The obesity pandemic is in “the same room” as the COVID pandemic in terms of its threats to health – putting people at greater risk of premature death from multiple causes, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that leads to COVID-19. And ever since stay-at-home measures became routine, people have gained even more weight – up to […] Continue reading ->
EXCLUSIVE – IBADAN – The Nigerian government has quietly ditched the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine meant to vaccinate tens of millions of citizens, and will gradually shift to the Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine, saying it is easier to administer. Documents from the Nigerian Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) obtained by Health Policy Watch show […] Continue reading ->
Germany has suspended the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under the age of 60 amidst fresh concerns of unusual blood clot cases among some people receiving the vaccine, particularly women, and leading to the deaths of nine people in all. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Health Minister Jens Spahn made the announcement […] Continue reading ->
After the COVID-19 pandemic exposed fundamental flaws in the global health architecture, a proposal for a new pandemic treaty that could strengthen the world’s capacity to contain the current pandemic and prepare for future ones, is gaining momentum. That was a key message at a World Health Organization (WHO) launch of an open letter by […] Continue reading ->
The international team assembled by the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate the origins of SARS-CoV-2 has identified animal transmission – through an elusive ‘Animal X’ – as the most likely route of infection. The long-awaited report was released on Tuesday after the 17-person expert team, together with a 17-person team of Chinese scientists, visited […] Continue reading ->
European countries are experiencing soaring COVID-19 infection and death rates. With a third wave sweeping across Europe, hospitals are at risk of becoming overwhelmed and governments are facing increasing public opposition to continued lockdowns and social distancing restrictions. The WHO European Region, which includes 53 member states, has recorded an upward trend in cases for […] Continue reading ->
All four original chains of query remain on the table in terms of the origins of the SARS-CoV2 virus, said WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press briefing on Monday. But his comments appear to contradict the leaked conclusions of the investigation which point towards a natural cause for the virus emergence […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will deliver its COVID-19 vaccine to Africa from October after reaching an agreement with the African Union to supply the continent with up to 400 million doses over the next two years. However, Africa may still be struggling to obtain vaccine supplies for some months following last week’s decision […] Continue reading ->
ISLAMABAD – (EXCLUSIVE) A controversial plan to sell Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine to wealthy citizens in Pakistan has been put on hold following a dispute between the government and the private pharmaceutical company involved over the vaccines’ sale price, Health Policy Watch has learned. Meanwhile, Transparency International – Pakistan appealed to Prime Minister Imran […] Continue reading ->
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has officially authorized expanded capacity in three new vaccine manufacturing facilities on the continent producing AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines – a move that the agency says should also help pharma suppliers ramp up their deliveries of now scarce vaccines to European Union bloc countries. At the same time, a […] Continue reading ->