Poorer nations in dire need of equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution
In granting China s Sinopharm emergency use authorization, the vaccine can be included in Covax which is the WHO s global initiative that aims to realize equitable vaccine distribution worldwide. Several well-off countries aren t sharing as many vaccines as they otherwise might. India is a major developer of vaccines, but has halted exports to better confront its exacerbated coronavirus crisis. Additionally, concerns surrounding the safety of using the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in light of extremely rare but dangerous side effects observed in some countries and this has led to temporary halts of both vaccines pending additional guidance.
WHO approves China’s Sinopharm vaccine for global use
Global health experts said the jab could be a ‘game changer’ for efforts to distribute vaccines more fairly around the world
7 May 2021 • 5:16pm
The World Health Organization has given the Chinese vaccine the green light for use around the world
Credit: AP /Darko Vojinovic
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved a Covid-19 vaccine from China s state-owned pharmaceutical company, Sinopharm, for emergency use, laying a path for the jab to be used in poorer nations via the Covax scheme.
The vaccine, one of two main Chinese shots that collectively have already been given to hundreds of millions of people in China and abroad, is the first Covid-19 jab developed by a non-Western country to win the WHO’s backing.
Developing countries racing for coronavirus vaccines now have another dependable option, according to the World Health Organization. And China’s reputation as a rising scientific superpower just got a big boost.
On Friday, the global health agency declared a vaccine made by a Chinese company, Sinopharm, to be a safe and reliable way to fight the virus. The declaration marks a significant step toward clearing up doubts about the vaccine, after little late-phase clinical trial data was disclosed by the Chinese government and the company.
The W.H.O. emergency use approval allows the Sinopharm vaccine to be included in Covax, a global initiative to provide free vaccines to poor countries. The possible inclusion in Covax raises hopes that more people especially those in developing nations will get access to shots at a crucial moment.
Gaming features – like those used to drive airline loyalty and track daily steps helped young men living with HIV achieve viral suppression and doubled their chances for reaching near perfect adherence to medication plans, according to a study in AIDS and Behavior.
Gamification can inspire changes in behavior when a doctor’s advice or a patient’s good intentions are not enough. In this case, motivating those living with HIV to stick to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) that can keep them healthy by suppressing the HIV virus.
“The app delivered daily health messages in a digestible form that was more fun than sitting in a class and more consistent than a clinic visit scheduled every three to six months,” said lead study author Hightow-Weidman, professor of medicine and health behavior and mHealth researcher who directs the UNC Behavior and Technology Lab in the UNC School of Medicine.
Researchers improve HIV care using mobile gaming application
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University improved HIV care by gamifying it with a mobile gaming application.
Gaming features - like those used to drive airline loyalty and track daily steps - helped young men living with HIV achieve viral suppression and doubled their chances for reaching near perfect adherence to medication plans, according to a study in
AIDS and Behavior.
Gamification can inspire changes in behavior when a doctor s advice or a patient s good intentions are not enough. In this case, motivating those living with HIV to stick to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) that can keep them healthy by suppressing the HIV virus.