Epidemics
Volume 32 September 2020
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/epidemics/vol/32/suppl/C

Special Issue Articles
Research article Open access
Tooling-up for infectious disease transmission modelling
Marc Baguelin, Graham F. Medley, Emily S. Nightingale, Kathleen M. O’Reilly, … Moritz Wagner
Article 100395
Abstract
In this introduction to the Special Issue on methods for modelling of infectious disease epidemiology we provide a commentary and overview of the field. We suggest that the field has been through three revolutions that have focussed on specific methodological developments; disease dynamics and heterogeneity, advanced computing and inference, and complexity and application to the real-world. Infectious disease dynamics and heterogeneity dominated until the 1980s where the use of analytical models illustrated fundamental concepts such as herd immunity. The second revolution embraced the integration of data with models and the increased use of computing. From the turn of the century an emergence of novel datasets enabled improved modelling of real-world complexity. The emergence of more complex data that reflect the real-world heterogeneities in transmission resulted in the development of improved inference methods such as particle filtering. Each of these three revolutions have always kept the understanding of infectious disease spread as its motivation but have been developed through the use of new techniques, tools and the availability of data. We conclude by providing a commentary on what the next revoluition in infectious disease modelling may be.

JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update August 22, 2020

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

JAMA
August 18, 2020, Vol 324, No. 7, Pages 617-718
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Viewpoint
Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response – Recommendations From a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Report
Ned Calonge, MD; Lisa Brown, MPH; Autumn Downey, PhD
JAMA. 2020;324(7):629-630. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12901
This Viewpoint summarizes recommendations from a 2020 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report on transforming the infrastructure, funding, and methods of public health emergency preparedness and response (PHEPR) research to ensure it is grounded in the best science about what works where, why, and for whom.

JAMA
August 18, 2020, Vol 324, No. 7, Pages 617-718
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Integrating Personalized Medicine With Population Health Management – The Path Forward
David C. Grossman, MD, MPH; Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH; Harold C. Sox, MD
Abstract Full Text
free access
JAMA. 2020;324(7):631-632. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.1406
This Viewpoint discusses genome-wide sequencing (GWS) as a potential pathway not only to personalized medicine but also to population health, and proposes 5 dimensions health care organizations might consider when deciding on markers to screen for as they move toward genomic approaches to caring for their patient populations.

Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 27, Issue 5, July 2020
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue/27/5

Editorial
Health diplomacy across borders: the case of yellow fever and COVID-19
Samantha Vanderslott, PhD, Tatjana Marks, BA Hons
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 27, Issue 5, July 2020, taaa112, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa112
We provide an overview of disease control across borders through the example of yellow fever, exploring different public health interventions and arrangements for international cooperation. From quarantine to country vaccine entry requirements our paper discusses the implications for health diplomacy in the context of COVID-19.

Journal of Travel Medicine
Volume 27, Issue 5, July 2020
https://academic.oup.com/jtm/issue/27/5

Perspectives
Combat COVID-19 with artificial intelligence and big data
Leesa Lin, PhD, Zhiyuan Hou, PhD
Journal of Travel Medicine, Volume 27, Issue 5, July 2020, taaa080, https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa080
To combat COVID-19, at least 29 countries/regions have resorted to digital technology; some embedded it with strict containment measures and achieved great success. We need to improve cryptography and regulations that would enable contact-tracing systems without mass surveillance in order to attain the benefits of location-tracking while protecting individual privacy.

The Lancet
Aug 22, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10250 p513-582
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

World Report
COVID-19 and readjusting clinical trials
Aaron van Dorn
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted clinical trials worldwide, with long-lasting effects on medical science. Aaron van Dorn reports.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created massive disruptions to clinical trial research across the world. As in other aspects of life, the virus has severely affected the ability to conduct trials in safe and effective ways. This is especially true when considering that trials often deal with vulnerable populations who are most at risk from exposure to COVID-19. Thousands of trials have been suspended or stopped because of the difficulties in continuing under lockdown conditions, even as those restrictions have begun to ease in parts of the world. At the same time, the pandemic has seen an unprecedented reorientation in clinical trials research towards COVID-19. Both of those aspects—the disruption and the fast, effective readjustment to address a new challenge—ensure that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt in clinical trials research long after the initial effects have faded.

Clinical trials have long been a premier method of testing and validating new drugs and therapies. New drug approval is predicated on successful trials into the safety and efficacy of new treatments. Trials can involve hundreds of different sites around the world, all with different conditions and facing different effects and government regulations on what is permissible. Once you start looking at the number of people involved in a clinical trial, the scope of the problem begins to seem daunting. In addition to researchers who formulate the protocol for the trial and work to secure funding (either from governments, foundations, pharmaceutical or device manufacturers, or a combination of the above), clinical trials include clinical caregivers and nurses who work with patients at clinical trial sites, postgraduate researchers, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, and others who work on the analysis of data generated by the trial, some of whom may or may not interact with patients, but all of whom are essential to the final result.

Trials that were stopped, in many cases, were stopped from enrolling new patients. Patients who were already enrolled mostly continued to receive treatment as institutions and researchers worked to make changes to how care was provisioned to deal with the reality of COVID-19. Fergus Sweeney, head of clinical studies and manufacturing at the European Medicines Agency, told The Lancet that one of the key parts of their guidance has been physical distancing to protect patients and clinic staff, but ensuring the safety of patients in testing and treatment is also important. “If people can’t come in to a clinic or their hospital at the usual, regular intervals, it may be that they need to be provided with a medication for a longer period of time, or indeed that medication is distributed to their home by a distributor”, Sweeney said. To that end, many trials have shifted from the distribution of drugs at the trial site to direct-to-patient courier services, whereby trial drugs are distributed and administered to patients in their homes, eliminating the need for at-risk patients to visit trial sites. Many in-person visits for checkups and other aspects of trials were shifted to teleconferencing services. In March, 2020 (and revised again in July), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also issued guidance on protecting patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The FDA guidelines called on researchers and trial sponsors to “determine that the protection of a participant’s safety, welfare, and rights is best served by continuing a study participant in the trial as per the protocol or by discontinuing the administration or use of the investigational product or even participation in the trial”. The guidance also calls on investigators and sponsors to coordinate with institutional review boards and ethics committees on potential changes to protocol as early as possible. But for many patients who have turned to clinical trials as a last resort for cardiovascular conditions, who have cancer, or other life-threatening conditions, the eventual resumption of non-COVID-19 trials could come too late.

Nature
Volume 584 Issue 7821, 20 August 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Editorial | 19 August 2020
Progress report on the coronavirus pandemic
In the first of a series of editorials, we look back at some of the key findings from scientists’ race to demystify SARS-CoV-2.

Nature
Volume 584 Issue 7821, 20 August 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

World View | 18 August 2020
How we accelerated clinical trials in the age of coronavirus
The United Kingdom’s RECOVERY trial shows a way to benefit patients faster.
Nicole Mather

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 22 Aug 2020)

Evaluation of a city-wide school-located influenza vaccination program in Oakland, California, with respect to vaccination coverage, school absences, and laboratory-confirmed influenza: A matched cohort study
It is estimated that vaccinating 50%–70% of school-aged children for influenza can produce population-wide indirect effects. We evaluated a city-wide school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) intervention that aimed to increase influenza vaccination coverage. The intervention was implemented in ≥95 preschools and elementary schools in northern California from 2014 to 2018. Using a matched cohort design, we estimated intervention impacts on student influenza vaccination coverage, school absenteeism, and community-wide indirect effects on laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalizations.
Jade Benjamin-Chung, Benjamin F. Arnold, Chris J. Kennedy, Kunal Mishra, Nolan Pokpongkiat, Anna Nguyen, Wendy Jilek, Kate Holbrook, Erica Pan, Pam D. Kirley, Tanya Libby, Alan E. Hubbard, Arthur Reingold, John M. Colford Jr.
Research Article | published 18 Aug 2020 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003238

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

Research Article
A qualitative exploration of using financial incentives to improve vaccination uptake via consent form return in female adolescents in London
Lauren Rockliffe, Selma Stearns, Alice S. Forster
| published 21 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237805

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

Assessment of missed opportunities for vaccination in Kenyan health facilities, 2016
Anyie J. Li, Collins Tabu, Stephanie Shendale, Kibet Sergon, Peter O. Okoth, Isaac K. Mugoya, Zorodzai Machekanyanga, Iheoma U. Onuekwusi, Colin Sanderson, Ikechukwu Udo Ogbuanu
Research Article | published 20 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237913

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

A systematic review of trial registry entries for randomized clinical trials investigating COVID-19 medical prevention and treatment
Anders Peder Højer Karlsen, Sebastian Wiberg, Jens Laigaard, Casper Pedersen, Kim Zillo Rokamp, Ole Mathiesen
Research Article | published 20 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237903

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

Inferring antenatal care visit timing in low- and middle-income countries: Methods to inform potential maternal vaccine coverage
Ranju Baral, Jessica Fleming, Sadaf Khan, Deborah Higgins, Nathaniel Hendrix, Clint Pecenka
Research Article | published 20 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237718

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

Latest articles
17 Aug 2020
Epidemic trends, public health response and health system capacity: the Chilean experience in four months of the COVID-19 pandemic
Original research | English |

Science
21 August 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6506
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Editorial
A dangerous rush for vaccines
By H. Holden Thorp
Science 21 Aug 2020 : 885
Summary
The chasm between science and politics continues to grow, with Russian President Putin announcing this week that a fast-tracked vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is ready for use, and President Trump indicating days earlier that a vaccine could be ready in the United States before the 3 November presidential election. There’s been a dangerous rush to get to the vaccine finish line first. In a race of “Sputnik” proportions (as Putin puts it), quick approval by regulatory agencies is needed to “win.” This is dangerous thinking, driven by political goals and instant gratification: Shortcuts in testing for vaccine safety and efficacy endanger millions of lives in the short term and will damage public confidence in vaccines and in science for a long time to come.

Science
21 August 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6506
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Policy Forum
Knowledge transfer for large-scale vaccine manufacturing
By W. Nicholson Price II, Arti K. Rai, Timo Minssen
Science21 Aug 2020 : 912-914 Full Access
Massive, rapid production will require firms to share know-how not just about what to make but how to make it
Summary
As the world rushes to identify safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics to counter the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, attention is turning to the next step: manufacturing these products at enormous scale. To speed up the process, firms are even establishing manufacturing capacity “at risk,” before products receive regulatory approval (1). Yet for at least some complex COVID-19 vaccines and biological therapeutics, fast manufacturing, particularly of products originally developed by other firms, will require not only physical capacity but also access to knowledge not contained in patents or in other public disclosures; one reason for the expense and delay historically associated with entry of biosimilars into the market has been the cost and time associated with reverse engineering originator firms’ manufacturing processes (2). But a change may be coming. A group of six biopharmaceutical firms researching monoclonal antibody (mAb) candidates recently sought [and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) granted] permission under antitrust law to exchange “technical information” on each other’s manufacturing processes and platforms (but not information on cost or price) (3). A focus on rapid information exchange of the sort recently encouraged by the DOJ will not only be critical for the current crisis but could also create the foundation for fewer siloes, improved standardization, and less secrecy over manufacturing information in the future.

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 37 Pages 5877-5962 (18 August 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/37

Research article Abstract only
Maternal and infant outcomes following exposure to quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine during pregnancy
Anna T. Bukowinski, Clinton Hall, Richard N. Chang, Gia R. Gumbs, Ava Marie S. Conlin
Pages 5933-5939

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 37 Pages 5877-5962 (18 August 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/37

Research article Abstract only
Cost analysis of supplemental immunization activities to deliver measles immunization to children in Anambra state, south-east Nigeria
Florence Tochukwu Sibeudu, Obinna E. Onwujekwe, Ijeoma L. Okoronkwo

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 39, 3 September 2020, Pages

Discussion Full text access
Ensuring access and affordability through COVID-19 vaccine research and development investments: A proposal for the options market for vaccines
Rebecca Forman, Michael Anderson, Mark Jit, Elias Mossialos
Pages 6075-6077
Highlights
:: Currently, unconditional investment is being made into COVID-19 vaccine R&D COVID-19 vaccine R&D investments should also ensure access and affordability.
:: The options market for antibiotics, could be adapted for use with COVID-19 vaccines.
:: This could help fund R&D, boost manufacturing capacity and secure fair prices.
:: Further research on the OMV model in the current COVID-19 crisis is warranted.

Value in Health
August 2020 Volume 23, Issue 8, p979-1118
https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/issue/S1098-3015(20)X0010-6

ECONOMIC EVALUATION
Value of a QALY for France: A New Approach to Propose Acceptable Reference Values
Bertrand Téhard, Bruno Detournay, Isabelle Borget, Stéphane Roze, Gérard De Pouvourville
p985–993
Published online: May 30, 2020
Highlights
:: Cost-effectiveness thresholds are used in many countries to inform reimbursement and pricing decisions, although no such reference threshold has yet been proposed in France.
:: The value of statistical life (VSL) is an interesting metric for evaluating cost-effectiveness thresholds in healthcare because (1) it can be tailored for individual countries using local utility data, (2) it provides a unique measure to avoid inequity in access to healthcare between different therapeutic domains, and (3) it can be benchmarked against other social domains, where it is used to assess public policies and investments that affect mortality risk.
:: We propose VSL-based breakeven values for a QALY of €147 093 to €201 398, which could be used to qualify incremental cost-effectiveness ratios in health-economic assessment in France and to address whether a medical intervention at a requested price may or may not be efficient.

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 22 Aug 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
Coronavirus vaccine: Short cuts and allegations of dirty tricks in race to be first
By Gordon Corera Security correspondent
22 Aug 2020
When Moscow announced on 11 August it had registered the first vaccine against Covid-19 and was naming it Sputnik V, the message was hard to miss. Back in 1957, the Soviet Union had launched the Sputnik satellite and won the race for space. Now, Russia was saying it was pushing the boundaries of medical science.
But critics claimed it was pushing too hard. And the scepticism with which the announcement was met is a reminder of intense international competition. In this race, there have been accusations of short-cuts, espionage, unethical risk-taking and jealousy, amid talk of “vaccine nationalism”…

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
A mixed prognosis – The covid-19 pandemic will be over by the end of 2021, says Bill Gates
But millions of deaths are yet to come in poor countries
Aug 18th 2020
MILLIONS MORE are going to die before the covid-19 pandemic is over. That is the stark message of Bill Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s largest philanthropists via the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in an interview with Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist’s editor-in-chief, in early August. Most of these deaths, he said, would be caused not by the disease itself, but by the further strain on health-care systems and economies that were already struggling. He also lamented the politicisation of the response to the virus in America, and the spread of conspiracy theories—some implicating him—both of which have slowed efforts to contain the disease’s spread. But he offered reasons for hope in the medium term, predicting that by the end of 2021 a reasonably effective vaccine would be in mass production, and a large enough share of the world’s population would be immunised to halt the pandemic in its tracks…

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
Coronavirus treatment
CureVac vows ‘ethical margin’ on price of Covid-19 vaccine
Pharma group plans to make mRNA-based inoculation in Germany and ship it worldwide
August 16, 2020
CureVac, one of the pharmaceutical groups developing a potential vaccine for Covid-19, has ruled out selling its inoculation at cost, arguing instead for an “ethical margin” for shareholders. The German company raised $213m in a US stock market listing on Friday and will put the money towards conducting trials for the vaccine.
CureVac’s approach uses messenger RNA technology, which aims to transcribe some of the pathogen’s genetic code into human cells in order to help them detect it. No mRNA vaccine has been approved by regulators, though rivals Moderna and Pfizer, along with the latter’s German partner BioNTech, are betting on it. CureVac says its jab could require lower doses.
“That would allow us to give a competitive price while still preserving some ethical margin,” said Pierre Kemula, the company’s chief financial officer, in an interview with the Financial Times…
Bottom of Form

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
Editors’ Pick  |  
9 hours ago
Trump Suggests ‘Deep State’ At FDA Is Delaying Covid-19 Coronavirus Vaccine Testing
Trump also tweeted about the FDA’s hydroxychloroquine decision.
By Bruce Y. Lee Senior Contributor

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
Essay September/October 2020
The Tragedy of Vaccine Nationalism
Global cooperation on vaccine allocation would be the most efficient way to disrupt the spread of the virus
Thomas J. Bollyky and Chad P. Bown

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020 |
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Covid-19 will be around for ever, says former UK chief scientific …
14 hours ago … Prof Mark Walport says regular vaccinations are likely to be required to control coronavirus.

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
Europe
Exclusive: Nearly a Fifth of Enrollees in Pfizer, BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Study Are Black or Latino
Nearly a fifth of 11,000 people enrolled so far in a 30,000-volunteer U.S. trial testing a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and German partner BioNTech are Black or Latino, groups among the hardest hit by the coronavirus virus pandemic, a top Pfizer executive said.
By Reuters Aug 22

U.S.
China Giving Experimental Coronavirus Vaccines to High-Risk Groups Since July, Says Official
China has been giving experimental coronavirus vaccines to groups facing high infection risks since July, a health official told state media.
By Reuters Aug 22

World
Argentina Joins Chinese Coronavirus Vaccine Trial, Maker Says
Argentina joined Peru, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates in approving Phase 3 clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), the company said late Friday.
By Reuters Aug 22

Europe
Russia Approves Trial of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine: Registry Filing
Britain’s AstraZeneca has received regulatory approval to conduct part of a Phase III trial of its potential COVID-19 vaccine in Russia, a filing in the Russian registry of clinical trials showed on Friday.
By Reuters Aug 21

Politics
Australia’s Prime Minister Announces Coronavirus Vaccine Deal
Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia signed a deal with the drugmaker AstraZeneca to manufacture a coronavirus vaccine and provide it free to 25 million Australians.
By The Associated Press Aug 19

Health
New Measures Aim to Boost Vaccine Rates for Flu and Children’s Shots
Pharmacists may now vaccinate young children under a new federal emergency rule aimed at helping families who missed well-child visits during the pandemic.
By Jan Hoffman
PRINT EDITION |August 21, 2020, Page A7

Americas
Coronavirus Crisis Has Made Brazil an Ideal Vaccine Laboratory
Widespread contagion, a deep bench of scientists and a robust vaccine-making infrastructure have made Brazil an important player in the quest to find a vaccine.
By Manuela Andreoni and Ernesto Londoño
PRINT EDITION August 16, 2020,

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
Trump without evidence accuses ‘deep state’ at FDA of slow-walking coronavirus vaccines
Laurie McGinley, Carolyn Y. Johnson and Josh Dawsey · Health · Aug 22, 2020

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Want herd immunity? Pay people to take the vaccine
Robert E. Litan
Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Center for Global Development [to 22 Aug 2020]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
August 20, 2020
Bringing a COVID-19 Vaccine to Market: Where Do We Go from Here?
In this blog, we review the good and the bad about where the world now stands in efforts to bringing a vaccine to market, from the perspective of payers, national governments, and country coalitions, as well as development partners.
Kalipso Chalkidou, Adrian Towse and Rachel Silverman

August 19, 2020
Modelling the Manufacturing Process for COVID-19 Vaccines: Our Approach
We are developing a system of interconnected models which represent global manufacturing capability from the start of clinical trials to secondary vaccine manufacture; that is, time from first human trials to finished product ready to be shipped.
David Reader et al.

Chatham House [to 22 Aug 2020]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
[No new relevant content]

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
Transcript
Online Event: The Scramble for Vaccines and the COVAX Facility
August 19, 2020

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
[No new relevant content]

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 22 Aug 2020
[No new relevant content]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current
Comment
The Lancet COVID-19 Commission
Jeffrey D Sachs, Richard Horton, ey al
The COVID-19 pandemic confronts the world with urgent and unsolved challenges. The pandemic marks the third deadly outbreak due to a coronavirus after severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2003 and Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2012.¹,  ² In the absence of effective testing and contact tracing systems in many countries, COVID-19 has claimed more than 500 000 lives and disrupted the entire world, sparing no region.³

In April, 2020, more than half of the world’s population resided in countries enforcing a lockdown, resulting in hugely disruptive impacts on individuals, businesses, and entire sectors of society, such as global tourism and travel.⁴ Even countries that have suppressed the pandemic are experiencing harsh economic spillover effects from the rest of the world. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded the decline in global gross domestic product from –3% in April, 2020, to –4·9% in June, 2020.⁵ Although everyone has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, poor and vulnerable populations, including low-skilled workers and refugees, are suffering far more than the rich in terms of lost lives, vulnerability to infection, declining incomes, and unemployment.⁶ Effective COVID-19 treatments and vaccines are still many months away at the minimum.³,  ⁷, ⁸

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission has been created to help speed up global, equitable, and lasting solutions to the pandemic. The Commissioners join this effort in the shared belief that effective solutions can be found on the basis of global cooperation, social justice, sustainable development, and good governance that builds on public trust.

Globally, many creative solutions to the pandemic have already been implemented. Several countries have largely suppressed the virus, although they must remain vigilant to contain new outbreaks when they occur.⁹

A key aim of this Commission is to speed up the awareness and adoption worldwide of successful strategies to suppress transmission. Another key aim is to ensure that any new COVID-19 vaccines and other key technologies are equitably accessible across the world. So far in this pandemic there has not been equitable access to testing equipment, hospital facilities, especially intensive care units, and protective personal equipment for front-line workers.¹⁰

There are four core challenges that must be faced cooperatively worldwide. The first and over-riding challenge is to suppress the pandemic as rapidly and decisively as possible. The second is to meet the dire and pressing needs of vulnerable groups such as the poor, minorities, and elderly. The third is to prevent the public health emergency from turning into a fulminant financial crisis for governments, businesses, and households. The fourth challenge is to build the world back better, with resilient health systems, global institutions, and economies that are being transformed on the basis of sustainable and inclusive development.

The Commission recognises that multilateral institutions face profound challenges in undertaking their crucial missions. WHO, the IMF, the World Bank, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN, the UN World Food Programme, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and many others are on the front lines in coordinating the global response to the pandemic in the areas of public health, finance, food security and supply chains, schooling, and governance. Yet these institutions find themselves caught up in the middle of big-power geopolitics. The Lancet COVID-19 Commission will aim to make recommendations to strengthen the efficacy of these critical institutions and to promote their adequate financing. The Commission will also reach out to regional groupings, including the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), and others, to liaise with, hear evidence from, and support, when possible, the efforts of these bodies in fighting the pandemic.

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission will include Commissioners who are leaders of health science and delivery, business, politics, and finance from across the world. They volunteer to serve in their individual capacities, not as formal representatives of their home institutions, and will work together towards a shared and comprehensive outlook on how to stop the pandemic and how best to promote an equitable and sustainable recovery. The Commission and its task forces are committed to excellence and diversity across gender, geography, and sectors of society to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach in all aspects of the Commission’s work.

Alongside the Commission, we aim to set up task forces that will focus on specific dimensions of the pandemic. Task force topics include: the nature, origin, and prevention of zoonotic diseases; public health systems for surveillance, testing, tracing, and isolating COVID-19 cases; the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and medicines; the protection of vulnerable groups; wellbeing and mental health in the context of pandemic control; equitable and efficient financing of pandemic control; and building back better in the post-COVID-19 economy to achieve the global goals of sustainable development. There will also be working groups for various subregions, drawing on global and local experts.

The Commission will report periodically throughout the pandemic to provide timely public updates, assessments, and recommendations. The Commission had its first meeting on June 23, 2020, and will issue a first public statement in September, 2020, at the time of the UN General Assembly. We aim for the first interim report of the Commission to be in January, 2021. The Commission will present its planned second interim report in July, 2021, and a comprehensive report in January, 2022. During the next 18 months, the Commission will hold periodic regional and global webinars, which will be open to the general public and expert practitioners, to discuss the work of the Commission and to generate inputs and feedback. The Lancet COVID-19 Commission’s website will post ongoing and up-to-date information on the Commission’s work, offer policy briefs and background studies, and provide a venue for the public to submit questions, data, reports, and insights to support and learn about the Commission’s activities.

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission is confident that this pandemic can be controlled decisively and justly through innovative, equitable, and globally cooperative strategies that are undertaken jointly by all nations and with the firm commitment to leave no one behind.

JDS is Chair and YBA, OKC, and GL are members of the Secretariat of The Lancet COVID-19 Commission. We declare no competing interests. The Lancet COVID-19 Commission is grateful for the generous support of its founding donors, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

References at title link above

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

INCB, WHO and UNODC statement on access to internationally controlled medicines during COVID-19 pandemic
Scope (COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients affected by the pandemic)
14 August 2020 Statement
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) call on governments to ensure that the procurement and supply of controlled medicines in countries meet the needs of patients, both those who have COVID-19 and those who require internationally controlled medicines for other medical conditions.

There is a need to ensure access to controlled medicines such as sedatives and analgesics for intubation protocols for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Non-COVID patients continue to require controlled medicines for the management of pain and palliative care, surgical care and anaesthesia, mental health and neurological conditions, and for the treatment of drug use disorders.

It is important to remember the needs of existing patients who require controlled medicines for the management of these health conditions. These patients faced barriers to accessing controlled medicines before the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has further resulted in interruptions of the medicines supply chain, and it is critical that access to essential health services and medications not be forgotten or de-prioritised during this pandemic.

Need for equitable access
As the pandemic increasingly affects countries with under-resourced health infrastructure and services, it is an ethical imperative to ensure that all people in all countries of the world are able to access essential medicines. This includes those medicines that are under international control.

Governments should ensure that sufficient quantities of internationally controlled medicines, of assured quality, are available and affordable to people under medical care.  Throughout the duration of the pandemic and beyond the acute phase of burden on the healthcare infrastructure, it is critical that governments work cooperatively to ensure that no country, no region, no district, no city and no patient is left behind. Competent national authorities, manufacturers, suppliers and distributors play a crucial role in ensuring that internationally controlled medicines urgently needed for medical treatment are available within and across national borders.  The supply chain is the foundation of quality medical care because without the necessary supplies, including essential controlled medicines, patients will suffer.

Solutions to address barriers
Governments are reminded that in acute emergencies, it is possible under the International Drug Control Conventions to utilize simplified control procedures for the export, transportation and supply of medicinal products containing controlled substances, especially in those cases where the competent authorities in the importing countries may not be operating at full capacity. Competent national authorities may permit the export of medicines containing narcotic drugs and/or psychotropic substances to affected areas even in the absence of the corresponding import authorizations and/or estimates. Urgent deliveries do not need to be included in the estimates of the receiving countries affected by emergencies. When possible, competent national authorities are also encouraged to issue electronic import and export authorizations through the INCB International Import and Export Authorization System (I2ES), PEN Online and share related contingency measures in the forum therein.

Countries should ease COVID-19 related transport restrictions for controlled medicines and consider local production solutions when feasible, to meet the COVID-19 driven demand spikes.

To assist countries as they work to find solutions to the lack of access and availability of controlled medicines, the three organizations suggest the following technical assistance and support documents:
:: Countries are encouraged to refer to the Guide on Estimating Requirements for Substances under International Control developed by the International Narcotics Control Board and the World Health Organization for use by Competent National Authorities.
:: Countries are encouraged to refer to WHO’s toolkit on the clinical care of severe acute respiratory infections, which includes guidance on the use of controlled medicines for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
:: Countries are further advised to utilize WHO’s operational guidance for maintaining essential services during an outbreak to balance the demands of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic whilst simultaneously ensuring that essential health services and provision of medication for other ongoing medical conditions are maintained.
:: Countries are encouraged to refer to normative guidance such as the WHO List of Essential Medicines and guidelines for the pharmacological and radiotherapeutic management of cancer pain in adults and adolescents.
:: Countries are further advised to refer to and utilize the strategies presented in UNODC’s Technical Guidance: Increasing Access and Availability of Controlled Medicines developed in collaboration with experts, civil society partners and other international partners.
:: Under the UNODC-WHO-UICC Joint Global Program, countries are encouraged to reach out to UNODC and WHO for technical assistance and support at the national level that also involves civil society partners.

Conclusions
The work of doctors, nurses, and health care professionals in general, who provide treatment and care to people including the most vulnerable, needs to be supported and safe and effective medicines should be available, accessible and affordable at all times for people who need them.

INCB, WHO and UNODC are committed to continue to work together to address this critical issue and will expand joint efforts to engage with other partners and increase advocacy and technical assistance to countries for improving access to controlled medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate barriers to ensure that both patients affected by COVID-19 or by other non-COVID-related conditions requiring medicines under international control have access to these medicines when they need them.

EMERGENCIES

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

Situation report – 208
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
15 August 2020

Confirmed cases :: 21 026 758 [week ago: 19 187 943 ]
Confirmed deaths :: 755 786 [week ago: 716 075]

Highlights [selected]
:: The International Narcotics Control Board, World Health Organization, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have released a statement calling on governments to ensure that the procurement and supply of controlled medicines in countries meet the needs of patients, both those who have COVID-19 and those who require internationally controlled medicines for other medical conditions.

:: While several countries i n the Americas have implemented innovative strategies to boost immunization programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns about risk of exposure, as well as challenges accessing services during lockdown, have led to a reduction in vaccination coverage. This was shown in a series of surveys carried out by the WHO Regional Office for the Americas.

:: Africa is marking six months since the first cases of COVID-19 were detected on the continent. Cases have been gradually increasing, with South Africa bearing the brunt of the crisis, with over hal f a mi l lion cases and 11 000 deaths

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COVID-19 Vaccines – Access/Procurement/Supply

CEPI reserves manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines at SK bioscience
13 Aug 2020
:: Vaccine manufacturing capacity in 2020 and 2021 has been reserved for vaccines designated by CEPI.
:: Reserved manufacturing capacity at SK bioscience will support COVAX goal to produce 2 billion doses of safe and effective vaccine by the end of 2021.
August 13 2020, Oslo, Norway– An agreement between CEPI and SK bioscience Co. Ltd. (SK bioscience) has secured capacity to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines at SK bioscience’s facilities in South Korea, supporting the goal of CEPI and its COVAX partners to produce 2 billion doses of safe and effective vaccine by the end of 2021.
Under the terms of the agreement, SK bioscience will reserve manufacturing capacity in 2020 and 2021 exclusively for the development and production of COVID-19 vaccines designated by CEPI. CEPI has an option to extend the reservation of manufacturing capacity beyond 2021, should it be needed…

::::::

Trump Administration collaborates with Moderna to produce 100 million doses of COVID-19 investigational vaccine
August 11, 2020
…the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) today announced an agreement with Moderna, Inc. to manufacture and deliver 100 million doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The federal government will own these vaccine doses.
Moderna will manufacture the vaccine doses while clinical trials are underway. Manufacturing in parallel with clinical trials expedites the traditional vaccine development timeline and builds toward the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed goal to begin delivering safe and effective vaccines to the American people by the end of the year. If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes use as outlined in agency guidance, the vaccine doses would be distributed and used as part of a COVID-19 vaccination campaign…

::::::

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Russia receives request for 1 bln COVID-19 vaccine doses from 20 states
Russia is working on an aid program for poor countries to vaccinate against COVID-19, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev said
Tass – Russian News Agency
MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Russia has received a request for the production of 1 bln doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology from 20 states, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev said during an online conference.

“We see a great interest abroad towards the Russian vaccine produced by the Gamaleya Research Institute. We have received preliminary requests for the purchase of over 1 bln doses of the vaccine from 20 states. We are ready to ensure production of over 500 mln vaccine doses along with our foreign partners in five countries, and we plan to increase our production capacity further,” he stated.

According to Dmitriev, as of today, several Latin American, Middle Eastern and Asian states have expressed an interest in purchasing the Russian vaccine. Several contracts have been finalized.

He noted that the RDIF had agreed to hold the third stage of clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine abroad with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other states.

“The third stage of clinical trials of the Russian vaccine will also take place abroad. We have reached agreements on holding the corresponding trials of the Gamaleya [Research Institute] vaccine with our partners from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and a number of other states,” he informed.

Humanitarian assistance
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and partners are working on a humanitarian assistance program for a number of developing countries so that people have equal access to the coronavirus vaccine, Kirill Dmitriev told the conference.

“As we understand that vaccination of the population against coronavirus infection is the most acute issue primarily for the poorest countries, RDIF and partners are working on a humanitarian assistance program for a number of developing states. We believe that people around the world should have equal access to vaccine, regardless of their financial situation, religion, place of residence or other factors, “he said.

On August 11, the Russian Health Ministry registered the first COVID-19 vaccine in the world. The vaccine was developed by the Gamaleya Federal Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

::::::

McKesson to Distribute Future COVID-19 Vaccines in Support of Operation Warp Speed
The Centers for Disease Control is Exercising an Option of an Existing Contract with McKesson for This Effort
August 14, 2020
IRVING, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A global leader in the healthcare industry, McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK) will expand its existing partnership with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to support the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed (OWS) team as a centralized distributor of future COVID-19 vaccines and ancillary supplies needed to administer vaccinations. Vaccines and related supplies will be delivered to point-of-care sites across the country at the U.S. government’s direction.

“McKesson is committed to supporting public health in the U.S. and around the world,” said Brian Tyler, CEO of McKesson. “Since the onset of the pandemic, McKesson has leveraged our deep expertise to help maintain the integrity of the healthcare supply chain, source and distribute personal protective equipment to frontline workers and stand up COVID-19 testing at Health Mart pharmacies, many in underserved communities. We are honored that the U.S. government has asked McKesson to play a key role in the effort to distribute COVID-19 vaccines.”

The CDC has an existing contract with McKesson to support distribution as part of the CDC’s Vaccines for Children Program (VFC). This contract was awarded to McKesson in a competitive bidding process initiated in 2016 and includes an option for distribution of vaccines in the event of a pandemic. McKesson will utilize its expertise and capabilities, along with other industry partners, to support the CDC’s efforts to vaccinate everyone in the U.S. who wants to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. CDC and McKesson collaborated similarly in response to the H1N1 pandemic.

Beyond programs with the CDC, McKesson is the largest seasonal flu vaccine distributor in the U.S. and distributes up to 150 million doses of all vaccines annually to public health clinics, hospitals, physician offices, nursing homes, pharmacies and other care facilities…

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Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 12 August 2020
:: A cVDPV2 outbreak has been detected in Sudan. WHO and UNICEF are working closely with the Ministry of Health to plan and launch an effective outbreak response to limit virus spread.
:: Polio vaccination campaigns continue to resume in countries worldwide in the context of strict COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures. This week a campaign will go ahead in some areas of Pakistan, the second held in the nation since campaigns resumed in July.
:: Dr. Joanna Nikulin has been appointed as the Coordinator of the GPEI Hub in Amman, Jordan, effective immediately. Dr. Nikulin has over 15 years of experience in polio eradication, immunization and child health, and has served in some of the most challenging settings worldwide. She has been acting as the interim Hub Coordinator since September 2019.
:: Tributes have been paid by the polio programme to David Newberry, fondly remembered as the ‘father of the Core Group Polio Project’. After years spent eradicating smallpox and fighting guinea worm, David turned his determination and expertise to the battle against polio. Under his leadership, immense progress was made against polio in countries including Angola, India, Ethiopia, Uganda, Bangladesh and Nepal. Colleagues of David extend their deepest sympathies to his family and friends, and remember him fondly here.

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
:: Afghanistan: 14 cVDPV2 cases and eight cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Pakistan: five WPV1 positive environmental samples and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Chad: five cVDPV2 cases
:: Cote d’Ivoire: six cVDPV2 cases
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo): one cVDPV2 case
:: Ethiopia: two cVDPV2 cases
:: Mali: two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Sudan: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples

::::::

Polio vaccination campaigns resume in Afghanistan and Pakistan after COVID-19 disruptions leave 50 million children unimmunized
KATHMANDU, 11 August 2020 – Polio immunization campaigns have resumed in Afghanistan and Pakistan – the last two polio-endemic countries in the world – months after COVID-19 left 50 million children without their polio vaccine.

In Afghanistan, polio immunization programmes restarted in three provinces in July. A second campaign covering almost half of the country will start this month. In Pakistan, an initial round of vaccinations took place at the end of July, covering about 780,000 children. A nationwide vaccination campaign is slated to start later this month.

“These life-saving vaccinations are critical if children are to avoid yet another health emergency,” said Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia. “As the world has come to see only too well, viruses know no borders and no child is safe from polio until every child is safe.”…

Child vaccination drives, including polio campaigns, were halted in both Afghanistan and Pakistan in March 2020 to avoid the risk of COVID-19 transmission to children, caregivers and vaccinators themselves. As a result, reported polio cases have reached 34 in Afghanistan and 63 in Pakistan, including in some previously polio-free parts of the country.

The application of new vaccination guidelines and the use of protective equipment by frontline health workers will help ensure that vaccination campaigns resume safely.

However, while every effort will be made to reach children nationwide in both countries, UNICEF is concerned that up to 1 million children in Afghanistan could miss out as door-to-door vaccinations are not possible in some areas and parents will have to make their way to health clinics to have their child vaccinated. In Pakistan, the suspension of vaccination drives has also resulted in the expansion and introduction of the disease into new areas of the country.

“Although we have experienced new challenges and a setback in the fight against polio because of COVID-19, the eradication of this contagious disease will get back on track and is firmly within our reach,” said Jean Gough. “Together with the respective Governments and other partners including the WHO, Rotary, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and with the dedicated work by frontline health workers, we are committed to reaching every child.”

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

Emergencies

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

Last WHO Situation Report published 23 June 2020

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::::::

WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 15 Aug 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

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 15 Aug 2020]
Iraq
:: WHO and Ministry of Health launch second phase of COVID-19 awareness-raising campaign
Baghdad, Iraq, 10 August 2020 – Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health of Iraq launched the second phase of a COVID-19 awareness-raising campaign in the heavily populated, high-risk areas of Thi Qar and Missan, south of Baghdad. The campaign “Your health is important” will be extended later in the month to Basra, Wasit, and to Sulaymaniyah, north of the capital Baghdad…

Measles in Europe
:: Measles and rubella elimination: verification process continues amid COVID-19 pandemic 13-08-2020

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso [in French] – 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 – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – 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

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 15 Aug 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

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

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. 
Yemen
:: 12 August 2020 Yemen: COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Monthly Report (July 2020)

Syrian Arab Republic
– No new digest announcements identified

::::::

UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
East Africa Locust Infestation
::  Desert Locust situation update – 14 August 2020

COVID-19
:: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report 40: occupied Palestinian territory, issued 13 August 2020, information for period: 5 March – 13 August 2020

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

WHO & Regional Offices [to 15 Aug 2020]
14 August 2020 Statement
INCB, WHO and UNODC statement on access to internationally controlled medicines during COVID-19 pandemic
[See COVID-19 above for details]

12 August 2020 News release
2 in 5 schools around the world lacked basic handwashing facilities prior to COVID-19 pandemic — UNICEF, WHO

::::::

Weekly Epidemiological Record, 14 August 2020, vol. 95, 33 (pp. 381–392)
:: Meeting of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH), June 2020 Conclusions and advice
:: Validation of maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination in 90% of the population of Mali

::::::

WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: COVID-19 response in southern Nigeria boosts surveillance of other diseases 13 August 2020
In many countries, tackling the COVID-19 pandemic has taken cues from other disease approaches, such as lessons from protecting communities against Ebola. But in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, health workers have found inspiration from guarding against the coronavirus.

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
:: Revised COVID-19 case definitions 13-08-2020
:: Measles and rubella elimination: verification process continues amid COVID-19 pandemic 13-08-2020
:: Azerbaijan response to COVID-19: better testing and contact tracing are key 11-08-2020
:: Announcing the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development: :: Rethinking Policy Priorities in the light of Pandemics 11-08-2020
:: WHO, EU supply critical COVID-19 equipment to the Republic of Moldova 10-08-2020

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Statement by WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the deaths of children in Syria’s Al Hol camp Cairo/Damascus, August 13, 2020

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified

CDC/ACIP [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases
Updated Isolation Guidance Does Not Imply Immunity to COVID-19
Friday, August 14, 2020
On August 3, 2020, CDC updated its isolation guidance based on the latest science about COVID-19 showing that people can continue to test positive for up to 3 months after diagnosis and not be infectious to others.  Contrary to media reporting today, this science does not imply a person is immune to reinfection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in the 3 months following infection.  The latest data simply suggests that retesting someone in the 3 months following initial infection is not necessary unless that person is exhibiting the symptoms of COVID-19 and the symptoms cannot be associated with another illness.
People with COVID-19 should be isolated for at least 10 days after symptom onset and until 24 hours after their fever subsides without the use of fever-reducing medications.
There have been more than 15 international and U.S.-based studies recently published looking at length of infection, duration of viral shed, asymptomatic spread and risk of spread among various patient groups.  Researchers have found that the amount of live virus in the nose and throat drops significantly soon after COVID-19 symptoms develop.  Additionally, the duration of infectiousness in most people with COVID-19 is no longer than 10 days after symptoms begin and no longer than 20 days in people with severe illness or those who are severely immunocompromised.
CDC will continue to closely monitor the evolving science for information that would warrant reconsideration of these recommendations.

Africa CDC [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

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

National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China
http://en.nhc.gov.cn/
News
Aug 15: Daily briefing on novel coronavirus cases in China
On Aug 14, 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps on the Chinese mainland reported 22 new cases of confirmed infections

Inner Mongolia banner to offer free HPV shots
Juungar Banner in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, became the first area in China to offer free vaccinations against HPV for female students ages 13 to 18.

NHC responds to US health secretary’s visit to Taiwan
Updated: 2020-08-12
In response to the visit to Taiwan by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, a spokesperson of China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Aug 12 that the Taiwan question is China’s internal affairs that don’t allow external interference. The wrong US move has caused serious damage to China-US health cooperation. China urges the US to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués and stop any official interactions and contact with Taiwan. China and the US should work together to promote constructive health cooperation and safeguard the health security and well-being of the people of the two countries and the world.

Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BARDA – U.S. Department of HHS [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.phe.gov/about/barda/Pages/default.aspx
BARDA News
August 11, 2020: Trump Administration collaborates with Moderna to produce 100 million doses of COVID-19 investigational vaccine
[See Milestones above for detail]

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 15 Aug 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 15 Aug 2020]
https://carb-x.org/
CARB-X is a non-profit public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
08.11.2020  |
CARB-X is funding Evotec to develop a new class of broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections
CARB-X is awarding up to US$2.91 million to Evotec SE, a drug discovery and development company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, to develop a new class of antibiotics to treat infections caused by deadly multidrug-resistant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Evotec will be eligible for an additional $5.53 million in non-dilutive funding from CARB-X if project milestones are met, subject to available funds.

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://cepi.net/
Latest News
CEPI reserves manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines at SK bioscience
13 Aug 2020
[See Milestones above for detail]

EDCTP [to 15 Aug 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
14 August 2020
Annual Report 2019 – steering a portfolio for impact

Emory Vaccine Center [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
Vaccine Center News
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

European Vaccine Initiative [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

FDA [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements
August 15, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Issues Emergency Use Authorization to Yale School of Public Health for SalivaDirect, Which Uses a New Method of Saliva Sample Processing

August 14, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 14, 2020

August 13, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 13, 2020

August 12, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 12, 2020

August 11, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 11, 2020

August 10, 2020 – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Daily Roundup August 10, 2020

Fondation Merieux [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.gavi.org/
News releases
No new digest content identified.

GHIT Fund [to 15 Aug 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 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News/Updates
Updates
Country Coordinating Mechanism Evolution: Implementation
12 August 2020

News
Global Fund Launches Search for Inspector General
10 August 2020
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has launched a search for its next Inspector General.

Hilleman Laboratories [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
Press Release
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
Features
August 10, 2020
Expanding access to monoclonal antibody-based products: A global call to action
A roadmap to making monoclonal antibodies, one of the most powerful tools in modern medicine, affordable and available to all.
… IAVI has teamed with Wellcome, the independent global charitable foundation, to produce a call to action entitled Expanding Access to Monoclonal Antibody-based Products.
The call to action asks global health stakeholders, both public and private, to make four parallel and vital commitments to ensure equitable access to mAbs:
:: Increase awareness that mAbs save lives and need to be more affordable and widely available.
:: Facilitate broader licensure of mAbs across the globe.
:: Invest in and apply new technologies to lower mAb production and development costs.
:: Create new business models to enable innovative market approaches that promote global access.
…IAVI and Wellcome will launch a series of webinars, virtual meetings, and publications to engage key stakeholders in taking concrete actions to make the recommendations in the report a reality…

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

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

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

IFRC [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
Lebanon
Beirut Explosion: Urgent relief for survivors underway as IFRC appeals for 20 million Swiss francs
Geneva, 9 August 2020 – The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) appealed today for 20 million Swiss francs (US$ 21.8 million dollars) to rapidly scale up emergency medical support and economic relief for survivors of …
9 August 20

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index
Media highlights
Press Release
As COVID cases hit 20M, David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC, raises alarm on growing numbers in fragile contexts
August 10, 2020

IVAC [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
Honoring a life-long advocate for vaccine science and equity
[Undated]

Gordon Dougan, professor in the Department of Medicine at Cambridge University and IVI Board Member, awarded the 2020 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal
…George Bickerstaff, Chairperson of IVI’s Board of Trustees, congratulated Dougan on his award: “Gordon’s receipt of the Sabin Gold Medal is an outstanding and highly deserved recognition of a true innovator in vaccinology. His contributions will continue to shape vaccine development and delivery, and we at IVI are incredibly fortunate to have his expertise in vaccine science and global health on our Board.”…

JEE Alliance [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Lebanon
MSF provides medical and mental health support to Beirut’s most affected communities
Project Update 12 Aug 2020

Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic
RESPONDING TO COVID-19: Global Accountability Report – March to May 2020
Report 10 Aug 2020
This report is the fi rst in a series of accountability reports and operational snapshots offering insight into MSF’s global COVID-19 response, highlighting activities and outcomes, documenting expenditures, and shedding light on challenges faced in accessing and supplying communities with essential medicines and supplies.

Iraq
Yazidi community suffers one crisis after another
Project Update 9 Aug 2020

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
NVAC Meetings
September 23-24, 2020 Meeting (Virtual)
February 4-5, 2021 NVAC Meeting
June 16-17, 2021 NVAC Meeting

NIH [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
Clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies to prevent COVID-19 now enrolling
August 10, 2020 — Phase 3 trials conducted in the NIAID COVID-19 Prevention Network.
Two Phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials testing whether experimental monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are now enrolling healthy adults at clinical trial sites in the United States. Many of the trial sites and study investigators are part of the COVID-19 Prevention Network(link is external) (CoVPN), recently established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The trials are enrolling adults who are at risk of infection due to close contact at work or home to persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
“The COVID-19 Prevention Network is designed to conduct large-scale trials rapidly and efficiently,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “This network will allow us to test the safety and efficacy of monoclonal antibodies and other preventive measures to help identify how best to reduce the level of SARS-CoV-2 infection and ultimately end the COVID-19 pandemic.”…

PATH [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
No new digest content identified.

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
Professor Gordon Dougan Receives the 2020 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal; Sabin Vaccine Institute’s New Rising Star Award Presented to Dr. Katherine E. Gallagher
August 13, 2020
Sabin today announced that it has awarded its annual Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal to Gordon Dougan, FRS, professor in the Department of Medicine and the Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Cambridge. Sabin also presented the inaugural Rising Star Award to Katherine E. Gallagher, MSc, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The Gold Medal, now in its 27th year, is Sabin’s highest scientific honor, given each year to a distinguished member of the global health community who has made extraordinary contributions to vaccinology or a complementary field. Past award recipients include leaders of vaccinology and vaccine advocacy such as Drs. D.A. Henderson, Maurice Hilleman, Anne Gershon, Myron Levine and Paul Offit…

UNAIDS [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
11 August 2020
Strengthening the role of faith-based organizations in the HIV response

UNICEF [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Press releases/Announcements
Statement
08/14/2020
UNICEF statement on the situation of children in Belarus
Statement by UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Ms. Afshan Khan

Press release
08/14/2020
UNICEF appeals for $46.7 million dollars to reach 100,000 children affected by Beirut explosions over the next three months
Geneva Palais briefing note on latest situation for children affected by Beirut explosions and UNICEF response

Press release
08/13/2020
2 in 5 schools around the world lacked basic handwashing facilities prior to COVID-19 pandemic — UNICEF, WHO

Statement
08/12/2020
Eight children die in Al Hol camp, northeastern Syria in less than a week
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore

Press release
08/11/2020
UNICEF provides assistance to 40,000 people displaced by inter-ethnic violence in the South Kivu highlands, DRC

Press release
08/11/2020
Polio vaccination campaigns resume in Afghanistan and Pakistan after COVID-19 disruptions leave 50 million children unimmunized
[See Milestones above for detail]

Press release
08/11/2020
Geneva Palais Briefing on children affected by Beirut explosions and UNICEF response

Press release
08/10/2020
Remarks by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore at the virtual briefing on the humanitarian situation in Lebanon
Prepared remarks – check against delivery

Unitaid [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://unitaid.org/
Featured News
No new digest content identified.

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
Announcements
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Research and Reports
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
No new digest content identified.

The Wistar Institute [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
Press Releases
Aug. 10, 2020
Breast Cancer Cells Use Message-carrying Vesicles to Send Oncogenic Stimuli to Neighboring Normal Cells 
Pro-tumorigenic messages reprogram mitochondrial function in normal cells to promote migration and invasion.

WFPHA: World Federation of Public Health Associations [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.wfpha.org/
Latest News
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2020/
No new digest content identified.

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ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News; Upcoming events
No new digest content identified.

ICBA – International Council of Biotechnology Associations [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://internationalbiotech.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
Press Release
Supporting access to vaccines for Part D beneficiaries
Tom Wilbur   |     August 12, 2020
Today, in honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, we’ll take a look at how Medicare Part D supports access to critical vaccines and strengthens public health. Vaccines represent some of the most impactful advances in public health, helping to prevent the spread of many infectious diseases. Here in the United States, there are currently 16 diseases that are now preventable as a result of childhood vaccines.

A recent report found that there are nearly 260 vaccines in development by America’s biopharmaceutical companies, including dozens for COVID-19 in the pipeline. Biopharmaceutical companies are exploring a wide range of approaches to COVID-19 for older adults including increasing the doses or adding a booster to the shot. Yet no matter the approach, biopharmaceutical researchers must comply with a number of regulations throughout the development process to help ensure vaccine safety.

Continued progress in the research and development of new vaccines is important news for Americans of all ages, but especially for seniors. It is important for adults and seniors to receive certain vaccinations as they age to avoid a variety of serious conditions. The immune system naturally weakens over a patient’s lifespan and vaccines can be critical to prevent illness among the elderly, who may be particularly vulnerable to infection. For example, shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster) and can occur in adults who had chickenpox as children. It is thought that lowered immunity to infections as people grow older may be the cause.

Ensuring greater uptake of and access to vaccines will improve public health and reduce broader health care costs over time. Increasing awareness of the availability and value of vaccines, particularly among adults, can help improve vaccine rates. It is also important to provide robust insurance coverage for preventative care more broadly, including vaccines, in order to avoid vaccine-preventable diseases.

Low adult immunization rates are due to multiple barriers, including lack of information about recommended vaccines, financial hurdles, as well as technological and logistical obstacles.

For medically necessary, commercially available adult vaccines not covered under Medicare Part B, Part D covers available vaccines and, since 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has encouraged Part D plans to offer either $0 or low-cost sharing for vaccines to help increase adult immunization rates. Despite this encouragement, Part D plans continue to apply cost-sharing for vaccines that may limit access for beneficiaries. This effort to ensure vaccines are affordable and accessible to seniors is critical as illnesses attributed to vaccine-preventable diseases remains higher in adults than children…

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

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 103, Issue 2, August 2020
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/14761645/103/2

Editorial
African Resources and the Promise of Resilience against COVID-19
Ronald E. Blanton, Nancy B. Mock, Honelgn N. Hiruy, John S. Schieffelin, Seydou Doumbia, Christian Happi, Robert J. Samuels and Richard A. Oberhelman
Pages: 539–541
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0470
The COVID-19 pandemic has been slow to arrive in the world’s poorest countries, especially in Africa. There are good reasons to believe that the consequences for the continent could be worse than anywhere else.¹–³ The weaknesses of some governments, healthcare systems, and economies, plus armed conflict, are factors that the virus can and will exploit. A recent British Broadcasting Corporation article noted that there are 10 African countries that have no ventilators, nine have < 1 per 1 million people, and most of the others have too few to serve their populations in an outbreak of U.S. proportions.² African countries need help but are not all helpless. To adequately preview the impact of COVID-19 on the continent, however, both weaknesses and strengths must be considered. The Africa of 2020 is not the Africa of 1960 or even 2014. Africa is a continent of 54 countries, with a range of climatic, cultural, demographic, and economic conditions that contrast them with more developed regions and with each other (Table 1). The country-to-country effects of COVID-19 could be quite different, and there are resources that may help produce better than expected outcomes.

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 103, Issue 2, August 2020
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/14761645/103/2

COVID-19, Quarantines, Sheltering-in-Place, and Human Rights: The Developing Crisis
John J. Openshaw and Mark A. Travassos

Pages: 578–580
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0528

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 103, Issue 2, August 2020
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/14761645/103/2

Perspectives on Battling COVID-19 in Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean
Jon Kim Andrus, Tracy Evans-Gilbert, Jose Ignacio Santos, Maria G. Guzman, Philip J. Rosenthal, Cristiana Toscano, Maria Teresa Valenzuela, Marilda Siqueira, Carissa Etienne and Joel G. Breman

Pages: 593–596
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-0571

Annals of Internal Medicine
4 August 2020 Volume 173, Issue 3
http://annals.org/aim/issue

Ideas and Opinions
Caution Warranted: Using the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Model for Predicting the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Nicholas P. Jewell, PhD, Joseph A. Lewnard, PhD, and Britta L. Jewell, PhD
The IHME model for predicting the course of the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted considerable attention, including from the U.S. government. The appearance of certainty of model estimates is seductive when the world is desperate to know what lies ahead, but caution is warranted regarding the validity and usefulness of model projections for policymakers.

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Public trust and global biobank networks
Biobanks provide an important foundation for genomic and personalised medicine. In order to enhance their scientific power and scope, they are increasingly becoming part of national or international networks. Public trust is essential in fostering public engagement, encouraging donation to, and facilitating public funding for biobanks. Globalisation and networking of biobanking may challenge this trust…We conclude that robust ethical oversight and governance standards can both promote trust in global biobanking and ensure that this trust is warranted.
Authors: Lisa Dive, Christine Critchley, Margaret Otlowski, Paul Mason, Miriam Wiersma, Edwina Light, Cameron Stewart, Ian Kerridge and Wendy Lipworth
Content type: Research article
15 August 2020

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Hepatitis C in the criminal justice system: opportunities for global action in the era of viral hepatitis elimination
Globally, HCV disproportionately affects individuals who intersect with the criminal justice system. Of the estimated 10.2 million people incarcerated worldwide on any given day, approximately 15%, or 1.5 million, are living with HCV [2]. Despite the dramatic epidemiologic disparity between corrections and the community, HCV is overwhelmingly transmitted outside correctional settings. HCV is far more common among marginalized populations such as people who use drugs, the homeless, and mentally ill. These groups are overrepresented in correctional settings due to policies related to the criminalization of drug use and crimes of poverty. High HCV rates coupled with a point of contact with these marginalized populations make correctional settings critically important to provide all phases of the HCV care cascade (screening, linkage to care, treatment, and prevention).
Authors: Matthew J. Akiyama
Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:208
Content type: Commentary
Published on: 14 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

What can over 30 years of efforts to eradicate polio teach us about global health?
Authors: Olakunle Alonge
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 2):1177
Content type: Introduction
Published on: 12 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Synthesis and translation of research and innovations from polio eradication (STRIPE): initial findings from a global mixed methods study
Lessons from polio eradication efforts and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) are useful for improving health service delivery and outcomes globally. The Synthesis and Translation of Research and I…
Authors: Olakunle Alonge, Abigail H. Neel, Anna Kalbarczyk, Michael A. Peters, Yodi Mahendradhata, Malabika Sarker, Eme Owoaje, Wakgari Deressa, Patrick Kayembe, Ahmad Shah Salehi and S. D. Gupta
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 2):1176
Content type: Research
Published on: 12 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Synthesis and translation of research and innovations from polio eradication (STRIPE): initial findings from a global mixed methods study
Lessons from polio eradication efforts and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) are useful for improving health service delivery and outcomes globally. The Synthesis and Translation of Research and I…
Authors: Olakunle Alonge, Abigail H. Neel, Anna Kalbarczyk, Michael A. Peters, Yodi Mahendradhata, Malabika Sarker, Eme Owoaje, Wakgari Deressa, Patrick Kayembe, Ahmad Shah Salehi and S. D. Gupta
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20(Suppl 2):1176
Content type: Research
Published on: 12 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Socio-demographic correlates of first dose of measles (MCV1) vaccination coverage in India
Between 2010 and 2018, measles-related mortality had halved in India mainly with effective measles vaccination campaigns and widespread coverage across the states and population subgroups. Despite the commenda…
Authors: Basant Kumar Panda, Suyash Mishra and Niyi Awofeso
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1221
Content type: Research article
Published on: 10 August 2020

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

The association between protection motivation and hepatitis b vaccination intention among migrant workers in Tianjin, China: a cross-sectional study
Migrant workers are a susceptible population to the hepatitis b virus (HBV) and a vulnerable spot in China’s immunization procedures. There is no free HBV immunization program for migrant workers in China, so …
Authors: Cai Liu, Stephen Nicholas and Jian Wang
Citation: BMC Public Health 2020 20:1219
Content type: Research article
Published on: 10 August 2020

Clinical Trials
Volume 17 Issue 4, August 2020
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/ctja/17/4

Conference Proceedings
Proceedings of the University of Pennsylvania 12th annual conference on statistical issues in clinical trials: Electronic health records (EHR) in randomized clinical trials—Challenges and opportunities
Susan S Ellenberg, Jonas H Ellenberg
First Published June 10, 2020; pp. 343–345

Genome Medicine
https://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles
[Accessed 15 Aug 2020]

Sequence-based prediction of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine targets using a mass spectrometry-based bioinformatics predictor identifies immunogenic T cell epitopes
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgency to identify novel vaccine targets for protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Early reports identify protective roles for both humoral and cell-mediated imm…
Authors: Asaf Poran, Dewi Harjanto, Matthew Malloy, Christina M. Arieta, Daniel A. Rothenberg, Divya Lenkala, Marit M. van Buuren, Terri A. Addona, Michael S. Rooney, Lakshmi Srinivasan and Richard B. Gaynor
Citation: Genome Medicine 2020 12:70
Content type: Research
Published on: 13 August 2020

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
August 2020 Volume 97, p1-404
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(20)X0009-9

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collection
Does COVID-19 infection impact on the trend of seasonal influenza infection? 11 countries and regions, from 2014 to 2020
Takahiro Itaya, Yuki Furuse, Kazuaki Jindai
p78–80
Published online: June 1, 2020

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
August 2020 Volume 97, p1-404
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(20)X0009-9

What works and what does not work in response to COVID-19 prevention and control in Africa
Erigene Rutayisire, Gerard Nkundimana, Honore K. Mitonga, Alex Boye, Solange Nikwigize
p267–269
Published online: June 11, 2020