Africa CDC [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
Press Releases
Majority of Africans would take a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, 17 DECEMBER 2020. A survey conducted by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has shown that a predominant majority (79% average) of respondents in Africa would take a COVID-19 vaccine if it were deemed safe and effective.
Conducted between August and December 2020, the survey interviewed more than 15,000 adults, aged 18 years and above, across 15 African countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, and Uganda…

Press Releases
New guidance to expand rapid antigen testing for COVID-19 response in Africa released
16 December 2020

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

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
Dec 19: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On Dec 18, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 17 new cases of confirmed infections.

National Medical Products Administration [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://english.nmpa.gov.cn/news.html
News
China prepares for mass production of COVID-19 vaccines: official
2020-12-17
China’s COVID-19 vaccine development has entered the “final sprint,” with the country preparing for the mass production of COVID-19 vaccines, according to an official from the National Health Commission (NHC).
[See COVID above for detail]

China honors its commitments on COVID-19 vaccine
2020-12-16
China is fulfilling its commitments with concrete actions to ensure the accessibility and affordability of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Dec 15.
[See COVID above for detail]

Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
BARDA News
December 15, 2020: HHS, DOD engage Quantum Leap Research Collaborative in search for effective treatments for the sickest COVID-19 patients

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
Press Releases and Statements
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 19 Dec 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 19 Dec 2020]
https://carb-x.org/
News
12.16.2020  |
2020 a year of remarkable progress in supporting the development of new antibiotics, vaccines, diagnostics and other products targeting antibiotic-resistant bacteria
CARB-X has made solid progress in 2020, providing funding and support for innovative products in the race against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and significantly building the size and scientific diversity of its global portfolio of antibiotics, vaccines, diagnostics and other life-saving products targeting drug-resistant bacteria.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
18 Dec 2020
Largest-ever Lassa fever research programme launches in West Africa
New research programme, ‘Enable’, aims to increase knowledge of the disease and assess true case count of those infected across the region.

17 Dec 2020
Equitable access to vaccines is the best way out of COVID-19
How CEPI is enabling access to COVID-19 vaccines

14 Dec 2020
Canada boosts funding for CEPI’s COVID-19 vaccine research
Funding comes as part of a wider investment in the WHO’s Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator

EDCTP [to 19 Dec 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
No new digest content identified.

Emory Vaccine Center [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
News: Update on assessment of marketing authorisation application for Moderna’s mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine
CHMP, Last updated: 17/12/2020
[See COVID Regulatory above for detail]

News: Update on assessment of the BioNTech and Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccine marketing authorisation application
CHMP, Last updated: 15/12/2020
[See COVID Regulatory above for detail]

European Vaccine Initiative [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

FDA [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements /Selected Details
December 18, 2020 – FDA Takes Additional Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing Emergency Use Authorization for Second COVID-19 Vaccine
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the second vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The emergency use authorization allows the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for use in individuals 18 years of age and older.
“With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic that is causing vast numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in the United States each day,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D….

December 17, 2020 – FDA Statement on Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting

December 17, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: December 17, 2020
:: Today, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), made up of independent scientific and public health experts from around the country, met to discuss a request for emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for COVID-19 prevention, submitted by ModernaTX, Inc. This meeting is an important step in the review process, providing an opportunity for outside experts to provide valuable advice and input for the agency to consider as part of its review. Importantly, the final decision about whether to authorize the vaccine for emergency use will be made by FDA’s career officials.
:: Also today, the agency posted a new webpage: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions. Questions cover specifics, such as what data did the FDA use to make the decision to authorize the vaccine for emergency use, to more general questions, such as how does a vaccine go from emergency use authorization to licensure.

December 16, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: December 16, 2020

December 14, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: December 14, 2020
:: Yesterday, the FDA posted the review memorandum outlining the basis of the agency’s decision to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. To ensure all Americans can have trust and confidence in the carefulness of FDA’s review, we have made, and will continue to make, the vaccine review process as transparent as possible.

FDA – COVID-19 Vaccines [to 19 Dec 2020]
www.fda.gov/covid19vaccines
Upcoming Events
FDA Media Briefing
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn and CBER Director Peter Marks discuss the EUA issued for the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, December 18, 2020
12/18/2020

FDA Takes Additional Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing Emergency Use Authorization for Second COVID-19 Vaccine
Today, the FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the second vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
12/18/2020

FDA Statement on Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting
Press Release / Public Statement
Following today’s positive advisory committee meeting outcome regarding the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the FDA has informed the sponsor that it will rapidly work toward finalization and issuance of an emergency use authorization.
12/18/2020

Fondation Merieux [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.gavi.org/
News releases
Gavi Board approves new push to reach unvaccinated children worldwide
17 December 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]

COVAX announces additional deals to access promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates; plans global rollout starting Q1 2021
18 December 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]

GHIT Fund [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 212 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

Global Fund [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News
The Global Fund Appoints Hui C. Yang as Head of Supply Operations
16 December 2020
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has appointed Hui C. Yang, a highly experienced procurement and supply chain executive, as Head of its Supply Operations Department. Ms. Yang brings over two decades of experience in both the public and private sector and will join the Global Fund on 1 March 2021.

Canada Contributes CAD 65 million to Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response
14 December 2020
The Global Fund applauds the government of Canada for allocating CAD 65 million to the Global Fund’s efforts to support low- and middle-income countries to fight COVID-19, including procuring and deploying millions of COVID-19 rapid diagnostics tests as well as reinforcing health systems.

Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness [GloPID-R] [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.glopid-r.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
HPV COVID Report
COVID-19 Vaccines are Here; Will People Take Them?
Interview with Julia Wu, S.D., M.S.
Principal Investigator, Research Scientist
Human Immunomics Initiative
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

IAVI [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
PRESS RELEASES/FEATURES
No new digest content identified.

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/
Press Releases/Announcements
No new digest content identified.

IFRC [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Global
IFRC President: Migrants must not be left stranded at back of COVID-19 vaccine queue
Geneva, 17 December 2020 – The President of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation warns that inclusive action is urgently needed to safeguard the health and dignity of migrants worldwide, and to ensure they are not left behind as the first COVID-19 vaccines start being distributed.
Speaking ahead of International Migrants Day tomorrow, the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Francesco Rocca, said: “As the first COVID-19 vaccines begin to roll out, migrants – irrespective of their status – must not be left at the back of the queue. The pandemic is having a catastrophic impact on people on the move, who are too often left to fall through the cracks when it comes to accessing essential health services. It is imperative that we address the many barriers to universal health coverage and that migrants are fully included in national vaccination campaigns.”
A recent IFRC report “Least Protected, Most Affected: Migrants and refugees facing extraordinary risks during the COVID-19 pandemic” revealed that migrants have been disproportionately exposed to, and affected by, the virus this year due to often limited access to essential health, water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as poor and unsafe living and working conditions that make it harder to comply with basic preventative measures. It also showed that migrants are being hit hardest by the economic fallout of COVID-19, are widely neglected from formal protection and safeguarding measures, and regularly face stigma and discrimination – sometimes in the form of violence…

Institut Pasteur [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.pasteur.fr/en/press-area
Press documents
No new digest content identified.

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index
Media highlights [Selected]
Press Release
IRC’s 2021 Emergency Watchlist: triple threat of COVID, climate change and conflict threatens 200 million people without urgent action
December 16, 2020

IVAC [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates; Events
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News, Announcements, Events
IVI-SK’s new typhoid conjugate vaccine meets primary endpoints in phase III study in Nepal
Primary analysis also confirms safety of Vi-DT
December 17, 2020 – SEOUL, South Korea – Vi-DT typhoid conjugate vaccine, developed jointly by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and SK bioscience, has met the primary endpoints in a phase III study in Nepal. The primary endpoints were based on immune non-inferiority with the WHO-prequalified typhoid conjugate vaccine, Typbar-TCV®, in terms of serconversion rate, which confirms the new candidate TCV induces an immune response that is not inferior to Typbar-TCV®…

JEE Alliance [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/news/center-news/
Center News
New Rapid Research Coalition Announced to Increase Local Community Involvement in an Equitable COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign  
launches CommuniVax, a research coalition funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
On December 15, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health announced the launch of CommuniVax, a coalition to strengthen the community’s role and involvement in an equitable vaccination campaign. The coalition will conduct rapid ethnographic research related to COVID-19 vaccination among historically underserved communities of color in the United States. Local research teams will listen to community members and work with them to develop suggestions on how to strengthen COVID-19 vaccine delivery and communication strategies. The coalition will synthesize and disseminate community viewpoints to national stakeholders to develop a more equitable and effective vaccination effort, with an enduring impact on public trust. Read more: https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/news/center-news/2020-12-15-CommuniVax.html.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Access to medicines
Governments must act fast on consensus supporting historic move to suspend monopoiesduring pandemic
Press Release 15 Dec 2020

Nigeria
Extra-long malaria season in Borno claims lives
Project Update 14 Dec 2020

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
Upcoming Meetings/Latest Updates
No new digest content identified.

NIH [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
News Releases
Statement from NIH and BARDA on the FDA Emergency Use Authorization of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
December 18, 2020 — The mRNA-1273 vaccine is the second COVID-19 vaccine in the United States to be granted an EUA.

Investigational COVID-19 therapeutics to be evaluated in large clinical trials
December 17, 2020 — NIH trial enrolling people hospitalized with COVID-19.
Two randomized, controlled Phase 3 clinical trials have begun evaluating investigational monoclonal antibodies for their safety and efficacy in treating people hospitalized with moderate COVID-19. The trials are part of the ACTIV-3 master protocol, which has an adaptive design allowing investigators to add new sub-studies of additional investigational agents. ACTIV-3 is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
One sub-study is evaluating VIR-7831, a monoclonal antibody developed through a partnership between GlaxoSmithKline plc (Brentford, United Kingdom) and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (San Francisco). The other sub-study is evaluating the combination of BRII-196 and BRII-198, two neutralizing monoclonal antibodies manufactured by Brii Biosciences (Durham, North Carolina and Beijing). Antibodies are infection-fighting proteins naturally made by the immune system. Antibodies can prevent viruses from infecting cells, sometimes by binding to the surface of the viruses. Synthetic versions of these antibodies, prepared in a laboratory, are known as monoclonal antibodies…

NIH observational study of coronavirus infection and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children begins
December 16, 2020 — Researchers will enroll at least 250 children and young adults ages 20 years or younger from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.

NIH-funded COVID-19 home test is first to receive over-the-counter authorization from FDA
December 15, 2020 — Ellume USA’s rapid at-home test was developed through the NIH RADx Initiative.

PATH [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Press Release
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
Dr. Regina Rabinovich Succeeds Dr. Axel Hoos as Sabin Vaccine Institute Board Chair, Drs. Norman Baylor and JoAnn Suzich Join the Board
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Washington, D.C. – The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) is pleased to announce the Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Regina Rabinovich, MD, MPH, as board chair and elected two new trustees, Dr. Norman Baylor and Dr. JoAnn Suzich, to strengthen the organization’s leadership in global immunization and vaccine research and development.
Dr. Rabinovich has served on the board since November 2015, and as chair of the Governance Committee since 2016.
Dr. Rabinovich brings deep global health expertise to the role, with more than three decades of experience in the health and philanthropic sectors. She is currently the ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, Dr. Rabinovich is chair of the Malaria Eradication Scientific Alliance at ISGlobal, University of Barcelona, where she also serves as director of the Malaria Elimination Initiative…

UNAIDS [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
18 December 2020
Lima joins the Fast-Track cities initiative

15 December 2020
Coming together to address the cost of inequality

14 December 2020
New modelling shows COVID-19 should not be a reason for delaying the 2030 deadline for ending AIDS as a public health threat

UNICEF [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press releases, Statements
Statement
12/18/2020
Remarks by Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, at briefing on COVAX progress to date
As delivered
[See Milestones above for detail]

Press release
12/18/2020
UNICEF outlining plans to transport up to 850 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines per month on behalf of COVAX, in ‘mammoth and historic’ logistics
UNICEF – in partnership with Gavi and WHO – is also helping low- and lower-middle-income countries prepare to receive COVID-19 vaccines in 2021
[See Milestones above for detail]

Press release
12/18/2020
COVID-19 has led to dramatic reduction in essential services and protection for migrant and displaced children in countries around the world
New survey data show children on the move largely excluded from pandemic response and recovery

Statement
12/14/2020
Teachers should be prioritized for vaccination against COVID-19
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore
NEW YORK, 15 December 2020 – “The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on children’s education around the globe. Vaccinating teachers is a critical step towards putting it back on track.
“At their peak in late April 2020, nationwide school closures disrupted the learning of almost 90 per cent of students worldwide. While that number has dropped since, there continues to be an unsupported assumption that closing schools may slow the spread of the disease, despite increasing evidence that schools are not a main driver of community transmission. As a result, as cases are skyrocketing in many countries around the world, communities are again closing schools. As of 1 December, classrooms are closed for nearly 1 in 5 schoolchildren globally – or 320 million children.
“UNICEF is calling for teachers to be prioritized to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, once frontline health personnel and high-risk populations are vaccinated. This will help protect teachers from the virus, allow them to teach in person, and ultimately keep schools open.
“While decisions about vaccine allocation ultimately rest with governments, the consequences of extended missed or impaired education are steep, especially for the most marginalized. The longer children remain out of school, the less likely they are to return, and the more difficult it is for their parents to resume work.
“These are difficult decisions that force difficult tradeoffs. But what should not be difficult is the decision to do everything in our power to safeguard the future of the next generation. This begins by safeguarding those responsible for opening that future up for them.”

Statement
12/14/2020
Remarks by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore at the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Kick-Off Event
As prepared for delivery

Press release
12/14/2020
Almost 2 billion people depend on health care facilities without basic water services – WHO, UNICEF
Lack of water puts health care workers and patients at higher risk of COVID-19 infection

Unitaid [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
16 December 2020
Unitaid welcomes contribution from Canada
Geneva – Unitaid welcomes contribution of C$15 million (US$11.7 million) from Canada to its ongoing work on COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics under the global Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.
The funding, which forms part of a C$255 million overall package of support to the ACT-Accelerator, has been allocated to Unitaid to support equitable access to promising COVID-19 treatments and tests…

14 December 2020
Japan joins Unitaid’s Executive Board
Geneva – On the occasion of the 37th meeting of the Unitaid Executive Board on December 9th-10th 2020, members voted unanimously to welcome Japan to join them.
As a key country of innovation, promoter of universal access to quality health coverage and a major player in the fight against infectious diseases, Japan becomes a member of the Executive Board, alongside delegations from African Countries, Brazil, Chile, Communities Living with the Diseases, Foundations, France, NGOs, Norway, Republic of Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and WHO…

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
News, Research and Reports
Five ways to build confidence in vaccines
11 December 2020
Heidi Larson
Director, Vaccine Confidence Project

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
News
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News
2020 – a year of science, solutions and solidarity
15 December 2020
In a tumultuous year, Wellcome has been at the heart of the global scientific response to the Covid-19 pandemic, while maintaining support for our broad portfolio of research. Our 2019/20 annual report, published today, reveals Wellcome spent £1.1 billion on research, innovation and advocacy.

A year of Covid-19 – and a year of extraordinary science
15 December 2020
The best of humanity has shone through the gloom of 2020. The dedication of scientists across the globe has been remarkable, not just for producing a string of lifesaving breakthroughs but for doing so at an unprecedented pace. Everyone who has supported the research response to Covid-19 can be proud. But the job isn’t finished yet, so we must redouble our commitments to put an end to the pandemic. Here is a selection of key moments in this great scientific success story.

The Wistar Institute [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
Statement on COVID-19 Immunization and Equitable Access to Vaccines
Dec 17, 2020
Statement on COVID-19 Immunization and Equitable Access to Vaccines
[See Milestones above for detail]

Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccination: A Distant Dream?
Dec 14, 2020
Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccination: A Distant Dream?T he race to produce a safe and efficacious vaccine for COVID-19 has been on-going and there are indications that success may not be too far away. Wealthy nations are trying to secure early…

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2020/
No new digest content identified.

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://alliancerm.org/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://internationalbiotech.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
Call to Action On Routine and Life-Course Immunization in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
09 December 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]

PhRMA [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
Report: More than 1,300 medicines and vaccines in development to help fight cancer
December 15, 2020
Over the last 30 years, significant progress has been made in the fight against cancer. Researchers have expanded their understanding of how cancer develops and how to target medicines for specific cancer types. Since peaking in 1991, cancer death rates have declined by 29%, leading to more than 2.9 million cancer deaths prolonged. The most recent data shows that between 2016 and 2017 alone, cancer death rates declined by 2.2%, the largest single-year drop ever recorded. Despite the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this momentum continues with biopharmaceutical companies focusing on research and development of innovative cancer therapies.

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

AMA Journal of Ethics
Volume 22, Number 12: E981-1070
https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/issue/socially-situated-brain-death

Socially Situated Brain Death
In 1980, the Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) defined death as “(1) irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or (2) irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem … in accordance with accepted medical standards.” Interpreting the UDDA definition and applying neurological criteria for diagnosing brain death sound straightforward. Brain death is, however, socially situated, not observer independent, and fraught with uncertainty and ambiguity. This issue investigates some of the ethical, cultural, and legal complexities of one of medicine’s most critical tasks: being sharp and sure about who is alive and who is dead.
Full Issue PDF

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 19 Dec 2020)

Early detection of cholera epidemics to support control in fragile states: estimation of delays and potential epidemic sizes
Cholera epidemics continue to challenge disease control, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected states. Rapid detection and response to small cholera clusters is key for efficient control before an epidemic propagates. To understand the capacity for early response in fragile states, we investigated delays in outbreak detection, investigation, response, and laboratory confirmation, and we estimated epidemic sizes. We assessed predictors of delays, and annual changes in response time.
Authors: Ruwan Ratnayake, Flavio Finger, W. John Edmunds and Francesco Checchi
Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:397
Content type: Research article
Published on: 15 December 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles

Research
Lessons learned from the polio eradication initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia: analysis of implementation barriers and strategies
Since its inception in 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has partnered with 200 countries to vaccinate over 2.5 billion children against poliomyelitis. The polio eradication approach has ada…
Authors: Wakgari Deressa, Patrick Kayembe, Abigail H. Neel, Eric Mafuta, Assefa Seme and Olakunle Alonge
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 4):1807
Content type: Research
Published on: 18 December 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles

A multi-pronged scoping review approach to understanding the evolving implementation of the Smallpox and Polio eradication programs: what can other Global Health initiatives learn?
Previous initiatives have aimed to document the history and legacy of the Smallpox Eradication Program (SEP) and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). In this multi-pronged scoping review, we explore…
Authors: Meike Schleiff, Adetoun Olateju, Ellie Decker, Abigail H. Neel, Rasheedat Oke, Michael A. Peters, Aditi Rao and Olakunle Alonge
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 4):1698
Content type: Research
Published on: 18 December 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles

Conflict, community, and collaboration: shared implementation barriers and strategies in two polio endemic countries
Afghanistan and Nigeria are two of the three remaining polio endemic countries. While these two countries have unique sociocultural characteristics, they share major polio risk factors. This paper describes th…
Authors: Eme Owoaje, Ahmad Omid Rahimi, Anna Kalbarczyk, Oluwaseun Akinyemi, Michael A. Peters and Olakunle O. Alonge
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 4):1178
Content type: Research
Published on: 18 December 2020

Clinical Therapeutics
December 2020 Volume 42Issue 12 p2239-2340, e259-e274
http://www.clinicaltherapeutics.com/current

Editorial
Conversations With the Editors: Promoting Science and Combating Antiscience: A Focus on Communication Strategies
Laura Lindenfeld, Ravi Jhaveri
Published online: November 21, 2020
p2242-2247

Clinical Therapeutics
December 2020 Volume 42Issue 12 p2239-2340, e259-e274
http://www.clinicaltherapeutics.com/current

Conversations With the Editors: Promoting Science and Combating Anti-science: The Past and Present of the Antivaccine Movement
Jeffrey Baker, Ravi Jhaveri
Published online: November 30, 2020
p2248-2252

Globalization and Health
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
[Accessed 19 Dec 2020]

Cross-border COVID-19 spread amidst malaria re-emergence in Venezuela: a human rights analysis
Authors: Catalina Correa-Salazar and Joseph J. Amon
Content type: Review
17 December 2020

Health Research Policy and Systems
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content
[Accessed 19 Dec 2020]

Health research system resilience: lesson learned from the COVID-19 crisis
Authors: Bahareh Yazdizadeh, Reza Majdzadeh, Ayat Ahmadi and Bita Mesgarpour
Content type: Commentary
18 December 2020

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

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

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

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

International Journal of Epidemiology
Volume 49, Issue 5, October 2020
https://academic.oup.com/ije/issue

Effect of childhood rotavirus vaccination on community rotavirus prevalence in rural Ecuador, 2008-13
Alicia N M Kraay, Edward L Ionides, Gwenyth O Lee, William F Cevallos Trujillo, Joseph N S Eisenberg
International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 49, Issue 5, October 2020, Pages 1691–1701, https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyaa124

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
December 2020 Volume 101p1-412
https://www.ijidonline.com/current

Original Reports
Integrated control of COVID-19 in resource-poor countries
Asma B. Aziz, et al
Published online: September 08, 2020 p98-101
Abstract
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face many challenges in controlling COVID-19. Healthcare resources are limited and so are ICU beds. RT-PCR testing is conducted on a limited scale and treatment options are few. There is no vaccine. Therefore, what low-cost solutions remain for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of SARS-CoV-2? How should these essential health services be delivered in order to reach the most vulnerable in our societies? In this editorial we discuss several important strategies for controlling COVID-19 including: vaccination, molecular and serological diagnostics, hygiene and WaSH interventions, and low-cost therapeutics. We also discuss the delivery of such services in order to reach the most in need. The proposed integrated control strategy requires immediate action and political will in order to reduce the widening health inequalities caused by the pandemic.

JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update December 19, 2020

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

JAMA Network

Opinion
Behaviorally Informed Strategies for a National COVID-19 Vaccine Promotion Program
Kevin G. Volpp, MD, PhD; George Loewenstein, PhD; Alison M. Buttenheim, PhD, MBA

JAMA Network

Opinion
The Ethics of Continuing Placebo in SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Trials
Annette Rid, MD; Marc Lipsitch, DPhil; Franklin G. Miller, PhD

JAMA Network

News & Insight
Experts Discuss COVID-19: Vaccine Allocation, Placebo Groups, and More

JAMA Network

JAMA Network Open
Research
US Public Attitudes Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Emily A. Largent, JD, PhD, RN; Govind Persad, JD, PhD; Samantha Sangenito, MPA; et al

The Lancet
Dec 19, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10267 p1941-2084
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
Science during COVID-19: where do we go from here?
The Lancet
The emergence of COVID-19 has indelibly marked science and medicine this year. Advances in epidemiology, clinical care, prevention, treatment, and the speed of vaccine development have been unprecedented, driven by global collaboration and data sharing. None of that would have been possible without the tireless work, sacrifice, dedication, and insight of scientists and researchers worldwide, from those working in laboratories to the principal investigators of clinical trials and everyone in between. But those scientific advances have also amplified deficiencies in the scientific research environment and provide important lessons for the future.

Research into topics unrelated to COVID-19 has suffered: Michael Lauer of the US National Institutes of Health has estimated that 80% of clinical trials were stopped or interrupted. Resources have been shifted to the pandemic, and many researchers were forced to suspend their own research to focus on patient care in overwhelmed hospital systems. Long-planned trials on HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, for example, were halted as researchers switched to studying COVID-19. It will be years before we know the true cost of these rapid changes in research priorities. There is a need to ensure that research systems have the capacity, and resilience, to adjust to new priorities while limiting the disturbance to ongoing research.

COVID-19 did not create the conditions that make life difficult for researchers early in their careers or for researchers who are women, people with families, or Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC). But it has exacerbated and highlighted those conditions. Health research systems have a history of undervaluing the contributions of these groups and a resistance to confronting issues of lower pay, systemic racism, and inequitable working conditions. Lockdown restrictions worldwide fell heavily on women (including researchers) who were forced to juggle working from home and child care, and BIPOC researchers face institutional racism and come from communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The pandemic has already led to a fall in the number of women authors on research papers and could have a long-term effect on careers in science.

The decades-old system that measures success in terms of publications and author order also needs revision. The pandemic has proven that institutions are willing and able to change incentive structures, whether by delaying or extending tenure clocks or extending or modifying research grants. Changes in incentive structures and forms of recognition are necessary, from taking preprint and other forms of research into account, to crediting data analysts, post-doctoral researchers, and other under-recognised contributors whose work is essential to the research enterprise. Scientific progress is made by the combined work of many groups, but too often it is only those at the end of the process who get the credit for the work of many. Science must develop a more thoughtful way of considering how we assess scientific activity that encompasses the whole spectrum of contributors beyond a bare handful of measures.

Open data sharing and collaborations between groups show a potential way to help eliminate the waste, burdensome bureaucracy, and duplicated effort that have been seen in COVID-19 research. It is understandable that clinician–researchers rush to gather what data they can during a pandemic. But a search of ClinicalTrials.gov shows hundreds of small underpowered trials of COVID-19 treatments, and huge numbers of retrospective studies that have attempted to answer similar questions. In the USA, fractured research and health-care systems encourage smaller trials, whereas the RECOVERY treatment trial in the UK leveraged the central administration of the National Health Service. The pandemic has demonstrated the use of data sharing and telemedicine systems to allow research to continue, and those lessons should guide researchers towards a more collaborative and digital future.

The pandemic has stimulated strong public interest in and enthusiasm for science. The advances seen this year could inspire the next generation of scientists, who have seen the potential and promise of research. Fundamentally, science is a collaborative, iterative, and incremental endeavour. It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that we build on the lessons of 2020 so that the next generation of scientists work in an environment that is fair, conducive to success, and properly incentivised and rewarded.

The Lancet
Dec 19, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10267 p1941-2084
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Comment
Age and frailty in COVID-19 vaccine development
Melissa K Andrew,Janet E McElhaney

The Lancet
Dec 19, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10267 p1941-2084
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Offline: The lessons of smallpox eradication for COVID-19
Richard Horton

The Lancet
Dec 19, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10267 p1941-2084
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Articles
Safety and immunogenicity of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine administered in a prime-boost regimen in young and old adults (COV002): a single-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 2/3 trial
Maheshi N Ramasamy, et al, and the Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group
Open Access
Older adults (aged ≥70 years) are at increased risk of severe disease and death if they develop COVID-19 and are therefore a priority for immunisation should an efficacious vaccine be developed. Immunogenicity of vaccines is often worse in older adults as a result of immunosenescence. We have reported the immunogenicity of a novel chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222), in young adults, and now describe the safety and immunogenicity of this vaccine in a wider range of participants, including adults aged 70 years and older.

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 12, December 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/12

News Feature | 07 December 2020
2021: research and medical trends in a post-pandemic world
Goodbye 2020, a year of arguably too many challenges for the world. As tempting as it is to leave this year behind, the biomedical community is forever changed by the pandemic, while business as usual needs to carry on. Looking forward to a new year, experts share six trends for the biomedical community in 2021.
Mike May

New England Journal of Medicine
December 17, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 25
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Original Article
Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 Vaccine in Older Adults E.J. Anderson and Others
Conclusions
In this small study involving older adults, adverse events associated with the mRNA-1273 vaccine were mainly mild or moderate. The 100-μg dose induced higher binding- and neutralizing-antibody titers than the 25-μg dose, which supports the use of the 100-μg dose in a phase 3 vaccine trial. (Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and others; mRNA-1273 Study ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04283461. opens in new tab.)

New England Journal of Medicine
December 17, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 25
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Original Article
Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 Vaccine in Older Adults E.J. Anderson and Others
Conclusions
In this small study involving older adults, adverse events associated with the mRNA-1273 vaccine were mainly mild or moderate. The 100-μg dose induced higher binding- and neutralizing-antibody titers than the 25-μg dose, which supports the use of the 100-μg dose in a phase 3 vaccine trial. (Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and others; mRNA-1273 Study ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04283461. opens in new tab.)

New England Journal of Medicine
December 17, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 25
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Safety and Immunogenicity of Two RNA-Based Covid-19 Vaccine Candidates E.E. Walsh and Others
Conclusions
The safety and immunogenicity data from this U.S. phase 1 trial of two vaccine candidates in younger and older adults, added to earlier interim safety and immunogenicity data regarding BNT162b1 in younger adults from trials in Germany and the United States, support the selection of BNT162b2 for advancement to a pivotal phase 2–3 safety and efficacy evaluation. (Funded by BioNTech and Pfizer; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04368728. opens in new tab.

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 19 Dec 2020)

Research Article
Understanding COVID-19 vaccine demand and hesitancy: A nationwide online survey in China
Yulan Lin, Zhijian Hu, Qinjian Zhao, Haridah Alias, Mahmoud Danaee, Li Ping Wong
| published 17 Dec 2020 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008961

Science
18 December 2020 Vol 370, Issue 6523
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Special Issue: 2020 Breakthrough of the Year

Shots of hope
By Jon Cohen
Science18 Dec 2020 : 1392-1394 Full Access
Desperately needed vaccines against COVID-19, developed and tested at record speed, are 2020’s breakthrough.

Science
18 December 2020 Vol 370, Issue 6523
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Special Issue: 2020 Breakthrough of the Year

Runners-up
By Robert F. Service, Jocelyn Kaiser, Paul Voosen, Daniel Clery, Michael Price, Katie Langin, Jon Cohen, Robert F. Service, Elizabeth Pennisi

Science18 Dec 2020 : 1402-1407 Full Access
Science has named nine scientific advances as runners-up for the 2020 Breakthrough of the Year.
Summary
The runners-up for Science’s 2020 Breakthrough of the Year include the world’s first potential CRISPR-based cures for beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, a tighter range for global warming forecasts, the discovery of the elusive source of fast radio bursts, avian intelligence, and an artificial intelligence program that has solved one of biology’s biggest challenges: predicting the precise 3D shape a string of amino acids will fold into as it becomes a working protein. Other advances include understanding how “elite controllers” keep HIV at bay; achieving, for the first time, room temperature superconductivity; standing up to support Black scientists; and finding the world’s oldest figurative art—a hunting scene deep inside an Indonesian cave.

Science
18 December 2020 Vol 370, Issue 6523
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Special Issue: 2020 Breakthrough of the Year

Letters
Transparency is key to ethical vaccine research
By Preston W. Estep, George M. Church
Science18 Dec 2020 : 1422-1423 Full Access

Science
18 December 2020 Vol 370, Issue 6523
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Special Issue: 2020 Breakthrough of the Year

Transparency is key to ethical vaccine research—Response
By Christi J. Guerrini, Jacob S. Sherkow, Michelle N. Meyer, Patricia J. Zettler

Science18 Dec 2020 : 1423 Full Access

Science
18 December 2020 Vol 370, Issue 6523
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Special Issue: 2020 Breakthrough of the Year

Transparency is key to ethical vaccine research—Response
By Arthur Caplan, Alison Bateman-House

Science
18 December 2020 Vol 370, Issue 6523
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Special Issue: 2020 Breakthrough of the Year

Policy Forum
Core commitments for field trials of gene drive organisms
By Kanya C. Long, Luke Alphey, George J. Annas, Cinnamon S. Bloss, Karl J. Campbell, Jackson Champer, Chun-Hong Chen, Amit Choudhary, George M. Church, James P. Collins, Kimberly L. Cooper, Jason A. Delborne, Owain R. Edwards, Claudia I. Emerson, Kevin Esvelt, Sam Weiss Evans, Robert M. Friedman, Valentino M. Gantz, Fred Gould, Sarah Hartley, Elizabeth Heitman, Janet Hemingway, Hirotaka Kanuka, Jennifer Kuzma, James V. Lavery, Yoosook Lee, Marce Lorenzen, Jeantine E. Lunshof, John M. Marshall, Philipp W. Messer, Craig Montell, Kenneth A. Oye, Megan J. Palmer, Philippos Aris Papathanos, Prasad N. Paradkar, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Jason L. Rasgon, Gordana Rašić, Larisa Rudenko, J. Royden Saah, Maxwell J. Scott, Jolene T. Sutton, Adam E. Vorsino, Omar S. Akbari
Science18 Dec 2020 : 1417-1419 Full Access
We must ensure that trials are scientifically, politically, and socially robust, publicly accountable, and widely transparent
Summary
Gene drive organisms (GDOs), whose genomes have been genetically engineered to spread a desired allele through a population, have the potential to transform the way societies address a wide range of daunting public health and environmental challenges. The development, testing, and release of GDOs, however, are complex and often controversial. A key challenge is to clarify the appropriate roles of developers and others actively engaged in work with GDOs in decision-making processes, and, in particular, how to establish partnerships with relevant authorities and other stakeholders. Several members of the gene drive community previously proposed safeguards for laboratory experiments with GDOs (1) that, in the absence of national or international guidelines, were considered essential for responsible laboratory work to proceed. Now, with GDO development advancing in laboratories (2–5), we envision similar safeguards for the potential next step: ecologically and/or genetically confined field trials to further assess the performance of GDOs. A GDO’s propensity to spread necessitates well-developed criteria for field trials to assess its potential impacts (6). We, as a multidisciplinary group of GDO developers, ecologists, conservation biologists, and experts in social science, ethics, and policy, outline commitments below that we deem critical for responsible conduct of a field trial and to ensure that these technologies, if they are introduced, serve the public interest.

Travel Medicine and Infectious Diseases
Volume 38 November–December 2020
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/travel-medicine-and-infectious-disease/vol/38/suppl/C

Review article Open access
Reprint of: Air travel and COVID-19 prevention in the pandemic and peri-pandemic period: A narrative review
Michel Bielecki, Dipti Patel, Jochen Hinkelbein, Matthieu Komorowski, … Patricia Schlagenhauf
Article 101939

Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 19 Dec 2020)

Open Access Article
Knowledge and Attitudes on Vaccination in Southern Romanians: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire
by Gabriela Loredana Popa, Andrei-Alexandru Muntean, Mădălina-Maria Muntean and Mircea Ioan Popa
Vaccines 2020, 8(4), 774; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8040774 (registering DOI) – 18 Dec 2020
Viewed by 190
Abstract
Vaccines are fundamental instruments upon which all modern medicine is hinged. This has recently come into the light because of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of the public regarding vaccination. To this end, a […] Read more.

Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 19 Dec 2020)

Open Access Article
A Review of Adherence and Predictors of Adherence to the CONSORT Statement in the Reporting of Tuberculosis Vaccine Trials
by Veranyuy D. Ngah, Akhona V. Mazingisa, Moleen Zunza and Charles S. Wiysonge
Vaccines 2020, 8(4), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8040770 – 16 Dec 2020
Viewed by 172
Abstract
The statement on Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) ensures transparency in the reporting of randomized trials. However, it is unclear if the statement has led to improvement in the quality of reporting of tuberculosis (TB) vaccine trials. We explored the quality of […]

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

The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
Science
How Science Beat the Virus
And what it lost in the process
Story by Ed Yong
January/February 2021 Issue
As of this writing, the biomedical library PubMed lists more than 74,000 COVID-related scientific papers—more than twice as many as there are about polio, measles, cholera, dengue, or other diseases that have plagued humanity for centuries. Only 9,700 Ebola-related papers have been published since its discovery in 1976; last year, at least one journal received more COVID19 papers than that for consideration. By September, the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine had received 30,000 submissions—16,000 more than in all of 2019. “All that difference is COVID19,” Eric Rubin, NEJM’s editor in chief, says. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, told me, “The way this has resulted in a shift in scientific priorities has been unprecedented.”…

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
Covid vaccine: Woman, 108, gets jab for her second pandemic
A 108-year-old woman from Pembrokeshire has received the Covid-19 vaccine for what is the second pandemic of her lifetime.
Mary Keir was one of 37 people at the Llandeilo site to receive their first dose of the Pfizer-Biontech jab.
She was four years old at the onset of the 1916 Spanish Flu outbreak.
Ms Keir said she felt “very lucky” and “much safer and happier” for having received the vaccine.

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
Coronavirus pandemic
Scientists alarmed at infectiousness of viral variant
Mutations make new strain 70 per cent more transmissible but are not expected to reduce effectiveness of vaccines
December 19, 2020

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
Dec 18, 2020
Poll: 57% Of Americans Say Co-Workers Should Have To Take Coronavirus Vaccine
It is legal for employers in the U.S. to require employees to get vaccinated, with some exceptions.
By Elana Lyn Gross Forbes Staff

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
Q. & A.
The Influence of the Anti-Vaccine Movement
The virologist Peter Hotez discusses the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.
By Isaac Chotiner
December 18, 2020

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
Health
C.D.C. Panel Endorses Moderna Vaccine for Americans
The approval sets the stage for widespread inoculations in the United States with a second coronavirus vaccine.
By Katherine J. Wu
PRINT EDITION December 20, 2020

Politics
U.S. General Apologizes for Smaller Vaccine Deliveries in Some States
Gen. Gustave F. Perna, chief operating officer for Operation Warp Speed, apologized after a number of states last week received fewer initial doses of the coronavirus vaccine than planned.
By Reuters December 19, 2020

U.S.
Employers Can Require Workers to Get Covid-19 Vaccine, U.S. Says
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said employees could be barred from the workplace if they refused the vaccine.
By Vimal Patel Dec. 18

Business
The plan to vaccinate nursing home residents faces a key obstacle: consent.
Dec. 18

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Europe
Israel is starting to vaccinate, but Palestinians may have to wait months
Steve Hendrix and Shira Rubin · Dec 19, 2020

Chinese and Russian vaccines remain unproven — but desperate countries plan to use them anyway
Emily Rauhala, Eva Dou and Robyn Dixon · Dec 19, 2020

Think Tanks et al
 
 
Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
[No new relevant content]
 
 
Center for Global Development [to 19 Dec 2020]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
December 17, 2020
Questions on the COVID-19 Vaccine? We’ve Got Answers
At a recent CGD staff presentation of our work into COVID-19 vaccines, our colleagues raised a large number of interesting questions, so, we asked our colleagues to send in their questions on the COVID-19 vaccine portfolio.
Anthony McDonnell and Robert Van Exan
 
 
Chatham House [to 19 Dec 2020]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
COVID-19 Vaccine: Reaching People in Areas Controlled by Armed Groups
Counterterrorism measures do not prohibit the provision of medical assistance – including vaccinations – or engagement with members of ‘terrorist’ groups in order to do so.
Expert Comment
16 December 2020
Emanuela-Chiara Gillard
Associate Fellow, International Law Programme

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
Transcript
Online Event: Trusting a Covid-19 Vaccine: Where Do We Stand?
December 18, 2020

 
 
 
Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
December 18, 2020
Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines
What Is the World Doing to Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines?
Governments and researchers have been working with an extremely ambitious timetable to provide billions of people with immunity to the new coronavirus. Now, the first vaccines are being distributed,
Backgrounder by Claire Felter
 
 
Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines
Covering the States’ COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plans
Conference Call by Susan Dentzer
December 17, 2020

 
 
 
Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 19 Dec 2020
December 18, 2020 News Release
Federal Rules Protect People from Bills for the COVID-19 Vaccine
As the first doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine are delivered to health care workers and other early recipients, many Americans are eager to know not only when the vaccine will be available to them but also whether they will be able to get it at no cost. The answer…

December 18, 2020 News Release
Poll: Large Majorities Now Say They Wear Masks Regularly and Can Continue Social Distancing for At Least Six Months if Needed, though Republicans Remain Less Likely to Take Such Precautions
As winter sets in and COVID-19 cases and deaths reach records in most parts of the country, more Americans say they wear masks every time they leave home now (73%) than said so in May (52%), a new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. A small minority (11%) say they wear…

December 16, 2020 News Release
How are States Prioritizing Who Will Get the COVID-19 Vaccine First?
The first Americans were vaccinated today as COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed across the country. A new KFF review of states’ releases and statements about their vaccination priorities finds that most states are following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations for the…

December 15, 2020 News Release
KFF Launches New COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor to Track the Public’s Confidence in the Vaccine and Experiences for the Duration of the Pandemic
Republicans and Black Americans are More Likely to Be Hesitant but Even Among These Groups Reasons Vary KFF has launched a new COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor to dive deeply into the public’s views about the vaccine and experiences getting it for as long as the pandemic lasts. First results released today…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Bill and Melinda Gates call for collaboration, continued innovation to overcome challenges of delivering COVID-19 scientific breakthroughs to the world
Gates Foundation pledges additional $250 million to accelerate development and equitable distribution of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines to end the pandemic

SEATTLE, December 9, 2020 – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced it will commit an additional $250 million to support the research, development, and equitable delivery of lifesaving tools in the global effort against COVID-19. Marking the end of a year focused on the scientific breakthroughs needed to end the pandemic, the foundation calls for global commitments to making these innovations available in 2021 to everyone who needs them.

“Everyone, everywhere deserves to benefit from the science developed in 2020,” said Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “We are confident that the world will get better in 2021, but whether it gets better for everyone depends on the actions of the world’s leaders and their commitment to deliver tests, treatments, and vaccines to the people who need them, no matter where they live or how much money they have.”

Today’s commitment, the foundation’s largest single contribution to the COVID-19 response to date, builds on the partnerships and expertise it has established over the last 20 years. This funding will support continued innovation to develop tests, treatments, and vaccines that are easier to scale and deliver, to ensure there are many options that are less expensive and can be used in different settings. Today’s commitment will also support the delivery of new COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Getting these innovations to where they are needed will require the same level of planning, urgency, and collaboration it took to develop them. It will require manufacturing tests, doses of treatments, and vaccines quickly and safely; securing sufficient funding to buy and distribute them; organizing logistical infrastructure and supply chains; preparing clinics and health workers to administer them; and sharing accurate information with communities so people understand and trust what they are receiving. Part of today’s funding will enable countries to use cutting-edge technology and delivery systems to plan and implement the rollout of vaccines. It will also support efforts to engage communities in the process to increase trust and improve communication about new COVID-19 interventions.

“Thanks to the ingenuity of the global scientific community, we are achieving the exciting medical breakthroughs needed to end the pandemic,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “We have new drugs and more potential vaccines than we could have expected at the start of the year. But these innovations will only save lives if they get out into the world.”

As the world prepares to embark on a global logistical challenge previously unmatched in scale and complexity, it can draw on the expertise of global organizations like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund, which have collaborated with governments to deliver vaccines, tests, and treatments against infectious diseases to people in lower-income countries for 20 years. “Fortunately, reaching people with lifesaving tools is something the world knows how to do,” said Melinda Gates.

“The next phase of fighting this pandemic will be much costlier than the initial development of safe and effective vaccines. Our commitment today is only a fraction of what is needed and will be focused on the areas where philanthropy can best add value,” said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “Every institution with a role to play has to be generous now. Multilateral organizations, national governments, companies, and philanthropies—we all must invest in making sure the tests, drugs, and vaccines reach as many people as possible.”

The total commitments include:
Today’s announcement brings the foundation’s total commitments to the global COVID-19 response to $1.75 billion. This draws from three sources, including new funding commitments above the foundation’s planned annual program budget; at-risk financing from the foundation’s Strategic Investment Fund; and a portion of funds channeled from foundation programs where grantees identified urgent needs or had unique expertise to mitigate the effects of the pandemic…

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID-19 Vaccines Regulatory Processes :: Announcements/Meeting Dates/Milestones

Week of 7 December 2020

09 December 2020
Health Canada authorizes first COVID-19 vaccine
…Health Canada received Pfizer’s submission on October 9, 2020 and after a thorough, independent review of the evidence, Health Canada has determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine meets the Department’s stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements for use in Canada….

09 December 2020
UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announces official registration of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine used in #4Humanity Trials
ABU DHABI, 9th December, 2020 (WAM) — The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention, MOHAP, has announced the official registration of Beijing Institute of Biological Product’s inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in a major step towards combating the global pandemic. The registration of this vaccine is a decision in response to the application from Sinopharm CNBG. The announcement is a significant vote of confidence by the UAE’s health authorities in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine.
MOHAP, in collaboration with Department of Health Abu Dhabi, DOH, has reviewed Sinopharm CNBG’s interim analysis of the phase III trials, which shows Beijing Institute of Biological Product’s inactivated vaccine to have 86 percent efficacy against COVID-19 infection. The analysis also shows the vaccine to have 99 percent seroconversion rate of neutralising antibody and 100 percent effectiveness in preventing moderate and severe cases of the disease. Furthermore, the analysis shows no serious safety concerns.
This vaccine was granted Emergency Use Authorisation, EUA, since September by MOHAP to protect frontline workers most at risk of COVID-19. The UAE is conducting Post Authorisation Safety Study, PASS, and Post Authorisation Efficacy Study, PAES, of its EUA programme. These ongoing studies show similar safety and efficacy profiles as the interim analysis.
The #4Humanity phase III trials have included 31,000 volunteers across 125 nationalities in the UAE alone. The EUA vaccination programme has effectively safeguarded the UAE frontline workers. MOHAP’s official registration of Beijing Institute of Biological Product’s inactivated COVID-19 vaccine leads the way to comprehensively protecting the population and responsibly opening the economy.

11 December 2020
EMA Public stakeholder meeting: development and authorisation of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in the EU
:: Documents
:: Video recording
Event summary
EMA held this virtual meeting to explain the processes for the development, evaluation, approval and safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines in the EU, including EMA’s specific role, to all interested parties.
The meeting also gave the opportunity to the public and stakeholder groups to speak and share their needs, expectations and any concerns. This feedback will be considered by EMA and the European medicines regulatory network in the decision-making process.
Please note that some issues of high public interest, such as patient access to COVID-19 vaccines and national vaccination campaigns, lie outside EMA’s remit and were not covered at this event.

12 December 2020
FDA Takes Key Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing Emergency Use Authorization for First COVID-19 Vaccine
Today, the FDA issued the first emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 16 years of age and older.

11-12 December 2020
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – CDC
:: Final Agenda – December 12, 2020 pdf icon[1 page]
:: Presentation Slides – December 11-12, 2020
Editor’s Note:
The ACIP approved recommendations for immunization involving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine. No official announcement language was posted as of publication time.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Week of 14 December 2020

17 December 2020 – Thursday – 0900-1800/New York
Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting
Meeting Agenda
Tthe Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research’s (CBER), Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet in open session to discuss Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the Moderna, Inc., COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals 18 years and older.
The online web conference meeting will be available at the following: 
https://fda.yorkcast.com/webcast/Play/5cf9198bcc0745769b39c699850945911d

18-20 December 2020 Times TBC
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – CDC
Emergency Meetings if indicated following VRBPAC Meeting on 17 December 2020.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

COVID-19 Vaccines :: Development/Procurement/Distribution/Logistics

Sanofi and GSK announce a delay in their adjuvanted recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine programme to improve immune response in the elderly
11 December 2020 Issued: London and Paris
:: Phase 1/2 interim results showed an immune response comparable to patients who recovered from COVID-19 in adults aged 18 to 49 years
:: Insufficient response in older adults demonstrates the need to refine the concentration of antigen in order to provide high-level immune response across all age groups
:: Companies plan a Phase 2b study with an improved antigen formulation
:: With support from BARDA as part of Operation Warp Speed, study to start in February 2021, including a proposed comparison with an authorised COVID-19 vaccine
:: Product availability now expected in Q4 2021 pending successful completion of the development plan

AstraZeneca will test using component of Russia’s Sputnik V in clinical trials of its own vaccine against coronavirus
Press release, 11.12.2020
[See Sputnik below for detail]

Pfizer and BioNTech Celebrate Historic First Authorization in the U.S. of Vaccine to Prevent COVID-19 [FDA]
December 11, 2020

U.S. Government Exercises 1st Option for Additional 100 Million Doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
December 11, 2020

Pfizer and BioNTech Receive FDA Advisory Committee Vote Supporting Potential First Emergency Use Authorization for Vaccine to Combat COVID-19 in the U.S.
December 10, 2020

Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Publication of Results from Landmark Phase 3 Trial of BNT162b2 COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in The New England Journal of Medicine
December 10, 2020

Moderna Announces First Participants Dosed in Phase 2/3 Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in Adolescents
December 10, 2020

Switzerland Exercises Increased Option for 7.5 Million Doses of mRNA Vaccine Against COVID-19 (mRNA-1273)
December 08, 2020

Canada Exercises Increased Option for Total of 40 Million Doses of mRNA Vaccine Candidate Against COVID-19 (mRNA-1273)
December 07, 2020

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Editor’s Note:
To better present a global view of COVID-19 vaccine development, regulatory review, procurement and deployment, we will present headlines from this site – which provides as its contact point the Russian Direct Investment Fund [RDIF – “Russia’s sovereign wealth fund”].

Sputnik V – “the first registered COVID-19 vaccine” [to 12 Dec 2020]
https://sputnikvaccine.com/newsroom/pressreleases/
Press Releases
AstraZeneca will test using component of Russia’s Sputnik V in clinical trials of its own vaccine against coronavirus
Press release, 11.12.2020
:: Sputnik V is one of the most effective vaccines globally with over 90% efficacy against coronavirus. The unique feature of the Russian vaccine is the use of two different components based on human adenovirus in two separate inoculations in order to deliver genetic material from the spike of the coronavirus into the human body. This approach provides for a stronger and longer-term immune response compared with vaccines using the same component for both inoculations.
:: On November 23, 2020, following results which showed high efficacy for the Sputnik V vaccine, RDIF and the Gamaleya Center offered AstraZeneca the use of one of the two components of the Sputnik V vaccine.
:: AstraZeneca accepted the proposal by RDIF and the Gamaleya Center to use one of the two vectors of the Sputnik V vaccine in additional clinical trials of its own vaccine, which will commence before the end of this year.

RDIF and Government of Argentina have signed a contract to supply 10 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine
Press release, 10.12.2020
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) and the Government of Argentina have agreed to supply to the country 10 million doses of Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus.
The vaccine will enable Argentina to secure a diversified portfolio of vaccines against coronavirus. Supplies of the vaccine will be facilitated by international partners of RDIF in India, China, South Korea and other countries…

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WHO, national regulators and vaccine manufacturers in South-East Asia Region discuss COVID-19 vaccines
11 December 2020
New Delhi: The World Health Organization, national regulatory authorities and vaccine manufacturers in WHO South-East Asia Region discussed fast tracking of COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Member countries.

“The vaccine manufacturing and regulatory sectors have a critical role to play in equitable and efficient deployment of vaccines,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, at the two-day virtual meeting that ended today.

The meeting deliberated processes and timelines to fast-track registration of COVID-19 vaccines in countries using the Emergency Use Listing procedures while comprehending the landscape of COVID-19 vaccine production in the Region.

Aimed at strengthening collaboration between national programmes, vaccine producers and regulators in the region for COVID-19 vaccine deployment, the meeting provided a platform for interaction and experience sharing for vaccine registration, deployment and regulation.

The Regional Director said all countries in the Region are now developing and finalizing national deployment and vaccination plans for COVID-19, of which regulatory preparedness is a core component.

Establishing expedited regulatory pathways for vaccine approval and adjusting regulatory pathways to the type of vaccine that is developed and filed for approval remains critical as emergency use authorization will precede full licensure, Dr Khetrapal Singh said.

While vaccine licensure systems may need to be modified, having standard operating procedures and stipulated timelines for emergency use authorization would be vital, she said.

The Regional Director emphasized on effective coordination, collaboration and information-sharing. From R&D to production, and from information on country readiness to post-marketing surveillance, manufacturers, regulators, policy-makers and planners must continue to work together to optimize and refine vaccine deployment.

“Countries in our Region are among the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers, and the vaccines produced here are likely to be administered to billions of people globally. I am certain that together, in solidarity with all people of the Region and world, you will effectively contribute to health and well-being of all,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said.

Key global and regional partners such as GAVI and UNICEF participated in the meeting. Among the vaccine manufacturers, from India Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Biological E Ltd, Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd,  Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and  Wockhardt Limited; from Indonesia Bio Farma Limited, and from Thailand  Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), Bionet Asia Co.Ltd and Siam Bioscience, participated in the meeting.

This was the second such meeting with vaccine manufacturers and regulators organized in WHO South East Asia Region, with the first held in April…

EMERGENCIES

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

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
Last update: 5 December 2020, 9:02 am GMT-5
Confirmed cases :: 69 808 588 [week ago: 65 257 767] [two weeks ago: 61 299 371]
Confirmed deaths :: 1 588 854 [week ago: 1 513 179] [two weeks ago: 1 439 784
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 220

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Weekly epidemiological update – 8 December 2020
Overview
Globally in the past week, cases of COVID-19 have remained at approximately 4 million new cases, while new deaths have continued to increase to over 73 000. This brings the cumulative numbers to over 65.8 million reported cases and 1.5 million deaths globally since the start of the pandemic.

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Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 09 December 2020
:: Aidan O’Leary appointed new WHO polio eradication director – Mr Aidan O’Leary will assume the responsibilities of Director for Polio Eradication at WHO, effective 1 January 2021. Mr O’Leary will succeed Mr Michel Zaffran, who will enter a well-deserved retirement end-February 2021.  Mr O’Leary is from Ireland and is currently Head of Office in Yemen for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He has served as the Chief of Polio Eradication in Pakistan for UNICEF and spent three years working in Afghanistan (between 2011 and 2014) as Head of Office, OCHA.  He has extensive experience in emergency settings, including in Iraq and Syria, where he also held the position of Head of Office for OCHA.

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and ES postitives):
:: Pakistan: five WPV1 positive environmental samples, six cVDPV2 cases and eight cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Central African Republic: one cVDPV2 case
:: Chad: nine cVDPV2 cases
:: Somalia: one cVDPV2 case

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Editor’s Note:
A number of country pages below did not load at inquiry.

WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 12 Dec 2020]

Democratic Republic of the Congo – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 12 Dec 2020]
Iraq
:: An increasing number of suicide cases in Ira q worries public health experts amid COVID-19 pandemic Baghdad Iraq, 9 December 2020 – The growing number of suicide cases in Iraq over the past years is a worrying public health concern that can no longer be ignored. If not addressed, it will keep taking a heavy toll on individuals and communities in the country…

Burkina Faso
:: L’OMS appuie la revue intra action de la riposte contre la COVID-19 au Burkina Faso
10 décembre 2020

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi Floods – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – No new digest announcements identified
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identifie

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 12 Dec 2020]

Kenya
:: Keeping to the universal health coverage path in Kenya 11 December 2020

Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified

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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Syrian Arab Republic: COVID-19 Response Update No. 13 – 9 December 2020

Yemen
:: Yemen Situation Report, 9 Dec 2020

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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
COVID-19
:: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update (8 December 2020)

East Africa Locust Infestation
:: Desert Locust situation update – 10 December 2020

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WHO & Regional Offices [to 12 Dec 2020]
11 December 2020 Departmental news
Call for Action: Managing the Infodemic
A global movement to promote access to health information and mitigate harm from health misinformation among online and offline communities

11 December 2020 Departmental news
Leading through example: Norway paves the way to ensure equal access to COVID-19 treatments and develops trailblazing flagship initiative on noncommunicable diseases

11 December 2020 News release
WHO, IFRC sign memorandum of understanding on emergency medical teams
The World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) today launched a new collaboration to strengthen the delivery of emergency medical and health services during humanitarian crises.

11 December 2020 Departmental news
New checklist supports schools to reopen and prepare for COVID-19 resurgences

10 December 2020 Statement
Statement from the ‘civil society’ track of the 3rd Global Infodemic Management Conference

9 December 2020 News release
WHO reveals leading causes of death and disability worldwide: 2000-2019
Noncommunicable diseases now make up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death, according to WHO’s 2019 Global Health Estimates, published today. This is an increase from 4 of the 10 leading causes in 2000. The new data cover the period from 2000 to 2019 inclusive.
The estimates reveal trends over the last 2 decades in mortality and morbidity caused by diseases and injuries. They clearly highlight the need for an intensified global focus on preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as tackling injuries, in all regions of the world, as set out in the agenda for the UN Sustainable Development Goals…

8 December 2020 News release
WHO launches year-long campaign to help 100 million people quit tobacco

8 December 2020 Departmental news
Strategic partnerships for global health: Luxembourg and WHO convene strategic dialogue

8 December 2020 Departmental news
Retention of the health workforce in rural and remote areas: a systematic review

7 December 2020 Departmental news
G20 First-time Released Report on Digital Health Interventions for Pandemic Management
The first G20 report in area of digital health, Report on Digital Health Implementation Approach to Pandemic Management, was announced in advent of the G20 Summit. This report promptly outlines digital health emergency responses landscape and proposed actions and implementation recommendations. WHO assumes leadership in multiple strategic recommendation areas in this report, and is committed to support countries to enhance capacity in leveraging digital intervention for emergency response through strengthened international collaboration…he report can be downloaded from digitalhealthtaskforce.org.

7 December 2020 Departmental news
WHO announces forthcoming updates on the systematic screening for tuberculosis

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Call for proposals : to publish a series of Market Information for Access (MI4A) reports in peer reviewed journals
Agenda, Policy and Strategy, department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, World Health Organization
8 December 2020

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Weekly Epidemiological Record, 11 December 2020, vol. 95, 50 (pp. 629–640)
Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases: numbers of people treated in 2019

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WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Keeping to the universal health coverage path in Kenya 11 December 2020

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: 11 December 2020 News release
WHO, national regulators and vaccine manufacturers in South-East Asia Region discuss COVID-19 vaccines
[See Milestones above for detail]

WHO European Region EURO
:: Youth perspectives in focus at high-level meeting on schooling during COVID-19 pandemic 11-12-2020
:: COVID-19: a stark reminder of the importance of universal health coverage 11-12-2020
:: Cities of the WHO European Region unite to stop COVID-19 and build a better urban life 10-12-2020
:: New data from WHO/Europe shows links between gender and noncommunicable diseases 09-12-2020
:: Italy: over 20% of children are overweight, says new report 09-12-2020
:: COVID-19 and influenza: sharing knowledge across WHO as Europe heads into winter 09-12-2020
:: Schooling in the time of COVID-19: Opening statement at high-level meeting on keeping schools open and protecting all children amid surging COVID-19 cases 08-12-2020
:: Turkey shielded its elderly from COVID-19 by protecting health workers in nursing homes 07-12-2020

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO Regional Director’s statement for virtual press briefing, 8 December
8 December 2020 – As winter starts across the Region, the pandemic continues to take a worrying course. A few countries have made progress in controlling the outbreak, while others are still seeing unprecedented increases in the number of cases, and sometimes even the number of deaths. Following a sharp increase in the number of cases over the past few week, Islamic…
:: Islamic Advisory Group reiterates commitment to polio eradication amid COVID-19 pandemic
7 December 2020, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ‒ The Islamic Advisory Group for Polio Eradication (IAG) in its seventh annual meeting acknowledged the unprecedented challenges to polio eradication posed by the disruptions to health care delivery, including to routine immunization and polio vaccination campaigns, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The IAG noted with concern that children were becoming increasingly…

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified

CDC/ACIP [to 12 Dec 2020]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases, Announcements
CDC expands local area health estimates to include data for the entire U.S. New PLACES data help inform local health decisions
Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Selected Resources
:: Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination
Saturday, December 12, 2020

:: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Interim Recommendation for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine – United States, 2020
Thursday, December 10, 2020