A study confirming the first case of a person reinfected with COVID-19 in the US and the fifth such confirmed case of reinfection worldwide was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal on Monday. The findings suggest that protected immunity conferred by infection with SARS-CoV2 – a phenomenon that is not well understood yet – […] Continue reading ->
Cognitive symptoms are being reported by thousands of COVID-19 survivors, even those with mild symptoms and no previous medical conditions. The symptoms often include memory loss, confusion, difficulty focusing, and dizziness.  A study published just last week covering more than 500 hospitalized patients in Chicago, found that some 82% had experienced neurological symptoms at some point […] Continue reading ->
China has announced that it will join the WHO co-sponsored COVAX vaccine procurement pool, along with the Republic of Korea. WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros described it as a major boost to the global effort to manufacture and distribute 2 billion vaccines worldwide equitably by the end of 2021. “This week, China and the Republic […] Continue reading ->
Moderna, Inc., developer of one of the four front-running COVID-19 vaccine candidates, announced on Thursday that the the company would “not enforce” its COVID-19-related patents against other companies making vaccines to combat the pandemic – and would also be willing to license intellectual property for their COVID-19 vaccines for the post pandemic period.  “We feel […] Continue reading ->
With fires from crop stubble burning spreading across northern India heralding the beginning of Delhi’s winter air pollution season, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has pledged to take pre-emptive action – announcing a ‘war on pollution,’ led from a ‘war room’ that he will personally command. His arsenal includes a seven-point action plan that will […] Continue reading ->
Acting on the advice of experts, the United States Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued new safety-focused guidelines for approval of new COVID-19 vaccines, that would almost certainly delay their emergency approval until after the November Presidential elections. Just hours after the rules were issued, United States President Donald Trump accused the FDA of […] Continue reading ->
For the second year in a row, Geneva’s International Chamber of Commerce has hosted a dialogue bringing local tobacco industry leaders together with a major Geneva-based UN Agency – in this case to discuss the ‘role of multinationals in economic recovery following the coronavirus’.  The ICC’s 6th Business Dialogue, involving Teresa Moreira, Head Competition and […] Continue reading ->
Moderna intends to seek US Food and Drug Administration emergency authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate for frontline medical workers by November 25th at the earliest, and only in late January for use in the general population.  That means that the vaccine, if approved on schedule, would only be available for widespread distribution to the […] Continue reading ->
The World Bank will make available up to $12 billion in “fast-track financing” that low- and middle-income countries can access to procure vaccines against Covid-19 – as soon as one is approved, said the Bank’s president David Malpass, on Wednesday. The announcement at a United Nations high-level panel on the pandemic that also included commitments […] Continue reading ->