Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fund To Fight AIDS, Malaria, TB Wins $30 Million In Pledges At Davos
Reuters: Davos Booster For $18 Billion Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis And Malaria
A global health fund has raised a third of the $18 billion it says is needed to reverse setbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic and combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced its first pledge from the private sector on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, on Tuesday. The $10 million pledge by Comic Relief U.S. unlocks a matching $20 million commitment by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (de Kretser, 5/24)
NPR: With Food Prices Continuing To Climb, UN Warns Of Crippling Global Shortages
Fears of a global food crisis are growing due to the shock of the war in Ukraine, climate change and rising inflation. Kristalina Georgieva, the International Monetary Fund managing director, told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Monday that "the anxiety about access to food at a reasonable price globally is hitting the roof" as food prices continue "to go up up up". Last week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned of "the specter of a global food shortage in the coming months" without urgent international action. The U.N. estimates that in the past year, global food prices have risen by almost one third, fertilizer by more than half and oil prices by almost two thirds. (Griffiths, 5/23)
In other global developments —
The Washington Post: Spain Eases Covid Restrictions For U.S. Travelers
Spain eased its entry requirements for travelers from outside the European Union over the weekend, allowing Americans who are not fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to enter as long as they present negative test results. Previously, unvaccinated travelers from places such as the United States and Britain could only enter the country if they could prove a recent case of the coronavirus, meaning they had developed natural protections. (Diller, 5/23)
AP: Sweden: 5th COVID-19 Shot To People Over 65, Pregnant Women
Sweden is recommending a fifth COVID-19 vaccine dose for people with an increased risk of becoming seriously ill, including pregnant women and anyone aged 65 and over, authorities said Tuesday, adding that the country must “be prepared for an increased spread during the upcoming autumn and winter season.” (5/24)
AP: China's Bet On Homegrown MRNA Vaccines Holds Back Nation
As early as the spring of 2020 a Chinese pharmaceutical company, Fosun Pharma, reached an agreement to distribute — and eventually manufacture — the mRNA vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech. It still has not been cleared in mainland China, despite being authorized for use by separate authorities in Hong Kong and Macao. Now health experts say that delay — a result of putting politics and national pride above public health — could lead to avoidable coronavirus deaths and deeper economic losses because whole cities would be locked down to insulate the country’s unprotected population. (Wu and Ghosal, 5/24)
AP: Pakistan Launches New Anti-Polio Drive After 3rd Case Found
Pakistan launched a new anti-polio drive on Monday, more than a week after officials detected the third case so far this year in the country’s northwestern region bordering Afghanistan. The campaign — the third one this year — is to last for five days, aiming to inoculate 40 million children under the age of 5 across the country. (5/23)
