Some of the biggest obstacles to expanded vaccines coverage in the world’s poorest and most conflict-ridden nations are lack of cold chain storage, unpredictable supply chains, and transport barriers, not claims of “vaccine hesitancy” in the Global South, according to a new report. The picture of the steep challenges faced by 14 nations during the […] Continue reading ->
Another COVID rerun: WHO and Africa CDC officials lament the complete lack of access to monkeypox vaccines on the continent where the virus is endemic – as well as often more deadly than elsewhere. Meanwhile, Mozambique and Malawi have seen a total of six wild poliovirus cases, although WHO officials continue to insist that since […] Continue reading ->
The global number of weekly new cases of monkeypox reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) declined by 21% for the first time since the infection that has been endemic to central and west Africa began to appear around the world earlier this year. Cases continued rising sharply in the Americas, however, in contrast to […] Continue reading ->
Pfizer’s COVID-19 oral antiviral Paxlovid was found to reduce the mortality rate among people over the age of 65 by 81% in a new Israeli study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. However, the study also found no significant benefit of the drug in patients aged 64 and younger. It is the […] Continue reading ->
The Omicron-targeted boosters are coming. Almost 250 days since Omicron became the dominant variant in the US, Pfizer and BioNTech on Monday officially announced that they’ve requested an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration for their booster dose of an Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent vaccine for those 12 and older. The […] Continue reading ->
A first-of-its-kind survey examining the side effects of the monkeypox vaccine in Israel found that the majority of recipients had no general symptoms. “Most of the side effects reported by the vaccinated are local and mild, which in most cases pass within one to three days,” said Miri Mizrahi Reuveni, Deputy CEO and Head of […] Continue reading ->
As the first monkeypox case involving a human-to-dog transmission reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) said more than 35,000 recently confirmed cases of monkeypox were accompanied by 12 deaths in 92 nations and territories, including almost 7,500 from last week alone. That made for the second consecutive week with a 20% increase, WHO Director-General Dr […] Continue reading ->
Top executives at Bavarian Nordic, which makes the world’s only monkeypox vaccine, avoided news media in the face of a worldwide shortage of their product. But SIGA, the company behind the antiviral treatment Tecovirimat (TPOXX™), has not been so shy. In an exclusive interview, SIGA’s CEO, Phillip Gomez, says the small, speciality firm is prepared […] Continue reading ->
In the aftermath of a national health emergency declaration for Monkeypox, the United States has now decided to split the approved MVA-BN vaccine into five doses in an effort to stretch supply. Some experts, however, have warned that the plan may backfire if health workers are not sufficiently trained in the intradermal skin-based jab technique […] Continue reading ->
The United States is considering shifting to intradermal injections of Monkeypox vaccine that could potentially stretch one dose of the approved MVA-BN vaccine, available only in limited quantities, into five doses, said US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf on Thursday. He was speaking at a press briefing minutes after Xavier Becerra, US Secretary […] Continue reading ->