Pfizer/BioNTech will join the WHO-co-sponsored COVAX vaccine facility, providing up to 40 million vaccines at cost to the Facility for use in low-income countries around the world – in what signals a breakthrough for the facility that only a week ago appeared to be teetering on the verse of irrelevance – as more low- and […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 vaccine access platform, COVAX, is geared up to deliver vaccines to “far more” than 20% of member states’ populations beyond 2021, Dr Kate O’Brien, the body’s director of vaccines, told its Executive Board meeting on Tuesday. She was responding to concerns and criticisms expressed by member states at the […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has “outsourced” its role in vaccine access and sidelined member states by leaving the running of the COVAX vaccine procurement facility to GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance and CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Initiative), Third World Network’s Sangeeta Shashikant told a civil society forum on Tuesday. “Disparity in access is the […] 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 ->
Africa’s COVID-19 rollout is anticipated for Spring 2021, despite the continent’s low vaccine preparedness, multiple health leaders in Africa have said, as policy advisory groups flag the importance that other successful immunization campaigns will have on COVID recovery. At a press briefing on Thursday, Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC, said: “Africa may have […] Continue reading ->
Moderna’s mRNA vaccine candidate has had a vaccine efficacy of 94.5%, the company announced today. unveiling the stunning, initial analysis of Phase 3 clinical trial results by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board, appointed by the US National Institutes of Health.  And news that the vaccine can be stored at 2° to 8°C (36° to […] Continue reading ->
Despite the big success this year in the eradication of wild poliovirus in the African region, the COVID-19 crisis has seen a temporary interruption of polio vaccine programmes. This has led to a rise in vaccine-derived polio cases which, are more likely to occur when vaccine coverage is weaker, WHO and African Region health officials […] Continue reading ->