Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Nominates Virologist To Coordinate Global HIV/AIDS Response
AP: Biden To Name African-Born Doctor To Lead HIV/AIDS Response
President Joe Biden said Monday that he intends to nominate Dr. John N. Nkengasong to coordinate the U.S. response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide. Nkengasong, a U.S. citizen born in Cameroon, would be the first person of African descent to hold the position. The Senate must approve his eventual nomination. (9/27)
In global news about the coronavirus —
AP: Cuba Launches Commercial Exports Of COVID-19 Vaccines
Cuba has begun commercial exports of its homegrown COVID-19 vaccines, sending shipments of the three-dose Abdala vaccine to Vietnam and Venezuela. President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced the arrival in Vietnam on his Twitter feed Sunday. The official Cubadebate news website said the shipment included 900,000 doses purchased by Hanoi and 150,000 more donated by Cuba. (Rodriguez, 9/27)
Bloomberg: ImmunityBio Plans Trial For Second Covid-19 Shot In South Africa
ImmunityBio Inc., the U.S. company controlled by biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, is planning to conduct a trial for a second Covid-19 shot in South Africa. (Sguazzin, 9/28)
CIDRAP: Countries Walk Fine Line In Easing COVID-19 Restrictions
Delta (B1617.2) variant transmission is complicating plans for easing COVID-19 restrictions in some Asian nations, including Singapore and South Korea, countries that have won praise for their containment efforts over the past pandemic months. (Schnirring, 9/27)
AP: Japan To Lift All Coronavirus Emergency Steps Nationwide
Japan’s government says the coronavirus state of emergency will end Thursday so the economy can be reactivated as infections slow. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced Tuesday that virus restrictions will be eased gradually. With the lifting, Japan will be entirely free of emergency requirements for the first time in more than six months. (Yamaguchi, 9/28)
CNBC: CDC Raises Covid Travel Advisory Level For Singapore, Hong Kong
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday raised its travel advisories for Singapore and Hong Kong by one level each. Singapore was raised from Level 2 to Level 3, indicating a “high” level of Covid-19 in the country. The CDC said unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to the Southeast Asian country. (Ng, 9/28)
In other news from around the world —
Newsweek: San Marino Approves Abortion By Overwhelming Margin, Pope Francis Calls Procedure 'Murder'
The Catholic state of San Marino legalized abortion procedures on Sunday with 77 percent of the vote, despite Pope Francis' disapproval. As the Catholic Church strongly opposes the procedure, Pope Francis made a public statement Monday with an audience of the Vatican's bioethics academy that abortion is murder, the Associated Press reported. (Messmer, 9/27)
ABC News: S. Korean Leader's Review Of Ban On Eating Dog Meat Welcomed
Animal rights groups on Tuesday welcomed the South Korean president's offer to look into banning consumption of dog meat. Dog meat is neither legal nor explicitly banned in South Korea. Restaurants that serve it are a dwindling business here as younger people find dog meat a less appetizing dining option. But some people oppose a ban as a surrender to Western pressure. (9/28)
