Not many places resemble the pre-pandemic world more than Taiwan. Residents do wear masks, and the ways in which people use public spaces have changed. But in a locked-down world of damaged economies, Taiwan’s institutions are functioning; its classrooms, tourist sites and restaurants carry on. TAIPEI – One year after COVID-19 was declared to be […] 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 ->
More than a year into the world’s largest global health emergency, health diplomats have fought hard to ensure that every country across the globe secures access to lifesaving coronavirus health products, including vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. That has not happened yet, given that 80% of countries that are now rolling out vaccines are either high-income […] Continue reading ->
Air pollution has been linked to the deaths of 160,000 people in the world’s five biggest cities in 2020, according a global report by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and IQAir, the world’s largest free air quality information platform. Of the five biggest cities, Delhi had the most deaths (54,000) due to PM2.5 air pollution in 2020 […] 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 ->
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) investigative team in Wuhan, China, visited the biosafety laboratory that has been at the centre of numerous conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, making it the most controversial site for the team’s fieldwork so far. The team of 13 experts spent three-and-a-half hours at the Wuhan Institute of […] Continue reading ->
As the World Health Organization (WHO) led expert team on the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus began to conduct fieldwork at hospitals, research centers and markets in Wuhan, China, the WHO attempted to curb expectations, insisting that the mission will likely raise more questions. “The plans and the visits that they have, provide detailed information…The […] Continue reading ->
Five people have died in a major fire at the Serum Institute’s manufacturing facility, charged with producing India’s supply of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – just days after the country’s national vaccine campaign got underway. Serum Institute Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla was quick to say that the fire at its main complex in Pune, would not […] Continue reading ->
The Indian government began the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination program this weekend aiming to vaccinate more than 300 million people, beginning with 10 million health workers, but in the three days since, it appears there has been low uptake among that key demographic. Based on Health Policy Watch’s estimate, only slightly more than half of […] Continue reading ->
After months of delay, a pared-down WHO research team charged with investigating the origins of the SARS-CoV2 virus finally arrived in China on Thursday – but two members of the team were left behind in Singapore after they tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, WHO said. In the 24 hours since, one of these two members […] Continue reading ->