More Covid vaccine choices mean new equity challenges

‘More questions about priority are likely as the distribution effort matures, says Julie Swann, a vaccine supply chain expert at North Carolina State University. Soon, there should be more than three vaccines—shots from AstraZeneca and Novavax are likely next—and each will come with pros and cons. Even if shots are eventually targeted for one group or another, transparency will be key, she notes. “You can tell people that one is less effective but you wouldn’t have to come back, and the other is more effective but you need a second dose,” she says. Some people may have preferences between one or the other. Maybe some will seek out a different shot elsewhere. Maybe some will wait. But most, she hopes, will see little choice in the range of good options. In the middle of a crisis, a shot is a shot.’

Read here (Wired, Feb 5, 2021)

Vaccines are curbing Covid: Data from Israel show drop in infections

‘Close to 90% of people aged 60 and older in the country have received their first dose of Pfizer’s 2-dose vaccine so far. Now, data collected by Israel’s Ministry of Health show that there was a 41% drop in confirmed COVID-19 infections in that age group, and a 31% drop in hospitalizations from mid-January to early February. In comparison, for people aged 59 and younger — of which just more than 30% have been vaccinated — cases dropped by only 12% and hospitalizations by 5% over the same time. The figures are based on analysis of roughly a quarter of a million COVID-19 infections.’

Read here (Nature, Feb 5, 2021)

Caught in tangled web of vaccine nationalism -- Jomo Kwame Sundaram

‘As known COVID-19 infections exceed 100 million internationally, with more than two million lives lost, rich countries are now quarrelling publicly over access to limited vaccine supplies. With ‘vaccine nationalism’ widespread, multilateral arrangements have not been able to address current challenges well. 

‘Vaccine nationalism has meant that the rich and powerful come first, not only in societies, but also in the world, making a mockery of the ‘No one left behind’ slogan embraced by the international community.  Many developing countries and most of their people will have to wait for access to vaccines while the powerful and better off secure prior access regardless of need or urgency. Vaccine nationalism and the prospect of more profits by not scaling up output to induce scarcity may thus cause more losses of both lives and livelihoods, causing economies to slow further.’

Read here (ksjomo.org, Feb 2, 2021)

Vaccine wars: The global battle for a precious resource

‘Armed guards are patrolling the perimeter fence of a sleek factory. Software experts are fending off hackers. Border officials are checking trucks and ferries, not for weapons or illegal immigrants, but for a mysterious biochemical soup, while spies and spin doctors are feeding social media with scare stories flaming one national champion or another. Welcome to the first great geopolitical battle of the 21st century. It may sound like something ripped from the pages of a dystopian sci-fi novel, but in truth we’re seeing the opening salvos in the vaccine wars.

‘Rather than co-operating with one another to roll out a global vaccination campaign to rid the world of Covid-19, the major powers of the world are instead descending into a fierce, increasingly nationalistic competition. The EU is threatening to hold back supplies from Britain, the Americans are scooping up supplies wherever they can, and the Russians and the Chinese are engaged in a form of ‘vial diplomacy’ reminiscent of the Cold War. It is all starting to turn very, very nasty. We are seeing how quickly our globalised world collapses when push comes to shove. The effect of all this on national security, on industrial policy and on the movement of people around the world will be felt for many years to come.’

Read here (The Spectator, Jan 30, 2021)

India to send Covaxin, Covishield to other nations as goodwill gesture

‘India has decided to export 8.1 lakh doses of Covaxin to Oman, Mongolia, Myanmar, Bahrain, Mauritius, the Philippines and the Maldives as a goodwill gesture, people in the know said. Government sources said Serum would supply a few lakh doses of Covishield to the Seychelles, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.’

Read here (Economic Times, Jan 19, 2021)

Covid vaccine: WHO warns of ‘catastrophic moral failure’

‘The world faces a "catastrophic moral failure" because of unequal Covid vaccine policies, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was not fair for younger, healthy people in richer nations to get injections before vulnerable people in poorer states. He said over 39 million vaccine doses had been given in 49 richer states - but one poor nation had only 25 doses. Meanwhile, both the WHO and China were criticised for their Covid response.’

Read here (BBC, Jan 19, 2021)

Chinese and Russian vaccines in high demand as world scrambles for doses

‘Sales represent coup for Beijing and Moscow, even as concerns over pharma standards linger... 

‘Chinese and Russian manufacturers are seeing growing appetite from foreign buyers for their Covid-19 vaccines as the international scramble for jabs intensifies, despite lingering concerns over incomplete trial data and the rigour of domestic approval processes.

‘Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology has agreed to sell its Sputnik V vaccine to countries including Algeria, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, while the two leading Chinese manufacturers, Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech, have signed deals with more than a dozen countries including Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Philippines, Indonesia and Hungary.’

Read here  (Financial Times, Jan 18, 2021) 

Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines to roll out Chinese vaccines

‘Three Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand – are poised to roll out COVID-19 vaccines produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac.’

Read here (CGTN, Jan 8, 2021) 

India bars virus vaccine maker from exporting

‘India will not allow the export of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for several months, the head of Serum Institute of India, which has been contracted to make 1 billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations, said Sunday.

‘With rich nations reserving most of the vaccines that will be made this year, Serum Institute — the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer — is likely to make most of the inoculations for developing countries. The ban on exports, however, means that poorer nations will probably have to wait a few months before receiving their first shots.’

Read here (AP, Jan 4, 2021)

Vaccine diplomacy not as simple as a shot in the arm

‘Concerns including dearth of vaccine data and perceived use for geopolitical goals stand in the way of China's soft power push...

‘Rich nations have bought almost all of next year's supply of the two vaccine front runners - one by Pfizer-BioNTech and the other by Moderna - according to the People's Vaccine Alliance (PVA), a network of organisations that includes Amnesty International, Oxfam and Global Justice Now. Canada, for instance, has ordered enough vaccines to inoculate each Canadian five times, although it has pledged to share any excess with other countries.

‘The situation is such that nine in 10 people in 67 developing countries - including nations like Cambodia, Laos and Pakistan - stand little chance of being vaccinated next year, said the PVA this month. To these countries, China's vaccines are a lifesaver.’

Read here (Straits Times, Dec 28, 2020)

European Commission embarrassed by Covid-19 vaccine price leak

‘The tweeted information gave the following price per dose for each vaccine maker, in either euros or US dollars according to the respective contract:

1. AstraZeneca: €1.78
2. Johnson & Johnson: US$8.50
3. Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline: €7.56
4. Pfizer/BioNTech: €12.00
5. Curevac: €10.00
6. Moderna: US$18.00’

Read here (Malay Mail, Dec 18, 2020) 

Intellectual property monopolies block vaccine access

‘The authors of “Want Vaccines Fast? Suspend Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)" argue that IPR are the main stumbling block. Meanwhile, South Africa and India have proposed that the World Trade Organization (WTO) temporarily waive its Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) rules limiting access to COVID-19 medicines, tools, equipment and vaccines.

 ‘The proposal – welcomed by the WHO Director-General and supported by nearly 100 governments and many civil society organisations around the world – goes beyond the Doha Declaration’s limited flexibilities for national emergencies and circumstances of extreme urgency. But Brazil, one of the worst hit countries, opposes the proposal, together with the US, the EU, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, Australia and Japan, insisting the Doha Declaration is sufficient.’

Read here (ksjomo.org, Dec 14, 2020)

A 4-point checklist for assessing countries' vaccine readiness

‘Even before the vaccines begin to arrive in ports around the world, the focus will shift to the preparedness of in-country logistics, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to their health systems' ability to deploy and administer the vaccine to their populations. Any weaknesses in health system readiness – in vaccine distribution, storage, refrigeration, prioritization or delivery – will need to be quickly assessed, addressed and resolved at unprecedented speed before any effective immunization campaign can begin.

‘Here's how countries, and especially LMICs, can assess their readiness along four key dimensions: awareness, acceptance, accessibility and availability.’

Read here (World Economic Forum, Dec 14, 2020)

Rich countries have bought too many Covid-19 vaccines: Amnesty International

‘Rich countries have secured enough coronavirus vaccines to protect their populations nearly three times over by the end of 2021, Amnesty International and other groups said on Wednesday (Dec 9), possibly depriving billions of people in poorer areas. "Nearly 70 poor countries will only be able to vaccinate one in 10 people against COVID-19 next year unless urgent action is taken," Amnesty International said, based on recent calculations. "Updated data shows that rich nations representing just 14 per cent of the world's population have bought up 53 per cent of all the most promising vaccines so far," it said.’  

Read here (Channel News Asia, Dec 9, 2020)

The Covid-19 vaccines are here: What comes next?

‘The outstanding progress made by the scientific community has brought the vaccine closer to our doorstep. The baton now passes from the scientific community to a new collaborative effort, led by government and policy makers, healthcare professionals, the private sector, and other community groups. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout will be unlike any other prior vaccine delivery effort. Governments and their partners will be expected to rapidly accelerate their efforts to ensure they are able to address community expectations.

‘Multiple factors will make the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine more complex than any other previous vaccine effort.

‘Accelerated pace and giant scale of delivery: Countries face a four-by-four challenge: a vaccine arriving at four times the pace and requiring delivery at four times the scale.

‘Four times the pace. The coronavirus vaccine has been developed four times faster than the mumps vaccine, which was the previous record for a vaccine developed for use in a widespread community setting. The consequence of this pace of clinical development is that governments and policy makers have had far less time than previously to prepare for a robust vaccination program.

‘Four times the scale. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is expected to be four times larger than any previous effort because the aspiration is for broad adoption at significantly higher rates than typically achieved with seasonal adult vaccines, such as the flu. Compared with the flu, for which roughly half the adult population across the OECD is covered each year with a single dose, the COVID-19 situation may require vaccinating more than half the adult population with two doses. Globally, that means billions of people could seek the vaccine.’

Read here (McKinsey & Co, Dec 9, 2020) 

As first Pfizer vaccine doses arrive in UK, officials tell doctors and nurses they won’t get priority

‘Priority will go to people over 80 years old and to nursing home caregivers, and even for those groups, demand could quickly outstrip supply in the early months, public health officials cautioned. The 800,000 doses Britain expects to get this month “could be the only batch we receive for some time,” warned Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers.’

Read here (Washington Post, Dec 4, 2020)

Vaccine nationalism? An incurable disease called hope

‘It is disheartening to see ‘vaccine nationalism’ eclipse the hope around the development of the vaccine. The rich countries, with 13% of the world’s population, have already secured 3.4 billion doses of the potential vaccines; the rest of the world has pre-committed vaccine orders of 2.4 billion doses. The poorest countries, with a population of 700 million people, have no agreements for the vaccine. They depend on the Covax vaccine, developed in partnership between the World Health Organization, the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Covax has agreements to secure about 500 million doses, which would be enough to vaccinate 250 million people and cover about 20% of the populations of the poorest countries. In contrast, the United States of America, by itself, has made agreements to purchase enough doses to cover 230% of its population and could eventually control 1.8 billion doses (about a quarter of the world’s near-term supply).

‘The way things are going, two-thirds of the world’s population will not have a vaccine before the end of 2022... The struggle between ‘vaccine nationalism’ and the ‘people’s vaccine’ mirrors the fight between the North and the South over questions of debt and over vast areas of human development... Precious resources need to go toward testing, tracing, and isolation to break the chain of infection of the virus; they need to go toward building up the public health infrastructure, including training health care professionals who would need to give the two-dose injection to billions of people; they need to be used for the building of regional pharmaceutical production; and certainly they need to go toward the immediate relief for people, including income support, food provision, and social protection against the shadow pandemic of patriarchal violence.’

Read here (The Bullet, Dec 4, 2020) 

UN special session on Covid-19 must recognise right to health & access to vaccines

‘The UN General Assembly is holding a Special Session on the Covid-19 pandemic at the level of Heads of State and Government on 3 and 4 December.. It took more than a year of discussions to overcome the opposition of certain states, notably the United States and President Donald Trump.

‘The holding of this Special Session (the 37th in the history of the UN) is of considerable importance. It is a unique opportunity to define and implement joint actions at the global level to fight the pandemic in order to ensure the right to life and health for all the inhabitants of the Earth. As the President of the UN General Assembly wrote in his letter of convocation: “Let us not forget that none of us are safe until we are all safe”....’

This is a lengthy opinion piece by Riccardo Petrella, Emeritus Professor, Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium). His research and teaching fields have been regional development, poverty, science and technology policy and globalisation.

Read here (IPS News, Nov 30, 2020)

What message will persuade people to take a vaccine?

‘Scientists are charging ahead to make a COVID-19 vaccine available, working out the challenging logistics of wide-scale production and distribution. Milkman is hopeful that the work of the BCFG team will, in turn, help more people take the vaccine. “Even if we get the supply chain issues right, even if we get every corner drugstore to someday be supplying these, we have to get them into arms in order for them to change the course of the pandemic,” she said. “And the messaging is going to be key to that.”

Read here (Knowledge@Wharton, Nov 24, 2020)

China and Russia are using coronavirus vaccines to expand their influence. The US is on the sidelines

“Global health and pharmaceutical interventions are getting sucked into balance-of-power politics,” said David Fidler, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. “For the U.S., this creates geopolitical nightmares, because we are not in the game.” Beijing and Moscow are marshaling the vast powers of their states to develop vaccines for domestic and international use, accompanied by grand claims of scientific and manufacturing prowess. There are critical questions about safety and efficacy — or even how much each country can produce. But, for the moment, those questions are overshadowed in a seller’s market.

Read here (Washington Post, Nov 24, 2020)