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COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from more than a century of pandemics and current vaccine development for pandemic control.

ABSTRACT: Pandemic dynamics and health care responses are markedly different during the COVID-19 pandemic than in earlier outbreaks. Compared with established infectious disease such as influenza, we currently know relatively little about the origin, reservoir, cross-species transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Health care services, drug availability, laboratory testing, research capacity and global governance are more advanced than during 20th century pandemics, although COVID-19 has highlighted significant gaps. The risk of zoonotic transmission and an associated new pandemic is rising substantially. COVID-19 vaccine development has been done at unprecedented speed, with the usual sequential steps done in parallel. The pandemic has illustrated the feasibility of this approach and the benefits of a globally coordinated response and infrastructure. Some of the COVID-19 vaccines recently developed or currently in development might offer flexibility or sufficiently broad protection to swiftly respond to antigenic drift or emergence of new coronaviruses. Yet many challenges remain, including the large-scale production of sufficient quantity of vaccines, delivery of vaccines to all countries and ensuring vaccination of relevant age groups. This wide vaccine technology approach will be best employed in tandem with active surveillance for emerging variants or new pathogens using antigen mapping, metagenomics and next generation sequencing.

SUBMITTER: Buchy P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8459551 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from more than a century of pandemics and current vaccine development for pandemic control.

Buchy Philippe P Buisson Yves Y Cintra Otavio O Dwyer Dominic E DE Nissen Michael M Ortiz de Lejarazu Raul R Petersen Eskild E

International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases 20210923

Pandemic dynamics and health care responses are markedly different during the COVID-19 pandemic than in earlier outbreaks. Compared with established infectious disease such as influenza, we currently know relatively little about the origin, reservoir, cross-species transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Health care services, drug availability, laboratory testing, research capacity and global governance are more advanced than during 20th century pandemics, although COVID-19 has highlighted sig ...[more]

PMID: 34563707

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Project description:COVID-19 vaccine misinformation is a global threat, and digital and social media support its spread. Addressing Spanish-language vaccine misinformation is critical. In 2021, we began a project to increase vaccine confidence and uptake in the United States by assessing and opposing Spanish-language COVID-19 vaccine misinformation circulating in the United States. Analysts identified trending Spanish-language vaccine misinformation each week, and trained journalists provided communications guidance for addressing the misinformation, which we delivered to community organizations via a weekly newsletter. We identified thematic and geographic trends and highlighted lessons learned to inform future efforts to monitor Spanish-language vaccine misinformation. We collected publicly available Spanish- and English-language COVID-19 vaccine misinformation across various media sources (eg, Twitter, Facebook, news, blogs). Analysts identified top trending vaccine misinformation in the Spanish query and compared it with vaccine misinformation in the English query. Analysts examined misinformation to identify its geographic source and dominant conversation themes. From September 2021 through March 2022, analysts flagged 109 pieces of trending Spanish-language COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. Through this work, we found that Spanish-language vaccine misinformation is easily identifiable. Linguistic networks are not distinct, and vaccine misinformation often circulates across English and Spanish queries. Several websites have outsized influence in promoting Spanish-language vaccine misinformation, suggesting that it may be important to focus on a handful of hyperinfluential accounts and websites. Efforts to address Spanish-language vaccine misinformation must incorporate collaboration with local communities and emphasize community building and empowerment. Ultimately, addressing Spanish-language vaccine misinformation is not an issue of data access and knowledge of how to monitor it; it is an issue of prioritization.

Project description:BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic corruption risks were amplified in health systems globally, increasing health inequities within and between countries. During the pandemic, the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly concerning their procurement and distribution, had corruption risks given the large amounts of public and private funding allocated to them, the need for speed, the involvement of a high number of stakeholders, and often insufficient oversight. To explore this issue further, we conducted a descriptive, qualitative study of corruption risks in the COVID-19 vaccine deployment process.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive, qualitative study triangulating two data sources between May and August 2022: (1) published academic and grey literature and (2) key informant interviews with representatives from organizations involved with the COVAX Facility, representatives from COVAX donor and recipient countries, and individuals with expert knowledge of the COVID-19 vaccine deployment process (e.g., consultants for international organizations involved in COVID-19 vaccine deployment, members of non-governmental organizations, etc.).ResultsWe identified 44 academic articles and policy documents and triangulated. Documentary data with 16 key informant interviews. A review of the literature identified several corruption risks in the international COVID-19 vaccine procurement and distribution process such as a lack of transparency in the vaccine procurement process; a lack of transparency in the operation of the COVAX Facility; a risk of bribery; and a risk of vaccine theft or the introduction of substandard and falsified vaccines at the point of distribution. Key informants further articulated concerns about a lack of transparency in vaccine pricing and contracts and the exclusion of civil society organizations from the vaccine deployment process. Reported anti-corruption, transparency, and accountability (ACTA) mechanisms implemented across the many levels of the vaccine procurement and distribution deployment included institutional oversight processes, blockchain-based supply-chain solutions, and civil society engagements.ConclusionPublic health emergencies require nimble and quick actions on the part of governments, international organizations and other actors Our study on the COVID-19 vaccine deployment process highlights the pressing need for more robust ACTA mechanisms to reduce corruption risks and ensure fair and equitable access to lifesaving vaccines for populations.

Project description:AimIn view of the spread of the contagious coronavirus disease (COVID-19) globally, the present review focuses on the details of past pandemic diseases, along with comparisons and lessons learned. A general awareness of COVID-19 infection is addressed, and it is compared with the Spanish flu pandemic. Based on the successes, failures and lessons learned in the past, governmental efforts must be undertaken to empower citizens by providing accurate information and implementing post-COVID-19 precautions that need to be taken now to stop the spread and recurrence of the virus locally, and to restore health and economic normalcy.MethodsA detailed literature survey of past pandemics is undertaken in order to extract the successes, failures and lessons learned from previous breakouts. The comparison of past pandemics will enable us to determine post-COVID-19 precautions that should be followed. Separate tables are prepared to highlight the lessons learned and measures to be taken. Both general precautions and preventive measures for pregnant women are compiled.ResultsThe literature shows a continuous struggle of humans with disease outbreaks, with the most adverse impact of the Spanish flu killing 20-50 million people. Precautions need to be taken including social distancing, compulsory mask-wearing, avoiding public gatherings and washing hands regularly. The lessons from earlier pandemics show that they were equally devastating, and vaccines were not available at the time of outbreaks. Vaccines developed for polio, H1N1, measles, and other viral diseases have proven to save countless lives. Living with COVID-19 and evolving the work culture of protecting oneself and protecting others also has to be adopted.ConclusionsCOVID-19 has become an everyday topic of discussion throughout the world, indicating the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and recoveries. The lessons learned from past pandemics such as social distancing, wearing masks, avoiding public gatherings and adherence to guidelines, along with personal hygiene, are the key measures that must be taken in order to live with COVID-19. Precautions for the elderly and pregnant women advised by medical authorities are to be strictly adhered to. These will help in reducing COVID-19 cases and in turn will reduce the pressure on hospitals to serve those in need. India has learned lessons from the past and the present pandemic and will move towards growth through its self-reliance.

Project description:2018 marks the 100-year anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed ~50 million people worldwide. The severity of this pandemic resulted from a complex interplay between viral, host, and societal factors. Here, we review the viral, genetic and immune factors that contributed to the severity of the 1918 pandemic and discuss the implications for modern pandemic preparedness. We address unresolved questions of why the 1918 influenza H1N1 virus was more virulent than other influenza pandemics and why some people survived the 1918 pandemic and others succumbed to the infection. While current studies suggest that viral factors such as haemagglutinin and polymerase gene segments most likely contributed to a potent, dysregulated pro-inflammatory cytokine storm in victims of the pandemic, a shift in case-fatality for the 1918 pandemic toward young adults was most likely associated with the host's immune status. Lack of pre-existing virus-specific and/or cross-reactive antibodies and cellular immunity in children and young adults likely contributed to the high attack rate and rapid spread of the 1918 H1N1 virus. In contrast, lower mortality rate in in the older (>30 years) adult population points toward the beneficial effects of pre-existing cross-reactive immunity. In addition to the role of humoral and cellular immunity, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that individual genetic differences, especially involving single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), contribute to differences in the severity of influenza virus infections. Co-infections with bacterial pathogens, and possibly measles and malaria, co-morbidities, malnutrition or obesity are also known to affect the severity of influenza disease, and likely influenced 1918 H1N1 disease severity and outcomes. Additionally, we also discuss the new challenges, such as changing population demographics, antibiotic resistance and climate change, which we will face in the context of any future influenza virus pandemic. In the last decade there has been a dramatic increase in the number of severe influenza virus strains entering the human population from animal reservoirs (including highly pathogenic H7N9 and H5N1 viruses). An understanding of past influenza virus pandemics and the lessons that we have learnt from them has therefore never been more pertinent.

Project description:During historical and contemporary crises in the U.S., Blacks and other marginalized groups experience an increased risk for adverse health, social, and economic outcomes. These outcomes are driven by structural factors, such as poverty, racial residential segregation, and racial discrimination. These factors affect communities' exposure to risk and ability to recover from disasters, such as pandemics. This study examines whether areas where descendants of enslaved Africans and other Blacks lived in Chicago were vulnerable to excess death during the 1918 influenza pandemic and whether these disparities persisted in the same areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. To examine disparities, demographic data and influenza and pneumonia deaths were digitized from historic weekly paper maps from the week ending on 5 October 1918 to the week ending on 16 November 1918. Census tracts were labeled predominantly Black or white if the population threshold for the group in a census tract was 40% or higher for only one group. Historic neighborhood boundaries were used to aggregate census tract data. The 1918 spatial distribution of influenza and pneumonia mortality rates and cases in Chicago was then compared to the spatial distribution of COVID-19 mortality rates and cases using publicly available datasets. The results show that during the 1918 pandemic, mortality rates in white, immigrant and Black neighborhoods near industrial areas were highest. Pneumonia mortality rates in both Black and immigrant white neighborhoods near industrial areas were approximately double the rates of neighborhoods with predominantly US-born whites. Pneumonia mortality in Black and immigrant white neighborhoods, far away from industrial areas, was also higher (40% more) than in US-born white neighborhoods. Around 100 years later, COVID-19 mortality was high in areas with high concentrations of Blacks based on zip code analysis, even though the proportion of the Black population with COVID was similar or lower than other racial and immigrant groups. These findings highlight the continued cost of racial disparities in American society in the form of avoidable high rates of Black death during pandemics.

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COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from more than a century of pandemics and current vaccine development for pandemic control.

Publications

COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from more than a century of pandemics and current vaccine development for pandemic control.

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