How Scientists in Botswana Discovered Omicron: A Look at Diagnostics in LMICs 23/06/2022 Maayan Hoffman The Global Health Matters podcast with host Garry Aslanyan. It was 11 November 2022 when Dr Sikhulile Moyo and his team of scientists in Botswana discovered Omicron in a sample of SARS-CoV2 that looked different from the rest. “We sent it back to the lab to have it re-sequenced,” Moyo recalled. But by 19 November, […] Continue reading -> Biotech Companies’ Agreement Paves Way for First African-Owned COVID-19 Vaccine 21/06/2022 Raisa Santos One year since the establishment of the mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Hub, a collaboration between two leading biotech companies – Afrigen Biologics and the Univercells group – was announced on Tuesday, paving the way for the development of the first-ever African-owned COVID-19 vaccine through open-access intellectual property. Using intellectual property from partners, the collaboration between […] Continue reading -> New WHO Report Affirms Need to Study SARS-CoV2 Lab Leak Theory – Alongside Spillover Narrative 10/06/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The first report by the new WHO-convened expert group, Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) has fanned the flames of controversy over evidence about whether a lab leak or a natural “spillover” of the virus from animals to humans was the most likely source from which the COVID pandemic emerged – […] Continue reading -> Pfizer’s Antiviral Drug May Have Potential as Long COVID Treatment 06/06/2022 Maayan Hoffman Scientists and doctors are beginning to eye Paxlovid, the antiviral medicine developed by Pfizer to protect vulnerable people from severe disease, as a potential treatment for lingering COVID-19 symptoms after single patients report that the medicine has helped to reduce their symptoms. Long COVID affects as many as one in five people infected by the […] Continue reading -> Scientists Might Never Determine Cause for Mysterious Acute Hepatitis Cases 31/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman Just days after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 650 total cases – and another 99 suspected cases – of mysterious acute hepatitis have been discovered in 33 countries worldwide, a top virologist has told Health Policy Watch that doctors and scientists may fail to ever find the root cause of the illness. “There […] Continue reading -> Massive Covid-19 Outbreak in Unvaccinated North Korea Raises Fresh Pandemic Concerns 17/05/2022 Aishwarya Tendolkar Nearly 1.4 million people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) are suspected of having been infected with COVID-19 in just the past three weeks, WHO officials said today. The global health agency has offered diagnostics, vaccines, medicines and other support, but with no clear response to date from the isolated Asian nation […] Continue reading -> COVID-19 Delta Variant Could Re-emerge – Concludes Study of SARS-CoV2 Virus Variants in Sewage 11/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman While the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to be diminishing, it is possible that there could be a resurgence of the Delta variant in the coming months in some countries, according to a team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev studying the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 virus variants in sewage. The warning comes following […] Continue reading -> Three COVID-19 vaccine doses prove more protective than two in new study 10/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman A third shot of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted vaccine effectiveness against infection, which had been diminished five to six months after the second vaccine dose, according to a study of over 12,000 healthcare workers released this week by Nature. The study was conducted in Israel by Sheba Medical Center and involved 12,413 health workers […] Continue reading -> Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Biotech Companies’ Agreement Paves Way for First African-Owned COVID-19 Vaccine 21/06/2022 Raisa Santos One year since the establishment of the mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Hub, a collaboration between two leading biotech companies – Afrigen Biologics and the Univercells group – was announced on Tuesday, paving the way for the development of the first-ever African-owned COVID-19 vaccine through open-access intellectual property. Using intellectual property from partners, the collaboration between […] Continue reading -> New WHO Report Affirms Need to Study SARS-CoV2 Lab Leak Theory – Alongside Spillover Narrative 10/06/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The first report by the new WHO-convened expert group, Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) has fanned the flames of controversy over evidence about whether a lab leak or a natural “spillover” of the virus from animals to humans was the most likely source from which the COVID pandemic emerged – […] Continue reading -> Pfizer’s Antiviral Drug May Have Potential as Long COVID Treatment 06/06/2022 Maayan Hoffman Scientists and doctors are beginning to eye Paxlovid, the antiviral medicine developed by Pfizer to protect vulnerable people from severe disease, as a potential treatment for lingering COVID-19 symptoms after single patients report that the medicine has helped to reduce their symptoms. Long COVID affects as many as one in five people infected by the […] Continue reading -> Scientists Might Never Determine Cause for Mysterious Acute Hepatitis Cases 31/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman Just days after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 650 total cases – and another 99 suspected cases – of mysterious acute hepatitis have been discovered in 33 countries worldwide, a top virologist has told Health Policy Watch that doctors and scientists may fail to ever find the root cause of the illness. “There […] Continue reading -> Massive Covid-19 Outbreak in Unvaccinated North Korea Raises Fresh Pandemic Concerns 17/05/2022 Aishwarya Tendolkar Nearly 1.4 million people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) are suspected of having been infected with COVID-19 in just the past three weeks, WHO officials said today. The global health agency has offered diagnostics, vaccines, medicines and other support, but with no clear response to date from the isolated Asian nation […] Continue reading -> COVID-19 Delta Variant Could Re-emerge – Concludes Study of SARS-CoV2 Virus Variants in Sewage 11/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman While the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to be diminishing, it is possible that there could be a resurgence of the Delta variant in the coming months in some countries, according to a team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev studying the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 virus variants in sewage. The warning comes following […] Continue reading -> Three COVID-19 vaccine doses prove more protective than two in new study 10/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman A third shot of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted vaccine effectiveness against infection, which had been diminished five to six months after the second vaccine dose, according to a study of over 12,000 healthcare workers released this week by Nature. The study was conducted in Israel by Sheba Medical Center and involved 12,413 health workers […] Continue reading -> Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
New WHO Report Affirms Need to Study SARS-CoV2 Lab Leak Theory – Alongside Spillover Narrative 10/06/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The first report by the new WHO-convened expert group, Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) has fanned the flames of controversy over evidence about whether a lab leak or a natural “spillover” of the virus from animals to humans was the most likely source from which the COVID pandemic emerged – […] Continue reading -> Pfizer’s Antiviral Drug May Have Potential as Long COVID Treatment 06/06/2022 Maayan Hoffman Scientists and doctors are beginning to eye Paxlovid, the antiviral medicine developed by Pfizer to protect vulnerable people from severe disease, as a potential treatment for lingering COVID-19 symptoms after single patients report that the medicine has helped to reduce their symptoms. Long COVID affects as many as one in five people infected by the […] Continue reading -> Scientists Might Never Determine Cause for Mysterious Acute Hepatitis Cases 31/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman Just days after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 650 total cases – and another 99 suspected cases – of mysterious acute hepatitis have been discovered in 33 countries worldwide, a top virologist has told Health Policy Watch that doctors and scientists may fail to ever find the root cause of the illness. “There […] Continue reading -> Massive Covid-19 Outbreak in Unvaccinated North Korea Raises Fresh Pandemic Concerns 17/05/2022 Aishwarya Tendolkar Nearly 1.4 million people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) are suspected of having been infected with COVID-19 in just the past three weeks, WHO officials said today. The global health agency has offered diagnostics, vaccines, medicines and other support, but with no clear response to date from the isolated Asian nation […] Continue reading -> COVID-19 Delta Variant Could Re-emerge – Concludes Study of SARS-CoV2 Virus Variants in Sewage 11/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman While the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to be diminishing, it is possible that there could be a resurgence of the Delta variant in the coming months in some countries, according to a team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev studying the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 virus variants in sewage. The warning comes following […] Continue reading -> Three COVID-19 vaccine doses prove more protective than two in new study 10/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman A third shot of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted vaccine effectiveness against infection, which had been diminished five to six months after the second vaccine dose, according to a study of over 12,000 healthcare workers released this week by Nature. The study was conducted in Israel by Sheba Medical Center and involved 12,413 health workers […] Continue reading -> Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Pfizer’s Antiviral Drug May Have Potential as Long COVID Treatment 06/06/2022 Maayan Hoffman Scientists and doctors are beginning to eye Paxlovid, the antiviral medicine developed by Pfizer to protect vulnerable people from severe disease, as a potential treatment for lingering COVID-19 symptoms after single patients report that the medicine has helped to reduce their symptoms. Long COVID affects as many as one in five people infected by the […] Continue reading -> Scientists Might Never Determine Cause for Mysterious Acute Hepatitis Cases 31/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman Just days after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 650 total cases – and another 99 suspected cases – of mysterious acute hepatitis have been discovered in 33 countries worldwide, a top virologist has told Health Policy Watch that doctors and scientists may fail to ever find the root cause of the illness. “There […] Continue reading -> Massive Covid-19 Outbreak in Unvaccinated North Korea Raises Fresh Pandemic Concerns 17/05/2022 Aishwarya Tendolkar Nearly 1.4 million people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) are suspected of having been infected with COVID-19 in just the past three weeks, WHO officials said today. The global health agency has offered diagnostics, vaccines, medicines and other support, but with no clear response to date from the isolated Asian nation […] Continue reading -> COVID-19 Delta Variant Could Re-emerge – Concludes Study of SARS-CoV2 Virus Variants in Sewage 11/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman While the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to be diminishing, it is possible that there could be a resurgence of the Delta variant in the coming months in some countries, according to a team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev studying the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 virus variants in sewage. The warning comes following […] Continue reading -> Three COVID-19 vaccine doses prove more protective than two in new study 10/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman A third shot of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted vaccine effectiveness against infection, which had been diminished five to six months after the second vaccine dose, according to a study of over 12,000 healthcare workers released this week by Nature. The study was conducted in Israel by Sheba Medical Center and involved 12,413 health workers […] Continue reading -> Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Scientists Might Never Determine Cause for Mysterious Acute Hepatitis Cases 31/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman Just days after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 650 total cases – and another 99 suspected cases – of mysterious acute hepatitis have been discovered in 33 countries worldwide, a top virologist has told Health Policy Watch that doctors and scientists may fail to ever find the root cause of the illness. “There […] Continue reading -> Massive Covid-19 Outbreak in Unvaccinated North Korea Raises Fresh Pandemic Concerns 17/05/2022 Aishwarya Tendolkar Nearly 1.4 million people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) are suspected of having been infected with COVID-19 in just the past three weeks, WHO officials said today. The global health agency has offered diagnostics, vaccines, medicines and other support, but with no clear response to date from the isolated Asian nation […] Continue reading -> COVID-19 Delta Variant Could Re-emerge – Concludes Study of SARS-CoV2 Virus Variants in Sewage 11/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman While the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to be diminishing, it is possible that there could be a resurgence of the Delta variant in the coming months in some countries, according to a team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev studying the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 virus variants in sewage. The warning comes following […] Continue reading -> Three COVID-19 vaccine doses prove more protective than two in new study 10/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman A third shot of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted vaccine effectiveness against infection, which had been diminished five to six months after the second vaccine dose, according to a study of over 12,000 healthcare workers released this week by Nature. The study was conducted in Israel by Sheba Medical Center and involved 12,413 health workers […] Continue reading -> Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Massive Covid-19 Outbreak in Unvaccinated North Korea Raises Fresh Pandemic Concerns 17/05/2022 Aishwarya Tendolkar Nearly 1.4 million people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) are suspected of having been infected with COVID-19 in just the past three weeks, WHO officials said today. The global health agency has offered diagnostics, vaccines, medicines and other support, but with no clear response to date from the isolated Asian nation […] Continue reading -> COVID-19 Delta Variant Could Re-emerge – Concludes Study of SARS-CoV2 Virus Variants in Sewage 11/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman While the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to be diminishing, it is possible that there could be a resurgence of the Delta variant in the coming months in some countries, according to a team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev studying the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 virus variants in sewage. The warning comes following […] Continue reading -> Three COVID-19 vaccine doses prove more protective than two in new study 10/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman A third shot of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted vaccine effectiveness against infection, which had been diminished five to six months after the second vaccine dose, according to a study of over 12,000 healthcare workers released this week by Nature. The study was conducted in Israel by Sheba Medical Center and involved 12,413 health workers […] Continue reading -> Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
COVID-19 Delta Variant Could Re-emerge – Concludes Study of SARS-CoV2 Virus Variants in Sewage 11/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman While the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to be diminishing, it is possible that there could be a resurgence of the Delta variant in the coming months in some countries, according to a team of researchers from Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev studying the prevalence of SARS-CoV2 virus variants in sewage. The warning comes following […] Continue reading -> Three COVID-19 vaccine doses prove more protective than two in new study 10/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman A third shot of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted vaccine effectiveness against infection, which had been diminished five to six months after the second vaccine dose, according to a study of over 12,000 healthcare workers released this week by Nature. The study was conducted in Israel by Sheba Medical Center and involved 12,413 health workers […] Continue reading -> Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Three COVID-19 vaccine doses prove more protective than two in new study 10/05/2022 Maayan Hoffman A third shot of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosted vaccine effectiveness against infection, which had been diminished five to six months after the second vaccine dose, according to a study of over 12,000 healthcare workers released this week by Nature. The study was conducted in Israel by Sheba Medical Center and involved 12,413 health workers […] Continue reading -> Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Following USA – WHO Reports on Wave of Acute Childhood Hepatitis in the UK and Ireland 18/04/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization has reported that it is investigating some 74 cases of acute childhood hepatitis, of an unknown origin, in the United Kingdom along with five suspected and confirmed cases in the Republic of Ireland. That follows on previous reports of similar, severe hepatitis cases of an unknown origin among a cluster of […] Continue reading -> Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Latest Peer-Reviewed Study Underlines Benefits of Second COVID Booster for Older People 18/04/2022 Maayan Hoffman The latest study on the effectiveness of a second COVID-19 booster, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown that within a period of two weeks to one month after receiving the jab, recipients’ infection rates dropped by one-half and severe cases and deaths by three-quarters. The study, conducted by Israel’s […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts