Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Africa's Covid Cases Jump 20% In One Week, Worse Still Expected
Bloomberg: Africa Had Worst Week Of Coronavirus Pandemic, Worse To Come
Africa had its worst week of the coronavirus pandemic, with cases jumping 20% in seven days, and the situation is expected to intensify, according to Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s Africa director. “For Africa the worst is yet to come as the fast moving third wave continues to gain speed and new ground in countries,” Moeti said on a conference call. The end of this wave “is still going to be several weeks away.” During the week to July 4, a record 251,000 coronavirus cases were recorded in Africa and infections are now doubling every 18 days, she said. (Kew, 7/8)
The Washington Post: South Korea Increases Social Distancing Measures As Covid Infections Hit Record
South Korea is increasing social distancing curbs in its capital to the highest level after a steep rise in covid-19 infections amid a slow vaccine rollout. The country reported 1,316 new coronavirus cases on Friday, setting a record for the second day running. Friday’s figure is twice as high as the daily average across the first seven days of July. (Kim, 7/9)
Bloomberg: Major Virus Outbreak Looms In Myanmar As Vaccination Stalls
Myanmar’s Covid inoculation drive has ground to a near halt due to a vaccine shortage, forcing the military government that seized power in February to hunt for new supplies to stem a spike in cases and deaths. With the Southeast Asian country receiving no vaccine supplies since early May, just 1.75 million of a population of about 55 million have been fully vaccinated, according to Health Minister Thet Khine Win. The administration is now in talks with Russia and China to urgently secure more shots, officials said. (Lin Kyaw, 7/8)
Reuters: Cuba Says Second COVID-19 Vaccine Soberana 2 Boasts 91.2% Efficacy
Cuba said on Thursday its two-shot Soberana 2 vaccine, delivered with a booster called Soberana Plus, had proven 91.2% effective in late stage clinical trials against the coronavirus, following similar news about its Abdala vaccine. The announcement came from state-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma, which oversees the Finlay Institute, the maker of Soberana 2, and the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the producer of Abdala. Last month, Abdala was found to have a 92.28% efficacy. (Frank, 7/8)
Bloomberg: Countries Using China, Astra Shots Increasingly Eye Boosters
Growing concern that Covid-19 vaccines being deployed across much of the developing world aren’t capable of thwarting the delta variant is prompting some countries to look at offering third doses to bolster immunity against more-infectious virus strains. Though definitive evidence is yet to emerge backing the need for so-called “booster” shots, health officials from Thailand to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have already decided to offer the extra doses to some people already inoculated with vaccines from Chinese makers Sinovac Biotech Ltd., Sinopharm and from AstraZeneca Plc. (7/8)
Bloomberg: Quebec Backs Vaccine Passport To Keep Economy Open Despite Covid-19 Variants
Quebec, which had some of the toughest restrictions in North America during the pandemic, says it won’t close its economy again if there’s another outbreak. Instead, Canada’s second-most populated province will only allow fully vaccinated people to access non-essential places like bars and gyms. The passport-based approach, which is still rare in Canada, will take effect on Sept. 1, leaving Quebeckers enough time to get a second jab, Health Minister Christian Dube said. (Rastello, 7/8)
In other global developments —
AP: Oxfam: 11 People Die Of Hunger Each Minute Around The Globe
The anti-poverty organization Oxfam says 11 people die of hunger each minute and that the number facing famine-like conditions around the globe has increased six times over the last year. In a report titled “The Hunger Virus Multiplies,” Oxfam said Thursday that the death toll from famine outpaces that of COVID-19, which kills around seven people per minute. (Elhennaway, 7/9)
Modern Healthcare: McKesson To Sell European Businesses, Focus On Growth In The U.S. And Elsewhere
Pharmaceutical distributor McKesson Corp. plans to sell its European businesses in six countries to the Phoenix Group in order to prioritize its services in the U.S. The sale includes its businesses in France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium and Slovenia, McKesson AG's headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, its German wound-care business Recucare GmbH, its shared services center in Lithuania and its 45% ownership stake in Brocacef, the company's joint venture based in the Netherlands. (Devereaux, 7/8)
In updates on the pope —
AP: Pope Temporarily Had Fever 3 Days After Intestinal Surgery
Pope Francis temporarily had a fever three days after intestinal surgery, but routine tests and scans proved negative, the Vatican said Thursday. The Vatican’s daily update said Francis was continuing to eat and move around unassisted, and had even sent his greetings to young cancer patients at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic hospital. But spokesman Matteo Bruni said Francis did have a “fever episode” temporarily Wednesday evening. (Winfield, 7/8)
The Washington Post: Pope Francis’s Surgery Elevates Questions About The Remaining Years Of His Papacy
For much of his pontificate, Pope Francis, 84, has carried on at the pace of a much younger man. He eschews weekend breaks. He packs his mornings with meetings. He takes breakneck international trips — with day after day of pre-sunrise alarms — that often seem to leave his traveling party more exhausted than he is. But this week, Francis was slowed to a halt, hospitalized for colon surgery to address a potentially painful bowel condition that is common among the elderly. (Harlan and Pitrelli, 7/8)
