Being in a constant state of high alert and uncertainty is exhausting. But health officials warn that we can’t let our guard down yet and that resisting living with the ‘new normal’ could threaten our health.
23 September 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that as a species we have collectively gone into a form of flight-or-fight mode, an evolutionary self-defence mechanism that can kick in when faced with a crisis. But what happens when that crisis lasts for months with no end in sight? For many, this protracted emergency is resulting in pandemic fatigue. But what does that mean exactly, and could it breed a form of complacency that could spell trouble for the fight against COVID-19 in 2021?
Many people who have had even mild cases of COVID-19 can have post-viral fatigue that can last for months or even years. This can include feeling constantly tired, with aching muscles and brain fog. Instead, pandemic fatigue refers to feeling overwhelmed with still having to maintain a state of constant vigilance, in this case six months after the pandemic started, and a weariness to abide by restrictions.
COVID-19 has infected more than 30 million people and killed nearly one million. These numbers seemed unthinkable at the start of the pandemic, but we are now having to accept that the numbers are likely to continue to rise especially as some countries start to enter their second wave of infections. This alone will exert a huge toll on human health. But the collateral damage is devastating too; the loss of incomes, the closure of entire swathes of community services and a lack of access to non-COVID-19 health services, including routine immunisation, is causing widespread insecurity and uncertainty about both the present and the future.
This emotional overwhelm can understandably lead to or exacerbate mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. Health experts around the world have warned of a rise in the need for mental health services, which in the UK has been estimated at a 20% increase. A study in April this year looking at mental distress in more than 2,000 Americans indicated that 28% showed signs of serious mental illness compared with 3.4 in a similar survey in 2018. Young adults (18-44 years) showed the biggest downward change, and they were ten times more likely to have mental health issues.
Even for people who have not developed mental health problems, the weeks of lockdown and restrictions that millions went through brought emotional and psychological challenges that few had ever experienced. For many, those stresses may have lifted when lockdown eased, with schools and offices re-opening along with restaurants and gyms. Yet countries, such as Spain and the UK, are potentially facing new restrictions that might include another lockdown. Israel just went back into its second lockdown as it has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the world. It’s unclear how people will cope with a second lockdown. In many low- and middle-income countries lockdown has proven disastrous. In India, 400 million workers in the informal sector - 80% of India’s non-agricultural workforce - are now at risk of falling into poverty as a result of the crisis.
Although face-coverings and physical distancing is still mandatory in public spaces in most countries, there are many reports of people either not wearing masks or wearing them ineffectively. Equally, despite pavements and floors in shops and airports painted to indicate the distance that people should keep apart, often they are not heeded. Yet masks are unlikely to go away as a disease prevention tool for COVID-19, and moreover there is evidence that countries that introduced masks early on had milder epidemics. People in countries where the pandemic has yet to fully take-off, may also be complacent in continuing to comply with restrictions, in the believe that the threat is over.
People who have had COVID-19 and have antibodies may feel that they are fairly well protected as they may have natural immunity to further infections. Yet natural immunity may not last long and there are documented cases of re-infection, sometimes leading to asymptomatic disease, but occasionally sending the person into intensive care. Some scientists believe that when a person is re-infected, they are protected by their antibodies from severe disease. But so far, it’s not clear how long antibodies last for, which also has implications for vaccine development.
Some pandemic fatigue seems to be caused by conflicting public health messaging in many countries. During lockdown, the rules in some countries were so strict that they were fairly unambiguous. Now, after the easing of lockdowns in many places, some countries are reintroducing restrictions of varying levels following rising numbers of cases. These constantly changing measures can cause confusion over what people should and shouldn’t do, for example, how schools should respond to students testing positive for COVID-19 or differences in messaging between local and national governments.
An infodemic of misinformation about COVID-19 has threatened the COVID-19 response since the start of the pandemic. This includes false claims that it would be better to get the virus (in the belief that antibodies would then protect against further infection), that the disease is not as bad as people have been led to believe or even whether or not the virus is real. All of this can not only put people at risk by not following guidance such as wearing masks, but it can also put more vulnerable people in society at risk, as well as encouraging the spread of non-scientific information.
Even when we are past the acute phase of this COVID-19 crisis, pandemic fatigue could threaten future disease prevention. Just three years after the H1N1 flu pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) officials noted that health experts were unwilling to analyse it anymore to influence future pandemic planning, and were keen to move on. Yet such guidance based on lessons learned can be especially important for low- and middle-income countries that lack the resources to develop their own plans. A failure to plan also tends to mean a waste of resources – global health experts estimate it costs around US$ 4.5 billion a year globally to properly prepare for pandemics. By contrast, responding to the pandemic is costing low-and middle-income countries on average a staggering US$ 52·45 billion every four weeks.
Many people are understandably keen to see the end of 2020, but public health experts are keen to point out that nothing will materially change on 1 January 2021. Comprehensive testing and contact tracing programmes are yet to be successfully rolled out anywhere in the world, even in high-income countries. Scientists have modelled future scenarios of how the pandemic may evolve, none of which include a scenario in which the virus disappears. By the end of 2020, we are unlikely to have a treatment or a vaccine, and when we do get a vaccine, the logistics of manufacturing and distribution are not insignificant.
New variants of the coronavirus are causing alarm across the UK and South Africa, with many countries closing their borders to travellers from these countries. But what effect could new strains have on our ability to control the pandemic?
Western Equatoria Ministry of Health and UNICEF are preparing for COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.
How two effective vaccines on the market make it so much harder to quickly test any competing vaccines.
In Cameroon’s Marua region, the pandemic means farmers are now faced with the double challenge of using what limited water resources they have to grow crops while saving lives through handwashing.
Taking a wait-and-see approach to COVID-19 vaccines could lead to only pockets of the population being protected. Will this be enough to end the pandemic?
What normally takes decades has been achieved in 12 months, without cutting corners.
As participating countries look towards receiving their first batch of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility, we examine how South Africa is ramping up its readiness.
Covid-19 has changed the world of vaccines, but that doesn't mean all diseases will get treatments as quickly.
As at January 12, 2021, Nigeria has had over a hundred thousand confirmed cases of the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection. The pandemic has continued to challenge healthcare system...
As long as humans encroach on nature, pandemics are inevitable — making it important to concentrate resources in areas where people and wildlife are linked.
We’ve always been able to adapt vaccines to protect against emerging variants and additional pathogen strains, but new vaccine platforms could make this even easier.
On 8 January, Derrick C became one of the first people in the UK to receive his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, three weeks after the first dose. Here we ask him what that was like.
As a Gavi-funded emergency stockpile of Ebola vaccines becomes accessible, we look at the ultra-cold chain equipment used to keep these vaccines at the right temperature.
Answering this question will take us one step closer to our new normal.
How resistance to drugs originates, and why it's different for vaccines.
Lockdowns are an effective way of reducing COVID-19 infections, but they could take a more general toll on our health if we allow them to.
Long-term protection will depend on the 'memory response' developed by our immune systems – and the initial signs are promising.
COVID-19 vaccines are set to become the quickest vaccines in history to go from initial trials to rollout, but what lessons can we learn from its speedy predecessor: the Ebola vaccine?
While some of the world's richest and most technologically advanced countries have struggled to contain the spread and morbidity of COVID-19, Rwanda has set a shining example of how to manage a pandemic and safeguard public health. Chief among…
From Liability Laws to Production Delays, the 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Rollout Offers a Cautionary Tale for Today.
Sterilising immunity means that the immune system is able to completely prevent a virus from replicating in your body. Not all vaccines provide this.
Vaccinators tackle winter conditions and challenging contexts during Afghanistan’s last polio campaign of the year.
In March 2020, as soon as the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in Kyrgyzstan, a state of emergency was declared, and the country went into lockdown.
For all of the good news about the arrival of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, the hard truth for the coming year is that global demand will outpace supply. Without a multilateral agreement to allocate doses globally, the road to recovery…
Uncertainty in the availability of vaccine doses is prompting some countries to consider altering dosing schedules, or mixing different vaccine types. How could this impact the effectiveness of vaccines?
We believe the best way to address misconceptions is to arm yourself with the facts and have a few key points and statistics. Here’s our list of facts to combat common misinformation.
Here's what we still need to find out before we can know when we'll be able to return to our pre-coronavirus ways.
In less than a year, the world has come together to develop effective COVID-19 vaccines and a multilateral platform for allocating them most efficiently around the world. But with the risk of vaccine nationalism still looming large, now is the…
Viruses are constantly mutating and often this process does not have any impact on the risk they pose to humans. However, occasionally mutations can occur which make it easier for viruses to infect us, or which could render vaccines against them…
Long-lasting symptoms appear unrelated to how bad your infection was, though women appear more affected than men.
![© UNICEF/UN0200242/Singh [NOTE: This is a file photo] In India, pentavalent vaccines are being checked for imperfections.](/sites/default/files/styles/content_feed_thumbnail/public/vaccineswork/2020/Thumbnail/UN0200242_h2.jpg?itok=nWrM6qaG)
Answers to the most common questions about coronavirus vaccine development.
Managers owe it to their employees to stop treating work from home like a luxury. The office wasn’t invited into the home. It turned up like an unexpected guest – and it shows few signs of leaving soon.
Whole virus vaccines use a weakened or deactivated version of the disease-causing virus to trigger protective immunity against it.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines are more than 90% effective, as reported in phase III clinical trials – and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first Covid-19 vaccine to be licensed.
Viral vector-based vaccines use a harmless virus to smuggle the instructions for making antigens from the disease-causing virus into cells, triggering protective immunity against it.
Despite huge advancements in the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in recent decades, an effective vaccine remains elusive – and is desperately needed to end the global pandemic that kills more than 700,000 people each year.
Antibodies that go rogue and attack healthy tissue identified in patients with severe COVID.
Protein subunit vaccines use fragments of protein from the disease-causing virus to trigger protective immunity against it.
Nucleic acid vaccines use genetic material from a disease-causing virus to trigger protective immunity against it.
In August 2020, Nigeria became the last African country to be declared free from wild poliovirus.
Well-designed communication can increase healthy behaviours, including vaccine uptake. Here are our top five mantras for how to think about COVID-19 vaccine communication.
Kenya marked its 1st anniversary of the launch of the pilot in September, with more than 128,000 children reached with vaccine, and one country health official expressing “a great sense of pride” in being part of the effort to protect children…
Before any COVID-19 vaccines can be delivered to the public, their use must be approved by national regulatory authorities. We look into the process before vaccines would be approved for distribution and use in Nigeria and South Africa.
To combat vaccine misinformation at home and around the globe, we must build trust.
Now that the first COVID-19 vaccine has been approved, and others are on the way, what does getting vaccinated actually involve? Here are some of the logistics involved and what to expect after you’ve had your vaccine.
The fight against COVID-19 has seen vaccine development move at record speed, with more than 170 different vaccines in trials. But how are they different from each other and how will they protect us against the disease?
The COVAX Facility plans to start rolling out the doses in early 2021 to high-risk groups in participating countries, with the aim of vaccinating up to 20% of populations of participating countries by the end of the year.
As we prepare for one of the world’s largest vaccination efforts, and on the occasion of International Migrants Day, we are coming to a critical reckoning: the need for inclusive approaches in our health-related thinking and practices has never…
Viruses mutate all the time, but this new mutation affects the viral protein that invades human cells. What does this mean for the pandemic and the vaccine?
COVAX now has agreements in place to access nearly two billion doses of several promising vaccine candidates, and laid the groundwork for further doses to be secured through contributions from donors.
Gavi Board approves more than US$ 600 million in new funding to help accelerate efforts to reach ‘zero-dose’ and under-immunised children in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vaccines have been approved – so why are we still developing others?
The COVID-19 vaccines currently rolling off production lines have been developed faster than any other vaccine against a new disease in history. How have scientists achieved this incredible feat? And could the lessons learned enable more rapid…
The best way we can prevent flu infection is by getting vaccinated. The problem with the flu vaccine is that in some years it doesn’t work as well as others.
Coronavirus can survive on surfaces, so should unwrapping presents be considered risky? We examine the evidence.
A second typhoid conjugate vaccine has achieved WHO prequalification and others are in development. More vaccines will help increase access to TCVs.
12 charts provide an overview of our research in the face of a truly unprecedented crisis.
Some of the COVID-19 vaccines use messenger RNA to provoke an immune response. But what exactly is this genetic material, and how does it interact with the DNA in our cells?
As the new COVID-19 vaccines begin to ship out, how ready are health systems to manage delivery? Here are four ways countries should frame that question.
Scientists around the world are working faster than ever to find vaccines that could stop the spread of COVID-19. Now, nearly a year on since the emergence of this new coronavirus, we have several promising vaccines candidates, one of which has…
New girl-centered toolkit helps health officials develop and implement communications campaigns that resonate with girls in their countries.
High-risk and vulnerable groups and healthcare workers first in line for successful vaccine.
Community mobilizers inform and prepare communities for vaccinators.
COVID-19-related restrictions differ from country to country, but as families gather to celebrate during the festive holidays there are some important things you can do to protect yourselves and your loved ones against coronavirus.
Here’s why continuing to physically distance and wear masks is vital until we can be sure how long vaccine-acquired immunity lasts.
Some people respond strongly to perceived threats to their freedom and push back – others are simply more accepting of risk.
Preparing African countries for COVID-19 vaccines will require thoughtful planning and unprecedented coordination across a wide-range of stakeholders.
We need more data on the low-dose, high-dose regimen used in one arm of the trial, which may make the vaccine more effective.
Restaurants, gyms and religious establishments appear to account for most coronavirus infections in US cities, but new analysis suggests there are strategies which can reduce the risks.
Like patients with long COVID, some Ebola survivors have lingering symptoms which can make it difficult to work or function in everyday life. Dr Janet Scott has been studying these survivors, and now also has her sights on COVID-19. She tells us…
What if I’ve already had COVID – do I still need a vaccine?
Some countries may stop their vaccination programs for a while to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. But which is better: fewer coronavirus infections or making sure children get all their usual vaccinations?
Without a greater focus on the gender dynamics of the COVID-19 crisis, women and girls will suffer long-term handicaps that constrain their economic prospects for years to come, if not permanently. We already know enough about the pandemic's…
At this crucial moment for immunisation, considering community perceptions of vaccination has never been more important.
Not even the COVID-19 pandemic will stop them.
Janet, mother of twins, tells fellow mothers.
As companies race to develop COVID-19 vaccines, some development processes have been run in parallel to stop the pandemic as quickly as possible. Yet safety remains paramount; now that we are on the brink of rolling out some of the vaccines that…
Scientists have been racing to develop COVID-19 vaccines that could reach millions, yet many of the studies have surprisingly small sample sizes drawn from the clinical trials. Does that matter?
Fluvoxamine has shown positive results in early trials.
The COVID-19 pandemic now threatens global progress on preventing and treating childhood pneumonia, potentially reversing decades of health gains for the world’s most vulnerable children.
Over the past three decades, improvements to maternal and newborn health have led to many more infants surviving beyond the first 28 days of life. But disruptions to health services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may now be undoing years of hard…
Having a range of Covid-19 vaccines available for people to use around the world will be essential to bringing the pandemic under control. Here’s why.
Despite the benefit of all the recommended public health measures in preventing transmission, vaccines still provide us with the best chance of our lives returning to some semblance of normality.
Research suggests that the quickest way to end the pandemic and limit the economic damage is for all countries to benefit from a coordinated global vaccine deal.
This week Gavi signed a historic agreement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to improve immunisation coverage for migrants and forcibly displaced persons around the world. IOM’s South Sudan Communications Officer, Liatile…
CEPI spoke with vaccine safety expert, Dr Robert Chen, Science Director of The Brighton Collaboration – the largest global organisation of scientific experts on vaccine safety – about how vaccine safety is assessed in clinical trials and how…
COVID-19 patients are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with anxiety, depression or insomnia. Here’s a closer look at how the SARS-CoV-2 virus can impact your mental health.
The global pandemic is far from over, but this latest in a series of welcome announcements brings renewed hope even if several hurdles remain.
Memorandum of understanding signed today will strengthen collaboration on vaccination efforts and related health services for migrants and forcibly displaced persons across the world
Promises of COVID-19 vaccine doses for developing countries will face challenges along the crucial cold chain.
Geneva, 24 November 2020 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as co-lead of COVAX and administrator of the COVAX Facility, welcomes the release of interim efficacy data for the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Interim analysis of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate – to which Gavi has secured access – suggests an efficacy of 62– 90%. Crucially, the vaccine can be administered and distributed using existing health care and supply chain…
The Oxford vaccine – developed in partnership with AstraZeneca – stops 70% of people developing COVID symptoms, and, depending on how the doses are given, may even protect up to 90% of people.
Local adaptation and innovation has allowed the resumption of polio immunization campaigns – and points the way to more effective, community-based delivery of a whole range of basic health services.
New research suggesting that antibodies reduce faster in men compared with women could have implications for vaccine development.
Although antimicrobial resistance has been a known and growing problem for decades, only one new class of antibiotics has been discovered since 1984. Tackling AMR requires a fundamental change in how new antibiotics are valued, and government…
Until now, we didn’t know how long immunity after infection with COVID-19 would last – new research suggests it could be long-lasting.
Early results from COVID-19 vaccine trials are starting to emerge, and scientists have received the first reports from three independent studies with optimism because protection against the coronavirus is possible.
Unlike PCR tests, which involve complex laboratory equipment and highly trained staff, lateral flow tests can be processed on the spot and return a result far quicker. But how exactly do they work, and could they really make a difference to the…
As COVID-19 continues to surge over the globe, it forces us to reckon with the fact that true global health equity – universal access to primary healthcare – is an unfinished task that we pay for at our collective expense. Water, sanitation, and…
It is very exciting to hear another positive story about vaccine trial results – a good vaccine is the most likely way of ending the pandemic.
The two terms used to describe how well a drug or vaccine works are often used interchangeably, but they are not actually the same thing – here’s why.
Vienna, Austria – In this final story in the World Health Organization series exploring the human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eugene, a care-home nurse in Austria, shares the story of how he survived coronavirus.
As COVID-19 has overwhelmed the medical system, a group of volunteers in Nigeria is undertaking the task of slowing the disease’s spread within communities.
The main way the virus is thought to spread is through respiratory droplets and fomites (contaminated objects or materials such as clothes, furniture and door handles). With this mode of spread, most infections take place through close contact,…
The Ministry of Health and UNICEF Kenya, with support from Gavi, are working to ensure that routine health services, such as immunisation, continue during the pandemic. Watch their video to learn more.
COVID-19 has presented many new social and economic challenges, and is exacerbating already existing ones. One such challenge is global poverty. Right now over 700 million people live in extreme poverty worldwide, which is defined as living on…
In this third story in the World Health Organization series exploring the human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gracia, a junior high school student in West Papua, learns life skills for the future.
How will the COVAX Facility ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines is indeed equitable? By Aurélia Nguyen, Managing Director, Office of the COVAX Facility
The COVAX AMC Engagement Group, composed of Gavi COVAX AMC participants, donors, and other stakeholders, forms a key component of Facility governance.
Pfizer’s update certainly is fantastic news. A COVID-19 vaccine could well be approved and ready for use in the next few months. But whether that means we can all get back to normal life by early 2021 is less certain.
In this second story in the World Health Organization series exploring the human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shukria, a volunteer, talks about how she helps her community with providing masks and awareness messages about COVID-19.
The European Commission, France, Spain, The Republic of Korea and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledge US$ 360 million to Gavi’s COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC)
Interim results suggesting that Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine provides more than a 90% efficacy, offers hope that immunisation can be effective against COVID-19. But the need to store this vaccine at “ultra cold” temperatures could pose…
The yearly influenza season threatens to make the COVID-19 pandemic doubly deadly, but I believe that this isn’t inevitable.
In the first of a World Health Organization series exploring the human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nombasa, a frontline healthworker, makes an urgent appeal to governments and global health partners.
Immunity triggered by exposure to the coronaviruses that cause the common cold could protect people, especially children, against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
A successful vaccine produces the best possible immune response, whilst keeping side effects to a minimum. When adverse events following immunisation (AEFIs) do occur, it is important that they are reported, especially if they are serious, even…
An interim analysis of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine candidate suggests is more efficacious than many had dared to expect. The announcement is a welcome indication that a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine might be within reach, but there are…
Vaccination programmes have prevented millions of deaths worldwide, but their continued success relies on our continued participation.
With Denmark culling its entire farmed mink population following discovery of a mutated form of SARS-CoV2, are we at risk of further complications and diseases from animal-human transmission?
While developing an effective vaccine probably won’t bring an immediate end to the pandemic, it’s clear that things can’t begin to return to normal without one. Anything that reduces a future vaccine’s effectiveness will be a problem. This…
The world is anxiously awaiting the development of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 60 years ago, the world was also waiting in eager anticipation of a publicly available vaccine to stop a disease that was ravaging communities around…
Superspreading events, where one person infects tens of others, appear to be playing an increasingly significant role in the spread of COVID-19. So what have we learned about these events and how can we stop them from fuelling the pandemic?
Never has the development of vaccines been so widely anticipated as for COVID-19, and arguably never has so much been at stake. Because without COVID-19 vaccines, we cannot bring this crisis to a swift end.
Anosmia is the medical term for a sudden loss of smell and has been associated with COVID-19. Here’s a closer look at the olfactory dysfunctions linked to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Josh Morrison, Co-founder and Executive Director of 1Day Sooner, an organisation that advocates on behalf of challenge trial volunteers, explains why.
Mathematical modelling suggests that if wealthy countries stockpile COVID-19 vaccines, we will see nearly twice as many deaths than if vaccines were shared equally across the globe.
The COVAX Shareholders Council, composed of all self-financing participants, forms a key component of Facility governance.
Effective treatments that are accessible to everyone who needs them have to be part of the solution to the coronavirus pandemic – here's why.
Malnutrition can affect the immune system and the quality of immune response to vaccinations, with potential implications for low-income countries where COVID-19 is already fuelling a "hunger pandemic" in the most vulnerable people.
As part of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, COVAX – the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, co-led by Gavi, CEPI, and the WHO – welcomes the appointment of civil society organisation representatives to…
It is clear that COVID-19 will persist much longer than anticipated. If countries do not take action soon to ensure the continuity of essential health services during the pandemic, the future death toll from communicable and noncommunicable…
Spending less time in the workplace usually results in lower rates of infectious disease, but workplace closures in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific may be increasing exposure to the mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus.
Combining geographical information on populations, locations of health care sites, and the movement of vaccinators can offer insights into how efficient and equitable vaccination coverage is, and has great potential to improve immunisation…
For some vaccinators in the vast archipelagic nation of Indonesia, a day in their professional life may involve trekking through deep tropical valleys and jungles or crossing the open waters on rickety boats to isolated islands.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance announced today that it had signed a Statement of Intent with Sanofi and GSK to provide 200 million doses of the companies’ adjuvanted recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine to the COVAX Facility.
Now, COVID-19 is unleashing substantial health, social and economic impacts in every corner of the globe. But it is the poorest countries and the most vulnerable communities around the world that stand to suffer the most from this protracted…
CEPI’s strategic investments in vaccine manufacturing at facilities around the world will support the COVAX goal to produce 2 billion doses of safe and effective vaccine by the end of 2021.
We are all being exposed to a huge amount of COVID-19 information on a daily basis, and not all of it is reliable. Here are some tips for telling the difference and stopping the spread of misinformation.
In the face of the challenges posed by the pandemic, Ghana is working to protect 4.5 million at-risk children from polio through the launch of two polio vaccination campaigns. Here’s a closer look at those efforts for World Polio Day.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on social, economic, and environmental risks that have been building for the past half-century of neoliberalism. Even amid the deep uncertainties of today's global situation, one thing is clear: it is…
President of Niger H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou talks about the importance of routine immunisation and Gavi support in Niger, and the need for ensuring universal access to COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility.
Timor Leste has kept COVID-19 infections to a minimum, and thanks to effective collaboration has managed to successfully reverse the initial declines seen in immunisation coverage and health service delivery.
Timor-Leste’s Director-General of Health Services for the Ministry of Health discusses the unique challenges of tackling COVID-19 in Timor-Leste and how have they been addressed.
Most vaccine candidates in early development fail: this is the stark reality of vaccine development.
Over 50% more children were immunised in Gavi countries in 2019 than in 2000, yet 10.6 million children continue to miss out entirely on basic vaccinations. Here’s why reaching these children and setting them on the pathway to full immunisation…
We need a range of treatments to make Covid-19 preventable and treatable. Jeremy Farrar describes recent progress made by research and why more investment is needed.
Herd immunity threshold may have been reached in Amazonas capital, Manaus, but experts warn that herd immunity is not the end of the pandemic.
Vaccines based on the common cold virus are at the forefront of the COVID-19 vaccine race, but they may be less effective in people who have previously been infected by these common pathogens. So how could we overcome this challenge?
Global Handwashing Day and the ongoing spread of COVID-19 is a timely reminder about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to stay healthy.
As the pandemic unfolded around the world, hand sanitizer and handwashing stations became as in-demand as toilet paper.
Gavi’s long-term approach to developing healthy markets for critical vaccines has led to greater stability and security, providing countries with the confidence that supplies will be available to meet their demand.
In 2019, a higher share of Gavi-supported countries than ever before met their co-financing obligations on time, thanks to strong political commitment.
Big data has the potential to change society for the better, but this opportunity is being undermined by a failure to collect data from across societies and make it publicly available.
Gavi’s CEO explains how its Advance Market Commitment mechanism will make COVID-19 vaccines available to lower-income countries.
In 2019, countries delivered more than 230 million routine vaccinations, a record number, supported by unprecedented levels of health system funding from Gavi to support immunisation and protect the most vulnerable children. Here is what Gavi did…
On International Day of the Girl Child, Gavi’s Megan Holloway looks at how COVID-19 is impacting the lives of girls
As the most ambitious pandemic-response initiative ever conceived, the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility is the best chance the world has to bring the pandemic to an end. But to succeed, COVAX requires broad international buy-in, based on…
These global efforts are increasingly urgent as the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put millions of lives at risk from famine and malnutrition.
People who have had COVID-19 can develop an immune response that normally protects people from recurrent infection. But now that reinfections of COVID-19 have been recorded, what does that mean for our ability to fight the virus?
European Commission Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) humanitarian air bridge made it possible
Japanese Government pledges US$ 130 million in funding to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), bringing the total raised to roughly US$ 1.8 billion.
Preventing and controlling infectious disease is possible with dedication of health workers, multi-stakeholder collaboration and equitable access to vaccines. Africa’s wild polio-free certification, which took decades of collaborative effort, is…
Just over six months since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, what do we know about this new coronavirus?
For more than 30 years, monoclonal antibodies have transformed the way we treat many diseases. Researchers think they are also one of the most promising treatments for Covid-19. Here's why.
Emergency use procedures are designed to make potentially life-saving medical products available as quickly as possible during health emergencies. A record number have been granted since the arrival of COVID-19 pandemic, but what does this mean…
Polio, a contagious disease caused by the poliomyelitis virus is transmitted primarily when stool from someone infected contaminates foods, drinks or water sources. It invades the nervous system and could, in a matter of hours, lead to complete…
Vaccines are designed to trigger an immune response to pathogens we’ve never encountered before. But how does it feel to be one of the first humans to encounter a new vaccine? British communications consultant Heather Macdonald-Tait explains what…
The United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy and Sweden pledge approximately US$ 960 million to Gavi’s COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC)
In a matter of months, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the global economy. Now a new study looks at how this economic shock is impacting sovereign debt levels of Gavi-supported countries.
Africa has not been as hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as predicted. Here, we talk to Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the head of South Africa's Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 to find out why and what the future might hold.
In the first of this series, we look at the highlights of an evaluation to determine the potential barriers to immunisation caused by the increase in urbanisation.
Vaccines save lives by protecting children and adults from diseases. COVID-19 pandemic is a clear example of what a world without vaccines could look like. Governments should ensure that delivery of essential services such as vaccines remains a…
Throughout the 2016–2020 strategic period, the Vaccine Alliance has worked with countries to improve data quality. From GIS to SMS, new tech and tools aim to reach more people with life-saving immunisation.
To bring countries on a trajectory towards financial sustainability, and to empower them to take ownership
of their vaccination programmes, Gavi has pioneered an approach to co-financing and transition.
With only 542 global cases in 2019, polio is a distant memory in most parts of the world. However, this highly contagious disease could spread rapidly in communities with limited access to vaccines, health care and sanitation – a risk greatly…
The Gavi Board has approved the provision of US$ 150 million in initial funding to jumpstart support COVAX AMC-eligible countries’ readiness to deliver COVID-19 vaccines, in the form of planning, technical assistance and cold chain equipment
Her own healthy baby son is how Ugandan nurse Maureen Wandawa demonstrates the benefits of immunization. Working together to build confidence in, and access to, vaccines for all who need them is one way we can #UniteforHealth to keep us all safer…
Gavi's partnership with telecoms provider Orange and the Ministry of Health overcomes barriers to childhood immunisation through tailored, tested technology.
The Covid-19 pandemic is a social and an economic crisis just as much as it is a health crisis – its repercussions, severe and far-reaching, are being felt across the world.
The true number could be much higher, and two million could die before we get a vaccine, says the World Health Organization.
The UK is expected to host the world’s first COVID-19 human “challenge” trials, which will involve deliberately infecting healthy volunteers with coronavirus to assess the effectiveness of experimental vaccines. So far, around 2,000 potential…
Gender equality must be at the heart of not only our response, but our attempts to restructure systems to be fairer and more equal to recover better.
The prospect of having the first supplies of at least a few effective COVID-19 medicines and vaccines by the end of 2020 is a key driver of recent market optimism.
The benefits of immunisation extend beyond preventing childhood deaths. Vaccines are also a vital tool in the fights against cancer, outbreaks and antimicrobial resistance.
Every winter, hundreds of thousands become infected with seasonal influenza, which kills between 290,000 and 650,000 people worldwide each year. But this year, we have another respiratory illness to contend with: COVID-19. So, what does this mean…
Collaboration among the Serum Institute of India (SII), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will accelerate manufacturing and delivery of up to an additional 100 million doses of future vaccines, if proven to be…
When I join Gavi in January, it will be at a time when it is contemplating the most ambitious period in its history.
We are close to a polio-free world, yet cases of vaccine-derived disease are challenging the eradication effort.
Tips for teachers to protect themselves and their students.
The goal of our market shaping work is to help ensure vaccine markets work better for lower-income countries. We want the maximum number of people to receive the life-saving and health-protecting benefits of immunisation.
After transitioning out of Gavi support in 2017, the Republic of Moldova is mobilising champions and advocates to strengthen vaccine confidence – which is crucial to the success and sustainability of immunisation programmes.
An ingredient called dmLT could be the key to improving vaccine effectiveness in low-resource settings.
Biggest funders of emerging infectious diseases R&D are also biggest recipients. Ebola and Zika experienced R&D spike in wake of epidemics. US is losing global leadership role in the field.
Vaccine manufacturers have worked hard to adapt to a new normal of keeping supplies for immunisation programmes going in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Typhoid fever is increasingly resistant to the main antibiotics used to treat it. Gavi is supporting a new vaccine to help control this deadly disease – and fight antimicrobial resistance.
We commit to fostering a just, equitable and diverse culture free from racism and discrimination in which all staff, partners and stakeholders feel empowered, safe and heard.
At the beginning of the pandemic there was a mad scramble to develop a test which would accurately diagnose COVID-19 infection. Now, six months in, hundreds of testsare available – but how do they differ, and which test is the most appropriate…
September 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This year, the focus of the high-level General Debate is the importance of effective multilateralism.
Gavi’s Derrick Sim, Director of Vaccine Supply and Demand, discusses why it is sometimes important to halt clinical trials.
Snapshots from DRC, India and Zambia illustrate country ownership and progress in the fights against Ebola, polio and HPV.
Being in a constant state of high alert and uncertainty is exhausting yet health officials warn that we can’t let our guard down yet and resisting living with the ‘new normal’ could threaten our health.
Some researchers conducting clinical trials on a COVID-19 vaccine have not revealed to the public what the placebo contains, but they should.
Supporting health systems is essential for Gavi’s work to improve immunisation coverage and equity.
We need to understand the impact of Covid-19 on wider health issues to shape better public health responses and limit long-term consequences. Drug resistance is one of these, Gemma Buckland-Merrett explains.
How will COVAX ensure that COVID-19 vaccine doses reach all countries at the same time, and protect those people that need it the most?
When disaster strikes a country, the impact on people’s health can be immense and long-lasting. As the effects of climate change are felt around the world through rising temperatures and sea levels, natural disasters are increasingly frequent and…
64 higher income economies have now joined the COVAX Facility, with a further 38 economies expected to sign in the coming days
When I was 12, I received the HPV vaccine just like most girls my age in Rwanda. The day after we got the first dose, my classmates started spreading rumours about the vaccine that they had heard from their families and communities.
Vaccines are the best tools yet invented to prevent child deaths and protect people’s health. Gavi funding for access to vaccines has protected a generation of children growing up in lower-income countries. Gavi funds twin approaches to…
Effective vaccines prevent individuals from developing disease, but some also stop people transmitting the pathogens that cause them. What role will they have to play in ending the COVID-19 pandemic?
While scientific and vaccine manufacturing community make huge strides in the race towards that goal, it is important to remember that vaccines are only one of three Vs needed to beat this coronavirus.
How one social mobiliser in South Sudan has managed to contribute to health security in her region.
2020 was already going to be a monumental year — the beginning of the 10-year countdown for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Anecdotes of how people feel about vaccines are plenty, but there have been few attempts to gather robust global data. This five-year study reviewed survey responses from over a quarter of a million people around the world on how they felt about…
Gavi’s CEO provides an overview of its flagship publication, launched today.
In Malawi, primary school drop-out rates are among the highest in Africa. To try and guarantee high coverage, the HPV vaccine is administered to 9-years-old girls.
No one is safe until everyone is safe. This phrase has become a slogan for global health figures but what does it mean in the worldwide COVID-19 response?
If a COVID-19 vaccine is to reach the global public sometime next year, it will be the result of one of the fastest developments and rollouts of a vaccine against a new disease ever. In contrast, the RTS,S malaria vaccine, which is currently…
Ethiopia has overtaken Nigeria to become the Gavi-eligible African country most affected by COVID-19. Over the past week, the number of confirmed cases in Ethiopia has grown exponentially. Despite the pandemic, immunisation activities – both…
As CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance funded largely by Bill Gates, Dr Seth Berkley has helped vaccinate almost half the world’s children from fatal and debilitating diseases. His current baby is the COVAX Facility to help develop, manufacture and…
As COVID-19 vaccines have a critical role to play in ending this pandemic crisis, many experts have described them as a global public good. But what exactly does that mean?
You may have heard the saying, “no products, no programs,” but for those who work in public health during COVID-19, the saying has become “no PPE, no programs.” And for community health workers (CHWs) who play a vital role in providing health…
Many of the infections that can lead to sepsis are becoming resistant to antibiotics, which means that preventing them by vaccination is critical.
Helping rural and urban girls across Ethiopia understand cervical cancer and HPV.
Antibodies are one route to immunity against disease, but T cells and innate immunity also play a crucial role in protecting us. So, how could these different types of immunity be mobilised against COVID-19
More than 3,000 health workers are conducting a three-day health campaign from 30 August to 1 September 2020 to ensure that around 400,000 children aged under five receive measles and polio vaccines, as well as vitamin A and deworming tablets, at…
To end this global health crisis we don’t just need COVID-19 vaccines, we also need to ensure that everyone in the world has access to them.
When COVID-19 vaccines become available demand is likely to outstrip supply, at least initially. So, who should be first in line?
Researchers across the world are working flat out to develop and manufacture a vaccine for COVID-19 that can end what has been the worst pandemic in at least a century.
Dr Melanie Saville, CEPI’s Director of Vaccine Development, discusses what a successful vaccine against COVID-19 would involve, some of the unknowns and the challenges that vaccine developers are wrestling with, and what makes CEPI’s approach…
Before the pandemic began, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was already facing a severe measles outbreak which started at the end of 2018. Despite huge challenges caused by COVID-19 and other diseases, the largest measles outbreak in…
How the African Region is Celebrating the End of Wild Polio while cVDPV Outbreaks Continue
What do the first confirmed cases of reinfection with COVID-19 mean for the rest of us and future of this pandemic?
The funding will support the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which aims to secure doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries and economies at the same time as wealthier nations
By foot, boat and bicycle, thousands of volunteer vaccinators in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) go to extraordinary efforts, sometimes at personal risk, to help eradicate polio.
An estimated $15.9 trillion has been mobilised to respond to the health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of this has gone to multilateral and bilateral funders to support low- and middle-income countries’ (LMIC) governments.
When Aisha took her son Busami Modu to his grandmother’s house in Kuya, a village in Borno state, Nigeria, she waved goodbye to a healthy, happy little boy. A “beauty to behold,” she recalls. The next time she saw him, he was paralysed and unable…
Goal of bringing the pandemic under control via equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines needs urgent, broadscale commitment and investment from countries
One of the most time-consuming parts of vaccine research and development is the testing of a vaccine. How does this work, and how, in the context of COVID-19, are scientists trying to speed it up?
Data from global Ipsos survey shows 37% of those polled worldwide think it is likely a vaccine will be available by the end of the year. But is this optimism misplaced?
CSOs will play a vital role in the development and implementation of the COVAX initiative as well as the deployment of any successful vaccine through COVAX.
As one of the African countries most affected by COVID-19, Nigeria has faced significant economic and health impacts, including to routine immunisation, in the face of the pandemic.
Diarrheal disease is the second leading infectious killer of children under five worldwide. Lessons learned from tackling this deadly disease could also help us recover from COVID-19 stronger than ever.
A surveillance system in Somalia is providing real-time early warning disease alerts to help tackle health threats such as measles outbreaks and COVID-19 cases.
As more people have moved to cities, population density, human encroachment and increased global interconnectivity have contributed to the spread of infectious diseases.
COVID-19 has triggered lockdown measures for billions of people around the world. As many of us struggle to adapt to the ‘new normal’, we look at the origins of quarantine measures - and how they’ve been used to contain deadly outbreaks for…
Vaccines prevent millions of deaths every year by harnessing the body’s immune system to create defences against future infection. But how exactly does this work?
New landmark collaboration between the Serum Institute of India (SII), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate manufacturing and delivery of up to 100 million doses of future safe and effective COVID-…
Despite disruption to routine immunisation in Gavi-eligible countries due to COVID-19, collaborative efforts between Alliance partners and governments have made it possible to partially resume immunisation sessions in countries such as Pakistan…
The misinformation surrounding COVID-19 in the Democratic Repubic of the Congo isn’t new – public health officials have seen rumours and myths circulate with Ebola. Here’s how they are tackling them.
Analysis suggests that investments in vaccination programmes will result in US$ 0.8 trillion in returns over the next ten years.
Since 2000, Gavi has been increasing equitable access to vaccines by working with the world’s poorest countries. Yet during a pandemic, more prosperous countries are also at risk of falling through the net. How will Gavi respond?
Gavi Board agrees scope of COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which aims to secure doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries and economies at the same time as wealthier nations.
If you test positive for COVID-19 antibodies, does that actually mean you’ve been infected?
In the recent past, 25-year-old Zahra Mohamud* had visited the Hawadle maternal and child health centre in Hargeisa regularly to have her older son Ibrahim* vaccinated against the most common childhood diseases.
Lower-income countries are seeing better vaccination coverage than they have had in decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to hamper progress.
When COVID-19 vaccines become available, one of the biggest challenges the global community will face is equitable distribution. This will be the single largest vaccine deployment in history.
New analysis of WHO/UNICEF data by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, shows the gap in vaccine coverage between Gavi-supported lower-income countries and wealthier countries has shrunk to record lows
Briefings led by Gavi, CEPI and WHO over the past two weeks saw participation from at least 136 countries interested in joining a COVAX Facility aimed at guaranteeing equitable access to eventual COVID-19 vaccines.
Governments have had to act fast to not only protect their people against COVID-19 but also to ensure protective measures like vaccination against other infectious diseases…
The UK has just secured 90 million doses of future COVID-19 vaccines, and now it is trying to recruit volunteers for some of the biggest ever phase 3 trials to test potential vaccines.
Health workers are stopping at nothing to ensure immunizations for every child.
Reports of a potentially more infectious form of the coronavirus have fed fears that a "mutant” version of the virus could arise. But what does mutation actually mean and is it really a cause for concern?
It’s a devil’s choice governments have faced since the start of the pandemic, but new research could provide the answer.
While researchers racing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, the potential of the BCG vaccine - used to prevent TB – to slow the pandemic has been hotly debated. New research suggesting that the BCG could prevent severe COVID-19 disease has made…
Ever since the new coronavirus was identified, there has been a debate about whether it is airborne or not. Now, over 200 scientists from around the world have written to the World Health Organization urging it to consider the potential of COVID-…
As the world waits for a vaccine to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, we look back to all that vaccines have achieved for humanity.
Seventy-five countries submit expressions of interest to COVAX Facility, joining up to 90 further countries which could be supported by the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC)
The head of Gapminder, whose mission is to fight ignorance with a fact-based world view, talks with Gavi about data and COVID-19.
Living Goods saves lives by supporting digitally empowered community health workers who deliver care
With surveys using antibody tests yielding disappointing results, there are growing concerns that fewer people may have already been infected with SARS-CoV-2 than was previously hoped. Yet antibodies are only part of our immune system’s response…
This article is a summary of an online conversation hosted by the Gavi CSO Constituency in partnership with ACTION, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, RESULTS UK & Save the Children.
Routine immunisation has slowed in many Gavi-supported countries around the world. Here, researchers writing in The Lancet, including a Gavi scientist, look at the effect of lockdown on vaccination programmes in Karachi, Pakistan
Global technology company TransferWise and a donor which asked to remain anonymous made significant financial commitments to Gavi’s Advance Market Commitment for COVID-19 Vaccines (Gavi COVAX AMC)
Across Gavi-eligible countries, we have seen a consistent increase in cases since March 2020. Within the month of June alone, the number of cases has more than doubled, with 70 out of 73 Gavi-eligible countries reporting over 1 million confirmed…
As of 27 June 2020, there have been 513 tests carried out in the camps, with 49 confirmed cases.
The first African clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine has started in South Africa, run by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits).
'Global Goal: Unite for Our Future' mobilized over $6.9 billion to help the world’s most vulnerable.
On 25 June, the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has raged for more than 2 years is over. What does this mean for the country and what can it teach us about ending the COVID-19 pandemic?
Gavi Board shows support for continued work on COVAX Facility: a global, coordinated mechanism designed to ensure rapid and equitable access to safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccines to as broad a global population as possible
With more than 200 COVID-19 vaccines already in development, why do we need the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator Vaccine Pillar, or COVAX Pillar?
DRC government and WHO declare over the long-running Ebola outbreak in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces after more than 50 days without a case.
At a time when economies are under pressure and government spending is under scrutiny, transparency and accountability within the development sector is more important than ever.
The Vaccine Alliance ranked in the highest ‘Very good’ category out of 47 international development organisations assessed in the 2020 Aid Transparency Index
Beijing, a city month’s ahead of Europe in COVID-19 terms, is now plunging back into lockdown. Many are concerned that this could be the first hint of a second wave. But is that likely and what would it look like?
There has been a huge variation in how countries have responded to COVID-19. Whilst some have imposed strict lockdown measures, others have avoided tight restrictions. But what works best?
Seventy (of 73) Gavi-eligible countries have reported 824,259 confirmed cases and 20,641 deaths. The number of cases is increasing at an average rate of 4% from the previous day.
Even mild symptoms from the new coronavirus can last for weeks, or disappear only to rebound with renewed intensity, so what long-term effects does the disease have on our health?
As the devastating consequences of the pandemic unfold across the world, COVID-19 is making long-lasting changes in global health
So far relatively few people in Africa have been infected by the novel coronavirus, with around 215,000 cases and 5,800 deaths in a population of 1.2 billion in the continent. But with lockdowns lifting, will cases soar?
New supply agreement between UNICEF and Serum Institute of India (SII) makes pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) available at US$2.00 per dose, a 43% reduction from the Gavi price at the start of the AMC
How to safely get routine vaccinations for your child during the COVID-19 pandemic
With so many COVID-19 candidate vaccines in development, and with most of them likely to fail, what’s the best way for governments to ensure they back a winner and ensure there are enough doses for everyone?
A third of the world has been under some form of lockdown to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, but has it made any difference to the number of cases and deaths?
A Gavi-supported digital immunisation registry is keeping track of vaccination activities to make sure children remain protected from other infectious diseases.
SARS, Ebola, Zika, and now COVID-19. Five reasons why disease epidemics and even pandemics are becoming increasingly common.
Despite the devastating economic impact this pandemic has had on businesses across the world, many are doing their part to bring this crisis to an end.
Ideally, humanity would end COVID-19 by eradicating it so there are no new cases globally even in the absence of preventive measures. However, experience with other disease eradication programmes indicates that this will be very challenging, and…
On 4 June, global leaders met at a virtual event to pledge support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and in the process made history by reaching new global health milestones
Seventy (out of 73) Gavi-eligible countries have reported 475,401 confirmed cases and 12,464 deaths. Though this number still accounts for a small proportion, about 7%, of global COVID-19 cases, this share is expected to increase given the…
The Global Vaccine Summit, hosted by the UK, raises US$ 8.8 billion from 32 donor governments and 12 foundations, corporations and organisations to immunise 300m children and support the global fight against COVID-19.
Gavi Advance Market Commitment for COVID-19 Vaccines (Gavi Covax AMC) launched at Global Vaccine Summit 2020 draws strong support, early commitments from global leaders.
We’ve all seen the shocking projections: at least 80 million children under one are at risk of developing diseases like measles, diphtheria, and polio due to disruptions in routine immunization services because of COVID-19.
As one of the poorest low-income countries in South East Asia, Myanmar faces many barriers to implementing a strong and effective response to COVID-19. Gavi has now allocated over US$ 8.8 million to help ensure that Myanmar is better able to…
In the absence of a vaccine or treatment against the new coronavirus, measures to control its spread rely on avoiding contact with people who we are not sharing a house with. This study shows the varying effects of such preventive measures.
The physical distancing necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19 can be emotionally distressing, but since the virus is unlikely to disappear soon, when will life regain a semblance of normality?
Zipline is a California-based automated logistics company that uses autonomous drones to make on-demand, emergency deliveries of high priority products, including emergency and routine vaccines and other health products.
The pandemic will only strengthen our commitment to vaccinate vulnerable communities. On 4 June 2020 Gavi will hold its third donor pledging conference online with the aim to raise vital funds for the next five years.
The COVID-19 pandemic is most often compared to the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 1918, or Spanish flu, even though there have been three other major pandemics since then. So how does this coronavirus pandemic compare to those?
Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines was a major priority for world leaders attending the virtual meeting
Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities in Europe and the USA are overrepresented in COVID-19 deaths. In the bid to slow and, ultimately, stop the spread of COVID-19 it is vital to understand the reasons why, in order to adequately…
Health is not just a human right, it is a prerequisite for development. Through its advocacy programme Global Health, Global Access, Cordaid continually stresses the importance of Health for All.
While the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths stays relatively low across Africa, Asia and Latin America compared with the rest of the world, the economic and social consequences are likely to reverberate for decades to come.
The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting vaccination programmes across the world, but this could provide an opportunity to hasten the move to digital record-keeping systems.
Altering the ease with which the new coronavirus spreads in the population is critical to controlling the pandemic. The number of people infected by any single case - the R number – will be key. If the virus is able to infect more than one person…
There is no fundamental reason to stop immunization in any situation.
Seventy (out of 73) Gavi-eligible countries have reported 257,996 confirmed cases and 7,547 deaths. These 70 countries account for a small proportion, about 5%, of global COVID-19 cases and 2% of global deaths.
Vietnam became one of the first countries to report a COVID-19 infection and the first to report human-to-human transmission outside of China. One hundred days later, just 270 cases had been confirmed in the country, with no deaths.
It is clear that the search for COVID-19 vaccines is being fast-tracked like never before. In just a few months, we now have over 100 vaccine candidates in development, ten of which are being tested in clinical trials.
Agencies call for joint effort to safely deliver routine immunization and proceed with vaccination campaigns against deadly vaccine-preventable diseases.
Experts are warning that COVID-19 could become an endemic disease. What does this mean and how will it impact our response?
Pregnant women can be more exposed to risk during outbreaks. With 200 million pregnant women in the world, is the global pandemic response adequate to protect them, and not just from the coronavirus?
The country has made strategic investments including supply chain strengthening and technological innovation, all of which have allowed critical immunisation activities to continue during and beyond the quarantine.
Does air travel increase your chances of getting becoming infected by the novel coronavirus and contracting COVID-19?
Controlling the pandemic demands a multi-pronged approach with other key methods like contact tracing to help stop the chain of transmission.
Zenysis is an advanced analytics software company. Their platform helps countries harness the life-saving power of data to improve the delivery of essential health services, like childhood vaccination, and to fight infectious disease outbreaks.…
What our lives will look in the short to medium term future is uncertain, but what does seem clear is we won’t return to a pre-COVID-19 life any time soon. Here are three potential scenarios that infectious disease experts have sketched out for…
The COVID-19 pandemic is putting a strain on health systems worldwide. The increasing demand on health facilities and health care workers has dramatically shifted resources from essential routine health services to COVID-19 response as countries…
Social inequity will put the poorest populations at greater risk from COVID-19
Initially, children seemed to be least affected by the new coronavirus. However, new evidence suggests that a small number might have a rare immune reaction to COVID-19, with some needing intensive care.
As countries rich and poor struggle with challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Afghanistan is taking proactive steps to overcome its own.
Personal protective equipment, or PPE, such as masks and gloves are becoming part of our daily lives, but what counts as effective PPE and what doesn’t?
The new coronavirus has killed more than a quarter of a million people in just a few months, but the pandemic’s effect on food, housing and job insecurity will last years.
Will efforts to save lives in cases of severe COVID-19 trigger another global health crisis once the pandemic is over?
Sixty-nine (out of 73) Gavi-eligible countries have reported 123,129 confirmed cases and 3,941 deaths, five more countries than the 64 announced last week. These countries account for about 3% of global COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Tracking who is infected is essential to controlling the transmission of contagious diseases. Could digital technology prove to be a game-changer for the current pandemic?
Because of vaccination, many deadly diseases are now preventable. But we still lack vaccines for other potentially lethal diseases that could spread to become pandemics like COVID-19. Here is a list of 10 diseases to watch.
Even when a COVID-19 vaccine is available, testing can help pinpoint populations who should be prioritised for immunisation.
For the global health community, the implications resulting from COVID-19 could be immense.
How we can ensure that once a COVID-19 vaccine is available, it is accessible to everyone that needs it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a heavy burden on global economies, health care systems and other core sectors. Gavi is helping countries reallocate their health system strengthening grants to provide fast and flexible funding for vital…
Q&A with Dr Vertando Halim, Coordinator of Expanded Programme on Immunization, Jakarta, Indonesia
With so many lives and livelihoods at stake, when will the lockdowns end, and what will they look like across the world?
As part of Gavi’s work supporting lower-income countries’ response to COVID-19, the Alliance is providing US$ 40 million to UNICEF to secure supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and diagnostics for 58 countries.
The world is currently on pause, buying time while an effective vaccine against COVID-19 is developed. Already, several vaccines have entered human trials, and discussions have begun about how the most promising candidates might be manufactured…
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a heavy burden on global economies, healthcare systems and other core sectors. Gavi is helping countries reallocate their health system strengthening grants to provide fast and flexible funding for vital resources…
Goal of new global collaboration is to make COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines available to everybody that needs them as quickly as possible.
How the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic can help us be better prepared for distributing and administering potential COVID-19 vaccines.
Indigenous groups face unique health challenges. How do we mitigate these risks in our COVID response?
How exactly is the COVID-19 virus spread and will a mask protect me?
The immediate and long-term consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are disproportionately impacting the lives of women and girls, and the most marginalised.
How does the benefit of stopping the spread of coronavirus weigh up against the risks from diseases such as measles?
With COVID-19 spreading in low- and middle-income countries, governments have been imposing strict lockdowns that could pose an even greater threat than the virus itself.
Interview with Emmanuel Lansana, outpatient supervisor at Monrovia’s Redemption Hospital in Liberia, about lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak that can help tackle COVID-19.
Africa is better prepared now to perform research in emerging infections than during the Ebola epidemics in West Africa.
Will new evidence suggesting that the virus is airborne mean we all need to wear masks?
Although there are guidelines on how long people should self-isolate when infected, the data on how long people remain contagious is not yet fully understood.
Could the impact of COVID-19 on routine immunisation be an even bigger threat in low-income countries than the virus itself?
At least 13.5 million people to miss out on vaccinations due to postponement of campaigns and interruptions in routine vaccinations, with millions more likely to follow.
As we continue to encroach on the environment and erode natural habitats, the likelihood of other diseases like COVID-19 emerging to devastate the planet are high.
Large-scale testing for COVID-19 could help solve some of the mysteries surrounding the virus that are still puzzling scientists.
Imperial model of the spread of COVID-19 implies a suppression strategy could be most effective.
With nearly 550,000 people infected, almost 25,000 dead, and hundreds of millions in lockdown across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic has brought the world to a standstill. But what do we know about COVID-19 and what can we do to fight this…
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance applauds the commitment of the G20 Leaders chaired by Saudi Arabia “to provide immediate resources to the WHO’s…
The idea of herd immunity as the solution to the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered heated debate, but what is herd immunity and how does it work?
Over 1 billion lives are at risk if COVID-19 sweeps through crowded slums. How can we prepare?
With an increasing number of countries around the globe going into lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people forced to stay home may be wondering why these measures are necessary, how long they will need to go on for and what it will…
On the most recent issue of The Bio Report podcast, Gavi's Aurélia Nguyen discusses COVID-19 vaccine development, the role of the Vaccine Alliance in stopping the pandemic, and shares lessons learned from the 2014 Ebola outbreak that may prove…
When a COVID-19 vaccine is available, how will we pay for it?
With the COVID-19 pandemic already affecting 47 Gavi-supported countries, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has already taken new steps to help strengthen the preparedness of health systems in lower-income countries with the full support of its Board.…
If COVID-19 epidemics are not controlled, 510,000 people could die in the UK and 2.2 million in the USA.
With zero cases of COVID-19 in Mozambique so far, Dr Rosa Marlene, National Director of Public Health of Mozambique, discusses a potential impact that a pandemic of this magnitude could have on the country’s health system.
We touch countless objects every day, from house keys to our mobile phones. The virus that causes COVID-19 can last for anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours in the air (in the form of aerosol droplets) before drifting down onto surfaces,…
Clinical trials for vaccines can take 10-15 years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, which is why pharmaceutical companies can be reluctant to start down that challenging road without a definite pay-off at the end. As the COVID-19 pandemic…
Africa marks a critical juncture for the coronavirus pandemic.
From travel restrictions to social distancing, what is the best way to stop a pandemic?
We don’t yet know how the COVID-19 pandemic will progress and how long it will take for a vaccine to be developed, but the knowledge and experience gained from past outbreaks can be applied to the global response to coronavirus.
A vaccine against the novel coronavirus is under urgent development as the number of people infected with COVID-19 increases, a process which could also result in a new range of highly innovative vaccine technologies that ushers in a new era in…
