While the US is approaching a record 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus, the government’s main health agency has suddenly removed information from its websites on the Internet about how the virus is transmitted.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published guidelines last Friday showing the virus can spread via tiny particles in the air, called aerosols, over long distances. But the CDC abruptly dropped the guidelines Monday, returning to its original position that the coronavirus is spreading mainly between people who are standing within 1.8 meters of each other, and mainly through the tiny droplets generated from speaking, breathing , coughing or sneezing.
Dr. Jay Butler, CDC deputy director for infectious diseases, said the update was mistakenly uploaded before undergoing a proper technical review.
The method of transmission of Covid-19 has been the subject of heated debate among health experts for months. In July, more than 200 scientists from more than 30 countries published an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) urging the organization to consider evidence that the virus can spread by airborne transmission.
The CDC is also closely monitored as it changes its guidelines on who needs to take the test. The CDC last month stated that asymptomatic people do not need to be tested if they were previously in close contact with an infected person, changing previous recommendations that anyone contacting an infected person should be tested. But after it was revealed that the change was driven by the White House corona virus task force, the CDC returned to its previous stance.
WHO, Monday (21/9) announced that 156 countries will take part in a global initiative to make, produce and distribute vaccines for Covid-19 evenly.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 64 rich countries had agreed to take part in the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, COVAX, a joint project by WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, an organization founded by Bill and Melinda Gates to immunize children in the poorest countries.
The initiative aims to deliver up to 2 billion doses of a safe and effective vaccine worldwide by the end of 2021, initially targeting 3 percent of the population of participating countries, namely to healthcare workers and those at high risk of contracting the disease, with the aim of further to prevent a small number of countries from stockpiling the vaccine. “We drown or we swim together,” he continued.
Not on the list of participating countries are the US, China and Russia. The US previously announced it would not take part in COVAX because of the WHO’s leading role in the effort. President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the WHO last July, after saying the WHO was mishandling the outbreak and showing reluctance towards China, where the virus was first detected late last year.
The Trump administration launched its own Covid-19 vaccine initiative called Operation Warp Speed, which aims to provide 300 million doses of the licensed vaccine by January. The initiative has distributed billions of dollars to several pharmaceutical companies to develop, manufacture and test potential vaccines.
Russia and China have also launched their own coronavirus vaccine manufacturing programs. [uh/ab]
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