Just days before the World Health Assembly opens, the United States still appears to be stalling on an initiative led by some of its major European allies, to move ahead decisively on proposals for a “Pandemic Treaty”, according to a US draft proposal seen by Health Policy Watch. The Pandemic Treaty proposal to create a […] Continue reading ->
Rich countries need to cough up 1 billion vaccine doses by September, and big pharma should significantly expand its network of voluntary license sharing and manufacturing – in order to avoid a vote by World Trade Organization members on a controversial proposal to waive all COVID-related intellectual property for the duration of the pandemic. That […] Continue reading ->
The G20 Global Health Summit on Friday elicited more promises from wealthy nations to share COVID-19 vaccines, an undertaking by drug companies to make over a billion doses available by year-end – and an indication by the European Union that it would propose an alternative to the TRIPS waiver at the next World Trade Organization […] Continue reading ->
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has largely been a story of failure, strong preparedness of public health systems coupled with decisive responses have shown that it is possible to prevent and prepare for future disease threats, according to a new report. The report, conducted by Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, highlights eight […] Continue reading ->
With an agenda that is more packed than ever – and razor sharp political crises from Gaza to Taiwan to Myanmar also coming to the fore – will the upcoming World Health Assembly prove to be the decisive moment that it should be for global health? Now, more than ever perhaps, huge tensions and inequalities […] Continue reading ->
A new international expert panel launched by four international organisations on Thursday aims to blunt the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases through better understanding of human, animal, and environmental interactions that enable animal-borne diseases to break into human populations. The One Health High Level Expert Panel will advise the World Health Organization (WHO), […] Continue reading ->
The European Union Council (EU) on Wednesday agreed to relax travel restrictions on entry by foreign tourists – clearing the way for countries in the bloc to open up their borders to COVID-19 vaccinated travellers after more than a year in which visits by most non-EU passport holders were refused. With the summer tourism season […] Continue reading ->
Sanofi and GSK will test their two-dose SARS-CoV2 vaccine candidate as a booster for other vaccines during its phase 3 trial, following a phase 2 trial that showed that it triggered a strong neutralizing antibody response in people previously vaccinated. Those who had already been vaccinated showed a strong response after one jab, indicating that […] Continue reading ->
COVAX has a shortfall of 190 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, and the few manufacturers that have reached agreements with the facility will only deliver later in the year or even in 2022, World Health Organization (WHO) Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. “Pfizer has committed to providing 40 million doses of vaccines to […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN- South Africa finally started to vaccinate people over the age of 60 on Monday, but it’s roll-out is being severely hampered by a hold-up in the verification of millions of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although Monday marks the official start of the country’s vaccination […] Continue reading ->