Covax

The accelerating vaccine rollout has nurtured growing hope for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ending this unprecedented challenge will require an unprecedented effort. Science and medicine continue to do their parts but the full potential and impact of those efforts now rests on the World Trade Organization to waive intellectual property rights and licensing of technology for COVID vaccines. So far, the hope of the COVID vaccines is one still held by a privileged few. Canada, with a GDP of $46,000 per capita, has purchased enough doses to vaccinate its people five times over. In contrast, Jordan, with a GDP of $4,400 per capita and a profound COVID-19 burden , has secured doses for only 5 percent of its population. In Africa, the disparity is particularly dire. Of the approximately 400 million people vaccinated globally, only 1.9 percent are on the African continent — though it’s home to almost 17 percent of the global … [Read more...] about For a faster end to COVID, waive intellectual property rights for its vaccines

The head of the World Health Organization Friday urged the global community to donate COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries, citing the urgent need for 10 million doses for a WHO-backed vaccine distribution program. “COVAX is ready to deliver but we can't deliver vaccines we don't have,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a virtual news conference in Geneva. COVAX, an abbreviation for the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access initiative, aims to provide equitable access to vaccines worldwide. “Bilateral deals, export bans, and vaccine nationalism have caused distortions in the market with gross inequities in supply and demand,” Tedros said. “Ten million doses are not much, and it's not nearly enough.” Tedros’ appeal comes after India, a key supplier to the agency's COVAX vaccine-sharing program, said it was prioritizing local needs. The WHO chief said India’s move was "understandable" given the rising number of infections in India. He said talks were in … [Read more...] about WHO Urges World Community to Donate COVID Vaccines to Poorer Countries

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Friday urged the global community to donate COVID-19 vaccines to lower income countries, citing the urgent need for 10 million doses for a WHO-backed vaccine distribution program. Tedros’ appeal comes after India, a key supplier to the agency’s COVAX vaccine-sharing program, said it was prioritizing local needs. “There is a race everywhere between the vaccines and the pandemic,” said Lebanon’s Ambassador Amal Mudallali, on behalf of the countries that drafted the document. “This race will be won before the start by the ‘haves,’ if there is no equitable, affordable sharing of vaccines.” reported early Saturday there are more 126 million global COVID-19 infections. The research center updates its data constantly and provides expert input. Spain’s coronavirus infection rate continued to rise Friday after a week of increasing rates. Health officials reported 7,586 new cases Friday, bring the country’s overall total to 3.26 million … [Read more...] about WHO Urges Donations of COVID Vaccines to Poorer Countries

WASHINGTON — The U.S. on Friday cleared President Joe Biden’s goal of injecting 100 million coronavirus shots, more than a month before his target date of his 100th day in office, as the president prepared to set his sights higher in the nationwide vaccination effort. With the nation now administering about 2.5 million shots per day, Biden, who promised to set a new goal for vaccinations next week, teased the possibility of setting a 200 million dose goal by his 100th day in office. “We may be able to double it,” he told reporters before leaving the White House for Atlanta. His comments come as the U.S. is on pace to have enough of the three currently authorized vaccines to cover the entire adult population just 10 weeks from now. As the pace of U.S. vaccinations and supply improves, the White House said the nation is now in position to help supply neighbors Canada and Mexico with millions of lifesaving shots. The Biden administration on Thursday revealed the outlines of a … [Read more...] about Biden eyes new goal after U.S. clears 100 million coronavirus shots since Jan. 20

The World Health Organization’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety formally concluded Friday that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine’s benefits outweighed its risks and recommended its use. The committee gave a similar, preliminary opinion on the vaccine Wednesday. During the agency’s regular COVID-19 briefing from its headquarters in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the committee had reviewed data on the vaccine after several European nations suspended administering it following reports that some patients who received it developed blood clots. Tedros said the committee had concluded that the available data did not suggest any overall increase in clotting. While there were rare cases of some serious blood clots — known as thromboembolic events — there was no certainty they were caused by the vaccine, he said. The WHO chief said it was important to note COVID-19 had also been found to cause blood clots. The WHO committee recommended that … [Read more...] about WHO Committee: AstraZeneca Vaccine Benefits Outweigh Risks