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Science

Some Countries Have No COVID-19 Jabs At All (msn.com) 81

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
The World Health Organization says nearly a dozen countries -- many of them in Africa -- are still waiting to get vaccines. Those last in line on the continent along with Chad are Burkina Faso, Burundi, Eritrea and Tanzania. From a report: "Delays and shortages of vaccine supplies are driving African countries to slip further behind the rest of the world in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the continent now accounts for only 1% of the vaccines administered worldwide," WHO warned Thursday. And in places where there are no vaccines, there's also the chance that new and concerning variants could emerge, said Gian Gandhi, UNICEF's COVAX coordinator for Supply Division.

"So we should all be concerned about any lack of coverage anywhere in the world," Gandhi said, urging higher-income countries to donate doses to the nations that are still waiting. While the total of confirmed COVID-19 cases among them is relatively low compared with the world's hot spots, health officials say that figure is likely a vast undercount: The countries in Africa still waiting for vaccines are among those least equipped to track infections because of their fragile health care systems. Chad has confirmed only 170 deaths since the pandemic began, but efforts to stop the virus entirely here have been elusive. Although the capital's international airport was closed briefly last year, its first case came via someone who crossed one of Chad's porous land borders illegally.
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Some Countries Have No COVID-19 Jabs At All More

Some Countries Have No COVID-19 Jabs At All

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  • The mrna vaccines require freezers and the AZ vaccine is mainly made in India.

    The Baltimore plant that was supposed to make J&J...didn't and AZ got booted from it.

    That leaves the Belgian J&J plant and British AZ as the only available western capacity.

    It's either the Chinese 66%-chance-it's-real inactivated virus vaccine or the Russian might-just-be-active-cold-virus Sputnik V.

    • Re:Good luck (Score:4, Insightful)

      by TWX ( 665546 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2021 @08:25PM (#61375060)

      And frankly to be pragmatic, most countries are going to concentrate their export-efforts to nations that pose the most risk to them. I expect that the United States will focus on Latin America first. European nations that are ahead of the curve are probably going to first provide to European nations that are behind the curve, then focus on nations where migrants to Europe come from in the greatest numbers. Unfortunately for sub-Saharan Africa, that probably isn't them.

      • it sounds like a logical clinical decision, but europe exported 40+ percent of its vaccines before complaining and wondering why no one was sending them 42% back. Logic doesnt always apply. Both Spock and Holmes get migraines lately more than before and some less trending countries [theguardian.com] get less aid than brazil, India (o where the hell did i get the name brazil from?) and have something else thats not not enough jabs going on. If you look two degrees past the 6 o clock the world doesnt really
        look too healthy a
    • There are new vaccines that will be available soon, most importantly Novavax (89% effective) but it will take some time due to difficulties in ramping up production [cnbc.com]. And that means more people will die, especially in places like India which are currently being overwhelmed.
      • India makes a ton of vaccine, and finally decided to start using it locally instead of shipping it to other countries. The countries listed in the summary simply don't have the distribution infrastructure to handle the 2 dose shots, and as already mentioned the single dose shots are having supply issues. Most of the developed world is preferring the 2 dose shots so this is absolutely not a case of "rich countries hoarding" the supply.

    • The Russian vax is one of the best of the lot. Unlike the chinese , the russians actually sent these out to other countries for international verification and the results where stellar w/ 91.6% efficacy which puts it up there with Pfizer and Moderna.

      https://www.thelancet.com/jour... [thelancet.com]

      Similar results from trials in other countries. The tl;dr is the Russian vaccines top quality and its only shitty chest beating international politcs thats prevented its availability in the west. Cos if theres one things you can

      • Sputnik alleged problems (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Beryllium Sphere(tm) ( 193358 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2021 @12:07AM (#61375518) Journal

        I give a lot of credence to The Lancet but does what gets shipped match what got tested?

        https://arstechnica.com/scienc... [arstechnica.com]

        • Oh shit! I didn't see that.

          Thats not a good sign o_O.

          Although as an aside, if it had one of the coronavirus cold viruses that might actually end up providing some limited antibody resistance in and of itself as theres *some* evidence that coronavirus antibodies are surprisingly cross reactive (There was a study when the original SARS virus did the rounds that found people who had sars where immune to the coronavirus cold, and more intreguingly , vice-versa. Theres a theory although i havent seen it publishe

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by c-A-d ( 77980 )

      Giving the chinese vaccines a 66% efficacy is being generous. I figure you got a 50/50 chance of it working, as Brazil seems to have found out.

      • I thought this too for a second when I read their comment and then figured they meant that even before you factor in the efficacy, you have a 1 in 3 chance of getting some kind of fake that isn't really the (50/50 chance of working) vaccine.

      • At this point, any vaccine with a high-enough efficacy against severe illness (keeping you out of oxygen therapy) is useful for keeping emergency beds available.
        Any vaccine with a high-enough efficacy against severe symptoms is useful in keeping hospital beds available to others.

        What you don't really know is the quality of the delivery - there was a recent scandal from Sloakia - they received some Sputnik V vaccines that apparently were different from Sputnik V vaccines received by others:
        https://www.rferl. [rferl.org]

  • Sure, we have our problems (99% of which are self-inflicted), but access to vaccines isn't one of them. And though I don't really care for Trump, you have to give his administration at least some credit for negotiating for the doses of vaccine the country is using.

    Here's to hoping the US hits peak vaccinations (i.e., everyone who wants it has gotten it) sometime soon so we can turn our focus to helping out the rest of the world.

    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      by K. S. Kyosuke ( 729550 )
      I was wondering when Trump would show up. And it was only in the comment to boot! Had you only managed to get the first post, that would have been even better. /s
      • "in the second comment", dammit.

      • Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)

        by burningcpu ( 1234256 )
        GP's post was on-topic, as was the mention of Trump. What exactly is your point?

        • His point was that Trump was for school-learnin therefore enlightened right-thinking people must eschew logic and arithmetic.

        • How is the mention of Trump "on topic" when discussing the healthcare situation in Burkina Faso? By this logic a mention of Trump would be "on topic" when discussing pretty much anything.

          Although I *can* see how this leap can be made by people who make everything about themselves.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      You don't really care but you would vote him again right ;) Biden is the only positive thing that happened to your country in 4 years.

    • Good for USA for hoarding vaccines but nobody really invites USA to help import democracy or human rights. If USA just stuck to you - do - you, there won't be bashing required.

      Let us also remember that Trump threatened trade embargo on India for hoarding hydrochloroquine quine which doesn't even work in covid.

      Celebrate all you want, 911 was well deserved.

    • And though I don't really care for Trump, you have to give his administration at least some credit for negotiating for the doses of vaccine the country is using.

      No, you do NOT. Trump did not negotiate for ENOUGH doses, so we burned through the doses he negotiated for A LONG TIME AGO. You do NOT have to give him ANY credit for the doses of vaccine the country is using NOW.

      Further, HE DID NOT PUT ANY MONEY DOWN. He only "promised" to buy a certain number of doses. Dolly Parton put money down, but Trump didn't. An entertainer did more to promote the final production of vaccines than 45.

      Here's to hoping the US hits peak vaccinations (i.e., everyone who wants it has gotten it) sometime soon so we can turn our focus to helping out the rest of the world.

      If we actually did reasonable diligence we could be doing both right now. Doses are

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by jwhyche ( 6192 )

        No, you do NOT. Trump did not negotiate for ENOUGH doses, so we burned through the doses he negotiated for A LONG TIME AGO. You do NOT have to give him ANY credit for the doses of vaccine the country is using NOW.

        Actually you do. Trump's administration actually handled getting the vaccines very efficiently. If it wasn't for operation warp speed we wouldn't have had the vaccines we needed when we did. You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with hating Trump. You should get help for that.

        • Actually you do. Trump's administration actually handled getting the vaccines very efficiently.

          No, they did NOT. They did not get enough doses!

          If it wasn't for operation warp speed we wouldn't have had the vaccines we needed when we did.

          Any president would have done the same, and it wasn't even Trump's idea. And like I said, operation warp speed was half-assed specifically because Trump did not secure enough doses [politico.com]. Just like I fucking said.

          You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with hating Trump. You should get help for that.

          You seem to have an unhealthy obsession with sucking Trump's cock for free. Even Stormy Daniels got $130,000, you fucking lame.

          • Re: (Score:3)

            by jwhyche ( 6192 )

            Yes he did and just because you don't like doesn't change the facts that it did. Not every president would, I doubt the current one could but he can't even climb a set of stairs without falling on his ass. My unhealthy obsession with Trump left the day he left office. You are the only one that keeps bringing him up. Again, get help and stop acting like a flaming fucking jackass every time some one calls you out.

            fucking fool

            • Yes he did what? Now you're just vomiting sentence fragments out in one big run-on because your TDS is apparently causing glossolalia. Go suck Trump's tiny mushroom prick and leave me the fuck alone, you ignoranus.

              • Re: (Score:3)

                by jwhyche ( 6192 )

                You are the one with the unhealthy obsession with Trump. I'm just telling you that you need help. Now then, TDS or Trump Derangement Syndrome, that you clearly have is now a treatable condition. It can be considered a form of PTSD with a similar treatment. Looks to me, in my unprofessional opinion, that you issues tend to run toward the sexual. An unhealthy fixation on, that you seem to have, Trump sexually can lead to other conditions later in life.

                You really do need to get some serious medial hel

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by necro81 ( 917438 )

      Here's to hoping the US hits peak vaccinations (i.e., everyone who wants it has gotten it) sometime soon

      Personally I was hoping for vaccination to the point of herd immunity. But apparently we in the U.S. have too many selfish, conspiratorial dumbasses for that to happen.

    • Re:Bash the US all you want (Score:4, Interesting)

      by quantaman ( 517394 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2021 @10:46AM (#61376900)

      Sure, we have our problems (99% of which are self-inflicted), but access to vaccines isn't one of them. And though I don't really care for Trump, you have to give his administration at least some credit for negotiating for the doses of vaccine the country is using.

      The prepurchase orders helped fund production, but the US doesn't have doses because Trump negotiated anything, it has doses because it has a huge pharmaceutical industry and both Trump and Biden used the DPA to restrict exports [ctvnews.ca].

      Here's to hoping the US hits peak vaccinations (i.e., everyone who wants it has gotten it) sometime soon so we can turn our focus to helping out the rest of the world.

      Frankly, this is where Trump IS a big problem right now.

      Why isn't he yelling at people to get shots? Why did he get vaccinated in secret? Why isn't he trying to counter vaccine hesitancy in the GOP? When Trump lost the election the pandemic became Biden's problem, and the end of the pandemic became Biden's win.

      The one thing we know about Trump is he doesn't want other people to get the win. I believe that Trump is encouraging vaccine hesitancy because he wants the pandemic to continue, he doesn't want Biden to get the credit for ending it and he's even dreaming of being able to campaign on Biden's failure to end it 4 years from now.

  • So? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by beepsky ( 6008348 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2021 @08:44PM (#61375090)
    This shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody.
    Some countries have worse problems than covid like mass starvation and civil war

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tomhath ( 637240 )
      Any vaccine sent to those countries will be stolen as soon as it's unloaded from the plane.

  • Is anyone surprised (Score:5, Insightful)

    by t4eXanadu ( 143668 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2021 @08:58PM (#61375110)

    That countries with some of the lowest life expectancies and highest rates of HIV infections are the last to get access to the vaccine? The leaders of places like Chad could care less, they are busy lining their pockets with money!

  • Given n countries it's unclear to me if the optimal vaccine distribution scheme would first use all available vaccines to first bring one country up to some high level of vaccination and only then move on to the next country or if it should distribute them evenly between countries. Does anyone know?

    Of course, in the first case those vaccines should start in the countries with worst healthcare systems and only come to places like the US last. Of course that's not happening but maybe when we think about the

    • I haven't seen an analysis, but picking a figure of merit would take some value judgements.

      To save the most lives, vaccinate the elderly, diabetic, and obese everywhere or with priority to the places with the most infections.

      To break the spread, vaccinate each country's international travelers.

      Just brainstorming. An epidemiologist could do much better.

      • Speaking as someone who is overweight, diabetic, and upper-middle-aged:

        No, we should NOT get the priority.

        The vaccine, even if 100% effective and safe, does not substantially change our already high risk of premature death.

        The people who should get priority are those who are otherwise healthy, but exposed to unusually high viral loads. Doctors and other healthcare workers, retail workers, etc.

        Because those are the people who are most likely to get sick with COVID and suffer disabilities or premature deaths

      • The countries mentioned have a ton of problems, IIRC some of them are having wars and no effective government. Sending them any doses that require advanced refrigeration is simply a waste as they can't handle it properly. Some of them the WHO has been having troubles even getting them to let workers administer Ebola vaccines. This isnâ(TM)t a simple matter of sending them a big pile of shots, even if enough of the single dose vaccineswere available.

    • The optimal vaccine distribution vaccinates your political supporters (voters) before everyone else :(
      Sarcasm aside, first priority is health workers and public order.
      Then people with the highest number of contacts (taxi drivers, delivery persons, shop clerks and assistants, school teachers if schools are open, food workers, ...). If you meet more than n people per day, you should be in the second wave, with priority given to "higher number of contacts". However, the current strategy seems to prioritize the

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by necro81 ( 917438 )
      In ordinary public health situations, you rush vaccine to hotspots to encircle them and prevent spread to the general populace. This is how smallpox was eradicated: be sure to vaccinate every close contact of confirmed cases, so as to break the chain of transmission.

      In a pandemic, where the virus is in general circulation everywhere, that strategy probably no longer holds. I do not know what the right answer is. But given human nature, I'm sure that (1) we aren't doing it right now, and (2) even if we

  • I know that Tanzania was not interested in the vaccines due to the policies of its late president. No word on what the new president is going to do. She's a different sort of politician, however, from what little I've heard thus far.

  • thank for information

  • Distribution not supply issue (Score:4, Interesting)

    by fwad ( 94117 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2021 @01:28AM (#61375636) Homepage

    Whilst we have a global short supply - lots of these countries also have distribution issues. A number of African countries have been throwing away vaccine because they couldn't distribute the small number of doses they were given in time. No point sending them more doses for them just to throw away again until they get the distribution figured out

  • The ideology may be that everyone should get access to a COVID vaccine if they want one.

    The reality is that nations and regions of the world have have a profound contribution to the world's economy tend to get their access first, and then things trickle down from there. Even worse if the local area lacks facilities to store, transport, and administer it.

    There are plenty of deaths on Earth (of any cause), simply due to geography and the civilization level of a given region.

  • that a geek site like Slashdot hasn't had any stories on Bill Gates' potential role in making the pandemic worse in underdeveloped countries [newrepublic.com]. (To be fair, a few days ago the Gates Foundation did backpedal [indiatoday.in] on this issue, but only after negative press and widespread criticism).

    I'm also surprised not to have seen anything here regarding the strong possibility that, in spite of early-on 'debunking' by the government and the press, the SARS-CoV-2 virus DID in fact escape from a funded-by-America Chinese lab doin [thewire.in]

    • Right. If we were all in this together, then the recipes would be being shared, all the vaccines would be open source (as much as is possible). But we're not really all in this together are we? Oxford University was going to open source its vaccine, then the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation stepped in and convinced them to sell exclusive rights to AstraZeneca. Now AstraZeneca is failing to deliver and poor countries are struggling to access vaccines. https://twitter.com/parismarx/... [twitter.com] https://newrepublic. [newrepublic.com]

  • Is this the part where Western leaders make speeches about vaccine equality and pledge equal access, and then don't do any of that?

    Countries are going to take care of theirs first and then export what they believe they don't immediately need. Africa, having no manufacturing capacity and spotty infrastructure / government control to ensure distribution, will find its self waiting until there are resources available to do the job.

  • And therefore, when all the dust finally clears, the countries with no vaccines will have the highest rates of people who are naturally immune to the virus and who have the highest chances of surviving the next one, along with their offspring.

  • I thought China was literally buying Africa to turn them into the next 3rd world sweat shop? Would think they would want to vaccinate their cattle to have a workforce to start churning out cheap crap. Like what the west did to China. Were probably 20-30 years from instead of everything saying Made in China on it, it will say Made in Africa. And maybe some pulling the crap Apple does "Designed in China, Made in Africa"
  • That way there will be absolutely nobody who will ever be dumb enough to again accept government strings on development of any vaccine. Communists always think the people they fleece will just "make more". Funny how that shit didn't happen after the Bolshevik revolution and still doesn't work a hundred-plus years later. Imagine that! Whoever dies as a result of not getting vaccines I'm sure will be remembered just like the victims of the Homodor. Oh? What? Never heard of it? Not surprised.

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