Global/National Policy Updates
01
COVID-19 vaccinations shift to regular immunization as COVAX draws to a close
On 19 December 2023, WHO, CEPI, UNICEF, and Gavi issued a joint statement indicating that the Global Access to Vaccines for COVID-19 (COVAX) mechanism will come to an end on 31 December 2023 – when COVID-19 vaccines will be switched to routine immunization. In total, COVAX has “delivered nearly 2 billion doses of vaccines to 146 economies, and averted an estimated 2.7 million deaths” in low-income economies that have received advanced market commitments (AMC) and averted approximately 2.7 million deaths in low-income economies. COVAX has helped low-income economies achieve 57% two-dose coverage. Furthermore, lower-middle-income economies will continue to receive COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination support from Gavi in 2024 and 2025, and 58 economies have already applied for 83 million doses of the vaccine for 2024.
02
Statement on the Antigen Components of COVID-19 Vaccines
The Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition met on December 4-5, 2023 to review the genetic and antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the performance of currently approved vaccines against endemic SARS-CoV-2 variants, and the implications for the antigenic composition of the COVID-19 vaccine. On December 13, 2023, WHO stated the COVID-19 Vaccine Antigenic Components, with key points including: (1) SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread and evolve in response to important genetic and antigenic changes in the spiking proteins. (2) Monovalent XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccines from a variety of different vaccine technology platforms all induce broad cross-reactive neutralizing antibody responses against endemic SARS-CoV-2 variants. (3) Given the current evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the breadth of immune response demonstrated by the monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine against circulating variants, the Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition recommends that the antigenic composition of the current COVID-19 vaccine be retained, namely that the monovalent XBB.1.5 be used as the antigenic composition of the COVID-19 vaccine.
03
Potential benefits and limitations of mRNA technology for vaccine research and development for infectious diseases and virus-induced cancers
On December 13, 2023, the WHO Scientific Committee released the report “Potential benefits and limitations of mRNA technology for vaccine research and development for infectious diseases and virus-induced cancers”. The report recommends a framework to assess the value of mRNA technologies in the development of vaccines and treatments for other infectious diseases, and to help determine the potential role of mRNA technologies in addressing cancer and autoimmune diseases. The report notes that the success of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine stems from decades of investment in basic science, including the chemical modification of RNA and immune responses, as well as its role in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and cancer treatments and vaccines.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240084551
Journal Content Recommendation
04
Resilience of routine childhood immunization services in two counties in Kenya in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic
On December 18, 2023, Vaccine published a paper online assessing the impact on routine childhood vaccination services in two counties in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results demonstrated that routine childhood immunization services remained unaffected by the pandemic. Private health facilities buffered the impact of the pandemic; strategies developed by the Ministry of Health ensured the sustainability of vaccination services and encouraged people to receive vaccination services during the pandemic. These findings will help sustain the routine vaccination programs in the event of pandemics in the future.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.09.023
05
Examining vaccine hesitancy among a diverse sample of Canadian adults
On December 16, 2023, Vaccine published a paper exploring sociodemographic and individual-level factors associated with vaccine hesitancy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in a group of Canadian adults. The study found that “age, ethnicity, political affiliation, and beliefs in vaccine conspiracies were associated with vaccine hesitancy”. There was also discussion of the crucial role that mistrust and false information play in vaccine hesitancy. This study also provides insight into how the Canadian provincial government can “promote uptake of vaccines in ways that target diverse groups” in adopting a different approach from those developed in a pre-pandemic context.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.12.030
06
Vaccine confidence mediates the association between a pro-social pay-it-forward intervention and improved influenza vaccine uptake in China: A mediation analysis
The “prosocial pay-it-forward intervention”, which provides vaccination subsidies and postcards, is effective in increasing influenza vaccination rates and confidence in the vaccine in China. On December 15, 2023, Dr. Dan Wu and team from the School of Public Health at the Nanjing Medical University published a paper in Vaccine, showing that confidence in the importance of the vaccine is a “potential mediator of the relationship between pay-it-forward intervention and influenza vaccine uptake”. In addition, relay vaccination programs were linked to higher immunization rates regardless of personal income levels as compared to the general situation of paying the vaccine price directly.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.11.046
07
Safety and immunogenicity of shorter interval schedules of the novel oral poliovirus vaccine type 2 in infants: a phase 3, randomised, controlled, non-inferiority study in the Dominican Republic
On November 13, 2020, the World Health Organization included the new oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to its list for emergency use to enhance the “protection of vulnerable populations, particularly young infants”. On December 16, 2023, The Lancet Infectious Diseases published the study, showing the nOPV2’s efficacy at different 1-week, 2-week, and 4-week vaccine safety and non-inferiority of immunogenicity at different vaccination intervals. This was an open-label, phase 3 randomized trial in healthy full-term infants aged 6-8 weeks in the Dominican Republic. The outcomes demonstrated that two nOPV2 vaccines spaced one or two weeks apart were safe and immunogenic. After 2 weeks, the immunological response remained comparable to that of a usual 4-week interval. This suggests that during poliovirus type 2 outbreaks, a vaccination program with intervals longer than 1-week may boost vaccination flexibility and rapidly improve coverage.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00519-4
Content Editor: Linjing(Grace) Zhang
Page Editor: Ziqi Liu
