Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Small Pacific Island Readies To Be First Country Vaccinated
CNN: Coronavirus-Free Palau Could Become The First Country Vaccinated
A cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean that's one of the few places on Earth entirely free from Covid-19 could become one of the first countries vaccinated against the disease. The Republic of Palau, an archipelago home to about 18,000 people, received its first shipment of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Moderna on Saturday. Vaccinations started the next day, Palau's Ministry of Health announced on Twitter. (Mogul, 1/5)
AP: Mexico Approves AstraZeneca Vaccine For Emergency Use
Mexico approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for emergency use Monday, hoping to spur a halting vaccination effort that has only given about 44,000 shots since the third week of December, about 82% of the doses the country has received. The Pfizer vaccine had been the only one approved for use in Mexico, until Mexican regulators approved the AstraZeneca shot Monday. (1/4)
Reuters: China Doubles Down On COVID Narrative As WHO Investigation Looms
As a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) prepares to visit China to investigate the origins of COVID-19, Beijing has stepped up efforts not only to prevent new outbreaks, but also shape the narrative about when and where the pandemic began. China has dismissed criticism of its early handling of the coronavirus, first identified in the city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, and foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Monday that the country would welcome the WHO team. (Stanway, 1/5)
Fox News: Global Polio Surveillance Declined Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: CDC
Reported cases of so-called acute flaccid paralysis dropped by 33% globally in the first nine months of 2020, suggesting polio surveillance also declined amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Acute flaccid paralysis, or sudden weakening of the muscles, is an overarching term including poliovirus, among other causes. Though the U.S. has steered clear of polio for over 30 years due to a vaccine, other countries--such as Pakistan, with its ongoing wild poliovirus circulation--still face the threat of polio. Poliovirus is mainly detected among children by testing stool or sewage samples for AFP and laboratory-confirmed polio, according to the CDC. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the multi-partnered Global Polio Eradication Initiative efforted a dashboard to mark any fluctuations in reported AFP cases. (Rivas, 1/4)
