Johnson & Johnson will supply COVAX 200 million of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the year, according to a statement on Friday by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, announcing the advance purchase agreement. The vaccine will be available to both COVAX members who buy their own vaccines and the COVAX AMC members. “Today’s […] Continue reading ->
The hostilities between Israel and Hamas over the past 10 days have caused significant damage to the health system in Gaza, putting the Palestinian population at risk of increased spread of COVID-19 – after six weeks in which new cases had been in sharp decline. The health system in Gaza is now facing severe shortages […] Continue reading ->
Conquering the COVID-19 pandemic will inevitably be the main topic for discussion at the impending 74th session of the World Health Assembly, which begins Monday, 24 May. Global health experts weighed in this week at a series of briefings on what to expect from at the upcoming event. Geneva Solution’s Pokuaa Oduro Bonsrah reports: The […] Continue reading ->
Major global vaccine manufacturers and biotech companies have committed to a five-point plan to “advance COVID-19 vaccine equity”, focusing on “responsible dose-sharing” and “maximizing production”. They pointed out that, within a few months, vaccine doses had gone from “zero to 2.2 billion” and were predicted to reach 11 billion doses by the end of 2021 […] Continue reading ->
COVAX has a shortfall of 190 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, and the few manufacturers that have reached agreements with the facility will only deliver later in the year or even in 2022, World Health Organization (WHO) Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. “Pfizer has committed to providing 40 million doses of vaccines to […] Continue reading ->
In preparation for the next pandemic, the COVAX global vaccine facility “needs a pot of money, where they can be early movers” in competing for, and securing, vaccine doses. That could help scenarios like the ones seen recently, in which rich countries cornered the market on the first available COVID-19 vaccines, leading to severe shortages […] Continue reading ->
Researchers have quickly developed an outstanding arsenal of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics to counter COVID-19. But closer global coordination of diverse clinical trials testing the same or similar treatments, extending even to a global platform to pool anonymized patient data, could strengthen and accelerate research findings – especially as emerging variants threaten to unwind gains. […] Continue reading ->
Being vaccinated against COVID-19 this week was a “bittersweet” moment, reflecting both a “triumph of science” and a “gross distortion” in vaccine access, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyusus told the body’s media briefing on Friday. Thanking health workers at the Geneva Emergency Hospital for vaccinating him on Wednesday, Dr Tedros […] Continue reading ->
A draft “Rome Declaration” to be issued at next Friday’s G-20’s Global Health Summit, co-hosted by Italy and the European Commission (21 May), makes a series of 10 sweeping commitments to ensure equitable access to vaccines; expand medicines manufacturing capacity; assure WHO access to sites posing an outbreak risk; and invest in global health systems. […] Continue reading ->
Though more than 114 million people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Americas, the WHO Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned that the pandemic is far from over. Last week, the region reported more than 1.2 million new COVID-19 cases and nearly 34,000 COVID related deaths – nearly 40% of all global deaths […] Continue reading ->