Epidemiology Update – New SARS-CoV-2 variants

• A coronavirus variant identified in Angola carries more mutations than any strain previously identified. 64 Cases of New variant have been detected in Angola.
• Brazil discovers new coronavirus variant similar to one from South Africa.
• ‘Double mutant’ COVID-19 variant from India found in the USA.
• New variant discovered in Arizona, USA, officially named B.1.243.1. Confirmed last month by researchers at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, who said it is similar to the South African variant that was also found in the state in March.
• A type of T-cell responsible for destroying cells infected with virus was able to recognize three Covid-19 variants in a small U.S. study, a promising sign that the vaccines should still protect against new, emerging strains, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Tuesday.
• A new study found that in lab experiments looking at virus survival in artificially produced aerosolized particles, a B.1.1.7 lineage virus (first identified in the UK) had about the same survival rate as a strain of the virus that was circulating in Wuhan, China, in January 2020.
• Efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine by AstraZeneca against SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern 202012/01 (B.1.1.7). ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 showed reduced neutralization activity against the B.1.1.7 variant compared with a non-B.1.1.7 variant in vitro, but the vaccine showed efficacy against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2.
• Mutations could render current Covid vaccines ineffective in a year or less, epidemiologists warn.

Other Headlines

• Globally, new COVID-19 cases rose for a sixth consecutive week, with over 4 million new cases reported in the last week. The number of new deaths also increased by 11% compared to last week, with over 71 000 new deaths reported. The largest increases in case incidence were observed in the South and South-East Asia (most notably in India).
• WHO released the report from the virus origins mission. The joint team concluded that the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 likely started in late 2019, possibly between November and early December, but could be as far back as September 2019. Further studies will be needed in a range of areas, including on the early detection of cases and clusters, the potential roles of animal markets, transmission via the food chain, and the laboratory incident hypothesis.
• WHO informs that several Member States and technical bodies have proposed the development of an international pandemic treaty or framework convention, a process which would be Member State-driven. The WHO Director-General appointed the former Prime Minister of Sweden as WHO Special Envoy for the ACT-Accelerator.
• At a High-Level Event on Debt and Liquidity on Monday, the UN Secretary-General emphasized that developing countries need access to additional liquidity to respond to the pandemic, and to invest in recovery.
• In a policy brief on debt and liquidity, the Secretary-General highlights that the rapid growth of financing needs and the collapse in revenues and GDP growth caused by the pandemic have exacerbated debt burden risks across the globe. The brief notes that half of least developed and low-income countries are assessed as being at a high risk of debt distress or in debt distress. The brief recommends policy interventions to address: (i) liquidity constraints, (ii) provision of fresh financing, (iii) a new general allocation of Special Drawing Rights, (iv) debt service suspension, (v) debt relief and the Common Framework, and (vi) the international debt architecture.
• The World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report finds that the pandemic has widened the gender gap by a generation and based on the current trajectory, women will have to wait another 135.6 years, up from 99.5 years in 2020, to achieve overall parity with men.

UPDATE ON KEY TOOLS

Vaccine Development and WHO approval

• Valneva has reported positive early results for its Covid-19 vaccine, giving the UK government a potential domestic supply of a shot that could be used as a booster or to tackle virus variants.
• WHO - Chinese vaccine makers Sinopharm and Sinovac have presented data on their COVID-19 vaccines indicating levels of efficacy that would be compatible with those required by the WHO, the chair of a WHO advisory panel said.
• Pfizer to test Covid-19 vaccine that doesn’t need ultracold storage.

Vaccine  Access, Delivery, and Rollout

• Astra Zeneca Further controversy over the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe, with a number of countries continuing to apply restrictions on the vaccine. The European Medicines Agency said that there is a clear link between AstraZeneca vaccine and rare blood clots in brain. UK reports seven blood clot deaths after AstraZeneca vaccine. There were 30 cases of blood clots that have been reported among 18.1 million people (up to March 24), who were given AstraZeneca vaccines.
• Impact of findings: Germany, Netherlands has suspended use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine in  <60 years old, Canada and France for <55 years old, Finland for <65 year olds. Sweden and Iceland now only use the vaccine for their elderly population (>70 years), while Denmark and Norway have prolonged their suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine until the middle of April. In Iceland, only people older than 70 will get the AstraZeneca vaccine. British authorities have recommended that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine not be given to adults under 30 where possible because of strengthening evidence that the shot may be linked to rare blood clots. Costa Rica is holding the roll-out of Astra Zeneca vaccines until further clarity.
• Ongoing lessons:  Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines may block infection as well as disease. Studies suggest fully vaccinated people pose a low risk for transmitting the coronavirus. Antibody activity elicited by the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine persisted at least through 6 months after the second dose across all age groups, according to results from an ongoing phase 1 trial. The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech is highly effective at protecting against symptomatic Covid-19 up to six months after the second dose.
• Pregnant women who get the coronavirus vaccine pass their antibodies on to their newborns, recent studies suggest, a promising sign that babies can acquire from their mothers some protection against Covid-19.
• CureVac and Celonic have entered a commercial supply agreement to manufacture over 100 million doses of the former’s mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV.
• BioNTech and Pfizer will boost manufacturing capacity of their COVID-19 vaccine to 2.5 billion doses by the end of 2021, BioNTech said on Tuesday, as it projected sales of nearly 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion) from the product this year.
• Toyota Land Cruiser gets WHO approval to carry vaccines.
• COVAX Vaccine rollout to exceed 100 countries soon.
• ICAO, ILO, IMO, IOM and WHO issued a joint statement calling for the prioritization of vaccination for seafarers and aircrew.
• UNESCO urges all countries to consider teachers as frontline workers; data shows that 56 countries do not prioritize teachers in national vaccine rollout plans.

Africa (AFE and AFW)

• The WHO has warned Sub-Saharan countries that they face threats of new COVID-19 variants and could be hit by the third wave in the coming weeks.
• Africa CDC issues warning over Indian vaccine delays.
• Coronavirus vaccines are finally reaching poor countries in Africa, but some can’t afford the cost of administering them.
• Kenyans have begun getting inoculated with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines for a fee after the nation’s authorities approved the shots for emergency purposes. Pregnant and Lactating Mothers warned not to take Covid-19 vaccine in Kenya.
• South Africa signs deal for 20 million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has also registered the COVID-19 Johnson & Johnson vaccine with conditions.
• Johnson & Johnson announced an advanced purchase agreement to make up to 400 million doses of vaccine available to AU member states.
• Vaccination uptake surpasses 100,000 mark in Zimbabwe. Facebook and WHO Launch Campaign to Curb Covid-19 Vaccine Misinformation in Zimbabwe.
• A consignment of 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccines has been provided by the government of India to Nigeria to assist in the efforts to curb the debilitating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigerian government to redistribute unutilized Covid-19 vaccine to states.

Europe and Central Asia

• The WHO Regional Director for Europe said that the vaccine rollout in Europe is “unacceptably slow.”
• Astra Zeneca European Union health ministers have been told that new regulatory guidance for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is expected to have an immediate impact on inoculation plans and would require a coordinated response.  
• Governance  Slovakian Prime Minister resigned on 30 March following weeks of disputes within the governing alliance sparked by the controversial purchase of Sputnik V.
• German Health Minister the 16 state health ministers decided to suspend the routine use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under age 60 at an emergency meeting. Germany considering buying Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine.
• Serbia has procured enough vaccines for its population but as conspiracy theories spread, many remain hesitant over taking the shots.
• Daily COVID-19 cases exceed 40,000 in Turkey, highest level yet.
• Moldova introduces state of emergency to contain coronavirus pandemic. Non-EU member Moldova has received barely enough doses for 3 percent of its population, while Romania has already administered almost three million.
• France to begin producing Covid-19 vaccines for EU rollout.
• Austria is negotiating with Russian authorities to purchase the Sputnik V vaccine, while Germany and France had discussions with Russian leadership about the vaccine.

East Asia and Pacific

• Australia has fallen 3.4 million doses short of its target of delivering four million Covid vaccinations by 31 March, prompting criticism of the government. The 85% shortfall comes two days after Brisbane entered another snap lockdown to combat a small outbreak.
• Japan to get first batches of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from U.S.
• COVID-19 cases in Philippines near 800,000, lockdown extended in the country.
• The man behind Vietnam’s successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic, has been formally sworn in as president. Vietnam asks for foreign support in procuring COVID-19 vaccines.
• China reports biggest daily COVID-19 case jump in over 2 months.
• AstraZeneca Covid vaccine will be Thailand’s ‘principal’ shot.
• Malaysia to receive first 600,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 shots in June.
• Mongolia confirms 602 daily cases of COVID-19.
• Health official in Papua New Guinea explains how Facebook spreads misinformation.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Peru reports new COVID deaths record.
• Argentina’s president tests positive for COVID-19.
• Despite Chile’s speedy Covid-19 vaccination drive, cases soar. Experts say Chile’s government eased restrictions on travel, business and schools much too early, creating a false sense of confidence that the worst of the pandemic was over. Health officials in Chile have identified cases of new variants that were first detected in Brazil and Britain.
• Brazil’s drug regulator Anvisa has rejected Bharat Biotech International’s application for supplying Covaxin in the country after an inspection of the company’s facility at Hyderabad in March found violations of norms for good manufacturing practices.
• Brazil COVID-19 deaths on track to pass worst of U.S. wave.

Manaus, a Brazilian city of more than two million has stood out as one of the world’s leading COVID hotspots. Tragically, it continues to provide the wrong lessons about what should be done to ease the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease.

• Venezuela’s government will ask a UN health program for Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine that may not be available until July, eschewing AstraZeneca shots that would be accessible earlier.
• OCHA reports the Mexican Government has recognized that the country’s COVID-19 death toll may exceed 321,000, nearly 60 per cent more than the official test-confirmed death toll of 201,826. A review of death certificates found that about 7 of every 10 excess deaths were COVID-19 related. Mexico has had low testing rates throughout the pandemic, leading many cases and deaths to go unreported.

Middle-East and North Africa

• Iran receives first AstraZeneca doses through COVAX.
• Pfizer says working on a new deal to supply more vaccines to Israel. This comes after the company halted shipment of 700,000 COVID vaccines to Israel after the country reportedly failed to make payment.
• Tunisia Struggles to Contain UK COVID-19 Strain.
• Iran faces fourth COVID wave after Nowruz holidays.
• More than 100,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine have arrived at Tripoli’s Mitiga airport, the first shipment to reach Libya.
• Third coronavirus wave will begin with Ramadan in Egypt, according to health officials.
• In Yemen, 74 doctors have died of Covid-19. A shipment of 360,000 Indian-made COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Yemen, as part of the first batch of 1.9 million doses it will receive throughout the year.

South Asia Region

• Indian states seek widening of vaccination amid new COVID-19 wave. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India says this new “double mutant” variant has not been found in sufficient numbers to account for the increase in COVID-19 cases across the country. Despite recent export restrictions on vaccine due to a record spike, India could resume vaccine exports by June.
• The health ministry of Bangladesh has decided to procure Covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson to reduce dependence on India. Bangladesh protest over COVID curbs turns violent, three people have been shot.
• Pakistan receives another large COVID vaccine shipment from China. 500,000 Sinopharm doses and 60,000 CanSino jabs received, with a further 500,000 vaccine doses expected soon.
• Bhutan has almost vaccinated its entire adult population within a week of launching campaign.

Mobility

• New Zealand’s prime minister has announced details of a trans-Tasman travel bubble with Australia, meaning Australians will be able to travel to New Zealand without needing to quarantine.
• India’s richest state has announced stringent COVID-19 restrictions from Monday, after a rapid rise in infections now accounting for more than half the daily new cases in India.
• Colombia to extend coronavirus restrictions as infections rise.
• In Mozambique, curfew extended to all provincial capitals.
• England's lockdown to ease as planned on 12 April.
• France schools to close under third lockdown.
• Ontario, Canada hastily reverses reopening as new variants usher in a third wave of Covid cases.
• Bangladesh goes into second lockdown.
• The Croatian government is tightening the measures introduced to limit the spread of the coronavirus by imposing a ban on indoor sports training, restricting working hours of children playrooms and temporarily restricting the crossing of the country's borders.
• Philippines extends coronavirus curbs in capital and nearby provinces .

Treatment

• Pfizer's new oral protease inhibitor could possibly treat and prevent covid-19. Vaccines still pose a myriad of challenges in terms of vaccine hesitancy, the unknown length, and duration of protection, and their efficacy against the ever-mutating variants. Therefore, only a multifaceted approach utilizing vaccines, drug treatments, and public health measures will prevent infections from spreading.
• Zydus Cadila has sought approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for the use of the Hepatitis C drug, Pegylated Interferon Alpha-2b (PegIFN), for treating Covid-19 patients.
• Published Peer-Reviewed Data Demonstrate Bamlanivimab’s High Potency Against SARS-CoV-2 and Support its Use as a Foundational Antibody Therapy to Treat and Prevent COVID-19 - Bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) has greater affinity and potency relative to other RBD-binding and ACE2-blocking antibodies tested in this study. Because of its potency, bamlanivimab provides a therapeutic foundation to be administered with another antibody to expand the protection against viral variants
• Anti-inflammatory drug protects against lethal inflammation from COVID-19 in animal models - Mount Sinai researchers have found that a widely available and inexpensive drug targeting inflammatory genes has reduced morbidity and mortality in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
• both cancer and COVID-19 is berzosertib, which is licensed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
• The World Health Organization recommended against using generic anti-parasite drug ivermectin in patients with COVID-19 except for clinical trials, because of a lack of data demonstrating its benefits.
• Infliximab may hinder the effectiveness of some COVID-19 vaccines - The study included over 1,300 patients with inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease, who were being treated with Infliximab, when they received one dose of either the Oxford/Astra-Zeneca ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, or the BNT162b2 vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech.

Diagnostics

• Durham diagnostics is shipping out its first devices allowing for rapid detection of the novel coronavirus in 17 minutes.
• Israeli COVID test, which provides accurate results in 20 seconds, gets European approval.
• US FDA Authorizes two rapid, at-home Coronavirus tests.

Epidemiology Update – New SARS-CoV-2 variants

• In countries where the B.1.1.7 variant is dominating, the picture is getting much worse. French ICUs are packed with 5,000+ COVID-19 patients for the first time since April 2020. Turkey has reached record daily case numbers. Canada reports rising case numbers and hospitalizations.
• Brazil’s out-of-control outbreak could seed more dangerous variants, given “the virus’s track record of acquiring mutations in areas where it abounds,”. The P.1 variant first discovered in Manaus has since reached 34 other countries—and has been shown to be “more pernicious than its predecessors.”
• The T cell response—a crucial element of the immune system—induced by infection with the original coronavirus was shown to be protective against the top 3 virus variants, those first discovered in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil.
• India reports novel COVID-19 variant, daily deaths at year’s high.
• In Brazil, more young people seem to be getting severely ill and dying from Covid-19.

VACCINES AND VARIANTS

NEW VARIANTS

Source: WHO      ; Date: 03/30/2021

Other Headlines

• Globally, new COVID-19 cases rose for a fifth consecutive week, with just over 3.8 million new cases reported in the last week. The number of new deaths increased for the second consecutive week, increasing by 5% compared to last week, with over 64,000 new deaths reported. All regions reported an increase in the number of cases this week. Europe and the Americas continue to account for approximately 80% of all new and cumulative cases and deaths.
• AMR and COVID-19 Many Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Are Given Antibiotics.  As the Covid-19 pandemic continues into its second year, public health experts are increasingly concerned that the response to this global crisis may be accelerating another one: the development and persistence of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as superbugs. Why? All antibiotic use hastens the emergence of resistance. And although antibiotics aren’t used to treat Covid-19, which is a viral illness, they’re often prescribed to Covid-19 patients who are at risk for bacterial infection.
• First baby born with COVID antibodies after mom got the Moderna vaccine— here's why that matters.
• Global Leaders Unite in Urgent Call for International Pandemic Treaty – 25 heads of government and international agencies come together in extraordinary joint call for a new treaty that would signal high-level political action needed to protect the world from future health crises. The main goal of a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response would be to foster a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to strengthen national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics.
• COVID-19 drives a more severe form of acute kidney injury.

UPDATE ON KEY TOOLS

Vaccine Development and WHO approval

• Shanghai mRNA COVID-19 vaccine begins phase 1 clinical trials -The double-blind placebo-controlled vaccine trials are being conducted among people at high risk of contracting COVID-19 aged 18 and above.
• Pfizer has started a clinical trial testing its COVID-19 vaccine on healthy 6-month to 11-year old children, a crucial step in obtaining federal regulatory clearance to start vaccinating young kids and controlling the pandemic.
• AstraZeneca has begun advertising for participants in an early-stage trial to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine it jointly developed with AstraZeneca as a nasal spray.
• Novavax’s Covid-19 Vaccine Trials Start in India with the aim of launching it by September.
• mRNA vaccines and monoclonal antibodies protect against new NYC-B.1.526 variant research team tested how susceptible the B.1.526 variants were to neutralizing antibodies from convalescent plasma, monoclonal antibodies, and mRNA vaccines.
• Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 infection in a real-world setting.
• Vaccine effectiveness of the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and BNT162b2 against SARS-CoV-2 infection in residents of Long-Term Care Facilities (VIVALDI study).  The first dose of BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 vaccines was associated with substantially reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in LTCF residents.

Vaccine  Access, Delivery, and Rollout

• UK will produce up to 60m doses of Covid-19 vaccine under a new deal to boost domestic supply, due to potential export bans hitting shipments of vaccines from Europe and India.
• BioNTech-Pfizer raise 2021 vaccine output goal to 2.5 billion doses.
• Iran’s ‘Fakhra’ vaccine to be mass-produced by late May.
• EMA gives BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna approval for new COVID-19 production facilities which will become one of the largest mRNA vaccine manufacturing sites in Europe and the world. Elsewhere, additional sites are also set to produce AstraZeneca and Moderna doses.
• BioNTech-Pfizer Raise 2021 Vaccine Output Goal to 2.5 Billion Doses after opening of a new German facility.
• Canada to pause AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine use for those under 55, require new risk analysis based on age and gender.
• EU leaders support “global value chains” rather than support Brussels in using new powers to block COVID-19 jab exports to highly vaccinated countries, despite being told that 21m doses had been sent to the UK.
• Novavax is delaying signing a contract to supply its COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union as the U.S. biotech company warned it was struggling to source some raw materials.
• UK is reportedly planning on giving millions of Covid-19 vaccines to Ireland in a bid to stave off a third wave in Northern Ireland.
• China's CanSino has proposed supplying "tens of millions of doses" of its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine to the global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX .
• Russia has celebrated the arrival of its homegrown vaccine, Sputnik V, in Latin America and Africa, and even in some countries in Europe, calling it a solution to shortages around the world, while importing vaccines at home.
• Russian Direct Investment Fund  had reached an agreement with China's Shenzhen Yuanxing Gene-tech to produce over 60 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in China, with production due to start in May.
• COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy could lead to thousands of extra deaths - High numbers of people refusing or delaying a vaccine could increase the mortality rate by up to eight times compared with ideal vaccination uptake. The team estimate that this hesitancy would lead to an extra 236 deaths per million population over a two year period for a vaccine with high efficacy.
• Asian countries scrambled to find alternative sources for COVID-19 inoculations on Tuesday after export restrictions by manufacturer India left a World Health Organization-backed global vaccine sharing programme short of supplies.
• Johnson & Johnson would start delivering its single-shot Covid vaccine to Europe on April 19, giving the continent a boost as it struggles to speed up its vaccination drive.
• Israel plans to buy millions of additional doses of coronavirus vaccine that may be used once its initial inoculation drive is complete.
• A new factory in Abu Dhabi will start manufacturing Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine later this year.
• India extends shelf life of AstraZeneca vaccine.
• Third Covid vaccine in India likely to be approved soon.

Africa (AFE and AFW)

• Johnson&Johnson will supply up to 220 million doses of its single-shot COVID-19 vaccine to African Union’s 55 member states from the third quarter of 2021.
• Ethiopia expects to receive a consignment of 300,000 doses of the China-backed Sinopharm vaccines on March 30.
• Kenya confirms presence of new Covid-19 variants.
• Mali approves Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

Europe and Central Asia

• Excess deaths in Russia suggest Covid death toll is closer to 450,000 than the official number of 94,000.
• Ukraine and Bulgaria are reporting record numbers of COVID-19 deaths and cases, respectively,;  in the Bulgarian city of Yambol, 98% of hospital beds are occupied.
• Uzbekistan to start mass coronavirus vaccination from April 1.
• A third wave of coronavirus infections was emerging in Russia, which has recorded more than 4.5 million cases since the start of the pandemic.

East Asia and Pacific

• A court in Vietnam on Tuesday issued a two-year suspended jail term to a flight attendant over breaking COVID-19 quarantine rules and allegedly spreading the virus to others.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• Despite Chile’s speedy covid-19 vaccination drive, cases soar in the country.
• Brazil to spend extra $1 billion to fight pandemic as country hits daily death record.
• Hospitals in Ecuador's capital overwhelmed by COVID-19 infections.

Middle-East and North Africa

• Egypt's COVID-19 robot hospital assistant might just save lives.

South Asia Region

• Pakistan continues to grapple with third wave of coronavirus. Pakistan’s President and Finance Minister test positive for COVID-19 as hospitals reach capacity.
• India has highest number of critical cases. India pushes ahead with coronavirus vaccination drive to head off new surge.
• India donates 200,000 vaccines to protect UN blue helmets against COVID.
• India suffers highest daily coronavirus infections in five months.

Mobility

• Nairobi goes into partial lockdown.
• Philippine Capital Back in Lockdown as cases surge.
•  

Treatment

• Lilly-Vir's COVID-19 antibody treatments reduced viral load in low-risk COVID-19 patients, results from a mid-stage trial showed.
• Cynata Theraputics is all set to expand recruitment criteria in its active MEseNchymal coviD-19 (MEND) clinical trial of Cymerus mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in intensive care patients with respiratory failure.
• How new insights into COVID's spike protein could guide treatment design SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, is structurally similar to SARS-CoV-1, the virus that caused a much smaller outbreak two decades ago. So why has today’s iteration of the virus been so much more infectious?
• The PROTECT-V trial investigating UNIONs COVID-19 candidate receives Urgent Public Health Prioritization from the UK government
• Pfizer began the phase one trial of a pill to treat COVID-19. The treatment is a potent protease inhibitor, the same kind of technology used to treat HIV and hepatitis C. The pill demonstrated potent in vitro anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2, as well as activity against other coronaviruses.
• New phase III data shows investigational antibody cocktail casirivimab and imdevimab reduced hospitalization or death by 70% in non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
• Foresee Pharmaceuticals FP-025 showed significant therapeutic efficacy in preclinical inflammation and fibrosis models of the lung, suggesting that FP-025 may potentially avert the lung injury and fibrosis caused by COVID–19 infections.
• Antibody agents effective at neutralizing European, South African, and United States SARS-CoV-2 variants - Researchers in the United States have demonstrated the effectiveness of three antibody agents at neutralizing recently emerged variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Diagnostics

• New economical test can accurately detect covid-19 antibodies in a drop of blood in less than an hour.

Epidemiology Update – New SARS-CoV-2 variants

• IHME reports that global case increases in recent weeks are being driven by the spread of the P1 variant of concern in Brazil, Peru and some neighboring areas; and the spread of the VOC 501Y.V1 (VOC 202012/01) variant of concern, compounded by increases in mobility and decreases in mask use, in Europe and the US. IMHE states that helping South America to vaccinate on an accelerated basis should be a global priority.
• Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimate a 55 per cent higher hazard of death associated with the VOC 202012/01 variant of concern. This analysis suggests that this variant is not only more transmissible than pre-existing variants, but may also cause more severe illness.
• Supercomputer analysis reveals why B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 Coronavirus Variants Are More Contagious, Deadly.
• The neutralizing-antibody response to four variants is compared in infected and vaccinated individuals to determine how mutations within the spike protein are associated with virus neutralization.
• India reports novel coronavirus variant, daily deaths at year's high.

VACCINES AND VARIANTS

Source: WHO  Date March 16^th, 2021

Other Headlines

• WHO epidemiological update: Globally, COVID-19 confirmed cases continued to rise for a fourth consecutive week, with just under 3.3 million new cases reported in the last week (ten percent increase from last week). At the same time, the number of new deaths reported plateaued after a six week decrease, with just over 60,000 new deaths reported.
• UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA report that drastic cuts in the availability and use of essential public health services across South Asia, due to COVID-19, may have contributed to an estimated 239,000 additional child and maternal deaths in 2020.

• G7 nations support the IMF’s plan to increase aid for low-income nations.
• Past infection confers 80.5 per cent protection against reinfection, which decreases to 47.1 per cent in those aged 65 years and older. These findings show the importance of policies to protect the elderly during the pandemic.
• Domestic travel measures implemented in Wuhan were effective at reducing the importation of cases internationally and within China, and additional travel restrictions were also likely important. The findings highlight the need to evaluate the potential effectiveness of travel measures using a risk and context-based assessment and suggest the need to strengthen WHO’s PHEIC procedures.
• Tuberculosis may have claimed an extra 500,000 lives in 2020 because of the lack of TB diagnosis and care, according to a new WHO report published ahead of World TB Day today. According to the report, 1.4 million fewer people received the TB care they needed in 2020 compared to the year before.
• The virus that causes the common cold can effectively remove the Covid virus out of the body's cells, say researchers.

UPDATE ON KEY TOOLS

Vaccine Development and WHO approval

• AstraZeneca advised that a review of safety data from 17 million people vaccinated in the EU and the UK has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country.
• CureVac’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CVnCoV, demonstrates protection against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351 variant (first seen in South Africa) in preclinical challenge study.
• Clinical trials approved for CanSino’s inhaled COVID-19 vaccine.
• Premas Biotech, an Indian firm has collaborated with American company Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. and announced the development of an oral Covid-19 vaccine candidate that has shown efficacy after a single dose.
• German group Curevac said Monday it will broaden its mRNA Covid vaccine trials to include new virus variants as it aims to file for EU approval in the second quarter of 2021.
• Sinovac said its COVID-19 vaccine is safe in children ages 3-17, based on preliminary data, and it has submitted the data to Chinese drug regulators.
• ZyCoV-D by Zydus Cadila, is undergoing phase III trials. The DNA plasmid platform vaccine is expected to be approved by May-June.

Vaccine  Access, Delivery, and Rollout

• WHO listed the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) for emergency use in all countries and for COVAX roll-out. COVAX has shipped over 30 million vaccines to 52 economies.
• An editorial in The Lancet and a letter in The BMJ raised the idea of appointing a Global Vaccine Coordinator, who would lead an international effort for the equitable distribution of vaccines. The authors argue that clear leadership and oversight are needed to organize what has become largely a piecemeal vaccination effort, with nations, NGOs, and the private sector working independently or bilaterally. While a centralized global champion or body could provide high-level coordination for global vaccine allocation and distribution, it would be a major challenge to ensure they have the authority necessary to compel national governments and private sector companies to participate

• AstraZeneca will publish up-to-date results from its major U.S. COVID-19 vaccine trial within 48 hours after health officials publicly criticized the drug maker for using “outdated information” to show how well the immunization worked. Earlier last week, AZ had announced results from Phase 3 trial in Chile, Peru, and the US, claiming the vaccine was 79% effective.

• Nearly 1 in 4 people in the US have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, US CDC data shows.
• A large plant to manufacture Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine was cleared by U.S. regulators on Tuesday, setting the stage for the weekly U.S. supply to surge more then 20 percent.
• Early successes in developing vaccines by upstarts like Moderna and BioNTech now face the next phase: manufacturing doses on an enormous scale.
• The European Medicines Agency plans to inspect the Sputnik V vaccine production facility to see if it can be authorized in the EU.
• The European Medicines Agency declared that the AZ vaccine was “safe and effective,” and the rollout resumed in France on Friday. However, the reboot efforts were sluggish.
• Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic approved Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, but has so far not ordered J&J’s one-shot vaccine.
• India's Stelis Biopharma to make 200 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine.

Africa (AFE and AFW)

• South Africa sells AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to other African countries.
• Several African nations including DR Congo, Cape Verde and eSwatini have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine citing possible side-effects.
• The first 165,000 AZ doses of up to 7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that MTN Group is donating to African Union countries have arrived in Ghana.
• Kenya hospitals run out of ICU beds as Covid-19 impact hits hard.
• Mauritius increases lockdown measures to combat Covid-19 spread.
• Mauritius receives 200,000 doses of Covaxin Vaccine from government of India.

Europe and Central Asia

• Excess deaths in Russia suggest Covid death toll is closer to 450,000 than the official number of 94,000.
• Ukraine and Bulgaria are reporting record numbers of COVID-19 deaths and cases, respectively,;  in the Bulgarian city of Yambol, 98% of hospital beds are occupied.
• Uzbekistan to start mass coronavirus vaccination from April 1.

East Asia and Pacific

• Moderna announced that the Philippines has secured 7 million additional doses of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna through a new supply agreement, bringing its confirmed order commitment up to 20 million doses.
• Vietnam is expected to have the first batch of locally-produced COVID-19 vaccines at the end of the third quarter of 2021.
• Singapore and Malaysia to work towards mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccine certificates and progressively restore cross-border travel.
• China’s daily output of COVID-19 vaccines has reached about 5 million doses, more than tripling the 1.5 million-dose daily production rate on Feb. 1.
• Indonesia to resume use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
• Papua New Guinea will kick-off its coronavirus vaccination program by this weekend, helped by 8,000 AstraZeneca doses from neighboring Australia as it tries to prevent its basic health system being overwhelmed by a surge in COVID-19 cases.
• Macau, China has suspended the use of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech SE due to defects found in the caps of some vials.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• UN Deputy Secretary-General highlights that the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region has reported 27.8 per cent of global deaths due to the pandemic despite representing only 8.4 per cent of the global population.
• The IMF warns that the economic impact of the pandemic may be felt in the Caribbean long after the health emergency is controlled due to its heavy reliance on tourism. Assuming no new external financing and realistic tourism scenarios, the IMF estimates the region’s financing gap at around US$ 4 billion, 4.8 per cent of regional GDP.
• Uruguay confirmed on Monday that it had detected the presence of two coronavirus variants that originated in neighboring Brazil as the tiny South American nation faces a spike in cases and deaths.
• Chile has vaccinated 25% of its population against COVID-19.
• Chile’s fast vaccination program has reached the shores of Antarctica.
• Colombia will impose new restrictions on movement and enact nightly curfews in municipalities with high occupancy levels in intensive care units as it tries to avoid a severe third wave of COVID-19.

Middle-East and North Africa

• The Egyptian government hopes to sign an agreement with China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd before the end of March to manufacture its coronavirus vaccine in Egypt.
• Egypt receives its second shipment of Covid-19 vaccines as a gift from China.
• Jordan records 109 COVID-19 deaths, highest daily toll since start of pandemic.

South Asia Region

• Pakistan has bought more than 1 million doses of Chinese Sinopharm and CanSino Biologics COVID-19 vaccines, its first purchase from any manufacturer having previously relied on donations.
• India’s health ministry warned that a huge gathering of devotees for a Hindu festival could send coronavirus cases surging as the country recorded the most new infections in nearly four months.
• Bangladesh sees highest cases in a day in 8 months.
• Understanding Covid-19 vaccine wastage in India.
• Mumbai, India to randomly test for Covid at crowded places without consent.
• India restricts vaccine exports amid rising COVID-19 cases.
• The Serum Institute of India (SII), has told Brazil, Morocco and Saudi Arabia that further supplies of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will be delayed.
• Nepal becomes third country to give emergency approval to Indian vaccine COVAXIN.
• The suspension of the vaccine campaigns in Europe may be a blessing in disguise for Nepal, which is facing delays in shipments of Covishield.

Mobility

• Spain to welcome German visitors over Easter break despite restrictions on national tourism.
• Ukraine tightens border controls amid rising COVID-19 deaths.
• Bucharest close to quarantine due to rise in COVID-19 cases.
• Indonesian tourism minister says preparations can begin for 'safe travel corridor' between Singapore, Batam and Bintan.
• Royal Caribbean International is resuming cruises aimed at U.S. vacationers. The cruises will depart from Bermuda and the Bahamas, and adult passengers must be vaccinated against COVID-19. Passengers under 18 will be able to sail with a negative coronavirus test. Crew members will also be vaccinated.
• Poland goes into partial lockdown as COVID-19 cases top 2 million.

Treatment

• Pfizer began the phase one trial of a pill to treat COVID-19. The treatment is a potent protease inhibitor, the same kind of technology used to treat HIV and hepatitis C. The pill demonstrated potent in vitro anti-viral activity against SARS-CoV-2, as well as activity against other coronaviruses.
• New phase III data shows investigational antibody cocktail casirivimab and imdevimab reduced hospitalization or death by 70% in non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
• Antioxidants and pentoxifylline as co-adjuvant measures to standard therapy to improve prognosis of patients with pneumonia by COVID-19

Diagnostics

• Association of Vitamin D Levels, Race/Ethnicity, and Clinical Characteristics With COVID-19 Test Results.
• The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is launching a new informational webinar series on SARS-CoV-2 testing strategies and best practices from selected organizational leaders. This webinar series will be hosted as part of the Center’s new COVID-19 Testing Toolkit, which aims to provide essential information for all organizations seeking to engage in SARS-CoV-2 testing.