In the next two weeks, distribution of millions of doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca SARS-COV2 to health workers across Africa will get underway, said the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control in a joint press briefing with the WHO Regional Office for Africa on Thursday.  CDC Director John Nkengasong told Health Policy Watch that […] Continue reading ->
A World Health Organization expert group has recommended the use of the AstraZeneca two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for use in countries worldwide – and among groups including people over the age of 65.  The sweeping recommendation by WHO “Strategic Advisory Group of Experts” (SAGE) marks what WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan described as an “important milestone” […] Continue reading ->
AstraZeneca has agreed to increase its COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to the European Union by 30% after a week of feuding over a shortfall in vaccine deliveries, announced by the pharma company after its manufacturing plants hit a number of snags.  By April or June, a series of manufacturing foul-ups reported by Pfizer as well as […] Continue reading ->
With ten of the world’s most infectious diseases not catered by drug firms, pharmaceutical giants remain unprepared to tackle future pandemics, a new report has said. The report, published on Tuesday, found that though current medicine and vaccine research and development is primarily geared towards the COVID-19 pandemic, there are next to no efforts to […] Continue reading ->
AstraZeneca has joined Pfizer in announcing delays in deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to countries in Europe, leading furious EU officials to plan for a system of tighter monitoring of vaccine exports.  The British-Swedish pharma company that developed its COVID-19 vaccine with researchers at Oxford University, informed the European Commission on Friday that there would be […] Continue reading ->
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is safe for most people including those with a wide range of underlying medical conditions, according to the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on immunizations. However, the vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women or children as it has not been tested on these groups, according to […] Continue reading ->
Wealthy countries that pursue ‘vaccine nationalism’ when their trading partners don’t have access to the COVID-19 vaccine will pay a far higher economic price than if they invest in ensuring all countries have access to vaccines, according to a comprehensive economic modelling study released today by the World Health Organization (WHO). The study, commissioned by […] Continue reading ->
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 ->