An inhaled COVID-19 vaccine would go directly to where the body would use it: the mucosal surface of the airways. This could mean less waste and more benefit, lower costs and reduced side-effects.
We’re reliant on overseas supply - and the many moving parts of delivery. Each of those parts require staff on the ground – and many workers in this system are likely being affected by Omicron.
COVAX, the global vaccine distribution initiative, is well behind its goal of delivering 2 billion doses this year due to under-investment, vaccine nationalism and export restrictions.
Italy’s decision to block export of AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia will likely not impact our vaccine roll-out. But vaccine scarcity is a looming problem in other parts of the world.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is the second COVID shot to be approved in Australia, and it’s likely Australians will start receiving it next month.
While people with certain disabilities are already at higher risk for severe COVID-19, that risk is increased by elements within the health-care system.
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People with disabilities are overlooked for COVID-19 vaccine distribution and triage protocols. We need to make this group a priority and address issues that put them at risk.
Believe it or not, this little guy has inspired new scientific thought about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Peter Dazeley via Getty Images
Vaccine hesitancy will not go away fast. In fact, there are parallels in the physical world to how quickly or slowly an object returns to its normal state.
A worker pours dry ice into boxes containing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Morry Gash/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
From designing vaccine supply chains to improving PPE to rebuilding trust, systematically bringing engineering knowhow to public health problems could make a huge difference.
Health-care workers wait in line at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Toronto on Jan. 7, 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has begun. But getting the jab doesn’t mean abandoning masks, distancing and handwashing. Here’s why the current preventive measures must continue post-vaccine.
By mid-January, only about a quarter of the COVID-19 vaccines distributed for U.S. nursing homes through the federal program had reached people’s arms.
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With vaccine shortages looming, experts are debating whether it is important to receive two doses or whether it’s better to give one dose to more people and give a second when the supply is better.
Seniors in Fort Myers, Fla. wait for their COVID-19 vaccinations. At this site, 800 doses of vaccine were available.
Octavio Jones via Getty Images
The shipment of goods to suppliers has become technologically sophisticated. Delays in getting out the COVID-19 vaccine to people show that the breakdowns come down to something more basic.
Getting vaccines to rural and hard-to-reach areas is critical for public health and ethical reasons.
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So far, the only COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use need to be kept frozen. But there are many places in the world that can’t support a cold supply chain.