The European Commission has released a proposal establishing a framework for a “Digital Green Certificate”, clearing the way for a vaccine certificate system to be set up by the summer. The proposal comes as many European countries are witnessing a third wave of infections and as the region’s vaccination campaign is lagging from vaccine shortages […] Continue reading ->
Tobacco use and second-hand smoking during pregnancy doubles the risk of sudden infant death and birth defects – issues highlighted in a new policy brief on the linkages between tobacco control and children’s health, published by the World Health Organisation(WHO). The brief, Tobacco Control To Improve Child Health and Development, notes that exposure to second-hand […] Continue reading ->
Delayed Delivery Of Vaccines Procured By Africa CDC Threatens Timeline For Achieving ‘Herd Immunity’
Africa’s goal of achieving herd immunity against COVID-19 hangs in the balance as 270 million doses of vaccines are yet to arrive in the continent despite being secured three months ago by the African Union (AU) and African Centres for Diseae Control (ACDC). Mid-January 2021, Health Policy Watch reported that the Africa CDC had […] Continue reading ->
South Africa’s vaccination programme for health workers is inching forward, fuelled by small deliveries of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine every two weeks. However, overall supplies remain far short of the needs – even for the health sector. The country has an estimated 1.25 million health workers in public and private health to serve its […] Continue reading ->
Major European nations remain divided over the use of Oxford/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, while the pharma company said there was no evidence of increased risk of blood clotting and abnormal bleeding among people who get the vaccine. AstraZeneca’s review of all the safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union (EU) […] Continue reading ->
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan authorities are threatening to fire healthcare workers who refuse to be vaccinated with the Chinese-donated SinoPharm COVID-19 vaccine. In a harshly worded letter, , the Directorate of Health Services in Sindh warns frontline health care workers that reluctance to get the jab will result in “strict disciplinary action” including suspension or dismissal […] Continue reading ->
The WHO scientist who spoke out against the suppression of a damning report exposing key flaws in Italy’s COVID-19 response has resigned, Health Policy Watch has learned. Franscesco Zambon, a senior figure at WHO’s Venice Office who led the preparation of the controversial report, told Health Policy Watch that he resigned over the WHO’s censorship […] Continue reading ->
Over 662,000 people, hundreds of corporations and organisations from 190 countries have donated $242 million to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in the past year, according to Elizabeth Cousens, CEO of the UN Foundation. Addressing the World Health Organization (WHO) biweekly media briefing on Monday, the first anniversary of the fund, Cousens said the fund […] Continue reading ->
Although the European Union (EU) is opposed to the proposal by South Africa and India urging the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to waive intellectual property (IP) rights on COVID-19 products for the duration of the pandemic, the EU will support the expansion of vaccine access in Africa. This is according to the EU Ambassador to […] Continue reading ->
Novavax Vaccine Shows Less Efficacy Against COVID Variants – Sputnik Vaccine to Be Produced In Italy
Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has an efficacy rate of 96.4% against the original strain of SARS-CoV2. However, the efficacy rate drops up to 55.4% against the new B.1351 variant first identified in South Africa, and also spreading globally. The pharma company, which has never brought a vaccine to market before, published the data from two […] Continue reading ->