27Aug 2021 by Melissa Slogan
We Need A Better Plan

We Need A Better Plan

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, August 27, 2021 Confirmed Vaccine Purchases Confirmed Donations (by recipient, includes pledges) High income countries 6,867,677,500 6,451,921 Upper  middle income countries 2,469,340,075 46,273,774 Lower middle income countries 3,185,578,000 67,538,436 Low income countries 288,200,00 60,778,812 COVAX 2,534,000,000 730,400,000 WORLDWIDE TOTALS 15,344,795,575 911,442,943 INSIGHTS We need a better plan. Author: Andrea Taylor The past 18 months have shown us what happens when we rely on fragmented responses to a pandemic – the result is an uncoordinated patchwork of insufficient approaches and the continued spread of an ever-mutating virus. It sounds obvious but still needs to be said: pandemics are global and our response must be as well. Together with colleagues at the COVID Collaborative, the Pandemic Action Network, the Center for Global Development, and many others, we…
Read More
20Aug 2021 by Melissa Slogan
Are Third Shots vs. First Shots A “False Choice?” Then the US and Other High-Income Countries Should Prove It

Are Third Shots vs. First Shots A “False Choice?” Then the US and Other High-Income Countries Should Prove It

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, August 20, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 6.8 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 2.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 3.2 billion Low-income country total: 288 million COVAX total: 3.3 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 15 billion doses INSIGHTS Are third shots vs first shots a “false choice?” Then the US and other high-income countries should prove it. Author: Andrea Taylor The US has continued to advance plans for boosters since we wrote about the issue earlier this month, with an announcement that a third dose will be offered to all residents (not just the highly vulnerable), eight months after the second dose. Israel has already begun its booster campaign, while Germany, France, and the UK are expected to begin boosters for the elderly and immunocompromised next month. Data from…
Read More
13Aug 2021 by Melissa Slogan
Looking into Vaccine Wastage

Looking into Vaccine Wastage

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, August 13, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 6.6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 2.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 3.2 billion Low-income country total: 331 million COVAX total: 3.3 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 15 billion doses INSIGHTS Author: Blen Biru Looking into Vaccine Wastage Despite the shortage of Covid-19 vaccines globally, millions of doses are being wasted rather than used. Vaccine wastage is defined as vaccines discarded, lost, damaged or destroyed according to the WHO. There are two phases where vaccines are exposed to wastage – opened and unopened vials. Unopened vials are mostly wasted due to expiration, heat exposure, and incorrect inventory, and open vials are primarily wasted through contamination. A certain amount of wastage is expected, given the nature and complexity of vaccine…
Read More
07Aug 2021 by Melissa Slogan
Will booster shots prolong the pandemic?

Will booster shots prolong the pandemic?

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Saturday, August 7, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 6.5 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 2.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 3.2 billion Low-income country total: 331 million COVAX total: 3.3 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 15.8 billion doses INSIGHTS Author: Andrea Taylor Will booster shots prolong the pandemic? A handful of wealthy countries recently announced plans to roll out booster shots in late 2021 for vulnerable populations already fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Israel has already begun providing third shots for immunocompromised people and is opening eligibility this week to everyone over the age of 60. Germany, France, the UK, and the US have indicated they will begin boosters for priority groups as early as September. The WHO responded quickly with a reminder that most of the world is still waiting for their first…
Read More