<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="501" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5ZK7SN4K6RLSRNFVYCI7BAVQBU-820x501.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-415705" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5ZK7SN4K6RLSRNFVYCI7BAVQBU-820x501.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5ZK7SN4K6RLSRNFVYCI7BAVQBU-300x183.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5ZK7SN4K6RLSRNFVYCI7BAVQBU-147x90.jpg 147w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5ZK7SN4K6RLSRNFVYCI7BAVQBU-768x469.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5ZK7SN4K6RLSRNFVYCI7BAVQBU-1536x938.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5ZK7SN4K6RLSRNFVYCI7BAVQBU-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: A vial and sryinge are seen in front of a displayed Moderna logo in this illustration taken January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic</figcaption></figure>



March 7 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Moderna Inc&nbsp;MRNA.O&nbsp;said on Monday it plans to develop and begin testing vaccines targeting 15 of the world&#8217;s most worrisome pathogens by 2025 and will permanently wave its COVID-19 vaccine patents for shots intended for certain low- and middle-income countries.



The U.S. biotechnology company also said it will make its messenger RNA (mRNA) technology available to researchers working on new vaccines for emerging and neglected diseases through a program called mRNA Access.



Moderna announced its strategy ahead of the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit sponsored by the UK government and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), an international coalition set up five years ago to prepare for future disease threats.



Moderna is already collaborating with partners on vaccines against some of the 15 pathogens, which include Chikungunya, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Dengue, Ebola, Malaria, Marburg, Lassa fever, MERS and COVID-19.



Those collaborations include a Nipah virus vaccine with the U.S. National Institutes of Health and an HIV vaccine with the Gates Foundation and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Moderna President Stephen Hoge said in an interview.



The company will either seek out new partners for the others or develop them internally, he said.



Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel told a virtual press briefing on Monday that the 15 viruses are known threats that have not been addressed by many large drugmakers. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed six million people worldwide and sickened millions more, has made clear that needs to change, Bancel said.



&#8220;Too many lives were lost in the last few years,” he said.



Early in the COVID pandemic, Moderna pledged not to enforce its vaccine patents during the emergency phase of the health crisis.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-moderna-patent-application-raises-fears-for-africa-covid-vaccine-hub">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/moderna-patent-application-raises-fears-for-africa-covid-vaccine-hub/">Moderna patent application raises fears for Africa COVID vaccine hub</a></h3>



That has allowed for development of a vaccine manufacturing plant in Africa backed by the World Health Organization as part of a pilot project to give poor and middle-income countries the know-how to make COVID-19 vaccines.



Moderna said it will make that pledge permanent for the 92 low- and middle income countries that qualify for assistance under the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) led by the GAVI vaccine alliance.



A company spokesperson said Moderna will not enforce patents for COVID-19 vaccines developed in South Africa by WHO-backed Afrigen Biologics for AMC-92 low- and middle-income countries.



Although it will not enforce its patents in these countries, Hoge said Moderna does not intend to share its vaccine technology with the WHO-backed technology transfer hub in South Africa, in spite of lobbying efforts by the organization.<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2QB264&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



Earlier on Monday, the company said it will set up a manufacturing facility in Kenya, its first in Africa, to produce mRNA vaccines, including against COVID-19.<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL2N2VA1IU&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



As part of its future pandemic plan, Moderna intends to make its technology available to academic research labs to test their own theories for vaccines to address emerging and neglected diseases. Hoge said some of these may eventually result in partnerships with Moderna to address the 15 priority pathogens.



&#8220;What we want to make sure happens is that scientists who have great ideas for how they could make vaccines will be able to access our standards and technology, almost as if they worked at Moderna,&#8221; Hoge said.



Initially, the program will start with a few academic labs, but Hoge expects it to expand rapidly. He sees the program as a way to expand discovery of vaccines using mRNA technology.



&#8220;We want to make sure that we allow others to explore the space that frankly, we can&#8217;t get to,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s really what this is about.&#8221;



(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Michael Erman in New Jersey; additional reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

FILE PHOTO: Vial and sryinge are seen in front of displayed Moderna logo

Moderna plots vaccines against 15 pathogens with future pandemic potential

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BEJTEYXIQ5NIXC72AJEFYW577U-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-415432" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BEJTEYXIQ5NIXC72AJEFYW577U-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BEJTEYXIQ5NIXC72AJEFYW577U-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BEJTEYXIQ5NIXC72AJEFYW577U-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BEJTEYXIQ5NIXC72AJEFYW577U-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BEJTEYXIQ5NIXC72AJEFYW577U.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>People stand in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, at the Narok County Referral Hospital, in Narok, Kenya, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Baz Ratner</figcaption></figure>



BRUSSELS/LONDON, Feb 23 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;The global project to share COVID-19 vaccines is struggling to place more than 300 million doses in the latest sign the problem with vaccinating the world is now more about demand than supply.



Last year, wealthy nations snapped most of the available shots to inoculate their own citizens first, meaning less than a third of people in low-income countries have been vaccinated so far compared with more than 70% in richer nations.



As supply and donations have ramped up, however, poorer nations are facing hurdles such as gaps in cold-chain shortage, vaccine hesitancy and a lack of money to support distribution networks, public health officials told Reuters.



In January, COVAX, the global vaccine programme run by Gavi and the World Health Organization (WHO), had 436 million vaccines to allocate to countries, according to a document published in mid-February.



But low-income nations only asked for 100 million doses for distribution by the end of May &#8211; the first time in 14 allocation rounds that supply has outstripped demand, the document from the COVAX Independent Allocation of Vaccines Group said.



Asked to comment, a Gavi spokesperson said COVAX was now in a situation where there was enough current supply to meet demand, but acknowledged that the roll-out of vaccines was an issue in several less developed nations.



&#8220;We will only close the vaccine equity gap once and for all if we are able to help countries roll out vaccines rapidly and at scale,&#8221; the spokesperson said.



Vaccines that are not assigned by COVAX in this round can be allocated again later.



While wealthy countries are opening up their economies, the WHO and other public health experts warn that the slow roll-out of vaccines in poorer regions will give the coronavirus a chance to mutate again and potentially create new variants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fridges-and-freezers">FRIDGES AND FREEZERS</h2>



The low demand for vaccines in the January allocation is partly explained by recent increases in supplies. COVAX has already assigned tens of millions of doses to be delivered in the first quarter and delivered its billionth dose in January.



Officials involved in vaccine distribution said that meant countries were reluctant to take on more doses that they would not be able to use.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N2SO0DZ&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2PX4HH&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



A summit to address distribution challenges is taking place on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria, convened by the African Union&#8217;s Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance with WHO, Gavi and others rolling out shots across Africa attending.



There had been hopes that African countries would be able to administer billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines given their experience in dealing with deadly diseases from Ebola to malaria.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N2II2PB&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



But two years into the crisis, a survey seen by Reuters by the United Nations Children&#8217;s Fund (UNICEF) in January on the equipment needed to ramp up vaccine distribution highlighted some of the challenges.



It found &#8220;critical gaps&#8221; across 44 of the African Union&#8217;s 55 member states: 24 countries said they needed fridges, 18 were in need of deep freezers, 22 required walk-in freezers and 16 did not have sufficient walk-in cold rooms.



A UNICEF spokesperson said more than 800 ultra-cold chain freezers had already been delivered to nearly 70 countries, as well as 52,000 fridges.



&#8220;We are continuing to help countries identify and close cold chain capacity gaps as supply increases and governments adjust national-level vaccination targets in response,&#8221; she said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DISINFORMATION AND FUNDING</h2>



The problem is particularly acute for COVAX because the Pfizer-BioNTech&nbsp;PFE.N,&nbsp;BNTX.O&nbsp;shot that needs to be kept super-cold has replaced AstraZeneca&#8217;s&nbsp;AZN.L&nbsp;vaccine as the main one being offered by the global programme.



Some African countries, such as Burundi and Guinea, have gaps at every point in the cold chain, from national level to local distribution centres, the UNICEF survey showed.



The findings are likely to underscore growing concerns that COVAX did not invest quickly enough in infrastructure and equipment for countries it was delivering vaccines to.



The issue is exacerbated by a lack of funding and because countries have not had enough notice of deliveries &#8211; particularly donations &#8211; making it harder for them to plan vaccination campaigns, public health officials have said.



Officials involved in the distribution of vaccines in Africa also said more focus needed to be placed on communicating the importance of getting vaccinated &#8211; and addressing disinformation.



&#8220;Communication is one of the biggest issues &#8230; if we don&#8217;t get the messaging right, everything else we are doing is futile,&#8221; one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Money has also started to dry up for global initiatives as richer nations seek to move on from COVID.



Gavi says it has only raised $195 million out of the $5.2 billion it has asked for this quarter. The money is used to procure and ship vaccines, as well as provide syringes and delivery support in countries.



(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby and Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Josephine Mason and David Clarke)

BEJTEYXIQ5NIXC72AJEFYW577U

COVAX vaccine supply outstrips demand for the first time

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="619" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/5RJ4MICTXZOIXCRIPYRS2ZKQDI-820x619.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-415324" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/5RJ4MICTXZOIXCRIPYRS2ZKQDI-820x619.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/5RJ4MICTXZOIXCRIPYRS2ZKQDI-300x227.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/5RJ4MICTXZOIXCRIPYRS2ZKQDI-119x90.jpg 119w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/5RJ4MICTXZOIXCRIPYRS2ZKQDI-768x580.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/5RJ4MICTXZOIXCRIPYRS2ZKQDI.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Sierra Leone&#8217;s President Julius Maada Bio speaks during an interview with Reuters in Brussels, Belgium, February 17, 2022. REUTERS/Phil Blenkinsop </figcaption></figure>



BRUSSELS, Feb 17 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Sierra Leone&#8217;s leader challenged Europeans on Thursday to remember there are &#8220;human beings on the other side&#8221; in Africa who have been left behind in the unequal global response to COVID-19.



By the start of February, only 11% of Africans were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus &#8211; far fewer than in richer parts of the world where vast and expensive inoculation campaigns have reached most of their populations.



&#8220;We feel left out,&#8221; President Julius Maada Bio told Reuters while attending the European Union-African Union summit.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="read-more-twitter-sees-record-number-of-govt-demands-to-remove-content-japan-and-russia-lead-pack">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/twitter-sees-record-number-of-govt-demands-to-remove-content-japan-and-russia-lead-pack/">Twitter sees record number of govt demands to remove content, Japan and Russia lead pack</a></h3>



&#8220;So at a meeting like this we really want to ask these critical questions. Are we equal partners in this? Do we consider there are human beings on the other side?&#8221;



Many developing countries have called for intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines and treatments to be waived, but face opposition from rich nations, including many in the EU.



Bio said the pandemic was making it harder for already debt-laden African governments to provide for their people&#8217;s social needs and was also undermining security.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-security-implications">&#8216;SECURITY IMPLICATIONS&#8217;</h2>



&#8220;It undermines African governments, it makes us look as if we don&#8217;t care for our people and this has security implications,&#8221; he said.



Sierra Leone&#8217;s West and Central African neighbours have seen a series of military coups in recent times.



Bio said there was no uniform cause for that, but he hoped the two-day gathering would address climate change, human rights and migration, as well as the dominant topic of the pandemic.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="read-more-omicron-poses-very-high-global-risk-world-must-prepare-who">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/omicron-poses-very-high-global-risk-world-must-prepare-who/">Omicron poses “very high” global risk, world must prepare -WHO</a></h3>



Bio spoke after France and military allies announced they would leave Mali after almost a decade based there fighting Islamist insurgents.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N2US2QG&amp;linkedFromStory=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Read full story</a>



The Sierra Leone president said Mali should not be left as a haven for jihadists and launch-pad for attacks around the world.



The task was beyond the powers of countries in the region, he added. &#8220;We shouldn&#8217;t leave the security situation in the Sahara Desert in the hands of those few states. There should be a global effort, like was done in Afghanistan &#8230; in Syria.&#8221;



(Reporting by Philip BlenkinsopEditing by John Chalmers and Andrew Cawthorne)

5RJ4MICTXZOIXCRIPYRS2ZKQDI

African leader asks Europe of COVID response: ‘Are we equal?

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/106868516-1618439730880-mod.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-412157" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/106868516-1618439730880-mod.jpg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/106868516-1618439730880-mod-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/106868516-1618439730880-mod-160x90.jpg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>A healthcare worker fills a syringe with Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the Giorgio Companies site in Blandon, PA where the CATE Mobile Vaccination Unit was onsite to administer Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines to workers Wednesday morning April 14, 2021.
Ben Hasty | MediaNews Group | Reading Eagle via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



CAPE TOWN/CHICAGO, Feb 17 (Reuters) &#8211; Moderna Inc has applied for patents in South Africa relating to its COVID-19 vaccine, prompting fears the company could eventually seek to prevent a new African vaccine manufacturing hub from making its own version of the mRNA shot.



Moderna spokesperson Colleen Hussey confirmed it had filed for patents &#8220;related to both the COVID-19 vaccine and Moderna&#8217;s platform technology&#8221; in South Africa and elsewhere, after a group of 60 Africa-based charities raised concerns about them, but said the move would not block vaccine distribution in Africa.



She reiterated Moderna&#8217;s October 2020 pledge not to enforce its COVID-19 related patents during the coronavirus pandemic.



But South Africa&#8217;s Afrigen Biologics, which used the publicly available sequence of Moderna&#8217;s vaccine to make its own version of the vaccine, said it had received no communication from the company about the patent filings.



It plans to start making and distributing across Africa in November.



Responding to a query if the company would enforce patents in Africa at the end of the pandemic, Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel told Reuters, &#8220;We have not decided yet for low- and middle-income countries.&#8221;



The charities fear it will enforce them when COVID-19 is declared endemic, Tian Johnson, founder of the African Alliance, said in a joint statement.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-african-union-to-buy-up-to-110-million-moderna-covid-19-vaccines-officials">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/african-union-to-buy-up-to-110-million-moderna-covid-19-vaccines-officials/">African Union to buy up to 110 million Moderna COVID-19 vaccines -officials</a></h3>



This &#8220;would effectively derail all work the World Health Organization and African scientists have put into building vaccine manufacturing capacity on the continent,&#8221; he added.



The Africa vaccine hub has WHO backing, as part of a pilot project to give poor and middle-income countries the know-how to make COVID-19 vaccines.



&#8220;Moderna is committed to &#8230; equitable access to vaccines and can confirm that its intellectual property will not create a barrier to COVID vaccine distribution in AMC-92 countries by Afrigen Biologics either now or in the future,&#8221; Hussey said.



But Afrigen Chief Executive Petro Terblanche told Reuters in a text message, &#8220;We have had no communication from Moderna &#8230; We (would) &#8230; truly value their collaboration.&#8221;



&#8220;There are patents filed in South Africa and other low-and-middle income countries by Moderna that, unless those are revoked, or voluntary licenses are awarded or Moderna will waive it, it will impact on our freedom to operate,&#8221; she added.



On Wednesday, BioNTech&#8217;s co-founder and top executive told Reuters the vaccine maker had no plans to enforce its intellectual property rights should groups in Africa seek to make unauthorised versions of its shot.



For much of the pandemic, wealthy countries monopolised most of the global supplies of vaccines, leaving Africa massively under-vaccinated, with just one in ten Africans immunised.



Poor domestic manufacturing capacity forces Africa to import 99% of its vaccine needs. 



(Additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio in Brussels; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

106868516-1618439730880-mod

Moderna patent application raises fears for Africa COVID vaccine hub

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106984847-16387957942021-12-05t225115z_715541588_rc2g8r9ppg6q_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-usa-children.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-415237" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106984847-16387957942021-12-05t225115z_715541588_rc2g8r9ppg6q_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-usa-children.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106984847-16387957942021-12-05t225115z_715541588_rc2g8r9ppg6q_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-usa-children-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106984847-16387957942021-12-05t225115z_715541588_rc2g8r9ppg6q_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-usa-children-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>A vaccinator draws a Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pediatric vaccine in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S., December 5, 2021. Hannah Beier | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



Parents of children under 5 will have to wait until at least April to get their kids vaccinated against Covid-19, after the Food and Drug Administration and Pfizer this week abruptly delayed plans to get the shots authorized on a fast-track basis.



The FDA had originally planned to authorize the first two doses of what will ultimately be a three-dose vaccine as soon as this month. However, Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA’s vaccine division, said updated data submitted by Pfizer and BioNTech did not support the plan to get the first two doses out early. Marks acknowledged that the decision was abrupt, but said the FDA was following the science.



“The data that we saw made us realize that we needed to see data from a third dose in the ongoing trial in order to make a determination that we could proceed with doing an authorization,” Marks told reporters during a call Friday, without providing specifics on the data.&nbsp;



Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said the drug regulator had sought to act swiftly&nbsp; to protect children against omicron as Covid hospitalizations among the youngest rose to record levels in recent weeks. However, the FDA’s safety and efficacy standards required the agency to wait for more information on the third dose, Woodcock said.&nbsp;



“The goal was to understand if two doses would provide sufficient protection to move forward with authorizing the use of the vaccine in this age group,” Woodcock said in a statement. “Our approach has always been to conduct a regulatory review that’s responsive to the urgent public health needs created by the pandemic, while adhering to our rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness,” she said.



“Being able to begin evaluating initial data has been useful in our review of these vaccines, but at this time, we believe additional information regarding the ongoing evaluation of a third dose should be considered,” Woodcock said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-pfizer-vaccine-for-children-under-5-may-be-available-in-u-s-by-end-feb-report">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/pfizer-vaccine-for-children-under-5-may-be-available-in-u-s-by-end-feb-report/">Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 may be available in U.S. by end-Feb – report</a></h3>



Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee, said the fast-track plan was based on the assumption that the third dose was safe and effective, but there’s no guarantee that will be the case once the final data is submitted.



“Imagine us approving it after two doses and then finding out later that the third dose was unsafe and then having to pull back,” said Offit, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “I’m glad that we’re going to wait until we have all of the data to make that decision.”



The FDA had come under pressure in recent weeks from some parents and physicians to quickly expand eligibility to protect toddlers through 4-year-olds as the omicron variant swept the country. Children under 5-years-old are the only age group left in the U.S. that is not eligible for vaccination.&nbsp;



Nearly 5,200 children were hospitalized with Covid on Jan. 18, according to a seven-day average of data from the Department of Health and Human Services, twice as many as the prior peak during the fall of 2021. That figure has since fallen to about 3,000 as of Friday, HHS data shows.&nbsp;



The American Academy of Pediatrics, in a statement Friday, said although the news was frustrating to many parents, it’s important to have a rigorous review process to ensure a safe and effective vaccine.



“A careful, robust and transparent process to evaluate the evidence for the vaccine in this age group is essential in order for parents to have confidence in offering the vaccine to their children,” the AAP said.



The problem is that two doses of Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine did not produce an adequate immune response in children aged 2 through 4 during clinical trials. The companies are evaluating a lower, 3-microgram dose level in kids under 5, compared to older children and adults who get 30-microgram shots.



Pfizer and BioNTech amended their clinical trial in December to study a third dose to determine whether that would produce the immune response needed to protect against Covid. The companies had said all along that data would not be ready until April.



However, the rapid rise of omicron over the holidays and through January created what Pfizer called an “urgent public health need” to get kids in this age group vaccinated.&nbsp;Marks said the FDA’s sudden decision to delay authorization should not impact parents’ confidence in the vaccine. He said the shift shows that the FDA takes its responsibility seriously and makes decisions based on the data as it emerges.



“I hope this reassures people that the process has a standard, that the process is one that we follow,” Marks said. “And we follow the science in making sure that anything that we authorize has the safety and efficacy that people have come to expect from our regulatory review of medical products.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="read-more-fda-authorizes-pfizer-s-covid-booster-shots-for-people-65-and-older-and-other-vulnerable-americans">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/fda-authorizes-pfizers-covid-booster-shots-for-people-65-and-older-and-other-vulnerable-americans/">FDA authorizes Pfizer’s Covid booster shots for people 65 and older and other vulnerable Americans</a></h3>



Wayne Koff, CEO of the Human Vaccines Project and a professor of epidemiology at Harvard, said there’s good reason to expect the third dose will improve the effectiveness of the vaccine in children under 5-years-old. Booster doses have proven effective at preventing severe illness in other age groups, Koff said, and the vaccine should really be considered a three-dose regimen in general across age groups at this point.



Offit said the Covid shot will likely become a routine childhood vaccine in the future, like immunization against polio. The U.S. eliminated polio in the 1970s, but it still vaccinates kids because the virus continues to circulate in some corners of the world. Public health experts largely agree that the eradication of Covid is unlikely at this point.



“The fact remains, we’re going to need to have a highly protected population for years and decades. I suspect this will become a routine childhood vaccination,” Offit said.



Though some parents may feel that it has taken too long to expand access to the vaccine, Koff said the FDA has accelerated the process as much as possible by progressively lowering the eligibility age while adhering to safety and efficacy standards.



“In the beginning you have to show the vaccine is safe and effective in the adult population,” Koff said. “Once you have shown that, then you’re able to go down in terms of the age of the adolescents and then eventually the younger kids and then eventually the infants.”



Offit said children under the age of 18 get infected less frequently and less severely, which is why vaccination has focused on the older populations first. As parents wait for the vaccine, they should build a “moat” around their kids who aren’t eligible by making sure everyone who is in contact with them has gotten their shots, he said.&nbsp;



While about 75% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna shots or one dose of the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine as of Thursday, that figure is lower for kids. Roughly 57% of those aged 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, and 24% of those 5 to 11.



&#8212; CNBC’s Nate Rattner contributed to this report.

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FDA plan to fast-track Pfizer vaccine for kids under 5 fails to deliver, leaving parents waiting until April

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="558" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-820x558.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-415199" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-820x558.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-300x204.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-132x90.jpg 132w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A medical staff member demonstrates how to activate a respirator as the hospital prepares for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Karen hospital near Nairobi, Kenya, April 6, 2020. REUTERS/Baz Ratner</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Feb 10 (Reuters) &#8211; Africa&#8217;s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has improved over time but the continent needs to accelerate the pace of vaccination to control the pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization&#8217;s Africa division said on Thursday.



&#8220;We are finally able to say that if the current trends hold, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As long as we remain vigilant and we act intensively particularly on vaccination, the continent is on track for controlling the pandemic,&#8221; said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.



She said the response had become more effective with each new wave of the virus, noting that the first wave had lasted 29 weeks while the fourth was over in six weeks.



However, Moeti said 85% of Africans had yet to receive a single dose of vaccine, and uptake needed to be significantly accelerated.



&#8220;A steady supply of doses is now reaching our shores, so the focus needs to be on translating those into actual shots in people&#8217;s arms,&#8221; she said.



This is a developing story&#8230;



(Reporting by Alexander Winning and James Macharia Chege; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Catherine Evans)

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Africa’s COVID response improving, vaccinations lag, says WHO

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-415195" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Aminata Laye Diagne, a nurse gives a dose of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine to a woman at Philippe Senghor Hospital in Dakar, amid a surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Senegal July 28, 2021. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra</figcaption></figure>



LYON/DAKAR, Feb 9 (Reuters) &#8211; Top European Union officials said on Wednesday low absorption of COVID-19 vaccines in African countries had become the main problem in the global vaccine rollout following a recent increase in supplies of jabs.



African nations have begun their vaccine campaigns much later than wealthier states which secured the initially limited doses starting in late 2020.



But in recent months supplies have increased exponentially, and many states have trouble absorbing them, with some, such as Congo and Burundi, having used less than 20% of available doses, according to figures from Gavi, a nonprofit global vaccine alliance.



&#8220;The problem seems no longer to be the level of donations,&#8221; France&#8217;s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told a news conference in Lyon.



&#8220;The problem is absorption,&#8221; he added at the end of a meeting of EU health and foreign ministers, which he chaired as France holds the rotating presidency of the EU.



EU diplomats said that vaccines&#8217; short shelf life, limited storage facilities, poor healthcare infrastructure and vaccine hesitancy were among the main reasons that hampered vaccination in Africa.



Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would increase spending to boost vaccinations in African states that were lagging behind.



&#8220;We have to make efforts to accelerate vaccinations, especially in African countries where vaccination rates are the lowest,&#8221; she said at a conference in Dakar, Senegal.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-covid-shots-are-finally-arriving-but-africa-can-t-get-them-all-into-arms">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/covid-shots-are-finally-arriving-but-africa-cant-get-them-all-into-arms/">COVID shots are finally arriving, but Africa can’t get them all into arms</a></h3>



She added the EU would spend 125 million euros ($143 million) to help countries train medical staff and administer doses, in addition to 300 million euros already committed for this purpose by the EU and its states.



An EU official said the EU wanted to shift its message to Africa &#8220;from vaccines to vaccination.&#8221;



However, von der Leyen said the EU would keep sending doses to Africa, with the aim of delivering 450 million vaccines by the summer, three times higher than the volume already shared.



Vaccine absorption will be a key issue at a summit of EU and African Union leaders next week in Brussels, Le Drian said.



Gavi, which co-runs the world&#8217;s largest COVID-19 vaccine-sharing programme COVAX, said the usage rate of COVID-19 shots in the 91 poorest nations it supports was 67%.



But some African countries were lagging much behind. Zambia, Chad, Madagascar, Djibouti, Somalia, Burkina Faso and Uganda had used only about one-third of doses that they received, Gavi said, citing data updated to late January.



Only about 10% of Africans have been immunised against COVID-19 so far. 



($1 = 0.8741 euros) 



(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio and Edward McAllister; Editing by Richard Chang)

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EU pushes for COVID vaccinations in Africa as supply ‘no longer’ a problem

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-415181" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-1.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-1-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>RT: Maria Van Kerkhove, Head a.i. Emerging Diseases and Zoonosis at the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference on the situation of the coronavirus at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, January 29, 2020. Denis Balibouse | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



The World Health Organization expects a more transmissible version of omicron to increase in circulation around the world, though it’s not yet clear if the subvariant can reinfect people who caught an earlier version of the omicron strain.



Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said Tuesday the global health agency is tracking four different versions of omicron. Van Kerkhove said the BA.2 subvariant, which is more contagious than the currently dominant BA.1 version, will likely become more common.



“BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 so we expect to see BA.2 increasing in detection around the world,” Van Kerkhove said during a question and answer session livestreamed on WHO’s social media platforms Tuesday.



The WHO is monitoring BA.2 to see if the subvariant causes an increase of new infections in countries that saw a rapid increase and then a sharp decline in omicron cases, Van Kerkhove said.



Van Kerkhove emphasized that there’s no indication of a difference in the severity of infections caused by either subvariant, though she noted that research is ongoing. Omicron generally doesn’t make people as sick as the alpha and delta variants, though it does spread faster.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-who-says-the-new-omicron-subvariant-doesn-t-appear-to-be-more-severe-than-the-original">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/who-says-the-new-omicron-subvariant-doesnt-appear-to-be-more-severe-than-the-original/">WHO says the new omicron subvariant doesn’t appear to be more severe than the original</a></h3>



Researchers in Denmark have found found that BA.2 is about 1.5 times more transmissible than BA.1 and it is more adept at infecting people who are vaccinated and even boosted. However, people who are fully vaccinated are less likely to spread it than the unvaccinated.



Van Kerkhove said the shots remain highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, though they don’t prevent all infections. She called on people to get vaccinated and wear masks indoors.



Dr. Abdi Mahamud, the WHO’s Covid incident manager, said it’s unclear whether BA.2 can reinfect people who previously had BA.1.



That could have a significant impact on how much the virus is able to spread. A study in the U.K. found that two-thirds of people who caught omicron said they had Covid before.



Most states in the U.S. have confirmed the presence of BA.2, though it’s circulating at a low level with 460 total cases confirmed so far, according to an international data base that tracks Covid variants.

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WHO says new omicron BA.2 subvariant will rise globally, but scientists don’t know if it can reinfect people

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913614-16267935192020-07-03t000000z_902531869_rc2slh9z384g_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-tedros.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-415007" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913614-16267935192020-07-03t000000z_902531869_rc2slh9z384g_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-tedros.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913614-16267935192020-07-03t000000z_902531869_rc2slh9z384g_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-tedros-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913614-16267935192020-07-03t000000z_902531869_rc2slh9z384g_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-tedros-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>WHO Technical lead head COVID-19 Maria Van Kerkhove attends a news conference organized by Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland July 3, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



The World Health Organization on Tuesday said there’s no indication omicron’s new sister variant, BA.2, causes more serious infections than the original version, though initial data shows it’s more transmissible.



The WHO and other researchers around the world have found that omicron generally doesn’t make people as sick as the delta variant, though it does spread faster than previous strains of the virus and can evade some of the immune protection provided by vaccines.



Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, indicated on Tuesday that those findings likely hold true for the omicron sister variant, labeled BA.2 by scientists. Van Kerkhove said information is limited, but initial data indicates that BA.2 is “slightly” more transmissible than the original omicron variant, what scientists formally refer to as BA.1, which is currently the dominant version worldwide.



However, there’s no indication that BA.2 is any different from the original omicron in terms of severity, Van Kerkhove said, and the vaccines remain effective at preventing severe disease and death from omicron and all of its subvariants. The WHO is working with scientists around the world to track BA.2 infections and will share more information as it becomes available, she said.



“We need people to be aware that this virus is continuing to circulate and it’s continuing to evolve,” Van Kerkhove said during a Covid update Tuesday in Geneva. “That’s why it’s really important that we take measures to reduce our exposure to this virus, whatever variant is circulating.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-who-says-omicron-won-t-be-last-covid-variant-as-global-cases-surge-by-20-in-a-week">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/who-says-omicron-wont-be-last-covid-variant-as-global-cases-surge-by-20-in-a-week/">WHO says omicron won’t be last Covid variant as global cases surge by 20% in a week</a></h3>



BA.2 has become the dominant version of omicron in Denmark, outpacing the original version, BA.1. Danish scientists, in a study published this week, found that BA.2 is substantially more transmissible and is more adept at infecting people who are vaccinated or boosted.



However, vaccinated and boosted people are actually less likely to spread BA.2 once infected compared with people who have the BA.1 strain. The unvaccinated, on the other hand, transmit BA.2 more efficiently than the original omicron, likely due to a higher viral load, according to the study.



The Danish scientists said BA.2, like the original omicron, appears to be associated with milder infections than the more severe delta variant. “The combination of high incidence of a relative innocuous subvariant has raised optimism,” they wrote.



The WHO has repeatedly warned that new Covid variants will likely emerge as omicron spreads rapidly around the world. Van Kerkhove said last week the next variant will be more transmissible, but it’s an open question on whether it will be more severe.



The WHO labeled omicron, including its sublineages, a variant of concern in November. The BA.2 subvariant has not been separately categorized as such because it falls under omicron, the organization said.



“BA.2 is one of the sublineages of omicron, so BA.2 is omicron, and it is a variant of concern,” Van Kerkhove said Tuesday. “It’s in the family of the variants of concern around omicron.”

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WHO says the new omicron subvariant doesn’t appear to be more severe than the original

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414985" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant in Portage, Michigan, U.S., December 13, 2020. Morry Gash/Pool via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



Jan 31 (Reuters) &#8211; Pfizer Inc and Germany&#8217;s BioNTech SE are expected to submit an emergency use authorization request as early as Tuesday to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for vaccines for children aged six months to 5 years, <a href="https://wapo.st/3rfjDrC">the Washington Post reported</a> on Monday.



Coronavirus vaccines for children younger than 5 could be available as soon as end-February under a plan that would lead to the potential authorization of a two-shot regimen in the coming weeks, the Post reported, citing people briefed on the situation.



The report says that the FDA urged the companies to submit the application so that regulators could begin reviewing the two-shot data.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-pfizer-and-biontech-launch-clinical-trial-of-covid-vaccine-targeting-omicron">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/pfizer-and-biontech-launch-clinical-trial-of-covid-vaccine-targeting-omicron/">Pfizer and BioNTech launch clinical trial of Covid vaccine targeting omicron</a></h3>



&#8220;The idea is, let&#8217;s go ahead and start the review of two doses,&#8221; the report quoted one of the people familiar with the situation as saying. &#8220;If the data holds up in the submission, you could start kids on their primary baseline months earlier than if you don&#8217;t do anything until the third-dose data comes in.&#8221;



Pfizer, BioNTech and the FDA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.



Pfizer said in January it expected the latest results from a clinical trial for kids under the age of 5 by April, after it amended its study to give a third dose to everybody who&#8217;s less than five at least eight weeks after their last vaccination.



The company amended the study because children between the ages of 2 and 4 who were given two 3-microgram doses of the vaccine did not have the same immune response that a larger dose of the vaccine generated in older children. 



(Reporting by Juby Babu and Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin and Shailesh Kuber)

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Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 may be available in U.S. by end-Feb – report

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106970012-1635949231058-gettyimages-1236307241-AFP_9QW6QY.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414833" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106970012-1635949231058-gettyimages-1236307241-AFP_9QW6QY.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106970012-1635949231058-gettyimages-1236307241-AFP_9QW6QY-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106970012-1635949231058-gettyimages-1236307241-AFP_9QW6QY-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>A ten year old child receives the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for 5-11 year old kids at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on November 2, 2021. Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday launched a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine that targets the Covid omicron variant, as concerns grow that the current shots aren’t holding up against infections and mild illness caused by the strain discovered just over two months ago.



Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC earlier this month that the company will have a vaccine that targets omicron ready by March. The vaccine will also target the other Covid variants that are circulating, Bourla said.



BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said there’s growing data indicating that the efficacy of the current vaccine against infection and mild-to-moderate disease from omicron is waning more rapidly compared with prior strains of the virus. The goal is to develop a vaccine that provides durable protection against omicron, Sahin said in a statement Tuesday.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a study published last week that a booster dose of Pfizer’s vaccine was 90% effective at preventing hospitalization from omicron 14 days after the third shot was administered.



Booster doses are also up to 75% effective at preventing symptomatic infection from omicron two to four weeks after the third shot, according to data from the U.K. Health Security Agency published earlier this month. However, the study found that boosters weaken substantially after about 10 weeks, providing 45% to 50% protection against symptomatic infection.



“While current research and real-world data show that boosters continue to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization with omicron, we recognize the need to be prepared in the event this protection wanes over time and to potentially help address omicron and new variants in the future,” Kathrin Jansen, head of vaccine development at Pfizer, said in a statement.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-who-says-omicron-won-t-be-last-covid-variant-as-global-cases-surge-by-20-in-a-week">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/who-says-omicron-wont-be-last-covid-variant-as-global-cases-surge-by-20-in-a-week/">WHO says omicron won’t be last Covid variant as global cases surge by 20% in a week</a></h3>



Pfizer and BioNTech’s clinical study will evaluate up to 1,420 participants ages 18 to 55. In addition to evaluating the omicron vaccine, some people will receive a fourth dose of the current vaccine.



Bourla told CNBC earlier this month he doesn’t know if an omicron-specific vaccine is needed right now or how it would be used. However, Pfizer will have the vaccine ready as many countries are asking for it as soon as possible, he said.



“The hope is that we will achieve something that will have way, way better protection — particularly against infections,” Bourla said.



The omicron variant has dozens of mutations, many of them on the spike protein that the virus uses to invade human cells. The current vaccines, developed in 2020 against the original virus strain, target the spike. It becomes more difficult for vaccine-induced antibodies to block the virus as the spike mutates further and further from the original strain detected in Wuhan, China.



Omicron, first detected in Botswana and South Africa in November, has spread faster than earlier variants, causing an unprecedented wave of infection around the world.



World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday there have been more than 80 million Covid cases reported to the WHO since the omicron variant was identified just nine weeks ago — more than were reported in all of 2020.



However, people generally don’t get as sick from omicron compared with the delta variant. But because omicron has mutated so far away from the original strain vaccines were developed to fight, it’s causing more mild breakthrough infections, raising concern that it will result in disruptions to essential services as many people call out sick.

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Pfizer and BioNTech launch clinical trial of Covid vaccine targeting omicron

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414795" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a press conference on December 20, 2021 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



The Covid-19 pandemic is at a “critical juncture” as it enters its third year, the WHO’s top official said on Monday.



Speaking at a press conference during a meeting with Svenja Schulze, Germany’s minister for economic cooperation and development, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Germany — the biggest donor to the WHO — for approaching global public health with “solidarity and multilateralism.”



“These qualities are more important than ever, because the Covid-19 pandemic is now entering its third year and we are at a critical juncture,” Tedros told reporters.



“We have the tools to end the acute phase of this pandemic. But we must use them equitably and wisely.”



Noting Germany’s commitment to international cooperation and tackling the pandemic under its newly adopted G-7 presidency, Tedros praised the country’s efforts as “an example for all” but warned that “we still have a long road ahead.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-booster-shots-effective-against-severe-illness-from-omicron">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/booster-shots-effective-against-severe-illness-from-omicron/">Booster shots effective against severe illness from omicron</a></h3>



Globally, more than 71 million new cases of Covid were recorded over the past four weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. While the U.S. and France recorded the highest number of cases during that period, with 18.3 million and 7.6 million respectively, Yemen and Vanuatu have suffered the highest case fatality rates in the world throughout the crisis, JHU data shows.



In Yemen, where a civil war is raging and less than 2% of the population has been vaccinated, almost one in five people who have contracted Covid-19 died, according to JHU. Meanwhile, in Vanuatu — where cases have remained low throughout the pandemic but just a third of the population is immunized against the virus — the case fatality rate is 14%.



But according to Tedros, vaccinations are not the only thing world leaders need to consider when looking at ways to help lower income countries protect their populations from the effects of the virus.



“Vaccines alone will not end the pandemic,” Tedros said. “Many countries need diagnostics, life-saving therapeutics — including oxygen and support for vaccine rollout.”



Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s virtual Davos Agenda event last week, Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said society had a chance to end the Covid emergency in 2022 if longstanding inequities — such as fair access to vaccines and health care — were addressed.

106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P

Covid pandemic at a ‘critical juncture’ and we still have a long road ahead, WHO’s Tedros says

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414775" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>A person receives a COVID-19 vaccination dose, during a free distribution of COVID-19 rapid test kits for those who received vaccination shots or booster shots, at Union Station on January 7, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



A booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine significantly reduces a person’s odds of hospitalization from the omicron variant, new research released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds.



The three new studies from the agency are among the first to look at the vaccines’ impact against omicron in the United States, which now accounts for more than 99 percent of new cases in the country.



The research underscores the importance of booster shots to protect against severe illness from the rapidly spreading variant, which has overwhelmed hospitals.



“You don’t want to be that one person that has a bad outcome, that requires hospitalization, when there’s no hospital bed for you,” said Syra Madad, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.



The new studies find that a booster shot can provide significant protection against needing emergency medical care or hospitalization because of Covid-19.



In one analysis of 259 hospitals and 383 emergency departments from late August through early January, a third dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine was found to reduce the odds of a hospital or emergency room visit by 94 percent during the delta wave, and by 82 percent once omicron started spreading.



The data included adults who’d received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The study authors were able to tease out the effects of the boosters during both the delta and omicron waves of Covid.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-fauci-says-multiple-preliminary-studies-find-omicron-is-less-severe-than-delta">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/fauci-says-multiple-preliminary-studies-find-omicron-is-less-severe-than-delta/">Fauci says multiple preliminary studies find omicron is less severe than delta</a></h3>



When delta was surging, the two doses of the vaccine were 86 percent effective against visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for Covid illnesses. That effectiveness fell to 76 percent after 6 months, but a booster raised the effectiveness to 94 percent.



Less than half of the U.S. population eligible for a booster dose has received one, according to CDC data.



The new research suggests that a booster dose is even more important now that omicron accounts for virtually all Covid cases in the U.S.: Against omicron, the vaccines’ effectiveness for keeping people out of ERs and urgent care centers fell dramatically, to 38 percent 6 months after the second dose. A booster shot raised that level of effectiveness to 82 percent.



When researchers looked specifically at patients who needed to be admitted to the hospital during the omicron surge, two shots were 81 percent effective. That effectiveness fell to 57 percent in people who were 6 months out from their second dose, but then rose to 90 percent after a third dose.



Two additional studies, also published Friday by the CDC, suggest that boosters offered “significant protection” against both infection and symptomatic Covid, though that protection was higher during the delta surge compared with omicron.



One of the studies, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, found that people who received three doses of an mRNA vaccine were more protected against infection, compared to people with only two doses. This was particularly true for people over age 50, the study found.



Another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that three doses of an mRNA vaccine were more protective against symptomatic Covid, compared with people who were either unvaccinated or who had only received two shots.

106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce

Booster shots effective against severe illness from omicron

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414728" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir and being developed by Merck &amp; Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, is seen in this undated handout photo released by Merck &amp; Co Inc and obtained by Reuters on October 26, 2021. Merck &amp; Co Inc/Handout via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



BRUSSELS, Jan 20 (Reuters) &#8211; Nearly 30 generic drugmakers in Asia, Africa and the Middle East will make cheap versions of Merck &amp; Co&#8217;s COVID-19 pill, under a landmark U.N.-backed deal to give poorer nations wider access to a drug seen as a weapon in fighting the pandemic.



Merck&#8217;s early greenlight to production of its anti-viral pill molnupiravir by other companies during the pandemic is a rare example in the pharmaceutical sector, which usually protects its patented treatments for longer periods.



However, there are questions about molnupiravir which has shown low efficacy in trials and has raised concerns for side-effects, and lengthy procedures for appovals may delay supplies in many poorer nations for months.



Under the deal, negotiated by the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) with Merck, the U.S. company will not receive royalties for the sale of the low-cost version of the pill while the pandemic continues.



The MPP said the deal stipulated the pill would be distributed to 105 less-developed nations.



A molnupiravir course of 40 pills for five days is expected to cost about $20 in poorer nations, an MPP official involved in the talks with drugmakers told Reuters, citing initial estimates from drugmakers, which are subject to change.



That is far below the $700 per course the United States agreed to pay for an initial delivery of 1.7 million courses, but twice as high as first estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO)-backed programme to procure COVID-19 drugs and vaccines for the world.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024/">Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024</a></h3>



The new agreement allows 27 generic drugmakers from India, China and other countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to produce ingredients and the finished drug.



An MPP spokesperson said deliveries from some firms covered by the deal could start as early as February. However, that will be subject to regulatory approval.



While molnupiravir is in use in the United States after approval in December, some other Western countries have cancelled or are reconsidering orders after the drug showed low efficacy in trials.



Molnupiravir has also not been approved by the World Health Organization, which makes its sale at the moment not possible in most developing countries with limited regulatory resources for national authorisations.



The drug can already be sold in India, after it received emergency approval by the national regulator, but it is not currently recommended for use because of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-health-official-says-merck-covid-pill-has-major-safety-concerns-2022-01-05">safety risks</a>. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">NO ROYALTIES, FOR NOW</h3>



The developers of molnupiravir, which alongside Merck are U.S. firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Emory University, will not receive royalties for the sale of the low-cost versions made by generic drugmakers while COVID-19 remains classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO.



Bangladesh&#8217;s Beximco Pharmaceuticals, India&#8217;s Natco Pharma, South Africa&#8217;s Aspen Pharmacare Holdings and China&#8217;s Fosun Pharma are among generics firms that will produce the finished product.



Other companies, including India&#8217;s Dr Reddy&#8217;s Laboratories , had struck earlier deals with Merck for the production of molnupiravir. Dr Reddy&#8217;s will sell molnupiravir at 1,400 rupees ($18.8) per course.



The MPP spokesperson said there was no firm estimate yet of the likely output from generics makers covered by the deal, but that poorer nations&#8217; demand was expected to be largely covered.



The MPP works to increase access to life-saving medicines for poorer countries. It also has an agreement with Pfizer for the sub-licensing of its COVID-19 pill paxlovid to generics drugmakers. 



(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio Editing by David Goodman, Mark Potter and Susan Fenton)

FILE PHOTO: An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir and being developed by Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, is seen in this undated handout photo released by Merck & Co Inc

Dozens of firms to make cheap version of Merck COVID pill for poorer nations

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414685" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Maria Van Kerkhove, Technical Lead of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme attends a news conference on the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Geneva, Switzerland, March 16, 2020. Christopher Black | WHO | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



The World Health Organization on Tuesday said the pandemic will not end as the omicron variant subsides in some countries, warning the high levels of infection around the world will likely lead to new variants as the virus mutates.



“We’re hearing a lot of people suggest that omicron is the last variant, that it’s over after this. And that is not the case because this virus is circulating at a very intense level around the world,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said during a coronavirus update in Geneva.



New infections have increased by 20% globally over the past week with nearly 19 million total reported cases, according to the WHO. But Van Kerkhove noted that new infections that go unreported would make the real number much higher.



Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior WHO official, warned high levels of transmission give the virus more opportunity to replicate and mutate, raising the risk that a new variant will emerge.



“We don’t fully understand the consequences of letting this thing run,” Aylward said. “Most of what we’ve seen so far in areas of uncontrolled transmission has been we paid a price for the variants that emerge and new uncertainties we have to manage as we go forward.”



Van Kerkhove said now is not the time to relax public health measures, such as curtailing mask wearing and physical distancing. She called on governments to strengthen those measures to bring the virus under better control and head off future waves of infection as new variants emerge.



“If we don’t do this now, we will move on to the next crisis,” Van Kerkhove said. “And we need to end the crisis that we are currently in and we can do that at the present time. So don’t abandon the science. Don’t abandon the strategies that are working, that are keeping us and our loved ones safe,” she said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-fauci-says-it-s-still-an-open-question-whether-omicron-spells-covid-endgame">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/fauci-says-its-still-an-open-question-whether-omicron-spells-covid-endgame/">Fauci says it’s still an ‘open question’ whether omicron spells Covid endgame</a></h3>



Van Kerkhove called on governments to invest more in surveillance systems to track the virus as it mutates. “This won’t be the last variant of concern,” she stressed.



In December, a team of South African scientists published a small study that found people infected with omicron may have increased immune protection against the delta variant. A growing body of research has also found that people infected with omicron generally don’t get as sick as people infected with delta. Increased immune protection and less severe illness, taken together, could result in the virus becoming less disruptive to society, the South African scientists wrote.



However, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday said it is too early to predict whether omicron will mark the final wave of the pandemic.



“I would hope that that’s the case, but that would only be the case if we don’t get another variant that eludes the immune response of the prior variant,” Fauci told the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda via video conference.



WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus said new infections are peaking in some countries, providing hope that the worst of the omicron wave is over. However, Tedros said no country is out of the woods yet, warning that health-care systems are still under pressure from the unprecedented wave of infections.



“I urge everyone to do their best to reduce risk of infection so that you can help take pressure off the system,” Tedros said. “Now is not the time to give up and wave the white flag.”



The WHO has repeatedly warned that unequal distribution of vaccines worldwide has led to low immunization rates in developing countries, leaving vast populations vulnerable to the emergence of new variants. The WHO had set a target for every country to vaccinate 40% of its population by the end of 2021. However, 92 countries have not achieved that goal, according to the WHO.



“This pandemic is nowhere near over and with the incredible growth of omicron globally, new variants are likely to emerge, which is why tracking and assessment remain critical,” Tedros said.

106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who

WHO says omicron won’t be last Covid variant as global cases surge by 20% in a week

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414665" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the NIAID, responds to questions from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on January 11, 2022 in Washington, D.C. Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday it is still too soon to predict whether the omicron Covid-19 variant will mark the final wave of the coronavirus pandemic.



“It is an open question whether it will be the live virus vaccination that everyone is hoping for,” Fauci said via videoconference at The Davos Agenda virtual event.



The omicron variant, while highly transmissible, has been found to be less severe than previous variants, sparking hope that it could hasten the end of the pandemic. Yet, Fauci said there is still no guarantee.



“I would hope that that’s the case. But that would only be the case if we don’t get another variant that eludes the immune response of the prior variant,” he said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/fauci-says-multiple-preliminary-studies-find-omicron-is-less-severe-than-delta/">Fauci says multiple preliminary studies find omicron is less severe than delta</a></h3>



Still, even if omicron does emerge as the final variant of Covid-19, it is unlikely that it would mean endgame for the virus entirely, Fauci said. Rather, it will remain present in society at an endemic level.



“Control means you have it present but it is present at a level that does not disrupt society,” Fauci said. “That’s my definition of what endemicity would mean.”



At that stage, public health measures such as mask-wearing would no longer be required, and society could return to some level of pre-Covid normality, he said.



“It’s not going to be that you’ll eliminate this disease completely. But hopefully, it will be at such a low level that it doesn’t disrupt our normal social, economic and other interactions with each other. To me, that’s what the new normal is.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-too-early-to-call-covid-endemic"><a></a>‘Too early’ to call Covid endemic</h2>



Fauci was speaking alongside a panel of public health experts who agreed that omicron will likely become the dominant strain of Covid-19 globally in 2022. However, they were divided on whether it would be the final strain.



“It is indeed too early really to call it endemic. There is a high probability that we will have a new variant,” said Annelies Wilder-Smith, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.



A new variant is likely to be less severe, looking at previous versions, but it remains important to prepare for the worst, she said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024/">Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024</a></h3>



Richard Hatchett, chief executive officer of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations, was more optimistic, however.



“Omicron will sweep the world. It may hopefully sweep out other variants,” he said, adding that the virus will likely reach a point of equilibrium, where it becomes an annual epidemic, much like the seasonal flu.”



— Don’t miss Geoff Cutmore’s discussion with ECB President Christine Lagarde, Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva and India’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati at 7.30 a.m. ET Friday. They’ll be discussing the “Global Economic Outlook” at the Davos Agenda. You can watch live here.

107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31

Fauci says it’s still an ‘open question’ whether omicron spells Covid endgame

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107001325-1642139479062-gettyimages-1355606329-vcg111359315857.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414648" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107001325-1642139479062-gettyimages-1355606329-vcg111359315857.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107001325-1642139479062-gettyimages-1355606329-vcg111359315857-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107001325-1642139479062-gettyimages-1355606329-vcg111359315857-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Volunteers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) arrange food deliveries on Nov. 26, 2021, for a Shanghai residential area that’s under restrictions to halt the spread of Covid-19. Yin Liqin | China News Service | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



BEIJING — China’s economy grew by 8.1% in 2021 as industrial production rose steadily through the end of the year and offset a drop off in retail sales, according to official data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics released Monday.



Fourth-quarter GDP rose by 4% from a year ago, according to the statistics bureau. That’s faster than the 3.6% increase forecast by a Reuters poll. For the full year, China economists expected an average of 8.4% growth in 2021, according to financial data provider Wind Information.



Industrial production rose by 4.3% in December from a year ago, the bureau said, also beating Reuters’ forecast of 3.6% growth. Notably, auto production grew for the first time since April, up by 3.4% year-on-year in December.



Fixed asset investment for 2021 grew by 4.9%, topping expectations for 4.8% growth. Investment in real estate rose by 4.4%, while that in infrastructure rose by 0.4%.



Investment in manufacturing grew by 13.5% in 2021 from a year ago, with that in special purpose machinery rising the most, up by 24.3% year-on-year, according to data accessed through Wind.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/three-new-studies-suggest-omicron-has-lower-hospitalization-risk-and-is-milder-than-other-variants/">Three new studies suggest omicron has lower hospitalization risk and is milder than other variants</a></h3>



However, retail sales missed expectations and grew by 1.7% in December from a year ago. Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted a 3.7% increase.



“We must be aware that the external environment is more complicated and uncertain, and the domestic economy is under the triple pressure of demand contraction, supply shock and weakening expectations,” the bureau said in a statement.



The urban unemployment rate in December matched the average for the year of 5.1%. The unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 remained far higher at 14.3%.



“The better-than-expected GDP data doesn’t change the big picture: China’s economy is under multiple headwinds for now and a policy easing cycle is underway,” Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie, said in a note.



Hu pointed to how the People’s Bank of China on Monday cut the borrowing cost of medium-term loans for the first time since April 2020. He expects the central bank to lower the benchmark loan prime rate on Jan. 20.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-china-s-zero-covid-policy-hits-spending"><a></a>China’s zero-Covid policy hits spending</h2>



China’s zero-Covid policy aimed at controlling the pandemic prompted renewed travel restrictions within the country — including the lockdown of Xi’an city in central China in late December.



In January, other cities were also locked down in full or partially, to control pockets of outbreaks tied to the highly transmissible omicron variant. Analysts have started to question whether the benefits of China’s zero-Covid strategy outweigh the costs, given how contagious and potentially less fatal the omicron variant is.



Goldman Sachs cut its forecast for China’s 2022 GDP growth based on expectations the zero-Covid policy will cause increased restrictions on business activity. However, the analysts said the greatest impact would be on consumer spending.



Retail sales dropped 3.9% in 2020 even though China’s overall economy grew amid the pandemic. Consumer spending has since remained sluggish, partly as travel restrictions have kept a damper on tourism.



In 2021, overall retail sales grew by 12.5% from the prior year’s contraction, and also topped 2019 levels.



However, only urban areas saw an increase in retail sales last year versus 2019 levels. Consumer spending in rural areas last year remained 1.8% below 2019 levels, according to CNBC analysis of Wind data.



Business employees’ incomes generally went up between 2020 and 2021, especially in labor-intensive industries like catering and manufacturing, Christine Peng, head of the Greater China consumer sector at UBS, said during a media call last week.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/fauci-says-multiple-preliminary-studies-find-omicron-is-less-severe-than-delta/">Fauci says multiple preliminary studies find omicron is less severe than delta</a></h3>



But she noted that rising uncertainty has resulted in consumers delaying purchases of discretionary goods, such as new air conditioners. Peng said consumers were also thinking longer term, and that within households, female consumers were more willing to buy insurance or other financial management products.



Within December’s retail sales data, autos saw the greatest decline — down by 7.4% year-on-year —followed by a 6% drop in home appliances and a 3.1% decline in furniture. Sales of daily necessities saw the greatest increase last month, up 18.8% from a year ago.



“The pandemic could continue to be a drag on the revival of consumer spending – although the situation in China remains relatively under control &#8230; compared with other large economies,” Bruce Pang, head of macro and strategy research at China Renaissance, said in a statement. He expects consumption will remain under pressure in the first quarter.



“We think China has the option to ease COVID restrictions, which could boost consumption and market confidence; but it would be highly unlikely for it to abandon the no-tolerance approach before the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Two Sessions [annual parliamentary meeting in March], in our view.”



China’s gross domestic product grew by 2.2% in 2020 from the prior year. That’s according to the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, which in December released an annual data revision that reduced 2020 GDP growth by 0.1 percentage point.



Compared with the initial release earlier in 2021, real estate, transport industries and accommodation and restaurants saw the greatest downward revision. Renting, leasing activities and business services saw the greatest increase, followed by manufacturing.



Correction: This story was corrected to reflect that Goldman Sachs revised its 2022 forecast for China’s GDP. A previous version misstated the year.

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EU pushes for COVID vaccinations in Africa as supply ‘no longer’ a problem

WHO says new omicron BA.2 subvariant will rise globally, but scientists don’t know if it can reinfect people

WHO says the new omicron subvariant doesn’t appear to be more severe than the original

Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 may be available in U.S. by end-Feb – report

Pfizer and BioNTech launch clinical trial of Covid vaccine targeting omicron

Covid pandemic at a ‘critical juncture’ and we still have a long road ahead, WHO’s Tedros says

Booster shots effective against severe illness from omicron

Dozens of firms to make cheap version of Merck COVID pill for poorer nations

WHO says omicron won’t be last Covid variant as global cases surge by 20% in a week

Fauci says it’s still an ‘open question’ whether omicron spells Covid endgame

China’s economy grew 8.1% in 2021 compared to a year ago

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