In their recent communiqué, Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers admirably committed to using ‘all available tools for as long as required to address the adverse consequences of Covid-19’—in particular for those most affected.
Since the pandemic developed, governments around the world have taken extraordinary steps to support their economies, forcing the closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses, locking down borders and unleashing a wave of economic and health measures. While not all responses have been equally effective, one fundamental lesson has become clear: governments—particularly in wealthy countries—can marshal unprecedented interventions, at scale, when needed.
Eighteen months on though, critical weaknesses persist. Global vaccine inequity is perpetuating the pandemic. Economic instability and lack of fiscal space threaten another lost decade of development for many low- and middle-income countries. Despite escalating climate disasters, only 2 per cent of the total fiscal response to Covid-19 and the recovery from the ensuing economic crisis has gone into clean-energy measures. Progress on addressing the interlocking global crises of Covid-19, economic instability and climate change has effectively stalled.
Read more at
The G20, the private sector and the vaccine, debt and climate crises – Katie Gallogly-Swan and Rebecca Ray
Showing posts with label Vaccination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vaccination. Show all posts
10/30/21
9/12/21
USA: Covid Vaccine Resisters Seek Religious Exemptions. But What Counts? - by Ruth Graham
When Crisann Holmes’s employer announced last month that it would require all employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by Nov. 1, she knew she had to find a way out.
She signed a petition to ask the company to relax its mandate. She joined an informal protest, skipping work with other dissenting employees at the mental health care system where she has worked for two years. And she attempted a solution that many across the country are now exploring: a religious exemption.
Read more at: Covid Vaccine Resisters Seek Religious Exemptions. But What Counts? - The New York Times
She signed a petition to ask the company to relax its mandate. She joined an informal protest, skipping work with other dissenting employees at the mental health care system where she has worked for two years. And she attempted a solution that many across the country are now exploring: a religious exemption.
Read more at: Covid Vaccine Resisters Seek Religious Exemptions. But What Counts? - The New York Times
8/23/21
USA - vaccine booster shot: Some scientists say Biden juth vaccine booster plan - by Rachana Pradhan, Kaisermped gun wi
The Biden administration’s plans to make COVID-19 booster shots available next month has drawn a collective scream of protest from the scientific community.
As some scientists see it, the announcement is rash and based on weak evidence, and they worry it could undercut confidence in vaccines with no clear benefit of controlling the pandemic. Meanwhile, more information is needed on potential side effects or adverse effects from a booster shot, they say.
Read more at: Some scientists say Biden jumped gun with vaccine booster plan
As some scientists see it, the announcement is rash and based on weak evidence, and they worry it could undercut confidence in vaccines with no clear benefit of controlling the pandemic. Meanwhile, more information is needed on potential side effects or adverse effects from a booster shot, they say.
Read more at: Some scientists say Biden jumped gun with vaccine booster plan
8/7/21
Covid-19 Booster Shot: WHO calls for COVID booster jab moratorium to accelerate vaccination in poorer countries
The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on Wednesday for a moratorium on booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines so that those vaccines can be made available to countries that have only been able to inoculate a small proportion of their population.
Read more at: WHO calls for COVID booster jab moratorium to accelerate vaccination in poorer countries | Euronews
Read more at: WHO calls for COVID booster jab moratorium to accelerate vaccination in poorer countries | Euronews
7/9/21
Coronavirus Vaccine: Pfizer to ask permission to give booster shot; FDA, CDC say it’s not necessary
Pfizer announced Thursday it plans to seek Food and Drug Administration authorization for a booster shot to its two-dose vaccine that could further protect people from COVID-19 variants, the company announced Thursday.
However, a joint statement on Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA said, "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time."
Read more at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/as-pfizer-wants-to-push-booster-shot-fda-and-cdc-say-its-not-necessary-at-this-time/ar-AALYAiU?ocid=BingNewsSearch
However, a joint statement on Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA said, "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time."
Read more at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/as-pfizer-wants-to-push-booster-shot-fda-and-cdc-say-its-not-necessary-at-this-time/ar-AALYAiU?ocid=BingNewsSearch
6/30/21
Netherlands to Launch EU Digital COVID Passport on July 1
The Dutch Government has announced that the country will introduce the Digital COVID Passport in order to facilitate travel within the European Union amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more at: Netherlands to Launch EU Digital COVID Passport on July 1 - SchengenVisaInfo.com
Read more at: Netherlands to Launch EU Digital COVID Passport on July 1 - SchengenVisaInfo.com
6/22/21
Netherlands offers free herring as Covid jab incentive - by Jon Henley
After Russia offered cars, Washington state spliffs, Indonesia live chickens and Hong Kong the chance of a £1.2m apartment, the latest country to reward people who show up for their Covid shots is the Netherlands – with soused herring.
Early batches of Hollandse nieuwe, or new-season Dutch herring, a traditional delicacy consumed to the tune of 75m a year, are being distributed to vaccination centres around the country as an encouragement for people to get their jabs.
Read more at: Netherlands offers free herring as Covid jab incentive | Netherlands | The Guardian
Early batches of Hollandse nieuwe, or new-season Dutch herring, a traditional delicacy consumed to the tune of 75m a year, are being distributed to vaccination centres around the country as an encouragement for people to get their jabs.
Read more at: Netherlands offers free herring as Covid jab incentive | Netherlands | The Guardian
5/14/21
Shipping Industry: Netherlands Will Vaccinate Seafarers Working on Dutch Ships
Seafaring organizations have been highlighting the challenge of vaccinating seafarers during the pandemic calling for special programs and considerations that recognize their role as key workers in the global supply chain. Responding to the need, the Netherlands announced that starting in mid-June all seafarers regardless of nationality who work on seagoing vessels under the Dutch flag or under Dutch management will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations under a program managed by the Royal Association of Dutch Shipowners (KVNR).
Read more at: Netherlands Will Vaccinate Seafarers Working on Dutch Ships
Read more at: Netherlands Will Vaccinate Seafarers Working on Dutch Ships
3/5/21
EU: Covid: What’s the problem with the EU vaccine rollout?
The European Union has been criticised for the slow pace of coronavirus vaccinations in its member states.
It has introduced export controls on vaccines produced in the EU after its rollout was hit by supply problems and delays. They were used for the first time on 4 March, when Italy blocked a shipment of 250,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia.
The scheme, set up in June 2020, allows the EU to negotiate the purchase of vaccines on behalf of its member states. It says this can help reduce costs and avoid competition between them.
Member states do not have to join the scheme, but all 27 EU countries chose to do so.
Read more at: Covid: What’s the problem with the EU vaccine rollout? - BBC News
It has introduced export controls on vaccines produced in the EU after its rollout was hit by supply problems and delays. They were used for the first time on 4 March, when Italy blocked a shipment of 250,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia.
The scheme, set up in June 2020, allows the EU to negotiate the purchase of vaccines on behalf of its member states. It says this can help reduce costs and avoid competition between them.
Member states do not have to join the scheme, but all 27 EU countries chose to do so.
Read more at: Covid: What’s the problem with the EU vaccine rollout? - BBC News
3/1/21
ECDC: The Netherlands has fourth-highest vaccination rate in EU - by Victoria Séveno
After a late start and a slow couple of weeks, the number of coronavirus vaccinations in the Netherlands has risen significantly over the past two weeks. According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Netherlands now has the fourth-highest vaccination rate in the EU.
Read more at: ECDC: The Netherlands has fourth-highest vaccination rate in EU
Read more at: ECDC: The Netherlands has fourth-highest vaccination rate in EU
2/8/21
From China and Russia with love: Covid-19: Can Vaccines from Russia and China Be a Game Changer? by Jörg Blech
A huge number of people in Germany and other European countries can hardly wait to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In Serbia, by contrast, it has sometimes appeared difficult to find someone willing to accept the jab. The syringes in the country, after all, were not filled with a product from Western pharmaceutical companies, but with a vaccine developed by the Chinese company Sinopharm. Nevertheless, Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Lončar elected to become the first person in his country to receive the vaccine.
"I was guided by two basic facts. First, that the vaccine meets all the safety criteria. And second, that it is effective," says Lončar, a medical doctor. He received his injection in January. "When I was convinced of all the above, I was able to stand up before the citizens of Serbia and suggest that they start mass vaccination."
Read more at: Covid-19: Can Vaccines from Russia and China Be a Game Changer? - DER SPIEGEL
"I was guided by two basic facts. First, that the vaccine meets all the safety criteria. And second, that it is effective," says Lončar, a medical doctor. He received his injection in January. "When I was convinced of all the above, I was able to stand up before the citizens of Serbia and suggest that they start mass vaccination."
Read more at: Covid-19: Can Vaccines from Russia and China Be a Game Changer? - DER SPIEGEL
2/1/21
Pfizer Vaccination safe says EMA: Deaths After Pfizer COVID Vaccines Not Linked to Shots, Says European Medicines Agency - by Aristos Georgiou
No link has been found between the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and several fatalities in Europe involving people who died after receiving a COVID-19 shot, regulators said Friday. The finding was reported in the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) first safety update on the vaccine, which was authorized for emergency use in the European Union in December.
In the update, the EMA said its safety committee had assessed deaths reported after vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, including those in frail and elderly people.
Read more at: Deaths After Pfizer COVID Vaccines Not Linked to Shots, Says European Medicines Agency
In the update, the EMA said its safety committee had assessed deaths reported after vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, including those in frail and elderly people.
Read more at: Deaths After Pfizer COVID Vaccines Not Linked to Shots, Says European Medicines Agency
1/31/21
AstraZeneca Covid Vaccination Age Limitation: Germany recommends AstraZeneca COVID vaccine only for people under 65
Germany will review the order of its coronavirus vaccine priority list following a recommendation from its vaccine authority not to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to individuals 65 and older.
"We will now have to review the order of vaccination [because] of the age limitations of the AstraZeneca vaccine," said health minister Jens Spahn, according to AFP.
Read more at: Germany recommends AstraZeneca COVID vaccine only for people under 65 | Euronews
"We will now have to review the order of vaccination [because] of the age limitations of the AstraZeneca vaccine," said health minister Jens Spahn, according to AFP.
Read more at: Germany recommends AstraZeneca COVID vaccine only for people under 65 | Euronews
1/28/21
The EU's vaccine strategy - the key points
The European Commission, on behalf of member states, has sealed deals with six companies for up to 2.3 billion vaccine doses. The BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are so far the only jabs authorised in the EU, but the vaccine jointly developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca is expected to be approved on Friday (29 January) by the European Medical Agency (EMA).
With two doses per person needed for both authorised vaccines, the EU could vaccinate at least 380 million people - covering approximately 80 percent of the European population.
Read more at: https://euobserver.com/coronavirus/150747
With two doses per person needed for both authorised vaccines, the EU could vaccinate at least 380 million people - covering approximately 80 percent of the European population.
Read more at: https://euobserver.com/coronavirus/150747
1/18/21
Vaccination against COVID-19 re: allergic reactions: Experts offer reassurance
The authors, led by allergists at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, conducted a detailed review of issues relating to allergic reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
They conclude that reactions to vaccines are rare, and that even people with known food or medication allergies are safe to receive the vaccine under the right circumstances.
Read more at: COVID-19 vaccine allergic reactions: Experts offer reassurance
They conclude that reactions to vaccines are rare, and that even people with known food or medication allergies are safe to receive the vaccine under the right circumstances.
Read more at: COVID-19 vaccine allergic reactions: Experts offer reassurance
1/5/21
The Netherlands: Dutch government criticized for late start to vaccinations - by Mike Corder
The Dutch government came under heavy criticism from lawmakers Tuesday over a COVID-19 vaccination plan that has the first shots set to be administered on Wednesday, making the Netherlands the last European Union nation to begin vaccinations.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte conceded that his government had focused in its preparations on the easy-to-handle AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not yet been cleared for use in the EU, and not the vaccine produced by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, which is the only shot so far given the green light by the EU’s medicines agency.
“This is outrageous,” Geert Wilders, leader of the largest Dutch opposition party, said during a debate that was arranged during Parliament’s winter recess. “It is not a strategy, but chaos — total chaos — and the preparations were poor and too late.”
Read more at: Dutch government criticized for late start to vaccinations
Prime Minister Mark Rutte conceded that his government had focused in its preparations on the easy-to-handle AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not yet been cleared for use in the EU, and not the vaccine produced by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech, which is the only shot so far given the green light by the EU’s medicines agency.
“This is outrageous,” Geert Wilders, leader of the largest Dutch opposition party, said during a debate that was arranged during Parliament’s winter recess. “It is not a strategy, but chaos — total chaos — and the preparations were poor and too late.”
Read more at: Dutch government criticized for late start to vaccinations
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