COVID-19 Vaccination–Associated Myocarditis in Adolescents

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Pediatrics
Vol. 148, Issue 5 1 Nov 2021
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/

 

COVID-19 Vaccination–Associated Myocarditis in Adolescents
Supriya S. Jain, Jeremy M. Steele, Brian Fonseca, Sihong Huang, Sanket Shah, Shiraz A. Maskatia, Sujatha Buddhe, Nilanjana Misra, Preeti Ramachandran, Lasya Gaur, Parham Eshtehardi, Shafkat Anwar, Neeru Kaushik, Frank Han, Nita Ray Chaudhuri, Lars Grosse-Wortmann
Pediatrics, Nov 2021, 148 (5) e2021053427

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among US Child Care Providers

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Pediatrics
Vol. 148, Issue 5 1 Nov 2021
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/

 

Open Access
COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among US Child Care Providers
Kavin M. Patel, Amyn A. Malik, Aiden Lee, Madeline Klotz, John Eric Humphries, Thomas Murray, David Wilkinson, Mehr Shafiq, Inci Yildirim, Jad A. Elharake, Rachel Diaz, Chin Reyes, Saad B. Omer, Walter S. Gilliam
Pediatrics, Nov 2021, 148 (5) e2021053813

Is the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine effective in elderly populations? Results from population data from Bavaria, Germany

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

Research Article
Is the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine effective in elderly populations? Results from population data from Bavaria, Germany
Delphina Gomes, Andreas Beyerlein, Katharina Katz, Gabriele Hoelscher, Uta Nennstiel, Bernhard Liebl, Klaus Überla, Rüdiger von Kries
Research Article | published 05 Nov 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259370

National variability in Americans’ COVID-19 protective behaviors: Implications for vaccine roll-out

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

National variability in Americans’ COVID-19 protective behaviors: Implications for vaccine roll-out
John A. Schneider, Bruce G. Taylor, Anna L. Hotton, Phoebe A. Lamuda, Jonathan Ozik, Qinyun Lin, Elizabeth Flanagan, Mai Tuyet Pho, Marynia Kolak, Russell Brewer, Jade Pagkas-Bather, Harold A. Pollack
Research Article | published 05 Nov 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259257

Detecting and describing stability and change in COVID-19 vaccine receptibility in the United Kingdom and Ireland

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

Detecting and describing stability and change in COVID-19 vaccine receptibility in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Philip Hyland, Frédérique Vallières, Todd K. Hartman, Ryan McKay, Sarah Butter, Richard P. Bentall, Orla McBride, Mark Shevlin, Kate Bennett, Liam Mason, Jilly Gibson-Miller, Liat Levita, Anton P. Martinez, Thomas V. A. Stocks, Thanos Karatzias, Jamie Murphy
Research Article | published 03 Nov 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258871

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in underserved communities of North Carolina

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PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in underserved communities of North Carolina
Irene A. Doherty, William Pilkington, Laurin Brown, Victoria Billings, Undi Hoffler, Lisa Paulin, K. Sean Kimbro, Brittany Baker, Tianduo Zhang, Tracie Locklear, Seronda Robinson, Deepak Kumar
Research Article | published 01 Nov 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248542

Opinion: The importance of offering vaccine choice in the fight against COVID-19

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PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
October 26, 2021; vol. 118 no. 43
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/43

 

Front Matter
Opinion: The importance of offering vaccine choice in the fight against COVID-19
Mark T. Hughes, Paul G. Auwaerter, Michael R. Ehmann, Brian T. Garibaldi, Sherita H. Golden, Ting-Jia Lorigiano, Katie J. O’Conor, Allen Kachalia, and Jeffrey Kahn
PNAS October 26, 2021 118 (43) e2117185118;
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2117185118

Disruption of health services for pregnant women, newborns, children, adolescents, and women during the COVID-19 pandemic: ISLAC 2020 Project

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

 

3 Nov 2021
Disruption of health services for pregnant women, newborns, children, adolescents, and women during the COVID-19 pandemic: ISLAC 2020 Project
Original research | Spanish |

Evidence Gaps and Challenges in the Fight Against COVID-19 in Africa: Scoping Review of the Ethiopian Experience

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Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
https://www.dovepress.com/risk-management-and-healthcare-policy-archive56
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

Review
Evidence Gaps and Challenges in the Fight Against COVID-19 in Africa: Scoping Review of the Ethiopian Experience
Gudina EK, Siebeck M, Eshete MT
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy 2021, 14:4511-4521
Published Date: 4 November 2021

A new lane for science

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Science
Volume 374| Issue 6568| 5 Nov 2021
https://www.science.org/toc/science/current

 

Editorial
A new lane for science
Enola K. Proctor and Elvin Geng
A recent Science editorial on the social and political headwinds that have blunted, obfuscated, and confused public behavior in the United States’ COVID-19 response cautioned both politicians who appoint themselves scientists and scientists—including virologists and epidemiologists—to stay in their lanes. The warning raises an important question: Should science add another lane?

Despite the remarkable development of safe and effective vaccines, only about two-thirds of Americans have received their first dose. Even nonmedical actions (social distancing and masking) supported by rigorous evidence are met with widespread indifference, resistance, and rage. Unfortunately, this number is the rule rather than the exception. Broadly, Americans receive about 55% of clinical interventions known to benefit their health.

To address this failing, science needs to add another lane—one called implementation research. Implementation scientists move beyond medication and device development and study how to facilitate their use by clinics, front-line health care providers, patients, communities, and policy- makers. Public health failures that could have been avoided, as well as successes attributable to this science, illustrate the importance of this work. The use of beta-blockers after myocardial infarction was proven to reduce mortality in a 1982 trial, but 15 years later, only 34% of Americans hospitalized with a heart attack were discharged with a prescription for these drugs, and the practice was not universally adopted until 2007. In HIV prevention research, numerous randomized trials in Africa found that adult male circumcision reduces HIV transmission. However, its use remained low despite the World Health

Organization’s endorsement and massive donor-funded work to scale up surgical capacity. A recent randomized trial in Tanzania showed that the engagement of pastors—who are influential community opinion leaders—boosted the acceptability and uptake of circumcision in men, demonstrating the value of social influence in implementation.

Similar research on how to expand the use of proven COVID-19 interventions is underway but must be scaled up substantially to address pressing questions: What strategies lead to vaccine acceptability, feasibility, fidelity, equity, scale-up, and spread? What social marketing messages are most effective? Who are the best opinion leaders? How can health systems overcome delays in identifying mildly ill outpatients eligible for monoclonal antibodies? Data are emerging about how to equip vaccine champions with the resources necessary to train others, build coalitions, and optimize organizations to administer vaccines as widely as possible. But more must be done, especially given the current politicized pandemic response and frayed social fabric.

Society needs a lane of science that studies rapid uptake of proven interventions. Questions pursued in implementation research require cross-disciplinary collaborations among scientists who understand communication, marketing, anthropology, economics, and social psychology—disciplines that have not historically interacted with one another.

Three steps would contribute to a better pandemic response now and in the years ahead. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) should create an Office of Implementation Research with funding that institutes must compete for, modeled on the Office of AIDS Research. The office would study emerging interventions and address obstacles to their use. Insights would guide health delivery, making learning-while-doing a standard. The office should support innovations that track rates of intervention use (vaccination and effective therapeutics) and capture the strategies leading to their uptake. And the NIH should support networks for implementation research, similar to the AIDS Clinical Trials Group. At least 10% of the NIH budget should be dedicated to this work. If this seems expensive, consider the costs of not taking these steps: Effective interventions that are not used optimally will fail to reap value from existing investments.

COVID-19 has shown the world that “knowing what to do” does not ensure “doing what we know.” It demonstrates that intervention discovery is the start, not the end, of the scientific journey. There is no better time for science to establish a new lane, one devoted to ensuring that our nation’s health discoveries are used to improve population health. The headwinds demand nothing less.

Adolescent Health Series: HPV infection and vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa: 10 years of research in Tanzanian female adolescents – narrative review

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Tropical Medicine & International Health
Volume 26, Issue 11 Pages: i-iv, 1325-1525 November 2021
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13653156/current

 

SERIES ON ADOLESCENT HEALTH
Adolescent Health Series: HPV infection and vaccination in sub-Saharan Africa: 10 years of research in Tanzanian female adolescents – narrative review
Hilary Whitworth, John Changalucha, Kathy Baisley, Deborah Watson-Jones
Pages: 1345-1355
First Published: 26 July 2021

Characteristics associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A nationwide survey of 1000 patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 44 Pages 6451-6564 (22 October 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/44

 

Short communication Full text access
Characteristics associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A nationwide survey of 1000 patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases
Rodrigo Poubel Vieira Rezende, Alessandra S. Braz, Maria Fernanda B. Guimarães, Sandra Lúcia E. Ribeiro, … Marcelo M. Pinheiro
Pages 6454-6459

A phase III, observer-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine in healthy adults aged 18–59 years: An interim analysis in Indonesia

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 44 Pages 6451-6564 (22 October 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/44

 

Research article Open access
A phase III, observer-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine in healthy adults aged 18–59 years: An interim analysis in Indonesia
Eddy Fadlyana, Kusnandi Rusmil, Rodman Tarigan, Andri Reza Rahmadi, … Cissy B. Kartasasmita
Pages 6520-6528

Research priorities to increase vaccination coverage in Europe (EU joint action on vaccination)

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 44 Pages 6451-6564 (22 October 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/44

 

Research article Abstract only
Research priorities to increase vaccination coverage in Europe (EU joint action on vaccination)
Florence Francis-Oliviero, Sandor Bozoki, András Micsik, Marie Paule Kieny, Jean-Daniel Lelièvre
Pages 6539-6544

Factors affecting antibody responses to immunizations in infants born to women immunized against pertussis in pregnancy and unimmunized women: Individual-Participant Data Meta-analysis

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Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 44 Pages 6451-6564 (22 October 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/44

 

Research article Abstract only
Factors affecting antibody responses to immunizations in infants born to women immunized against pertussis in pregnancy and unimmunized women: Individual-Participant Data Meta-analysis
Bahaa Abu-Raya, Kirsten Maertens, Flor M. Munoz, Petra Zimmermann, … Manish Sadarangani
Pages 6545-6552

COVID-19 Vaccination Behavior of People Living with HIV: The Mediating Role of Perceived Risk and Vaccination Intention

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Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

Open Access Article
COVID-19 Vaccination Behavior of People Living with HIV: The Mediating Role of Perceived Risk and Vaccination Intention
by Li Qi, Li Yang, Jie Ge, Lan Yu and Xiaomei Li
Vaccines 2021, 9(11), 1288; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9111288 (registering DOI) – 06 Nov 2021
Abstract
The COVID-19 vaccination behavior of people living with HIV (PLWH) was examined via a cross-sectional web-based survey of PLWH aged 18 years and older. The survey was conducted from l May to 20 June 2021. The survey included social demographic information; vaccination behavior […

Willingness to Receive the Booster COVID-19 Vaccine Dose in Poland

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Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

Open Access Article
Willingness to Receive the Booster COVID-19 Vaccine Dose in Poland
by Piotr Rzymski, Barbara Poniedziałek and Andrzej Fal
Vaccines 2021, 9(11), 1286; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9111286 (registering DOI) – 05 Nov 2021
Abstract
COVID-19 vaccinations are essential to mitigate the pandemic and prevent severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, the serum antibody levels in vaccinated individuals gradually decrease over time, while SARS-CoV-2 is undergoing an evolution toward more transmissible variants, such as B.1.617.2, ultimately increasing the risk of [..

COVID-19 and Historic Influenza Vaccinations in the United States: A Comparative Analysis

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Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

Open Access Article
COVID-19 and Historic Influenza Vaccinations in the United States: A Comparative Analysis
by Pranav Mirpuri and Richard A. Rovin
Vaccines 2021, 9(11), 1284; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9111284 (registering DOI) – 05 Nov 2021
Abstract
The COVID-19 vaccination effort is a monumental global challenge. Recognizing and addressing the causes of vaccine hesitancy will improve vaccine uptake. The primary objective of this study was to compare the COVID-19 vaccination rates in US counties to historical vaccination rates for influenza […]

Targeting COVID Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Communities in Tennessee: Implications for Extending the COVID-19 Pandemic in the South

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Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

 

Open Access Review
Targeting COVID Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Communities in Tennessee: Implications for Extending the COVID-19 Pandemic in the South
by Donald J. Alcendor
Vaccines 2021, 9(11), 1279; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9111279 – 04 Nov 2021
Abstract
Approximately 40% of Tennesseans are vaccinated fully, due mainly to higher vaccination levels within urban counties. Significantly lower rates are observed in rural counties. Surveys suggest COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is entrenched mostly among individuals identifying as white, rural, Republican, and evangelical Christian. Rural [..

Pre-Print Servers

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Pre-Print Servers

 
 
bioRxiv
https://www.biorxiv.org/
bioRxiv (pronounced “bio-archive”) is a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished preprints in the life sciences. It is operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and educational institution. By posting preprints on bioRxiv, authors are able to make their findings immediately available to the scientific community and receive feedback on draft manuscripts before they are submitted to journals.
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]
SARS-CoV-2 mechanistic correlates of protection: insight from modelling response to vaccines
Marie Alexandre, Romain Marlin, Mélanie Prague, Séverin Coleon, Nidhal Kahlaoui, Sylvain Cardinaud, Thibaut Naninck, Benoit Delache, Mathieu Surenaud, Mathilde Galhaut, Nathalie Dereuddre-Bosquet, Mariangela Cavarelli, Pauline Maisonnasse, Mireille Centlivre, Christine Lacabaratz, Aurelie Wiedemann, Sandra Zurawski, Gerard Zurawski, Olivier Schwartz, Rogier W Sanders, Roger Le Grand, Yves Levy, Rodolphe Thiébaut
bioRxiv 2021.10.29.466418; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.29.466418

 
 

Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

[No new digest content identified]

 
 

medRxiv
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/about-medrxiv
medRxiv is a free online archive and distribution server for complete but unpublished manuscripts (preprints) in the medical, clinical, and related health sciences. Preprints are preliminary reports of work that have not been certified by peer review. They should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information. medRxiv is for the distribution of preprints – complete but unpublished manuscripts – that describe human health research conducted, analyzed, and interpreted according to scientific principles…
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]
Selected Content
Shedding of Infectious SARS-CoV-2 Despite Vaccination
Kasen K Riemersma, Brittany E Grogan, Amanda Kita-Yarbro, Peter Halfmann, Anna Kocharian, Kelsey R Florek, Ryan Westergaard, Allen Bateman, Gunnar E Jeppson, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, David H O’Connor, Thomas C Friedrich, Katarina M Grande
medRxiv 2021.07.31.21261387; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.31.21261387

Efficacy and safety of SOBERANA 02, a COVID-19 conjugate vaccine in heterologous three-dose combination
Maria Eugenia Toledo-Romani, Mayra Garcia-Carmenate, Carmen Valenzuela Silva, Waldemar Baldoquin-Rodriguez, Marisel Martinez Perez, Meiby C Rodriguez Gonzalez, Beatriz Paredes Moreno, Ivis Mendoza Hernandez, Raul Gonzalez-Mujica Romero, Oscar Samon Tabio, Pablo Velazco Villares, Juan Pablo Bacallao Castillo, Ernesto Licea Martin, Misladys Rodriguez Ortega,, Nuris Liem Herrera Marrero, Esperanza Caballero Gonzalez, Liudmila Ibelin Egues Torres, Reinaldo Duarte Gonzalez, Serguey Garcia Blanco, Suzette Perez Cabrera, Santos Huete Ferreira, Kirenia Idalmis Idalmis Cisnero, Omaida Fonte Galindo, Dania Melia Perez, Ivonne Rojas Remedios, Sonsire Fernandez Castillo, Yanet Climent Ruiz, Yury Valdes Balbin, Dagmar Garcia Rivera, vicente Verez-Bencomo
medRxiv 2021.10.31.21265703; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.31.21265703

Safety and immunogenicity of heterologous and homologous inactivated and adenoviral-vectored COVID-19 vaccines in healthy adults
Nasamon Wanlapakorn, Nungruthai Suntronwong, Harit Phowatthanasathian, Ritthideach Yorsaeng, Preeyaporn Vichaiwattana, Thanunrat Thongmee, Chompoonut Auphimai, Donchida Srimuan, Thaksaporn Thatsanatorn, Suvichada Assawakosri, Sitthichai Kanokudom, Yong Poovorawan
medRxiv 2021.11.04.21265908; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.04.21265908

Third doses of COVID-19 vaccines reduce infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and could prevent future surges in some populations
Billy J Gardner, A. Marm Kilpatrick
medRxiv 2021.10.25.21265500; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.25.21265500

Third doses of COVID-19 vaccines reduce infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and could prevent future surges in some populations
Billy J Gardner, A. Marm Kilpatrick
medRxiv 2021.10.25.21265500; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.25.21265500

The basic reproduction number of COVID-19 across Africa
Sarafa A. Iyaniwura, Musa Rabiu, Jummy F. David, Jude D. Kong
medRxiv 2021.11.02.21265826; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.02.21265826

Assessing the Burden of COVID-19 in Developing Countries: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Public Policy Implications
Andrew Levin, Nana Owusu-Boaitey, Sierra Pugh, Bailey K. Fosdick, Anthony B. Zwi, Anup Malani, Satej Soman, Lonni Besançon, Ilya Kashnitsky, Sachin Ganesh, Aloysius McLaughlin, Gayeong Song, Rine Uhm, Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz
medRxiv 2021.09.29.21264325; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.29.21264325

Examining the Unit Costs of COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery in Kenya
Stacey Orangi, Angela Kairu, Anthony Ngatia, John Ojal, Edwine Barasa
medRxiv 2021.11.01.21265742; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.01.21265742

Public opinion on a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy in France: a cross sectional survey
Amandine Gagneux-Brunon, Elisabeth Botelho-Nevers, Marion Bonneton, Patrick Peretti-Watel, Pierre Verger, Odile Launay, Jeremy K. Ward
medRxiv 2021.07.05.21260017; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.05.21260017

Underlying factors that influence the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine in a country with a high vaccination rate
Daniela Toro-Ascuy, Nicolás Cifuentes-Muñoz, Andrea Avaria, Camila Pereira-Montecinos, Gilena Cruzat, Francisco Zorondo-Rodriguez, Loreto F Fuenzalida
medRxiv 2021.10.31.21265676; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.31.21265676

COVID-19 vaccine brand hesitancy and other challenges to vaccination in the Philippines
Arianna Maever L. Amit, Veincent Christian F. Pepito, Lourdes Sumpaico-Tanchanco, Manuel M. Dayrit
medRxiv 2021.10.14.21264837; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.14.21264837
 
 
Wellcome Open Research [to 06 Nov 2021]
https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 06 Nov 2021]

Wellcome Open Research provides all Wellcome researchers with a place to rapidly publish any results they think are worth sharing. All articles benefit from rapid publication, transparent peer review and editorial guidance on making all source data openly available.
[No new digest content identified]

Think Tanks

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Think Tanks
 
 
Brookings [to 06 Nov 2021]
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 06 Nov 2021
[No new digest content identified]
 
 
Center for Global Development [to 06 Nov 2021]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 06 Nov 2021
What We Know (and Don’t) about US Funding to End the Global Pandemic
November 1, 2021
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill extended a lifeline to US global response efforts with the provision of supplemental funding. Early on, sums dedicated to the overseas fight were modest, but last year’s end-of-year spending package included $4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance—to support the multilateral vaccine procurement platform COVAX. And the spring 2021 reconciliation package, known as the American Rescue Plan, included close to $11 billion for international pandemic response.
Erin Collinson and Jocilyn Estes
 
 
Chatham House [to 06 Nov 2021]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
Accessed 06 Nov 2021
[No new digest content identified]

 
 

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 06 Nov 2021
Upcoming Event
An Armchair Discussion with David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group
November 8, 2021

 
 

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
Accessed 06 Nov 2021
[No new digest content identified]
 
 
ODI [Overseas Development Institute] [to 06 Nov 2021]
https://odi.org/en/publications/
Publications
[No new digest content identified]

Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review :: 30 October 2021

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

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

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

vaccines-and-global-health_the-week-in-review_30-oct-2021Download

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

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

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

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

The G20 established a joint Finance-Health Task Force to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response

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G20
30-31 October 2021
Rome
https://www.g20.org/

The G20 established a joint Finance-Health Task Force to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
October 29th, 2021
G20 Finance and Health Ministers met for their first joint meeting under the Italian G20 Presidency. The meeting took place on the eve of the G20 Leaders’ Summit and it was co-chaired by Daniele Franco, Italian Minister for Economy and Finance, and Roberto Speranza, Italian Minister of Health. Finance and Health Ministers agreed on a joint communiqué.

 

Under the Italian G20 Presidency, the membership committed to bringing the pandemic under control everywhere as soon as possible, and strengthening collective efforts to prepare for, prevent, detect, and respond to future pandemics. In this sense, the G20 will take all necessary steps needed to advance on the global goals of vaccinating at least 40 percent of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70 percent by mid-2022, as recommended by the WHO.

Finance and Health Ministers have also committed to helping boost the supply of vaccines, medical countermeasures and inputs in developing countries and remove relevant supply and financing constraints. To this end, the G20 will continue to support the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) and the extension of its mandate into 2022, advancing collaboration with global and regional initiatives.

They have acknowledged that financing for PPR has to become more adequate, more sustainable and better coordinated and requires a continuous cooperation between health and finance decision-makers, including to address potential financing gaps, mobilising an appropriate mix of existing multilateral financing mechanisms and explore setting up new financing mechanisms.

In particular, to further strengthening a crucial coordination between Finance and Health Ministries, G20 members agreed to establish a Joint Finance-Health Task Force. Such Task Force will enhance the collaboration and global cooperation on issues relating to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, thus leaving the international community better prepared in the eventual case of future health threats outbreaks. The Task Force will also promote the exchange of experiences and best practices, developing coordination arrangements between Finance and Health Ministries, promoting collective action and encouraging effective stewardship of resources to address the existing financing gaps in pandemic preparedness and response.

The Task Force is initially jointly chaired by the 2021 and 2022 G20 Presidencies. It will report to Health and Finance Ministers in early 2022 and will be assisted by a secretariat housed at the WHO, with the support of the World Bank.

 

::::::

Italian G20 Presidency
Joint G20 Finance and Health Ministers meeting
Communiqué – 29 October 2021 :: 4 pages
[Excerpt; Editor’s text bolding and spacing]
…We reiterate our commitment to bring the pandemic under control everywhere as soon as possible, put people at the center of preparedness and to strengthen our collective efforts to prepare for, prevent, detect, report, and respond to health emergencies, notably promoting resilience of health systems and communities.

We recognise the role of extensive COVID-19 immunisation as a global public good. We reaffirm our support to all collaborative efforts to ensure a timely and equitable access to safe, affordable, quality and effective vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and personal protective equipment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

To help advance toward the global goals of vaccinating at least 40 percent of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70 percent by mid-2022, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)’s global vaccination strategy, we will take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries and remove relevant supply and financing constraints. We reiterate our support to strengthen the resilience of supply chains, to increase vaccine distribution, administration, as well as local and regional manufacturing capacity in LMICs, including through voluntary technology transfer hubs in various regions, such as the newly established mRNA Hubs in South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, and through joint production and processing arrangements.

We will continue to support the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) and the extension of its mandate into 2022, and we will advance collaboration with global and regional initiatives, including ACT-A’s COVAX Pillar, the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), the Revolving Fund of the Pan American Health Organization, and the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism. We will work to increase transparency and predictability of deliveries of vaccines and to foster responsible public-private partnerships.

We thank the Multilateral Leaders Task Force for its efforts and encourage it to work to identify gaps
and accelerate access to and on-the-ground delivery of COVID-19 tools. Not only will these actions
help save countless lives, accelerating vaccinations across the globe also remains the cornerstone
of the economic recovery. We call on Multilateral Development Banks working together with
COVAX to continue to support procurement and delivery of vaccines…

WHO Director-General’s remarks at Session 1- Global Economy and Global Health at the G20 Summit – 30 October 2021

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WHO Director-General’s remarks at Session 1- Global Economy and Global Health at the G20 Summit – 30 October 2021
30 October 2021 Speech
Excellencies,
I have five requests. 

 

First, solve the vaccine crisis and end the pandemic. 
Since you met virtually in Riyadh last year, 7 billion vaccine doses have been administered.
Low-income countries, most of them in Africa, have received just 0.4% of those vaccines; more than 80% have gone to G20 countries. We understand and support every government’s responsibility to protect its own people. But vaccine equity is not charity; it’s in every country’s best interests.

We welcome your support for WHO’s targets to vaccinate 40% of the population of all countries by the end of this year, and 70% by mid-2022. 82 countries are at risk of missing that target. For most, the barrier is not absorptive capacity, it’s insufficient supply. We call on those countries that have already reached 40% to swap your vaccine delivery schedules with COVAX and AVAT. We ask you to support local vaccine production in Africa. We call on those countries that have promised to donate vaccines to make good on those promises, as urgently as possible.

 

Second, fully fund the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, which needs 23.4 billion U.S. dollars over the next 12 months to get tests, treatments and vaccines to where they are needed most. 

Third, support an ambitious G20 Joint Finance-Health Task Force, linked to a financial intermediary fund for additional financing of pandemic preparedness and response, with clear linkages to WHO as Chancellor Merkel outlined earlier.

 

Fourth, adopt a treaty or international agreement rooted in the constitution of WHO. 

And fifth, invest in a strengthened, empowered and sustainably financed WHO, at the centre of the global health architecture.

When we met less than a year ago, 1.5 million people had lost their lives to COVID-19. A year later, the toll is 5 million.  How many more will die, in this and future epidemics? The answer is in your hands.

 

Solve the vaccine crisis; Fully fund the ACT Accelerator; Establish the task force and the fund; Adopt a treaty or international agreement; And strengthen WHO. 

I thank you Prime Minister.

Open letter to G20 Heads of State and Government – UNHCR, IOM & WHO

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Open letter to G20 Heads of State and Government – UNHCR, IOM & WHO
An appeal to G20 leaders to make vaccines accessible to people on the move
29 Oct 2021

 

We are writing to you on behalf of the millions around the world struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic far from home. Some have been forced to flee wars, conflict, persecution and human rights violations. Others are on the move to escape socioeconomic hardship or the consequences of climate change.

As strangers far from home, many are at risk of exclusion or neglect. Owing to their living situation, many face barriers accessing vaccinations, testing, treatment, care, and even reliable information.

It is a stark reality that some of the world’s poorest countries shoulder the greatest responsibility for supporting displaced people and other people on the move. They need a reliable and adequate supply of vaccines and other critical supplies to stabilize their fragile and over-burdened health systems, to help save the lives of their citizens, migrants, as well as refugees and other displaced people they host.

 

Yet the current vaccine equity gap between wealthier and low resource countries demonstrates a disregard for the lives of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. For every 100 people in high-income countries, 133 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, while in low-income countries, only 4 doses per 100 people have been administered.

Vaccine inequity is costing lives every day, and continues to place everyone at risk. History and science make it clear: coordinated action with equitable access to public health resources is the only way to face down a global public health scourge like COVID-19. We need a strong, collective push to save lives, reduce suffering and ensure a sustainable global recovery.

And while vaccines are a very powerful tool, they’re not the only tool. Tests are needed to know where the virus is, treatments including dexamethasone and medical oxygen are needed to save lives, and tailored public health measures are needed to prevent transmission.

As the leaders of the world’s largest economies, you have the power and responsibility to help stem the pandemic by expanding access to vaccines and other tools for the people and places where these are in shortest supply.

We welcome the fact that this weekend’s summit in Rome will call for “courage and ambition” to tackle some of the greatest challenges of our time, and specifically the need to recover from the pandemic and overcome inequality. We collectively call on you, G20 leaders, to commit to:

[1] Increase vaccine supplies for the world’s poorest: We call on the world’s leading economies to fully fund and implement the Strategic Plan and Budget for the ACT Accelerator, and to distribute vaccines, tests and treatments where they are needed most. If we are to recover from the pandemic, we must — at a minimum — meet the targets to vaccinate 40 per cent of the world’s population by year-end – and 70 per cent globally by mid-2022.

[2] Ensure access to vaccines for all people on the move: We call on every country to ensure that everyone on its territory regardless of legal status – including refugees, migrants, internally displaced people, asylum-seekers, and others on the move – have access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatment for COVID-19. They should adopt concrete measures to remove barriers to vaccination for everyone on their territory — for example the need for specific documents, geographical barriers,  the requirement in some settings that health care seekers are reported to immigration authorities, high fees — and fight misinformation that fuels vaccine hesitancy.

[3] Support low- and middle-income countries to combat COVID-19 with all available means: Low- and middle-income countries need comprehensive support – financial, political, technical, logistical – to vaccinate people quickly and effectively to expand access to tests and treatments, to implement tailored public health measures, and to build more resilient health systems to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond rapidly to future health emergencies.

We urge you to take swift action to ease the pandemic’s devastating human toll.

Yours faithfully,
Filippo Grandi
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
António Vitorino
IOM Director General
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
WHO Director-General

Remarks by World Bank Group President David Malpass to the G20 Leaders’ Summit – Session I: Global Economy and Health

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Remarks by World Bank Group President David Malpass to the G20 Leaders’ Summit – Session I: Global Economy and Health
Date: October 30, 2021 Type: Speeches and Transcripts

“…The developing world faces multiple severe problems. The pandemic and the scarcity of COVID-19 vaccines are the most immediate. In addition, the recovery is being undercut by inflation, energy shortages, and the breakdown of the supply chain.

“These multiple problems are causing devastating reversals in development. Poverty rates are rising, and literacy rates have dropped due to school closures. Progress on gender equality and education of girls have also reversed. Fragility and insecurity have become more common in dozens of countries, including in Sudan…

COVID-19 vaccines are the highest priority and the most achievable. Our Multilateral Leaders Task Force – WHO, WTO, IMF, and the World Bank – is working well together. Following our meeting last night, we issued a joint statement urging G20 members to fulfill all donation pledges in ways that deliver vaccines to arms. We noted that many pledges still do not specify a timeframe for delivery or even the type of vaccine that the donor expects to send. It’s vital for countries with high vaccination rates to swap their near-term delivery schedules, particularly those in November and December, with low-income countries. The World Bank is standing by and will actively finance these vaccines and their deployment.

Progress on debt has stalled. Debt for low-income countries rose 12% during the pandemic. This leaves no fiscal space for vaccines, education, safety nets, or climate. I urge you to explicitly accelerate the implementation of the Common Framework, request transparency and reconciliation of debt, and require the participation of private creditors. I join Kristalina in urging a debt payment standstill in the context of strengthening the Common Framework. Looking forward, steps need to be taken to balance the legal relationship between creditors and sovereign debtors. The current relationship heavily favors creditors, disadvantaging people in low-income countries.

Climate impacts and costs hit the poor the most. I’ve strongly advocated climate actions that integrate climate and development. We can’t approach the climate problem in a way that punishes the poor. The World Bank is spending more than ever on climate. The core of our Climate Change Action Plan is to bring multiple funding sources to bear on priority projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve adaptation.

Let me conclude by urging all of you to support IDA. Concessional finance and grants are critical for the poorest countries. IDA provides 4 to 1 leverage for your contributions. It has been a main source of funding and preparedness for vulnerable countries and explicitly supports health, education, nutrition, and climate adaptation. We count on your support for an ambitious IDA20 replenishment in December as we tackle all these challenges together.

G20 members have received 15 times more COVID-19 vaccine doses per capita than sub-Saharan African countries

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G20 members have received 15 times more COVID-19 vaccine doses per capita than sub-Saharan African countries
Ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit this weekend, 48 UNICEF Africa ambassadors and supporters unite, calling on countries to deliver doses by December.
NEW YORK, 27 OCTOBER 2021 – G20 countries have received 15 times more COVID-19 vaccine doses per capita than countries in sub-Saharan Africa*, according to a new analysis.

The analysis, conducted by science analytics company Airfinity, exposes the severity of vaccine inequity between high-income and low-income countries, especially in Africa. It found that doses delivered to G20 countries per capita are:
15 times higher than doses delivered per capita to sub-Saharan African countries;
15 times higher than doses delivered per capita to low-income countries;
3 times higher than doses delivered per capita in all other countries combined.

“Vaccine inequity is not just holding the poorest countries back – it is holding the world back,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “As leaders meet to set priorities for the next phase of the COVID-19 response, it is vital they remember that, in the COVID vaccine race, we either win together, or we lose together.”

Wealthy countries with more supplies than they need have generously pledged to donate these doses to low- and middle-income countries via COVAX but these promised doses are moving too slowly. Of the 1.3 billion additional doses countries have pledged to donate, only 356 million doses have been provided to COVAX.

African countries in particular have largely been left without access to COVID-19 vaccines. Less than 5 per cent of the African population are fully vaccinated, leaving many countries at high-risk of further outbreaks.

As leaders prepare to meet for the G20 Summit in Rome this weekend, 48* UNICEF Africa ambassadors and supporters from across the continent have united in an open letter. They are calling for leaders to honour their promises to urgently deliver doses, writing that “the stakes could not be higher.”…

 

::::::

Dear G20 leaders: Vaccine equity is a must for Africa
Vaccine inequity leaves lower income countries – many of them in Africa – at the mercy of COVID-19. Well-supplied countries must urgently deliver the doses they promised.

Many countries in Africa have recently experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases and remain at high risk of further surges. But measures to contain the virus threaten fragile economic growth, and the stability of basic services such as health and education. Children are missing school and already fragile health systems are under increasing strain.

 

People across Africa are signing and sharing an open letter calling on G20 leaders to honor their promises to urgently deliver doses.

“Dear G20 leaders,
At the COVID-19 Summit held at the United Nations recently, world leaders set a target that every country should vaccinate 70 per cent of its population. Many rich countries are on track, yet only a fraction of Africans are fully vaccinated.

This inequity is unjust – and self-defeating. It leaves Africans – and the whole world – at the mercy of the virus. Unchecked, it can create new and more dangerous variants.

Rich nations have pledged to donate over a billion vaccines this year and hundreds of millions more in 2022. This gives us hope. But Africa cannot wait. We need doses now.

 

We call on you to donate doses by December, along with resources to turn vaccines into vaccinations – to train healthcare workers, equip them with personal protection, and the infrastructure to store and transport vaccines. 

The stakes could not be higher. Every day Africa remains unprotected, pressure builds on fragile health systems where there can be one midwife for hundreds of mothers and babies. As the pandemic causes a spike in child malnutrition, resources are diverted from life-saving health services and childhood immunization. Children already orphaned risk losing grandparents. Disaster looms for Sub-Saharan African families, four out of five of whom rely on the informal sector for their daily bread. Poverty threatens children’s return to school, protection from violence and child marriage.

Every day we wait risks a tragic reversal of hard-won development gains.

Remember the relief you felt when you got your first dose, when you could hug your elders, see life get back on track for your children. Africa needs this too.

The path out of the pandemic is clear. But we can only get out together. Please donate doses by December.

Actions must speak louder than words: five asks to achieve equity in vaccine delivery

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Joint UN/ Red Cross/Red Crescent Statement
Actions must speak louder than words: five asks to achieve equity in vaccine delivery
28 Oct 2021
NEW YORK / GENEVA – In June 2020, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement jointly called on governments, the private sector, international and civil society organizations to accelerate efforts to develop, test, and produce a safe and affordable “people’s vaccine” to protect everyone, everywhere and bring the crisis to an end.

A people’s vaccine should protect the affluent and the poor, the elderly as well as the young, forcibly displaced persons, migrants regardless of their immigration status, and other often neglected populations, both in urban areas and in rural communities.

Fifteen months later, thanks to extraordinary scientific and technological advances, as well as global collaboration and mutual reliance in regulatory aspects, multiple safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19 are available and being administered in countries around the world. Yet, despite lofty rhetoric about global solidarity, the goal of a “people’s vaccine” is far from being reached. Equitable vaccine distribution is a political, moral, and economic priority which has so far been largely neglected.

Profits and short-sighted vaccine nationalism continue to trump humanity when it comes to the equitable distribution of vaccines. Though more than 48 per cent of the world’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, that percentage drops to barely 3 per cent in low-income countries. The situation is particularly worrying in countries in humanitarian crisis which need almost 700 million more doses to reach the World Health Organization’s target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their populations by the end of the year.

 

Over half of the countries with a humanitarian appeal do not have enough doses to vaccinate even 10 per cent of their population. Seven of the poorest in the world only have enough doses to reach less than 2 per cent of their population (Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, South Sudan, and Yemen).

Wealthy countries with access to large quantities of vaccines have generously pledged to donate their excess doses to low- and middle-income countries via COVAX. However, far too few of these donations have been received. Supply of doses to the most vulnerable continues to be constrained by export restrictions and an unwillingness of countries to give up their place in the production supply line to COVAX, even if they cannot use those doses immediately.

The Humanitarian Buffer, part of the COVAX Facility, has been open for applications since June 2021. The Buffer is a measure of last resort to ensure the world’s displaced and other vulnerable populations are reached with COVID-19 vaccines. It is also part of the efforts to curb inequity, which would otherwise jeopardize social and economic recovery in humanitarian settings. We therefore need to urgently boost supply, share vaccines, and ensure that everyone has access.

But having vaccine doses available is only part of the solution to this crisis. We must ensure that the vaccine makes it from the airport tarmac into the arms of the most vulnerable – including refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, marginalised groups, people who are stateless, and those living in areas controlled by armed groups and/or affected by armed conflict. There must be greater investment in local delivery mechanisms and capacity, not only to guarantee that vaccines are delivered quickly and fairly, but also to strengthen national health systems for more effective pandemic preparedness and response.

All around the world, efforts to curb the pandemic are undermined by mistrust that leads to vaccine hesitancy. More than ever, it is important to work with and within communities, including through social media and community networks, to build trust and strengthen confidence on the efficacy and safety of vaccines. Activities that strengthen support for local actors and address misinformation are key to ensuring the successful delivery of vaccines to local communities, especially those most at-risk.

The United Nations and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement remain steadfast in their commitment to ensure equitable and effective access to COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. As the pandemic requires the international community to take extraordinary measures, today we unite our voices again to say it is time for actions to speak louder than words.

It is a humanitarian imperative and our shared responsibility to ensure that lives everywhere are protected, not only in the few countries that have the means to buy protection.

We call on governments, partners, donors, the private sector, and other stakeholders:
to scale up COVID-19 vaccine supply and access to COVAX including through donations from high-income countries to donate vaccines to those countries and regions that remain inequitably served;
to increase the funding and support to local actors to ensure that vaccines leave capital airports and reach everyone, including through investment both in the local health systems required for delivery and in community engagement to enhance acceptance and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines as well as vaccines in general;
to strengthen the capacity for COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries;
to accelerate the transfer of technology and know-how: investments made now will last well beyond this public health emergency and will strengthen the global capacity for response to future epidemics and pandemics;
to request the lifting of all remaining barriers (by manufactures) to allow humanitarian agencies access COVID-19 doses, including through waiving the requirement for indemnification, particularly where the most vulnerable populations can only be reached by humanitarian agencies using the COVAX Humanitarian Buffer.

Vaccine Nationalism, Hoarding Putting Us All at Risk, SecretaryGeneral Tells World Health Summit, Warning COVID19 Will Not Be Last Global Pandemic

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Vaccine Nationalism, Hoarding Putting Us All at Risk, SecretaryGeneral Tells World Health Summit, Warning COVID19 Will Not Be Last Global Pandemic
24 October 2021 SG/SM/20986
Following is the text of UN SecretaryGeneral António Guterres’ video message to the World Health Summit, held in Berlin from 24 to 26 October:

“This year’s World Health Summit arrives at a time when health systems around the world have been shattered by COVID19.  Our commitment to achieving health for all has never been more important.
Building forward better means strengthening primary health systems at the community level and achieving universal health coverage, so people can receive a range of services — no matter who they are or where they live.  It means embracing a “One Health” approach to integrate human, animal and environmental health to protect people and our planet, while preventing future health emergencies.

And most urgently, it means ending the COVID19 pandemic.  The triumph of the vaccines — developed and brought to market in record speed — is being undone by the tragedy of an unequal distribution.  Three quarters of all vaccines have gone to high- and upper-middle-income countries.  Vaccine nationalism and hoarding are putting us all at risk.  This means more deaths.  More shattered health systems.  More economic misery.  And a perfect environment for variants to take hold and spread.

Earlier this month, I joined [World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General] Dr. Tedros [Adhanom Ghebreyesus] to launch the Global COVID19 Vaccination Strategy.  A credible and costed plan to get vaccines into the arms of 40 per cent of people in all countries by the end of this year — and 70 per cent by the middle of 2022.

We need manufacturers and countries alike to fulfil their dose-sharing pledges — including through swaps — and share the technology and intellectual property that can allow more countries to produce vaccines.  We need an immediate infusion of $8 billion to ensure that distribution is equitable — and we call on the G20 to help us get there.  And we need a modern and funded pandemic preparedness architecture that can prevent the mistakes we’re making now from ever happening again.

COVID19 will not be the last pandemic we face.  But it can be the last one we fail.  It’s essential to increase the resources and authority of WHO.  At this year’s World Health Summit, let’s move from alarm to action.  And let’s deliver the stronger health systems that every person deserves.”

New ACT-Accelerator strategy calls for US$ 23.4 billion international investment to solve inequities in global access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests & treatments

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New ACT-Accelerator strategy calls for US$ 23.4 billion international investment to solve inequities in global access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests & treatments
Joint statement from the ACT-Accelerator partners
10/28/2021
New ACT-Accelerator strategic plan sets out urgent actions to address crucial gaps in access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, vaccines and personal protective equipment in low- and middle-income countries, using the latest epidemiological, supply and market information.
Delivering this plan is crucial to reaching globally agreed targets for COVID-19 tools, to help prevent at least 5 million potential additional deaths, save the global economy more than US$ 5.3 trillion, and accelerate the end of the pandemic everywhere.
The ACT-Accelerator needs US$ 23.4 billion until September 2022 to implement this plan, reflecting a fresh scope, advances in science and supply, and new actors joining the pandemic response.
The new plan also responds to the recent independent Strategic Review’s key recommendations and will be implemented alongside global health, government, civil society and private sector partners. The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator has today launched its strategic plan and budget for the next 12 months, outlining the urgent actions and funding needed to address deep inequities in the COVID-19 response, save millions of lives and end the acute phase of the pandemic.

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator has today launched its strategic plan and budget for the next 12 months, outlining the urgent actions and funding needed to address deep inequities in the COVID-19 response, save millions of lives and end the acute phase of the pandemic.

Inequitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines is prolonging the pandemic everywhere and risking the emergence of new, more dangerous variants that could evade current tools to fight the disease. So far, only 0.4% of tests and 0.5% of vaccines administered worldwide have been used in low-income countries, despite these countries comprising 9% of the global population…

 

Fully funding the new strategic plan and budget will enable the partnership to:
Support the vaccination objectives of 91 lower-income countries in the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) and other countries, by delivering sufficient doses and supporting vaccination campaigns to achieve 43% coverage in AMC countries – contributing to the global target of 70% coverage in all countries by mid-2022.
Assist the 144 countries in the Diagnostics Consortium in reaching a minimum testing rate of at least 1 per 1000 people per day, and ensuring sufficient genetic sequencing capacity globally to rapidly detect new variants of concern.
Ensure 120 million COVID-19 patients in low- and middle-income countries have access to existing and emerging treatments, including medical oxygen.
Keep 2.7 million health workers in low- and middle-income countries safe with personal protective equipment (PPE)…

Navigating the World that COVID-19 Made: A Strategy for Revamping the Pandemic Research and Development Preparedness and Response Ecosystem

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Navigating the World that COVID-19 Made: A Strategy for Revamping the Pandemic Research and Development Preparedness and Response Ecosystem
Thomas J. Bollyky, Jennifer B. Nuzzo, Matthew P. Shearer, Natasha Kaushal, Samantha Kiernan, Noelle Huhn, Amesh A. Adalja, Emily N. Pond
Johns Hopkins – Center for Health Security
October 29, 2021 :: 53 pages
PDF: https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/pubs_archive/pubs-pdfs/2021/211029-PandemicVaccineDevelopmentReport.pdf

Introduction [excerpt]
…Beyond its human and economic toll, the COVID-19 pandemic has also exposed and redefined the realities of the global vaccine R&D and response ecosystem in the following ways:
There is now widespread recognition that safe and effective vaccines provide unparalleled health, social, and economic benefits during a pandemic. Multiple governments have already announced new and potentially competing plans to invest in pandemic vaccine R&D and response. For example, China, which hardly shipped any vaccines abroad prior to the pandemic, has now become the largest exporter of COVID-19 vaccines to date.

COVID-19 has made it clear that most nations will not share scarce supplies of early vaccines and related inputs in a crisis. From the United States to Europe to the African Union, efforts are underway to domesticate vaccine manufacturing and their associated supply chains. This “me-first” approach to COVID-19 vaccine allocation could also dim countries’ enthusiasm for participating in future global pooled procurement initiatives and access and benefit sharing arrangements, given the reasonable fear that these arrangements might not be able to provide timely, equitable quantities of vaccines for LMICs in future crises.

COVID-19 demonstrated that pandemics can be profitable for vaccine manufacturers. Record revenues for COVID-19 vaccines has drawn new vaccine developers into the market, but also made them less willing to enter into public sector and nongovernmental organization funding arrangements that impose equitable access requirements that could encumber potential profitmaking.

Geopolitics constrained COVID-19 response and threaten future global health security. Global health emergencies have historically been a cause for increased international cooperation, but the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been constrained by geopolitical rivalries. In this context, not all nations will be willing to cooperate closely on national security matters, such as pandemic vaccine R&D and response. Cooperation on pandemic R&D and response may be more feasible in groupings of regional partners or like-minded states, with global cooperation instead focused on promoting common standards and scientific collaboration.

Any future pandemic pathogen that emerges will do so in a world changed by and aware of these realities. To ensure that these lessons are heeded and to prevent the devastation of the present crisis from repeating in the next pandemic, governments, international institutions, and private sector actors must immediately act to address gaps and explore opportunities at each step along the vaccine value chain.

The measures to be taken should include:
Develop and fund an inclusive strategy for the R&D of prototype vaccine candidates for future pandemics. Although highly effective vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record time, shortening vaccine development time even further could yield substantial benefits in the next pandemic. To shorten the development timeframe during a pandemic, research and preliminary trials must be conducted before a pandemic may occur. Candidate vaccines for a representative prototype pathogen within each of the roughly 25 viral families most likely to cause the next pandemic could be developed and taken through Phase 1 clinical evaluation. This would allow the collection of early data on safety, dosage, and schedule of vaccine administration with that particular platform, antigenic target, or other design characteristics. Taking those candidate vaccines through Phase 2 clinical trials could help identify and characterize correlates of protection for those viral families. Conducting preclinical and early-stage clinical research in advance could potentially allow for shorter and much smaller-scale Phase 3 trials when a new virus emerges. Proposals by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the US Senate, if enacted and funded, could advance this research and enable vaccines to be developed within 100 days of identification of the next pandemic.

Engage local government and donor financing and policy support to enable global vaccine manufacturing scale up. Producing a safe and effective vaccine within 100 days of a pandemic threat being detected would save significant time and lives. However, the benefits of ensuring that every country can administer vaccines at the same pace as most high-income countries have done in the COVID-19 pandemic would be even larger. Establishing vaccine manufacturing capacity in LMICs is essential to achieving this goal, but it should be viewed as a complement, not a near-term substitute, for investing in the economies of scale afforded by centralized production capacity. To succeed, donors and local governments will need to provide sustained financing, support the use of flexible business models, invest in manufacturing innovations, and establish mechanisms to facilitate and sustain technology transfer.

Create and support equitable financing, procurement, and allocation mechanisms to help end COVID-19 and prepare for the future. Wealthy and vaccine-producing nations governments will always be able to outbid a multilateral procurement body or seize locally produced vaccine doses in a pandemic. Enabling a more equitable allocation of vaccines in the next pandemic requires creating more supply and procurement mechanisms in which vaccine-producing nations are willing to participate on the same level as LMICs. COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, or COVAX, has achieved much during this pandemic, but concerns about its performance in the present crisis make it unlikely to be trusted in the next one. Regional mechanisms may offer the most hope, but they must be established in advance and routinely used to be trusted in future crises.

Strengthen cross-border trade, standardization, and supply chain transparency in order to expand vaccine manufacturing and access during a crisis. The widespread use of export restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to unnecessary infections, hospitalizations, and deaths and continues to undermine efforts to prepare for future pandemic threats by discouraging international investments in vaccine and input manufacturing capacity. The threat of export restrictions on vaccines and related inputs should be reduced through adoption of regional trade and investment agreements, standardization of the specialized inputs needed for vaccine production, and greater supply chain transparency.

Build the systems needed to enable vaccine distribution, allocation, and uptake for the next pandemic. While inadequate supplies may still be the single biggest factor limiting vaccine coverage globally, COVID-19 has also illustrated the need to devote adequate and timely attention to distributing and allocating vaccines and communicating with the public about vaccine-related risks and benefits. Dedicated plans are needed to ensure that high-priority groups can be vaccinated. Operationally feasible plans are also needed to support risk communication and community engagement and to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation about vaccines.

Plan for global coordination of postmarket research studies. Insufficient coordination of postmarket studies is compromising the ability to track COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, monitor vaccine escape, and assess optimal dosing and the need for boosters. An independent, but government-supported organization, such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, could provide this level of international coordination of follow-on clinical investigations, in consultation with national regulatory authorities and research institutes. The World Health Organization could also assume a greater coordinating role on postmarket research studies by adapting its R&D Blueprint for Action to Prevent Epidemics.

Although COVID-19 has been described as a once-in-a-century crisis, another pandemic could occur at any time, including in the not-to-distant future. Other pandemic pathogens could emerge at any time, causing loss of life or quality of life and spillover economic, social, and political effects at the same, if not greater, magnitude than the world has suffered over the past 2 years. No one can say for certain how governments will respond when the next crisis emerges. What is certain is that national, regional, and international responses to COVID-19 are already writing the opening chapters of the next pandemic. Only by translating lessons learned into viable, equitable action can the world change the pandemic narrative in time for the next crisis.

PREPARING SOCIETY AGAINST FUTURE PANDEMICS :: Policy Perspectives from the Innovative Biopharmaceutical Industry

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PREPARING SOCIETY AGAINST FUTURE PANDEMICS :: Policy Perspectives from the Innovative Biopharmaceutical Industry
IFPMA – October 2021 :: 21 pages
PDF: https://www.ifpma.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IFPMA_Preparing_society_against_future_pandemics_Full_Report.pdf

Introduction [excerpts]
Despite the many laudable actions in response to COVID-19 by individuals, institutions, governments and companies around the world, the pandemic has taken an immense toll on lives and livelihoods.

With more than 4.5 million reported deaths and 222 million infections worldwide,1 and economic costs estimated at over US$4 trillion of lost output,2 this is the greatest public health crisis in a century. We can be certain that there will be future pandemics, fanned by both climate change and globalization. There is wide agreement that the world needs to be much better prepared for the next pandemic. Learning and applying the lessons from the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as from other recent infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics, will be pivotal to this work.

Improving preparedness for future disease outbreaks with epidemic and pandemic potential is not a new idea; significant debate followed previous outbreaks such as the H1N1 influenza A virus, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), Ebola and Zika. While some concrete actions were taken, it became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic that few were prepared for the scope and scale of response required. Governments, healthcare systems, multilateral organizations, regulators and other stakeholders have had to take unprecedented action to catch up with the pandemic and have been hindered in most cases by the lack of robust or adequately tested plans, pre-established structures, resources or processes, including at the global level. Despite the current strong political consensus to take action now, establishing the long-term, comprehensive and sustainable system needed to address an array of potential disease threats is a daunting challenge entailing substantial cost. The overall public financial investment required has been recently estimated at US$15 billion a year.3…

…The biopharmaceutical industry is committed to playing its part in further improving pandemic preparedness. Our vision for future pandemic preparedness is based on two ambitious objectives:

 

1 Aim to develop effective and safe pandemic products within 100 days of a new pandemic declaration.

2 Collaborate with governments, multilateral organizations, regulators, and other companies and sectors to ensure equitable access to those products for people worldwide.

Fundamental to achieving both objectives is sufficient, sustained public funding and human capital to support the continuum from discovery and development to deployment at scale. Effective governance and clear institutional roles and responsibilities remain of paramount importance.

We describe below some of the critical lessons we have learned so far in tackling COVID-19 and make a series of proposals for steps the industry and other stakeholders need to take for future pandemic preparedness. We look forward to working closely with all concerned stakeholders to protect the world against future pandemics…

Media Release
Bolstering action against future pandemics: pharma policy perspectives on delivering medical countermeasures
25 October 2021
:: Future pandemic preparedness discussions cannot and must not overshadow the need for urgent joint action to redistribute COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX and donations.
:: Planning for better pandemic preparedness requires measures to develop effective and safe pandemic products even faster to save lives and livelihoods, which requires first pathogen sharing, second, strong incentive frameworks and third, a sustainable innovation ecosystem.
:: To ensure equitable access to those products for people worldwide requires more effective collaboration with governments, multilateral organizations, regulators, and other companies and sectors.

…Aiming for effective and safe pandemic products within 100 days will require pre-emptive R&D. This goal, however, cannot be achieved in the absence of a robust incentive system, built on strong and predictable IP protection. The innovative biopharmaceutical industry commits to investing in research and development (R&D) on target pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential to build a portfolio of promising candidate vaccines, treatments and technologies. It also requires the immediate sharing of pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential, and associated information, with no strings attached.  The innovative biopharmaceutical industry commits to ensuring the highest safety protocols for our laboratories and only to use shared samples and genetic sequence data for research purposes and for the production of vaccines, medicines and diagnostics.

The solution to vaccine equity today resides in dose sharing, continuing to optimize output through manufacturing scaling up and voluntary licensing; as well as working together to enable countries to efficiently and effectively vaccinate their people. For future pandemics, it is imperative to continue building on what has worked well: the pivotal role of a strong innovation ecosystem and a strengthened, well-funded procurement system for lower-income countries. The scientific and industrial success has been nothing short of extraordinary. It is also imperative to be better prepared to ensure equitable access to pandemic products for people worldwide…

Urgent action needed now to ensure sufficient COVID vaccine syringe supply to meet 2022 vaccination targets 

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COVID Vaccines – Syringe Shortage

Urgent action needed now to ensure sufficient COVID vaccine syringe supply to meet 2022 vaccination targets 
Increased demand, supply chain disruptions, and ‘syringe nationalism’ could lead to significant challenges in 2022 without immediate action

Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore
NEW YORK, 27 OCTOBER 2021 – “Without action now, the world could face a serious shortage of COVID vaccine syringes by the end of 2022, with potentially dire consequences for the global effort to bring the pandemic under control.

“Last month, supporters of the global effort to provide access to COVID-19 vaccines aligned around a new target during the Vaccine Summit held on the margins of the UN General Assembly: Vaccinating at least 70 per cent of the population in every country against COVID by 2022. This ambitious aim intends to deliver on the promise of more equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.

“However, as we collectively ramp up access to COVID-19 vaccines, we must equally ramp up access to the syringes needed to administer them.

“Working closely with partners, UNICEF has been leading the charge. We tripled the number of syringes ordered to meet demand – securing almost 3 billion auto-disable syringes since 2020, including the creation of a GAVI-funded stockpile of half a billion syringes to prepare for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

 

“Thus far, this supply has been sufficient to meet the increased needs for syringes sourced via UNICEF. However, to reach the new COVID-19 vaccination targets, and assuming an unhindered vaccine supply next year, there could be a shortfall of up to 2.2 billion auto-disable syringes, according to UNICEF projections.

This shortage would only hit the type of syringes that lock automatically to prevent reuse, as required by WHO and UNICEF guidelines. Low- and middle-income countries – where this type of syringe is critical for safety – will bear the brunt of this shortage. We are not anticipating a significant supply shortage of the more standard syringes used in high-income countries.

“The anticipated shortfall is the result of the significantly higher demand, disruptions to international freight and supply chains, an unpredictable supply of vaccines due to a significant reliance on much needed donated doses, and national bans on syringe exports.

 

 “To avert this scenario, we need six urgent, but achievable, actions:
Expanded access to supply, both of standard 0.5ml auto-disable syringes used for most COVID-19 vaccines and for routine immunization, and 0.3ml syringes used for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This will necessarily require increased production by manufacturers of relevant and quality-assured products.
A more secure and predictable supply of COVID-19 vaccines to allow us to make best use of limited syringe supply.
The prioritization of injection equipment shipments by international freight carriers similar to the prioritization of vaccine shipments.
An end to ‘syringe nationalism’ and the hoarding of desperately needed safe injection equipment.
A review of the plans and timing of local immunization campaigns, as well as the phasing of local COVID-19 vaccination rollouts, so that the public health impact of global immunization campaigns can be optimized, and global syringe supply can be best utilized without significantly impacting critical immunization efforts worldwide.
The consideration of expanded use of alternative quality-assured reuse prevention (RUP) syringes as the next best alternative to auto-disable syringes, in line with the national policy of the recipient countries based on WHO/UNICEF guidelines.

“We are working with key partners – including the United States, COVAX, PATH, donors, syringe manufacturers and others – to take the necessary action to address the situation, and will continue to monitor progress. We are working to get the most out of our existing arrangements and to sign new agreements with syringe suppliers that are able to step up to the challenge in 2022…

Duke University and Covid Collaborative Launch Global Accountability Platform To Accelerate Equitable Covid-19 Pandemic Response

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Duke University and Covid Collaborative Launch Global Accountability Platform To Accelerate Equitable Covid-19 Pandemic Response
10.19.21
Covid GAP Seeks Collaborations Around the World
Washington, DC—Nearly two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, the global response continues to be slow, fragmented, and inequitable. The widening gap between vaccine haves and have-nots around the world has prolonged the pandemic, worsened global inequality, risked the emergence of new viral variants that could evade vaccine immunity, and confronted countries with very different prospects for pandemic and economic recovery. In response, Duke University and the Covid Collaborative are launching the Covid Global Accountability Platform (Covid GAP), an independent initiative that aims to provide evidence-based tracking, insights, and recommendations that collectively help hold the world to account to meet pressing needs, deliver on commitments, and accelerate the end of the pandemic…

To achieve its goal, Covid GAP is collaborating with The Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and multiple stakeholders and data sources to:
build strong partnerships and collaborations with organizations and individuals in low- and middle-income countries and empower local leaders through evidence-driven insights to prioritize and access urgently needed resources;
analyze vaccine production, contracting and delivery, as well as dose donations and countries’ vaccination capabilities and demand, along with actual vaccinations, and link these analyses to actionable recommendations to accelerate progress;
identify and address the need for other critical interventions, including testing, therapies, oxygen, and personal protective equipment (PPE); and
track commitments and targets for future pandemic preparedness.

Across these efforts, Covid GAP will identify critical needs for additional data transparency from the public and private sectors, including high-income countries and manufacturers, and will seek to unlock additional data to enable stronger, more coordinated, and more equitable global response and decision-making…

Africa Investment Forum: Projects worth $140 million on the table to boost vaccines and healthcare in West and East Africa

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African Development Bank [to 30 Oct 2021]
https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases
Press Releases
Africa Investment Forum: Projects worth $140 million on the table to boost vaccines and healthcare in West and East Africa
23-Oct-2021 – Members of the Africa Investment Forum team showcased two projects during a virtual investor roundtable as the continent looks to boost its healthcare sector and attract much-needed investment in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The projects, jointly worth around $140 million and located in East and West Africa, were previewed for potential investors.

Joint Statement of the Multilateral Leaders Taskforce on the Strategies to Accelerate the Supply and Deployment of COVID-19 Vaccines Following its Fifth Meeting

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Joint Statement of the Multilateral Leaders Taskforce on the Strategies to Accelerate the Supply and Deployment of COVID-19 Vaccines Following its Fifth Meeting
ROME, October 30, 2021 —
The heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization met to discuss strategies to accelerate the supply and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, especially in low- and lower middle-income countries. The Multilateral Leaders Task Force (MLT) issued the following Joint Statement:

“The global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is severely off track, resulting in a sharp divergence between rich and poor countries. Of the 7 billion vaccine doses administered globally, only 35 million doses, or 0.5%, have been administered in low-income countries. In advanced economies, over 60% of the population is fully vaccinated, with some now receiving booster shots, while less than 2% of the population in low-income countries is fully vaccinated.

“The pandemic remains the biggest risk to economic health, and its impact is made worse by unequal access to vaccines, tests, treatments, and PPE. That’s why we need to reach the global targets to vaccinate at least 40% of people in every country by end-2021, and 70% by mid-2022. But we are still behind: some 82 countries, half of which are in Africa, are not on track to meet the 2021 target. Inadequate supply of vaccines is the primary problem for these countries, which are at the back of the vaccine supply queue. Almost 500 million more doses need to be delivered in low-income countries alone before year-end to achieve the 40% target.

 

“To bring an end to the pandemic and support a broad-based recovery, the G20 needs to:
Accelerate existing dose donations to COVAX, pledge new ones, and provide greater visibility on delivery schedules;
Execute large swaps of near-term delivery schedules with AVAT, COVAX, and bilateral contracts well in advance of doses expiring (like the recent announcement between Moderna, the African Union, and the U.S. to make doses available to Africa);
Eliminate export restrictions on vaccines and critical inputs; and
Agree on regular high-level political stock takes to build collective accountability to end the pandemic.

“At the same time, countries must be ready and able to deploy vaccines when they arrive. Data published on the Task Force website shows many examples of low-and lower middle-income countries that are administering doses effectively. We continue to monitor and help address logistical, workforce-related, and other bottlenecks on the ground and prepare countries for vaccine deployment.

“Trade has an essential role in ensuring the scale up of vaccine production and access to critical health related goods and inputs. We continue to work with countries to address finance, trade, and regulatory barriers that pose constraints to the supply and equitable delivery of vaccines. With the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference approaching at the end of November, we strongly urge its members to ensure that the multilateral trading system fully supports efforts to address current and future pandemics.

“Urgent action, especially by the G20, is needed now. A failure to act could mean COVID-19 will have a prolonged impact into the medium-term, which could reduce global GDP by a cumulative $5.3 trillion over the next five years and lead to five million additional lives lost.

WHO-Unitaid statement on the MPP licensing agreement for molnupiravir

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WHO-Unitaid statement on the MPP licensing agreement for molnupiravir
Geneva, 27 October 2021 –
WHO and Unitaid welcome the signing of a voluntary licensing agreement by the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and MSD to facilitate affordable access to molnupiravir, a new medicine being tested in clinical trials for treating COVID-19 in adults.

Molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral medicine, was reported to reduce the risk of hospitalization in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 by 50% in interim phase III clinical trials. It is currently being evaluated for inclusion into the WHO living guideline on COVID-19 therapeutics and is pending authorization for its use from regulatory bodies. If approved, it will be the first oral medicine for non-hospitalized mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients.

The MPP/MSD licensing agreement is a positive step towards creating broader access to the treatment as quickly as possible by allowing generic licensees from around the world to prepare supplies and create more affordable versions of the medicine, pending WHO recommendations and other regulatory authorizations. This will shorten the time from approval of the medicine to its availability in the 105 low- and middle-income countries covered by the licence and where there is no patent infringement and licensed know-how has not been used. We hope the company will include other key countries in the scope of the agreement in the near future.

 

We commend MPP for negotiating the licence from a public health perspective – in line with WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) principles, it is non-exclusive and transparent.

We urge the manufacturer to provide data of clinical trials to WHO as soon as possible, so that the agency can evaluate the medicine for global use.

Other companies developing vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics should consider open and transparent licences as soon as possible, especially for other promising COVID-19 health technologies, for which we also need to ensure broad supply and affordability in all countries in order to end the pandemic. Both the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) and C-TAP, in partnership with MPP, are working to facilitate such licences, and look forward to an open dialogue with relevant developers.

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

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Coronavirus [COVID-19] – WHO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

 

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
Last update: 29 Oct 2021
Confirmed cases :: 245 373 039 [242 348 657 week ago]
Confirmed deaths :: 4 979 421 [4 927 723 week ago]
Vaccine doses administered: 6 838 727 352 [6 655 399 359 week ago]

 

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Statement on the ninth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
26 October 2021 Statement
The ninth meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic took place on Friday 22 October 2021 from 13:00 to 17:05 Geneva time (CEST).

…The Secretariat presented updates on:
global epidemiological context and the factors driving transmission;
anticipated evolution of COVID-19 and forecasted potential future scenarios;
ongoing challenge of global COVID-19 vaccine inequity and projections for increasing COVAX Facility vaccine supply; and
States Parties’ increasing consistency in following recommendations regarding health measures for international traffic.

 

The Committee discussed key issues including:
SARS-CoV-2 surveillance efforts and challenges;
immunity acquired through natural infection or vaccination and protection offered by both;
the value of intra-action reviews for States Parties to inform and enhance response efforts; and
the importance of maintaining risk-informed and multi-faceted PHSM.

The Committee expressed concerns over the challenges faced by the African Region in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including accessing sufficient vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, as well as collecting, analysing, and reporting epidemiological and quality laboratory data, including genomic sequencing data, required to monitor the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee urged for adequate resourcing, capacity building, and technical support for the Region and its Member States to strengthen their surveillance and response efforts…

The Committee underlined that, while progress has been made through increased uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, analysis of the present situation and forecasting models indicate that the pandemic is far from finished. The Committee emphasized that there is a critical need for States Parties to continue using all available tools including PHSM, vaccination, diagnostics, therapeutics, and effective communications to control the pandemic and mitigate its negative impacts on health as well as social-economic and educational contexts. In addition, the Committee recognized that the protracted nature of the COVID-19 pandemic poses an additional burden in the context of complex humanitarian emergencies, mass migration, population displacement, and other crises. As such, the Committee suggested States Parties consider revising their preparedness and response plans and assistance policies to account for these interdependencies.

The Committee unanimously agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic still constitutes an extraordinary event that continues to adversely affect the health of populations around the world, poses a risk of international spread and interference with international traffic, and requires a coordinated international response. As such, the Committee concurred that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and offered its advice to the Director-General.

 

The Director-General determined that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a PHEIC. He accepted the advice of the Committee and issued the Committee’s advice to States Parties as Temporary Recommendations under the IHR.

The Emergency Committee will be reconvened within three months or earlier, at the discretion of the Director-General. The Director-General thanked the Committee for its work…

WHO Statement on Solidarity Trial Vaccines

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WHO Statement on Solidarity Trial Vaccines
26 October 2021 Statement
WHO and the Ministries of Health of Colombia, Mali, and the Philippines announce the launch of the co-sponsored Solidarity Trial Vaccines. This is an international, randomized clinical trial platform designed to rapidly evaluate the efficacy and safety of promising new candidate vaccines selected by an independent vaccine prioritization advisory group composed of leading scientists and experts.

This announcement comes after the relevant regulatory authorities and ethics committees have granted approval for the study to progress.

The national principal investigators and their research teams in Colombia, Mali, and the Philippines have begun recruiting volunteers joining the trial. The Solidarity Trial Vaccines is beginning with research teams in over 40 trial sites spread across the three countries. National research teams bring together experienced investigators well-versed in good clinical practice and the conduct of clinical trials.

To date, the independent vaccine prioritization advisory group has reviewed the evidence of around 20 candidate vaccines. Following the recommendation of the working group, 2 candidate vaccines are now included in the Solidarity Trial Vaccines. These are a protein subunit vaccine from Medigen, and a DNA vaccine encoding the spike protein from Inovio.

Two additional vaccines are expected to enter the Solidarity Trial Vaccines once additional evidence and documentation has been reviewed and accepted as satisfactory by the independent vaccine prioritization advisory group.  It is expected that other candidate vaccines currently under consideration by the vaccine prioritization advisory group may be added to the trial in late 2021 and during 2022.

The Solidarity Trial Vaccines aims to accelerate the evaluation of multiple promising candidate COVID-19 vaccines, contributing to the creation of a larger portfolio of vaccines needed to protect people from COVID-19 around the world. The trial has the additional potential to uncover second-generation vaccines with greater efficacy, conferring greater protection against variants of concern, offering longer duration of protection, and/or using needle-free routes of administration.

Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 26 October 2021

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Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 26 October 2021
WHO
Overview
Globally, the numbers of weekly COVID-19 cases and deaths increased slightly during the past week, with over 2.9 million cases and over 49 000 new deaths, a 4% and 5% increase respectively. With the exception of the European region, which continues for the fourth consecutive week to reported an increase in new COVID-19 cases (18% increase as compared with the previous week), other regions reported a decline. The largest decrease in new weekly cases was reported from the African Region (21%), followed by the Western Pacific Region (17%). The European and South-East Asia regions reported an increase in new weekly COVID-19 deaths, 14% and 13% respectively, as compared with the previous week. The largest decline in new weekly deaths was reported from the Western Pacific region showing a 13% decrease as compared to the previous week.
As of 24 October, over 243 million confirmed cases and over 4.9 million deaths have been reported since the start of the pandemic.

WHO Director General Speeches [selected]

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WHO Director General Speeches [selected]
https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches
30 October 2021 Speech
WHO Director-General’s remarks at Session 1- Global Economy and Global Health at the G20 Summit – 30 October 2021
[See G20 above for detail]

28 October 2021 Speech
WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 28 October 2021

 

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Status of COVID-19 Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process 20 October 2021
For 23 vaccine candidates, presents Manufacturer, Name of Vaccine, NRA of Record, Platform, EOI Accepted Status, Pre-submission Meeting Held Status, Dossier Accepted for Review, Status of Assessment; Anticipated/Completed Decision Date
[Full scale view available at title ling above]

 

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COVID Vaccine Developer/Manufacturer Announcements
[relevant press releases/announcement from organizations from WHO EUL/PQ listing above]

 

AstraZeneca
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

BioCubaFarma – Cuba
Últimas Noticias – [Website not responding at inquiry; receiving 403-Forbidden]

 

CanSinoBIO
News – [Website not responding at inquiry]

Clover Biopharmaceuticals – China
News – No new digest announcements identified

 

Curevac [Bayer Ag – Germany]
News – No new digest announcements identified

 

Gamaleya National Center
Latest News and Events – No new digest announcements identified [See Russia/RFID below]

IMBCAMS, China
Home – No new digest announcements identified

 

Janssen/JNJ
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

 

Moderna
Press Releases
October 29, 2021
Moderna Announces Additional Supply for Q2 2022 of Vaccine for COVAX To Help End COVID-19 Pandemic in Lowest Income Countries
:: Q2 deliveries almost double – a further 56.5 million in options exercised by COVAX, for a total 116.5 million doses for delivery in the second quarter of 2022
:: Per the original APA, COVAX Facility retains options for up to 233 million additional doses in 2022
:: Doses provided at lowest tiered price, in keeping with Moderna’s global access principles commitment
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 29, 2021– Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced an agreement with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to supply up 116.5 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered in the second quarter of 2022. The exercise of these options for additional doses represents an increase from an earlier agreement for 60 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that was communicated earlier this year. As per the advance purchase agreement signed on behalf of the COVAX Facility, Gavi continues to retain the option to procure 233 million additional doses in 2022 for a potential total of 500 million doses between 2021 and 2022 under the agreement. All doses are offered at Moderna’s lowest tiered price, in line with the Company’s global access commitments.
This agreement covers the 92 Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) low- and middle-income countries. COVAX is a global initiative co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, regardless of income levels.
“I am grateful to our partners at Gavi and COVAX for their work and collaboration to reach this agreement. This is another important milestone as we work to ensure that people around the world have access to our COVID-19 vaccine,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “We support COVAX’s mission to ensure broad, affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and we remain committed to doing everything that we can to ending this ongoing pandemic with our mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. We have recently offered to COVAX to access more vaccines for Q2 and Q3 2022.”…

October 26, 2021
Moderna Announces First Participant Dosed in Phase 3 Pivotal Registration Study of Its mRNA Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Vaccine

October 26, 2021
Moderna Announces Swissmedic Authorizes Booster Dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine
:: Authorization granted for particularly vulnerable individuals 12 years of age and older
:: Swissmedic also authorized a third dose for individuals 12 years of age and older with a weakened immune system

October 26, 2021
Moderna Announces Memorandum of Understanding to Supply up to 110 Million Doses of Its COVID-19 Vaccine to the African Union
:: Doses offered at Moderna’s lowest tiered price in line with its global access commitments
:: This agreement is in addition to Moderna’s agreement with COVAX for up to 500 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine through 2022
:: Discussions ongoing for fill/finish manufacturing in Africa in 2023, as stepping stone to Moderna drug substance plant in Africa
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 26, 2021– Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq:MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make up to 110 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine available to the African Union. The Company is prepared to deliver the first 15 million doses in the fourth quarter of 2021, 35 million doses in the first quarter of 2022, and up to 60 million doses in second quarter 2022. All doses are offered at Moderna’s lowest tiered price, in line with the Company’s global access commitments…
…The Company is also working on plans to allow it to fill doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Africa as early as 2023, in parallel to building an mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Africa. This new MoU would be in addition to Moderna’s agreement with COVAX to supply up to 500 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine from the fourth quarter of 2021 through 2022. Additionally, the Company recently announced an investment of up to $500 million to plan to build a state-of-the-art mRNA facility in Africa with the goal of producing up to 500 million doses of vaccines at the 50 µg dose level each year.

October 25, 2021
Moderna Announces European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use Recommends Booster Dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine in the European Union

October 25, 2021
Moderna Announces Positive Top Line Data from Phase 2/3 Study of COVID-19 Vaccine in Children 6 to 11 Years of Age

 

Novavax
Press Releases
Novavax Files for Provisional Approval of its COVID-19 Vaccine in Australia Oct 29, 2021

Novavax Files for Authorization of its COVID-19 Vaccine in the United Kingdom Oct 27, 2021

 

Pfizer
Recent Press Releases
10.29.2021
Pfizer and BioNTech Receive First U.S. FDA Emergency Use Authorization of a COVID-19 Vaccine in Children Ages 5 Through 11 Years

10.28.2021
Pfizer and BioNTech to Provide U.S. Government an Additional 50 Million Pediatric Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine to Support Further Preparedness for Future Needs

10.26.2021
FDA Advisory Committee Votes in Favor of Granting Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in Children 5 to <12 Years

 

Sanofi Pasteur
Press Releases – No new digest announcements identified

 

Serum Institute of India
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS – No new digest announcements identified

 

Sinopharm/WIBPBIBP
News – No new digest announcements identified

 

Sinovac
Press Releases
SINOVAC actively discusses COVID-19 Vaccine application and the industry development with other countries [Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines]
10/26/21

 

Vector State Research Centre of Viralogy and Biotechnology
Home – No new digest announcements identified

Zhifei Longcom, China
[Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biologic Pharmacy Co., Ltd.]
[No website identified]

 

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GSK
Press releases for media – No new digest announcements identified

 

Merck
News releases
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and Merck Enter Into License Agreement for Molnupiravir, an Investigational Oral Antiviral COVID-19 Medicine, to Increase Broad Access in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
October 29, 2021

Merck and Ridgeback Announce Submission of Emergency Use Authorization Application to the U.S. FDA for Molnupiravir, an Investigational Oral Antiviral Medicine, for the Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19 in At Risk Adults
October 25, 2021

 

Novartis
News – No new digest announcements identified

 

SK Biosciences
Press releases – No new digest announcements identified