Despite "very strong demand" and a "reliable" organisation, the anti-Covid vaccination centre at Salle de la Bourse in Strasbourg is at a standstill, "because of a lack of vaccines," explains deputy mayor Alexandre Feltz.

Vaccines shortage leaves Strasbourg anti-COVID clinic at standstill

The European Union health commissioner said that AstraZeneca had provided insufficient clarification at a meeting on Monday (January 25) on its decision to slow down supplies of COVID-19 vaccines to the EU.

European Union reminds AstraZeneca of its contract obligations

The vaccine wars have come to Europe.

For months now, wealthy countries have been clearing the world’s shelves of coronavirus vaccines, leaving poorer nations with little hope of exiting the pandemic in 2021. But a fresh skirmish this week has pitted the rich against the rich — Britain versus the European Union — in the scramble for vials, opening a new and unabashedly nationalist competition that could poison relations and set back collective efforts to end the pandemic.

The European Union, stung by its slow progress on vaccinations, threatened this week to tighten rules on the shipment of Belgian-made shots to Britain.

British lawmakers, in turn, have accused their European counterparts of a blackmail campaign that could embitter relations for a generation.

And poorer countries, already at the back of the line for vaccines, could face even longer waits if the intense squabbling among rich countries drives up prices for everyone else.

The feuding in Europe holds echoes of the dark, early days of the pandemic, when scores of countries banned or restricted the export of protective equipment and medical devices. Nearly a year later, far from abating, that spirit of protectionism has been exacerbated: Not only are vaccine supplies too scarce for many poorer countries to begin inoculations, but wealthy countries cannot figure out how to share the available doses among themselves.

“Science is succeeding, and solidarity is failing,” said Robert Yates, director of the global health program at Chatham House, a London-based policy institute. “The world’s political leaders are letting down the scientists, and everyone else.”

At the core of the problem are production delays at separate factories in Belgium that make the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the one developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. With a new, more contagious coronavirus variant fueling a surge of cases in several European countries, those delays have undermined efforts to get shots into millions of people’s arms, ratcheting up the global competition for doses.

But the notoriously tricky manufacturing of vaccines is only part of the problem. Public health experts say the entire global system of buying doses, pitting one country against another with little regard for equity, is unfit to the task of ending a pandemic that respects no borders.

For the European Union, problems with its vaccination campaigns have reinforced criticism of the bloc’s occasionally unwieldy, slow bureaucracy. Unable to speed up vaccine makers, the bloc’s leaders have instead resorted to threats about the export process, a sign of the severe pressure facing them as the European Union falls far behind Britain and the United States, which made advance purchases of vaccines earlier and have been quicker to authorize the shots and get people inoculated.

“The prestige of the European Union is founded on a perception of competence, particularly when you go to different peripheries of the continent, where people think that Brussels is going to be more competent than the national authorities,” said Bruno Maçães, an author and a former politician in Portugal. “You can see a sense of desperation in the last couple days.”

Many European countries, rich and poor, have been hoping that the arrival of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine would hasten the pace of vaccinations, owing to its lower price and simpler storage requirements, compared with those from Pfizer and Moderna. The bloc’s drug regulators are expected to authorize the vaccine Friday, a month after Britain did.

But AstraZeneca told the European Union at a teleconference last week that it was going to slash its scheduled deliveries to 31 million doses by the end of March, less than half of the 80 million doses the bloc had been expecting.

EU officials were aghast. The news came on top of an announcement from Pfizer that it had to slow its own vaccine deliveries so that it could upgrade its Belgian factory.

With member states incensed, the European Commission reacted Monday by saying that all coronavirus vaccines made within the bloc would require special paperwork to be shipped elsewhere. That put Britain’s supply of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at risk: Unlike its supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being produced in British plants, its shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine come entirely from a factory in Puurs, Belgium.

European lawmakers justified the move by saying it would allow them to monitor how companies were distributing vaccines, and hold them accountable.

“This isn’t about EU first,” the German health minister, Jens Spahn, said in a televised interview Tuesday, “but Europe’s fair share.”

European officials have implied that AstraZeneca, headquartered in Britain, sent vaccines to Britain that were meant for the continent instead. They said suggestions by AstraZeneca that the company had been hit by manufacturing problems at its Belgian factory could not explain the steep drop in delivery volume.

AstraZeneca, for its part, has said that Britain’s supply of vaccines has come from the country’s own plants, and not Europe. “We have not diverted any supply from the Europe supply chain to countries outside the EU,” a company spokesperson said Tuesday.

Relations between Britain and the European Union were already testy after more than four years of wrangling over Brexit, which was finalized just weeks ago, and British lawmakers reacted with fury to being blamed for the bloc’s vaccine problems. David Jones, a Conservative lawmaker, told a British newspaper that “this looks awfully like blackmail,” saying it “shows why we were right to leave the EU”

Analysts said the spat was indicative of rising tensions over the large lead Britain has in inoculation, having given vaccines to 10% of its people, compared with about 2% in the European Union. Britain was the first country to authorize a fully tested coronavirus vaccine, and the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson has trumpeted its successes.

“I think there are elements within the government, and within the pro-Brexit community, who are actually quite relishing this,” said Yates of Chatham House. “In this case, we are seeing perhaps a bit of retaliation now from our European neighbors who are fed up with this.”

The conflict between the European Union and AstraZeneca took a particularly damaging turn Monday night when two German newspapers published claims — errantly, it turned out — that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine was completely ineffective in older people.

While low numbers of older people were enrolled in AstraZeneca’s completed clinical trials, making it difficult to assess the vaccine’s efficacy in that group, the newspaper claims were false, the German health ministry later said. But they played into the anger among some Germans about the slow vaccine rollout, particularly given that Britain has inoculated people since Dec. 8 with the vaccine that was originally developed by BioNTech, a German company.

“How Germany Became a Vaccination Snail,” read a headline in the mass-circulation Bild on Tuesday, over an article detailing the country’s missteps that have led it to fall behind in the race to vaccinate its population.

Concerns about the paucity of data in older people could further limit the use of the AstraZeneca shot: European regulators are considering authorizing it only for people under 65 years old, two EU officials said.

For AstraZeneca, which is being relied upon by much of the world to supply affordable and easy-to-store shots, the production delays in Europe have been a sign of snags in its ambitious plans, analysts said. While other vaccine makers, like Pfizer, are relying on only a few facilities, AstraZeneca has contracted its manufacturing to plants all over the world.

The European Commission is now demanding that AstraZeneca open up its production plans to scrutiny. In an internal document seen by The New York Times, the commission said that the European Union wants to know “which factory produced what and when,” a question that the bloc believes its contract entitles it to have answered.

Britain reached an agreement with AstraZeneca last May to buy tens of millions of doses of the vaccine, when it was still in clinical trials — three months before the European Union arranged its purchases.

Even so, the bloc made the vaccine a centerpiece of its plans, ordering 300 million doses that it planned to distribute to member states based on population size. Several member states eschewed parts of their shares of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are more expensive and harder to store and administer, to plan their strategies around AstraZeneca deliveries.

To ensure it would not be at a disadvantage to other countries in securing orders, European Union officials said that they also agreed in mid-October to pay more than 300 million euros ($360 million) so that AstraZeneca could scale up production capacity.

With deliveries now falling far short, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, on Tuesday demanded a return on the bloc’s investments.

“The companies must deliver,” she said. “They must honor their obligations.”

But Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that his company had never promised to deliver the vaccine to the bloc as fast as it did to Britain.

“Europe at the time wanted to be supplied more or less at the same time as the U.K., even though the contract was signed three months later,” he said. “So we said, ‘OK, we’re going to do our best, we’re going to try, but we cannot commit contractually.’”

The vaccine wars have come to Europe. For months now, wealthy countries have been clearing the world’s shelves of coronavirus vaccines, leaving poorer nations with little hope of exiting the pandemic in 2021.

The vaccine wars have come to Europe. For months now, wealthy countries have been clearing the world’s shelves of coronavirus vaccines, leaving poorer nations with little hope of exiting the pandemic in 2021. But a fresh skirmish this week has pitted the rich against the rich — Britain versus the European Union — in the scramble for vials, opening a new and unabashedly nationalist competition that could poison relations and set back collective efforts to end the pandemic. The European Union, stung by its slow progress on vaccinations, threatened this week to tighten rules on the shipment of Belgian-made shots to Britain. British lawmakers, in turn, have accused their European counterparts of a blackmail campaign that could embitter relations for a generation. And poorer countries, already at the back of the line for vaccines, could face even longer waits if the intense squabbling among rich countries drives up prices for everyone else. The feuding in Europe holds echoes of the dark, early days of the pandemic, when scores of countries banned or restricted the export of protective equipment and medical devices. Nearly a year later, far from abating, that spirit of protectionism has been exacerbated: Not only are vaccine supplies too scarce for many poorer countries to begin inoculations, but wealthy countries cannot figure out how to share the available doses among themselves. “Science is succeeding, and solidarity is failing,” said Robert Yates, director of the global health program at Chatham House, a London-based policy institute. “The world’s political leaders are letting down the scientists, and everyone else.” At the core of the problem are production delays at separate factories in Belgium that make the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the one developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. With a new, more contagious coronavirus variant fueling a surge of cases in several European countries, those delays have undermined efforts to get shots into millions of people’s arms, ratcheting up the global competition for doses. But the notoriously tricky manufacturing of vaccines is only part of the problem. Public health experts say the entire global system of buying doses, pitting one country against another with little regard for equity, is unfit to the task of ending a pandemic that respects no borders. For the European Union, problems with its vaccination campaigns have reinforced criticism of the bloc’s occasionally unwieldy, slow bureaucracy. Unable to speed up vaccine makers, the bloc’s leaders have instead resorted to threats about the export process, a sign of the severe pressure facing them as the European Union falls far behind Britain and the United States, which made advance purchases of vaccines earlier and have been quicker to authorize the shots and get people inoculated. “The prestige of the European Union is founded on a perception of competence, particularly when you go to different peripheries of the continent, where people think that Brussels is going to be more competent than the national authorities,” said Bruno Maçães, an author and a former politician in Portugal. “You can see a sense of desperation in the last couple days.” Many European countries, rich and poor, have been hoping that the arrival of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine would hasten the pace of vaccinations, owing to its lower price and simpler storage requirements, compared with those from Pfizer and Moderna. The bloc’s drug regulators are expected to authorize the vaccine Friday, a month after Britain did. But AstraZeneca told the European Union at a teleconference last week that it was going to slash its scheduled deliveries to 31 million doses by the end of March, less than half of the 80 million doses the bloc had been expecting. EU officials were aghast. The news came on top of an announcement from Pfizer that it had to slow its own vaccine deliveries so that it could upgrade its Belgian factory. With member states incensed, the European Commission reacted Monday by saying that all coronavirus vaccines made within the bloc would require special paperwork to be shipped elsewhere. That put Britain’s supply of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at risk: Unlike its supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being produced in British plants, its shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine come entirely from a factory in Puurs, Belgium. European lawmakers justified the move by saying it would allow them to monitor how companies were distributing vaccines, and hold them accountable. “This isn’t about EU first,” the German health minister, Jens Spahn, said in a televised interview Tuesday, “but Europe’s fair share.” European officials have implied that AstraZeneca, headquartered in Britain, sent vaccines to Britain that were meant for the continent instead. They said suggestions by AstraZeneca that the company had been hit by manufacturing problems at its Belgian factory could not explain the steep drop in delivery volume. AstraZeneca, for its part, has said that Britain’s supply of vaccines has come from the country’s own plants, and not Europe. “We have not diverted any supply from the Europe supply chain to countries outside the EU,” a company spokesperson said Tuesday. Relations between Britain and the European Union were already testy after more than four years of wrangling over Brexit, which was finalized just weeks ago, and British lawmakers reacted with fury to being blamed for the bloc’s vaccine problems. David Jones, a Conservative lawmaker, told a British newspaper that “this looks awfully like blackmail,” saying it “shows why we were right to leave the EU” Analysts said the spat was indicative of rising tensions over the large lead Britain has in inoculation, having given vaccines to 10% of its people, compared with about 2% in the European Union. Britain was the first country to authorize a fully tested coronavirus vaccine, and the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson has trumpeted its successes. “I think there are elements within the government, and within the pro-Brexit community, who are actually quite relishing this,” said Yates of Chatham House. “In this case, we are seeing perhaps a bit of retaliation now from our European neighbors who are fed up with this.” The conflict between the European Union and AstraZeneca took a particularly damaging turn Monday night when two German newspapers published claims — errantly, it turned out — that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine was completely ineffective in older people. While low numbers of older people were enrolled in AstraZeneca’s completed clinical trials, making it difficult to assess the vaccine’s efficacy in that group, the newspaper claims were false, the German health ministry later said. But they played into the anger among some Germans about the slow vaccine rollout, particularly given that Britain has inoculated people since Dec. 8 with the vaccine that was originally developed by BioNTech, a German company. “How Germany Became a Vaccination Snail,” read a headline in the mass-circulation Bild on Tuesday, over an article detailing the country’s missteps that have led it to fall behind in the race to vaccinate its population. Concerns about the paucity of data in older people could further limit the use of the AstraZeneca shot: European regulators are considering authorizing it only for people under 65 years old, two EU officials said. For AstraZeneca, which is being relied upon by much of the world to supply affordable and easy-to-store shots, the production delays in Europe have been a sign of snags in its ambitious plans, analysts said. While other vaccine makers, like Pfizer, are relying on only a few facilities, AstraZeneca has contracted its manufacturing to plants all over the world. The European Commission is now demanding that AstraZeneca open up its production plans to scrutiny. In an internal document seen by The New York Times, the commission said that the European Union wants to know “which factory produced what and when,” a question that the bloc believes its contract entitles it to have answered. Britain reached an agreement with AstraZeneca last May to buy tens of millions of doses of the vaccine, when it was still in clinical trials — three months before the European Union arranged its purchases. Even so, the bloc made the vaccine a centerpiece of its plans, ordering 300 million doses that it planned to distribute to member states based on population size. Several member states eschewed parts of their shares of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are more expensive and harder to store and administer, to plan their strategies around AstraZeneca deliveries. To ensure it would not be at a disadvantage to other countries in securing orders, European Union officials said that they also agreed in mid-October to pay more than 300 million euros ($360 million) so that AstraZeneca could scale up production capacity. With deliveries now falling far short, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, on Tuesday demanded a return on the bloc’s investments. “The companies must deliver,” she said. “They must honor their obligations.” But Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that his company had never promised to deliver the vaccine to the bloc as fast as it did to Britain. “Europe at the time wanted to be supplied more or less at the same time as the U.K., even though the contract was signed three months later,” he said. “So we said, ‘OK, we’re going to do our best, we’re going to try, but we cannot commit contractually.’”

‘Solidarity is failing:’ EU and UK fight over scarce vaccines

A pharmacist from Wisconsin on Wednesday agreed to plead guilty for&nbsp;attempting to spoil&nbsp;hundreds of Moderna coronavirus vaccines.

The US Justice Department said that the pharmacist was doing it to make the shots ineffective. 
 
46-year-old Steven Brandenburg was charged with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products, and with reckless disregard that another person will be placed in danger of bodily injury or death, as stated in a Department of Justice statement.

The statement also claimed that he had believed in numerous conspiracy theories, and was sceptical of vaccines in general.

It was also found that the pharmacist was specifically unsure of Moderna’s vaccine, which led him to spoiling hundreds of doses.

US Food and Drug Administration has ruled Moderna’s vaccine safe and effective.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/wisconsin-pharmacist-arrested-for-removing-500-doses-of-moderna-covid-19-vaccine-353792" hreflang="en">Wisconsin pharmacist arrested for removing 500 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine</a>

Brandenburg signed a plea agreement, as part of which he will plead guilty and each of which could land him in jail for maximum ten years. 
 
In the later part of December, Brandenburg removed a box of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine from a refrigerator in Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wisconsin.&nbsp;

He wanted to ruin its effectiveness.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/moderna-vaccines-second-dose-should-be-administered-within-6-weeks-who-359501" hreflang="en">Moderna vaccine's second dose should be administered within 6 weeks: WHO</a>

Reportedly, he left out the vaccines in the refrigerator for a few hours before putting them back. 57 people had already received the vaccine from the batch before tampering was discovered.

To be effective, Moderna’s vaccine needs to be stored and shipped frozen. But it does not require ultra cold temperatures for its vaccine, which may retain efficacy even in regular temperature refrigerators.

A pharmacist from Wisconsin on Wednesday agreed to plead guilty for attempting to spoil hundreds of Moderna coronavirus vaccines. The US Justice Department said that the pharmacist was doing it to make the shots ineffective.

A pharmacist from Wisconsin on Wednesday agreed to plead guilty for attempting to spoil hundreds of Moderna coronavirus vaccines. The US Justice Department said that the pharmacist was doing it to make the shots ineffective. 46-year-old Steven Brandenburg was charged with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products, and with reckless disregard that another person will be placed in danger of bodily injury or death, as stated in a Department of Justice statement. The statement also claimed that he had believed in numerous conspiracy theories, and was sceptical of vaccines in general. It was also found that the pharmacist was specifically unsure of Moderna’s vaccine, which led him to spoiling hundreds of doses. US Food and Drug Administration has ruled Moderna’s vaccine safe and effective. Also read: Wisconsin pharmacist arrested for removing 500 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Brandenburg signed a plea agreement, as part of which he will plead guilty and each of which could land him in jail for maximum ten years. In the later part of December, Brandenburg removed a box of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine from a refrigerator in Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wisconsin. He wanted to ruin its effectiveness. Also read: Moderna vaccine's second dose should be administered within 6 weeks: WHO Reportedly, he left out the vaccines in the refrigerator for a few hours before putting them back. 57 people had already received the vaccine from the batch before tampering was discovered. To be effective, Moderna’s vaccine needs to be stored and shipped frozen. But it does not require ultra cold temperatures for its vaccine, which may retain efficacy even in regular temperature refrigerators.

Pharmacist who tried to spoil Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines set to plead guilty in court

The delivery of the Pfizer vaccine has fallen by 15% this week. It is expected to drop by 30% in February. Countries are now bracing for a shortage. Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you why the deliveries of the shots are delayed.

Gravitas: Pfizer vaccine: Governments feel the pinch of shortages

Pakistan is facing a new dilemma: How to source millions of doses for its citizens. Meanwhile, Anti-vaxxers in Pak are making absurd claims that vaccines contain the DNA of pigs & monkeys.

Gravitas: Pak struggling to get a vaccine

A study from the United States found that severe allergic reactions to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is "rare". US health authorities claimed that only 10 cases of severe reactions arose among four million first doses.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added that widespread vaccination was critical in fighting the pandemic.

"Based on this early monitoring, anaphylaxis after receipt of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine appears to be a rare event," the CDC said in a report.

No deaths were reported in adverse reactions.

As per CDC data, ten cases of anaphylactic shock were recorded among 4,041,396 first doses of the vaccine, which were administered between December 21 and January 10.

The CDC added that six cases required hospitalisation, while four were treated in an emergency setting.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/heres-how-long-modernas-vaccine-will-protect-you-from-coronavirus-356272" hreflang="en">Here's how long Moderna's vaccine will protect you from coronavirus</a>

Based on the numbers, 2.5 cases of anaphylactic shock were recorded for every million of Moderna injections, when compared to 11.1 cases per one million Pfizer vaccinations.

"The clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of anaphylaxis case reports after receipt of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine are similar to those reported after receipt of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine," the report said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/california-pauses-use-of-moderna-vaccine-batch-over-allergic-reactions-357470" hreflang="en">California pauses use of Moderna vaccine batch over allergic reactions</a>

All 10 severe reactions were recorded among women aged between 31 and 63. Out of these, nine had a history of allergic reaction, but even then not to vaccines.

A higher ratio of severe reactions was also recorded in data from Pfizer's vaccine. Experts believe this could be due to more women receiving the vaccinations as compared to men. 
&nbsp;

A study from the United States found that severe allergic reactions to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is "rare". US health authorities claimed that only 10 cases of severe reactions arose among four million first doses.

A study from the United States found that severe allergic reactions to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is "rare". US health authorities claimed that only 10 cases of severe reactions arose among four million first doses. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added that widespread vaccination was critical in fighting the pandemic. "Based on this early monitoring, anaphylaxis after receipt of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine appears to be a rare event," the CDC said in a report. No deaths were reported in adverse reactions. As per CDC data, ten cases of anaphylactic shock were recorded among 4,041,396 first doses of the vaccine, which were administered between December 21 and January 10. The CDC added that six cases required hospitalisation, while four were treated in an emergency setting. Also read: Here's how long Moderna's vaccine will protect you from coronavirus Based on the numbers, 2.5 cases of anaphylactic shock were recorded for every million of Moderna injections, when compared to 11.1 cases per one million Pfizer vaccinations. "The clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of anaphylaxis case reports after receipt of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine are similar to those reported after receipt of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine," the report said. Also read: California pauses use of Moderna vaccine batch over allergic reactions All 10 severe reactions were recorded among women aged between 31 and 63. Out of these, nine had a history of allergic reaction, but even then not to vaccines. A higher ratio of severe reactions was also recorded in data from Pfizer's vaccine. Experts believe this could be due to more women receiving the vaccinations as compared to men.

US study finds adverse reactions to Moderna vaccine  are rare

A new form of African swine fever identified in<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijing-launches-mass-testing-after-china-reports-surge-in-cases-due-to-uk-coronavirus-strain-358433"> Chinese </a>pig farms is most likely caused by illicit vaccines, industry insiders say, a fresh blow to the world's largest pork producer, still recovering from a devastating epidemic of the virus.

Two new strains of African swine fever have infected more than 1,000 sows on several farms owned by New Hope Liuhe, China's fourth-largest producer, as well as pigs being fattened for the firm by contract farmers, said Yan Zhichun, the company's chief science officer.

Though the strains, which are missing one or two key genes present in the wild African swine fever virus, don't kill pigs like the disease that ravaged China's farms in 2018 and 2019, they cause a chronic condition that reduces the number of healthy piglets born, Yan told Reuters. At New Hope, and many large producers, infected pigs are culled to prevent the spread, making the disease effectively fatal.

Although the known infections are limited now, if the strains spread widely, they could slash pork output in the world's top consumer and producer; two years ago, swine fever wiped out half of China's 400 million-head pig herd. Pork prices are still at record levels and China is under pressure to strengthen food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I don't know where they come from, but we find some mild field infections caused by some sort of gene-deleted viruses," Yan said.

Wayne Johnson, a Beijing-based veterinarian, said he diagnosed a chronic, or less-lethal, form of the disease in pigs last year. The virus lacked certain genetic components, known as the MGF360 genes. New Hope has found strains of the virus missing both the MGF360 genes and the CD2v genes, Yan said.

Research has shown that deleting some MGF360 genes from African swine fever creates immunity. But the modified virus was not developed into a vaccine because it tended to later mutate back to a harmful state.

"You can sequence these things, these double deletions, and if it's exactly the same as described in the lab, it's too much of a coincidence, because you would never get that exact deletion," said Lucilla Steinaa, principal scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi.

There is no approved vaccine for African swine fever, which is not harmful to humans. But many Chinese farmers struggling to protect their pigs have resorted to unapproved products, industry insiders and experts said. They fear illicit vaccines have created accidental infections, which are now spreading.

The new strains could proliferate globally through contaminated meat, infecting pigs that are fed on kitchen waste. The virus is known to survive for months in some pork products.

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not respond to two requests for comment.

But it has issued at least three warnings against use of unauthorised African swine fever vaccines, cautioning that they could have severe side effects and that producers and users could be charged with a criminal offence.

In August, the ministry said it would test pigs for different strains of the virus as part of a nationwide investigation into illegal vaccine use.

Any strains with gene deletions could indicate a vaccine had been used, it said. No findings have been published so far on the issue, which is highly sensitive for Beijing. Reporting of the recent African swine fever outbreaks was extensively covered up.

After decades of research toward producing a vaccine against the huge, complex swine fever virus, researchers around the world are focussing on live-virus vaccines - the only type to have shown any promise.

But such vaccines carry higher risks because even after the virus is weakened so it does not cause serious illness, it can sometimes recover its virulence.

One such vaccine used in Spain in the 1960s caused a chronic disease with swollen joints, skin lesions and respiratory issues in pigs that complicated efforts to eradicate African swine fever over the next three decades. Since then, no nation has approved a vaccine for the disease.

A vaccine with both MGF360 and CD2v genes deleted is undergoing trials by China's Harbin Veterinary Research Institute after showing promise.

Yan said he believes that people have replicated the sequences of virus strains being studied, which have been published in scientific literature, and that pigs injected with illicit vaccines based on them could be infecting others.

"It's definitely man-made; this is not a natural strain," he said.

Neither Johnson nor Yan have fully sequenced the new swine fever strains. Beijing strictly controls who is allowed to work with the virus, which can only be handled in laboratories with high biosecurity designations.

But several private companies have developed test kits that can check for specific genes.

GM Biotech, based in China's central Hunan province, said in an online post last week it had developed a test that identifies whether the pathogen is a virulent strain, a single-gene deleted attenuated strain, or a double-gene deleted attenuated strain.

The test helps pig producers because the new strains are "very difficult to detect at the initial stage of infection and have a longer incubation period after infection," the company said.

The government has not said how widely used illicit vaccines are or who has produced them. But a "vast amount" of pigs in China have nonetheless been vaccinated, Johnson said, a sentiment echoed by many other experts.

In 2004-5, when the H5 bird flu strains were spreading across Asia, Chinese laboratories produced several unauthorised live bird flu vaccines, said Mo Salman, a professor of veterinary medicine at Colorado State University, who has worked on animal health in Asia, raising fears that they could produce dangerous new variants.

"The current ASF unlawful vaccine(s) in China is repeating history," Salman said.

 
&nbsp;

A new form of African swine fever identified in Chinese pig farms is most likely caused by illicit vaccines, industry insiders say, a fresh blow to the world's largest pork producer, still recovering from a devastating epidemic of the virus.

A new form of African swine fever identified in Chinese pig farms is most likely caused by illicit vaccines, industry insiders say, a fresh blow to the world's largest pork producer, still recovering from a devastating epidemic of the virus. Two new strains of African swine fever have infected more than 1,000 sows on several farms owned by New Hope Liuhe, China's fourth-largest producer, as well as pigs being fattened for the firm by contract farmers, said Yan Zhichun, the company's chief science officer. Though the strains, which are missing one or two key genes present in the wild African swine fever virus, don't kill pigs like the disease that ravaged China's farms in 2018 and 2019, they cause a chronic condition that reduces the number of healthy piglets born, Yan told Reuters. At New Hope, and many large producers, infected pigs are culled to prevent the spread, making the disease effectively fatal. Although the known infections are limited now, if the strains spread widely, they could slash pork output in the world's top consumer and producer; two years ago, swine fever wiped out half of China's 400 million-head pig herd. Pork prices are still at record levels and China is under pressure to strengthen food security amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "I don't know where they come from, but we find some mild field infections caused by some sort of gene-deleted viruses," Yan said. Wayne Johnson, a Beijing-based veterinarian, said he diagnosed a chronic, or less-lethal, form of the disease in pigs last year. The virus lacked certain genetic components, known as the MGF360 genes. New Hope has found strains of the virus missing both the MGF360 genes and the CD2v genes, Yan said. Research has shown that deleting some MGF360 genes from African swine fever creates immunity. But the modified virus was not developed into a vaccine because it tended to later mutate back to a harmful state. "You can sequence these things, these double deletions, and if it's exactly the same as described in the lab, it's too much of a coincidence, because you would never get that exact deletion," said Lucilla Steinaa, principal scientist at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi. There is no approved vaccine for African swine fever, which is not harmful to humans. But many Chinese farmers struggling to protect their pigs have resorted to unapproved products, industry insiders and experts said. They fear illicit vaccines have created accidental infections, which are now spreading. The new strains could proliferate globally through contaminated meat, infecting pigs that are fed on kitchen waste. The virus is known to survive for months in some pork products. China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not respond to two requests for comment. But it has issued at least three warnings against use of unauthorised African swine fever vaccines, cautioning that they could have severe side effects and that producers and users could be charged with a criminal offence. In August, the ministry said it would test pigs for different strains of the virus as part of a nationwide investigation into illegal vaccine use. Any strains with gene deletions could indicate a vaccine had been used, it said. No findings have been published so far on the issue, which is highly sensitive for Beijing. Reporting of the recent African swine fever outbreaks was extensively covered up. After decades of research toward producing a vaccine against the huge, complex swine fever virus, researchers around the world are focussing on live-virus vaccines - the only type to have shown any promise. But such vaccines carry higher risks because even after the virus is weakened so it does not cause serious illness, it can sometimes recover its virulence. One such vaccine used in Spain in the 1960s caused a chronic disease with swollen joints, skin lesions and respiratory issues in pigs that complicated efforts to eradicate African swine fever over the next three decades. Since then, no nation has approved a vaccine for the disease. A vaccine with both MGF360 and CD2v genes deleted is undergoing trials by China's Harbin Veterinary Research Institute after showing promise. Yan said he believes that people have replicated the sequences of virus strains being studied, which have been published in scientific literature, and that pigs injected with illicit vaccines based on them could be infecting others. "It's definitely man-made; this is not a natural strain," he said. Neither Johnson nor Yan have fully sequenced the new swine fever strains. Beijing strictly controls who is allowed to work with the virus, which can only be handled in laboratories with high biosecurity designations. But several private companies have developed test kits that can check for specific genes. GM Biotech, based in China's central Hunan province, said in an online post last week it had developed a test that identifies whether the pathogen is a virulent strain, a single-gene deleted attenuated strain, or a double-gene deleted attenuated strain. The test helps pig producers because the new strains are "very difficult to detect at the initial stage of infection and have a longer incubation period after infection," the company said. The government has not said how widely used illicit vaccines are or who has produced them. But a "vast amount" of pigs in China have nonetheless been vaccinated, Johnson said, a sentiment echoed by many other experts. In 2004-5, when the H5 bird flu strains were spreading across Asia, Chinese laboratories produced several unauthorised live bird flu vaccines, said Mo Salman, a professor of veterinary medicine at Colorado State University, who has worked on animal health in Asia, raising fears that they could produce dangerous new variants. "The current ASF unlawful vaccine(s) in China is repeating history," Salman said.

Why swine fever in China is likely caused by illicit vaccines

Across New York state, medical providers in recent weeks had the same story: They had been forced to throw out precious vaccine doses because of difficulties finding patients who matched precisely with the state’s strict vaccination guidelines — and the steep penalties they would face had they made a mistake.

On Saturday, state health officials responded to the outcry over discarded vaccines by again abruptly loosening guidelines as coronavirus cases continued to rise.

Now, medical providers can administer the vaccine to any of their employees who interact with the public if there are extra doses in a vial and no one from “the priority population can come in before the doses expire,” the new guidelines read. A pharmacy’s “store clerks, cashiers, stock workers and delivery staff” could qualify, the guidelines said. California last week took a similar step.

This is the second time in two days that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has loosened the restrictions around who can get vaccinated in New York state. On Friday, the governor announced that medical providers could vaccinate a wider range of essential workers, including teachers, as well as New Yorkers 75 years and older starting as early as Monday. That same day, the governor also expanded the types of medical professionals that can administer vaccines to include licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, dentists and podiatrists.

The new, more forgiving guidelines highlight the difficulties the state has had in balancing the need to vaccinate vulnerable populations quickly with the imperative to prevent fraud and favoritism in the vaccine distribution process.

Marc Molinaro, the executive of Dutchess County, north of New York City, and a critic of the governor’s vaccine distribution effort, said the new rules were “a smart move.”

“They’re unwinding little by little a tangled mess,” he said.

A spokesman for the state Health Department said the new guidelines are the culmination of a weekslong process.

“This guidance lays out and clarifies what we have been discussing with hospitals for weeks regarding how to maximize their doses to make sure that no vaccines are wasted,” said the spokesman, Gary C. Holmes. “We want no confusion and want to make sure that everyone understands the procedures.”

As the state was loosening vaccination parameters, the city and its partners continued to build out facilities where the vaccine will be administered and flesh out the processes for New Yorkers to sign up for the shots.

On Sunday, the union representing public schoolteachers said it had reached agreements with health care providers for its members to receive the vaccine and would rapidly compile a list of all teachers seeking vaccinations, prioritizing those who work in school, rather than remotely.

The city also launched a website Sunday that allows residents to type in their addresses to find nearby vaccination sites.

Neil Calman, whose Institute for Family Health has had to discard unused vaccine doses, hailed the latest rule changes, even as he argued for yet more loosening of the regulations to allow for vaccinations of at-risk patients with conditions like diabetes, obesity and heart disease who are younger than 75 years old.

“We’re seeing them in our office, and it just seems like we’re turning them away today just so we can call them back in a week and say, ‘Now you can get your vaccine,’ ” Calman said.

The new guidelines speak to the challenges of administrating a mass vaccination program in a country whose health care system includes public and private hospitals, pharmacy chains and clinics. At least one of the nonprofit medical providers tasked with vaccinating marginalized populations is under fiscal distress because of the pandemic.

Callen-Lorde, a medical provider that serves LGBTQ populations, is anxious to ramp up its vaccination program and hopes to schedule appointments for all of its patients who are 75 or older by the end of the week. But its hopes of vaccinating its transgender and HIV-positive clients may well be hampered by a shortage of money and nurses.

“The biggest item that hasn’t seemed to be addressed so far is that funding piece,” said Peter Meacher, the organization’s chief medical officer.

The need for a large-scale mass vaccination campaign is only heightened by a new, more transmissible variant of the virus arriving in the country.

Last week, Cuomo announced the discovery of the new variant in Saratoga Springs. Since then, the state has discovered at least three additional cases of the strain, including one in Nassau County, which borders New York City.

“We have to assume the U.K. variant is in New York City, and that raises the stakes on everything,” said Mark Levine, the New York City councilman who chairs the council's health committee.

On Saturday, 151 New Yorkers died from the coronavirus. New York state has received more than 1.2 million doses of the vaccine, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database. More than 400,000 New Yorkers have received their first dose.

On Sunday, Brad Lander, the councilman representing the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, toured a mass vaccination site the city just opened at Brooklyn Army Terminal in nearby Sunset Park.

Seeing the site in person made him “a little bit hopeful,” Lander said. But, he added, “We need so much more infrastructure than we have.”

Across New York state, medical providers in recent weeks had the same story: They had been forced to throw out precious vaccine doses because of difficulties finding patients who matched precisely with the state’s strict vaccination guidelines — and the steep penalties they would face had they made a mistake.

Across New York state, medical providers in recent weeks had the same story: They had been forced to throw out precious vaccine doses because of difficulties finding patients who matched precisely with the state’s strict vaccination guidelines — and the steep penalties they would face had they made a mistake. On Saturday, state health officials responded to the outcry over discarded vaccines by again abruptly loosening guidelines as coronavirus cases continued to rise. Now, medical providers can administer the vaccine to any of their employees who interact with the public if there are extra doses in a vial and no one from “the priority population can come in before the doses expire,” the new guidelines read. A pharmacy’s “store clerks, cashiers, stock workers and delivery staff” could qualify, the guidelines said. California last week took a similar step. This is the second time in two days that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has loosened the restrictions around who can get vaccinated in New York state. On Friday, the governor announced that medical providers could vaccinate a wider range of essential workers, including teachers, as well as New Yorkers 75 years and older starting as early as Monday. That same day, the governor also expanded the types of medical professionals that can administer vaccines to include licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, dentists and podiatrists. The new, more forgiving guidelines highlight the difficulties the state has had in balancing the need to vaccinate vulnerable populations quickly with the imperative to prevent fraud and favoritism in the vaccine distribution process. Marc Molinaro, the executive of Dutchess County, north of New York City, and a critic of the governor’s vaccine distribution effort, said the new rules were “a smart move.” “They’re unwinding little by little a tangled mess,” he said. A spokesman for the state Health Department said the new guidelines are the culmination of a weekslong process. “This guidance lays out and clarifies what we have been discussing with hospitals for weeks regarding how to maximize their doses to make sure that no vaccines are wasted,” said the spokesman, Gary C. Holmes. “We want no confusion and want to make sure that everyone understands the procedures.” As the state was loosening vaccination parameters, the city and its partners continued to build out facilities where the vaccine will be administered and flesh out the processes for New Yorkers to sign up for the shots. On Sunday, the union representing public schoolteachers said it had reached agreements with health care providers for its members to receive the vaccine and would rapidly compile a list of all teachers seeking vaccinations, prioritizing those who work in school, rather than remotely. The city also launched a website Sunday that allows residents to type in their addresses to find nearby vaccination sites. Neil Calman, whose Institute for Family Health has had to discard unused vaccine doses, hailed the latest rule changes, even as he argued for yet more loosening of the regulations to allow for vaccinations of at-risk patients with conditions like diabetes, obesity and heart disease who are younger than 75 years old. “We’re seeing them in our office, and it just seems like we’re turning them away today just so we can call them back in a week and say, ‘Now you can get your vaccine,’ ” Calman said. The new guidelines speak to the challenges of administrating a mass vaccination program in a country whose health care system includes public and private hospitals, pharmacy chains and clinics. At least one of the nonprofit medical providers tasked with vaccinating marginalized populations is under fiscal distress because of the pandemic. Callen-Lorde, a medical provider that serves LGBTQ populations, is anxious to ramp up its vaccination program and hopes to schedule appointments for all of its patients who are 75 or older by the end of the week. But its hopes of vaccinating its transgender and HIV-positive clients may well be hampered by a shortage of money and nurses. “The biggest item that hasn’t seemed to be addressed so far is that funding piece,” said Peter Meacher, the organization’s chief medical officer. The need for a large-scale mass vaccination campaign is only heightened by a new, more transmissible variant of the virus arriving in the country. Last week, Cuomo announced the discovery of the new variant in Saratoga Springs. Since then, the state has discovered at least three additional cases of the strain, including one in Nassau County, which borders New York City. “We have to assume the U.K. variant is in New York City, and that raises the stakes on everything,” said Mark Levine, the New York City councilman who chairs the council's health committee. On Saturday, 151 New Yorkers died from the coronavirus. New York state has received more than 1.2 million doses of the vaccine, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention database. More than 400,000 New Yorkers have received their first dose. On Sunday, Brad Lander, the councilman representing the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, toured a mass vaccination site the city just opened at Brooklyn Army Terminal in nearby Sunset Park. Seeing the site in person made him “a little bit hopeful,” Lander said. But, he added, “We need so much more infrastructure than we have.”

After unused vaccines are thrown in trash, Cuomo loosens rules

Brazil has received 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine being developed by Sinovac Biotech. The vaccine is undergoing late-stage testing by Butantan Institute biomedical centre in Sao Paulo state. The vaccines were received at the institute.

The materials for the CoronaVac vaccine, which will be packaged and labeled at Butantan's facilities, arrived at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport.

It is the second shipment of the vaccine, which still needs approval from federal health regulator Anvisa before it can be used, to arrive in Brazil, after 120,000 doses landed from China on Nov. 19.

"By the end of this month of December, we will be receiving 6 million doses," and another 40 million by January 15, Sao Paulo Governor João Doria said.

Doria watched as the consignment arrived at Guarulhos International airport.

The Governor is going it alone on vaccines. He said he hopes to roll out the vaccine in his state by January even if it is not part of the federal government's immunisation plan to counter COVID-19.

He said that the vaccine would save of millions of lives, as Brazil has now registered 6,436,650 cases and 174,515 deaths due to coronavirus, the second highest death rate in the world after the United States.

Anvisa said on Wednesday it was open to approving COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, that authorizations would be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and that to be considered the vaccine must be in late-stage trials in Brazil. It said no requests had been received so far.

According to data already available from previous stages of clinical trials, Butantan and Sinovac claim that the vaccine candidate was shown to be safe and induced an immune response in 97% of the volunteers.

(With Reuters inputs) 
&nbsp;

Brazil has received 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine being developed by Sinovac Biotech. The vaccine is undergoing late-stage testing by Butantan Institute biomedical centre in Sao Paulo state.

Brazil has received 1 million doses of coronavirus vaccine being developed by Sinovac Biotech. The vaccine is undergoing late-stage testing by Butantan Institute biomedical centre in Sao Paulo state. The vaccines were received at the institute. The materials for the CoronaVac vaccine, which will be packaged and labeled at Butantan's facilities, arrived at Sao Paulo's Guarulhos airport. It is the second shipment of the vaccine, which still needs approval from federal health regulator Anvisa before it can be used, to arrive in Brazil, after 120,000 doses landed from China on Nov. 19. "By the end of this month of December, we will be receiving 6 million doses," and another 40 million by January 15, Sao Paulo Governor João Doria said. Doria watched as the consignment arrived at Guarulhos International airport. The Governor is going it alone on vaccines. He said he hopes to roll out the vaccine in his state by January even if it is not part of the federal government's immunisation plan to counter COVID-19. He said that the vaccine would save of millions of lives, as Brazil has now registered 6,436,650 cases and 174,515 deaths due to coronavirus, the second highest death rate in the world after the United States. Anvisa said on Wednesday it was open to approving COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, that authorizations would be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and that to be considered the vaccine must be in late-stage trials in Brazil. It said no requests had been received so far. According to data already available from previous stages of clinical trials, Butantan and Sinovac claim that the vaccine candidate was shown to be safe and induced an immune response in 97% of the volunteers. (With Reuters inputs)

Chinese coronavirus vaccine candidate arrives in Brazil

Facebook Inc will start banning ads that explicitly discourage people from getting vaccinated, the world's largest social media company said on Tuesday, as it also announced a new flu vaccine information campaign.

Ads advocating for or against legislation or government policies around vaccines, including a COVID-19 vaccine, will still be allowed, the company said in a blog post. It will begin to enforce the new global policy in the next few days.

Facebook, with 2.7 billion monthly active users, has been under pressure from lawmakers and public health groups to crack down on anti-vaccine content and misinformation on its platform. The company said that although a COVID-19 vaccine would not be available for some time, the pandemic had highlighted the importance of preventative health behaviors.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/facebook-censors-wion-after-interview-with-chinese-virologist-dr-li-meng-yan-who-claimed-covid-19-is-lab-manufactured-334832" hreflang="en">Facebook censors WION after interview with Chinese virologist Dr Li-Meng Yan, who claimed COVID-19 is lab manufactured</a>

Facebook's previous rules prohibited ads containing vaccine misinformation or hoaxes identified by leading health organizations, but allowed ads opposing vaccines if they did not contain false claims.

This summer, Facebook Public Policy Manager Jason Hirsch told Reuters the company believed users should be able to express personal anti-vaccine views and that more aggressive censorship could push people hesitant about vaccines towards the anti-vaccine camp.

Facebook will also start directing U.S. users this week to information about the flu vaccine and how to get it, according to the company's Head of Health Kang-Xing Jin and Director of Product Management Rob Leathern in the blog post.

Facebook is working with public health partners like the World Health Organization and UNICEF on messaging campaigns to increase immunization rates, they added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/facebook-to-ban-content-which-denies-and-distorts-the-holocaust-334797" hreflang="en">Facebook to ban content which denies and distorts the Holocaust</a>

Anti-vaccine content and misinformation about the new COVID-19 vaccines have flourished on social media platforms including Facebook during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers told Reuters earlier this year.

In September, the company also said it would stop recommending health-related Facebook groups, saying it was crucial that people get health information from "authoritative sources."

Facebook Inc will start banning ads that explicitly discourage people from getting vaccinated, the world's largest social media company said on Tuesday, as it also announced a new flu vaccine information campaign.

Facebook Inc will start banning ads that explicitly discourage people from getting vaccinated, the world's largest social media company said on Tuesday, as it also announced a new flu vaccine information campaign. Ads advocating for or against legislation or government policies around vaccines, including a COVID-19 vaccine, will still be allowed, the company said in a blog post. It will begin to enforce the new global policy in the next few days. Facebook, with 2.7 billion monthly active users, has been under pressure from lawmakers and public health groups to crack down on anti-vaccine content and misinformation on its platform. The company said that although a COVID-19 vaccine would not be available for some time, the pandemic had highlighted the importance of preventative health behaviors. Also read: Facebook censors WION after interview with Chinese virologist Dr Li-Meng Yan, who claimed COVID-19 is lab manufactured Facebook's previous rules prohibited ads containing vaccine misinformation or hoaxes identified by leading health organizations, but allowed ads opposing vaccines if they did not contain false claims. This summer, Facebook Public Policy Manager Jason Hirsch told Reuters the company believed users should be able to express personal anti-vaccine views and that more aggressive censorship could push people hesitant about vaccines towards the anti-vaccine camp. Facebook will also start directing U.S. users this week to information about the flu vaccine and how to get it, according to the company's Head of Health Kang-Xing Jin and Director of Product Management Rob Leathern in the blog post. Facebook is working with public health partners like the World Health Organization and UNICEF on messaging campaigns to increase immunization rates, they added. Also read: Facebook to ban content which denies and distorts the Holocaust Anti-vaccine content and misinformation about the new COVID-19 vaccines have flourished on social media platforms including Facebook during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers told Reuters earlier this year. In September, the company also said it would stop recommending health-related Facebook groups, saying it was crucial that people get health information from "authoritative sources."

Facebook will ban ads discouraging people from getting vaccines

How Malaria vaccine can save Africa, Asia from killer disease

The GAVI global vaccines alliance on Friday called on donors for $7.4 billion to help immunize 300 million children against life-threatening diseases between 2021 and 2025, and save up to eight million lives.

GAVI, which is backed by the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/global-measles-cases-three-times-higher-than-last-year-who-246324">World Health Organisation (WHO)</a>, donor governments and others, funds immunisation programmes for poor nations that cannot afford to buy vaccines at rich-world prices.

"Over the past two decades the Vaccine Alliance has helped to protect a generation against some of the world's deadliest diseases," GAVI CEO Seth Berkley said in a statement.

"However, 1.5 million people are still dying every year from vaccine-preventable diseases ... This calls for an urgent response to ensure people continue to be protected against disease, to prevent deadly outbreaks and to help the next generation prosper."

The announcement was made in Yokohama, where Japan is hosting a three-day international conference on African development.&nbsp;

Democratic Republic of Congo, a mineral-rich Central African country, is being hit by the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus.

The GAVI global vaccines alliance on Friday called on donors for $7.4 billion to help immunize 300 million children against life-threatening diseases between 2021 and 2025, and save up to eight million lives.

The GAVI global vaccines alliance on Friday called on donors for $7.4 billion to help immunize 300 million children against life-threatening diseases between 2021 and 2025, and save up to eight million lives. GAVI, which is backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organisation (WHO), donor governments and others, funds immunisation programmes for poor nations that cannot afford to buy vaccines at rich-world prices. "Over the past two decades the Vaccine Alliance has helped to protect a generation against some of the world's deadliest diseases," GAVI CEO Seth Berkley said in a statement. "However, 1.5 million people are still dying every year from vaccine-preventable diseases ... This calls for an urgent response to ensure people continue to be protected against disease, to prevent deadly outbreaks and to help the next generation prosper." The announcement was made in Yokohama, where Japan is hosting a three-day international conference on African development. Democratic Republic of Congo, a mineral-rich Central African country, is being hit by the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus.

Vaccines group seeks $7.4 billion to save up to 8 million lives

A UN plane carrying desperately needed vaccines landed in the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa on Saturday after a three-week Saudi-led aid blockade that had sparked warnings thousands could die.

Three other aircraft - two carrying UN aid workers and one carrying International Committee of the Red Cross staff - also landed at the airport, which was repaired earlier this week after a Saudi-led air strike knocked out its controls, an AFP correspondent reported.

The UN humanitarian affairs office had said Friday that it had been given clearance by the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the rebels since 2015 to resume flights into Sanaa.

But it added that desperately needed shipments of food and medicines to the rebel-held Red Sea port of Hodeida remained blocked.

The UN children`s fund UNICEF said Saturday`s flight was carrying more than 15 tonnes, or 1.9 million doses, of vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and other preventable diseases.

The World Health Organization confirmed earlier this week that diphtheria was spreading as children went unvaccinated and doctors in Hodeida reported three deaths.

More than 2,000 people have died of cholera in Yemen this year, adding to the 8,600 who have died in the conflict between the Saudi-backed government and the rebels since 2015.&nbsp;

The aid blockade, put in place after the rebels fired a missile which was intercepted over Riyadh airport, has tightened the stranglehold on Hodeida, the conduit for UN supervised deliveries of food and medicine to rebel-held territory.&nbsp;

The UN humanitarian office said that a ship loaded with wheat and another with equipment to treat Yemen`s cholera epidemic are ready to head to Hodeida as soon as the Saudi-led coalition gives the go-ahead.

The coalition had said it would lift its blockade of the port from Thursday but it remains in place.

The United Nations has warned that unless the blockade is lifted, Yemen will face &quot;the largest famine the world has seen for decades&quot;.

Seven million Yemenis are completely dependent on relief supplies for their survival, according to the UN.&nbsp;

The UN humanitarian affairs office had said Friday that it had been given clearance by the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the rebels since 2015 to resume flights into Sanaa

A UN plane carrying desperately needed vaccines landed in the rebel-held Yemeni capital Sanaa on Saturday after a three-week Saudi-led aid blockade that had sparked warnings thousands could die. Three other aircraft - two carrying UN aid workers and one carrying International Committee of the Red Cross staff - also landed at the airport, which was repaired earlier this week after a Saudi-led air strike knocked out its controls, an AFP correspondent reported. The UN humanitarian affairs office had said Friday that it had been given clearance by the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the rebels since 2015 to resume flights into Sanaa. But it added that desperately needed shipments of food and medicines to the rebel-held Red Sea port of Hodeida remained blocked. The UN children`s fund UNICEF said Saturday`s flight was carrying more than 15 tonnes, or 1.9 million doses, of vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and other preventable diseases. The World Health Organization confirmed earlier this week that diphtheria was spreading as children went unvaccinated and doctors in Hodeida reported three deaths. More than 2,000 people have died of cholera in Yemen this year, adding to the 8,600 who have died in the conflict between the Saudi-backed government and the rebels since 2015. The aid blockade, put in place after the rebels fired a missile which was intercepted over Riyadh airport, has tightened the stranglehold on Hodeida, the conduit for UN supervised deliveries of food and medicine to rebel-held territory. The UN humanitarian office said that a ship loaded with wheat and another with equipment to treat Yemen`s cholera epidemic are ready to head to Hodeida as soon as the Saudi-led coalition gives the go-ahead. The coalition had said it would lift its blockade of the port from Thursday but it remains in place. The United Nations has warned that unless the blockade is lifted, Yemen will face "the largest famine the world has seen for decades". Seven million Yemenis are completely dependent on relief supplies for their survival, according to the UN.

First aid flight lands in rebel-held Yemen capital after weeks

China health authorities have started a nationwide inspection of vaccinations four months after a scandal broke involving nearly $90 million worth of illegal vaccines that were suspected of being sold in dozens of provinces.

Authorities will track purchases as well as the distribution of vaccines and vaccination records, to ensure they are legally traded and properly handled and used, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in a statement published online.

Random checks will be conducted at 20 per cent of hospitals and clinics providing vaccinations, while all disease control and prevention agencies nationwide will be inspected, it said.

In March, authorities pledged to crack down on the black market sale of vaccines after a mother and daughter in Shandong province were found to have illegally bought vaccines from traders and sold on to hundreds of re-sellers around China.

The vaccines, which police said were made by licensed producers, were not kept and transported in the required cold conditions, which could mean that patients taking them could suffer severe side effects or even death.

Hong Kong limited the number of non-resident children getting vaccinations at government clinics there after the scare raised fears that mainland families would go to the city for inoculations and put pressure on supplies. 
 
(Reuters)

Licensed vaccines weren't transported in the required conditions, which could lead to patients suffering severe side effects, even death

China health authorities have started a nationwide inspection of vaccinations four months after a scandal broke involving nearly $90 million worth of illegal vaccines that were suspected of being sold in dozens of provinces. Authorities will track purchases as well as the distribution of vaccines and vaccination records, to ensure they are legally traded and properly handled and used, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in a statement published online. Random checks will be conducted at 20 per cent of hospitals and clinics providing vaccinations, while all disease control and prevention agencies nationwide will be inspected, it said. In March, authorities pledged to crack down on the black market sale of vaccines after a mother and daughter in Shandong province were found to have illegally bought vaccines from traders and sold on to hundreds of re-sellers around China. The vaccines, which police said were made by licensed producers, were not kept and transported in the required cold conditions, which could mean that patients taking them could suffer severe side effects or even death. Hong Kong limited the number of non-resident children getting vaccinations at government clinics there after the scare raised fears that mainland families would go to the city for inoculations and put pressure on supplies. (Reuters)

China launches nationwide inspection of vaccines

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