Health Alerts

THE WHO European region was again the stand-out in the WHO epi update, being the only region with increased new case numbers this week, up 18 percent on last week and a 14 percent rise in deaths. Forty-two of the EU’s 61 countries saw a rise in new cases, but the Ukraine’s was the largest, up 43 percent and deaths up 51 percent. A WHO statement this week on the latest meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee declared that the pandemic remains a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and identified 10 Temporary Recommendations to States Parties.

In related news:

- In Australia, the TGA has approved booster doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, COMIRNATY for individual 18 years of age and older to be given at least six months after completion of a primary course of COVID-19 vaccines.

- Fully vaccinated Australians will be able to travel overseas without a Dept. of Home Affairs exemption from Nov 1. Read more. And for those people, Smartraveller has advice on obtaining the necessary International COVID-19 vaccination certificate (ICVC).

- Discussions are being held between airlines and the federal govt. on the differences in the accepted vaccination status of children in the UK compared with Australia. Read more

- The US CDC has published the requirements for air travellers entering the country from Nov 8. They include a list of the accepted COVID-19 vaccines and proof of vaccination. Read more

- CIDRAP offered its perspective in ‘FDA panel green-lights Pfizer COVID vaccine for young kids’, after the independent panel that advises the agency approved the use of the Comirnaty vaccine in children aged between five and 11 years (with a dosing of two 10-microgram doses given 3 weeks apart). Data supplied by Pfizer stated that Comirnaty was 91 percent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in this age group.

- The Immunisation Coalition has launched the CoRiCal Covid Risk Calculator that ‘aims to help people make informed decisions about the risks versus benefits of COVID-19 vaccines’.

- The AY.4.2 Delta variant sub-lineage (“Delta plus”) has been designated a Variant Under Investigation (VUI-21OCT-01) in the UK. Currently VUI-21OCT-01 accounts for around 6 percent of overall Delta cases in the UK. Read more in Technical Briefing No. 26.

- ‘COVID doesn’t need to run rampant. Here are 6 ways to keep cases low in the next year’: The Conversation

- ‘Fake, substandard vaccines and medicines spell trouble for controlling Covid-19’: STAT News Read more