While very low-income countries have experienced relatively low mortality rates from COVID-19, they can expect higher mortality caused by the knock-on effects of the pandemic on their fragile health systems, according to the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Since the pandemic first overwhelmed health systems in early 2020, […] Continue reading ->
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is safe for most people including those with a wide range of underlying medical conditions, according to the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on immunizations. However, the vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women or children as it has not been tested on these groups, according to […] Continue reading ->
Michael Osterholm – a leading member of the United States President’s coronavirus transition team – has said he is “convinced” by data indicating the UK COVID-19 variant is more deadly, even as United Kingdom officials downplay the limited and “uncertain” evidence. Meanwhile, Moderna announced today that it will “test an additional booster dose of its […] Continue reading ->
WHO needs to focus more work on limiting gender-based violence, increase its programmatic emphasis on healthy diets and lifestyles, and contribute to renewed momentum on climate action, said WHO member states at Friday’s Executive Board session. The member states were reviewing the WHO Director General’s report on “social determinants of health” – in light of […] Continue reading ->
Five people have died in a major fire at the Serum Institute’s manufacturing facility, charged with producing India’s supply of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – just days after the country’s national vaccine campaign got underway. Serum Institute Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla was quick to say that the fire at its main complex in Pune, would not […] Continue reading ->
The Philippines is expecting to receive its first batch of China’s Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine next month — but one leading Filipino senator is questioning the government’s preference for the candidate as new data indicates a lower efficacy rate than western competitors. Earlier this week, developer Sinovac Biotech reported an efficacy rate of only 50.38% […] Continue reading ->
Deliveries of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to all European Union (EU) states will be reduced for an undisclosed period starting from next week, Norway’s National Institute of Public Health has said. The sudden change to delivery schedules, Pfizer announced on Friday, is due to a reorganization of the company’s production capacity. It did not say how […] Continue reading ->
The “almost vertical” spike in SARS-CoV-2 infections seen in many countries over the last few weeks is largely due to increased social contact and not virus mutations, WHO has said. Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 Technical Lead, stated that sharp increases in transmission had occurred in a […] Continue reading ->
Switzerland’s drug regulatory agency, Swissmedic, has authorized Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for use – in a move that should helop accelerate its rollout of vaccines against the pandemic, The Swiss Federal Government has secured 7.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, with deliveries expected to begin next week from the Visp-based plant where most of […] Continue reading ->
After months of delay, China has confirmed that a WHO research team investigating the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will finally be allowed to enter the country on Thursday, 14 January – a week after Beijing blocked their entry, leaving two international experts stuck in transit. Members of the task force will now be able […] Continue reading ->