Pfizer on Friday became the first pharma company to apply for full approval of its COVID-19 vaccine from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA. The announcement also followed the publication of two studies which found that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is highly effective against two major SARS-CoV2 variants of concern. Moderna plans to follow suit […] Continue reading ->
The Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine became the latest COVID-19 vaccine to receive an Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday; experts said the vaccine showed an overall efficacy rate of 79% in preventing symptomatic and serious disease. The WHO approval positions Sinopharm to become a major player in the COVAX global facility. […] Continue reading ->
Even as foreign aid from multiple countries arrives in India in response to its COVID-19 surge, a new epicenter of the SARS-CoV2 virus is emerging in Syria. The situation in Syria is “deteriorating extremely rapidly,” according to UN agencies and aid relief organizations. Although the official number of confirmed cases and deaths in Syria is […] Continue reading ->
A handful of five countries that forcefully acted to eliminate COVID-19 transmission fared better over the duration of the pandemic than others – experiencing far fewer deaths, faster economic recovery, and the preservation of a greater range of personal liberties, according to a sweeping review, published in The Lancet on Thursday. The review of policies […] Continue reading ->
India recorded the world’s highest daily toll of new infections for the second consecutive day on Friday, while Japan plans to impose its third state of emergency, just three months before the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin. India is currently facing its worst outbreak of SARS-CoV2 since the pandemic began, with over 330,000 new […] Continue reading ->
Progress towards global malaria targets has stalled in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious threat to malaria responses worldwide, but a number of countries are nearing the goal of zero cases of malaria, said WHO, in a forum convened just ahead of World Malaria Day on 25 April. The forum Reaching Zero: […] Continue reading ->
As the world quickly approaches the highest weekly rate of infection recorded since the start of the pandemic over a year ago, several countries that have largely held COVID-19 at bay so far are seeing surges in infections. Papua New Guinea (PNG), a small Pacific island state that successfully shielded itself from the SARS-CoV2 virus […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) both are hosting key global meetings aimed at improving global access to COVID-19 vaccines and fair medicine prices this week behind closed doors. The WHO Fair Pricing Forum started on Tuesday and its stated aim is to activate “additional support for countries to achieve […] Continue reading ->
Previous infection with SARS-CoV2 induces effective immunity against future infections by 84% – but reinfection rate is still 16%, found a study published in The Lancet on Friday. This suggests that infection-induced immunity is similar to, or greater than, vaccine-associated immunity, said the authors. The SARS-CoV2 Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation (SIREN) study involved 25,661 health […] Continue reading ->
A mix-up with vaccine ingredients at a production site in Baltimore, Maryland, which is manufacturing both the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, has led to the contamination of 15 million J&J doses, which risks delaying national and global deliveries of the recently-approved vaccine. The pharma company, which is producing the world’s first single […] Continue reading ->