The American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech have announced that the COVID-19 vaccine they are jointly developing was more than 90 percent effective in early clinical trials. The news raised hopes around the world that life may soon return to pre-pandemic normal.Those hopes may not last long.
Hailed this week as a pandemic game-changer, the new COVID-19 vaccine offered countries that had pre-ordered doses a potential escape from a cycle of lockdowns and new waves of sickness and death. But while richer nations plan their vaccination programmes through the end of 2021, experts warn that poorer and developing countries face hurdles that could deny billions the first proven protection against the coronavirus.Vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech plan to roll out the first d
Russia has applied to the World Health Organization (WHO) for accelerated registration and pre-qualification of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the country's sovereign wealth fund said Tuesday.Russia announced in August that it had registered the world's first coronavirus vaccine, named after the Soviet-era satellite.On Tuesday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which finances the vaccine, said that accelerated registration would make Sputnik V "available globally in a sho
Dozens of companies, from biotech start-ups to Big Pharma, are racing to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, because the world needs it and for the potential pay day.Here's an update on the quest for a magic bullet against the coronavirus that has already killed more than a million people worldwide.How Many In The Pipeline? The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 42 "candidate vaccines" at the stage of clinical trials, up from 11 in mid-June.10 of
The grim milestone of one million COVID-19 deaths should spur the planet into fighting back against the disease, the WHO insisted Tuesday, saying it was "never too late to turn things around".The World Health Organization's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there were encouraging signs of hope, citing vaccine candidates in final-stage trials.And he said that while the world awaited scientific breakthroughs, the new coronavirus could be effectively contained through proven p
Now almost in its tenth month, the COVID-19 pandemic is still wreaking havoc on economies and lives around the world. But while the end of the crisis seems as far away as ever, the fact is that we are approaching a potential turning point. World leaders now have an opportunity to seal the deal on a global framework that puts international cooperation above vaccine nationalism in stopping the pandemic. The moment of truth was at midnight on 18 September.
As governments, research organisations and pharmaceutical companies race to find viable vaccines for the novel coronavirus, a recent survey published in the Lancet found that only 67 percent of the United States (US) population would accept a vaccine for COVID-19 if it was recommended for them. Within weeks of the survey, a major vaccine trial at Oxford University was paused after a participant fell ill.
Last year, a child died of pneumonia every 39 seconds, on average. A form of acute respiratory infection, pneumonia is detectable, treatable, and preventable. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) – which protect against the bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis (a life-threatening brain infection) – have existed since 2000.
The United Nations (UN) turns 75 this autumn, and if this were a normal year, many of the world’s leaders would gather in New York City to celebrate this milestone and open the annual meeting of the General Assembly. But this year is anything but normal.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday it did not expect widespread immunisation against the novel coronavirus until mid-2021, tempering hopes just as research revealed encouraging early results from a Russian vaccine.The virus which has killed nearly 870,000 people worldwide continues to spread, with Italy's flamboyant former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi now in hospital after becoming the latest high-profile figure to test positive for COVID-19.Across the world, governments
The global death toll from the new coronavirus has surpassed 800,000, according to an AFP count on Saturday, with numerous countries ramping up restrictions in an effort to battle an eruption of new cases.Western Europe, particularly Spain, Italy, Germany and France, has been enduring infection levels not seen in many months, sparking fears of a full-fledged second wave.And in Asia, South Korea, which had largely brought the virus under control, became the latest country to announce it would
“The baby is dead. We can’t assist you here.” By the time she heard these devastating words, the pregnant Yasmelis Casanova had endured a long and painful journey, passing through multiple COVID-19 checkpoints, to the hospital in Caracas, Venezuela. She bled for hours without treatment.
