Thought of the Day - November 2 2021 - Meanwhile, Back To The Vaccine Wars

Cliff Fraser
Nov 2, 2021
2 min read

The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 7.08 billion doses have been administered across 184 countries. The current rate is about 30.8 million doses a day. Of course, it is an indictment on humanity that more than 82 percent of the world's vaccine doses have been acquired by wealthy countries, while less than one percent has gone to low-income countries.

While the western world media is preoccupied with the government antics in trying to administer vaccines to as much of the population as possible ( Thought of the Day - September 30 2021 - Vaccine Passports Across the Board ), and marketing campaigns from the major vendors ( Thought of the Day - July 5 2021 - Vaccine Wars - The Next Campaign ), here are a few snippets from the rest of the world.

Vaccine Brands

It might surprise you that countries around the world have now approved twenty-four different vaccines for COIVD treatment.

Cuba, now the most vaccinated country in the world, has begun commercial exports of its COVID-19 vaccines, sending shipments of the three-dose Abdala vaccine to Vietnam and Venezuela. Cuban scientists have said the vaccines are more than 90% effective against illness, though, like all current COVID-19 vaccines, less so against mere infection.

Egypt has authorized Russia's new single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine against COVID-19; the country approved Russia's two-dose Sputnik V vaccine back in February.

Pfizer's, you know the company that just forecast they will net 29 billion dollars next year selling COVID vaccines, have had their vaccine (COMIRNATY) formally approved for emergency use on children ages 5 to 11 by the US Food and Drug Administration today. Pfizer's children's vaccine has only about one-third the dose, but is re-packaged, with a new orange top, to make it more difficult to simply re-meter the adult dose. I assume Canadian approval will be hot on the US heels.

Novavax has finally arrived. According to the company, the US vaccine trials showed 100% protection against moderate and severe cases of COVID-19 with an overall efficacy of 90% (earlier trials in the U.K. saw the efficiency of the vaccine at 89% percent). Could this first-of-its-kind protein-based vaccine just derail the mRNA juggernaut?

The Novavax vaccine has now been approved for emergency use in Indonesia. The shot will be manufactured by the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute in India (SII), and sold under the Indian company's brand name, Covovax. Novavax has also applied for emergency approval across Europe, Australia, India, the Philippines, with the WHO and in Canada (curiously they are still working on the application in their home country the USA.)

Current Vaccine Trials in Canada

But of course not every late-stage vaccine is meeting with success. German biotech CureVac is abandoning its coronavirus vaccine candidate to focus on a more promising second-generation jab it is developing with British pharmaceutical company GSK. But don't worry there are still many more irons in the fire trying to grab a piece of this now-established multi-year business that, before this is all said and done, could cost the world half a trillion dollars.

Close to home, these are the current trials underway for new vaccines.