A new study by researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has documented how poor building ventilation plays a role in indoor transmission of Covid-19. The study looked at the air flow and infection dynamics from three important Covid-19 outbreaks in China and Japan, concluding that spread of the virus was “definitely favored by poor air […] Continue reading ->
The United Nations has requested US $10.3 billion to help lower income countries struggling to deal with the direct effects and aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, doubling its ask from May, according to a new UN Humanitarian Response Plan launched today.  The ask comes just as Finance Ministers and heads of central banks of the […] Continue reading ->
Some 75 new countries have submitted expressions of interest to join the COVAX Facility, potentially supporting 90 other countries who have already joined the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment initiative created to pool demand and secure lower prices for bulk purchases of a COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, Moderna is pulling ahead in the COVID-19 vaccine rat race […] Continue reading ->
On Monday, the Geneva-based NCD Alliance launched the first-ever fund to bolster the efforts of NGOs worldwide fighting chronic diseases alongside the COVID-19 pandemic with some $US 300,000 in initial seed capital.  The effort is unique in that it links major pharma interests that develop and produce drugs for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to the support […] Continue reading ->
It is still too early to tell how long immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may last after infection, the World Health Organization’s Technical Lead for COVID-19, Maria Van Kerkhove said at Monday press briefing. Van Kerkhove’s comments came just after the publication of a new study by researchers from Kings College, London, […] Continue reading ->
Ibadan, Nigeria – The World Health Organisation (WHO) is advocating for equitable access to effective COVID-19 vaccines but developments surrounding the race to a vaccine suggest this may be extremely difficult. And health policy leaders in Africa and other low and middle-income countries are increasingly worried about their prospects for being pushed to the back […] Continue reading ->