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COVID-19: Vaccine mandate enforced in Austria

Healthcare It News

As of today (1 February) the Austrian COVID-19 vaccine mandate has come into force for all adults – which makes Austria the first EU country to introduce such measure. In return, the Austrian government loosened public restrictions. WHY IT MATTERS. THE LARGER TREND. ON THE RECORD.

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The Case for Procurement Transparency

Bill of Health

By Tara Davis and Nicola Soekoe In January 2021, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) observed that the world was on the brink of a “catastrophic moral failure” if wealthier nations did not ensure the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

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Human Rights Principles in Public Health Emergencies: From the Siracusa Principles to COVID-19 and Beyond

Bill of Health

One of us (LG) was involved in the drafting of the Siracusa Principles, which have become the chief international instrument governing permissible human rights limitations during national emergencies. UN bodies and the World Health Assembly should endorse the Principles, much as the ECOSOC did vis-à-vis the Siracusa Principles.

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How to Fairly Allocate Scarce COVID-19 Therapies

Bill of Health

The Delta variant led the federal government to resume control over mAb supply and promulgate allocation guidelines. Older and medically vulnerable people who continue to face high risk of COVID-19 illness after vaccination should not be asked to wait in line behind adults who refused vaccines.

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Using Contracts to Lessen Inequities in Access to Medicines in Pandemics and Epidemics

Bill of Health

At the research and development (R&D) stage, government funders can bind producers to equity goals through targeted contractual provisions, as we explain in a recently-published Nature Biotechnology article. Consider, for instance, the case of COVID-19 vaccines. We summarize our proposals in the following sections.

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COVID-19 Showcased Failed Global Cooperation

Bill of Health

By Kayum Ahmed, Julia Bleckner, and Kyle Knight In mid-May, the World Health Organization officially declared the “emergency” phase of the COVID-19 pandemic over. That has created deep inequities in access to health products that can save lives. Solidarity operates at two intersecting levels.

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Non-State Actors and Public Health Emergencies

Bill of Health

Under international human rights law, States have a positive, primary obligation to ensure that such health care services are of the highest possible quality and accessible to everyone, everywhere, and without discrimination.