The tobacco industry used the COVID-19 pandemic to ingratiate itself with governments around the world and win concessions for their harmful products, according to a review of 80 countries analyzed in the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2021, which was released on Tuesday. It wasn’t simply economically vulnerable countries that were susceptible to industry influence. […] Continue reading ->
Two jabs of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are 90% effective against COVID-19 hospitalizations for all variants including Delta, for at least 6 months, confirmed a new study published by The Lancet. The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanete and Pfizer, found that while effectiveness against all SARS-CoV-2 infections declined over the study period, effectiveness against hospitalizations remains […] Continue reading ->
US President Joe Biden has reaped praise for convening a Global COVID-19 Summit on the margins of this year’s United Nations General Assembly that placed vaccine shortfalls in low- and middle-income countries front and center of GA debates. But it remains to be seen if the big commitments repeated once more this week can break […] Continue reading ->
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is now set to run for re-election as Germany’s nominee, backed by other European Union states, including France.  And as nominations for the post closed today at 6 p.m. Geneva time on Thursday, it was appearing increasingly likely that the incumbent DG may run unopposed – with no […] Continue reading ->
Chinese officials have rejected WHO’s proposal for a more rigorous Phase II investigation of the origins of the SARS-CoV2 virus, including renewed consideration that the virus may have escaped from a laboratory, describing the new plan as “impossible” at a press conference.    “We will not accept such an origin-tracing plan as it, in some aspects, […] Continue reading ->
The Biden administration has been asked to clarify that sanctions against Cuba would not extend to collaborations in the development, manufacturing, distribution and sale of COVID-19 vaccines that the island nation is in the process of developing. A memorandum, sent by Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) on 28 June to the White House, asks the US […] Continue reading ->