COVID News Brief: The news you need to know

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
AVAC's weekly COVID News Brief provides a curated perspective on what COVID news is worth your time.
"When the outbreak of monkeypox expanded earlier this year, racist and stigmatizing language online, in other settings and in some communities was observed and reported to WHO. In several meetings, public and private, a number of individuals and countries raised concerns and asked WHO to propose a way forward to change the name.”
-- WHO ([link removed]) on changing the name of monkeypox to "mpox" in STAT ([link removed])


** Share of People Who Completed the Initial COVID-19 Vaccination Protocol
------------------------------------------------------------
November 30, 2022
Source: Our World in Data ([link removed])


** Table of Contents
------------------------------------------------------------
* If You Are in a Hurry (#If You Are in a Hurry)
* A New Approach to Public Health in Africa (#A New Approach to Public Health in Africa)
* Learning from the COVID-19 Response for TB (#Learning from the COVID-19 Response for TB)
* Global COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout is Still Broken (#Global COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout is Still Broken)
* Protests in China as COVID-19 Cases Increase (#Protests in China as COVID-19 Cases Increase)
* Long COVID (#Long COVID)
* Reflections from WHO’s Departing Chief Scientist (#Reflections from WHO’s Departing Chief Scientist)
*
* Exploring Possible New Strains (#Exploring Possible New Strains)
* This Week in Misinformation (#This Week in Misinformation)


* Measles and Polio Outbreaks (#Measles and Polio Outbreaks)
* COVID-19 and HIV Detection in Europe (#COVID-19 and HIV Detection in Europe)
* Malawi Begins Malaria Inoculations for Children (#Malawi Begins Malaria Inoculations for Children)
*
* Masking Up in Mexico City (#Masking Up in Mexico City)
* RSV Explainer (#RSV Explainer)
* COVID-19 and Access to HIV Treatment (#COVID-19 and Access to HIV Treatment)
* Happy Birthday Omicron
* Ebola Outbreak Continues in Uganda (#Ebola Outbreak Continues in Uganda)

What’s in a name? WHO announced this week that “it will phase out the name of the disease monkeypox over the next year, replacing it with the term “mpox”. The decision follows widespread calls for changing the name since the current international outbreak of the disease was first detected last May,” according to STAT ([link removed]) (US). In a statement WHO ([link removed]) said, “When the outbreak of monkeypox expanded earlier this year, racist and stigmatizing language online, in other settings and in some communities was observed and reported to WHO. In several meetings, public and private, a number of individuals and countries raised concerns and asked WHO to propose a way forward to change the name.”

Dr. Boghuma Kabisen Titanji, an infectious disease doc at Emory University tweeted ([link removed]) about the change: “A name change while necessary feels like ‘majoring in the minors’, if this is the only change that comes out of the global outbreak. The needle has barely moved for access to vaccines, treatment & diagnostics in LMICs. These matter more!”



** If You Are in a Hurry
------------------------------------------------------------
* Read The Conversation ([link removed]) on COVID lockdowns impact on HIV treatment for migrant women in South Africa.
* Read Spotlight ([link removed]) on learning from the COVID-19 response for TB.
* Read Time ([link removed]) on why the global COVID-19 vaccine rollout is still broken.
* Read an RSV Explainer ([link removed]) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
* Read The Monitor ([link removed]) on a call to give Malaria equal attention to Ebola and COVID-19 in Uganda.
* Read New York Times ([link removed]) on Omicrons 1^st birthday.
* Read an interview with WHO’s Soumya Swaminathan in Science ([link removed]) .




** A New Approach to Public Health in Africa
------------------------------------------------------------

Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, acting director of the Africa CDC, and colleagues write in Global Health Now ([link removed]) (US), “Existing patterns of health funding and emergency response in Africa—many of which focus on filling short-term gaps and aligning with donor interests—are insufficient…. Africa’s vision of a New Public Health Order, first proposed in 2017, is actively tackling health challenges and planning for the future, shaped by local leadership and regional solutions. It aims to ensure that effective health systems exist before a crisis and remain resilient during and post-crisis.


** Learning from the COVID-19 Response for TB
------------------------------------------------------------

Kelvin Vollenhoven and Neetha Morar write in Spotlight ([link removed]) (South Africa), “COVID-19 has been a major setback to both TB control and TB research efforts, but we can claw back the grounds we have lost and progress further if we work collaboratively and efficiently implement lessons from HIV and COVID-19 research and interventions. Getting this right is critical. One place where we can start getting this right is in South Africa’s key strategy document for TB and HIV – the National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV, STI’s and TB. The new NSP is currently being developed under the leadership of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) but collaboration from a wide variety of stakeholders will be needed to make the new NSP a success at implementation level.”


** Global COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout is Still Broken
------------------------------------------------------------

Time ([link removed]) (US) reports, “As successful as the COVID-19 vaccines have been in curbing the pandemic, their benefits haven’t been enjoyed equally by people around the globe. Throughout the pandemic—and even now—vaccine development and distribution has been undeniably lopsided, skewed in favor of developed countries with the resources to create, test, manufacture, and distribute shots when the need arises. In the third year of pandemic, while nearly 70 percent of people worldwide have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, in low-income countries, only 24 percent have…. Going forward, to ensure that vaccines are distributed more equitably, the WHO recommends prioritizing innovation around vaccine storage and delivery in favor of the least burdensome methods—unlike the ultra-cold temperatures required for the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Those conditions made it challenging to administer the vaccines in many parts of the world with minimal
health infrastructure. And for those around the world who are needle-averse, having other modes of delivery, such as nasal, inhalable, or oral vaccines, is also a must. ‘We can come up with vaccines that cost pennies to deliver and that people are more likely to accept,’ says Lipkin. ‘The more we get away from needing needles, syringes, and experts in vaccination, that would be enormously helpful.’”


** Protests in China as COVID-19 Cases Increase
------------------------------------------------------------

Helen Bransell reports in STAT ([link removed]) (US) that China could face a “tsunami of cases,” even as protests of the zero COVID-19 policy continue. “The zero COVID-19 policy, which has kept cases and deaths in China to negligible numbers throughout the pandemic, seems doomed to fail in the face of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus… But the Chinese leadership does not appear to be mapping a path to a safe exit ramp, leaving experts worried the country could see a tsunami of cases that would swamp its health care system if the national containment effort collapses…. China, however, appears to believe it can fend off the virus indefinitely. With cases mounting to hitherto unseen levels — about 40,000 a day for the past several days — experts who have tracked the virus’ trajectory through the rest of the world shake their heads at what they see as an unattainable goal.”


** Long COVID
------------------------------------------------------------

CNBC ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Up to 30 percent of Americans who get COVID-19 have developed long-haul symptoms, affecting as many as 23 million Americans, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services…. Medical experts have called it ‘the next public health disaster in the making.’…But the tentacles of long Covid reach far beyond its medical impact: from the labor gap to disability benefits, life insurance, household debt, forfeit retirement savings and financial ruin.”


** Reflections from WHO’s Departing Chief Scientist
------------------------------------------------------------

In an interview with Science ([link removed]) (US) Soumya Swaminathan, who is returning to her native India to work on public health shares her thoughts on the WHO and global responses to COVID-19 and reflects on the prolonged debate about calling the virus airborne. “We should have [called SARS-CoV-2 airborne] much earlier, based on the available evidence, and it is something that has cost the organization. You can argue that [the criticism of WHO] is unfair, because when it comes to mitigation, we did talk about all the methods, including ventilation and masking. But at the same time, we were not forcefully saying: ‘This is an airborne virus.’ I regret that we didn't do this much, much earlier.”


** Fauci: It’s Still a Pandemic
------------------------------------------------------------

CNBC ([link removed]) (US) reports, “The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the U.S. is ‘certainly’ still in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic and he is ‘very troubled’ by the divisive state of American politics. ‘As a public health official, I don’t want to see anyone suffer and die from COVID-19. I don’t care if you’re a far-right Republican or a far-left Democrat, everybody deserves to have the safety of good public health and that’s not happening.’ Fauci said between 300 and 400 people are still dying from Covid every day [in the US], and the uptake of the latest vaccine booster has been less than 15 percent.”

The Washington Post ([link removed]) (US) reports, “More than 300 people are still dying each day on average from COVID-19, most of them 65 or older, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While that’s much lower than the 2,000 daily toll at the peak of the delta wave, it is still roughly two to three times the rate at which people die of the flu — renewing debate about what is an ‘acceptable loss.’… Today, nearly 9 in 10 covid deaths are in people 65 or older — the highest rate ever, according to a Washington Post analysis of CDC data.”


** Exploring Possible New Strains
------------------------------------------------------------

Bloomberg ([link removed]) (US) reports, “A South African laboratory study using COVID-19 samples from an immunosuppressed individual over six months showed that the virus evolved to become more pathogenic, indicating that a new variant could cause worse illness than the current predominant omicron strain…. Led by Alex Sigal at the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban, the study indicates that the pathogen could continue to mutate and a new variant may cause more severe illness and death than the relatively mild omicron strain. The study is yet to be peer reviewed and is based solely on laboratory work on samples from one individual.”


** This Week in Misinformation
------------------------------------------------------------

Washington Post ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Twitter will no longer enforce its policy against coronavirus misinformation…Twitter introduced its policy against covid misinformation in 2020 during the early days of the pandemic. Since then, the company had suspended more than 11,000 accounts and removed more than 100,000 pieces of content for violating the policy, according to a report from the company…. Experts say Musk’s decision will lead to more deaths. ‘It’s a huge step backwards in a pandemic that has killed a million Americans and millions more worldwide,’ Shaffer said. ‘It’s certain to get many more people killed from covid than otherwise would.’”


** Measles and Polio Outbreaks
------------------------------------------------------------

The COVID-19 pandemic slowed many childhood vaccination efforts and many communities are now seeing the effects of that as polio and measles cases rise.

AP ([link removed]) (US) reports, “Pakistani authorities launched a new nationwide anti-polio drive on Monday amid a spike in new cases among children, health officials said. It is the sixth such campaign this year and will last for five days, aiming to inoculate children under the age of 5 in high-risk areas…. Since April, Pakistan has registered 20 new polio cases and the outbreak has been seen as a blow to the efforts to eradicate the disease, which can cause severe paralysis in children.”


** COVID-19 and HIV Detection in Europe
------------------------------------------------------------

Reuters ([link removed]) (UK) reports, “The number of people in Europe with undiagnosed HIV has risen as testing rates fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening a global goal of ending the disease by 2030, a report said. [WHO] and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report said that in 2021 a quarter fewer HIV diagnoses were recorded compared to pre-pandemic levels in the WHO's European region…. This setback was likely because services related to HIV, including testing, were sidelined in many European countries during the two years of the pandemic, the report found.”


** Malawi Begins Malaria Inoculations for Children
------------------------------------------------------------

BBC (UK) reports, “Malawi has begun vaccinating children as part of a world-first, large-scale campaign against malaria.” The vaccine has low efficacy. “But Malawi believes it will still play a key role in the fight against the disease, which killed some 2,500 infants in the country two years ago.


** Minister: Give Equal Attention to Malaria in Uganda
------------------------------------------------------------

The Monitor ([link removed]) (Uganda) reports, “The State Minister for Health in-charge of Primary Health Care, Ms Margaret Muhanga, has stressed the need for government, development partners and the community to accord malaria prevention the same urgency and attention given to pandemics such as Ebola and COVID-19, saying the former kills more people than any other disease.


** Masking Up in Mexico City
------------------------------------------------------------

NPR ([link removed]) (US) reports, “In Mexico, the federal government never issued a mask mandate. In fact, the president has rarely worn a mask. But in Mexico City, masks are still everywhere. Many residents wear them indoors and outdoors…. Mexico suffered a lot during this pandemic. Officially, more than 300,000 people have died of COVID-19. To epidemiologist Alejandro Macias, that trauma explains why, in Mexico City, masks are still worn even outside.”


** RSV Explainer
------------------------------------------------------------

Cases of the respiratory virus RSV continue to climb in many countries among children especially. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has published an RSV Explainer ([link removed]) . “RSV causes more than 100,000 deaths in children under age 5 each year, but some years are worse than others. In 2019, RSV sent 3.6 million people to hospitals worldwide. Its effects are especially devastating for children who lack access to medical care…. The protective measures many of us took during the early days of the pandemic—like social distancing, vigorous hand washing, and mask wearing—interrupted RSV transmission. There was almost no RSV for over two years. So now we have almost three years’ worth of kids who have never been exposed to RSV and thus have little to no immunity against the virus.”


** COVID-19 and Access to HIV Treatment
------------------------------------------------------------

The Conversation ([link removed]) (Australia) reports on the impact of COVID-19 on HIV treatment among migrant women in South Africa. “Women with different mobility patterns who move across country borders and within a country found it difficult to stick to treatment regimens during the COVID-19 pandemic. This risk was highlighted in March 2020 when the South African government introduced lockdowns to control the spread of COVID-19. Research suggests that the lockdowns significantly reduced access to and the provision of antiretroviral treatment services. One paper put the reduction at 46% in 65 South African primary care clinics.”


** Happy Birthday Omicron
------------------------------------------------------------

The New York Times ([link removed]) (US) reports on the one year anniversary of WHO naming Omicron a variant of concern. “Now, a year later, Omicron still has biologists scrambling to keep up with its surprising evolutionary turns. The variant is rapidly gaining mutations. But rather than a single lineage, it has exploded into hundreds, each with resistance to our immune defenses and its own alphanumeric name, like XBB, BQ.1.1 and CH.1….. As each lineage gains more mutations, fewer types of antibodies work against them. Last month, Yunlong Cao, a biochemist at Peking University, and his colleagues reported ([link removed]) that XBB and three other subvariants had become entirely resistant to the antibodies in blood samples from people who were vaccinated or had Covid infections.”


** Ebola Outbreak Continues in Uganda
------------------------------------------------------------

Africa CDC’s Mosoka P. Fallah writes in Nature ([link removed]) (UK) of his experiences fighting Ebola in the 2014 outbreak in Liberia. “How did we eventually get to zero Ebola cases in Liberia? By using some unconventional approaches. We supplied illicit drugs to gang members and food to armed robbers so that we could trace their contacts in West Point. Above all, we learnt that mobilizing communities to help themselves is crucial to containing Ebola…. We found that contact tracing alone was not enough. To succeed, we had to deputize members of the public — 5,700 of them at the peak of the crisis. We called them active case finders.”
Got this from a friend? Subscribe here. ([link removed])

============================================================
Our mailing address is:
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
** update subscription preferences ([link removed])