The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a global “reality check” as COVID-19 infections increased by 4.4 million in the past week, with countries and individuals abandoning proven methods to protect themselves. “This is not the situation we want to be in 16 months into a pandemic, where we have proven control measures. It […] Continue reading ->
Previous infection with SARS-CoV2 induces effective immunity against future infections by 84% – but reinfection rate is still 16%, found a study published in The Lancet on Friday. This suggests that infection-induced immunity is similar to, or greater than, vaccine-associated immunity, said the authors. The SARS-CoV2 Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation (SIREN) study involved 25,661 health […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – South Africa has secured enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for 41 million people from Johnson and Johnson and Pfizer, but only 6 million of these will be delivered by June because of “supply constraints”, the country’s health ministry announced on Friday. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told a civil society briefing that the vaccination […] Continue reading ->
The global vaccine delivery platform, COVAX, might only deliver 20% of its vaccine target by mid-year because of “supply constraints” but it aims to make up the backlog in the second half of the year, according to Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of the global vaccine alliance, Gavi. “Our goal is still to try to get […] Continue reading ->
The WHO and its member states must take swift action to enable a transparent, independent and rigorous investigation into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, said two dozen international scientists in their second open letter. The letter – released on Wednesday by 24 scientists and researchers across Europe, the United States, and Japan – comes […] Continue reading ->
The latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India has delayed vaccine delivery to African countries and is expected to adversely affect vaccine roll-out programs and the continent’s response efforts until the third quarter of the year. The Indian government’s decision to suspend exports of the vaccines from the Serum Institute of India (SII) to […] Continue reading ->
Fears Of Humanitarian Crisis And Healthcare System Collapse In Philippines Amid Surge In COVID Cases
New York City – While the Philippines ranks 50 out of the 155 countries that have administered the most COVID-19 vaccines, opposition leaders and health officials fear the collapse of the country’s healthcare system amid a surge in new infections. Globally, more than 704 million doses – about 4.6% of the global population – of […] Continue reading ->
In a powerful ruling that could increase transparency and thus, industry compliance, India’s National Green Tribunal has directed state and central pollution control boards to chart and openly share with the public detailed data from online continuous emissions/effluents monitoring systems (OCEMS) operating in the country’s highly-polluting industrial sector. These powerful industrial interests – ranging from […] Continue reading ->
In the past year, across all non-COVID conditions, routine health care has changed. GPs feel that acute care has been compromised due to their own changed focus, and because patients consult less frequently for non-COVID conditions. For HIV and TB communities, both diseases exacerbated by poverty and marginalisation, these impacts are particularly acute. The World […] Continue reading ->
Pune – Despite ramping up its coronavirus vaccination drive and amidst a deadly second wave of infections, India is wasting 6.5% of its vaccines, data released by the country’s government shows. Experts this week told Health Policy Watch that while the high vaccine wastage is also a sign of vaccine hesitancy – particularly among poor […] Continue reading ->