Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Moderna Will Supply 500 Million Doses To UN Vaccine Effort
Fox News: Moderna Providing 500M Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine To COVAX Following WHO Approval
Moderna will provide up to 500 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to COVAX, the U.N.-backed program that provides shots to people in low-and middle-income countries by the end of 2022. The announcement comes days after the World Health Organization (WHO) added the two-dose jab to the list for emergency use, marking the fifth vaccine to receive such authorization. (Hein, 5/3)
AP: Sri Lanka Receives 1st Batch Of Sputnik V Shots
Sri Lanka has received its first batch of the Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. The 15,000 doses were flown in early hours of Tuesday to the Indian ocean island nation which is struggling to obtain COVID-19 vaccines because of the delay in getting them from the neighboring India. (5/4)
Axios: Where In The World Vaccine Hesitancy Is Most Acute
More than 1 billion adults around the world said in 2020 that they wouldn't agree to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, per new Gallup polling released Monday. Only slightly more than two-thirds — 68% — of adults worldwide said they would agree to be vaccinated if a shot was available to them at no cost. (Owens, 5/3)
NPR: EU Moves Closer To Welcoming Vaccinated Tourists This Summer
The head of the European Commission said Monday that she is recommending that nonresident travelers vaccinated against COVID-19 and those from "countries with a good health situation" be allowed to travel to the European Union this summer. However, von der Leyen cautioned in a tweet Monday that if variants of the coronavirus emerge, "we have to act fast: we propose an EU emergency brake mechanism." Current EU restrictions allow only travelers from seven countries to enter the 27-member bloc, regardless of whether they've been vaccinated. (Neuman, 5/3)
The New York Times: What Would It Take To Vaccinate The Whole World? Let’s Take A Look.
More than 600 million people worldwide have been at least partially vaccinated against Covid-19 — meaning that more than seven billion still have not. It is a striking achievement in the shadow of a staggering challenge. ... But much of it comes down to sheer logistics. Immunizing most of humanity in short order is a monumental task, one never attempted before, and one that experts say the world wasn’t ready to confront. (Pérez-Peña, 5/4)
In other global developments —
CIDRAP: DRC Declares End To Its Latest Ebola Outbreak
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) health ministry today declared the end of the country's 12th Ebola outbreak, given that 42 days have passed with no new cases since the last patient was released from treatment. The outbreak began on Feb 7 in North Kivu province in the same area where a large outbreak took place from 2018 to 2020. Genetic sequencing suggests that the outbreak was linked to the previous event, but the source of the infection hasn't yet been determined. Eleven cases were confirmed, plus one probable infection across four of North Kivu's health zones. Six people died from their infections. (5/3)
NPR: U.S.-Mexico Efforts Targeting Drug Cartels Have Unraveled, DEA Says
A senior Drug Enforcement Administration official told NPR efforts to target drug cartels operating inside Mexico have unraveled because of a breakdown in cooperation between law enforcement agencies and militaries in the two countries. "We're willing to share [intelligence] with our counterparts in Mexico, but they themselves are too afraid to even engage with us because of repercussions from their own government if they get caught working with DEA," said Matthew Donahue, the DEA's deputy chief of operations. (Mann, 5/3)
