The Lancet
Oct 09, 2021 Volume 398 Number 10308 p1279-1380
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Editorial
Sexual abuse and exploitation at WHO: an erosion of trust
The Lancet

The Lancet
Oct 09, 2021 Volume 398 Number 10308 p1279-1380
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Articles
Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19: a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990–2050
Global Burden of Disease 2020 Health Financing Collaborator Network
Open Access
Summary
Background
The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020.
Methods
We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies’ online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US$, 2020 US$ per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US$ per capita, and as a proportion of gross domestic product. We used various models to generate future health spending to 2050.
Findings
In 2019, health spending globally reached $8·8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8·7–8·8) or $1132 (1119–1143) per person. Spending on health varied within and across income groups and geographical regions. Of this total, $40·4 billion (0·5%, 95% UI 0·5–0·5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24·6% (UI 24·0–25·1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that $54·8 billion in development assistance for health was disbursed in 2020. Of this, $13·7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. $12·3 billion was newly committed and $1·4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. $3·1 billion (22·4%) of the funds focused on country-level coordination and $2·4 billion (17·9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only $714·4 million (7·7%) of COVID-19 development assistance for health went to Latin America, despite this region reporting 34·3% of total recorded COVID-19 deaths in low-income or middle-income countries in 2020. Spending on health is expected to rise to $1519 (1448–1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied.
Interpretation
Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all.
Funding
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Lancet
Oct 09, 2021 Volume 398 Number 10308 p1279-1380
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Viewpoint
Considerations in boosting COVID-19 vaccine immune responses
Philip R Krause, et al.
[Closing paragraph]
…The vaccines that are currently available are safe, effective, and save lives. The limited supply of these vaccines will save the most lives if made available to people who are at appreciable risk of serious disease and have not yet received any vaccine. Even if some gain can ultimately be obtained from boosting, it will not outweigh the benefits of providing initial protection to the unvaccinated. If vaccines are deployed where they would do the most good, they could hasten the end of the pandemic by inhibiting further evolution of variants. Indeed, WHO has called for a moratorium on boosting until the benefits of primary vaccination have been made available to more people around the world.
¹⁸ This is a compelling issue, particularly as the currently available evidence does not show the need for widespread use of booster vaccination in populations that have received an effective primary vaccination regimen.

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Oct 2021 Volume 21 Number 10 p1333-1470, e302-e340
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Editorial
A brighter future for malaria prevention?
The Lancet Infectious Diseases

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Oct 2021 Volume 21 Number 10 p1333-1470, e302-e340
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Articles
Safety and immunogenicity of an MF59-adjuvanted spike glycoprotein-clamp vaccine for SARS-CoV-2: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 trial
Keith J Chappell, et al.

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Oct 2021 Volume 21 Number 10 p1333-1470, e302-e340
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Effectiveness of a killed whole-cell oral cholera vaccine in Bangladesh: further follow-up of a cluster-randomised trial
Mohammad Ali, et al.
Open Access

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Oct 2021 Volume 21 Number 10 p1333-1470, e302-e340
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Immunogenicity of alternative ten-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine schedules in infants in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: results from a single-blind, parallel-group, open-label, randomised, controlled trial
Paul Vincent Licciardi,
Open Access

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Oct 2021 Volume 21 Number 10 p1333-1470, e302-e340
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Prevalence of human papillomavirus in young men who have sex with men after the implementation of gender-neutral HPV vaccination: a repeated cross-sectional study
Eric P F Chow, et al.

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Oct 2021 Volume 21 Number 10 p1333-1470, e302-e340
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Sustainability of neutralising antibodies induced by bivalent or quadrivalent HPV vaccines and correlation with efficacy: a combined follow-up analysis of data from two randomised, double-blind, multicentre, phase 3 trials
Filipe Colaço Mariz, et al.

Lancet Public Health
Oct 2021 Volume 6 Number 10 e696-e779
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/issue/current

Articles
Outbreaks of COVID-19 variants in US prisons: a mathematical modelling analysis of vaccination and reopening policies
Theresa Ryckman,et al.
Residents of prisons have experienced disproportionate COVID-19-related health harms. To control outbreaks, many prisons in the USA restricted in-person activities, which are now resuming even as viral variants proliferate. This study aims to use mathematical modelling to assess the risks and harms of COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons under a range of policies, including resumption of activities.

Medical Decision Making (MDM)
Volume 41 Issue 7, October 2021
http://mdm.sagepub.com/content/current

Editorials
The International Patient Decision Aid Standards (IPDAS) Collaboration: Evidence Update 2.0
Dawn Stacey, Robert J. Volk, for the IPDAS Evidence Update Leads (Hilary Bekker, Karina Dahl Steffensen, Tammy C. Hoffmann, Kirsten McCaffery, Rachel Thompson, Richard Thomson, Lyndal Trevena, Trudy van der Weijden, and Holly Witteman)
First Published August 20, 2021; pp. 729–733

New England Journal of Medicine
October 7, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 15
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Perspective
Fundamentals of Public Health: Methods of Public Health Research — Strengthening Causal Inference from Observational Data M.A. Hernán

New England Journal of Medicine
October 7, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 15
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

The No Surprises Act and Informed Financial Consent B. Richman, M. Hall, and K. Schulman
The No Surprises Act requires out-of-network providers to obtain explicit, informed consent regarding a patient’s payments stemming from a planned episode of care. This policy could not only help stop surprise billing, it could also promote dignity and autonomy for patients.

New England Journal of Medicine
October 7, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 15
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Original Articles
Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines in Ambulatory and Inpatient Care Settings M.G. Thompson and Others

New England Journal of Medicine
October 7, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 15
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Protection of BNT162b2 Vaccine Booster against Covid-19 in Israel Y.M. Bar-On and Others

New England Journal of Medicine
October 7, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 15
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Editorials
Covid-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and the Test-Negative Design N.E. Dean, J.W. Hogan, and M.E. Schnitzer

New England Journal of Medicine
October 7, 2021 Vol. 385 No. 15
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Audio Interview: Are Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters Necessary? E.J. Rubin, L.R. Baden, and S. Morrissey

Pediatrics
Vol. 148, Issue 4 1 Oct 2021
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/

Articles
Parents’ Intentions and Perceptions About COVID-19 Vaccination for Their Children: Results From a National Survey
Peter G. Szilagyi, Megha D. Shah, Jeanne R. Delgado, Kyla Thomas, Nathalie Vizueta, Yan Cui, Sitaram Vangala, Rashmi Shetgiri, Arie Kapteyn
Pediatrics, Oct 2021, 148 (4) e2021052335

Pediatrics
Vol. 148, Issue 4 1 Oct 2021
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/

Community SARS-CoV-2 Surge and Within-School Transmission
Kanecia O. Zimmerman, M. Alan Brookhart, Ibukunoluwa C. Kalu, Angelique E. Boutzoukas, Kathleen A. McGann, Michael J. Smith, Gabriela M. Maradiaga Panayotti, Sarah C. Armstrong, David J. Weber, Ganga S. Moorthy, Daniel K. Benjamin Jr for The ABC Science Collaborative
Pediatrics, Oct 2021, 148 (4) e2021052686

Pediatrics
Vol. 148, Issue 4 1 Oct 2021
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/

Pediatrics Perspectives
Open Access
Important Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination of Children With Developmental Disabilities
Sarah C. Tinker, Mary E Cogswell, Georgina Peacock, A. Blythe Ryerson
Pediatrics, Oct 2021, 148 (4) e2021053190

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 09 Oct 2021)

The global burden of Plasmodium vivax malaria is obscure and insidious
Katherine E. Battle, J. Kevin Baird
Collection Review | published 07 Oct 2021 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003799

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 09 Oct 2021)

COVID-19 vaccination in Sindh Province, Pakistan: A modelling study of health impact and cost-effectiveness
Carl A. B. Pearson, Fiammetta Bozzani, Simon R. Procter, Nicholas G. Davies, Maryam Huda, Henning Tarp Jensen, Marcus Keogh-Brown, Muhammad Khalid, Sedona Sweeney, Sergio Torres-Rueda, CHiL COVID-19 Working Group , CMMID COVID-19 Working Group , Rosalind M. Eggo, Anna Vassall, Mark Jit
Research Article | published 04 Oct 2021 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003815

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/

Viewpoints
Dengue outbreaks in the COVID-19 era: Alarm raised for Asia
Xinting Lu, Hilary Bambrick, Puntani Pongsumpun, Pandji Wibawa Dhewantara, Do Thi Thanh Toan, Wenbiao Hu
| published 08 Oct 2021 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009778

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 09 Oct 2021]

Research Article
Considering equity in global health collaborations: A qualitative study on experiences of equity
Marlyn C. Faure, Nchangwi S. Munung, Ntobeko A. B. Ntusi, Bridget Pratt, Jantina de Vries
| published 07 Oct 2021 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258286

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
September 28, 2021; vol. 118 no. 39
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/39

Commentaries
Origin, transmission, and evolution of plague over 400 y in Europe
Rémi Barbieri
PNAS September 28, 2021 118 (39) e2114241118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2114241118
Engineering

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
September 28, 2021; vol. 118 no. 39
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/39

Transdermal vaccination via 3D-printed microneedles induces potent humoral and cellular immunity
Cassie Caudill, Jillian L. Perry, Kimon Iliadis, Addis T. Tessema, Brian J. Lee, Beverly S. Mecham, Shaomin Tian, and Joseph M. DeSimone
PNAS September 28, 2021 118 (39) e2102595118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2102595118

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
September 28, 2021; vol. 118 no. 39
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/39

Pharmacology
Open Access
Deep learning identifies synergistic drug combinations for treating COVID-19
Wengong Jin, Jonathan M. Stokes, Richard T. Eastman, Zina Itkin, Alexey V. Zakharov, James J. Collins, Tommi S. Jaakkola, and Regina Barzilay
PNAS September 28, 2021 118 (39) e2105070118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2105070118

Science Translational Medicine
Volume 13| Issue 614| 6 Oct 2021
https://www.science.org/toc/stm/current

Focus
No one is safe until we are all safe
BY Sarah Gilbert, Richard Hatchett
06 Oct 2021
Open Access
Ending the pandemic will require the world to shift its focus to equitably deploying and optimizing the use of vaccines now being produced at scale. In the second half of 2021, with a number of COVID-19 vaccines being produced, the focus must shift to equitable vaccine deployment and optimum use based on safety and effectiveness data.

Social Science & Medicine
Volume 285 September 2021
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/285/suppl/C

Research article Abstract only
“Not a free version of a broken system:” Medical humanitarianism and immigrant health justice in the United States
Erin Hoekstra
Article 114287

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 40 Pages 5727-6014 (24 September 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/40

Discussion Full text access
Making COVID-19 vaccinations accessible for people with disabilities
Sara Rotenberg, Matthew B. Downer, Jane Cooper
Pages 5727-5728

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 40 Pages 5727-6014 (24 September 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/40

Research article Open access
The role of maturity in adolescent decision-making around HPV vaccination in France
E. Karafillakis, P. Peretti-Watel, P. Verger, T. Chantler, H.J. Larson
Pages 5741-5747
Abstract
Mothers are often responsible for vaccination decisions in the household. However, their confidence in certain vaccines such as Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines is eroding in some countries. France is one of the countries with the lowest HPV vaccine uptake in Europe, with parents delaying or refusing the vaccine for their adolescent daughters due to safety- and effectiveness-related concerns. Although parental consent is required for vaccination, adolescents’ involvement in HPV vaccination decision-making could improve vaccine uptake, with self-consent procedures already introduced in some countries. Adolescents’ capacity to engage in decision-making is influenced by their maturity and autonomy in health. This study explored the role of maturity in decision-making around HPV vaccination in France through qualitative interviews with adolescent girls (n = 24) and their mothers (n = 21) and two focus groups with adolescent girls (n = 12). A codebook approach to thematic analysis revealed that adolescent girls’ involvement in HPV decision-making is a process that evolved with maturity. As adolescents progressed towards maturity at different speeds, some expressed childlike traits such as impulsive decisions and others described more rational, reflective decision-making. Despite these differences, most adolescents in this study described a passive role in HPV vaccination decision-making, following their parents’ lead. However, their expressed desire for information and involvement in discussions indicates that their lack of engagement may not only be due to a lack of maturity but also a result of mothers and doctors excluding them from getting involved. Furthermore, as health behaviours are shaped during adolescence, the influence of vaccine hesitant mothers on their daughters’ own views and beliefs could be significant, together with exposure to regular controversies in the mainstream media. Individualised approaches to engage adolescents in decision-making around their own health are needed, for example through strengthening discussions and information around HPV vaccination with parents and doctors.

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 40 Pages 5727-6014 (24 September 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/40

Research article Open access
COVID-19 vaccine uptake among healthcare workers in the fourth country to authorize BNT162b2 during the first month of rollout
Mazin Barry, Mohamad-Hani Temsah, Fadi Aljamaan, Basema Saddik, … Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq
Pages 5762-5768

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 40 Pages 5727-6014 (24 September 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/40

Research article Full text access
COVID-19 vaccination in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, December 2020—April 2021
Liesl M. Hagan, Charles Dusseau, Michael Crockett, Tami Rodriguez, Michael J. Long
Pages 5883-5890

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 40 Pages 5727-6014 (24 September 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/40

Research article Full text access
Safety of components and platforms of COVID-19 vaccines considered for use in pregnancy: A rapid review
Agustín Ciapponi, Ariel Bardach, Agustina Mazzoni, Tomás Alconada, … Pierre M. Buekens
Pages 5891-5908

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 40 Pages 5727-6014 (24 September 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/40

Research article Abstract only
Which young women are not being vaccinated against HPV? Cross-sectional analysis of a UK national cohort study
Helen Bedford, Nicola Firman, Jo Waller, Laura Marlow, … Carol Dezateux
Pages 5934-5939

Vaccine
Volume 39, Issue 40 Pages 5727-6014 (24 September 2021)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/39/issue/40

Research article Abstract only
The public’s role in COVID-19 vaccination: Human-centered recommendations to enhance pandemic vaccine awareness, access, and acceptance in the United States
Monica Schoch-Spana, Emily K. Brunson, Rex Long, Alexandra Ruth, … Alexandre White
Pages 6004-6012

Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines

Open Access Article
COVID-19 Vaccination Attitudes, Perceptions, and Side Effect Experiences in Malaysia: Do Age, Gender, and Vaccine Type Matter?
by Mohamed Hassan Elnaem et al.
Vaccines 2021, 9(10), 1156; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9101156 (registering DOI) – 09 Oct 2021
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of side effects with the COVID-19 vaccines in Malaysia among participants in the National Vaccination Program. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of vaccine-eligible and vaccinated individuals in Malaysia between May […]

Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines

Open Access Article
Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Success: Lessons Learnt from the Pandemic So Far. A Case Study from Poland
by Marcin Piotr Walkowiak and Dariusz Walkowiak
Vaccines 2021, 9(10), 1153; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9101153 (registering DOI) – 09 Oct 2021
Abstract
The high effectiveness of a vaccination-promotion campaign, which may be measured by the number of those successfully convinced to get vaccinated, is a key factor in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. This, however, appears to be linked to the precise identification of the underlying causes for vaccine hesitancy behaviours. Based on a regression model (adjusted R2 of 0.78) analysing 378 sub-regions of Poland, we showed that such behaviours, even when going against the party agenda, can be indirectly yet precisely gauged predominantly through voting patterns. Additionally, education and population density were found to be positively related to low vaccine hesitancy, while markers of social exclusion, both external (employment rate) and psychological (voter turnout) ones, affected it negatively. In the second, follow-up part of our study, which analyses the changes that took place in two months (adjusted R2 of 0.53), we found a further increase in vaccination rate to be positively related to the number of those already vaccinated and to the political views of the population, and negatively related to its level of education. In both cases, there was a surprisingly weak relationship between the potential markers of accessibility and vaccination rate. In spite of the known overall differences in vaccination rates for different age and sex groups, these variables did not have any additional informative value in explaining the observed regional differences.

Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines

Open Access Article
COVID-19 Vaccine Concerns about Safety, Effectiveness, and Policies in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Italy among Unvaccinated Individuals
by Rachael Piltch-Loeb et al.
Vaccines 2021, 9(10), 1138; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9101138 (registering DOI) – 06 Oct 2021
Abstract
Despite the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine, global vaccination distribution efforts have thus far had varying levels of success. Vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to vaccine uptake. This study has four objectives: (1) describe and compare vaccine hesitancy proportions by country; (2) categorize […]

Vaccines
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines

Open Access Article
The Role of Attitudes, Norms, and Efficacy on Shifting COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions: A Longitudinal Study of COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions in New Zealand
by Jagadish Thaker and Somrita Ganchoudhuri
Vaccines 2021, 9(10), 1132; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9101132 (registering DOI) – 04 Oct 2021
Abstract
While public intentions to get a COVID-19 vaccine have been shifting around the world, few studies track factors that help us understand and improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake. This study focuses on identifying changing public intentions to get a COVID-19 vaccine in New Zealand, […]

Value in Health
October 2021 Volume 24 Issue 10 p1391-1542
https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/current

SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
How Much Is a Human Life Worth? A Systematic Review
Elena Keller, Jade E. Newman, Andreas Ortmann, Louisa R. Jorm, Georgina M. Chambers
Published online: May 25, 2021
p1531-1541
Highlights
What is already known about this topic?
Monetary valuation of a human life – the value of a statistical life (VSL) – is used in a broad range of policy areas resulting in a wide range of VSL estimates. Literature reviews and meta-analyses have generally focused on specific elicitation methods or sectors such as traffic or occupational risk. A review of VSL estimates using different elicitation methods across sectors would improve our understanding of recent developments and highlight future directions for research.
What does this article add to existing knowledge?
We included 120 studies which makes our study the most comprehensive review of VSL methods and estimates across sectors to date. The median of midpoint VSL estimates was $6.8 million, $8.7 million, and $5.3 million for the health, labor market, and transportation safety sectors, respectively. The variation in VSL depends mainly on the elicitation context (sector, developed/developing country, socio-economic status, etc) rather than the method used. Stated-preference techniques were the most common elicitation method.
What insights does this article provide for informing healthcare-related decision making?
We provide evidence that for policy evaluations context-specific VSL estimates, rather than one overarching average VSL estimate, ought to be used. Although stated- and revealed-preference elicitation methods yield comparable estimates within a sector, the VSL estimates for labor markets and developed countries tend to be higher. Overall, the VSL literature suggests that individuals value a life-year more highly than willingness-to-pay thresholds used in health technology assessment.

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…
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/about-medrxiv
[Accessed 09 Oct 2021]

Selected Content
COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness by Product and Timing in New York State
Eli Rosenberg, Vajeera Dorabwila, Delia Easton, Ursula Bauer, Jessica Kumar, Rebecca Hoen, Dina Hoefer, Meng Wu, Emily Lutterloh, Mary Beth Conroy, Danielle Greene, Howard A Zucker
medRxiv 2021.10.08.21264595; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.08.21264595

Estimating the effectiveness of first dose of COVID-19 vaccine against mortality in England: a quasi-experimental study
Charlotte Bermingham, Jasper Morgan, Daniel Ayoubkhani, Myer Glickman, Nazrul Islam, Aziz Sheikh, Jonathan Sterne, A. Sarah Walker, Vahé Nafilyan
medRxiv 2021.07.12.21260385; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.12.21260385

Estimating the effectiveness of first dose of COVID-19 vaccine against mortality in England: a quasi-experimental study
Charlotte Bermingham, Jasper Morgan, Daniel Ayoubkhani, Myer Glickman, Nazrul Islam, Aziz Sheikh, Jonathan Sterne, A. Sarah Walker, Vahé Nafilyan
medRxiv 2021.07.12.21260385; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.12.21260385

Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 cause significantly increased vaccine breakthrough COVID-19 cases in Houston, Texas
Paul A. Christensen, Randall J. Olsen, S. Wesley Long, Sishir Subedi, James J. Davis, Parsa Hodjat, Debbie R. Walley, Jacob C. Kinskey, Matthew Ojeda Saavedra, Layne Pruitt, Kristina Reppond, Madison N. Shyer, Jessica Cambric, Ryan Gadd, Rashi M. Thakur, Akanksha Batajoo, Regan Mangham, Sindy Pena, Trina Trinh, Prasanti Yerramilli, Marcus Nguyen, Robert Olson, Richard Snehal, Jimmy Gollihar, James M. Musser
medRxiv 2021.07.19.21260808; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.19.21260808

Postvaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers – A Systematic Review and meta-analysis
Saurabh Chandan, Shahab R. Khan, Smit Deliwala, Babu P. Mohan, Daryl Ramai, Ojasvini C. Chandan, Antonio Facciorusso
medRxiv 2021.10.04.21264542; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.04.21264542

Covid-19 vaccine perceptions in Senegal and in Mali: a mixed approach
Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Massamba Diouf, Abdine Maiga, Sylvain Faye, Tidiane Ndoye, Lalla Haidara, Moussa Batchily, Céline Castet-Renard
medRxiv 2021.10.06.21264664; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.06.21264664

Adverse events of special interest for COVID-19 vaccines – background incidences vary by sex, age and time period and are affected by the pandemic
Fredrik Nyberg, Magnus Lindh, Lowie E.G.W. Vanfleteren, Niklas Hammar, Björn Wettermark, Johan Sundström, Ailiana Santosa, Brian K. Kirui, Magnus Gisslén
medRxiv 2021.10.04.21263507; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.04.21263507

Non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccinating school children required to contain SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant outbreaks in Australia: a modelling analysis
George J Milne, Julian Carrivick, David Whyatt
medRxiv 2021.10.03.21264492; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.03.21264492

Using conditional inference to quantify interaction effects of socio-demographic covariates of US COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
Ke Shen, Mayank Kejriwal
medRxiv 2021.10.02.21264456; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.02.21264456

COVID-19 data reporting systems in Africa reveal insights for pandemic preparedness
Seth D. Judson, Judith Torimiro, David M. Pigott, Apollo Maima, Ahmed Mostafa, Ahmed Samy, Peter Rabinowitz, Kevin Njabo
medRxiv 2021.10.01.21264385; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.01.21264385

The Brazilian Rare Genomes Project: validation of whole genome sequencing for rare diseases diagnosis
Antonio Victor Campos Coelho, Bruna Mascaro Cordeiro de Azevedo, Danielle Ribeiro Lucon, Maria Soares Nóbrega, Rodrigo de Souza Reis, Rodrigo Bertollo de Alexandre, Livia Maria Silva Moura, Gustavo Santos de Oliveira, Rafael Lucas Muniz Guedes, Marcel Pinheiro Caraciolo, Nuria Bengala Zurro, Murilo Castro Cervato, João Bosco de Oliveira Filho
medRxiv 2021.10.01.21264436; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.01.21264436

Think Tanks et al

 
 
Brookings [to 09 Oct 2021]
http://www.brookings.edu/
Oct 15
Upcoming Event
A proposal for long-term COVID-19 control
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
Online Only

 
 
Center for Global Development [to 09 Oct 2021]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 09 Oct 2021
The Future of Globalization
October 8, 2021
Amidst the debate, fears, political polarization, and regrets surrounding globalization, we cannot ignore a central reality: much of it is not reversible or even resistable. As in other periods of human history where new connections are forged between geographies and civilizations—whether driven by empire building, technological change, regime change, or climate change-driven migration—Pandora’s Box, once opened, cannot be closed. We explore the major forces that will shape globalization in the future, and the policy and institutional changes needed globally and across a broad swath of countries.
Masood Ahmed and Nancy Lee

How Far Have Southeast Asian Countries Come with Digitizing Vaccination Certificates?
October 7, 2021
In May, we examined the possibility of Southeast Asian countries working together to create a regional COVID-19 Vaccination Certification (CVC) system. How far have Southeast Asian countries come in their CVC efforts? What form can certificates take and how can their authenticity be verified, given the limitations in infrastructure and capacity? Will mutual recognition of CVCs be possible when the type of vaccines and their doses differ significantly across countries in the region? We explore these questions, summarizing the discussions of a recent webinar on this very topic.
Azusa Sato and Anit Mukherjee

Are We Entering a New Age of Pandemics?
Publication
October 7, 2021
The first age of pandemics followed in the wake of farming, cities and trade, because infections leverage proximity and numbers to survive and evolve. After millennia of mass mortality, followed by two centuries of progress against plagues driven by sanitary and medical revolutions, will we allow a second age of pandemic death to flourish in the dense and connected world that progress has created? A poxed century can be avoided if we cooperate to respond.

 
 
Chatham House [to 09 Oct 2021]
https://www.chathamhouse.org/
Accessed 09 Oct 2021
Expert comment 5 October 2021
Policy failure on vaccines does not bode well for COP26
Global leadership is needed to tackle the climate crisis, but a failure in solidarity on COVID-19 leaves the creditability of world leaders in huge doubt.
Robert Yates
Director, Global Health Programme; Executive Director, Centre for Universal Health

 
 
CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 09 Oct 2021
[No new digest content identified]

 
 
Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=press-release
October 8, 2021 News Release
As the COVID-19 Pandemic Evolves, Disparities in Cases and Deaths for Black and Hispanic People Have Narrowed
As the COVID-19 pandemic’s focus shifts from urban to rural areas, and more people resume public activities, a new KFF analysis of case and death data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals narrower disparities affecting Black and Hispanic people compared to White people now than earlier in…

October 1, 2021 News Release
The Decline in COVID-19 Deaths Among Nursing Home Residents and Staff Reversed Course Amid the Surging Delta Variant This Summer
The months-long decline in COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents and staff reversed course this summer as the Delta variant dominated, with mortality increasing five-fold from 350 deaths in July to nearly 1,800 in August, finds a new KFF analysis. The analysis also finds increases in nursing home COVID-19 cases…

September 30, 2021 News Release
Nearly Half of Parents of Adolescents Ages 12-17 Say Their Child Got a COVID-19 Vaccine Already; a Third of Parents of Children Ages 5-11 Say Their Child Will Get Vaccinated “Right Away” Once Eligible
Nearly half (48%) of parents of vaccine-eligible children ages 12-17 now say their child has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a new KFF Vaccine Monitor report shows. Another 15% of those parents now say they want to “wait and see” how the vaccine works for others…

September 28, 2021 News Release
Surging Delta Variant Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Are Biggest Drivers Of Recent Uptick in U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
Large Majorities of Americans, Both Vaccinated and Not, Say COVID-19 is Likely to Persist at Lower Levels and Be Something the U.S. Will “Learn to Live With” like Seasonal Flu More than 7 in 10 adults (72%) in the U.S. now report that they are at least partially vaccinated against…

September 27, 2021 News Release
As PEPFAR Nears its Two-Decade Mark, New Analysis Finds That Mortality Declined Substantially in PEPFAR Countries Over the Course of the Program
A new KFF analysis finds the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program was associated with large declines in mortality in PEPFAR recipient countries since its creation in 2003. The new analysis takes a closer look at PEPFAR’s health impact by assessing the all-cause mortality rate in 90 PEPFAR…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) – October 2021
4 – 8 October 2021 Virtual Meeting
This meeting for the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) will be held from Monday 4 to Thursday 7 October 2021 inclusive. Friday 8 October 2021 is a closed session.
Agenda and meeting information: SAGE Yellow Book for October 2021
Presentations made during the meeting will be made available online once the meeting has concluded.
SESSIONS [selected topic areas]
Global and regional reports
IA2030
Polio
COVID-19 vaccines
Malaria
Influenza
Behavioural and social drivers of vaccine uptake
Hepatitis E

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Gavi Board meets to discuss routine immunisation, COVAX’s 2022 strategy
29 September 2021
:: The Gavi Board met yesterday to discuss the impact of the pandemic on routine immunisation and how COVAX can best support countries’ efforts to control the pandemic, as part of a broader consultative process to develop the 2022 COVAX strategy

:: Items covered during the meeting included the resilience of routine immunisation in Gavi-supported countries, the Vaccine Alliance’s effort to reach the estimated 12.4 million “zero-dose children” in Gavi-supported countries that do not have access to the most basic life-saving immunisation services, coverage ambitions for COVAX as well as support for delivery in COVAX AMC countries

:: José Manuel Barroso, Board Chair: “Gavi’s ambitions have never been greater than they are today: in 2022, the Vaccine Alliance will not only seek to extend its core work on routine immunisation, including reaching millions of zero-dose children, but also play a lead role in COVAX, the largest and most complex roll out of vaccines in history. This Board meeting provided an invaluable opportunity to take stock on both areas of activities as they increasingly converge on the same goal: ensuring that the most vulnerable are able to access life-saving vaccines and the benefits they bring.”

[Excerpts]
… Gavi and its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO continue to help prepare countries for this rapid scale up. At its June meeting the Gavi Board approved new funding of US$ 799 million to support the delivery of COVAX-funded doses in lower income economies and humanitarian zones over the next two years. The funding comes in addition to a previously approved envelope of US$ 150 million in delivery support. A significant portion of this funding is being distributed rapidly and on an accelerated timeline to meet countries’ urgent vaccine rollout-related needs, for example rolling out ultra-cold chain infrastructure in time for the arrival of mRNA vaccines.
“As the global solution designed around equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, COVAX’s strategy will continue to adapt as the pandemic evolves.” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi. “For many countries, COVAX is one of the primary sources of supply of COVID-19 vaccines, and we must ensure we best serve their needs. As we embark on our most intense period for deliveries yet, COVAX will also continue to focus on strengthening in-country vaccine deployment and even closer coordination with partners such as the African Union. COVAX will also need to focus further on protecting routine immunisation programmes and explore opportunities for integration with Gavi’s core strategy, with its particular focus on marginalised and missed communities”…

 
 
Gavi progress report shows resilience in childhood vaccinations despite impact of COVID-19 pandemic
29 September 2021
:: In the face of a global pandemic, routine and childhood vaccination has held relatively strong, Gavi’s latest Annual Progress Report shows, with routine immunisations dropping 4 percentage points over the course of 2020
:: While lower than 2019, vaccination rates in 2020 were characterised by a significant drop in March to May followed by a strong rebound, which is a testament to the valiant work of governments and health care workers in lower-income countries
:: Latest statistics show there are now 13.7 million “zero-dose” children in the 68 Gavi-supported countries receiving no immunisations, many of whom live in marginalised communities in remote rural areas, urban slums or conflict settings
Download the full report here

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

NIAID issues new awards to fund “pan-coronavirus” vaccines
September 28, 2021 — The awards are intended to fuel vaccine research for a diverse family of coronaviruses, with a primary focus on potential pandemic-causing coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV-2.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $36.3 million to three academic institutions to conduct research to develop vaccines to protect against multiple types of coronaviruses and viral variants. The awards are intended to fuel vaccine research for a diverse family of coronaviruses, with a primary focus on potential pandemic-causing coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV-2.

“The available COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be remarkably effective at protecting against severe disease and death,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “These new awards are designed to look ahead and prepare for the next generation of coronaviruses with pandemic potential.”

The new awards are funded by NIAID’s Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and its Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation through the Emergency Awards Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) on Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine Development Program Projects. The notice was issued in November 2020 while many SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were still under development because a critical need remained for prophylactic vaccines offering broad protective immunity against other coronaviruses, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV).

The awards are designed to fund multidisciplinary teams at each institution to conduct research focused on incorporating understanding of coronavirus virology and immunology, immunogen design, and innovative vaccine and adjuvant platforms and technologies to discover, design, and develop pan-coronavirus vaccine candidates that provide broad protective immunity to multiple coronavirus strains. Specific programs will address coronavirus diversity and infectious potential in humans, include innovative immunogen design and vaccine platforms, and approaches to elicit potent and durable pan-coronavirus immunity, and evaluate vaccine candidates in preclinical models. The awardees are expected to be flexible in the response to emerging knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 immune responses and infection and factor in new information as vaccines candidates are developed. Additional awards are expected to be issued under the NOSI in 2022 to support pan-coronavirus vaccine research at more institutions…

A key goal of the initiative is to develop multivalent vaccine platforms and strategies suitable for use in vulnerable populations and to understand vaccine-induced responses and efficacy related to a person’s age or sex.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

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COVID – PHEIC

Editor’s Note:
As is obvious to all, the sheer volume of strategic announcements, regulatory actions, country program decisions, commentary, and, indeed, misinformation around COVID response continues at extraordinary levels. Our weekly digest strives to present a coherent and comprehensive snapshot, but cannot be exhaustive, If you recognize a missed strategic development, a new source of rigorous analysis, or an insight/commentary that would benefit our common understanding, please advise me…we will review all suggestions and consider them for inclusion in a subsequent edition: david.r.curry@ge2p2global.org

We are seeking access to modelling which engages scenarios and articulates imperatives around a COVID-19 pandemic end-game through at least a 2025 horizon. We assess that WHO must be conducting or contracting for such modeling – or should recognize an imperative to be doing so in its global health governance role. If we have missed such modeling in progress, we would be delighted to be advised of it and will include it in our coverage.

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COVID Vaccines – OCHA:: HDX

COVID-19 Data Explorer: Global Humanitarian Operations
COVID-19 Vaccine Roll-out
Oct 1, 2021 | COVAX (WHO,GAVI,CEPI), UNDESA, Press Reports | DATA
Global COVID-19 Figures: 233M total confirmed cases; 4.8M total confirmed deaths
Global vaccines administered: 6.27B
Number of Countries: 29 [29 week ago]
COVAX Allocations Round 4-6 (Number of Doses): 120M [120M week ago]
COVAX Delivered (Number of Doses): 95M [93M week ago]
Other Delivered (Number of Doses): 140M [140M week ago]
Total Delivered (Number of Doses): 240M [230M week ago]
Total Administered (Number of Doses): 220M [210M week ago]

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

World Bank Vaccine Operations Portal
https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/news/coronavirus-covid19/world-bank-support-for-country-access-to-covid-19-vaccines
As of September 30, 2021, the World Bank approved operations to support vaccine rollout in 61 countries amounting to $5.8 billion. See the latest project financing, project documents and procurement information in the list below. More information will be shared here as it becomes available. 

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Multilateral Leaders Task Force on COVID-19 [IMF, World Bank Group, WHO, WTO]
A joint initiative from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization, and World Trade Organization to accelerate access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics by leveraging multilateral finance and trade solutions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Website accessed 2 Oct 2021: https://data.covid19taskforce.com/data The global view below is complemented by country-specific dashboards here.