Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
BARDA News
No new digest content identified.

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 28 Nov 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 28 Nov 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 28 Nov 2020]
https://carb-x.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
The Republic of Korea provides US $9 million contribution to CEPI to advance vaccine development and prepare for future outbreaks
The financial contribution was announced at a virtual signing ceremony attended by Ambassador Nam, Head of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Norway, and CEPI CEO, Dr. Richard Hatchett.
COVID-19 25 Nov 2020

Ensuring safety of COVID-19 vaccines
Dr Robert Chen, leading vaccine-safety expert, discusses the importance of safety monitoring for COVID-19 vaccines
COVAX 24 Nov 2020

Indonesia donates US $1 million to further CEPI’s vaccine research and combat epidemic threats
The financial contribution will further vaccine programmes against CEPI’s target diseases.
COVAX 24 Nov 2020

CEPI welcomes University of Oxford / AstraZeneca encouraging interim COVID-19 vaccine efficacy data
“It is terrific to see another approach to vaccine development also yielding such positive findings on an interim analysis,” says CEPI CEO, Richard Hatchett.
23 Nov 2020

EDCTP [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.edctp.org/
The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as well as other poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on phase II and III clinical trials
Latest news
24 November 2020
Largest clinical trial in Africa to treat mild to moderate COVID-19 patients launched in 13 countries
Thirteen African countries and an international network of research institutions have joined forces to launch the largest clinical trial in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 outpatients in Africa. The ANTICOV clinical trial aims to identify treatments for these cases and thus to contribute to the prevention of spikes in hospitalisation that could overwhelm health systems in Africa.*

The trial will be conducted by the ANTICOV consortium. It includes 26 prominent African and global R&D organisations. It is coordinated by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).

Funding
Major funding for the ANTICOV consortium is provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and by the global health agency Unitaid. Early support to launch the initiative was provided by EDCTP under its Covid-19 Emergency call with additional funding from the Swedish government, and the Starr International Foundation, Switzerland. This funding contributed to finalising the study protocol and facilitating expedited reviews by in-country regulatory and ethics authorities. It also supported the timely preparation of trial sites in selected African countries and a robust, standardised data management system.

Study approach
ANTICOV clinical trials will be carried out at 19 sites in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sudan, and Uganda. The study is an open-label, randomised, comparative, ‘adaptive platform trial’ that will test the safety and efficacy of treatments in 2,000 to 3,000 mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients. The adaptive platform trial is an innovative type of clinical trial pioneered for cancer drugs. It allows for several treatments to be tested simultaneously. Adaptive platform trials enable rapid decisions based on the ongoing analysis of results.

The study will begin testing, against a control arm, the HIV antiretroviral combination lopinavir/ritonavir and the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which remains the standard of care for COVID-19 today in numerous African countries.

All clinical trial data generated by ANTICOV will be integrated and shared openly and transparently to inform public health policy. Every effort will be made to work with all relevant partners to ensure that treatments that prove safe and effective will be affordable, available, and accessible for all…

Emory Vaccine Center [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
News: Global regulators urge continuation of COVID-19 vaccine trials for longer-term safety and efficacy follow-up
Last updated: 27/11/2020

News: Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 23-26 November 2020
PRAC, Last updated: 27/11/2020

News: Call for expressions of interest for Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) members positions representing patient organisations
COMP, Last updated: 24/11/2020

News: Workshop on regulatory support for development of orphan medicines
COMP, Last updated: 23/11/2020
On Monday, 30 November, EMA is hosting a workshop to discuss the benefits and impact of early regulatory interactions and incentives for the development of medicines for rare diseases.

European Vaccine Initiative [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
Nov 16, 2020
RICH Symposium on “Research Infrastructures as Engines for Maximising Impact of Horizon Europe
The RICH Symposium on “Research Infrastructures as Engines for Maximising Impact of Horizon Europe” brought together around 180 participants in the session dedicated to Health & Food. Speakers -including representatives from the European Commission and different Research Infrastructures initiatives- shared their views and expectations regarding how Research Infrastructures could become key components of the Horizon Europe Missions and other parts of the upcoming framework programme…

FDA [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements /Selected Details
November 25, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Issues New Policy on Dry Heat for Reuse of Certain Respirators

November 24, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: November 24, 2020
…Also today, the FDA posted two templates with recommendations on what to include in EUA requests for serology tests. These templates provide the FDA’s current recommendations on what data and information should be submitted to the FDA in support of an EUA request or Pre-EUA submission for a SARS-CoV-2 antibody test or home specimen collection devices using dried blood spot. The ..FDA, but alternative approaches can be used…

November 23, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: November 23, 2020
…The FDA also recently posted a new infographic, The Path for a COVID-19 Vaccine from Research to Emergency Use Authorization, to explain a potential pathway for vaccines.

November 23, 2020 – FDA Expands Approval of Influenza Treatment to Post-Exposure Prevention
…“This expanded indication for Xofluza will provide an important option to help prevent influenza just in time for a flu season that is anticipated to be unlike any other because it will coincide with the coronavirus pandemic,” said Debra Birnkrant, M.D., director of the Division of Antiviral Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Americans will have to be more vigilant than ever as these viruses spread concurrently.”…

November 21, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Authorizes Monoclonal Antibodies for Treatment of COVID-19
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for casirivimab and imdevimab to be administered together for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years of age or older weighing at least 40 kilograms [about 88 pounds]) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing and who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19. This includes those who are 65 years of age or older or who have certain chronic medical conditions.
…“The FDA remains committed to advancing the nation’s public health during this unprecedented pandemic. Authorizing these monoclonal antibody therapies may help outpatients avoid hospitalization and alleviate the burden on our health care system,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. “As part of our Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program, the FDA uses every possible pathway to make new treatments available to patients as quickly as possible while continuing to study the safety and effectiveness of these treatments.”
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses. Casirivimab and imdevimab are monoclonal antibodies that are specifically directed against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, designed to block the virus’ attachment and entry into human cells.
“The emergency authorization of these monoclonal antibodies administered together offers health care providers another tool in combating the pandemic,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We will continue to facilitate the development, evaluation and availability of COVID-19 therapies.”…

FDA – COVID-19 Vaccines [to 28 Nov 2020]
www.fda.gov/covid19vaccines
Upcoming Events
Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee
12/10/2020
The FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) will meet in open session to discuss Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older.

Fondation Merieux [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
Mérieux Foundation co-organized event
7th Meeting of the GTFCC Working Group on Oral Cholera Vaccine Webinars
November 19 – December 10, 2020 – Webinars

Gavi [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.gavi.org/
News releases
24 November 2020
Gavi and IOM join forces to improve immunisation coverage for migrants
Memorandum of understanding signed today will strengthen collaboration on vaccination efforts and related health services for migrants and forcibly displaced persons across the world
[See Milestones above for detail]

24 November 2020
Gavi statement on AstraZeneca/Oxford interim efficacy data

GHIT Fund [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 2012 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that No new digest content identified.

Global Fund [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News
44th Board Meeting Documents

26 November 2020
The Board of the Global Fund held its Forty-Fourth Meeting on 11-12 November 2020. Documents from the meeting are now available on the 44th Board Meeting page.

COVID-19 Situation Report
24 November 2020
A new issue of the COVID-19 Situation Report is available: Situation Report – 24 November 2020 download in English

Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness [GloPID-R] [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.glopid-r.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
Press Releases
Special Issue 3: Interim Efficacy Results Reported for Third COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
Nov 23, 2020
By Wayne Koff, Ph.D.
President & CEO
AstraZeneca announced results today from an interim analysis of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate that indicate the vaccine is 70% effective on average, according to an ongoing Phase III trial in the U.K. and Brazil. The vaccine candidate is the first of the viral vector platform vaccines to demonstrate efficacy, using an adenovirus that commonly infects chimpanzees to express the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein. This vaccine was developed in partnership with Oxford University and its spin-off Vaccitech. Both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna recently released interim efficacy results for their vaccine candidates, both of which are based on mRNA strategies for delivering vaccine antigens

IAVI [to 28 Nov 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
Statement on continuation of vaccine trials
Undated – presume week of 23 Nov 2020
[See COVID-19 Vaccine Development above for detail]

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 28 Nov 2020]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Asia Pacific, Philippines
Typhoon crisis: 305,000 houses wrecked in Philippines
Kuala Lumpur/Manila/Geneva, 26 November 2020 – Consecutive, devastating typhoons in the Philippines have laid the foundations for a long-term humanitarian crisis as more than 305,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed according to humanitarian assess …
26 November 2020

Africa, Ethiopia, Sudan
Sudan: Red Crescent ramps up operation as influx of Ethiopian refugees grows
Khartoum/Nairobi/Geneva, 23 November 2020 – The Sudanese Red Crescent Society has scaled up its operation at the border with Ethiopia to support the growing number of Ethiopian refugees coming into the country. Since fighting began in Ethiopia’s Tigray …
24 November 2020

Institut Pasteur [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.pasteur.fr/en/press-area
Press documents
Press Info
19.11.2020
COVID-19: neutralizing immune response lasts longer in women than in men
As part of the SEROCoV-HUS study, teams from Strasbourg University Hospital and the Institut Pasteur monitored 308 hospital staff who had previously contracted a mild form of SARS-CoV-2. The scientists demonstrated that neutralizing antibodies could be detected in 84% of them up to 6 months after infection, but that the level fell more quickly in men than in women. These results seem to suggest that immunity lasts longer in women than in men. The study was published as a preprint on the MedRxiv website.

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index
Media highlights [Selected]
Statement
As tensions rise in Mekelle, Ethiopia, IRC warns of impending humanitarian disaster
November 27, 2020

Press Release
IRC welcomes President-Elect Biden’s foreign policy team, urges pressing humanitarian action
November 23, 2020

Press Release
Humanitarian needs in Afghanistan skyrocket amid unrelenting violence and the pandemic; ahead of peace conference, IRC calls on international community to increase funding and push for peace
November 23, 2020

IVAC [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates; Events
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News, Announcements, Events
IVI, ROK’s GDEF join forces to provide OCV vaccination to 540,000 people at risk of cholera in Nepal and Mozambique
GDEF’s US$8.05 million grant to support ECHO projects to prevent and control cholera and contribute to ‘Ending Cholera—A Global Roadmap to 2030’   The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Republic of Korea’s Global Disease Eradication Fund (GDEF) have agreed to conduct joint projects to […] 11/26/2020

IVI and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador exchange MOU to pursue global health research & development
November 24, 2020, SEOUL, Republic of Korea — The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador exchanged a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today at IVI headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea to explore areas of collaboration in […]
11/24/2020

LG Electronics, IVI join forces to conduct a ‘cholera vaccination and prevention project’ in Ethiopia
Project to provide vaccination for 40,000 residents in areas at risk of cholera and establish disease monitoring system with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health through the Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) To contribute to health authorities in policymaking for disease prevention by investigating waterborne diseases […]
11/24/2020

JEE Alliance [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Sudan
MSF providing medical care and assistance in Sudan to people fleein…
Project Update 27 Nov 2020

Iraq
Displaced people in Iraq’s Laylan camp express fears as camp …
Press Release 24 Nov 2020

Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic
Staff entry restrictions forces MSF to withdraw from COVID-19 response in Venezuela hospital
:: Entry and work permit restrictions for MSF international staff in Venezuela have made it difficult to continue our work on COVID-19.
:: As a result, MSF has been forced to withdraw from the coronavirus COVID-19 response in the Ana Francisca Pérez de León II hospital, Caracas.
:: MSF urges Venezuelan authorities to facilitate the entry of essential international staff into Venezuela to ensure high-level care in the COVID-19 response.

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
Upcoming Meetings
December 4, 2020 NVAC Meeting (Virtual)
[See COVID Vaccines Regulatory Meetings/Milestones above]

NIH [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
News Releases
Fourth iteration of COVID-19 treatment trial underway
November 25, 2020 — Study will enroll hospitalized adults with COVID-19 who require supplemental oxygen.

Commonly used antibiotic shows promise for combating Zika infections
November 24, 2020 — NIH preclinical study suggests FDA-approved tetracycline-based antibiotics may slow infection and reduce neurological problems.

PATH [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Press Release
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
27 November 2020
Study shows how COVID-19 is impacting access to HIV care in the Russian Federation

25 November 2020
New awareness campaign on gender-based violence in the Middle East and North Africa

24 November 2020
Turning around the HIV response in Odessa

23 November 2020
Condom use declining

UNICEF [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press releases, Statements
Statement
11/25/2020
Threat of further escalation in Mekelle, Ethiopia, puts children’s lives at risk
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore

Press release
11/25/2020
320,000 children and adolescents newly infected with HIV in 2019, 1 every 100 seconds – UNICEF
UNICEF warns of COVID-19 disruptions to HIV service delivery in one third of high burden countries

News note
11/23/2020
COVAX Update: UNICEF working with global airlines and freight providers to plan delivery of COVID-19 vaccines
UNICEF kickstarts discussions with over 350 logistics organizations to step up delivery plans for eventual COVID-19 vaccines
[See COVID Logistics above for details]

Statement
11/23/2020
Millions of children’s lives at high risk as Yemen inches towards famine
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore

Unitaid [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
24 November 2020
Unitaid supports ANTICOV, an adaptative platform trial in Africa to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19
Geneva –  Unitaid has come together with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the KfW Development Bank to invest in a ground-breaking clinical trial of COVID-19 medicines that are adapted to the needs of low-and middle-income countries.
This innovative trial named ANTICOV will cover 13 countries across Africa and be implemented by a consortium of partners led by Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) including 26 African and global research and development organizations.
It seeks to identify treatments that prevent patients with mild to moderate symptoms from progressing to severe disease, thereby reducing transmission of the virus and the need for hospitalisation.
Both outcomes are particularly important in countries with weaker health systems and where quarantine is difficult to implement. Importantly, ANTICOV will look at treatment options for vulnerable people, such as those with coinfections including HIV, TB and malaria.
Most research into COVID-19 medicines is taking place in high-income countries, thereby limiting the development and relevant testing of products adapted to lower-income settings.
Dr. Philippe Duneton, Unitaid’s Executive Director said: “ANTICOV is an important platform to facilitate clinical trials for treatments for COVID-19 in low-resource settings. This is recognised as a key issue by the ACT-A Therapeutics partnership led by Unitaid and Wellcome and will help enable equitable access to medicines against COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid is pleased to support this important project.”
The trial will evaluate affordable treatments that are already in the market and can be quickly deployed on a large scale. The ultimate goal is to put forward candidate medicines for treatment of mild COVID-19 disease, inform WHO recommendations with conclusive evidence, and support policy change towards test-and-treat strategies for the virus across low- and middle-income countries…

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Research and Reports
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
News
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
No new digest content identified.

The Wistar Institute [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
Producing a Safe and Effective Vaccine: Align Public Health Needs with Economic & Social Development Objectives
Nov 25, 2020
Producing a Safe and Effective Vaccine: Align Public Health Needs with Economic & Social Development Objectives Webinar recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIYiXfI0YIo&t=498s

Sheila Tlou Joins Our International Immunization Policy Task Force!
Nov 24, 2020
Sheila Tlou Joins Our International Immunization Policy Task Force! A warm welcome to Prof. Sheila Dinotshe Tlou Co-Chair of The Global HIV Prevention Coalition & Nursing Now on joining WFPHA’s International Immunization Policy Task Force of key…

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2020/
No new digest content identified.

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
Press Releases
ARM Responds to EU Pharmaceutical Strategy
November 25, 2020 Washington, DC
The EU Pharmaceutical Strategy recognizes cell and gene therapies as ‘major milestones’ of progress in healthcare, which can durably treat or even cure the most challenging diseases. We are reviewing today’s strategy document in detail and believe that innovative regulatory and payment policies are crucial to ensuring patient access to these transformative therapies. We look forward to engaging with the European Commission and other stakeholders to develop a conducive, holistic environment for advanced therapies and the life-changing benefits they bring to patients.

BIO [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://internationalbiotech.org/news/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
PhRMA CAREs Grant request for proposals: Addressing racial disparities in medication utilization and adherence
November 24, 2020
Systemic racism is as real as any disease, and our industry is not immune. This summer, in the wake of a national outcry for racial and social justice, our industry offered a firm stance – systemic racism is a disease. As a pharmacist and public health researcher whose motivation stems from advancing health equity – this statement makes me ponder the question, how can our industry help break the harmful patterns of racial inequities?

Press Release
PhRMA Names Debra DeShong Executive Vice President of Public Affairs
November 23, 2020
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) today named Debra DeShong as executive vice president of public affairs. DeShong will assume the role in mid-December.

Press Release
Committing to diversity, equity and inclusion: A call to action for clinical trials
November 19, 2020
Guest post from Dr. Barbara Bierer, faculty director of the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard (MRCT Center), a Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston and a hematologist/oncologist.
The COVID-19 pandemic is the worst public health emergency the world has encountered in over a century and one that has universally impacted the social, political, economic and medical fabric of our lives; it has also exposed significant and systemic health disparities in health care. The disproportionate rates of infection and of disease-related mortality of people of color have been well-documented. Given these disparities, it is critical that trials for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics ensure diverse participation. The few exceptions that have been reported, however, prove that recruitment and retention of underserved populations is possible with effort, planning and intentionality of purpose…
…This week PhRMA published a strong statement embracing equity, denouncing racism and putting forth actionable commitments endorsed by its member companies. PhRMA has expanded its Principles on Conduct of Clinical Trials to emphasize and strengthen the commitment to diverse inclusion in clinical trials. The MRCT Center applauds the seriousness with which the problem of health inequities is being addressed, including the call for investments in workforce development and professional opportunities, in changes in trial design and conduct, in community engagement and partnership, in education and in infrastructure. None of these initiatives will succeed, however, unless we appreciate our interdependencies and common interests. We are all and each responsible and must stand together for change.

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

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 28 Nov 2020)

A simple clinical score to identify likely hepatitis B vaccination non-responders – data from a retrospective single center study
About 10% of Hepatitis B vaccinated individuals mount no protective antibody levels against the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs-Ag). Older age at primary immunization, obesity and smoking have previously been…
Authors: Marc A. Meier and Christoph T. Berger
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2020 20:891
Content type: Research article
Published on: 25 November 2020

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 28 Nov 2020)

Moral structuring of children during the process of obtaining informed consent in clinical and research settings
Informed consent is an important factor in a child’s moral structure from which different types of doctor–patient relationships arise. Children’s autonomy is currently under discussion in terms of their decent treatment, beyond what doctors and researchers perceive. To describe the influential practices that exist among clinicians and researchers toward children with chronic diseases during the process of obtaining informed consent.
Authors: Anderson Díaz-Pérez, Elkin Navarro Quiroz and Dilia Esther Aparicio Marenco
Content type: Research article
25 November 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 28 Nov 2020)

Predictors of immunization coverage among 12–23 month old children in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis
Immunization is one of modern medicine’s greatest achievements in the last three decades. Annually it can prevent nearly 2 to 3 million deaths. Understanding the determinants of effective immunization coverage…
Authors: Tahir Yousuf Nour, Alinoor Mohamed Farah, Omer Moelin Ali, Mohamed Omar Osman, Mowlid Akil Aden and Kalkidan Hassen Abate
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1803
Content type: Research article
Published on: 26 November 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 28 Nov 2020)

Willingness of female sex workers in Kampala, Uganda to participate in future HIV vaccine trials: a case control study
We anticipate large efficacy trials of novel HIV vaccines that have shown acceptable safety profiles. We determined willingness to participate (WTP) in future HIV vaccine efficacy trials among HIV negative fem…
Authors: Yunia Mayanja, Andrew Abaasa, Gertrude Namale, Matt A. Price and Anatoli Kamali
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1789
Content type: Research article
Published on: 25 November 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 28 Nov 2020)

The role of the media on maternal confidence in provider HPV recommendation
Despite a growing understanding of the importance of provider HPV recommendation on parental acceptance, U.S. HPV vaccination rates remain suboptimal. Given the prevalence and use of the media for health decis…
Authors: Kimberly K. Walker, Heather Owens and Gregory Zimet
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1765
Content type: Research article
Published on: 23 November 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 28 Nov 2020)

Personality and individual attitudes toward vaccination: a nationally representative survey in the United States
Although past studies have identified factors associated with individual perceptions of vaccination, limited attention has been paid to the role of personality in individual attitudes toward vaccination. This
Authors: Fang-Yu Lin and Ching-Hsing Wang
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1759
Content type: Research article
Published on: 23 November 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 28 Nov 2020)

Geographic location of health facility and immunization program performance in Hoima district, western Uganda: a health facility level assessment
Globally, immunization coverage for childhood vaccines is below the immunization target of achieving at least 90% coverage with the pentavalent vaccine. In Uganda, a recent survey shows 80% of districts had po…
Authors: Nicholas Kwikiriza Magambo, Francis Bajunirwe and Fred Bagenda
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1764
Content type: Research article
Published on: 23 November 2020

Conflict and Health
http://www.conflictandhealth.com/
[Accessed 28 Nov 2020]

Considerations for planning COVID-19 treatment services in humanitarian responses
The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to cause high morbidity and mortality in crisis-affected populations. Delivering COVID-19 treatment services in crisis settings will likely entail complex trade-offs bet…
Authors: Sylvia Garry, Nada Abdelmagid, Louisa Baxter, Natalie Roberts, Olivier le Polain de Waroux, Sharif Ismail, Ruwan Ratnayake, Caroline Favas, Elizabeth Lewis and Francesco Checchi
Citation: Conflict and Health 2020 14:80
Content type: Research in practice
Published on: 25 November 2020

Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 28 Nov 2020]

Research Article metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
Ripple effects of research capacity strengthening: a study of the effects of a project to support test facilities in three African countries towards Good Laboratory Practice certification [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Sara Begg, Alexandra Wright, Graham Small, Diabate Abdoulaye, William Kisinza, Benjamin Koudou, Sarah Moore, Franklin Mosha, Constant Edi, Matthew Kirby, Patrick Kija, Robert Malima, Jason Moore, Imelda Bates
Peer Reviewers Invited
Funder
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
PUBLISHED 27 Nov 2020

Health Policy and Planning
Volume 35, Issue Supplement_1, November 2020
https://academic.oup.com/heapol/issue/35/Supplement_1

SUPPLEMENT
Health policy and systems research mentoring: Supporting early career women in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Supporting early-career mentorship for women in Health Policy and Systems Research: a vital input to building the field
Aku Kwamie, Nanuka Jalaghonia
Health Policy and Planning, Volume 35, Issue Supplement_1, November 2020, Pages i4–i6, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaa105

Health Policy and Planning
Volume 35, Issue Supplement_1, November 2020
https://academic.oup.com/heapol/issue/35/Supplement_1

Factors associated with the utilization of inactivated polio vaccine among children aged 12 to 23 months in Kalungu District, Uganda
Mirembe Rachel Faith, Babirye Juliet, Nathan Tumuhamye, Tumwebaze Mathias, Emma Sacks
Health Policy and Planning, Volume 35, Issue Supplement_1, November 2020, Pages i30–i37, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaa099

Health Policy and Planning
Volume 35, Issue Supplement_1, November 2020
https://academic.oup.com/heapol/issue/35/Supplement_1

Do social accountability approaches work? A review of the literature from selected low- and middle-income countries in the WHO South-East Asia region
Nahitun Naher, Dina Balabanova, Eleanor Hutchinson, Robert Marten, Roksana Hoque …
Health Policy and Planning, Volume 35, Issue Supplement_1, November 2020, Pages i76–i96, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaa107

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 Infectious Diseases
November 2020 Volume 100 p1-512
https://www.ijidonline.com/current

Original Reports
Characterizing mothers and children at risk of being under-immunized in India: A latent class analysis approach
Taylor A. Holroyd, Brian Wahl, Madhu Gupta,…Daniel J. Erchick, Mathuram Santosham,
Rupali J. Limaye
Published online: August 26, 2020
p59-66

JAMA
November 24, 2020, Vol 324, No. 20, Pages 2013-2114
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Research Letter
COVID-19 and Excess All-Cause Mortality in the US and 18 Comparison Countries
Alyssa Bilinski, MSc; Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(20):2100-2102. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.20717
This Viewpoint compares the COVID-19 per capita overall and excess mortality rates in the US vs that of 18 OECD countries and the timing of any increases in excess mortality between February and September 2020.

JAMA
November 24, 2020, Vol 324, No. 20, Pages 2013-2114
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Viewpoint
Is It Lawful and Ethical to Prioritize Racial Minorities for COVID-19 Vaccines?
Harald Schmidt, PhD; Lawrence O. Gostin, JD; Michelle A. Williams, ScD
free access has active quiz has multimedia has audio
JAMA. 2020;324(20):2023-2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.20571
This Viewpoint considers how COVID-19 vaccines can be distributed strategically, ethically, and legally given conflicts between consensus public health recommendations to prioritize allocation to disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities and laws discouraging explicit consideration of race in policy decisions.

JAMA
November 24, 2020, Vol 324, No. 20, Pages 2013-2114
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Scientific and Ethical Principles Underlying Recommendations From the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation
Beth P. Bell, MD, MPH; José R. Romero, MD; Grace M. Lee, MD, MPH
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(20):2025-2026. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.20847
This Viewpoint summarizes the principles guiding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a nongovernment advisory standing committee that counsels the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on US population vaccine use, emphasizing that any final recommendations await phase 3 safety and efficacy data from ongoing trials.

JAMA
November 24, 2020, Vol 324, No. 20, Pages 2013-2114
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Answering Key Questions About COVID-19 Vaccines
Jesse L. Goodman, MD, MPH; John D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD; M. Miles Braun, MD, MPH
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(20):2027-2028. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.20590
This Viewpoint offers provisional answers to common questions the public will have about approved COVID-19 vaccines, including what they can expect regarding its effectiveness and safety, trustworthiness of the approval process, and whether society can return to normal once sufficient numbers of people are immunized.

JAMA
November 24, 2020, Vol 324, No. 20, Pages 2013-2114
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Herd Immunity and Implications for SARS-CoV-2 Control
Saad B. Omer, MBBS, MPH, PhD; Inci Yildirim, MD, PhD, MSc; Howard P. Forman, MD, MBA
free access has active quiz has multimedia has audio
JAMA. 2020;324(20):2095-2096. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.20892
This JAMA Insights Clinical Update discusses herd immunity in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and explains the herd immunity threshold as a function of transmissibility (R0), the role of an effective vaccine and vaccination program in sustaining herd immunity, and the risks of an infection-based herd immunity approach.

Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 4 Pages: 251-324 November 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17565391/current

EDITORIAL
Evidence synthesis and methodological research on evidence in medicine—Why it really is research and it really is medicine
Livia Puljak
Pages: 253-254
First Published: 03 November 2020

Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 4 Pages: 251-324 November 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17565391/current

REVIEWS
Analytics with artificial intelligence to advance the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome
Zhongheng Zhang et al
Pages: 301-312
First Published: 13 November 2020
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) has found its way into clinical studies in the era of big data. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or acute lung injury (ALI) is a clinical syndrome that encompasses a heterogeneous population. Management of such heterogeneous patient population is a big challenge for clinicians. With accumulating ALI datasets being publicly available, more knowledge could be discovered with sophisticated analytics. We reviewed literatures with big data analytics to understand the role of AI for improving the caring of patients with ALI/ARDS. Many studies have utilized the electronic medical records (EMR) data for the identification and prognostication of ARDS patients. As increasing number of ARDS clinical trials data is open to public, secondary analysis on these combined datasets provide a powerful way of finding solution to clinical questions with a new perspective. AI techniques such as Classification and Regression Tree (CART) and artificial neural networks (ANN) have also been successfully used in the investigation of ARDS problems. Individualized treatment of ARDS could be implemented with a support from AI as we are now able to classify ARDS into many subphenotypes by unsupervised machine learning algorithms. Interestingly, these subphenotypes show different responses to a certain intervention. However, current analytics involving ARDS have not fully incorporated information from omics such as transcriptome, proteomics, daily activities and environmental conditions. AI technology is assisting us to interpret complex data of ARDS patients and enable us to further improve the management of ARDS patients in future with individual treatment plans.

The Lancet
Nov 28, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10264 p1703-1776
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
Maintaining the HIV response in a world shaped by COVID-19
The Lancet

The Lancet
Nov 28, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10264 p1703-1776
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Comment
Emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccines: lessons from Ebola
Maxwell J Smith, Samuel Ujewe, Rachel Katz, Ross E G Upshur
Russia and China have begun COVID-19 vaccinations outside of clinical trials. This move has been met with widespread criticism because the safety profiles of these candidate COVID-19 vaccines remain uncertain without data from phase 3 trials.^1,2 Emergency use authorisations—a regulatory mechanism that enables the public to gain access to promising investigational medical products when those products have not yet received regulatory approval and licensure³ —have previously been used for unlicensed vaccines in public health emergencies and can be ethically justified provided that certain conditions are met. So why have the actions of Russia and China drawn such criticism? And how can other national regulatory authorities ensure future emergency use authorisations for COVID-19 vaccines are issued in a way that is scientifically and ethically sound? Experience of emergency use authorisations for investigational Ebola virus vaccines in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can elucidate key lessons that can guide ethical emergency use authorisations for COVID-19 vaccines…

Nature
Volume 587 Issue 7835, 26 November 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Editorial | 25 November 2020
UNESCO must reform to stay relevant — and reconnect people through science
At 75, the UN agency with a focus on science cooperation is fighting for its future role.

Nature
Volume 587 Issue 7835, 26 November 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Editorial | 24 November 2020
The COVID vaccine challenges that lie ahead
As positive results emerge at last, researchers must help the world to address vaccine hesitancy, supply logistics and pricing.

New England Journal of Medicine
November 26, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 22
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Perspective
Banning Genetic Discrimination in Life Insurance — Time to Follow Florida’s Lead
Mark A. Rothstein, J.D.,
and Kyle B. Brothers, M.D., Ph.D.
Fear of discrimination by life insurance companies has been an obstacle to progress in the use of genetic technologies in medicine and research. A new Florida law will allow residents to undergo genetic testing without fear of the financial consequences of results.

New England Journal of Medicine
November 26, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 22
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Perspective
Trustworthiness before Trust — Covid-19 Vaccine Trials and the Black Community
Rueben C. Warren, D.D.S., Dr.P.H., M.Div., Lachlan Forrow, M.D., David Augustin Hodge, Sr., D.Min., Ph.D., and Robert D. Truog, M.D.
… What are the barriers to greater participation of Black people in Covid-19 trials? Although they are multiple, a critical factor is the deep and justified lack of trust that many Black Americans have for the health care system in general and clinical research in particular. This distrust is often traced to the legacy of the infamous syphilis study at Tuskegee, in which investigators withheld treatment from hundreds of Black men in order to study the natural history of the disease. But the distrust is far more deeply rooted, in centuries of well-documented examples of racist exploitation by American physicians and researchers.²

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/

Research Article
Hepatitis B vaccination status and knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding Hepatitis B among preclinical medical students of a medical college in Nepal
Dhan Bahadur Shrestha, Manita Khadka, Manoj Khadka, Prarthana Subedi, Subashchandra Pokharel, Bikash Bikram Thapa
Research Article | published 23 Nov 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242658

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

Articles
Ethics in field experimentation: A call to establish new standards to protect the public from unwanted manipulation and real harms
Rose McDermott and Peter K. Hatemi
PNAS first published November 23, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012021117
Abstract
In 1966, Henry Beecher published his foundational paper “Ethics and Clinical Research,” bringing to light unethical experiments that were routinely being conducted by leading universities and government agencies. A common theme was the lack of voluntary consent. Research regulations surrounding laboratory experiments flourished after his work. More than half a century later, we seek to follow in his footsteps and identify a new domain of risk to the public: certain types of field experiments. The nature of experimental research has changed greatly since the Belmont Report. Due in part to technological advances including social media, experimenters now target and affect whole societies, releasing interventions into a living public, often without sufficient review or controls. A large number of social science field experiments do not reflect compliance with current ethical and legal requirements that govern research with human participants. Real-world interventions are being conducted without consent or notice to the public they affect. Follow-ups and debriefing are routinely not being undertaken with the populations that experimenters injure. Importantly, even when ethical research guidelines are followed, researchers are following principles developed for experiments in controlled settings, with little assessment or protection for the wider societies within which individuals are embedded. We strive to improve the ethics of future work by advocating the creation of new norms, illustrating classes of field experiments where scholars do not appear to have recognized the ways such research circumvents ethical standards by putting people, including those outside the manipulated group, into harm’s way.

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

The science of deep learning
Richard Baraniuk, David Donoho, and Matan Gavish
PNAS first published November 23, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2020596117

Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH)
https://www.paho.org/journal/en

Latest articles
23 Nov 2020
Open public health: the way not to leave anyone behind
Opinion and analysis | Spanish |

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 51 Pages 8055-8246 (3 December 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/51

Discussion No access
Vaccine mandates in the US and Australia: balancing benefits and burdens for children and physicians
Mark C. Navin, Margie Danchin
Pages 8075-8077

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 51 Pages 8055-8246 (3 December 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/51

Research article Full text access
The demand for a COVID-19 vaccine in Ecuador
Oscar Sarasty, Carlos E. Carpio, Darren Hudson, Patricia A. Guerrero-Ochoa, Ivan Borja
Pages 8090-8098

Vaccines — Open Access Journal
http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
(Accessed 28 Nov 2020)

Open Access Article
The Magnitude and Determinants of Missed Opportunities for Childhood Vaccination in South Africa
by Duduzile Ndwandwe et al
Vaccines 2020, 8(4), 705; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8040705 – 25 Nov 2020
Viewed by 160
Abstract
Missed opportunities for vaccination (MOV) may be among the factors responsible for suboptimal vaccination coverage in South Africa. However, the magnitude and determinants of MOV in the country are not known. Thus, this study seeks to assess the prevalence and determinants of MOV […]

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 28 Nov 2020
Ideas
Your Individually Rational Choice Is Collectively Disastrous
Stopping the virus from spreading requires us to override our basic intuitions.
November 24, 2020
Yascha Mounk
.. Many factors help explain America’s abject failure to contain the pandemic. A good number of them can be traced back to Donald Trump. But many democracies with able leaders, such as Germany and Canada, are also struggling to contain the virus, so pointing to the president’s lies and incompetence isn’t sufficient.
One major problem is that stopping the virus from spreading requires us to override our basic intuitions. Three cognitive biases make it hard for us to avoid actions that put us in great collective danger…

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
United States Nov 28th 2020 edition
America will be the first country to roll out a covid-19 vaccine
Here is how the federal government and states plan to do it

Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
Coronavirus treatment
UK set to approve Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine within days
…The UK is poised to become the first western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, with the independent regulator set to grant approval within days. Deliveries of the vaccine developed by BioNTech…
November 28, 2020

Analysis Pharmaceuticals sector
Covid vaccines offer Big Pharma a chance of rehabilitation
November 27, 2020

Analysis Coronavirus treatment
How AstraZeneca and Oxford found their vaccine under fire
ovember 27, 2020

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
Breaking  |  5 hours ago
Biden Creates Diverse Covid-19 Advisory Board To Contrast With Trump
Trump’s task force is primarily composed of political appointees with portfolios ranging from the economy to national security to housing.
By Andrew Solender Forbes Staff

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
Europe
Britain Set to Leap Ahead in Approving Vaccines
Regulators may approve the troubled AstraZeneca vaccine and the American-made Pfizer shot weeks before the U.S. does so.
By Benjamin Mueller Nov. 27

World
The military’s role in a vaccine will be strictly behind the scenes, despite Trump’s claims.
By Jennifer Steinhauer Nov. 27

Science
The Virus Won’t Stop Evolving When the Vaccine Arrives
The coronavirus is not a shape shifter like the flu virus, but it could become vaccine resistant over time. That prompts researchers to urge vigilance.
By James Gorman and Carl Zimmer Nov. 27

Business
After Admitting Mistake, AstraZeneca Faces Difficult Questions About Its Vaccine
Some trial participants only got a partial dose of AstraZeneca’s vaccine. Experts said the company’s spotty disclosures have eroded confidence.
By Rebecca Robbins and Benjamin Mueller Nov. 25

World
A Russian vaccine maker reports positive results based on an incomplete trial.
The results were based on an unspecified small group of volunteers during the ongoing Phase 3 trial of the vaccine.
By Andrew E. Kramer

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Opinion by Editorial Board
The U.S. has ensured its supplies of coronavirus vaccine. Now it must help provide them to poor
Nov 26, 2020
THE WORLD HEALTH Organization’s director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned in August that no country could afford to go it alone in fighting the pandemic. Nations already depend on global supply chains for everything from diagnostic testing to personal protective equipment, he said, and they must avoid “vaccine nationalism” when it comes to the most powerful tool to fight covid-19. When the Group of 20 leaders held their virtual summit meeting last weekend, they again declared their intent not to hoard lifesaving vaccines, saying, “We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people.”

But as vaccines come closer to reality, wealthy nations of the world have already taken care of their own needs and signed contracts to buy up hundreds of millions of vaccine doses. And the poor? A global risk-sharing procurement initiative to ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines, the Covax Facility, could bring them protection, but only if it can get sufficient funding in 2021. This is the world’s best chance to help the poorest populations confront the pandemic, being led by the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

As it currently stands, 92 lower-income economies will be supported by the financing mechanism in Covax, the Advanced Market Commitment (AMC). Ninety-seven higher-income economies have signed up as self-financing members of the Covax Facility. The idea is to pool vaccine buying power and ensure distribution for all countries, including the less developed nations, with a goal of obtaining 2 billion doses to protect 20 percent of their populations by the end of 2021, enough to cover front-line health-care workers and the most vulnerable. Negotiations for the shots are underway with manufacturers. To make this initiative work, according to the WHO, there is an urgent need for $7.8 billion next year from international donors, including $5 billion for the 92 lower-income countries, and additional funds to help them set up distribution systems, a demanding task. All of that funding remains to be raised.

China and Russia are developing vaccines, too. They have their own national regulatory process, but for their vaccines to be used globally through the Covax Facility they would have to meet international standards through WHO review of quality, safety and impact on disease. They could distribute the vaccines on their own. China has joined Covax as a participant, allowing it to procure doses from the facility, but Russia has not.

Among the big donors to the AMC are the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Saudi Arabia. President-elect Joe Biden should commit the United States, too. A $200 million donation would amount to only 2 percent of spending on Operation Warp Speed. And we hope Mr. Biden will rapidly return the United States to the WHO.

The world’s wealthiest countries are on the verge of a science triumph with the arrival of an effective vaccine in less than a year. But in this moment of need, the haves should also extend a hand to the have-nots. As Dr. Tedros said in August, “No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

EU says first virus vaccinations possible by Christmas
Associated Press · Nov 25, 2020

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new relevant content]

Center for Global Development [to 28 Nov 2020]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
November 25, 2020
Certificate of COVID Vaccination: Can We Do Better than the Yellow Card?
Can technology help? At the most basic level, a COVID ID would be a digitized version of the Yellow Card, the paper-based International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis that many international travelers carry with them traveling to and from high-risk areas of the world.
Alan Gelb and Anit Mukherjee

November 25, 2020
The Domestic Allocation Of COVID-19 Vaccines in Low-and Middle-Income Countries, Who Goes First?
As COVID-19 vaccines begin to emerge, policymakers around the world are feeling buoyant. Although governments will be the initial recipients of vaccines, their decisions on how to distribute these among their populations will be fundamental for the ultimate recipients: individuals.
Vageesh Jain

Chatham House [to 28 Nov 2020]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
[No new relevant content]

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new relevant content]

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new relevant content]

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 28 Nov 2020
[No new relevant content]

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.
.
– 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

COVID-19 Vaccines: Regulatory Processes/Milestones

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – CDC

Webcast: November 23, 2020 meeting is a virtual meeting. No registration is required.
Meeting time, 12:00 – 5:00pm EDT (times subject to change).

Webcast Link

Meeting Agenda – Final pdf icon

How CDC Is Making COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations

Updated Nov. 20, 2020

CDC is making coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination recommendations for the United States based on input from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP is a federal advisory committee made of up of medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the U.S. public. ACIP holds regular meetings, which are open to the public and provide opportunity for public comment.

Since the pandemic began, ACIP has been holding special meetings to review U.S. data on COVID-19 and the vaccines in development to help prevent it. Before making recommendations, ACIP plans to review all available clinical trial information, including descriptions of

:: Who is receiving each candidate vaccine (age, race, ethnicity, underlying medical conditions)

:: How different groups respond to the vaccine

:: Side effects experienced

If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes or approves a COVID-19 vaccine, ACIP will quickly hold a public meeting to review all available data about that vaccine (sign up to receive email updates whenever ACIP’s Meeting Information is updated). From these data, ACIP will then vote on whether to recommend the vaccine and, if so, who should receive it. Included in ACIP’s recommendations will be guidance on who should receive COVID-19 vaccines if supply is limited. Recommendations must go to the director of CDC for approval before becoming official CDC policy.

Goals for vaccination if supply is limited

ACIP has set the following goals for recommending which groups should receive COVID-19 vaccines if supply is limited:

:: Decrease death and serious disease as much as possible

:: Preserve functioning of society

:: Reduce the extra burden the disease is having on people already facing disparities

:: Increase the chance for everyone to enjoy health and well-being

Ethical principles

ACIP has identified four ethical principles to guide their decision-making process if supply is limited:

:: Maximize benefits and minimize harms — Respect and care for people using the best available data to promote public health and minimize death and severe illness.

:: Mitigate health inequities — Reduce health disparities in the burden of COVID-19 disease and death, and make sure everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

:: Promote justice — Treat affected groups, populations, and communities fairly. Remove unfair, unjust, and avoidable barriers to COVID-19 vaccination.

:: Promote transparency — Make a decision that is clear, understandable, and open for review. Allow and seek public participation in the creation and review of the decision processes.

Groups considered for early vaccination if supply is limited

ACIP is considering four groups to possibly recommend for early COVID-19 vaccination if supply is limited:

:: Healthcare personnel

:: Workers in essential and critical industries

:: People at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness due to underlying medical conditions

:: People 65 years and older

Healthcare personnel continue to be on the front line of the nation’s fight against this deadly pandemic. By providing critical care to those infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, many healthcare personnel have a high risk of being exposed to and getting sick with COVID-19. Healthcare personnel who get COVID-19 can also spread the virus to their patients seeking care for medical conditions that, in turn, increase their patients’ risk for severe COVID-19 illness. Early vaccine access is critical to ensuring the health and safety of this essential workforce of approximately 21 million people, protecting not only them but also their patients, communities, and the broader health of our country. Learn who is included under the broad term “healthcare personnel.”

Workers in essential and critical industries are considered part of America’s critical infrastructure, as defined by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agencyexternal icon. Current data show that many of these workers are at increased risk for getting COVID-19. Early vaccine access is critical not only to protect them but also to maintain the essential services they provide U.S. communities.

People with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness, regardless of their age. Severe illness means that the person with COVID-19 may require hospitalization, intensive care, or a ventilator to help them breathe, or that they may even die. Early vaccine access is critical to ensuring the health and safety of this population that is disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Among adults, the risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. Early vaccine access is critical to help protect this population that is disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Other frameworks

Input from the public and the following professional groups is informing ACIP’s discussions on who should receive COVID-19 vaccines if supply is limited:

:: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Interim Framework for COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation and Distribution in the United Statesexternal icon

:: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccineexternal icon

:: World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE): WHO SAGE Values Framework for the Allocation and Prioritization of COVID-19 Vaccinationpdf

:: WHO SAGE: WHO SAGE Roadmap for Prioritizing Uses of COVID-19 Vaccines in the Context of Limited Supplypdf

November 20, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Announces Advisory Committee Meeting to Discuss COVID-19 Vaccine Candidates
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on Dec. 10 to discuss the request for emergency use authorization (EUA) of a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer, Inc. in partnership with BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH.
“The FDA recognizes that transparency and dialogue are critical for the public to have confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. I want to assure the American people that the FDA’s process and evaluation of the data for a potential COVID-19 vaccine will be as open and transparent as possible,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. “The FDA has been preparing for the review of EUAs for COVID-19 vaccines for several months and stands ready to do so as soon as an EUA request is submitted.  While we cannot predict how long the FDA’s review will take, the FDA will review the request as expeditiously as possible, while still doing so in a thorough and science-based manner, so that we can help make available a vaccine that the American people deserve as soon as possible. A discussion about the safety and effectiveness of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine with this committee, made up of outside scientific and public health experts from around the country, will help ensure clear public understanding of the scientific data and information that the FDA will evaluate in order to make a decision about whether to authorize a vaccine for emergency use for the prevention of COVID-19.”…

News: EMA organises public meeting on COVID-19 vaccines
Last updated: 19/11/2020
EMA will organise a public meeting on 11 December 2020 to inform European citizens about the EU regulatory processes for the approval of COVID-19 vaccines and the Agency’s role in their development, evaluation, approval and safety monitoring…
The public meeting will inform citizens about EMA’s role in the pandemic and of EU regulatory procedures. It will also give the opportunity to the public and stakeholder groups to speak and share their needs, expectations and any concerns, that will be considered by EMA and the European medicines regulatory network in the decision-making process.
The agenda of the event is available on the EMA website.

News: EMA starts rolling review of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine by Moderna Biotech Spain, S.L.
Last updated: 16/11/2020
MA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has started a ‘rolling review’ of data on a vaccine for COVID-19 known as mRNA-1273, which is being developed by Moderna Biotech Spain, S.L. (a subsidiary of Moderna, Inc.).
The CHMP’s decision to start the rolling review of mRNA-1273 is based on preliminary results from non-clinical studies and early clinical studies in adults which suggest that the vaccine triggers the production of antibodies and T cells (cells of the immune system, the body’s natural defences) that target the virus.
The Committee has started evaluating the first batch of data on the vaccine, which come from laboratory studies (non-clinical data). Large-scale clinical trials involving several thousands of people are ongoing, and results are expected shortly. These results will provide information on how effective the vaccine is in protecting people against COVID-19 and will be assessed once submitted to the agency. All the available data on the safety of the vaccine as well as its pharmaceutical quality (such as its ingredients, the way it is produced, stability and storage conditions) will also be reviewed as they become available.
The rolling review will continue until enough evidence is available to support a formal marketing authorisation application…

CHINA – Vaccine to undergo 3rd phase of trials
Updated: 2020-11-20 China Daily
China began its first Phase 3 clinical trials of a recombinant subunit vaccine against COVID-19 on Nov 18, making it the fifth Chinese vaccine candidate to enter late-stage human testing.
The recombinant subunit vaccine is being jointly developed by Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy and the Institute of Microbiology, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
This vaccine falls under the category of an adjuvanted recombinant protein subunit (RBD-Dimer) vaccine.
The Phase 3 trials of the vaccine candidate began in Xiangtan county, Hunan province, on Wednesday.
Uzbekistan will also host a trial later this month, followed by Indonesia, Pakistan and Ecuador in the coming months, the vaccine developer said during the launch ceremony.
The trials will enlist 29,000 volunteers age 18 and older for the randomized, double-blind placebo experiment.
On Oct 22, Anhui Zhifei said the vaccine is generally safe and effective based on data from the first two clinical trial phases.
A protein subunit vaccine uses pieces of the protein components of a pathogen to trigger a protective immune response.
It has distinct advantages over live attenuated and inactivated vaccines since it can induce humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, and the risks associated with processing live pathogens for vaccine production are eliminated, according to the Vaccine Book, a medical textbook published by Academic Press.
However, subunit vaccines may be more expensive and may require specific adjuvants to enhance immune response.
The other four Chinese vaccines in Phase 3 clinical trials are: two inactivated vaccines developed by the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm); one inactivated vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech Co; and the adenoviral vector vaccine jointly developed by the Academy of Military Science and Chinese biotech company CanSino

China Sinopharm’s coronavirus vaccine taken by about a million people in emergency use
November 19, 2020
By Reuters Staff
BEIJING (Reuters) – Nearly one million people have taken an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) through the country’s emergency use programme, the firm said late on Wednesday.

China launched the emergency use programme in July, which so far includes three vaccine candidates for essential workers and other limited groups of people even as clinical studies have yet to be completed to prove their safety and efficacy.

No serious adverse reaction has been reported from those who received the vaccine in emergency use, Sinopharm said in an article on social media WeChat, citing Chairman Liu Jingzhen from a recent media interview.

Two vaccine candidates developed by Sinopharm’s subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG) and third one developed by Sinovac Biotech SVA.O have been used for the emergency programme.

It’s unclear which vaccine Liu referred to, and Sinopharm was not immediately available to comment.

Sinopharm’s vaccines, which use inactivated virus unable to replicate in human cells to trigger immune responses, require two doses, clinical trial registration data showed.

The experimental vaccines are undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials overseas that have recruited nearly 60,000 people, and blood samples of more than 40,000 participants have been taken 14 days after they took the second dose, the article said citing Liu, without breaking down the numbers for each vaccine.

Among construction project employees, diplomats and students who went abroad after taking Sinopharm’s vaccine, no one has been infected, it added.

But experts have cautioned against using data solely from emergency use programme, without comparable results from a clinical trial-standard control group, to determine a vaccine’s effectiveness.

COVID-19 Vaccines – Development/Procurement

Pfizer and BioNTech to Submit Emergency Use Authorization Request Today to the U.S. FDA for COVID-19 Vaccine
November 20, 2020

Pfizer and BioNTech Conclude Phase 3 Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate, Meeting All Primary Efficacy Endpoints
November 18, 2020

Moderna Announces Supply Agreement with United Kingdom Government to Supply mRNA Vaccine Against COVID-19 (mRNA-1273) if Approved for Use
November 17, 2020

Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Meets its Primary Efficacy Endpoint in the First Interim Analysis of the Phase 3 COVE Study
November 16, 2020

Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Meets its Primary Efficacy Endpoint in the First Interim Analysis of the Phase 3 COVE Study
November 16, 2020

Biological E. Limited Starts Phase I/II Clinical Trial of its COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate
Nov 16, 2020, 06:00 ET

Johnson & Johnson and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Expand Agreement to Support Next Phase of COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Research and Development
Nov 14, 2020, 09:34 ET

EMERGENCIES

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

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
last update: 14 November 2020, 10:30 GMT-4
Confirmed cases :: 57 274 018 [week ago: 53 164 803] [two weeks ago: 49 106 931]
Confirmed deaths :: 1 368 000 [week ago: 1 300 576] [two weeks ago: 1 239 157]
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 220

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WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 20 November 2020
20 November 2020

Weekly epidemiological update – 17 November 2020
Overview
Globally in the past week, rates of new COVID-19 cases and deaths continued to increase, with almost 4 million new cases and 60 000 new deaths recorded. Cumulatively as of 15 November 2020, 53.7 million confirmed cases and 1.3 million deaths have been reported to WHO.

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Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 18 November 2020
:: On 13 November, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Prequalification (PQ) program issued an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) recommendation for the type 2 novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2). This will allow rollout of the vaccine for limited initial use in countries affected by circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks…Read more

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
:: Afghanistan: one WPV1 case, one WPV1 positive environmental sample and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Pakistan: one WPV1 case, three WPV1 positive environmental samples, three cVDPV2 cases and two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Burkina Faso: five cVDPV2 cases
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo: three cVDPV2 cases
:: Ghana: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Nigeria: one cVDPV2 case
:: Sudan: five cVDPV2 cases and three positive environmental samples

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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 21 Nov 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 21 Nov 2020]
Iraq
:: Prioritizing a transition from psychiatric hospital-based to community-based mental health services in Iraq 16 November 2020

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso – 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 identified

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 21 Nov 2020]

Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – Page not responding at inquiry
Kenya – 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
:: Recent Developments in Northwest Syria – Situation Report No. 22 – As of 18 November 2020
…Some 80 percent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in northwest Syria were identified in the past month. Seven new treatment centres have been added, for a total of 26 with a capacity of 1,110 beds, and precautionary measures are being reintroduced especially in the Idleb area.
…Ongoing hostilities encroach on population areas, leading to higher civilian casualties…

Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
East Africa Locust Infestation
:: Desert Locust situation update – 20 November 2020

COVID-19
:: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Weekly Epidemiological Update (17 November 2020)

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WHO & Regional Offices [to 21 Nov 2020]
20 November 2020 News release
World leaders join forces to fight the accelerating crisis of antimicrobial resistance

20 November 2020 Departmental news
WHO and other stakeholders join forces to accelerate access to effective paediatric HIV and tuberculosis diagnostics and medicines

19 November 2020 Statement
Joint Statement on Data Protection and Privacy in the COVID-19 Response

19 November 2020 Departmental news
Learning from history: Sanitation for prosperity

19 November 2020 Departmental news
Regulating sanitation services as a public good

18 November 2020 Departmental news
Your Right To A Better World

17 November 2020 News release
A cervical cancer-free future: First-ever global commitment to eliminate a cancer

17 November 2020 Departmental news
WHO-commissioned global systematic review finds high HCV prevalence and incidence among men who have sex with men

17 November 2020 Departmental news
WHO announces certification programme for trans fat elimination

17 November 2020 Departmental news
WHO launches new roadmap on human resource strategies to ensure that all newborns survive and thrive
Today, on World Prematurity Day, WHO launched a new Roadmap on human resource strategies to improve newborn care in health facilities in low- and middle-income countries, aimed at improving quality of care for newborns, including small and sick babies, and supporting countries to achieve the SDG target to reduce neonatal mortality to less than 12 per 1000 live births by 2030…

17 November 2020 Departmental news
HIV drug resistance: World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2020

16 November 2020 Departmental news
WHO releases new estimates of the global burden of cervical cancer associated with HIV

16 November 2020 Departmental news
WHO launches assistive technology capacity assessment (ATA-C)

15 November 2020 Departmental news
MVIP update – 1 million doses administered, Kenya 1st anniversary, cooperation for vaccine access
More than one year on across the pilot countries of Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, more than 1 million doses of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine have been administered, and an estimated 480,000 children have received their first dose of vaccine in childhood vaccination and should benefit from this additional malaria prevention.
Kenya marked its 1st anniversary of the launch of the pilot in September, with more than 128,000 children reached with vaccine, and one country health official expressing “a great sense of pride” in being part of the effort to protect children from malaria.
Malaria vaccination is continuing in all participating countries without major disruptions and there is good uptake of the vaccine, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic..

15 November 2020 Departmental news
Henrietta Lacks: A centennial celebration

15 November 2020 Departmental news
Towards Cervical Cancer elimination in the Americas

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Immunization as an essential health service: guiding principles for immunization activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and other times of severe disruption
10 November 2020
Download (333.7 kB)
Overview
This document, endorsed by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, provides guiding principles to support countries in their decision-making regarding provision or resumption of immunization services during severe disruptive events such as COVID-19, natural disasters or humanitarian emergencies. It incorporates the Immunization Agenda 2030 principles of being people-centred, country-owned, partnership-based and data-guided.

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Weekly Epidemiological Record, 20 November 2020, vol. 95, 47 (pp. 573–584)
:: Progress towards poliomyelitis eradication – Pakistan, January 2019–September 2020
:: Performance of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance and incidence of poliomyelitis, 2020

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WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: What’s the cause? Certifying deaths in sub-Saharan Africa
19 November 2020 Brazzaville – About two thirds of countries in the African region do not have reliable data on births, deaths, and causes of death, a recent World Health Organization (WHO) assessment found. The absence of this crucial information complicates effective health responses and policy-making in region.
:: Defeating Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 18 November 2020
:: How chats on private parts and cervical cancer are helping to defeat the disease in …
17 November 2020 Playing on radios across Zambia this month is an upbeat piano snippet with a female radio personality speaking words of warning for women that have always been considered taboo.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: Regional Director’s visit cements stronger cooperation on health in Albania 20-11-2020
:: Next steps to deliver “United Action for Better Health” in Europe 20-11-2020
:: Doing our share, a new horizon with technological and pharmaceutical development, and preserving the rights of children 19-11-2020
:: WHO/Europe highlights how alcohol undermines sustainable development across the WHO European Region 18-11-2020
::Coming together to identify health-workforce needs in small countries 18-11-2020

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO Regional Director’s statement for virtual press briefing, 19 November

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified

CDC/ACIP [to 21 Nov 2020]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases, Announcements
Transcript for CDC Telebriefing on the COVID-19 Outbreak
Thursday, November 19, 2020
…THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY FOR THIS BRIEFING TO DISCUSS SAFE WAYS TO ENJOY THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ends
Wednesday, November 18, 2020

CDC Foundation Launches Crush COVID-19 Campaign to Meet Urgent Needs Caused by Pandemic
ATLANTA, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — As the coronavirus pandemic accelerates, the CDC Foundation today announced it is redoubling its response efforts through the official launch of the “Crush COVID” campaign. This campaign aims to raise support and advance work targeted to end the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken hundreds of thousands of lives in America alone and shaken the global economy.

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
Webcast: November 23, 2020 meeting is a virtual meeting. No registration is required.
Meeting time, 12:00 – 5:00pm EDT (times subject to change).
Webcast Linkexternal icon
Meeting Agenda – Finalpdf icon

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Selected Resources
:: Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Friday, November 20, 2020
:: 10 Things Healthcare Professionals Need to Know about U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Plans Friday, November 20, 2020
:: How CDC Is Making COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations Friday, November 20, 2020
:: Celebrating Thanksgiving Thursday, November 19, 2020

MMWR News Synopsis Friday, November 20, 2020
:: Vital Signs: Deaths Among Persons with Diagnosed HIV Infection, United States, 2010-2018
:: COVID-19 Outbreak — New York City, February 29–June 1, 2020
:: Characterization of COVID-19 in Assisted Living Facilities — 39 States, October 2020
:: Implementation of a Pooled Surveillance Testing Program for Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a College Campus — Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, August–October, 2020 (Early Release November 17, 2020)
:: Progress Toward Poliomyelitis Eradication — Pakistan, January 2019–September 2020
:: COVID-19 Stats: COVID-19 Incidence, by Urban-Rural Classification — United States, January 22–October 31, 2020