Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine appears to be able to reduce infection and therefore transmission of the virus, a Harvard expert has told Health Policy Watch, albeit despite the currently limited data sets. Although both vaccines appear to have incredibly high efficacy (94.1% for Moderna and 95% for Pfizer) in terms of preventing those vaccinated from […] Continue reading ->
People who have recently had a confirmed COVID-19 infection can choose to delay vaccination, so as to allow others who are not immune take advantage of initial procurements, WHO has recommended. Following WHO’s approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine last week, its strategic advisory group of experts (SAGE) said that if a person has had a […] Continue reading ->
BREAKING – Israel’s Ministry of Health on Tuesday approved the administration of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, making it the first country outside of North America to greenlight the US-based startup’s candidate. The announcement by Moderna said that deliveries of the vaccine to Israel would begin already in January – sharply advancing a schedule that was originally […] Continue reading ->
The United Kingdom’s decision to delay the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine being rolled out en masse in the nation is a risky strategy – not only for those getting the vaccine, but also in terms of the longer-term public health impacts such delays could have in terms of future SARS-CoV2 mutations, some […] Continue reading ->
Delhi – India’s chief drug regulator approved two COVID-19 vaccines for “restricted emergency use” in the country on Sunday, opening the doors for a mass vaccination campaign against COVID to begin in one of the world’s largest countries, and a lower middle-income country at that. However, some watchdog groups said that the review process leading […] Continue reading ->
Just 2 weeks ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a plea to countries to honor their donor pledges to support its COVAX vaccine procurement scheme to equitably distribute at least a portion of forthcoming COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world. Without donor support, the globall vaccine procurement facility that over 180 countries have […] Continue reading ->
The redacted WHO report on Italy’s pandemic response, “An Unprecedented Challenge” contained a brief timeline of events in the early days of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in China, which a number of WHO officials sought to amend or suppress even before the entire report was recalled. In fact, the so-called “China box” on the outbreak’s early […] Continue reading ->
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Monday that it would recommend conditional marketing authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – positioning Europe to finally begin rolling out vaccines across the continent – albeit after the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel have already moved into high gear vaccine campaigns. Mass vaccinations were […] Continue reading ->
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was set to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), following a near-unanimous endorsement by an expert panel that reviewed its clinical trial results. Meanwhile, at US$ 18 per dose, the Moderna vaccine will also be the most expensive vaccine to go on the market soon, according to a […] Continue reading ->
Following months of delay, and delicate backdoor negotiations, WHO now says that it “hopes” an international team has been mandated by the World Health Assembly to investigate the sources of the SARS-CoV2 virus can travel to China in January to begin their fieldwork. “The International team is currently working on logistical arrangements to travel to […] Continue reading ->