Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The People Behind The COVID Vaccine Effort
Pfizer and that upstart rival, Moderna, were the first companies to launch large clinical trials to prove their vaccines’ efficacy, and on the same day: July 27. They have been in a neck-and-neck competition ever since. But Pfizer is counting on one scientist to give it an edge: Kathrin Jansen. (Herper, 8/24)
Not enough Blacks and Latinos are participating in US vaccine trials to fight Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. CNN en Español Medical Correspondent Dr. Elmer Huerta hopes to change their minds. More than 50% of cases of Covid-19 in the United States are African Americans or Latinos, yet they make up only 15% of participants in the first Phase III vaccine trial in the United States, co-developed by biotech company Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. (Hetter, 8/22)
It was with great fanfare that President Vladimir V. Putin and other officials announced this month that a billion doses of a Russian vaccine for the new coronavirus would soon be rolled out, supposedly putting an end to the worst pandemic in a century. But rather than taking a bow for saving the world with their vaccine, which they call Sputnik V, Russian health officials have found themselves on the defensive. (Kramer, 8/23)
