The G20, the private sector and the vaccine, debt and climate crises – by Katie Gallogly-Swan and Rebecca Ray

In their recent communiqué, Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers admirably committed to using ‘all available tools for as long as required to address the adverse consequences of Covid-19’—in particular for those most affected.

Since the pandemic developed, governments around the world have taken extraordinary steps to support their economies, forcing the closure of ‘non-essential’ businesses, locking down borders and unleashing a wave of economic and health measures. While not all responses have been equally effective, one fundamental lesson has become clear: governments—particularly in wealthy countries—can marshal unprecedented interventions, at scale, when needed.

Eighteen months on though, critical weaknesses persist. Global vaccine inequity is perpetuating the pandemic. Economic instability and lack of fiscal space threaten another lost decade of development for many low- and middle-income countries. Despite escalating climate disasters, only 2 per cent of the total fiscal response to Covid-19 and the recovery from the ensuing economic crisis has gone into clean-energy measures. Progress on addressing the interlocking global crises of Covid-19, economic instability and climate change has effectively stalled.

Read more at The G20, the private sector and the vaccine, debt and climate crises – Katie Gallogly-Swan and Rebecca Ray

USA - vaccine booster shot: Some scientists say Biden jumped gun with vaccine booster plan - by Rachana Pradhan, Kaiser

The Biden administration’s plans to make COVID-19 booster shots available next month has drawn a collective scream of protest from the scientific community.

As some scientists see it, the announcement is rash and based on weak evidence, and they worry it could undercut confidence in vaccines with no clear benefit of controlling the pandemic. Meanwhile, more information is needed on potential side effects or adverse effects from a booster shot, they say.

Read more at: Some scientists say Biden jumped gun with vaccine booster plan

Covid-19 Booster Shot: WHO calls for COVID booster jab moratorium to accelerate vaccination in poorer countries

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on Wednesday for a moratorium on booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines so that those vaccines can be made available to countries that have only been able to inoculate a small proportion of their population.

Read more at: WHO calls for COVID booster jab moratorium to accelerate vaccination in poorer countries | Euronews

Coronavirus Vaccine: Pfizer to ask permission to give booster shot; FDA, CDC say it’s not necessary

Pfizer announced Thursday it plans to seek Food and Drug Administration authorization for a booster shot to its two-dose vaccine that could further protect people from COVID-19 variants, the company announced Thursday.

However, a joint statement on Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA said, "Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time."

Read more at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/as-pfizer-wants-to-push-booster-shot-fda-and-cdc-say-its-not-necessary-at-this-time/ar-AALYAiU?ocid=BingNewsSearch

EU: Covid: What’s the problem with the EU vaccine rollout?

The European Union has been criticised for the slow pace of coronavirus vaccinations in its member states.

It has introduced export controls on vaccines produced in the EU after its rollout was hit by supply problems and delays. They were used for the first time on 4 March, when Italy blocked a shipment of 250,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia.

The scheme, set up in June 2020, allows the EU to negotiate the purchase of vaccines on behalf of its member states. It says this can help reduce costs and avoid competition between them.

Member states do not have to join the scheme, but all 27 EU countries chose to do so.

Read more at: Covid: What’s the problem with the EU vaccine rollout? - BBC News

The EU's vaccine strategy - the key points

The European Commission, on behalf of member states, has sealed deals with six companies for up to 2.3 billion vaccine doses. The BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are so far the only jabs authorised in the EU, but the vaccine jointly developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca is expected to be approved on Friday (29 January) by the European Medical Agency (EMA).

With two doses per person needed for both authorised vaccines, the EU could vaccinate at least 380 million people - covering approximately 80 percent of the European population.

Read more at: https://euobserver.com/coronavirus/150747