Research Reports Mitigating Ethical Risks in Public-Private Partnerships in Public Health
Yassanye, Diana M.; Anason, Andrea P.; Barrett, Drue H.
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. 27(4):E177-E182, July/August 2021.
Partnerships between the public and private sectors are necessary in public health and health care. Each partner provides skills, resources, and capabilities. When the public sector, including government, enters into a partnership with a nongovernmental or corporate entity, it is important to determine in advance whether there are real or perceived ethical, financial, or programmatic risks to the organization that might need mitigation.
Editorial COVID-19 in Africa: a lesson in solidarity
The Lancet
Many countries in Africa face a serious third wave of COVID-19 that is both larger and more burdensome on health systems than previous waves. This predictable turn of events has been driven by a morally reprehensible lack of vaccine equity (<1% of the population are fully vaccinated), leaving the continent vulnerable to new and more transmissible variants of the virus, behavioural and economic pandemic fatigue, and complacency. A lack of diagnostic capacity in some countries means the epidemiology of this current wave is uncertain, but South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia are reporting the highest numbers of new cases. The Delta variant has been detected in more than 14 countries across the region and pathogen genomic monitoring in South Africa shows that it is quickly becoming the dominant variant there. Unless vaccines are rolled out quickly there will be subsequent waves of infection. But in the face of adversity, the African health community continues to work collaboratively, balancing short-term needs and long-term health security plans, and creating grounds for hope. Collaboration and solidarity are prerequisites for success in a pandemic. Unfortunately, beyond scientific discovery, they have rarely been displayed globally. A new report from Chatham House explores the concept of solidarity in response to COVID-19. It highlights that international, regional, and within-country solidarity has been poor, but commends the alliance between the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the African Union, and the WHO Regional Office for Africa in galvanising cooperation in the region. Together, this alliance has launched initiatives ranging from the Africa Medical Supplies Platform, which pools orders for medical supplies, to the Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance, which aims to organise vaccine roll-out plans. Rarely for COVID-19 response leadership, women occupy key positions in these organisations. This progressive unity has been driven by local scientists and the health community and should be fully engaged with and amplified by all politicians of African Union member states.
One of the most promising results of this partnership is the acquisition of 400 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine before the end of 2022. African Union member states can purchase the vaccine through a pooled procurement mechanism. When these vaccines will arrive is uncertain, and supply chains might slow delivery. But in theory, the deal should give countries a predictable supply of vaccine.
Implementation of vaccination programmes, though, is a challenge. 60% of countries with an extreme shortage of health-care workers are found in Africa. The continent has a population of 74 million people older than 60 years (of a total population of 1·3 billion), and many people who might be considered at high risk from COVID-19 because of comorbidities might be unaware, so prioritising groups for vaccination will need to be done locally. Although the vaccine doses themselves are funded, it is unclear how getting vaccines into people’s arms will be financed. It is estimated that for every US$1 spent on a COVID-19 vaccine dose, $5 is needed for delivery. Even if the supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine materialises in the coming months, vaccines are needed now. The need to vaccinate large proportions of the population while health systems strain under a third wave could have been avoided had international dissonance and vaccine nationalism not left African countries at the back of the vaccine queue. Nevertheless, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should cover 30% of the population, COVAX should supply enough doses to cover 30% more, and, with additional bilateral agreements, more than 60% vaccine coverage can be achieved. These achievements in negotiating and organising this arrangement beg the question, why were African health leaders not more involved in the construction of COVAX?
There is a serious need and desire for Africa to take control of its own health security, so that countries can shape their future health. There is an ambitious drive for each country to have its own public health institution, supported by a centralised Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and a plan for the continent to manufacture its own vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, with the public health workforce expanded to act as an epidemic response service.
The regional solidarity on display by many within the African health community has been impressive but can only go so far when international solidarity remains so derisory. A reckoning must be had over how the multilateral system approaches Africa, with a promise that no global health initiative, foundation, or organisation is governed without involvement from African health leaders at every decision-making level.
Comment | 24 June 2021 Transforming global health through equity-driven funding
Black people living in Africa must be involved in setting the priorities for global health research, policies and programs that affect their daily lives, in order to move away from a funding culture that fosters colonialism, racism and white supremacy.
Jacob O. Olusanya, Olufunmilayo I. Ubogu, Bolajoko O. Olusanya
Analysis | 18 May 2021 Equitable allocation of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States
An analysis of COVID-19 vaccine allocation frameworks in the United States across 64 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention jurisdictions reveals that, as of 31 March 2021, 37 jurisdictions had adopted disadvantage indices to reduce health disparities. The analysis also highlights the importance of vaccine prioritization based on health and place.
Harald Schmidt, Rebecca Weintraub, Angela A. Shen
Review Article | 04 May 2021 Testing at scale during the COVID-19 pandemic
Population-scale testing is an essential component of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and is likely to become increasingly important in public health. Here, Mercer and Salit describe the roles of testing during the COVID-19 pandemic, including in genomic surveillance, contact tracing and environmental testing.
Tim R. Mercer, Marc Salit
Perspective Averting Future Vaccine Injustice S. Moon, A. Alonso Ruiz, and M. Vieira
Both rapid innovation and equitable access to vaccines are necessary to protect the world from viral pandemics. Today, however, we face gross inequities in global access to Covid-19 vaccines. As high-income countries, such as the United States and European countries, have secured a majority of the world’s vaccine supply (more than twice the volumes needed to cover their populations1), many low-income countries have barely begun the immunization process. It will take political courage to end such vaccine injustice now and political vision to negotiate the binding international rules needed to avert similar inequities in the future…
Policy Forum Beware explanations from AI in health care
By Boris Babic, Sara Gerke, Theodoros Evgeniou, I. Glenn Cohen
Science16 Jul 2021 : 284-286 Restricted Access The benefits of explainable artificial intelligence are not what they appear Summary
Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) algorithms are increasingly developed in health care for diagnosis and treatment of a variety of medical conditions (1). However, despite the technical prowess of such systems, their adoption has been challenging, and whether and how much they will actually improve health care remains to be seen. A central reason for this is that the effectiveness of AI/ML-based medical devices depends largely on the behavioral characteristics of its users, who, for example, are often vulnerable to well-documented biases or algorithmic aversion (2). Many stakeholders increasingly identify the so-called black-box nature of predictive algorithms as the core source of users’ skepticism, lack of trust, and slow uptake (3, 4). As a result, lawmakers have been moving in the direction of requiring the availability of explanations for black-box algorithmic decisions (5). Indeed, a near-consensus is emerging in favor of explainable AI/ML among academics, governments, and civil society groups. Many are drawn to this approach to harness the accuracy benefits of noninterpretable AI/ML such as deep learning or neural nets while also supporting transparency, trust, and adoption. We argue that this consensus, at least as applied to health care, both overstates the benefits and undercounts the drawbacks of requiring black-box algorithms to be explainable.
Media/Policy Watch
This watch section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media and selected think tanks and similar organizations on vaccines, immunization, global public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.
We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.
The sheer volume of vaccine and pandemic-related coverage is extraordinary. We will strive to present the most substantive analysis and commentary we encounter.
New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/ Accessed 17 Jul 2021 Medical Dispatch Treating the Unvaccinated
In Utah, and across the U.S., doctors are facing a wave of preventable COVID deaths—and trying to convince the hesitant that “it doesn’t have to be this way.”
By Dhruv Khullar
July 16, 2021
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/ Accessed 17 Jul 2021 Politics How Republican Vaccine Opposition Got to This Point
In recent months, Republican skepticism of Covid vaccines and their rollout has grown louder: One recent poll found that 47 percent said they weren’t likely to get vaccinated.
By Lisa Lerer July 17, 2021
Think Tanks et al Brookings http://www.brookings.edu/ Accessed 17 Jul 2021 [No new digest content identified] Center for Global Development [to 17 Jul 2021] http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center Publication What’s Next? Predicting The Frequency and Scale of Future Pandemics
Event
7/20/21
Amid a pandemic, it is difficult to consider preparing for the next one, especially when there is no certainty about its timing. COVID-19 is broadly viewed as being a “once in a lifetime” or “once in a century” pandemic; unfortunately, that is not accurate. But what is the actual return time to a future pandemic threat, and how can we ensure that the world is prepared next time?
World Leaders: It Is Time for New Global Funding to Keep the World Safer from Pandemics
July 15, 2021
This past weekend, the High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response delivered a stark warning in its report to the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Venice: With the near certainty of an even more deadly and costly pandemic than COVID-19 occurring within the next decade, the clock is ticking to ramp up investments in international preparedness. Amanda Glassman and Carolyn Reynolds Chatham House [to 17 Jul 2021] https://www.chathamhouse.org/ Accessed 17 Jul 2021 Research paper Solidarity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Has the world worked together to tackle the coronavirus?
14 July 2021 ISBN: 978 1 78413 481 5
PDF: https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/2021-07-14-solidarity-response-covid-19-pandemic-rahman-shepherd-et-al_0.pdf
It has frequently been stated during the COVID-19 pandemic that ‘no one is safe until we are all safe’. This is most commonly talked of between nations, but, importantly, it also applies within countries.
Besides the elderly, the pandemic has disproportionately affected the disadvantaged, the poor, the vulnerable, minorities, migrants and other neglected and marginalized groups, in all societies. It has been prolonged by the failure in many countries to adequately support and protect these groups. Where solidarity has been weak, inequities have widened, and effective responses to the pandemic have been frustrated.
This research paper assesses how the global community has responded to calls for greater solidarity in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, and presents the insights of key stakeholders and experts in global health governance, health security, and pandemic preparedness and response. The authors examine the state of solidarity at global, regional and national levels, and present case studies on COVAX and on the EU’s turbulent journey through solidarity.
Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review is a weekly digest summarizing news, events, announcements, peer-reviewed articles and research in the global vaccine ethics and policy space. Content is aggregated from key governmental, NGO, international organization and industry sources, key peer-reviewed journals, and other media channels. This summary proceeds from the broad base of themes and issues monitored by the Center for Vaccine Ethics & Policy in its work: it is not intended to be exhaustive in its coverage. You are viewing the blog version of our weekly digest, typically comprised of between 30 and 40 posts below all dated with the current issue date
.– Request anEmail Summary:Vaccines and Global Health : The Week in Review is published as a single email summary, scheduled for release each Saturday evening before midnight (EDT in the U.S.). If you would like to receive the email version, please send your request to david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org.
– pdf version: A pdf of the current issue is available here:
– blog edition: comprised of the approx. 35+ entries posted below.
– Twitter:Readers can also follow developments on twitter: @vaxethicspolicy. . – Links: We endeavor to test each link as we incorporate it into any post, but recognize that some links may become “stale” as publications and websites reorganize content over time. We apologize in advance for any links that may not be operative. We believe the contextual information in a given post should allow retrieval, but please contact us as above for assistance if necessary.
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. David R. Curry, MS Executive Director Center for Vaccine Ethics and Policy
Editor’s Note:
As is obvious to all, the sheer volume of strategic announcements, regulatory actions, country program decisions, commentary, and, indeed, misinformation around COVID response continues at extraordinary levels. Our weekly digest strives to present a coherent and comprehensive snapshot, but cannot be exhaustive, If you recognize a missed strategic development, a new source of rigorous analysis, or an insight/commentary that would benefit our common understanding, please advise me…we will review all suggestions and consider for inclusion in a subsequent edition: david.r.curry@ge2p2global.org
We are seeking access to modelling which engages scenarios and articulates imperatives around a pandemic end-game through at least a 2025 horizon. We assess that WHO must be conducting or contracting for such modeling – or should recognize an imperative to be doing so in its global health governance role. If we have missed such modeling in progress, we would be delighted to be advised of it and will include it in our coverage.
Today the world marks yet another grim milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic. Four million souls have now been lost to the virus. This tragic toll is more than the population of one out of three countries on earth. Many of us know this loss directly and feel its pain. We mourn mothers and fathers who gave guidance, sons and daughters who inspired us, grandmothers and grandfathers who shared wisdom, colleagues and friends who lifted our lives.
Vaccines offer a ray of hope — but most of the world is still in the shadows. The virus is outpacing vaccine distribution. This pandemic is clearly far from over; more than half its victims died this year.
Many millions more are at risk if the virus is allowed to spread like wildfire. The more it spreads, the more variants we see — variants that are more transmissible, more deadly and more likely to undermine the effectiveness of current vaccines.
Bridging the vaccine gap requires the greatest global public health effort in history. In short, the world needs a Global Vaccine Plan: to at least double production of vaccines and ensure equitable distribution, using COVAX as the platform; to coordinate implementation and financing; and to support countries’ readiness and capacity to roll out immunization programmes, while tackling the serious problem of vaccine hesitancy.
To realize this plan, I am calling for an emergency task force that brings together all the countries with vaccine production capacities, the World Health Organization, the global vaccine alliance, GAVI, and international financial institutions able to deal with the relevant pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers, and other key stakeholders.
Vaccine equity is the greatest immediate moral test of our times. It is also a practical necessity. Until everyone is vaccinated, everyone is under threat. Global recovery requires global vaccination. The tragic loss of 4 million people to this pandemic must drive our urgent efforts to bring it to an end for everyone, everywhere.
Statement on Universal Affordable Vaccination against Coronavirus Disease covid-19, International Cooperation and Intellectual Property United Nations – Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Pages: 180–187
Online Publication Date: 31 May 2021 Abstract
Access to a vaccine aginst coronavirus disease (covid-19) that is safe, effective and based on the best scientific developments is an essential component of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the right of everyone to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. States therefore have an obligation to take all the necessary measures, as a matter of priority and to the maximum of their available resources, to guarantee all persons access to vaccines against covid-19, without any discrimination. This statement builds on the previous statements of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 6 April 2020 on the coronavirus disease (covid-19) pandemic and economic, social and cultural rights (E/C.12/2020/1) and of 27 November 2020 on universal and equitable access to vaccines for the coronavirus disease (covid-19) (E/C.12/2020/2). It is intended to remind States of their obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in relation to universal access and affordability of vaccines against covid-19, particularly with regard to international cooperation and intellectual property.
A Global Deal for Our Pandemic Age Report of the G20 High Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
June 2021 :: 92 pages
PDF: https://pandemic-financing.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/G20-HLIP-Report.pdf High Level Summary [text bolding from original] We are in an age of pandemics. COVID-19 has painfully reminded us of what SARS, Ebola,
MERS and H1N1 had made clear, and which scientists have repeatedly warned of: without greatly
strengthened proactive strategies, global health threats will emerge more often, spread more
rapidly, take more lives, disrupt more livelihoods, and impact the world more greatly than before.
Together with climate change, countering the existential threat of deadly and costly pandemics must be the human security issue of our times. There is every likelihood that
the next pandemic will come within a decade — arising from a novel influenza strain, another
coronavirus, or one of several other dangerous pathogens. Its impact on human health and the
global economy could be even more profound than that of COVID-19.
The world is nowhere near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without urgent and concerted
actions and significant additional funding to accelerate global vaccination coverage, the emergence
of more variants of the virus is likely and will continue to pose a risk to every country. The solutions
for vaccinating the majority of the world’s population are available and can be implemented
within the next 12 months. More decisive political commitments and timely follow-through will resolve this disastrous global crisis.
The world is also far from equipped to prevent or stop the next pandemic. Lessons from
COVID-19, on how the world failed to prevent the pandemic, why it has been prolonged at such
catastrophic cost, and how we can overcome the crisis if we now respond more forcefully, provide
important building blocks for the future. We must use this moment to take the bold steps needed
to avoid the next pandemic, and not allow exhaustion from current efforts to divert attention
from the very real risks ahead.
Plugging Four Major Gaps
Making the world safer requires stepped-up and sustained national, regional and global actions
and coordination, leveraging fully the private sector, to prevent outbreaks as well as to respond
much faster, more equitably and more effectively when a pandemic emerges.
We must plug four major gaps in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response: Globally networked surveillance and research: to prevent and detect emerging infectious diseases
Resilient national systems: to strengthen a critical foundation for global pandemic preparedness
and response
Supply of medical countermeasures and tools: to radically shorten the response time to a
pandemic and deliver equitable global access
Global governance: to ensure the system is tightly coordinated, properly funded and with clear
accountability for outcomes…
Media Release G20 High Level Independent Panel Releases Report on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
July 9, 2021
The National Academy of Medicine and the Wellcome Trust serve as Administrative Secretariat for a G20 High Level Executive Panel that today released a report titled A Global Deal for Our Pandemic Age. NAM President Victor J. Dzau served as advisor to the panel, whose report finds that “the world remains very poorly equipped to prevent or contain future epidemics or pandemics.” The report calls for an increase in international financing of at least $75 billion over the next five years to close gaps in pandemic prevention and preparedness, a recommendation that would at least double current spending levels. Infectious disease surveillance, resilience of national health systems, global capacity to supply and deliver vaccines and other medical countermeasures, and global governance are four areas that need the most focus, the Panel notes.
“COVID-19 has made the global nature of our health and well-being abundantly clear,” said Victor Dzau. “It is our obligation to prepare for future pandemics with a global mindset. This report makes major requests of many countries, but we know that the financial impact of a future pandemic would be much greater than the investments the Panel has identified. We must learn from COVID-19 and be ready for the next pandemic when it arrives, and that begins with appropriate funding for both prevention and preparedness.”
The report also identifies additional areas for international action, including:
A fundamental shift toward greater multilateral financing for global health security, including a reformed and strengthened World Health Organization; Making global public goods, especially for pandemic security and climate action, part of the core mandate of the International Financial Institutions; Establish a Global Health Threats Fund, mobilizing $10 billion per year in additional financing to provide strong and agile support for efforts to close gaps in global preparedness; and
Strengthen global governance for pandemic security through a new Global Health Threats Board.
Global Public Health Leaders Warn about Political Leadership that Harms
WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations
Jul 7, 2021 Around the world, the rapid spread of the Delta variant is posing a grave threat to pandemic control, highlighting the critical need for effective leadership informed by the best available evidence, global public health leaders have warned.
Members of the Public Health Leadership Coalition, launched earlier this year by the World Federation of Public Health Associations, met on June 28 to share updates on the COVID-19 pandemic from their respective countries.
The meeting heard that political imperatives are driving harmful policies in some countries, such as reopening and hosting big gatherings, and that the pandemic is being prolonged by global inequities in access to COVID vaccines as well as vaccine hesitancy in many countries.
“This meeting has highlighted the urgent need to make governments accountable for their choices. This is not the time for complacency, nor for a relaxed attitude,” said Prof Ricciardi, WFPHA president and coalition Chairman.
Professor K. Srinath Reddy, President of the Public Health Foundation of India, told the meeting that in India, the Delta Plus variant has recently emerged and is still being studied. The numbers of people infected by this variant are still small. “Delta variant is still the dominant virus. However, the addition of the K.417.N mutation in the Delta Plus raises concerns about reduced vaccine efficacy. This aspect is being examined,” he said.
“In Canada, the response to the pandemic has been seriously impaired by lack of political and policy alignment, and poor coordination within and across federal, provincial, and municipal levels, during all phases. This was fuelled by deficient information systems, outdated protocols and the inexperience of those in charge, and worsened by the appointment or replacement of experts with bureaucrats at key agencies,” highlighted Professor Alejandro Jadad, founder of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation.
“In South American countries, a lack of political leadership is also contributing to the spread of COVID, especially in countries such as Colombia, Brazil and Chile,” said Professor Maria del Rocio Saenz, former Minister of Health of Costa Rica. In her own country, intensive care units were filled to capacity and the health system remains under great stress, she said. “Disadvantaged groups are more vulnerable to the variant,” she said. “The pandemic has highlighted the importance of addressing the underlying inequities in the determinants of health, such as poverty, housing, and access to healthy living conditions.”
In Africa, the third wave that started early in May is hitting hard with hospital beds capacity overwhelmed in many countries such as DRC, according to Dr Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, former director of the Immunization and Vaccines Department at WHO. “It is vital that public health leadership helped promote evidence-informed messaging that resonates with local communities” he said.
Dr Okwo-Bele highlighted the need for political leaders, religious and other influential community leaders to urgently step up efforts to amplify critical health messages about Covid-19. “The lack of action on vaccine inequities and wider inequities is stopping recovery for everyone,” he added. “All countries and all people will benefit when global, national and local inequities are addressed.”
Delegates also raised concerns about the potential for the European Football Championships to spread COVID infections across Europe, with tens of thousands of people from all over Europe visiting London in few days. “We fear this will prove to be a seeding event for the rest of Europe,” said Professor Bettina Borisch, WFPHA CEO. “We need to advocate with organisations such UEFA and FIFA that are putting pressure on governments”.
The leadership coalition, led by Prof Walter Ricciardi, WFPHA president, is working with ministers of health from different countries and is calling on them to join forces to reduce the huge disparities in equities, regarding the supply of vaccines and beyond. Leaders stand ready to support the development and implementation of the WHO proposed Global Pandemic Treaty.
Countries must prioritise veterinarian access to COVID-19 vaccines
9 July 2021 The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Veterinary Association (WVA) unite in encouraging countries to prioritise COVID-19 vaccination access for veterinary professionals. Veterinarians serve the health community by working at the animal-human interface. They need priority access to vaccination services in order to pursue their work which is central to safeguarding public health.
Joint OIE/WVA Statement
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the international community to reconsider how health professionals can address disease emergencies in a more coordinated way. As human health systems throughout the world have strained under ongoing pressure, veterinarians have been offering their skills and expertise to help fight against the pandemic.
This collaboration between animal and human health sectors is a great example of implementation of the One Health approach, as it recognises the need to join forces and capacities on common health objectives shared by both human and animal health sectors. While some veterinarians have supported the testing of human samplings, others have provided human health care professionals with life-saving personal protective equipment and respirators. By researching the origins of COVID-19, and conducting passive surveillance of animals, particularly those highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 (such as mink and other mustelids), veterinarians have also contributed to the world’s understanding of this complex virus.
In addition to their numerous contributions to the global response to COVID-19, veterinarians have strived to pursue their daily mission to ensure the health and welfare of animals, as well as public health. This multi-faceted profession has played a key role in guaranteeing the continued safety of food production chains, sufficient access to food and the security of traded animals and animal products worldwide since the start of the crisis. Despite this valuable support to the health emergency response and the economy, veterinarians have been excluded from access to priority vaccinations in some countries.
Today, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Veterinary Association (WVA) call on countries to include veterinarians as priority professionals for COVID-19 vaccination within their national strategies and vaccination campaigns.
By doing so, countries ensure that their: health emergency workforce is safe, as veterinarians have the skills and expertise to support national COVID-19 response strategies, including the administration of vaccines to humans and the testing of human samples; food production chains are maintained, as veterinarians are critical personnel to ensure safe animal production and food safety. national risk management strategies are well-respected, as veterinarians are in close contact with farmed animal species (such as mink and other mustelids), or with endangered species and wildlife which are highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Avoiding the exposure of these animals to SARS-CoV-2 prevents the development of new animal reservoirs and future spillovers of the virus to humans. As a reminder, there is currently no evidence that companion animals, such as cats or dogs, are playing an epidemiological role in the spread of human infections of COVID-19.
Through the inclusion of veterinarians in priority vaccination access groups, countries support a coordinated One Health response to the COVID-19 crisis. This heightened collaboration between animal and human health professionals is key to overcoming the current pandemic as well as to preventing future outbreaks. Paris, 9 July 2021
Global COVID-19 Figures: 185M total confirmed cases; 4.0M total confirmed deaths Global vaccines administered: 3.36B
Number of Countries: 26 [26]
COVAX First Allocations (Number of Doses): 73M [73M]
COVAX Delivered (Number of Doses): 22M [17M]
Other Delivered (Number of Doses): 51M [49M]
Total Delivered (Number of Doses): 73M [66M]
Total Administered (Number of Doses): 61M [54M]
Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 7 July 2021 7 July 2021 Variants are currently winning the race against vaccines because of inequitable vaccine production and distribution, which also threatens the global economic recovery. I have called repeatedly for 10 percent of people in all countries to be vaccinated by September and for that figure to rise to 40 percent by the end of the year. It would position the world on the path to vaccinating 70 percent of the people in all countries by the middle of 2022. I call on the G20 Finance Ministers and other leaders to get behind these targets collectively because it is the fastest way to end the acute stage of the pandemic, save lives and livelihoods and drive a truly global economic recovery. At present, IL-6 receptor blockers remain inaccessible and unaffordable for the majority of the world but it’s within the power of governments and manufacturers to change that. Going forward, it is key that the therapeutic arm of the ACT-Accelerator is fully funded so further research and development can uncover more lifesaving medicines for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Tomorrow, I will join Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore and other leaders to discuss the impact of violence on the mental health of children. As well as looking to accelerate the end of this pandemic, giving children the support they need must be a top priority as we come out of it. Finally, we’re shocked by the tragic news from Haiti and want to pass on our deep condolences for the passing of President of Haiti, Jovenal Moïse.
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.
The world is at a perilous point in this pandemic. We have just passed the tragic milestone of 4 million recorded COVID-19 deaths, which likely underestimates the overall toll.
Some countries with high vaccination coverage are now planning to rollout booster shots in the coming months and are dropping public health social measures and relaxing as though the pandemic is already over.
However, compounded by fast moving variants and shocking inequity in vaccination, far too many countries in every region of the world are seeing sharp spikes in cases and hospitalisation.
This is leading to an acute shortage of oxygen, treatments and driving a wave of death in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Vaccine nationalism, where a handful of nations have taken the lion’s share, is morally indefensible and an ineffective public health strategy against a respiratory virus that is mutating quickly and becoming increasingly effective at moving from human-to-human.
At this stage in the pandemic, the fact that millions of health and care workers have still not been vaccinated is abhorrent.
Variants are currently winning the race against vaccines because of inequitable vaccine production and distribution, which also threatens the global economic recovery. It didn’t have to be this way and it doesn’t have to be this way going forward.
From a moral, epidemiological or economic point view, now is the time for the world to come together to tackle this pandemic collectively.
Later this week, G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors will meet. This is another crucial opportunity for leaders to take urgent steps to end the acute stage of this pandemic, providing the necessary funding to scale up the equitable manufacturing and distribution of health tools.
I have called repeatedly for 10 percent of people in all countries to be vaccinated by September and for that figure to rise to 40 percent by the end of the year. It would position the world on the path to vaccinating 70 percent of the people in all countries by the middle of 2022.
I call on the G20 Finance Ministers and other leaders to get behind these targets collectively because it is the fastest way to end the acute stage of the pandemic, save lives and livelihoods and drive a truly global economic recovery…
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Weekly operational update on COVID-19 – 5 July 2021 Overview In this edition of the COVID-19 Weekly Operational Update, highlights of country-level actions and WHO support to countries include:Donating medical masks to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries Handing over of a Control Room at COVID-19 Unified Central Hospital in Nepal Convening a high-level meeting on post-COVID conditions in Greece Strengthening partnerships with media in the Syrian Arab Republic to improve communication on COVID-19 vaccines Online learning to support operationalization of a One Health Approach in countries and a new framework to support countries in strengthening health emergency preparedness Progress on a subset of indicators from the SPRP 2021 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework Updates on WHO’s financing to support countries in SPRP 2021 implementation and provision of critical supplies. Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 6 July 2021 Overview Last week, the number of new cases increased slightly, while the number of new deaths continued to decrease, with over 2.6 million new cases and just under 54 000 new deaths reported globally. This is the lowest weekly mortality figure since early October 2020. The cumulative number of cases reported globally now exceeds 183 million and the number of deaths is almost 4 million. Last week, all Regions reported an increase in new cases except for the Americas. The European Region reported a sharp increase in incidence (30%) whereas African region reported a sharp increase in mortality (23%) when compared to the previous week. All Regions, with the exception of the Americas and South-East Asia, reported an increase in the number of deaths last week. In this edition, a special focus update on the variants is provided, which includes updates on emerging evidence surrounding the phenotypic characteristics of VOCs (transmissibility, disease severity, risk of reinfection, and impacts on diagnostics and vaccine performance), updates on the geographic distribution of VOCs and on the variant classification. It also includes the variant working definitions, as well as other variants and amino acid changes under monitoring.
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Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 26 June 2021 For 22 vaccine candidates, 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 [Update posted 02 July 2021; click on the link above for full scale view]
Janssen/JNJ Press Releases
Jul 09, 2021 United States Johnson & Johnson Statement on U.S. Government Donations of Company’s COVID-19 Vaccine
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., July 9, 2021 – Johnson & Johnson welcomes the U.S. government’s decision to donate an initial 12 million doses of the Company’s COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX Facility.
The United States is sharing the doses via COVAX to multiple lower-income countries across three continents. The first shipment of 1.5 million doses arrived in Afghanistan on July 9, 2021.
In the coming weeks, it is anticipated that the U.S. will allocate a second tranche of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to additional lower-income countries. Separately, the U.S. has already donated 8 million doses of the Company’s vaccine via a series of bilateral agreements with higher-income countries including Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and South Korea.
“Equitable global access is at the forefront of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 response. We strongly support the leadership shown by the Biden-Harris Administration in ensuring lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines can be redirected to where public health needs are most pressing,” said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee, Johnson & Johnson. “We believe that a single-shot, easy to distribute COVID-19 vaccine is an essential tool to combat the pandemic globally.”…
Moderna Press Releases
July 7, 2021 Moderna Announces First Participant Dosed in Phase 1/2 Study of Its Quadrivalent Seasonal Flu mRNA Vaccine :: mRNA-1010 is Moderna’s first seasonal influenza vaccine candidate to enter the clinic :: mRNA-1010 is a quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine candidate targeting WHO recommendations including A H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B Yamagata and Victoria lineages :: Moderna’s vision is to develop a respiratory vaccine for the adult and elderly populations combining seasonal flu, COVID-19 variant booster and RSV
Novavax Press Releases– No new digest announcements identified
Sanofi Pasteur Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified
Serum Institute of India NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS – No corporate announcements identified [Last media release still posted is dated February 15, 2021; media release of April 21, 2021 apparently removed]
Sinopharm/WIBPBIBP News – No new digest announcements identified
Sinovac Press Releases– No new digest announcements identified
Vector State Research Centre of Viralogy and Biotechnology Home – No new digest announcements identified
Joint CDC and FDA Statement on Vaccine Boosters
July 08,2021
The United States is fortunate to have highly effective vaccines that are widely available for those aged 12 and up. People who are fully vaccinated are protected from severe disease and death, including from the variants currently circulating in the country such as Delta. People who are not vaccinated remain at risk. Virtually all COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are among those who are unvaccinated. We encourage Americans who have not yet been vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves and their community.
Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time. FDA, CDC, and NIH are engaged in a science-based, rigorous process to consider whether or when a booster might be necessary. This process takes into account laboratory data, clinical trial data, and cohort data – which can include data from specific pharmaceutical companies, but does not rely on those data exclusively.
We continue to review any new data as it becomes available and will keep the public informed. We are prepared for booster doses if and when the science demonstrates that they are needed.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en Latest Updates COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – second update Technical report 8 Jul 2021 The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing in particular on the experience in EU/EEA countries since the beginning of the pandemic. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing, and the effectiveness and impacts of school closures. This document draws upon and updates evidence presented in the previous reports from ECDC on this topic, which were published in August 2020 and December 2020. This report does not consider educational settings related to young adults or adults, such as universities or vocational schools or any school with overnight stays, such as boarding schools.
This week-end, we have delivered enough vaccines to Member States to be in a position to vaccinate fully at least 70% of EU adults still this month….By tomorrow, some 500 million vaccine doses will have been distributed right across the regions of the European Union…The EU delivers.
Our vaccination campaign has accelerated tremendously since the beginning of the year…Our joint approach is a success…We will only come out of this crisis together.
COVID-19 is not yet defeated…But we are prepared to deliver more vaccines, including against new variants. Now, Member States must do everything, to increase vaccinations…Only then will we be safe.
UNICEF signs first COVID-19 vaccine agreement to supply African Union The agreement will supply up to 220 million single-dose vaccines by 2022 as part of UNICEF’s broader support for the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) to help provide vaccines for the 55 AU Member States NEW YORK, 8 July 2021 – UNICEF has signed an agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica NV to supply up to 220 million doses of the J&J single-dose vaccine for all 55 Member States of the African Union (AU) by the end of 2022. Some 35 million doses are to be delivered by the end of this year.
The agreement between UNICEF and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV will help implement the Advance Purchase Commitment (APC) signed between the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and Janssen in March of this year. That agreement secured an option to order another 180 million doses, bringing the maximum access up to a total of 400 million doses by the end of 2022.
The African Union established AVAT in November 2020 to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to the African continent, with a goal of vaccinating 60 per cent of each AU country’s population. Under the plan, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and AVAT have signed a cooperation agreement on behalf of the AU for the development of an Advance Procurement Commitment (APC) Framework to support Member State access to COVID-19 vaccines. UNICEF will procure and deliver COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the AVAT initiative. Other partners include the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Bank. While multiple vaccines are anticipated to be part of the initiative’s portfolio, Janssen’s single-dose vaccine is the first to be included.
“African countries must have affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible. Vaccine access has been unequal and unfair, with less than 1 per cent of the population of the African continent currently vaccinated against COVID-19. This cannot continue,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “UNICEF, with its long history of delivering vaccines all around the world, is supporting global COVID-19 vaccinations efforts through AVAT, COVAX, and other channels to maximize supply and access to vaccines.”
Drawing upon decades of experience as the largest single vaccine buyer in the world as it does annually for routine immunization, UNICEF is acting as a procurement and logistics agency on behalf of the AVAT partnership. UNICEF stands ready to facilitate the procurement, transport and delivery of vaccines as soon as they become available and AU Member States are ready to receive them. With its extensive capacity and decades of expertise in managing freight, insurance and transport of vaccines which require strict adherence to cold chain requirements, UNICEF will work with the vaccine industry, freight forwarders and transport companies to get the doses to the communities that need them.
Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine received a WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) on 12 March and is relying on a global supply network to produce the vaccine. The latest site for production, Aspen Pharmacare in Gqeberha, South Africa, was approved by the WHO on 29 June. Deliveries of the vaccine are expected to begin later in the 3rd quarter of 2021, with allocations to be determined by the Africa CDC.
The agreement comes as the African continent faces the steepest surge in COVID-19 cases yet, and vaccine supply challenges have left many countries with large unvaccinated populations…
22 COVID-19 vaccines enter clinical trials in China: health official
2021-07-09
BEIJING – Twenty-two COVID-19 vaccines have been approved to enter clinical trials in China, a health official said on July 8..
To date, four COVID-19 vaccines have been granted conditional marketing approval and three have been authorized for emergency use within the country, said Yuan Lin, an official with the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), at a press conference in Beijing.
vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 