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AVAC's weekly COVID News Brief provides a curated perspective on what COVID news is worth your time.

"The threat of pathogens, new or old, is very real for everyone on Earth, but the global health security agenda still feels like America and Europe First. Collective resource allocation, either regionally or globally, would provide better security for all of us. This applies not only to monkeypox, but also to the next disease that spills over from animals to humans. Until the global health community actually commits to cooperative action, it is making a deliberate policy choice to neglect diseases until they arrive in the Global North."
— Vinay Kampalath in STAT ([link removed])


** Share of People Who Completed the Initial COVID-19 Vaccination Protocol
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June 7, 2022
Source: Our World in Data ([link removed])


** Table of Contents
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* If You Are in a Hurry (#hurry)
* Vaccinating Pregnant People Protects Their Babies (#babies)
* Discovering Variants (#variants)
* New on the Vaccine Front (#front)
* What’s Up with Reinfection? (#whats)
* Cases on the Rise on Some Countries (#rise)
* Global Vaccine Targets Won’t Be Met (#met)
* WHO Acknowledges Mistakes in Death Toll Estimates (#WHO)


* COVID and the Working Class in America (#working)
* Dramatic Reduction in COVID Testing (#drama)
* HIV Increases Odds of Severe COVID (#increases)
* New Evidence for COVID Treatment (#new)
* Long COVID and Disability (#long)
* The Jump from Animals to Humans (#jump)
* Monkeypox Update (#pox)


In countries and regions around the globe the story is a now familiar one: COVID cases are rising. We’ve come to expect these waxing and waning of COVID infections and in some ways plan our lives around them. But as Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports the landscape of infectious diseases is becoming complicated. That the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported a rise in COVID cases in the Americas should not surprise anyone. But PAHO also warned, “countries must also pay attention to a rise in other respiratory viruses in the region…. Other viral diseases, such as influenza, monkeypox and viral hepatitis, are also surging, and nations need to pay close attention to these diseases too, PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne said. ‘The flu virus is circulating again and not just during traditional flu season," she said. "Countries should expand surveillance to monitor other respiratory viruses, not just
COVID.’"

A study in Nature ([link removed]) (UK) looked at off-season respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Australia following easing of COVID restrictions. A press release ([link removed]) about the study says, “One of the first studies to document the impact of COVID-19 on already existing viruses in Australia has revealed how the pandemic was responsible for creating a huge change in the incidence and genetics [of RSV] in the country…. A surprising finding was a major ‘collapse’ in RSV strains already known before COVID-19, and the emergence of new RSV strains which dominated each outbreak in Western Australia, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.”



** If You Are in a Hurry
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* Read The Washington Post ([link removed]) on a niche for the Novavax vaccine in the US.
* Read MedPage Today ([link removed]) on new data that shows vaccinating pregnant people can help protect their babies.
* Read a Spotlight ([link removed]) profile of South African researcher Professor Tulio de Oliveira.
* Read The Washington Post ([link removed]) on long COVID and disability.
* Read Tampa Bay Times ([link removed]) on the disproportionate impact of COVID on the working class in the US.
* Read Devex ([link removed]) on progress in meeting global vaccine targets.
* Read opinion pieces in STAT ([link removed]) and The Advocate ([link removed]) on the dangers of stigma around monkeypox.




** Vaccinating Pregnant People Protects Their Babies
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MedPage Today ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Infants born to mothers who were vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy had a lower risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, even when the Omicron variant was dominant, Norwegian researchers found. During the Omicron period, infants whose mothers received a second or third dose of COVID vaccine during pregnancy had a 33 percent lower risk of a positive test at age 4 months than infants born to unvaccinated mothers (HR 0.67, 95 percent CI 0.57-0.79), reported Ellen Øen Carlsen, MD, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, and colleagues.”



** Discovering Variants
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Spotlight ([link removed]) (South Africa) profiles South African researcher Professor Tulio de Oliveira, credited with discovering the Omicron variant. He is quoted: "’What people don't understand is that finding the first genome [the complete set of genetic information in an organism] is not difficult. The more difficult thing is to validate that this is a variant of concern, very quickly. And that's what we did very well with the Omicron.’… Over the years De Oliveira (46) has worked on global viral outbreaks including HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Zika, Yellow Fever, Dengue, and Chikungunya. Reflecting on the COVID pandemic, he says: ‘The pandemic was a terrible thing from a health point of view, also from an economic point of view, and psychological. But at a scientific level, it was phenomenal how we could identify a new emergent virus within days and then develop diagnostics, develop vaccines, and tracking the vitals in real-time.’"



** New on the Vaccine Front
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The Washington Post ([link removed]) (US) reports on the upcoming US FDA review of the Novavax vaccine, “based on a classic decades-old technology…. Even though Novavax lost the race to be first, company executives argue that their shot will help fill in the margins of the pandemic vaccination campaign and play an important role in helping people live alongside the virus into the future. They argue their vaccine, which can stay stable at refrigerator temperatures longer and may be better tolerated than alternatives, will have key advantages once the exigencies of the pandemic recede.”

Canadian researcher Fiona Small writes in The Conversation ([link removed]) (Australia) about a Phase 1 trial of an inhaled COVID vaccine. “Our research suggests that the next-generation COVID-19 vaccine we are currently testing will be more effective for longer, and will protect against new variants. Our team, which includes experts in pathology and molecular medicine, infectious diseases, immunity and aerosol particles, has taken the progress we’d made toward a tuberculosis vaccine and quickly adapted the same approach to COVID-19. This delivery system can be transformative.”

Contagion Live ([link removed]) (US) reports, “A novel vaccine against COVID-19, ZF2001 (Zifivax), from the China-based developer, Zhifei, that builds its protein subunit platform with a receptor-binding domain (RBD)-dimer demonstrated safety and efficacy in a phase 3 trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine ([link removed]) . The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated a 3-dose regimen of the adjuvanted vaccine administered at 30-day intervals to over 28,000 adult participants…The investigators reported that efficacy against alpha was 92.7 percent in short-term follow-up and 88.3 percent in long-term; 81.4 percent and 76.1 percent, respectively against delta; and 84.8 percent and 75.2 percent, respectively for the kappa variant…”



** What’s Up with Reinfection?
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NPR ([link removed]) (US) reports on COVID reinfections. “There are several omicron variants now circulating around the world, and they are very transmissible and very good at overcoming immunity, whether it's from vaccination, prior infection or both…. And any protection from infection wanes over time, so if it's been a few months since your last COVID shot or since you recovered from a case, you're more likely to be susceptible to reinfection.”



** Cases on the Rise on Some Countries
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Mmegi News ([link removed]) (Botswana) reports, “The Health Ministry says the numbers of COVID-19 cases have been “doubling and doubling” in the past two weeks, with hospital admissions also increasing, signalling the possible start of a fifth wave…”

The Hill ([link removed]) (US) reports, “COVID-19 cases have risen in the US to around 100,000 per day, and the real number could be as much as five times that, given many go unreported…. While cases have risen to around 100,000 reported per day, deaths have stayed flat, a testament to the power of vaccines and booster shots in preventing severe illness, as well as the Pfizer treatment pills Paxlovid, which cut the risk of hospitalization or death by around 90 percent.”

The Star ([link removed]) (Kenya) reports, “Kenya on Monday recorded 80 new COVID-19 cases from a sample size of 1367 tested in the last 24 hours…. The proportion of adults fully vaccinated is now at 31.1 per cent. The government is working towards vaccinating 27,246,033 people by December 2022.”

As Uganda sees an uptick in COVID cases, The Monitor ([link removed]) (Uganda) reports, “The Permanent Secretary at the Health ministry, Dr Diana Atwine, has urged Ugandans to go for COVID-19 vaccination and reduce their risk of contracting the virus…. [and] cautioned Ugandans from being reluctant and deliberately refusing to get vaccinated. … ‘Even now, we have patients in hospitals and we see that those who are coming with severe disease are those ones who were not vaccinated,’ she said.”



** Global Vaccine Targets Won’t Be Met
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Devex ([link removed]) (US) reports, “A global goal to vaccinate 70 percent of every country’s population by the end of June 2022 will not be reached. As of May 31, only 58 countries and territories have done so, according to Our World in Data. Most are from high-income countries — which doesn’t include yet the United States — and none are from low-income countries. Collectively, only 16.2 percent of low-income countries’ population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine…. At present, COVID-19 vaccinations are already facing numerous challenges. One of which is the waning risk perception of the threat of COVID-19. In eastern and southern Africa as well as West and Central Africa, the risk perception of COVID-19 has fallen from 61.9 percent and 57 percent in January 2022 to 54.5 percent and 49.4 percent by April, respectively, according to data from The Collective Service, a risk
communication and community engagement platform launched during COVID-19.”



** WHO Acknowledges Mistakes in Death Toll Estimates
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Nature ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “Scientists working with the World Health Organization (WHO) have corrected some surprising errors in its estimates of how many deaths the pandemic has caused ([link removed]) , after a flurry of questions about the original WHO report, issued in early May. In a revision to a technical paper on their methods, researchers cut Germany’s pandemic-related deaths estimate by 37 percent, pulling its excess death rate below those of the United Kingdom and Spain. They also raised their estimate for Sweden by 19 percent...”



** COVID and the Working Class in America
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Tampa Bay Times ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Working-class Americans died of COVID-19 at five times the rate of those in higher socioeconomic positions during the first year of the pandemic, according to a study. The staggering disparity was revealed in a study of roughly 69,000 US coronavirus victims ages 25 to 64 who died in 2020…. The study’s authors found that 68 percent of the deaths they studied were among people considered to be in a low socioeconomic position, defined as workers whose education stopped at high school. Only about 12 percent of deaths occurred among people in high socioeconomic positions, defined as those with at least a bachelor’s degree.”



** Dramatic Reduction in COVID Testing
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Lancet Infectious Diseases ([link removed](22)00376-0/fulltext) (UK) reports, “Between December, 2021, and April, 2022, the rate of testing for COVID-19 fell dramatically in both high-income countries (HICs) and low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to data from FIND. Rates dropped by more than 70 percent in 25 countries over the period. Topping the list were Denmark, Gabon, DR Congo, and Turkey, which had reported reductions of more than 90 percent in COVID-19 testing…. Moreover, although far fewer people are being tested around the world, the test positivity rate is as high as it has ever been. ‘Epidemiologically, that means that we know we are missing a lot of cases…, So, there's more uncertainty about the emergence of a new wave until it has slammed us in the face’, [FIND’s] Bill Rodriguez said.”



** HIV Increases Odds of Severe COVID
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Contagion Live ([link removed]) (US) reports, “People living with HIV are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 at hospital admission and in-hospital mortality compared to those without HIV, according to a paper published in The Lancet. Investigators from Switzerland used World Health Organization data from January 2020-July 2021 to determine whether people living with HIV with COVID-19 had increased odds of severe symptoms and in-hospital mortality compared to HIV-negative patients. The study authors noted that HIV patients have underlying immune issues that put them at risk for severe disease.” Read The Lancet ([link removed](22)00097-2/fulltext#%20) article.



** New Evidence for COVID Treatment
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A NIH press release ([link removed]) reports, “A large randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial led by the National Institutes of Health shows that treating adults hospitalized with COVID-19 with infliximab or abatacept – drugs widely used to treat certain autoimmune diseases – did not significantly shorten time to recovery but did substantially improve clinical status and reduce deaths.” The study protocol chair said, “When given in addition to standard of care treatments, like remdesivir and dexamethasone, infliximab and abatacept each offered a substantial reduction in mortality. These drugs could potentially add to the therapeutic options available for the treatment of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.”



** Long COVID and Disability
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The Washington Post ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The coronavirus pandemic has created a mass-disabling event that experts liken to HIV, polio or World War II, with millions suffering the long-term effects of infection with the virus. Many have found their lives dramatically changed and are grappling with what it means to be disabled…. As many as 61 million, or 1 in 4, US adults live with some form of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those numbers are being bolstered by between 7 million and 23 million long-haulers — including 1 million who can no longer work — according to recent government estimates. Think tanks and others expect the numbers to rise as covid settles in as an endemic disease.”



** The Jump from Animals to Humans
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Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “Outbreaks of endemic diseases such as monkeypox and lassa fever are becoming more persistent and frequent, the World Health Organization's (WHO) emergencies director, Mike Ryan…. As climate change contributes to rapidly changing weather conditions like drought, animals and human are changing their behaviour, including food-seeking habits. As a result of this ‘ecologic fragility’, pathogens that typically circulate in animals are increasingly jumping into humans, he said….’We've seen the difficulties we faced in this pandemic - we may face a more severe pandemic in the future and we need to be a hell of a lot better prepared than we are now,’ said Ryan.”



** Monkeypox Update
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Researchers and public health experts are working to understand the current monkeypox out breaks in Europe and the US and how they differ from endemic disease in regions of Africa.

NPR ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Two studies, published Thursday, demonstrate the virus is spreading, undetected, in some communities of Portugal and the UK — because, by and large, the cases are not linked to each other or linked to a common place or activity. So, health officials don't know where people are catching it, and many cases aren't being diagnosed, the scientists conclude…. This gap in detection may be because the symptoms of monkeypox in this outbreak can be much more subtle than in past cases.”

In an opinion piece in The Advocate ([link removed]) (US) reporter John Casey reports, “Monkeypox is not a gay disease. It is not a gay virus. It is not a gay plague. It is not HIV 2.0…. the more I read and hear about monkeypox, the more I’m a little annoyed at how the media has anointed men who have sex with men as the biggest threat to our survival from monkeypox.” He quotes CDC’s Dr. Demetre Daskalakis: “The first question to him was are gay men more prone to monkeypox. ‘No!’ he said emphatically. ‘Biology doesn’t care about anyone’s sexuality. Anyone can get monkeypox. Unfortunately, the virus hit the social network of gay men first, but it will not stay confined to gay men if it spreads. Anyone can get it, and anyone can get monkeypox through skin contact with sores, touching objects, and by respiratory. The virus does not discriminate and doesn’t care how or whose body it enters.’”

In an opinion piece in STAT ([link removed]) (US) physician and global health specialist Vinay Kampalath argues, “Pathogens don’t discriminate like humans do — they have no innate capability of discerning race, sexual orientation, religion, or nationality. This isn’t to say their effects are equal across different populations. Pathogens capitalize on individual vulnerabilities, exposures, and behaviors. They also hijack structural inequities embedded within societies.”

Al Jazeera ([link removed]) (Qatar) reports, “The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that hundreds of monkeypox cases have surfaced beyond the African countries where the disease is typically found, warning that the virus has likely been spreading under the radar. ‘Investigations are ongoing, but the sudden appearance of monkeypox in many countries at the same time suggests there may have been undetected transmission for some time,’ WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters…”

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