavirus vaccine in the Indian public health system
Nita Bhandari, Kalpana Antony, Vinohar Balraj, Temsunaro Rongsen-Chandola, … Madhulika Kabra
Pages 5241-5248

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 33 Pages 5077-5388 (14 July 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/32

Research article Open access
Keep calm and carry on vaccinating: Is anti-vaccination sentiment contributing to declining vaccine coverage in England?
Michael Edelstein, Martin Müller, Shamez Ladhani, Joanne Yarwood, … Mary Ramsay
Pages 5297-5304

Global Vaccine Action Plan papers
Research article Open access

Global vaccine action plan lessons learned I: Recommendations for the next decade
Noni MacDonald, Ezzeddine Mohsni, Yagob Al-Mazrou, Jon Kim Andrus, … Alejandro Cravioto
Pages 5364-5371

Global Vaccine Action Plan papers
Research article Open access

Research article Open access
Global Vaccine Action Plan Lessons Learned II: Stakeholder Perspectives
Angela Hwang, Chantal Veira, Stefano Malvolti, Thomas Cherian, … Carsten Mantel
Pages 5372-5378

Global Vaccine Action Plan papers
Research article Open access

Research article Open access
Global Vaccine Action Plan lessons learned III: Monitoring and evaluation/accountability framework
Thomas Cherian, Angela Hwang, Carsten Mantel, Chantal Veira, … Alan Hinman
Pages 5379-5383

Global Vaccine Action Plan papers
Research article Open access

Discussion Open access
The global vaccine action plan monitoring and evaluation/accountability framework: Perspective
Thomas Cherian, Narendra Arora, Noni E. MacDonald
Pages 5384-5386

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 25 July 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Government invests £100m to ‘scale up’ Covid-19 vaccine at Braintree facility
23 July 2020
The government is investing £100m in a new centre to ensure any successful Covid-19 vaccine can be mass produced in the UK.
It is upgrading an existing facility in Braintree into a state-of-the-art Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Manufacturing Innovation Centre.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said it would have the capacity to produce “millions of doses” each month.
It is due to open in December 2021.
The new centre will complement the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), under construction in Oxfordshire, which will be able to produce enough vaccine doses to serve the entire UK population.

Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine appears safe and triggers an immune response
20 Jul 2020
The UK government has secured early access to millions of doses of potential Covid-19 vaccines that are being prepared by medical researchers.

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 25 July 2020
Person in the News
Sarah Gilbert, the researcher leading the race to a Covid-19 vaccine
July 24, 2020
…The vaccinology professor at Oxford university’s Jenner Institute had been preparing for just such a momentous event. Her lab had developed technology to create vaccines against virulent viruses. As soon as Chinese scientists published genetic details of the new coronavirus — providing a target for vaccine development — she moved ahead at full speed. This week, Oxford published encouraging results from the first phase of testing of its ChAdOx1 vaccine, showing it generated antibodies and immune cells to recognise and kill the Sars-Cov-2 virus responsible for Covid-19….

Coronavirus
Rich country vaccine rush threatens supply security |
July 23, 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Jul 20, 2020
Over 100,000 People Volunteered For Covid-19 Vaccine Trial In Less Than Two Weeks
At least 30,000 volunteers are needed for each of the four companies that plan to launch Phase 3 trials in the U.S.
By Daniel Cassady Forbes Staff

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020 | [No new, unique, relevant content]
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Boris Johnson says ‘anti-vaxxers are nuts’ | Society | The Guardian
24 July 2020

Covid-19 kills scores of health workers in war-torn Yemen
23 July 2020

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Medical Dispatch
The Long Game of Coronavirus Research
Warp-speed vaccine trials grab our attention, but more deliberate work is just as urgent.
By Jerome Groopman
July 23, 2020

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Business
Corporate Insiders Pocket $1 Billion in Rush for Coronavirus Vaccine
Well-timed stock bets have generated big profits for senior executives and board members at companies developing vaccines and treatments.
By David Gelles and Jesse Drucker
PRINT EDITION July 26, 2020

Business
Asia Today: Amid New Surge, India Tests Potential Vaccine
India began its first human trials of a novel coronavirus vaccine candidate as the world’s second-most populous country recorded nearly 49,000 new cases.
By The Associated Press July 24

U.S.
U.S. Panel Charged to Plan Fair Distribution of Eventual COVID-19 Vaccine
U.S. public health officials on Friday charged a group of independent scientists and ethicists with developing guidelines to determine who should get the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, once one becomes available.
By Reuters July 24

Europe

Human Trials of Second Russian COVID-19 Vaccine to Start July 27-TASS
Human trials of second potential coronavirus vaccine, developed by the Siberian Vector institute, will begin on July 27, the TASS news agency cited Russia’s consumer safety watchdog as saying on Friday.
By Reuters July 24

U.S.
Exclusive: EU Eyes COVID-19 Vaccines at Less Than $40, Shuns WHO-Led Alliance-Sources
The European Union is not interested in buying potential COVID-19 vaccines through an initiative co-led by the World Health Organisation as it deems it slow and high-cost, two EU sources told Reuters, noting the bloc was in talks with drugmakers for shots cheaper than $40.
By Reuters

Asia Pacific
WHO Scientist Sees Regulators Cooperating to Speed COVID-19 Vaccine Approval
Regulators that normally work within their own countries or regions will likely harmonize efforts on potential COVID-19 vaccines to speed up their approvals once they become available, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Friday.
By Reuters July 24

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Editorial Board – Countries should stop hacking each other and start cooperating on a vaccine
Jul 25, 2020

Video
Dr. Anthony Fauci details the COVID-19 vaccine timeline
Dr. Anthony Fauci says we will likely know if a potential coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective by the end of December of this year. “It is likely that in the beginning of next year we would have tens of millions of doses available…as we get into 2021, several months in, you would have vaccine that would be widely available to people in the United States.”
Washington Post Live · Jul 24, 2020

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new relevant content]

Center for Global Development [to 25 July 2020]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 25 July 2020
Testimony on Critical US Supply Chains Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Publication
7/24/20
On July 23, 2020, CGD Senior Fellow Prashant Yadav appeared before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade at a hearing titled “Trade, Manufacturing, and Critical Supply Chains: Lessons From COVID-19.” Yadav’s testimony noted the vulnerabilities in supply chains for medical products clearly exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined key considerations for US policy toward medical supply chains moving forward.

Vaccine Preliminary Results: Here Is Why We Need to Exercise Caution
July 23, 2020
As vaccines complete the different phases of development (pre-clinical, phase I, phase II, phase III, regulatory review, and license), results will be published in the scientific literature and announced to the public through the media and press releases. We our currently working as part of a larger group to interview experts and give better guidance on the timelines and probabilities of success for a vaccine against COVID-19. In the meantime, it is important not to read too much into early stage results—this is why.
Anthony McDonnell et al.

Chatham House [to 25 July 2020]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
[No new relevant content]

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 25 July 2020
Transcript
Online Event: A Conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci
July 24, 2020

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 25 July 2020
July 23, 2020
Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines
What Is the World Doing to Create a COVID-19 Vaccine?
The race to find a vaccine for the new coronavirus is well underway. Governments and researchers are aiming to provide billions of people with immunity in eighteen months or less, which would be unpr…
Backgrounder by Claire Felter

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 25 July 2020
[No new relevant content]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19
News release
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 15 July 2020 – The World Health Organization and UNICEF warned today of an alarming decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world. This is due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to new data by WHO and UNICEF, these disruptions threaten to reverse hard-won progress to reach more children and adolescents with a wider range of vaccines, which has already been hampered by a decade of stalling coverage.

The latest data on vaccine coverage estimates from WHO and UNICEF for 2019 shows that improvements such as the expansion of the HPV vaccine to 106 countries and greater protection for children against more diseases are in danger of lapsing. For example, preliminary data for the first four months of 2020 points to a substantial drop in the number of children completing three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3). This is the first time in 28 years that the world could see a reduction in DTP3 coverage – the marker for immunization coverage within and across countries.

“Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in the history of public health, and more children are now being immunized than ever before,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “But the pandemic has put those gains at risk. The avoidable suffering and death caused by children missing out on routine immunizations could be far greater than COVID-19 itself. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Vaccines can be delivered safely even during the pandemic, and we are calling on countries to ensure these essential life-saving programmes continue.”

COVID-19 disruptions
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 30 measles vaccination campaigns were or are at risk of being cancelled, which could result in further outbreaks in 2020 and beyond. According to a new UNICEF, WHO and Gavi pulse survey,  conducted in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, three quarters of the 82 countries that responded reported COVID-19 related disruptions in their immunization programmes as of May 2020. The reasons for disrupted services vary. Even when services are offered, people are either unable to access them because of reluctance to leave home, transport interruptions, economic hardships, restrictions on movement, or fear of being exposed to people with COVID-19. Many health workers are also unavailable because of restrictions on travel or redeployment to COVID response duties as well as a lack of protective equipment.

“COVID-19 has made previously routine vaccination a daunting challenge,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “We must prevent a further deterioration in vaccine coverage and urgently resume vaccination programs before children’s lives are threatened by other diseases. We cannot trade one health crisis for another.”…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVAX – More than 150 countries engaged in COVID-19 vaccine global access facility
:: Seventy-five countries submit expressions of interest to COVAX Facility, joining up to 90 further countries which could be supported by the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC)
:: The COVAX Facility, and the AMC within it, is designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for every country in the world, rich and poor, to make rapid progress towards slowing the pandemic
:: Interest from governments representing more than 60% of the world’s population offers ‘tremendous vote of confidence’ in the effort to ensure truly global access to COVID-19 vaccines, once developed

Geneva/London, 15 July 2020 – Seventy-five countries have submitted expressions of interest to protect their populations and those of other nations through joining the COVAX Facility, a mechanism designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.

The 75 countries, which would finance the vaccines from their own public finance budgets, partner with up to 90 lower-income countries that could be supported through voluntary donations to Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Together, this group of up to 165 countries represents more than 60% of the world’s population. Among the group are representatives from every continent and more than half of the world’s G20 economies.

“COVAX is the only truly global solution to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “For the vast majority of countries, whether they can afford to pay for their own doses or require assistance, it means receiving a guaranteed share of doses and avoiding being pushed to the back of the queue, as we saw during the H1N1 pandemic a decade ago. Even for those countries that are able to secure their own agreements with vaccine manufacturers, this mechanism represents, through its world-leading portfolio of vaccine candidates, a means of reducing the risks associated with individual candidates failing to show efficacy or gain licensure.”

The COVAX Facility forms a key part of the COVAX pillar (COVAX) of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers. COVAX aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.

It will achieve this by sharing the risks associated with vaccine development, investing in manufacturing upfront so vaccines can be deployed at scale as soon as they are proven successful, and pooling procurement and purchasing power to achieve sufficient volumes to end the acute phase of the pandemic by 2021.

“This early level of interest represents a tremendous vote of confidence in COVAX and our shared goal to protect people around the globe through the fair allocation of a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI. “COVAX offers an innovative solution to the gravest public health crisis in living memory. It will speed up the availability of safe and effective vaccines through early investment in manufacturing capacity, and maximise the chances of success by backing a broad and diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates. Through COVAX our aspiration is to be able to vaccinate the most vulnerable 20% of the population of every country that participates, regardless of income level, by the end of 2021. Ensuring fair access is not only a matter of equity; it is the fastest way to end this pandemic”

The goal of COVAX is by the end of 2021 to deliver two billion doses of safe, effective vaccines that have passed regulatory approval and/or WHO prequalification. These vaccines will be delivered equally to all participating countries, proportional to their populations, initially prioritising healthcare workers then expanding to cover 20% of the population of participating countries. Further doses will then be made available based on country need, vulnerability and COVID-19 threat. The COVAX Facility will also maintain a buffer of doses for emergency and humanitarian use, including dealing with severe outbreaks before they spiral out of control.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, like every health crisis, also presents us with opportunities,” said Dr Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Chief Scientist. “A vaccine that is affordable and accessible to all will help us address systemic health inequalities. We need all countries to support COVAX to achieve this goal and bring an end to the acute phase of the pandemic.”

The success of these efforts will ultimately depend on securing enough funding from governments and commitments from vaccine manufacturers to participate at a scale large enough to deliver a global solution. The formal expressions of interest submitted are non-binding; the COVAX pillar will now begin a process of consultation with all 165 countries, with countries funding vaccines through their own domestic budgets being required to provide an upfront payment and a commitment to purchase doses by the end of August to secure involvement in the COVAX Facility.

Significant progress has been achieved by the COVAX partners to date, with seven of the nine candidate vaccines supported by CEPI already in clinical trials. A memorandum of understanding with AstraZeneca also commits them to supply 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to COVAX.

In addition, in June Gavi launched the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), a financing instrument aimed at incentivising vaccine manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of eventual COVID-19 vaccines to ensure access for developing countries. The Gavi COVAX AMC has already raised close to US$ 600 million against an initial target of US$ 2 billion from high income donors as well as the private sector. Gavi will also work with developing countries to assure readiness of supply and cold chain and training to reach high risk groups.

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Project Syndicate
Opinion
The Fastest Way Out of the Pandemic
Jul 15, 2020 Seth Berkley , Richard Hatchett, Soumya Swaminathan
During the 2009 swine flu pandemic, a few countries cornered the vaccine market, leaving the vast majority of the global population with no vaccine at all until the outbreak was effectively over. This scenario must be avoided at all costs during the current crisis – and, thanks to the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, it can be.

…COVAX employs a radically different approach. In addition to using “push” financing – direct investment in research, development, and manufacturing – it uses “pull” financing, in the form of advance purchase commitments for large numbers of doses upon licensure. This provides powerful incentives for the private sector to support urgent vaccine development.

Moreover, COVAX pools government resources to fund scaling up the most promising candidates even before clinical trials are completed. That way, when approval comes, large quantities of vaccine doses will be ready to go. Already, WHO is working with a range of stakeholders, including member states and civil-society organizations, to develop and implement a mechanism for equitable and fair allocation of vaccine doses, once they become available.

COVAX will support only vaccine candidates that are developed in accordance with the highest possible safety standards. By working with experts around the world to develop target product profiles, share best-practice testing models, facilitate multi-country clinical trials, and promote regulatory harmonization, COVAX will establish a new benchmark for rapid, safe, and efficacious vaccine development and delivery.

We cannot afford to leave our economies on their current path for much longer. As global GDP shrinks – the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank forecast about a 5% contraction in 2020 – poverty and hunger are rising sharply. With the world economy losing more than $10 billion each day, shortening the pandemic by even a few days would more than offset the costs of COVAX. Global collaboration – where risks and benefits are shared equally – has never been a better value proposition.

New England Journal of Medicine
July 14, 2020
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe2025111
Editorial
The Covid-19 Vaccine-Development Multiverse
Penny M. Heaton, M.D.
Leaving in its wake more than 12 million infections, over 550,000 deaths, and an economic toll in the trillions of dollars to date,¹ the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has devastated the most vulnerable in our society — adults 65 years of age or older, persons with underlying conditions, and the economically deprived.² A vaccine is urgently needed to prevent Covid-19 and thereby stem complications and deaths resulting from transmission of the disease.

Jackson et al. now report in the Journal preliminary findings from a phase 1 trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.³ Phase 1 involves 45 healthy adults, 18 to 55 years of age, who were assigned to receive the candidate vaccine at one of three dose levels (25 μg, 100 μg, or 250 μg) given as two vaccinations 28 days apart. These preliminary findings represent the first of three reports of data from a phase 1 study of this candidate vaccine; a second report including similar data from adults older than 55 years of age and a final report summarizing the safety and durability of immunity for both study cohorts are also planned.

The speed with which this vaccine has been developed is remarkable — from publication of the first SARS-CoV-2 sequences through phase 1 in 6 months, as compared with a typical timeline of 3 to 9 years (Figure 1). The rapid pace of development of vaccines against Covid-19 is enabled by several factors: prior knowledge of the role of the spike protein in coronavirus pathogenesis and evidence that neutralizing antibody against the spike protein is important for immunity4,5; the evolution of nucleic acid vaccine technology platforms that allow creation of vaccines and prompt manufacture of thousands of doses once a genetic sequence is known⁶; and development activities that can be conducted in parallel, rather than sequentially, without increasing risks for study participants.

The safety and immunogenicity data in this preliminary report are promising, and they support continued development of this vaccine. However, we must bear in mind the complexity of vaccine development and the work still to be done before Covid-19 vaccines are widely available.

Many phase 3 studies fail because of incorrect identification of the dose that best balances safety and efficacy.⁷ The dosing regimen for this mRNA vaccine is still under study. The 250-μg dose did not appear to be associated with markedly higher antibody titers than the 100-μg dose, but it was associated with a higher proportion of severe systemic adverse events. As the investigators indicate, it is prudent to evaluate doses of 100 μg and lower to define the regimen that provides the most appropriate benefit–risk profile for this vaccine. Another special dosing consideration in this case is age: the immune functions that decline with age and that are likely to be responsible for the greater risk of severe Covid-19 in older adults may also lead to poor vaccine responses. Will a high-dose Covid-19 vaccine be needed for effective protection of older adults, as observed with influenza vaccines?⁸

The clinical significance of SARS-CoV-2 binding and neutralizing antibody titers and their ability to predict efficacy will need to be confirmed. These measures are currently being used to guide dose selection before being verified; they are the best tools available and are supported by findings in nonhuman primates.⁹ Confirmation of the correlation between antibody titers and protection against Covid-19 will be possible only in a large clinical efficacy study. In the meantime, the validity of the assays for measuring antibody will also need to be documented. These assays are notoriously variable because they use live virus or protein expression in cell culture with a readout that relies on an in vitro biologic reaction (i.e., serum antibodies binding or killing viral antigen). Optimization of the performance characteristics of these assays will be invaluable in streamlining further development and supporting bridging across varied populations and manufacturing processes.

The authors indicate that a planned phase 3 trial of this mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is imminent; the trial will require thousands of subjects in order to confirm the safety of the vaccine and to show statistically robust efficacy in preventing Covid-19. The operational complexity inherent in a large study is compounded by the undulations of the pandemic; efficacy can be determined only if there is a match between the location of vaccinated participants and pandemic hot spots. Uncertainty regarding the expected efficacy profile also drives complexity; the profiles observed for other viral vaccines suggest that efficacy against severe Covid-19 may be higher than efficacy against mild disease. Careful selection of primary end points and event-driven study designs with the possibility of sample size reestimation should be considered.

Accelerating the development of Covid-19 vaccine candidates beyond phase 1 depends on continued parallel tracking of activities and fulsome resources. The world has now witnessed the compression of 6 years of work into 6 months. Can the vaccine multiverse do it again, leading to a reality of a safe, efficacious Covid-19 vaccine for the most vulnerable in the next 6?

EMERGENCIES

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

Situation report – 180 – WHO
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
18 July 2020

Confirmed cases :: 13 876 441 [week ago: 12 322 395]
Confirmed deaths :: 593 087 {week ago: 556 335]

Highlights
:: WHO has published an interim checklist for local authorities on Practical actions in cities to strengthen preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The checklist accompanies the interim guidance on Strengthening preparedness for COVID-19 in cities and urban settings.

:: The WHO Regional Office for Europe joined the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF to issue a policy paper on how to strengthen protection against, and address, social and economic shocks such as those caused by the pandemic.

: Ghana’s nurses are delivering child healthcare services to communities in need amid COVID-19. Segla, a community nurse who provides preventive healthcare to children in the north of Accra, emphasized the importance of visiting households if pediatric patients do not attend clinics due to COVID-19

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WHO urges greater COVID-19 health services in Africa’s humanitarian settings
16 July 2020
Brazzaville – The World Health Organization (WHO) today called for greater access to COVID-19 detection, testing and care among vulnerable populations grappling with the impacts of protracted conflict and humanitarian emergencies across Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to over 26% of the world’s refugees. Long-running conflicts in regions like the Sahel have led to the closure of health facilities and the flight of health workers. In Burkina Faso, 110 health facilities have been closed due to insecurity while services have been impaired in 186 others, leaving around 1.5 million people without adequate health care. In Mali’s central and northern regions, health services have been paralysed by persistent attacks. In 2019 alone, 18 attacks on health facilities were reported. So far this year, one health centre has been attacked.

“COVID-19 has exacerbated existing humanitarian challenges, particularly with regards to access to health services in many countries in the region,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “With the pandemic, we have seen some humanitarian operations delayed due to lockdowns, curfews and the restrictions of movement for both personnel and cargo vital for COVID-19 response.”

Crowded settings such as displacement camps can heighten the risk of COVID-19 transmission due to difficult access to clean water, leading to inadequate hygiene, and where physical distancing is almost impossible.

The United Nations system has activated health clusters in eight countries where the humanitarian situation requires support from the international community, including Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger and South Sudan. Although information on COVID-19 transmission in humanitarian settings remains limited so far, about 1800 COVID-19 cases have been reported in seven of these countries among the displaced, refugees, migrants or in areas affected by humanitarian crises. Due to the limited detection and testing capacity, the number is likely to be an under-estimate.

“WHO urges the humanitarian community and Member States to increase support to the millions of people in dire need of assistance in the region. If we don’t step up health services, including testing, tracing, isolation and care for people already living in precarious settings and displacement camps, COVID-19 could spark untold tragedy,” said Dr Moeti…

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Emergencies

Ebola – DRC+
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Last WHO Situation Report published 23 June 2020

Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola cases rise, surpass previous outbreak
16 July 2020
Brazzaville – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Equateur Province continues to grow, causing major concern as the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners face critical funding gaps. Confirmed cases have now surpassed the total number recorded during the province’s last outbreak in 2018.
The latest outbreak, DRC’s 11th, was declared on 1 June 2020 after a cluster of cases was detected in Mbandaka area of Equateur Province. The outbreak has since spread to six health zones, with 56 cases recorded. The city of Mbandaka and its surroundings were also the site of the country’s 9th Ebola outbreak which lasted from May to July 2018 and in which 54 cases were confirmed.
Of the 56 cases reported so far, 53 are confirmed and three are probable. In the last three weeks alone, 28 cases have been confirmed.
“Responding to Ebola in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is complex, but we must not let COVID-19 distract us from tackling other pressing health threats,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “The current Ebola outbreak is running into headwinds because cases are scattered across remote areas in dense rain forests. This makes for a costly response as ensuring that responders and supplies reach affected populations is extremely challenging.”
The ongoing Ebola response is also facing funding shortfalls. So far WHO has mobilized US$ 1.75 million, which will last only a few more weeks. Additional support is needed to rapidly scale up the efforts by WHO, the DRC health authorities and partners to ensure all the affected communities receive key services including health education and community engagement, vaccination, testing, contact tracing and treatment.
Significant achievements have been made since the outbreak began. In six weeks, more than 12 000 people have been vaccinated. During the 2018 outbreak in Equateur, it took two weeks to start vaccinations. This time around vaccinations started within four days of the outbreak being declared…

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