Key aspects regarding the introduction and prioritisation of COVID-19 vaccination in the EU/EEA and the UK

Key aspects regarding the introduction and prioritisation of COVID-19 vaccination in the EU/EEA and the UK : Once vaccines against COVID-19 are available, their supply is likely to be limited, at least initially. Supply capacity, both initially and over time, will thus determine vaccine usage and delivery prioritisation. Deployment will need to be adjusted accordingly to promptly optimise vaccine allocation and ensure vaccine availability to those most in need.  

The following non-mutually exclusive approaches for vaccine deployment can be considered when building vaccination strategies, taking into account different levels of vaccine supply and stages of the pandemic: 

• focusing on selected groups (e.g. individuals at risk of severe COVID-19, essential workers, vulnerable groups);

• vaccinating according to age strata (e.g. all individuals above a certain age);

• targeting groups with an increased risk of exposure and onward transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (e.g. exposurein professional settings, younger adults); 

• prioritising geographical regions with high incidence of COVID-19; 

• deploying the vaccine to control active outbreaks; 

• performing adaptative approaches to be modulated according to circumstances; 

• conducting a universal vaccination strategy

Given the anticipated initial shortage, countries will need to identify priority groups for vaccination. A broader characterisation of these groups will need to further categorise them into different priority tiers. The identification of the priority groups, and of the tiers within them, will depend on several factors, including the disease’s epidemiology at the time of vaccine deployment, the evidence of risk of severe disease and of exposure to COVID-19, the preservation of essential societal services and equity principles, among others. In the process of developing an iterative approach for vaccine deployment with varying supply, mathematical modelling may aid public health experts in identifying priority groups for vaccination and in assessing different scenarios and the impact of alternative vaccination strategies. Lessons learned from the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic should also be considered.

How the experts messed up on Covid

How the experts messed up on Covid:

Throughout the pandemic, experts have been all too willing to make claims about the virus that bordered on the hubristic. It’s easy to forget, for example, that the first months of 2020 saw widespread and confident scepticism of any risk from the novel disease that was sweeping Wuhan. As an infamous (and since updated) BuzzFeed article advised readers not to worry about the coronavirus, but instead to worry about the flu, leading political figures found it difficult to resile from their initial “don’t panic!” stance, even as the pandemic began to take hold.

D3 opposes Portuguese efforts to make COVID app mandatory

D3 opposes Portuguese efforts to make COVID app mandatory - European Digital Rights (EDRi): EDRi's member Defesa dos Direitos Digitais (D3) discusses the proposed law on making the tracing app “Stayaway Covid” obligatory in Portugal and analyses the consequences of such legislation.

Proibição de viajar entre concelhos é "uma fraude à Constituição"

Proibição de viajar entre concelhos é "uma fraude à Constituição": Raquel Brízida Castro, especialista em Direito Constitucional, afirma que "as restrições sobre direitos, liberdades e garantias é algo que a Constituição reserva ao Parlamento". Para esta especialista, a resolução do Governo que restringe a circulação entre concelhos a partir de sexta-feira, por causa da pandemia, é "uma fraude" e carece de "um estado de exceção".

What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 28 October

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 28 October: Top stories: Cases and deaths rise in Europe; public support for masks mixed; Mexico passes 900,000 confirmed cases.

Researchers revamp famous alien-hunting equation to predict spread of COVID-19

Researchers revamp famous alien-hunting equation to predict spread of COVID-19: A famous equation used in the search for alien life has inspired a new model that estimates the odds of COVID-19 transmission.

The new model — which is essentially a single equation with several terms multiplied together — estimates the risk of COVID-19 transmission through the air. The researchers were motivated in their work by another simple, yet historically significant mathematical formula known as the Drake equation, which estimates the chances of finding intelligent extraterrestrial life in our galaxy. Developed in 1961 by astronomer Frank Drake, the equation is based on just seven variables and provides an "easy-to-understand framework" for looking at something as seemingly unknowable as the number of alien civilizations, the authors said.

New study links air pollution to 15 percent of COVID-19 deaths | China

New study links air pollution to 15 percent of COVID-19 deaths: Long-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to 15 percent of COVID-19 deaths globally, according to a new study.

Published in the journal Cardiovascular Research on Tuesday, the research from German and Cypriot experts analysed health and disease data from the United States and China relating to air pollution, COVID-19 and SARS – a respiratory illness similar to the new coronavirus disease.