Op-Ed: What will it take to make a universal COVID vaccine?
2 years, 9 months ago

Op-Ed: What will it take to make a universal COVID vaccine?

LA Times  

As California emerges from Omicron, other places are again in lockdown or facing record caseloads after trying and failing to avoid the variant. Since this protein is so prone to mutation, making it harder for the body to recognize in future variants, a more universal vaccine must target parts of the virus that are shared among several viruses in the family — often essential components that are less likely to mutate. And we’re not sure if the mRNA format, which emerged as a vaccine strategy after decades of development, is best against the next new pathogen, compared with other vaccine approaches such as using nanoparticles that allow more options for vaccine formulations, weakened or killed viruses, or viral vectors that contain a greater variety of molecules and may trigger protective viral-sensing mechanisms. To handle these complexities, we’ll need all kinds of experts — including in developing novel vaccine formats to elicit an effective, long-lasting immune response and in understanding the vaccine components that cause immune cells to spring into action. Since vaccines typically don’t make much money — a good lifelong vaccine might be administered once, and for much of the world it needs to be donated — federal governments and large philanthropic organizations have to front most of the investment.

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History of this topic

Anticipating a major bird flu crisis, the U.S. government just awarded $176 million for a vaccine
6 months ago

Anticipating a major bird flu crisis, the U.S. government just awarded $176 million for a vaccine

Salon  

In the ongoing waves of bird flu outbreaks, with the virus spreading to more than 141 herds in 12 states, the risk of another full-blown pandemic like COVID-19 is becoming a distinct possibility. In preparation for just such a disaster, the U.S. government will pay pharmaceutical company Moderna $176 million to develop a vaccine that protects against the H5N1 virus. …

The US will pay Moderna $176 million to develop an mRNA pandemic flu vaccine
6 months, 1 week ago

The US will pay Moderna $176 million to develop an mRNA pandemic flu vaccine

Associated Press  

The U.S. government will pay the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to accelerate development of a pandemic influenza vaccine that could be used to treat bird flu in people, as concern grows about cases in dairy cows across the country, federal officials announced Tuesday. Moderna already has a bird flu vaccine in very early-stage testing that uses the same mRNA …

US govt awards $1.4 bln for development of new COVID...
1 year, 4 months ago

US govt awards $1.4 bln for development of new COVID...

Daily Mail  

The Biden Administration has allocated another $1.4billion to developing Covid treatments and vaccines – despite declaring the pandemic over months ago. The news comes as hospitalizations rise for the fifth week in a row, though they are still three times lower than this time last year. Hospitalizations across the US have risen for the fifth week in a row, but …

Covid vaccines have averted THREE MILLION deaths in America
2 years ago

Covid vaccines have averted THREE MILLION deaths in America

Daily Mail  

Two years ago tomorrow the first person in the US got the shot outside a trial The report likely underestimates the full impact of vaccines, the researchers said More than 120 million Covid infections were prevented by the shots, it found Covid vaccines have averted more than three million deaths in the US during the pandemic, a report has found. …

Explained | Can vaccine distribution be made fairer?
2 years, 1 month ago

Explained | Can vaccine distribution be made fairer?

The Hindu  

The story so far: The Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity, a joint effort by the United Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organization and the University of Oxford with cooperation across the UN system, has put out recent data that justifies the vexatious core of the vaccine distribution programme: Only one in four people has been vaccinated with at least …

How Pfizer plans to sell its Covid vaccine back to YOU with a 10,000% markup
2 years, 2 months ago

How Pfizer plans to sell its Covid vaccine back to YOU with a 10,000% markup

Daily Mail  

Pfizer has been accused of 'daylight robbery' after it emerged the company plans to sell its Covid shot with an estimated 10,000 percent markup in the US next year — despite enjoying extraordinary surges in profits during the pandemic. Dr Ugur Sahin, the brains behind the Covid shot and CEO of Pfizer's German partner BioNTech, is among nine 'vaccine billionaires' …

GAVI financing to allow for immediate funds for next pandemic
2 years, 3 months ago

GAVI financing to allow for immediate funds for next pandemic

Live Mint  

Global vaccine alliance GAVI has set up financial instruments that will allow the group to immediately access pledged donor funding if it needs to buy vaccines for future pandemics, Chief Executive Seth Berkley told Reuters. Berkley said that in 2020 and 2021, GAVI was limited in its ability to buy COVID-19 vaccines because even though donors had committed $2.4 billion, …

Tweaked COVID boosters close but how much will they help?
2 years, 4 months ago

Tweaked COVID boosters close but how much will they help?

Associated Press  

COVID-19 vaccines tweaked to better match today’s omicron threat are expected to roll out in a few weeks but still up in the air is how much benefit the booster shots will offer, who should get one -- and how soon. Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s vaccine chief, said Thursday that once authorized, the tweaked boosters could help right away …

In race for monkeypox vaccines, experts see repeat of COVID-19
2 years, 5 months ago

In race for monkeypox vaccines, experts see repeat of COVID-19

The Hindu  

Moves by rich countries to buy large quantities of monkeypox vaccine, while declining to share doses with Africa, could leave millions of people unprotected against a more dangerous version of the disease and risk continued spillovers of the virus into humans, public health officials are warning. Yet while monkeypox is much harder to spread than COVID-19, experts warn that if …

Experts say U.S. suspension of COVID aid will prolong pandemic
2 years, 8 months ago

Experts say U.S. suspension of COVID aid will prolong pandemic

LA Times  

In the latest Senate package targeted at stopping the coronavirus, U.S. lawmakers dropped nearly all funding for curbing the virus beyond American borders — a move many health experts slammed as dangerously short-sighted. He said Uganda has leaned heavily on donor help — it received more than 11 million vaccines from the U.S. — and that any cuts “would make …

UK pledges £160m to help accelerate vaccine development
2 years, 10 months ago

UK pledges £160m to help accelerate vaccine development

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: …

AP sources: White House seeks another $30B for COVID battle
2 years, 10 months ago

AP sources: White House seeks another $30B for COVID battle

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is telling Congress that it needs an additional $30 billion to press ahead with the fight against COVID-19, officials said. Two people familiar with the administration’s plan confirmed key details on Tuesday: $17.9 billion for vaccines and treatments, $4.9 billion for testing, $3 billion to cover coronavirus care for uninsured people, and $3.7 billion to …

Covid-19: What will it take to vaccinate the world?
2 years, 11 months ago

Covid-19: What will it take to vaccinate the world?

Hindustan Times  

This is one of a series of interviews by Bloomberg Opinion columnists on how to solve the world’s most pressing policy challenges. It will not provide very durable protection Clara Ferreira Marques: You’re a veteran advocate for global health, vaccines and tropical-disease control, and served as a U.S. science envoy during the Obama administration. The Texas Children’s Hospital Center for …

US pledges $580m to international COVID fight amid Omicron spread
3 years ago

US pledges $580m to international COVID fight amid Omicron spread

Al Jazeera  

The announcement comes as the Biden administration released a raft of measures aimed at ramping up domestic response. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement on Tuesday, shortly before he said he is set to meet his counterparts from other countries to discuss global cooperation in responding to Omicron, which officials say has already become the dominant strain …

Variants, boosters turn rich-poor vaccine gap into chasm
3 years, 1 month ago

Variants, boosters turn rich-poor vaccine gap into chasm

Associated Press  

PARIS — The global initiative to share coronavirus vaccines fairly already scaled back its pledge to the world’s poor once. Now, to meet even that limited promise, COVAX would have to deliver more than a million doses every hour until the end of the year in some of the world’s most challenging places. COVAX’s new promise is for 1.4 billion …

Experts Predict What COVID Vaccines Might Be Like In The Future
3 years, 1 month ago

Experts Predict What COVID Vaccines Might Be Like In The Future

Huff Post  

Francesco Carta fotografo via Getty Images When the mRNA vaccines rolled out at the end of 2020, we were told it would be quick and simple to tweak the shots should new variants of concern appear. Even with omicron — a variant that may potentially chip away at the effectiveness of our shots to a degree — the original vaccines’ …

The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus
3 years, 2 months ago

The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus

Wired  

On October 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave most of the US population permission to get a Covid vaccine booster—a shot in such high demand that 10 million people somehow obtained it in advance of that approval in an effort to feel a little safer. In a fistful of papers and preprints published in the past six …

African Union to buy up to 110 million Moderna COVID vaccines
3 years, 2 months ago

African Union to buy up to 110 million Moderna COVID vaccines

Al Jazeera  

Arrangement brokered in part by the White House which will defer delivery of some doses intended for US to facilitate the deal. The African Union intends to buy up to 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc in an arrangement brokered in part by the White House which will defer delivery of some doses intended for the United …

UN calls for $8bn to redress world COVID vaccine imbalance
3 years, 3 months ago

UN calls for $8bn to redress world COVID vaccine imbalance

Al Jazeera  

UN chief Antonio Guterres says vaccine inequity is not only “immoral but stupid” because it will give rise to new variants and more deaths. “Vaccine inequality is the best ally of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Guterres said, as he appealed for wealthy nations who have so far received most of the world’s vaccines to step up. “It is allowing variants to …

PAHO says it is buying more COVID vaccines for Americas
3 years, 3 months ago

PAHO says it is buying more COVID vaccines for Americas

Al Jazeera  

WHO’s Americas branch says it is in ‘advanced’ talks with vaccine manufacturers to buy additional doses. The Pan American Health Organization has said it is pushing to secure additional COVID-19 vaccines for residents of the Americas amid huge discrepancies in vaccination rates between countries in the region. PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said vaccine donations, including through the United Nations-backed COVAX …

Quad partnership on track to produce at least a billion vaccine doses in India by 2022: Joe Biden
3 years, 3 months ago

Quad partnership on track to produce at least a billion vaccine doses in India by 2022: Joe Biden

India TV News  

The Quad partnership is on track to produce at least a billion vaccine doses in India by 2022, US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday, asserting that nothing is more urgent than working together to defeat COVID-19 so the world is much better prepared for future pandemics. The United States and its international partners are working quickly to scale up …

WHO aims for 30 percent of needed Africa COVID jabs by February
3 years, 3 months ago

WHO aims for 30 percent of needed Africa COVID jabs by February

Al Jazeera  

The WHO and its partners hope to provide Africa with about 30 percent of vaccines by February. The World Health Organization and its partners have said they hope to provide Africa with about 30 percent of the COVID-19 vaccines the continent needs by February, badly missing the 60 percent vaccination coverage goal that African leaders had once hoped for this …

The world needs more COVID vaccines. That gives Biden a chance to lead
3 years, 4 months ago

The world needs more COVID vaccines. That gives Biden a chance to lead

LA Times  

Kaleigha Smith, 12, is tested for the coronavirus Aug. 11 at Northridge Middle School. “Stamping out the virus everywhere protects our health and our economy here at home,” Biden’s COVID-19 coordinator, Jeffrey Zients, said last week. “We still see shocking inequities in access to vaccines,” the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said last week. “From the …

What is being done to distribute COVID-19 vaccines globally?
3 years, 4 months ago

What is being done to distribute COVID-19 vaccines globally?

Associated Press  

LONDON — What is being done to distribute COVID-19 vaccines globally? Several groups are working to get shots to poor countries, but they’re falling far short of what’s needed to curb outbreaks around the world. Without enough purchased vaccines, COVAX is now relying on donated shots from wealthy countries, but most of the pledged doses won’t be delivered this year. …

Africa’s vaccine crisis: It’s not all about corruption
3 years, 5 months ago

Africa’s vaccine crisis: It’s not all about corruption

Al Jazeera  

The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is taking its toll across the world, with many countries reporting higher than ever numbers of infections and hospitalisations. As of July 2021, only 25.3 percent of the world’s population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and of the 3.4 billion doses that have been administered worldwide, only one …

11 billion doses needed to end COVID-19: UN chief stresses on Global Vaccination Plan
3 years, 5 months ago

11 billion doses needed to end COVID-19: UN chief stresses on Global Vaccination Plan

India TV News  

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said that 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate 70 per cent of the world to end the Covid-19 pandemic. We need at least 11 billion doses to vaccinate 70 per cent of the world and end this pandemic," the UN chief told the opening of the ministerial segment of the High-level Political Forum …

July 12, 2021 coronavirus news
3 years, 5 months ago

July 12, 2021 coronavirus news

CNN  

World Health Organization leaders asked wealthy countries on Monday to hold off on giving booster doses of coronavirus vaccines to their residents before people in other countries can even get their first doses. “Some countries and regions are actually ordering millions of booster doses before other countries have had supplies to vaccinate their health workers and most vulnerable,” WHO Director-General …

Vaccines are terrific, but where are the COVID-19 treatments?
3 years, 6 months ago

Vaccines are terrific, but where are the COVID-19 treatments?

LA Times  

Since the early days of the pandemic, we’ve all wanted to know when and how it will end. That research has yielded three authorized vaccines — so far — that are highly effective not just against the original virus but also against its many variants, including the highly transmissible Delta variant. Mehta spoke to The Times about which medicines are …

Just Give Us the Vaccines, WHO Pleads, as Poor Countries Go Wanting
3 years, 6 months ago

Just Give Us the Vaccines, WHO Pleads, as Poor Countries Go Wanting

News 18  

Rich countries are opening up societies and vaccinating young people who are not at great risk from COVID-19, while the poorest countries cruelly lack doses, the World Health Organization said on Friday, condemning a global failure. The situation in Africa, where new infections and deaths jumped by nearly 40% last week compared to the previous week, is “so dangerous” as …

WHO condemns global failure in vaccine supply as poor countries go wanting
3 years, 6 months ago

WHO condemns global failure in vaccine supply as poor countries go wanting

India Today  

Rich countries are opening up societies and vaccinating young people who are not at great risk from Covid-19, while the poorest countries cruelly lack doses, the World Health Organization said on Friday, condemning a global failure. The situation in Africa, where new infections and deaths jumped by nearly 40% last week compared to the previous week, is "so dangerous" as …

US Announces Allocation Plan for 55 Million Covid Vaccine Doses
3 years, 6 months ago

US Announces Allocation Plan for 55 Million Covid Vaccine Doses

News 18  

The administration of US President Joe Biden on Monday announced its plan for the next tranche of 55 million Covid vaccine doses it plans to send to countries in need. The donation will complete Washington’s initial pledge of 80 million doses from its own vaccine supply, made ahead of a vow to buy 500 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine for …

U.S. to spend $ 3.2 billion to develop treatments for COVID-19 and potential threats
3 years, 6 months ago

U.S. to spend $ 3.2 billion to develop treatments for COVID-19 and potential threats

The Hindu  

The United States has announced that it will spend $ 3.2 billion on developing antiviral treatments for COVID-19 and prepare for other “pandemic threats” – viruses that have the potential to cause pandemics. Watch | Dr. Anthony Fauci on the second wave of COVID-19 in India, mucormycosis and more “Vaccines will continue to remain the ‘centrepiece of our arsenal’ against …

After an Unviable Experiment, Vaccine Recentralisation Will Rejuvenate India's Covid Battle
3 years, 7 months ago

After an Unviable Experiment, Vaccine Recentralisation Will Rejuvenate India's Covid Battle

News 18  

India is on the cusp of administering 25 crore Covid-19 jabs this week, more than the population of every other country in the world except Indonesia, the United States of America and, of course, China. On June 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation confirmed that the central government will provide free vaccines to all Indian …

Heads of four global organisations appeal to world leaders for COVID-19 vaccine equality
3 years, 7 months ago

Heads of four global organisations appeal to world leaders for COVID-19 vaccine equality

Firstpost  

WHO, World Bank, IMF, and WTO blamed gaps in vaccination programs for the emergence of virus variants that fuelled fresh outbreaks in developing countries. World leaders must make a “new commitment” to a more equal distribution of coronavirus vaccines to bring the pandemic under control, the heads of four major global organisations said Tuesday. The cash injections “would help us …

More pharma firms should be allowed to make Covid vaccine: Nitin Gadkari
3 years, 7 months ago

More pharma firms should be allowed to make Covid vaccine: Nitin Gadkari

India TV News  

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has called for increasing the number of companies producing Covid vaccines and suggested that more pharma companies should be given the licence to manufacture vaccines to deal with the pandemic. Instead of 1, let 10 more companies be given license to manufacture vaccine.Let them supply in the country and later if there is surplus, they may …

COVID-19 Patent Waivers Are Not A Silver Bullet : The Indicator from Planet Money : NPR
3 years, 7 months ago

COVID-19 Patent Waivers Are Not A Silver Bullet : The Indicator from Planet Money : NPR

NPR  

The Great Vaccine Patent-Off Enlarge this image PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on around the world, vaccines are not being made fast enough. One big idea right now is removing intellectual property from COVID-19 vaccines. But another position is that the whole patent debate is kind of a side show …

US Backs COVID Jab Patents Waiver, What Next for Vaccine Equality?
3 years, 8 months ago

US Backs COVID Jab Patents Waiver, What Next for Vaccine Equality?

The Quint  

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and the US government backing a waiver on COVID-19 vaccine patents is just one of those crucial decisions that was much needed in this pandemic. As it is, low- and middle-income countries, like India, are facing a vaccine shortage without having vaccinated even 10 percent of the population, which makes it so utterly important …

UN program inks Moderna deal on 500M doses, starting in Q4
3 years, 8 months ago

UN program inks Moderna deal on 500M doses, starting in Q4

Associated Press  

GENEVA — U.S. biotech company Moderna will provide up to 500 million doses for the U.N.-backed program to ship coronavirus vaccines to needy people in low- and middle-income countries, but shipments won’t begin until the fourth quarter, the company and program leaders said Monday. Also Monday, the alliance announced that Sweden’s government has committed to donate 1 million doses of …

Last year, three in 10 adults worldwide said they wouldn’t get a Covid-19 vaccine, Gallup poll finds
3 years, 8 months ago

Last year, three in 10 adults worldwide said they wouldn’t get a Covid-19 vaccine, Gallup poll finds

CNN  

CNN — Nearly 1.3 billion adults globally in 2020 said they would not get a Covid-19 vaccine if one were offered to them at no cost, according to a new Gallup poll released on Monday. The poll, which surveyed more than 300,000 people across 117 countries last year, showed that 68% of adults worldwide would get a vaccine if one …

What To Know About The Growing Debate Over COVID-19 Vaccine Patents And Equity
3 years, 8 months ago

What To Know About The Growing Debate Over COVID-19 Vaccine Patents And Equity

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The ability of wealthy countries like the United States and the United Kingdom to place huge orders for vaccines before companies had even proved their efficacy has attracted critics since the earliest months of the pandemic ― and the results they warned about are playing out now. “Countries must stop obstructing and show the leadership required to …

World to spend $157 billion on Covid-19 vaccines through 2025 : Report
3 years, 8 months ago

World to spend $157 billion on Covid-19 vaccines through 2025 : Report

India Today  

Total global spending on Covid-19 vaccines is projected to reach $157 billion by 2025, driven by mass vaccination programs underway and "booster shots" expected every two years, according to a report by U.S. health data company IQVIA Holdings Inc released on Thursday. Booster shots are likely to follow initial vaccinations every two years, the report said, based on current data …

Averting the next massive wave: India needs to commit a much larger and faster investment to vaccine manufacturing
3 years, 8 months ago

Averting the next massive wave: India needs to commit a much larger and faster investment to vaccine manufacturing

Times of India  

Even as we battle the massive wave of Covid-19 infections, it is important to take steps to avert the next such wave. The first and foremost step towards averting another Covid-19 wave is much larger and faster investment in vaccine manufacturing than currently planned. It should also invest in rapid expansion of other vaccines such as Covishield and Sputnik V. …

COVID-19 vaccination net to be cast wider from 1 May; experts flag inadequate supplies, pricing concerns
3 years, 8 months ago

COVID-19 vaccination net to be cast wider from 1 May; experts flag inadequate supplies, pricing concerns

Firstpost  

The crucial third phase of India’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy, under which everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible for inoculation, will begin from 1 May The crucial third phase of India’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy, under which everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible for inoculation, will begin from 1 May. The authorities, however, should also state …

Global COVID-19 infection rate approaching highest, says WHO
3 years, 8 months ago

Global COVID-19 infection rate approaching highest, says WHO

India TV News  

The number of new COVID-19 cases per week worldwide has nearly doubled over the past two months, approaching the highest infection rate seen so far during the pandemic, the World Health Organization said on Friday. He attributed the alarming increase to rapidly spreading variants, inconsistent use and premature easing of public health measures, fatigue of populations with social restrictions, and …

Over 780 mn COVID-19 vaccine shots administered globally, but pandemic far from over, says WHO chief
3 years, 8 months ago

Over 780 mn COVID-19 vaccine shots administered globally, but pandemic far from over, says WHO chief

Firstpost  

United Nations: Even though more than 780 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have now been administered globally, the pandemic is “long way from over” but it can be brought under control in months with proven public health measures, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said. Speaking to reporters in Geneva, he said while more than 780 million doses of vaccine …

Australia's COVID-19 vaccine supply is still patchy. But will other vaccines help fill the void?
3 years, 9 months ago

Australia's COVID-19 vaccine supply is still patchy. But will other vaccines help fill the void?

ABC  

Wind your mind back to early February. In a big announcement, Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government — which at the time was still three weeks away from conducting its first jab — had worked “quietly, behind the scenes” to secure an extra "10 million doses" of the Pfizer vaccine. "We now have access to over 150 million vaccine …

COVID vaccine found highly effective in real-world US study
3 years, 9 months ago

COVID vaccine found highly effective in real-world US study

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The two vaccines available since December — Pfizer and …

COVID vaccine found highly effective in real-world US study
3 years, 9 months ago

COVID vaccine found highly effective in real-world US study

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The U.S. government’s first look at the real-world use of COVID-19 vaccines found their effectiveness was nearly as robust as it was in controlled studies. The two vaccines available since December — Pfizer and Moderna — were highly effective at 90% after two doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday. The study included roughly …

Wealthy countries 'are buying up far more COVID-19 vaccines than they need' — and that's bad news for the end of the pandemic
3 years, 9 months ago

Wealthy countries 'are buying up far more COVID-19 vaccines than they need' — and that's bad news for the end of the pandemic

ABC  

Getting COVID-19 vaccine doses into arms is cracking along in some countries, but in the poorest, it's barely started at all. Key points: COVAX was set up in April last year, and Australia is one of the 190 countries to have signed up Experts say it is not having the desired effect, because wealthy countries are stockpiling more vaccines than …

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