Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Boosters Show Promise In Israel Outbreak; WHO Calls For Booster Delay
Reuters: Israel's COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters Show Signs Of Taming Delta
Less than a month into a COVID-19 vaccine booster drive, Israel is seeing signs of an impact on the country's high infection and severe illness rates fuelled by the fast-spreading Delta variant, officials and scientists say. Delta hit Israel in June, just as the country began to reap the benefits of one of the world's fastest vaccine roll-outs. (Lubell, 8/24)
NPR: WHO Calls For Delay In Booster Shots To Help Countries Struggling To Vaccinate
The head of the World Health Organization has called on countries to delay giving out booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine until nations with low vaccination rates can inoculate more of their population. During a news conference Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus again suggested that giving out booster shots in countries with already high vaccination rates could lead to more dangerous coronavirus variants appearing across the globe. (Hernandez, 8/23)
In other news around the world —
Axios: China Reports No New Local COVID Cases
China has reported no new local coronavirus cases after a month of surging infections, the country's National Health Commission (NHC) reported Monday. In July, a cluster of infections was identified that eventually spread to 1,200 people. China then implemented even stronger mitigation measures and widespread testing in an attempt to eradicate the virus in the country, CNN reports. The NHC reported 21 imported cases of COVID-19. (Reyes, 8/23)
The Hill: 880K Moderna Doses Donated By US Arrive In Kenya
Nearly 900,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States arrived in Kenya early Monday morning, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) announced. A total of 880,460 doses were donated by the U.S. to Kenya via the global vaccination sharing firm COVAX and transported by UNICEF. (Scully, 8/23)
The Washington Post: North Korea Is Yet To Begin Covid Vaccinations As Delays Hamper U.N.-Backed Rollout
The United Nations-backed global vaccination effort is offering additional doses of coronavirus vaccines to North Korea, one of few countries yet to start inoculating residents after a delay in a distribution program slated to begin this summer. The Gavi Alliance, the part of the Covax initiative that aims to deliver vaccines to the world’s most vulnerable people, said last week that it has allocated nearly 3 million doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac. The announcement came after plans to deliver nearly 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine were scrapped, amid North Korea’s apparent concerns about potential side effects and a supply shortage at an India-based distributor. (Lee and Kim, 8/24)
Reuters: Amid COVID Surge, Some Sri Lankans Opt For Cardboard Coffins
At a factory in Sri Lanka's Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia city, workers use staples and glue to assemble long cardboard boxes, which will be used as coffins for some of the country's coronavirus victims. The coffin is made out of recycled paper and costs a sixth of the cheapest wooden casket, according to 51-year old Priyantha Sahabandu, the local government official who first came up with the idea. ... "To make 400 coffins you have to cut some 250 to 300 trees. To prevent that environmental destruction I proposed this concept to the health committee of the council," he said. (8/24)
Bloomberg: India To Resume Covid Vaccine Exports In 2022, Official Says
India will likely restart exporting Covid-19 vaccines next year once it has immunized its own adult population, the head of an influential government expert panel said. “Almost 60 countries are hardly having any access to vaccine and India should be able to provide a substantial portion in 2022,” N.K. Arora, chairman of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization in India, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Tuesday. “As soon as we are through with our adult population we should have sufficient vaccine to share with the rest of the world.” (Kay and Chaudhary, 8/24)
