South Africa to develop first African-owned Covid-19 vaccine
23/6/2022: A South African biotech company has teamed up with a Belgium-based firm to develop an African Covid-19 vaccine. The partners said they will seek to develop vaccines that are cheaper to produce and easier to store and distribute in rural and remote locations.
Source: The East African
World Health Organization improves financial independence
24/5/2022: Member states of the World Health Organization have agreed to a gradual increase of membership subscriptions from 16% to 50% of the core budget. This will reduce the WHO’s over-reliance on voluntary contributions, often earmarked for specific areas of work.
Source: World Health Organization
World health statistics to 2020
20/5/2022: Latest statistics published by the World Health Organization reveal the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic has set back global progress on both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. The two decades prior to the pandemic saw a doubling in global spending on health, of which approximately 80% occurred in high-income countries.
Source: World Health Organization
COVAX calls for urgent action to close vaccine equity gap
20/5/2022: Nearly 18 months after the first administration of a COVID-19 vaccine, only 16% of people in low-income countries have received a single dose – compared to 80% in high-income countries. Vaccine inequality continues to cost lives and increase the threat posed by potentially more dangerous variants of the virus.
Source: The Vaccine Alliance
New medicines can end AIDS – if the price is fair
18/5/2022: In too many communities new HIV infections are rising - 1.5 million in 2020 against a global target of 500,000. New breakthrough treatments to prevent and control HIV are becoming available but there is concern that high prices and monopolies will keep people in low- and middle-income countries locked out.
Source: Inter Press Service
The Global COVID-19 Summit must tackle the demand gap
6/5/2022: Low-income countries remain only 12% vaccinated, well behind the 70% target. Yet demand for vaccines — especially in African countries - is waning. These are just some of challenges for the second Global COVID-19 Summit of wealthy countries on May 12.
Source: Devex
Inequality stalks high Covid death rate in Latin America
27/4/2022: With only 8.4% of the world’s population, the Latin America and Caribbean region has endured 28% of total global deaths due to COVID-19. A report by Amnesty International attributes this outcome to high inequality and low public spending on health.
Source: Amnesty International
African children protected by first malaria vaccine
21/4/2022: More than 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have received one or more doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine in a pilot programme. If widely deployed, the vaccine could save the lives of an additional 40,000 to 80,000 African children each year.
Source: World Health Organization
Covid-19 human rights failures persist on second anniversary
11/3/2022: Safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines have existed for over a year yet billions of people remain unprotected without a single dose. Governments should redouble efforts to uphold their legal obligation to ensure the highest attainable standard of health for people everywhere.
Source: Human Rights Watch
Germany first to contribute ˜fair share” for global vaccine equity
1/3/2022: With a donation of $1.22 billion to the ACT-Accelerator Germany has become the first country to respond to the UN appeal to 55 countries to contribute a "fair share" towards ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: UN News