18Jun 2021 by Melissa Slogan
THE G7 UNDERWHELMS, WITH NUMBERS THAT DON’T ADD UP

THE G7 UNDERWHELMS, WITH NUMBERS THAT DON’T ADD UP

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, June 18, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 2.2 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 1.8 billion Low-income country total: 271 million COVAX total: 2.4 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 12.7 billion doses INSIGHTS The G7 underwhelms, with numbers that don’t add up Author: Andrea Taylor The G7 began their much-anticipated summit last week with a target to reach 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine in pledged donations for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The result could be described as underwhelming (as well as unclear). To be fair, the US set a high bar early in the week, with a plan to donate 500 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses (working “with,” but not necessarily through, COVAX). It was going to be…
Read More
11Jun 2021 by Melissa Slogan
HOW CAN INDIA ADDRESS A POTENTIAL THIRD WAVE OF SARS-CV-2 INFECTIONS?

HOW CAN INDIA ADDRESS A POTENTIAL THIRD WAVE OF SARS-CV-2 INFECTIONS?

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, June 11, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 2.2 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 1.4 billion Low-income country total: 271 million COVAX total: 2.4 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 12.2 billion doses INSIGHTS How can India address a potential third wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections? Author: Nikki Prattipati Starting mid-March 2021, India has become the epicenter of COVID-19 as a second wave of infections devastated the country. India reported 50 percent of global cases and 30 percent of global COVID-19 deaths, and an alarming rate of over 400,000 daily new cases at the height of the wave in early May 2021. While official projections estimate 29 million total infections and 360,000 deaths, low testing rates and the lack of available data lead some…
Read More
04Jun 2021 by Melissa Slogan
HOW DO COVID-19 VARIANTS IMPACT VACCINATIONS AND THE ABILITY TO END THE ACUTE PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC?

HOW DO COVID-19 VARIANTS IMPACT VACCINATIONS AND THE ABILITY TO END THE ACUTE PHASE OF THE PANDEMIC?

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, June 4, 2021 [caption id="attachment_1629" align="alignnone" width="300"] Coronavirus and DNA, virus mutation. New variant and strain of SARS CoV 2. Microscopic view. 3D rendering[/caption] High-income country confirmed dose total: 6 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 2.2 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 1.1 billion Low-income country total: 270 million COVAX total: 2.4 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 11.9 billion doses INSIGHTS How do COVID-19 variants impact vaccinations and the ability to end the acute phase of the pandemic? Author: Blen Biru Multiple COVID-19 genetic variants have been detected since the initial SARS-CoV-2 strain was found in China, the most significant of which are classified by the WHO as variants of concern or variants of interest, depending on their attributes and risk level. The variants of concern are…
Read More
28May 2021 by Melissa Slogan
IS VACCINE TOURISM ETHICAL?

IS VACCINE TOURISM ETHICAL?

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, May 28, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 5.9 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.8 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 961 million Low-income country total: 270 million COVAX total: 2.4 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 11.3 billion doses INSIGHTS Is vaccine tourism ethical? Author: Blen Biru According to Our World in Data, 1.78B people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 across the world. About 16% of the fully vaccinated (289M people) live in the US, which has a very high rate of vaccination, especially compared to neighboring countries in Latin America. The abundance of available vaccines in the US has attracted foreign travelers from South America and other parts of the world looking to get vaccinated, referred to as vaccine tourism. An estimated 70,000 people from…
Read More
25May 2021 by Melissa Slogan
THE G20 PLEDGE DRIVE

THE G20 PLEDGE DRIVE

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Tuesday, May 25, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 5.93 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.82 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 959.6 million Low-income country total: 270.2 million COVAX total: 1.96 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 10.9 billion doses INSIGHTS The G20 Pledge Drive Author: Andrea Talor The G20 met today in Rome for a Global Health Summit and vaccine equity was at the top of the agenda. According to Reuters, the resulting “Rome Declaration” calls for voluntary licensing and technology transfers to increase production of Covid-19 vaccines globally. The declaration also reportedly mentioned the important role of the ACT-Accelerator (of which COVAX is one pillar) but did not commit to funding it (the ACT-Accelerator still needs $19 billion to reach its goal). A flurry pledges were made…
Read More
15May 2021 by Melissa Slogan
WHAT THE MANUFACTURING LANDSCAPE CAN TELL US NOW

WHAT THE MANUFACTURING LANDSCAPE CAN TELL US NOW

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Saturday, May 15, 2021 INSIGHTS What the manufacturing landscape can tell us now Author: Andrea Taylor Manufacturing projections for Covid-19 vaccines seem to shift on a near-weekly basis. We are not even halfway into 2021 and already we have seen adjustments, both up and down, across all vaccine makers. 2021 projections differ by vaccine platform Overall, we see 2021 projections increasing for mRNA vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, while decreasing for viral vector vaccines Oxford-AstraZeneca and Janssen (J&J). AstraZeneca, in particular, has faced significant manufacturing issues throughout its global production network. In addition to the well-covered constraints slowing down manufacturing in Europe and the Serum Institute of India, partners in Mexico, Brazil, and elsewhere have struggled to get production started or sustained. Janssen’s vaccine has also experienced setbacks, including the temporary…
Read More
07May 2021 by Melissa Slogan
CAN THE TRIPS WAIVER SAVE THE WORLD?

CAN THE TRIPS WAIVER SAVE THE WORLD?

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, May 7, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.9 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 718 million Low-income country total: 270 million COVAX total: 1.62 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 9.1 billion doses INSIGHTS Can the TRIPS waiver save the world? Author: Andrea Taylor The US threw its weight into the ring on the side of the TRIPS waiver this week, surprising many. There is still a long road ahead for the waiver, which much be agreed through discussion and consensus. With vocal opponents (including Germany), this is unlikely to happen before December. But if it does go through and intellectual property (IP) protections are waived, will it make a difference? The short answer is maybe, but not this year. The TRIPS waiver…
Read More
03May 2021 by Melissa Slogan
THREE REFLECTIONS FROM A WILD WEEK

THREE REFLECTIONS FROM A WILD WEEK

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Monday, May 3, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.9 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 718 million Low-income country total: 270 million COVAX total: 1.62 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 9.1 billion doses INSIGHTS Can the TRIPS waiver save the world? Author: Andrea Taylor The US threw its weight into the ring on the side of the TRIPS waiver this week, surprising many. There is still a long road ahead for the waiver, which much be agreed through discussion and consensus. With vocal opponents (including Germany), this is unlikely to happen before December. But if it does go through and intellectual property (IP) protections are waived, will it make a difference? The short answer is maybe, but not this year. The TRIPS waiver…
Read More
23Apr 2021 by Melissa Slogan
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED IN ONE YEAR OF COVAX?

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED IN ONE YEAR OF COVAX?

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, April 23, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.7 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 732 million Low-income country total: 770 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.9 billion doses INSIGHTS What have we learned in one year of COVAX? Author: Andrea Taylor Launched as a global cross-organization collaboration only one month after the pandemic was declared, COVAX was built to facilitate global equity in the pandemic response. As COVAX passes the one-year mark this month, there are some early lessons and insights that can inform its further development and help us prepare for future crises. In terms of numbers, COVAX is short of the mark. Photo ops of government officials on the tarmac to…
Read More
16Apr 2021 by Melissa Slogan
THE GLOBAL PICTURE OF COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVALS

THE GLOBAL PICTURE OF COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVALS

News
WEEKLY COVID VACCINE RESEARCH UPDATE Friday, April 16, 2021 High-income country confirmed dose total: 4.7 billion Upper-middle-income country total: 1.5 billion Lower-middle-income country total: 731 million Low-income country total: 770 million COVAX total: 1.12 billion Total worldwide confirmed purchases of Covid-19 vaccines: 8.9 billion doses INSIGHTS The global picture of Covid-19 vaccine approvals Author: Blen Biru COVID-19 vaccines across the world have been produced and authorized for use with record speed. So far, 13 vaccines have received either limited or full regulatory approval. It’s important to note that the safety of the vaccines is continuously monitored even after limited and full regulatory approvals are granted. The recent post-approval regulatory revisions and suspensions of Oxford-AstraZeneca and J&J demonstrate the continuous monitoring efforts by regulatory bodies. To highlight the importance of regulatory…
Read More