United States President Donald Trump told a press conference that any moves by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to delay emergency authorization of any forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine for an additional two months to ensure safety concerns are met, “sounds like a political move more than everything else” and such a delay “has to be […] Continue reading ->
Some 64 higher income countries have now made binding financial commitments to a precedent-setting COVID-19 global vaccine pool that aims to equitably distribute future vaccines to halt the pandemic raging now. Another 38 countries are expected to commit over the next week, said CEO Berkley, in a WHO press conference Monday that disclosed the landmark […] Continue reading ->
Political leaders should find a way to collaborate and “follow the science,” taking a page from researchers, public health practitioners, and healthcare workers who have learned to work together during the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO Health Emergencies Executive Director Mike Ryan said on Friday. “The people have found a way to cooperate, leaders need to find […] Continue reading ->
Nairobi, Kenya – Africa is trailing the rest of the world in conducting clinical studies on COVID-19 vaccines and drugs. Less than 70 registered studies for drugs and vaccines are currently taking place in Africa, out of more than 1000 studies being conducted globally. Only 8 of 102 clinical vaccine trials were being conducted in […] Continue reading ->
As the 75th United Nations General Assembly opened in an unprecedented virtual session on 15 September, WHO issued a plea to the world’s leaders for funding to fight the COVID-19 pandemic – saying that US$ 35 billion is needed to fast-track development, procurement and distribution of 2 billion vaccine doses, treatments and tests over the […] Continue reading ->
The United Nations General Assembly adopted an omnibus resolution urging Member States to mount a coordinated global coronavirus response on 11 September. The resolution (Document A/74/L.92), submitted by the President of the Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, was almost passed unanimously, with only two countries voting against and two abstaining. United States & Israel Vote Against the […] Continue reading ->
AstraZeneca resumed clinical trials for its investigational COVID-19 vaccine Saturday, after briefly pausing the trial globally to investigate reports of a potential severe adverse in a patient in the United Kingdom. In a brief press release, AstraZeneca announced that Phase 3 trials for the vaccine, AZD1222, have resumed in the UK on 12 September following […] Continue reading ->
Cape Town, South Africa – Dire predictions of Africa being overwhelmed by a tsunami of COVID-19 infections and deaths have not materialized – yet – and this is confounding many researchers. So whether the reason is the continent’s youthful population, a certain level of “herd immunity” gained from prior exposure to other coronaviruses, or simply […] Continue reading ->
COVID-19 has the potential to change how vaccines are sold and distributed, but industry leaders, academics, policymakers, and advocates are still struggling to decide the direction those changes should take. A successful COVID-19 vaccine should only be sold by companies to countries if it fits within an equitable distribution platform made by a neutral third […] Continue reading ->
Ibadan, Nigeria – The pandemic has brought to the fore Africa’s reliance on international support for its health sector – and it is also challenging the continent’s ability to build up its resilience when donors fall through. “There is a new public health order that is coming because of COVID-19. COVID-19 has opened our eyes […] Continue reading ->