THIS is with reference to the article ‘Muddling through Covid’ (April 29). I am astounded by the poor methodology used in the said piece. While quoting data from various Asian countries, it forgets the first rule when quoting percentages which calls for making sure that the bases are the same or at least similar in scale. There is no point comparing data from Pakistan with that related to Vietnam and Thailand as they, according to World Bank 2019 statistics, have a population mass of 98 million and 70 million respectively compared to Pakistan’s 216 million. Hence, the percentages are not comparable.
Besides, the article makes the cardinal error of depending on a single source for the thrust of its numerical argument; the Duke Global Health Innovation Centre. I accessed the website, but could not get to the figures quoted.
WHO asks rich countries to delay child vax, donate jabs
By IANS |
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WHO asks rich countries to delay child vax, donate jabs. Image Source: IANS News
London, May 16 : Rich nations must delay their plans to vaccinate their children and teenagers against Covid-19 and instead donate the jabs to low-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. In a handful of rich countries, which bought up the majority of the vaccine supply, lower risk groups are now being vaccinated, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a virtual conference in Geneva on Friday. I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to Covax, Ghebreyesus said.
In delivering vaccines, pharmaceutical companies aided by monumental government investments have given humanity a miraculous shot at liberation from the worst pandemic in a century. But wealthy countries have captured an overwhelming share of the benefit.
Rich nations must delay their plans to vaccinate their children and teenagers against Covid-19 and instead donate the jabs to low-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. In a handful of rich countries, which bought up the majority of the vaccine supply, lower risk groups are now being vaccinated, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a virtual conference in Geneva on Friday. I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to Covax, Ghebreyesus said. The statement comes as, last week, the US, Canada and Switzerland laid out plans to begin coronavirus vaccine shots for adolescents.
Ames Tribune
Vaccines could need to adapt to mutations of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and an Iowa State University researcher has found a way to possibly overcome some of the challenges associated with that.
Michael Cho, an ISU biomedical sciences professor, is studying how to develop vaccines that target the part of the virus that attaches to cells and allows for infection to happen.
That part of the virus spike protein is called the receptor-binding domain, or RBD. Cho likened the RBD to the teeth and notches of a key that actually enter a lock a smaller part of the whole where the most important things happen for getting something open.