Major European nations remain divided over the use of Oxford/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, while the pharma company said there was no evidence of increased risk of blood clotting and abnormal bleeding among people who get the vaccine. AstraZeneca’s review of all the safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union (EU) […] Continue reading ->
The WHO scientist who spoke out against the suppression of a damning report exposing key flaws in Italy’s COVID-19 response has resigned, Health Policy Watch has learned. Franscesco Zambon, a senior figure at WHO’s Venice Office who led the preparation of the controversial report, told Health Policy Watch that he resigned over the WHO’s censorship […] Continue reading ->
Over 662,000 people, hundreds of corporations and organisations from 190 countries have donated $242 million to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in the past year, according to Elizabeth Cousens, CEO of the UN Foundation. Addressing the World Health Organization (WHO) biweekly media briefing on Monday, the first anniversary of the fund, Cousens said the fund […] Continue reading ->
Although the European Union (EU) is opposed to the proposal by South Africa and India urging the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to waive intellectual property (IP) rights on COVID-19 products for the duration of the pandemic, the EU will support the expansion of vaccine access in Africa. This is according to the EU Ambassador to […] Continue reading ->
Novavax Vaccine Shows Less Efficacy Against COVID Variants – Sputnik Vaccine to Be Produced In Italy
Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate has an efficacy rate of 96.4% against the original strain of SARS-CoV2. However, the efficacy rate drops up to 55.4% against the new B.1351 variant first identified in South Africa, and also spreading globally. The pharma company, which has never brought a vaccine to market before, published the data from two […] Continue reading ->
Both the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have urged that immunizations with the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine continue – despite a decision by several European countries to suspend its use – after reports of serious blood clots among 30 of the 5 million people vaccinated – leading to at least five deaths. An […] Continue reading ->
A senior official at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has cautioned EU member states to wait until the agency has reviewed the safety and efficacy data of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine before granting the vaccine emergency use authorization at national level, and beginning mass rollouts. Last week, the EMA formally began a rolling review of […] Continue reading ->
Leaders of the 27 European Union member states are moving closer to a consensus on an EU-wide system of vaccine certificates for travel between countries in the bloc. Within three months a system will be introduced, EU officials announced on Thursday, the first day of the two-day virtual summit of the European Council. Several EU […] Continue reading ->
Over 400 US organisations and 115 Members of the European Parliament declared their support this week for a waiver on intellectual property rights for COVID-19 products, due to be discussed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) General Council. Even so, WTO insiders said that consensus was more likely to build around a “third way” approach […] Continue reading ->
The largest peer reviewed study to date of some 1.193 million Israelis – half of whom received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine – confirms the vaccine’s efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 as well as serious cases and deaths – even after the first dose is administered. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, […] Continue reading ->