JAMA Network
COVID-19 Update August 15, 2020

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

JAMA
August 11, 2020, Vol 324, No. 6, Pages 529-614
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

COVID-19: Beyond Tomorrow
The Work of Philanthropy in Responding to COVID-19 and Addressing InequalityA New Foundation
Darren Walker, JD
free access has active quiz has multimedia has audio
JAMA. 2020;324(6):541-542. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12904
In this Viewpoint the president of the Ford Foundation calls on philanthropic and other wealthy organizations to make creative and generous grants to less well-endowed counterpart institutions and communities to redress the racial and socioeconomic disparities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and continued killings of Black Americans.

JAMA
August 11, 2020, Vol 324, No. 6, Pages 529-614
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

Pooling Data From Individual Clinical Trials in the COVID-19 Era
Eva Petkova, PhD; Elliott M. Antman, MD; Andrea B. Troxel, ScD
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(6):543-545. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.13042
This Viewpoint proposes principles and processes to allow pooling of individual patient data from clinical trials given decelerating participant recruitment at sites where the COVID-19 surge has been controlled and new cases are diminishing.

JAMA
August 11, 2020, Vol 324, No. 6, Pages 529-614
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and Its Role in the Pandemic Vaccine Response
Grace M. Lee, MD, MPH; Beth P. Bell, MD, MPH; José R. Romero, MD
free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(6):546-547. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.13167
This Viewpoint discusses the role of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a federal advisory committee that makes vaccine-related recommendations to the CDC and DHHS, in guiding the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.

JAMA
August 11, 2020, Vol 324, No. 6, Pages 529-614
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/currentissue

COVID-19 Response in Lebanon – Current Experience and Challenges in a Low-Resource Setting
Petra Khoury, PharmD; Eid Azar, MD; Eveline Hitti, MD, MBA

free access has active quiz
JAMA. 2020;324(6):548-549. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12695
This Viewpoint describes the unique challenges faced by Lebanon, a small densely populated country with a fragmented health care system, in its response to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, and it summarizes organizational, testing, and communications policies the nation has implemented that might be useful to other resource-limited countries and settings.

Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 3 Pages: 179-249 August 2020
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17565391/current

COMMENTARY
Are randomized controlled trials being conducted with the right justification?
Corbin Walters, Trevor Torgerson, Ian Fladie, Angela Clifton, Chase Meyer, Matt Vassar
Pages: 181-182
First Published: 02 July 2020

Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice
https://joppp.biomedcentral.com/
[Accessed 15 Aug 2020]

Articles
Registration and local production of essential medicines in Uganda
Authors: Petra Brhlikova, Karen Maigetter, Jude Murison, Amon G. Agaba, Jonans Tusiimire and Allyson M. Pollock
Content type: Research
11 August 2020

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
Humanitarian crises in a global pandemic
The Lancet

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
[See Milestones above for detail]

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Articles
Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a phase 1/2, single-blind, randomised controlled trial
Pedro M Folegatti, et al on behalf of the Oxford COVID Vaccine Trial Group

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Immunogenicity and safety of a recombinant adenovirus type-5-vectored COVID-19 vaccine in healthy adults aged 18 years or older: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial
Feng-Cai Zhu, et aL

Nature
Volume 584 Issue 7820, 13 August 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Editorial | 12 August 2020
How to stop COVID-19 fuelling a resurgence of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
A focus on the coronavirus has disrupted detection and treatment of other infectious diseases. Governments and funders can do four things to avert a catastrophe.

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Focus on COVID-19 and digital privacy
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the acceleration of the development of digital technologies to monitor the spread of the outbreak. Emergency powers are being used to track not just individuals’ health data, but other personal information. The image shows the data that are being monitored on people’s cell phones, and the effects on healthcare are discussed in this focus issue on COVID-19 and digital privacy.

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Editorial | 07 August 2020
Build trust in digital health
The rapid rollout of digital health approaches in the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic has neglected to prioritize data privacy and is a missed opportunity for building users’ trust in these technologies for future outbreaks and quotidian healthcare.

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Comment | 02 June 2020
Building an international consortium for tracking coronavirus health status
We call upon the research community to standardize efforts to use daily self-reported data about COVID-19 symptoms in the response to the pandemic and to form a collaborative consortium to maximize global gain while protecting participant privacy.
Eran Segal, Feng Zhang[…] & Paul Wilmes

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Comment | 26 May 2020
Use of apps in the COVID-19 response and the loss of privacy protection
Mobile apps provide a convenient source of tracking and data collection to fight against the spread of COVID-19. We report our analysis of 50 COVID-19-related apps, including their use and their access to personally identifiable information, to ensure that the right to privacy and civil liberties are protected.
Tanusree Sharma  & Masooda Bashir

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Comment | 26 May 2020
Mass-surveillance technologies to fight coronavirus spread: the case of Israel
As the COVID-19 pandemic escalates, teams around the world are now advocating for a new approach to monitoring transmission: tapping into cellphone location data to track infection spread and warn people who may have been exposed. Here we present data collected in Israel through this approach so far and discuss the privacy concerns, alternatives and different ‘flavors’ of cellphone surveillance. We also propose safeguards needed to minimize the risk for civil rights.
Moran Amit, Heli Kimhi[…] & Avi Benov

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Perspective | 07 August 2020
Regulatory, safety, and privacy concerns of home monitoring technologies during COVID-19
Home monitoring technologies are being rushed to market during the COVID-19 pandemic; here, safety and privacy considerations are discussed.
Sara Gerke, Carmel Shachar[…] & I. Glenn Cohen

Nature Medicine
Volume 26 Issue 8, August 2020
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/26/issues/8

Review Article | 07 August 2020
Digital technologies in the public-health response to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an accelerated development of applications for digital health, including symptom monitoring and contact tracing. Their potential is wide ranging and must be integrated into conventional approaches to public health for best effect.
Jobie Budd, Benjamin S. Miller[…] & Rachel A. McKendry

New England Journal of Medicine
August 13, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 7
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Perspective
Hepatitis C Treatment in Prisons — Incarcerated People’s Uncertain Right to Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy A.M. Daniels and D.M. Studdert

New England Journal of Medicine
August 13, 2020 Vol. 383 No. 7
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Editorials
WHO’s Next — The United States and the World Health Organization B.R. Bloom, P.E. Farmer, and E.J. Rubin

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Diagnosis of neglected tropical diseases during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
Dziedzom K. de Souza, Albert Picado, Sylvain Biéler, Sarah Nogaro, Joseph Mathu Ndung’u
Viewpoints | published 14 Aug 2020 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008587

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

Simultaneous dengue and COVID-19 epidemics: Difficult days ahead?
Mathieu Nacher, Maylis Douine, Mélanie Gaillet, Claude Flamand, Dominique Rousset, Cyril Rousseau, Chedli Mahdaoui, Stanley Carroll, Audrey Valdes, Nathalie Passard, Gabriel Carles, Félix Djossou, Magalie Demar, Loïc Epelboin
Viewpoints | published 14 Aug 2020 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008426

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 15 Aug 2020)

The process of building the priority of neglected tropical diseases: A global policy analysis
Nathaly Aya Pastrana, David Beran, Claire Somerville, Olivia Heller, Jorge C. Correia, L. Suzanne Suggs
Research Article | published 12 Aug 2020 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008498

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

Comparing catch-up vaccination programs based on analysis of 2012–13 rubella outbreak in Kawasaki City, Japan
Chiyori T. Urabe, Gouhei Tanaka, Takahiro Oshima, Aya Maruyama, Takako Misaki, Nobuhiko Okabe, Kazuyuki Aihara
Research Article | published 14 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237312

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

Vaccination discourses among chiropractors, naturopaths and homeopaths: A qualitative content analysis of academic literature and Canadian organizational webpages
Eric Filice, Eve Dubé, Janice E. Graham, Noni E. MacDonald, Julie A. Bettinger, Devon Greyson, Shannon MacDonald, S. Michelle Driedger, Greg Kawchuk, Samantha B. Meyer
Research Article | published 12 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236691

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

Modelling hepatitis B virus infection and impact of timely birth dose vaccine: A comparison of two simulation models
Margaret J. de Villiers, Ivane Gamkrelidze, Timothy B. Hallett, Shevanthi Nayagam, Homie Razavi, Devin Razavi-Shearer
Research Article | published 10 Aug 2020 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237525

PLoS Pathogens
http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/
[Accessed 15 Aug 2020]

No more business as usual: Agile and effective responses to emerging pathogen threats require open data and open analytics
Dannon Baker, Marius van den Beek, Daniel Blankenberg, Dave Bouvier, John Chilton, Nate Coraor, Frederik Coppens, Ignacio Eguinoa, Simon Gladman, Björn Grüning, Nicholas Keener, Delphine Larivière, Andrew Lonie, Sergei Kosakovsky Pond, Wolfgang Maier, Anton Nekrutenko, James Taylor, Steven Weaver
Opinion | published 13 Aug 2020 PLOS Pathogens
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008643

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

 
14 Aug 2020
A COVID-19 opportunity: Applying a systems approach to food security and noncommunicable diseases
Letter | English |

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

Latest articles
14 Aug 2020
Use of point-of-care technologies for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia
Special report | Spanish |

Science
14 August 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6505
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Editorial
Vaccine nationalism’s politics
By David P. Fidler
Science14 Aug 2020
Before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) struck, cooperation on global health—especially for pandemic preparedness and response—would, we told ourselves, enhance national security, support economic wealth, protect human rights, and facilitate humanitarian assistance around the world. However, the politics of the coronavirus catastrophe do not reflect such national interests or international solidarity. “Vaccine nationalism” is more evidence that efforts to elevate health cooperation—and the sciences that inform it—have produced more rhetoric than political roots within countries and the international community.

Concerns about vaccine nationalism were escalating even before the United States announced on 31 July its largest deal to date with pharmaceutical companies to secure COVID-19 vaccines. Other countries—including China, India, the United Kingdom, and members of the European Union—are pursuing similar strategies. To critics, this scramble to secure vaccine supplies is one of many decisions by governments that have failed to control spread of the virus, destroyed economic activity, and damaged international cooperation. Ineffective nationalistic policies appear to create a gap between science and politics that makes the pandemic worse and undermines what science and health diplomacy could achieve. In fact, vaccine nationalism reflects “business as usual” in global health.

Historically, health diplomacy has struggled with global, equitable access to drugs and vaccines during serious disease events. Countries did not achieve this goal, for example, during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. International access typically happened only after developed countries secured pharmaceuticals for use at home, as happened with vaccines for smallpox and polio and drugs for HIV/AIDS. Developing countries, such as China and India, tried to break out of this pattern by building their own pharmaceutical innovation and production capabilities. More recently, developing countries have asserted sovereignty over pathogenic samples. This approach conditions access to samples on the source country receiving benefits from research and development, including drugs and vaccines. This “viral sovereignty” strategy produced the virus-and-benefit sharing regime in the World Health Organization’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework in 2011.

With COVID-19, history is repeating itself. Countries with the resources to obtain vaccines have not subordinated their needs and capacities to the objective of global, equitable access. And the worldwide spread of the coronavirus eliminates leverage that viral sovereignty might have provided countries without such means. International and nongovernmental organizations launched an ad hoc effort—the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility—to achieve equitable access. But with no serious participation by major states so far, COVAX lacks game-changing support. In keeping with the longstanding pattern of political behavior during pandemics, vaccines will eventually reach most populations, but only after powerful countries have protected themselves.

Further, changes in domestic and global politics have made matters worse. Domestically, the extent to which governments have ignored science, denigrated health experts, supported quack remedies and policies, peddled disinformation, and botched social distancing and other nonpharmaceutical interventions has been astonishing. This travesty flows from the traction that populist, nationalist, antiglobalist, and authoritarian attitudes have gained around the world.

Globally, balance-of-power politics has returned to world affairs. Geopolitical calculations have shaped national responses to COVID-19, with the United States and China treating the pandemic as another front in their rivalry for power and influence. National access to coronavirus vaccines has become a priority in power politics, especially as a means to recover from the economic damage at home, in export markets, and within regions of strategic importance in the balance of power.

These changes in politics have generated ferocious headwinds against global, equitable vaccine access—an objective only approached with great difficulty when political waters were less turbulent. Reorienting health policy and diplomacy will require root-and-branch reconstruction of political interests on infectious diseases. Perhaps the mounting desperation for scientists to deliver a vaccine against COVID-19 will provide an incentive for leaders to rebuild health policies sufficiently so that, when the next pandemic hits, politicians and citizens will be less likely to drink the hydroxychloroquine.

Science
14 August 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6505
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

In Depth
Antibodies may curb pandemic before vaccines
By Jon Cohen
Science14 Aug 2020 : 752-753 Full Access
Now in efficacy trials, monoclonal antibodies promise to both prevent and treat disease.

Science
14 August 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6505
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

DNA vaccine protection against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques
By Jingyou Yu, Lisa H. Tostanoski, Lauren Peter, Noe B. Mercado, Katherine McMahan, Shant H. Mahrokhian, Joseph P. Nkolola, Jinyan Liu, Zhenfeng Li, Abishek Chandrashekar, David R. Martinez, Carolin Loos, Caroline Atyeo, Stephanie Fischinger, John S. Burke, Matthew D. Slein, Yuezhou Chen, Adam Zuiani, Felipe J. N. Lelis, Meghan Travers, Shaghayegh Habibi, Laurent Pessaint, Alex Van Ry, Kelvin Blade, Renita Brown, Anthony Cook, Brad Finneyfrock, Alan Dodson, Elyse Teow, Jason Velasco, Roland Zahn, Frank Wegmann, Esther A. Bondzie, Gabriel Dagotto, Makda S. Gebre, Xuan He, Catherine Jacob-Dolan, Marinela Kirilova, Nicole Kordana, Zijin Lin, Lori F. Maxfield, Felix Nampanya, Ramya Nityanandam, John D. Ventura, Huahua Wan, Yongfei Cai, Bing Chen, Aaron G. Schmidt, Duane R. Wesemann, Ralph S. Baric, Galit Alter, Hanne Andersen, Mark G. Lewis, Dan H. Barouch

Science14 Aug 2020 : 806-811 Open Access
Successful protection against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques by means of a prototype DNA vaccine is described.

Science
14 August 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6505
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Reports
Primary exposure to SARS-CoV-2 protects against reinfection in rhesus macaques
By Wei Deng, Linlin Bao, Jiangning Liu, Chong Xiao, Jiayi Liu, Jing Xue, Qi Lv, Feifei Qi, Hong Gao, Pin Yu, Yanfeng Xu, Yajin Qu, Fengdi Li, Zhiguang Xiang, Haisheng Yu, Shuran Gong, Mingya Liu, Guanpeng Wang, Shunyi Wang, Zhiqi Song, Ying Liu, Wenjie Zhao, Yunlin Han, Linna Zhao, Xing Liu, Qiang Wei, Chuan Qin
Science14 Aug 2020 : 818-823 Open Access
SARS-CoV-2 infection was able to induce robust protective immunity against reexposure to virus in nonhuman primates.

Science
14 August 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6505
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

SARS-CoV-2 infection protects against rechallenge in rhesus macaques
By Abishek Chandrashekar, Jinyan Liu, Amanda J. Martinot, Katherine McMahan, Noe B. Mercado, Lauren Peter, Lisa H. Tostanoski, Jingyou Yu, Zoltan Maliga, Michael Nekorchuk, Kathleen Busman-Sahay, Margaret Terry, Linda M. Wrijil, Sarah Ducat, David R. Martinez, Caroline Atyeo, Stephanie Fischinger, John S. Burke, Matthew D. Slein, Laurent Pessaint, Alex Van Ry, Jack Greenhouse, Tammy Taylor, Kelvin Blade, Anthony Cook, Brad Finneyfrock, Renita Brown, Elyse Teow, Jason Velasco, Roland Zahn, Frank Wegmann, Peter Abbink, Esther A. Bondzie, Gabriel Dagotto, Makda S. Gebre, Xuan He, Catherine Jacob-Dolan, Nicole Kordana, Zhenfeng Li, Michelle A. Lifton, Shant H. Mahrokhian, Lori F. Maxfield, Ramya Nityanandam, Joseph P. Nkolola, Aaron G. Schmidt, Andrew D. Miller, Ralph S. Baric, Galit Alter, Peter K. Sorger, Jacob D. Estes, Hanne Andersen, Mark G. Lewis, Dan H. Barouch

Science
14 August 2020 Vol 369, Issue 6505
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

A mathematical model reveals the influence of population heterogeneity on herd immunity to SARS-CoV-2
By Tom Britton, Frank Ball, Pieter Trapman

Science14 Aug 2020 : 846-849 Open Access
Human population heterogeneities bring down estimates for herd immunity.

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 36 Pages 5741-5876 (10 August 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/36

Review article Open access
Implementation of the United Kingdom’s childhood influenza national vaccination programme: A review of clinical impact and lessons learned over six influenza seasons
George Kassianos, Pauline MacDonald, Ivan Aloysius, Arlene Reynolds

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 36 Pages 5741-5876 (10 August 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/36

Research article Abstract only
Impact of a decision-aid tool on influenza vaccine coverage among HCW in two French hospitals: A cluster-randomized trial
Florian Saunier, Philippe Berthelot, Benoît Mottet-Auselo, Carole Pelissier, … Amandine Gagneux-Brunon
Pages 5759-5763

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 36 Pages 5741-5876 (10 August 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/36

Research article Abstract only
Spread of vaccine hesitancy in France: What about YouTube™?
Marin Lahouati, Antoine De Coucy, Jean Sarlangue, Charles Cazanave
Pages 5779-5782

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 36 Pages 5741-5876 (10 August 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/36

Research article Open access
Two decades of vaccine innovations for global public good: Report of the Developing Countries’ Vaccine Manufacturers Network 20th meeting, 21–23 october 2019, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sonia Pagliusi, Maureen Dennehy, Akira Homma
Pages 5851-5860

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 36 Pages 5741-5876 (10 August 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/36

Research article Open access
A framework for the systematic consideration of ethics, equity, feasibility, and acceptability in vaccine program recommendations
Shainoor J. Ismail, Kendra Hardy, Matthew C. Tunis, Kelsey Young, … Caroline Quach
Pages 5861-5876

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 15 Aug 2020
The Plan That Could Give Us Our Lives Back
The U.S. has never had enough coronavirus tests. Now a group of epidemiologists, economists, and dreamers is plotting a new strategy to defeat the virus, even before a vaccine is found.
Story by Robinson Meyer and Alexis C. Madrigal
August 14, 2020

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
Coronavirus: Russia calls international concern over vaccine ‘groundless’
12 August 2020

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
The Intelligence
“It would make sense to spend as much as $200bn on bringing forward a vaccine by just one week”

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
Editors’ Pick  |  
10 hours ago
How Long Are You Immune After Covid-19 Coronavirus? Here Is What CDC Says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has some new guidance about whether you should get tested for SARS-CoV2 or quarantine after recovering from Covid-19.
By Bruce Y. Lee Senior Contributor

Aug 14, 2020
Lessons From The Frontlines: Preparing A Global Vaccine Workforce
Ashoka talks to Dr. Sanjeev Arora, founder of Project ECHO, on the challenge ahead: readying a multi-million-person vaccine workforce in as little as seven months.
By Ashoka Contributor

Aug 14, 2020
Valuing Innovative Drugs Based On Their Cost Of Manufacturing Will Prolong The Covid-19 Pandemic
The myth that an innovative drug’s value can be assessed by counting up its cost of production is dangerous. In reality, the value of an innovative drug is derived from the new practical knowledge created, and how that knowledge benefits patients.
By Wayne Winegarden Contributor

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 15 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 15 Aug 2020 |
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Jeremy Farrar: ‘Viruses know no borders. Until every country is protected, we are all at risk’
Jeremy Farrar
Fri 14 Aug 2020
There is no future in narrow nationalism. The only way out of this crisis is by working together

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
Daily Comment
The Case for a Coronavirus-Vaccine Bond
Is financial engineering the key to ending pandemics?
By Bernard Avishai

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
Middle East
UAE, Israeli Companies Sign ‘Strategic Commercial Agreement’ on Coronavirus R&D
The Emirati APEX National Investment company signed a “strategic commercial agreement” with Israel’s Tera Group to cooperate on research and development related to COVID-19, including a testing device, the UAE’s state news agency WAM said late on Saturday.
By Reuters Aug 15

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
Aug 15

Asia Pacific
Modi Says India Set to Mass Produce COVID-19 Vaccine, Launches Digital Health Mission
India is ready to mass produce COVID-19 vaccines when scientists give the go-ahead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his Independence Day speech on Saturday, also launching a national project to roll out health identities for each citizen.
By Reuters Aug 14

Americas
Argentine Firm Behind AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine Latam Production Sees April/May Launch
The Argentine biotech firm working on the production of 400 million doses of an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for Latin America said on Friday it could begin shipping the active substance of the product to Mexico for completion.
By Reuters Aug 14

U.S.
Vaccine Makers Including Moderna Must Hit U.S. Timing Goals for Full Payments
The United States is tying payments for COVID-19 vaccines to timing milestones for production and approval, according to public documents and a Trump administration official, putting pressure on drugmakers including Moderna Inc to meet ambitious targets.
By Reuters Aug 14

U.S.
As COVID-19 Cases Rise in U.S., Precious Plasma Donations Lag
In late April, a coalition of New Mexico healthcare systems began asking local COVID-19 survivors to donate their plasma, the antibody-rich blood product used to help treat people hospitalized with the disease.
By Reuters Aug 14

Europe
Russian Doctors Wary of Rapidly Approved COVID-19 Vaccine, Survey Shows
A majority of Russian doctors would not feel comfortable being injected with Russia’s new COVID-19 vaccine due to the lack of sufficient data about it and its super-fast approval, a survey of more than 3,000 medical professionals showed on Friday.
By Reuters Aug 14

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
CDC asks 4 states and a city to draft coronavirus vaccine distribution plans
The federal government is asking four states and one city to draft plans for how they would distribute a coronavirus vaccine when limited doses become available, possibly as early as this fall.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Defense Department and other agencies began working with officials in California, Florida, Minnesota, North Dakota and Philadelphia this week to develop plans to transport and store vaccine doses, and to prioritize who would receive them…
Lena H. Sun and Brady Dennis · Aug 14, 2020

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
Report
Sustainable development finance proposals for the global COVID-19 response
Homi Kharas and Meagan Dooley
Friday, August 14, 2020

Center for Global Development [to 15 Aug 2020]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
August 12, 2020
Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act Proposes Concrete Actions to Improve Evidence, Outcomes, and Equity for Pregnant People
The US is facing growing concerns about how COVID-19 could negatively impact maternal health & exacerbate racial inequities in care and outcomes surrounding childbirth—but there’s an opportunity for reform ahead.
Carleigh Krubiner, Ruth Faden and Ruth Karron

Chatham House [to 15 Aug 2020]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
[No new relevant content]

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
Podcast Episode
Coronavirus Crisis Update: Is it Possible to Avert Chaos in the Vaccine Scramble?
August 12, 2020 | By J. Stephen Morrison, Anna Carroll, Katherine E. Bliss

Transcript
Online Event: Humanitarian Operations During Covid-19: A Conversation with António Vitorino of the International Organization for Migration
August 11, 2020

On Demand Event
Online Event: The Scramble for Vaccines and the COVAX Facility
August 11, 2020
line Event: The Scramble for Vaccines and the COVAX Facility … global scramble for Covid-19 vaccines is a historic enterprise … scale, and speed. Although vaccine nationalism dominates the …

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
[No new relevant content]

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 15 Aug 2020
[No new relevant content]

EMERGENCIES

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

Situation report – 201
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
8 August 2020

Confirmed cases :: 19 187 943 [week ago: 17 396 943]
Confirmed deaths :: 716 075 [week ago: 635 173]

Highlights [selected]
:: WHO has published guidance on the public health surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This document combines and supersedes the Global surveillance guidance for COVID-19 caused by human infection with COVID-19 virus: Interim guidance, and Surveillance strategies for COVID-19 human infection: Interim Guidance 10 May 2020.

:: A plane carrying 20 tonnes of trauma and surgical supplies from WHO has landed in Beirut, Lebanon to support the treatment of patients injured by the blast which occurred in the city on 4 August. This latest emergency has occurred at a time of recent civil unrest, economic crisis, the COVID-19 outbreak and heavy refugee burden. “We are in this together, and we are committed to supporting Lebanon in this very difficult time” said Dr Najat Rochdi, UN Resident Coordinator in Lebanon…

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COVID-19 Vaccines – Access/Procurement/Supply

Up to 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to be made available for low- and middle-income countries as early as 2021
:: New landmark collaboration between the Serum Institute of India (SII), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate manufacturing and delivery of up to 100 million doses of future safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries in 2021

:: Vaccines will be priced at maximum US$ 3 per dose and made available to up to 92 countries included in Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC)

:: Dr Seth Berkley: New collaboration will help “ensure we have additional manufacturing capacity to begin producing doses for every country, not just the wealthy few”

Geneva, 7 August 2020 – A new landmark collaboration between SII, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will accelerate the manufacture and delivery of up to 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as part of the Gavi COVAX AMC, a mechanism within the COVAX Facility.

The collaboration will provide upfront capital to SII to help them increase manufacturing capacity now so that, once a vaccine, or vaccines, gains regulatory approval and WHO Prequalification, doses can be produced at scale for distribution to LMIC countries as part of the Gavi COVAX AMC mechanism as early as the first half of 2021.

“Too many times we’ve seen the most vulnerable countries left at the back of the queue when it comes to new treatments, new diagnostics and new vaccines,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “With COVID-19 vaccines we want things to be different. If only the wealthiest countries in the world are protected, then international trade, commerce and society as a whole will continue to be hit hard as the pandemic continues to rage across the globe. This new collaboration is an important step in our efforts to prevent this from happening, helping to ensure we have additional manufacturing capacity to begin producing doses for every country, not just the wealthy few. We now need other vaccine manufacturers to step up and follow SII’s lead.”

The funding will help de-risk manufacturing by SII for candidate vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax, which will be available for procurement if they are successful in attaining full licensure and WHO Prequalification. SII has set a ceiling price of US$ 3 per dose, a price enabled by investments made by partners such as CEPI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The arrangement also provides an option to secure additional doses if the vaccines pillar of the ACT Accelerator sees a need for it.

“In an attempt to make our fight against COVID-19 stronger and all-embracing; SII has partnered with Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the manufacturing and delivery of up to 100 million doses of future COVID vaccines for low and middle income countries in 2021,” said Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India. “The rampant spread of the virus has rendered the entire world in an unimaginable halt of uncertainty. And to ensure maximum immunization coverage and contain the pandemic, it is important to make sure that the most remote and poorest countries of the world have access to affordable cure and preventive measures. Through this association, we seek to ramp up our constant efforts to save the lives of millions of people from this dreadful disease.”

The Gavi COVAX AMC, which is currently seeking at least US$ 2 billion in initial seed funding, will meet at least part of the cost of procurement for the vaccine doses. Last week the Gavi Board agreed upon the final list of 92 countries that will be supported by the AMC. Under the new collaboration, AstraZeneca’s candidate vaccine, if successful, will be available to 57 Gavi-eligible countries. Novavax’s candidate, if successful, will be available to all 92 countries supported by the AMC. These countries align with SII’s licensing agreements with the two partners.

This collaboration underscores India’s proven-track record in developing safe and quality vaccines. There is a long history of Gavi and pharmaceutical companies successfully partnering with Indian manufactures, particularly the Serum Institute of India, to manufacture vaccines that protect against meningitis, severe diarrhoea, pneumonia and measles.

“It is encouraging to see an Indian vaccine manufacturer, SII, work collaboratively with global partners with a view to making available affordable Covid-19 vaccine supplies for India and the world,” said Professor K VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. “Normally it would take more than a decade to develop such a vaccine but with the efforts of our researchers, academia and private sector, working closely with global collaborators we are hopeful of accelerating the availability of a successful vaccine, at reasonable cost and in sufficient quantities, to fight the pandemic.”

“Researchers are making good progress on developing safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “But making sure everyone has access to them, as soon as possible, will require tremendous manufacturing capacity and a global distribution network. This collaboration gives the world some of both: the power of India’s manufacturing sector and Gavi’s supply chain. It’s just a start. Organizations like Gavi and CEPI need much more support to facilitate development and delivery of hundreds of millions – maybe billions – of vaccine doses by next year.”

The collaboration between Gavi, SII, and the Gates Foundation supports the efforts of the ACT Accelerator’s vaccines pillar, also known as COVAX, co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines and ensure rapid, global access to them. Decisions around investment in manufacturing are taken in close collaboration between these three lead organisations of the COVAX pillar.

Under the COVAX umbrella, Gavi is leading the COVAX Facility, which provides governments with the opportunity to benefit from a large portfolio of COVID-19 candidate vaccines using a range of technology platforms, produced by more manufacturers across the world, with a bigger market to provide security of demand. The Facility, which is available to any country or economy, includes the AMC which specifically provides funding for vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries.

The COVAX pillar is working to accelerate R&D for promising vaccine candidates, manufacture doses at scale and deliver 2 billion doses globally by the end of 2021. CEPI, as a co-lead for the ACT Accelerator’s Vaccines pillar, has agreements to support R&D for nine candidate vaccines, including the AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccine candidates.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, via its Strategic Investment Fund, will provide at-risk funding of US$150 million to Gavi, which will be used to support the Serum Institute of India to manufacture potential vaccine candidates, and for future procurement of vaccines for low- and middle-income countries via Gavi’s COVAX AMC.

The deal is additional to a Memorandum of Understanding between AstraZeneca and Gavi, announced in June, which will guarantee an additional 300 million doses of AstraZeneca’s candidate vaccine to the wider COVAX Facility, to be supplied upon licensure or prequalification. These two deals can help guarantee access to early doses for the most vulnerable on a truly global scale.

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Johnson & Johnson Announces Agreement with U.S. Government for 100 Million Doses of Investigational COVID-19 Vaccine
Company working to ensure broad global access to COVID-19 vaccine candidate, following approval from regulators
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Aug. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (the Company) today announced its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies have entered into an agreement with the U.S. government for the large scale domestic manufacturing and delivery in the U.S. of 100 million doses of Janssen’s SARS-CoV-2 investigational vaccine, Ad26.COV2.S, for use in the United States following approval or Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense, is committing over $1 billion for this agreement. The vaccine will be provided at a global not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use. The U.S. government may also purchase an additional 200 million doses of Ad26.COV2.S under a subsequent agreement…

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COVID-19 Vaccines – Discovery

Novavax and Takeda Announce Collaboration for Novavax’ COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in Japan
August 07, 2020

See NIH below in Announcements

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COVID-19 Vaccines – Manufacturing

CEPI survey assesses potential COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity
05 Aug 2020 By The CEPI Sustainable Manufacturing Team
One of the many challenges we are presented with by the COVID-19 pandemic is finding a way to meet the sheer scale of demand for a vaccine when it has been demonstrated to be safe and effective. We have to take a global view on what manufacturing capacity is available and to ensure we are investing in reserving such capacity now to avoid any delays in the manufacture and distribution of vaccines.

To deliver on its mission CEPI has undertaken a survey of vaccine manufacturers to assess what capacity might be available to meet demand for a COVID-19 vaccine.

CEPI’s Sustainable Manufacturing Project

In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, CEPI established a Sustainable Manufacturing Project to support the supply of CEPI’s investigational vaccines to tackle epidemic events. The Sustainable Manufacturing Project, led by James Robinson, consisted of modelling the supply of vaccines (supply side), modelling the epidemiology of CEPI’s priority diseases (demand side), evaluating potential manufacturing networks to secure capacity for manufacturing and stockpiling to ensure flexibility, affordability, and reliable supply. When COVID-19 emerged in early 2020, CEPI quickly pivoted this effort to focus on the pandemic response, so that we could quickly build a reliable evidence base for what facilities were potentially available for COVID-19 vaccine manufacture.

Survey of global COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity
CEPI – in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Clinton Health Access Initiative, and PATH – undertook a broad, worldwide, survey of vaccine manufacturers to understand capabilities, capacities and interest in responding to the pandemic. We aimed to assess potential bottlenecks in the vaccine manufacturing and to work out what global capacity might be available to produce billions of doses of vaccine.

Between April 3, and June 19, 2020, CEPI invited vaccine manufactures from around the world to take part in an anonymised survey to assess what manufacturing capacity was available to produce drug substance (ie, the unformulated active [immunogenic] substance) and drug product (ie, the finished dosage form of the product including final container) in the coming months, specifically between Oct 1, 2020, and Dec 31, 2021.

A key objective of this survey was to understand how COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing could be scaled up without affecting the manufacture of other important vaccines and to identify additional capacity in the global manufacturing system for both drug substance and drug product.

There is a risk that a few countries could monopolise global vaccine supply, limiting the supply of vaccines to those who need them most, as was the case with the 2009 flu pandemic. To truly end COVID-19 pandemic, it’s crucial that the world works together to enable fair, global distribution of any vaccine.

In gathering these survey data, CEPI aims build a picture of the availability and global distribution of manufacturing capacity, which would inform how and where it could make strategic investments in vaccine manufacturing to ensure equitable access to any successful vaccine candidate.

Key findings
113 manufacturers, from over 30 countries, responded to our survey. 43 respondents were both drug-substance and drug-product manufacturers. 56 were drug-substance manufacturers only. 100 were drug-product manufacturers only.
:: 2 to 4 billion doses :: Global capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines through to end of year 2021

:: 113 :: Number of manufacturers who responded to the survey

:: 20% :: Proportion of the population who will be vaccinated in countries that participate in COVAX

As reflected by the number of manufacturers with regulatory approvals for their operations, mature manufacturing capacity is available for both drug-substance and drug-product manufacturing in multiple locations around the world.

India has the largest production capacity for drug substance (specifically for microbial or yeast expression systems; recombinant protein from suspension cells; recombinant protein from insect cells; viruses; and DNA), followed by Europe and North America. Europe has the largest production capacity for RNA-based drug substance.

For drug product, the base-case estimates showed that China has the largest production capacity, followed by North America, and the rest of Asia and Oceania.

Crucially, the survey data show that there is potential global capacity to produce at least 2-4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine through end of year 2021. This finding is important for CEPI’s wider COVID-19 response because – in collaboration with Gavi and WHO – we aim to distribute 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021 through a programme called COVAX. Vaccines manufactured and procured through COVAX will be delivered equally to all countries who participate in the initiative, proportional to their populations (initially prioritising healthcare workers then expanding to cover 20% of their population). Our survey confirm that this 2 billion manufacturing target can not only be achieved but can be delivered without displacing other critical vaccine manufacturing activities.

This analysis represents a snapshot in time from our survey responders and will have changed dramatically since the data was collected between May and June, 2020. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only publicly available data on global drug-substance and drug-product manufacturing capacity for vaccines gathered specifically during the early days of the pandemic.

CEPI has been and will continue to use this information in its COVID-19 pandemic response including matchmaking between vaccine developers and available capacity to maximise global capacity for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing.

See survey results here.

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Emergencies

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

Last WHO Situation Report published 23 June 2020

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Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 5 August 2020

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
:: Afghanistan: two WPV1 positive environmental samples
:: Pakistan: three WPV1 cases, 12 WPV1 positive environmental samples and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Cameroon: one cVDPV2 case
:: Chad: three cVDPV2 cases
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo): two cVDPV2 cases

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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 8 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

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 8 Aug 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
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – 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

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 8 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

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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Syrian Arab Republic: COVID-19 Response Update No. 08 – 4 August 2020
:: Recent Developments in Northwest Syria – Flash Update – As of 07 August 2020

Yemen
:: 05 August 2020 Yemen Humanitarian Update Issue 07 (July 2020)

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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
East Africa Locust Infestation
::  Desert Locust situation update – 7 August 2020

COVID-19 – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO & Regional Offices [to 8 Aug 2020]
5 August 2020 News release
Plane carrying WHO trauma and surgical supplies arrives in Beirut, Lebanon

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Weekly Epidemiological Record, 7 August 2020, vol. 95, 32 (pp. 369–380)
;; Lessons learnt in expediting prequalification and registration of Ebola Zaire vaccine
;; Monthly report on dracunculiasis cases, January-June 2020

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WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
No new digest content identified

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: 7 August 2020 News release
World breastfeeding week 2020: Focus on access to skilled support
As the world marks Breastfeeding Week amidst the COVID-19 pandemic spread, WHO and partners are focusing on increasing mother’s access to skilled breastfeeding support…
:: 6 August 2020 News release
Maintain essential health services during COVID-19 response: WHO
The World Health Organization urged Member countries in South-East Asia Region to maintain essential health and accelerate resumption of disrupted health-care services, hit by the…

WHO European Region EURO
:: Patient guides build bridge between Syrian refugees and doctors in Turkey 07-08-2020
:: Epidemics and Public Health Emergency Operations Centre opens in North Macedonia 07-08-2020
:: New WHO tools to support health-care workers promoting breastfeeding in Europe 06-08-2020
:: Marko Obradovic: why new mothers need our support and why breastfeeding concerns us all 05-08-2020

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO requires US$ 15 million to support immediate Beirut blast response and ensure vital health and disease prevention activities are maintained
Cairo/Beirut, August 6, 2020 – As the public health impact of the Beirut blast becomes clearer, WHO is calling for US$ 15 million to cover immediate emergency trauma and humanitarian health needs and ensure the continuity of the response to COVID-19 across the country. “We are particularly concerned about overburdened hospital and health workforce capacity, shortages of medicines and medical supplies, and the…

:: Statement by WHO’s Regional Director on standing with the people of Lebanon following deadly Beirut blast
6 August 2020 – Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, our Region was plagued by emergencies. More than 70 million people were directly or indirectly affected by political conflict or natural disasters and in need of humanitarian aid. In the past 6 months, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, the Region was impacted by another large-scale crisis that resulted in…

Plane carrying WHO trauma and surgical supplies arrives in Beirut, Lebanon
5 August 2020, Beirut, Lebanon – A plane carrying 20 tonnes of WHO health supplies has landed in Beirut, Lebanon, to support the treatment of patients injured by the massive blast that occurred in the city on 4 August. The supplies will cover 1000 trauma interventions and 1000 surgical interventions for people suffering from injuries and burns resulting from the…

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified

CDC/ACIP [to 8 Aug 2020]
http://www.cdc.gov/media/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
Latest News Releases
CDC Expects 2020 Outbreak of Life-Threatening Acute Flaccid Myelitis Transcript
Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Africa CDC [to 8 Aug 2020]
http://www.africacdc.org/
News
Press Releases
World Mask Week aims to inspire global movement to wear face coverings in public
6 August 2020