WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus slammed plans by Pfizer and Moderna, as well as a handful of rich countries, to begin offering ‘booster’ COVID vaccines to some groups of people – saying that the world has evolved a “dangerous” two-tiered system of vaccinations, driven by greed instead of enlightened self-interest. “It’s becoming a […] Continue reading ->
Levels of neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated individuals is a strong indicator of COVID-19 vaccine success- and this knowledge could be used to jump-start vaccine approvals and mass administration – even before large Phase 3 clinical trials are completed, suggests a new study by the University of Oxford Vaccine Group, Public Health England, and AstraZeneca.  Knowledge […] Continue reading ->
As many high-income countries are relaxing restrictions for the summer months, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are witnessing rises in cases, deaths, and overwhelmed hospitals.  Countries in Europe and the United States are increasingly allowing in travellers, ending mask mandates, and allowing large gatherings including football matches and concerts.  At the same time, the third […] Continue reading ->
In his most explicit appeal to date, WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called upon the global leaders in COVID mRNA vaccine manufacturing – Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna to “share their know-how” in vaccine manufacturing with more manufacturers, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.  The WHO DG also called upon countries that are beginning to […] Continue reading ->
African Union and WHO/African Region officials on Thursday sharply criticized the European Union decision to not grant the Indian version of AstraZeneca’s “Covishield” vaccine, distributed by the global COVAX facility, recognition in the new EU “Digital Green Pass programme” – amidst a growing chorus of global protests over the double standard. In a related statement, […] Continue reading ->
As World Trade Organization (WTO) members continue to negotiate on ways to streamline and adapt intellectual property rules in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we bring you this interview with the European Union’s ambassador to the WTO, João Aguiar Machado. He discusses the different strands in the EU’s overall strategy on trade and health […] Continue reading ->