Posts

7 days in healthcare (July 11th-17th, 2022)

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Summary

From the point of view of biomedicine, the finding that there are plans to produce vaccines in cases of pandemic in 100 days should be highlighted. If it is confirmed, it will be a positive consequence of the terrible covid pandemic, in the same way that wars sometimes produce technological advances.

With regard to Global Health, the efforts of the WHO to create a hub for the production of vaccines with mRNA technology in poor countries should be noted, given the failure of other initiatives, based more on goodwill than on realistic approaches.

As for International Health Policy, there is already evidence of the vaccines that have saved the most lives in the world. The first was that of AstraZeneca-Oxford, followed by that of Pfizer-BioNTech.

If we talk about National Health Policy (Spain), the wave of covid continues to grow, with an increased impact on hospitals, although it seems that we are already close to the “peak” of this wave. Plans for a new dose of the vaccine for those over 60 years of age. Important changes are announced in Madrid’s healthcare, given the seriousness of the problems in waiting lists, primary care and emergencies. Let’s hope that the plan is effective and does not remain in one more advertisement, to which we are so accustomed. It seems that the State Public Health Center will be created immediately, which is great news, if it is done well. The fact that it will not be an independent Agency (AIREF model) may lead to skepticism.

In the field of companies, it seems that a new pill is in sight, announced as almost miraculous, against obesity.

Biomedicine

Global health

  • Nature: A vaccine hub for low-income countries. WHO initiative to produce mRNA vaccines in low-income countries, given the failure of “charity”. Issues over the global vaccine market, global trade rules, and intellectual property (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01895-6)
  • The war in Ukraine. the devastation of health and human rights. Between February-24 and June-24, the WHO reported 323 attacks on health facilities, with 76 deaths and 59 injuries (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2207415)

International health policy

National health policy

Companies