Briefing, march 16, 2021
Remite Ruben Piacentini
COVID-19 coronavirus update
Special collection
Preparing for the next pandemic
“The COVID-19 pandemic has opened a window of opportunity for rethinking the way countries prepare for public-health crises. This window must not be wasted,” says an editorial in Nature Medicine, introducing a special collection on preparing for the next pandemic.
- Now is the time to consider which viruses and microbial organisms could be the next global killer — and how to support people to make life-saving decisions when it arrives. (7 min read)
- Former World Health Organization director-general Margaret Chan shares four tenets at the heart of resolving a global health crisis. She highlights the need for decision makers to value health, build trust, form a harmonious relationship with nature and take a long-term perspective. (4 min read)
- The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented — but was expected, says John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Preparing for the next pandemic will require that we reimagine our architecture for health-security governance, he argues. (4 min read)
- Investigations show that those spreading misinformation that undermines the roll-out of vaccines against COVID-19 are well financed, determined and disciplined, notes Imran Ahmed, who heads the Center for Countering Digital Hate in Washington DC. To counter their activities, he argues, we need to understand them as an industry actively working to sow doubts about the deadliness of COVID-19, vaccines and medical professionals’ integrity. (5 min read)
Opinion
What’s up with Oxford–AstraZeneca
Pharmaceutical researcher Derek Lowe explores the stumbling blocks encountered by the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Results from its phase III trials were positive but left lingering questions. Several countries have suspended their roll-out of the jab — a move that leaves unvaccinated people at risk of getting COVID-19 — over concerns that it raises the risk of blood clots, despite a lack of evidence. “It’s a mess,” writes Lowe. “And it’s a mess that leads us right into the third problem, which is public confidence.”