A Duke University analysis found that if manufacturers meet their commitments — a big if — more than 12 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses could be produced this year, which is enough to get over 70% of the global population inoculated. But supply isn’t the only issue. COVAX has urged development banks to disburse financing to help countries prepare for large-scale rollouts, as lower-income nations navigate a lack of cold storage and trained health professionals.

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently authorized the storage of undiluted, thawed vials of the vaccine developed by Pfizer for up to one month at refrigerator temperatures, which could mean that U.S. plans to donate 500 million doses to more than 90 lower-income nations and the African Union are more logistically feasible.

• But even with these changes, moving the vaccine around is expected to be a challenge in low-resource settings. Drone delivery company Zipline is working with Pfizer on disseminating vaccine shipments to far-flung areas — aka the proverbial last mile. Pfizer's shipping containers could serve as cold storage for vaccines, but they need to be replenished with dry ice, which is expensive, heavy, and difficult to manufacture, Sara Jerving reports.

• Local networking has been another challenge, though the recently re-branded Boost Community initiative aims to help health care professionals share vaccination strategies, Catherine Cheney finds.

• On Tuesday, International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said the finance institution has secured a third of the $35 billion in grants it has requested from donors as part of plan to end the pandemic, adding that she’s “optimistic” about reaching the overall $50 billion needed for the proposal, Shabtai Gold reports.

• Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine could soon be added to the anti-pandemic arsenal. Its latest Phase 3 trial results showed an overall efficacy of 90.4%. It's 100% effective against moderate and severe cases, and is 93.2% effective against COVID-19 variants of concern.

Great Scott

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott named hundreds of organizations receiving a donation of grants totaling $2.7 billion. They include global health groups such as Partners In Health and mothers2mothers; Africa-focused organizations such as Amref Health Africa and Muso; and Piramal Swasthya and the Society for Nutrition, Education & Health Action in India, Stephanie Beasley reports.

Wheels for life

Reaching patients in rural areas has been a long-term challenge for many lower-income countries. Madalitso Wills Kateta finds, however, that a traditional ambulance isn’t always needed to save lives. In Malawi, bicycle ambulances are helping transport women in labor to the nearest health facilities, while “ambulance taxis” in Tanzania have helped reduce regional maternal mortality by 27%.

Did you know?

A conversation with Dr. Soumya Swaminathan

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan is the World Health Organization’s first chief scientist — a role that was created in March 2019. Barely a year after she took office, she found herself at the forefront of the pandemic response.

One unexpected hurdle she encountered is a simple lack of data. In an exclusive interview with Amruta, Swaminathan shared that the death toll for COVID-19 may be two to three times higher than the current official toll due to poor data collection.

Watch the interview and read the excerpts.

The future of global health security

A new One Health High-Level Expert Panel. A global Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence based in Berlin. A Global Threats Council. These are some of the announced initiatives and recommendations from the past few months amid renewed enthusiasm for pandemic preparedness.

But they aren’t the first. Years before COVID-19, the Global Health Security Agenda was launched to identify gaps in countries’ health systems and better detect, prepare for, and respond to infectious disease threats. But experts Jenny spoke with argued it’s missing a critical element: sustainable financing to address those gaps.

Devex Pro: The future of the Global Health Security Agenda

What we’re reading

A top Chinese virologist denies Wuhan lab leak speculation. [The New York Times]

A polio vaccination drive has been suspended in the east of Afghanistan after gunmen kill five health workers. [The Telegraph]

Hospitals are running out of oxygen and beds as Uganda suffers a third wave of COVID-19. [The Guardian]

CureVac’s mRNA-based vaccine has an efficacy of just 47% against any COVID-19 disease severity, according to an interim analysis of a Phase 2b/3 trial result. [Reuters]