By Dr. Seleem R. Choudhury
There can be no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing, serious, and unpredictable. But based on current data and past patterns, we can forecast what Spring 2022 might bring and how to best respond.
COVID Wars: Attack of the variants
By Dr. Seleem R. Choudhury
As an increasing portion of the global population continues to receive the COVID vaccine, public health experts, government officials, and healthcare professionals continue to monitor variants emerging around the world. With recent spikes of infections in India that have brought devastating death tolls and an overwhelmed healthcare system, it is clear that reaching the “end” of COVID and moving forward into a sense of normalcy will not be a straightforward process.
A global pandemic calls for global response: The importance of equitable global vaccine distribution
By Dr. Seleem R. Choudhury
According to the United Nations, 75% of all COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered among just 10 countries, while 130 countries have not received even a single dose of the vaccine, as of mid-February 2021 (Al Jazeera, 2021). Global health and political leaders have condemned this unbalanced distribution of vaccines and are taking action to ensure vaccine equity. Dr. Tebros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said in a recent address, “The world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure—and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries” (United Nations, 2021).
Monitoring the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines
By Dr. Seleem R. Choudhury
Next to clean water, no single intervention has had such a dramatic effect on decreasing mortality as has the widespread introduction of vaccines (Howson, Howe, & Fineberg, 1991). The World Health Organization (WHO) describes immunization as a “key component of primary health care and an indisputable human right,” as well as “one of the best health investments money can buy” (World Health Organization, 2020). Vaccines play a critical role in the prevention and management of the outbreak of infectious diseases. The rapid spread of COVID-19 during the months-long wait for a vaccine have highlighted their importance to public health.