Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pfizer Donates Covid Shots To Tokyo Olympians; Europe's Rollout Speeds Up
The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer, BioNTech To Donate Covid Vaccines To Tokyo Olympics Athletes
Participants in this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will have access to donated doses of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s Covid-19 vaccines, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday, as the Games’ organizers attempt to boost the prospects of a giant global event whose status remains uncertain. The vaccines are approved for use in less than half the nations around the world, however, and some public health advocates believe they are coming too late to make a significant difference. (Bachman and Radnofsky, 5/6)
Reuters: Unused COVID Shots Piling Up In Japan Amid Slow Rollout
Unused COVID-19 vaccines in Japan are set to reach tens of millions of doses, as the country is poised to approve two more shots in coming weeks and the pace of its inoculation campaign remains slow due to manpower and logistical bottlenecks. Japan imported 28 million doses of Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) COVID-19 vaccine through late April, but has so far used only 15% of the stockpile, with the remaining 24 million doses sitting in freezers. (Swift, 5/7)
In other global developments —
The Washington Post: Europe's Vaccine Campaign Is Accelerating. It Expects To Match The U.S. By July.
After months of supply shortages and embarrassing blunders, Europe's coronavirus vaccine campaign is at last sprinting ahead, renewing hopes that the continent might meet its initial inoculation goals and tame the virus even while relaxing restrictions. Across the European Union, countries are touting new daily vaccination records. Supply concerns have eased. The E.U. is now administering roughly the same number of daily per capita doses as the United States, trending up while America trends down. (Harlan and Birnbaum, 5/6)
The New York Times: Baltimore Vaccine Plant’s Troubles Ripple Across Africa, Europe And Canada
Quality-control problems at a Baltimore plant manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines have led health officials on three continents to pause the distribution of millions of Johnson & Johnson doses, as the troubles of a politically connected U.S. contractor ripple across the world. Doses made at the plant owned by Emergent BioSolutions have not been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States, and the Biden administration has repeatedly assured Americans that none of the Johnson & Johnson shots administered domestically were made there. (Hamby, LaFraniere and Stolberg, 5/6)
CNN: Sinopharm: As China Awaits WHO Approval For Its Covid Vaccines, The Philippines Is Sending Theirs Back
When Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte live-streamed himself receiving a first dose of the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine on Monday, it was supposed to encourage reluctant Filipinos to follow his lead and protect themselves against Covid-19. Instead, it drew a firestorm of criticism against Duterte -- for choosing a vaccine not yet approved by the country's regulators. (Gan and Griffiths, 5/7)
Bloomberg: Hong Kong Residents Revolt Against Covid-19 Quarantine Camp
It’s becoming a growing fear in Hong Kong: being sent to a spartan quarantine camp for as many as three weeks if a Covid-19 case is found in your apartment block. Now some residents are rebelling against the order. The government allowed “dozens” of people to remain in their homes Thursday night after they resisted an evacuation order, the South China Morning Post reported. Jonathan Cummings, a resident of the Royalton 1 building in Pok Fu Lam, said he and some neighbors had sent a letter to health chief Sophia Chan requesting they be allowed to quarantine in their homes, the SCMP reported. (Frost, 5/7)
Also —
The Washington Post: After Another Leak, EPA Probes Whether Limetree Refinery Poses ‘An Imminent Risk To People’s Health’ On St. Croix
The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it was weighing whether a controversial refinery on St. Croix posed “an imminent risk to people’s health” after a third accident in the span of three months sickened local residents and forced three schools to close. Residents across the island — some living as far as 10 miles away from Limetree Bay Refining’s operations on the south shore — began reporting feeling nauseous and ill on Wednesday after gaseous fumes started leaking from one of its oil refining units. The leak persisted Thursday, prompting the closure of two primary schools and a technical educational center. (Eilperin and Fears, 5/6)
Stat: In Belgium, Many Trial Sponsors Waffle About Reporting Required Results
The results of more than one-fifth of clinical trials that were conducted in Belgium have not been reported to a European database more than a year after the studies were completed, according to a new analysis that adds to the evidence of problems with clinical trial transparency. More than a dozen of the largest trial sponsors based in the country have registered 1,098 studies of investigative medicines on the European Union Clinical Trial Register. Of those, 292 trials were completed more than a year ago, but results were missing for 64, or 22%. (Silverman, 5/6)
