Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
We've Been In A Pandemic For 2 Years, And It's Not Done
CNBC: Covid Declared A Pandemic Two Years Ago. Health Experts Warn It's Still Not Over
With war raging between Russia and Ukraine, the world’s battle against the coronavirus has been largely sidelined and the second anniversary of Covid-19 being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization could easily pass us by. Covid was, and still is, a seismic event that has affected the lives of millions of people, causing heartache for those that lost loved ones and anxiety for millions of people who lost livelihoods as the pandemic caused widespread lockdowns and a massive hit to businesses both big and small. Of course, the long-lasting impact on many individuals’ mental and physical health is yet to be fully measured or appreciated, with the effects of the virus — whether it be the malingering Covid symptoms or “long Covid” many people are experiencing, or its impact on the brain and body — still being investigated by scientists. (Ellyatt, 3/11)
The New York Times: Two Years After Declaring A Pandemic, The W.H.O.’s Watchword Is Still Caution
The World Health Organization, often criticized for being too slow to declare in 2020 that a pandemic was underway, now says — two years to the day after making that declaration — that many countries are being too quick to declare it over and let down their guard. By the time Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the agency’s director general, officially declared the spread of the coronavirus to be a pandemic in the early evening of March 11, 2020, the virus was already known to have infected more than 120,000 people in 114 countries, killing about 4,300. (Hassan, 3/11)
And more covid developments from around the world —
CIDRAP: Pangolins In Vietnam Found To Have SARS-CoV-2–Related Coronavirus
A study today in Frontiers in Public Health confirms that pangolins confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam harbored coronaviruses related to SARS-CoV-2, something previously detected only in China. The study offers further evidence that the wildlife trade can add to coronavirus transmission. (3/9)
Bloomberg: Paxlovid Covid Pill To Be Supplied To Africa By Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. has agreed to supply Africa with its Covid-19 pill, bringing a key virus-fighting tool to the continent. A document outlining the agreement between the drugmaker and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is with the African Union’s legal office, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa CDC said at a briefing on Thursday. (Hoije and Kew, 3/10)
In other global news —
AP: Guatemala President Threatens Veto Of Abortion Legislation
Two days after Guatemala’s congress passed a bill increasing sentences for women who terminate their pregnancies, prohibiting same-sex marriage and banning discussion of sexual diversity in schools, President Alejandro Giammattei asked the congress to pull it back or face his veto. It was a surprising reversal for the president. Late Tuesday — International Women’s Day — Guatemala’s Congress passed the “Protection of Life and Family” law by a wide margin. (Perez D., 3/11)
