Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, who leads the new Covid task force that Maharashtra has formed, has emphasised prioritising systems to build a comprehensive database for analysing hospitalisation and death surveillance.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Dr Gangakhedkar, former head of epidemiology at the Indian Council of Medical Research, explained that the aim is not only to detect Covid-like illnesses but also to identify emerging diseases within clusters.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
Q: There is currently a rise in Covid cases across India. Is it due to the new variant, or is it a result of increased testing?
The primary factor is the variant. Despite increased testing, the uptick is not substantial; people are being tested just like they were during the Omicron outbreak, not voluntarily. Initial data analysis is required in our upcoming meeting at the task force. Public information indicates JN.1 is prevalent in a significant proportion of cases. While its not the sole variant, about 31 per cent of cases in the US, where it originated in September, are now attributed to JN1. So a notable portion is gradually becoming prevalent in India too.
Q: Are we anticipating another Covid wave, or do we possess sufficient herd immunity to combat it?
Its challenging to provide a definitive answer at this moment. The available information on this specific variant suggests that it remains relatively mild. Based on current knowledge, hospitalisation and mortality may not increase significantly. However, with the holiday season and large gatherings underway, caution is essential to avoid being caught off guard. The focus is on ensuring rapid response and preparedness to handle any potential surge, minimising the impact on the healthcare system.
Q: What are the foremost steps or priorities currently occupying your thoughts?
Covid is emphasising the need for well-established data on hospitalisation and a death surveillance system. This system will not detect only Covid-like illnesses but, over time, could identify new diseases within clusters.
Then the question arises: should we expand genomic surveillance further? The suggestion is to develop smart genomic surveillance, focusing on clusters where hospitalisations or deaths have increased without a clear cause. Rather than routine genomic surveillance, the emphasis is on investigating specific cases to determine if a new variant is the cause. Despite Covid becoming a recurring presence, especially in winter with new variants, the presumption is hindered by the lack of hospitalisation surveillance. Without such surveillance, attributing trends to specific seasons becomes challenging, as hospitalisations could be due to other respiratory illnesses like influenza or respiratory syncytial virus.
Q: Isnt the health department already scrutinising data through regular Covid updates?
No, Covid data primarily focuses on the number of infections. We need a more in-depth analysis of hospitalised patients and fatalities, considering factors like comorbidities, time of admission and clustering. While not challenging, it requires the development of a network, possibly involving medical colleges, to collect and submit meaningful data for analysis.
Q: How do you intend to streamline the process of gathering hospitalisation data and conducting regular analyses?
That will be discussed in the meeting at the task force, but its crucial to establish systematic surveillance for hospitalisation cases and deaths.
Q: Do you think continuous surveillance throughout the year is necessary?
Its currently challenging to ascertain. The crucial discussion involves organising hospital data for meaningful analysis, emphasising the need for a network to efficiently analyse the data. While AI may not be essential, the focus should be on identifying abnormalities in the data. This underscores the requirement for a long-term systemic change to prevent surprises with new infections. The Covid situation provides an opportunity to establish resilient surveillance systems, fostering continuous learning and awareness.
The active caseload has also climbed, pushing past the 3,000 mark to reach 3,420.
India's Covid-19 situation has sparked concern as the country recorded its highest number of daily cases in seven months, with 752 new infections reported in the past 24 hours. This surge comes amidst rising anxieties about the JN.1 sub-variant, a more transmissible Omicron offshoot.
The active caseload has also climbed, pushing past the 3,000 mark to reach 3,420. While the death toll remains relatively low, with four fatalities reported in Kerala, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, the sudden spike in cases has revived vigilance measures across the country.
In the last 24 hours, India reported four new deaths due to COVID-19, with two fatalities in Kerala, and one each in Rajasthan and Karnataka. The total death toll now stands at 5,33,332, and the case fatality rate is recorded at 1.18 percent.
The country's cumulative COVID-19 case count is 4.50 crore (4,50,07,964). The morning update from the health ministry revealed an increase in active cases in 17 states, with Kerala (266), Karnataka (70), Maharashtra (15), Tamil Nadu (13), and Gujarat (12) being among the affected regions.
In the last 24 hours, 325 people have recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 4,44,71,212. The national recovery rate is now at 98.81 percent.
On Friday, India reported 640 new COVID-19 infections and one death, increasing the active caseload to 2,997 from the previous day's 2,669, according to the Health Ministry.
In response to the ongoing situation, the Bihar government has issued directives for all districts and hospitals in the state to intensify COVID-19 RT-PCR testing, including random testing of arrivals at airports in Patna, Gaya, and Darbhanga.
The central government has reassured the public that the current increase in COVID-19 cases is not a cause for concern and urged people not to panic. Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya conducted a review of the preparedness of health facilities nationwide and emphasised the importance of remaining vigilant against emerging strains of COVID-19.
While addressing the situation, the government has advised individuals with comorbidities to wear face masks as a precautionary measure. As of December 21, there have been 22 reported cases of the COVID sub-variant JN.1 in the country, with 19 cases identified in Goa and one each in Kerala and Maharashtra. Authorities are yet to disclose details of one case.
JN.1, a variant stemming from the Omicron lineage and designated as a 'variant of interest' by the World Health Organization, has rapidly spread in recent weeks. Authorities have emphasised that no significant clustering of cases linked to the JN.1 variant has been observed in India.
All reported cases have been characterised as mild, with patients recovering without experiencing complications.
Also Read:India vigilant as JN.1 Covid-19 subvariant emerges with 22 confirmed cases
As winter arrives in the northern hemisphere, a new version of Omicron is taking off in many countries. While it is too early to know whether the JN.1 variant will trigger a new surge of COVID-19 cases, its rapid spread has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to designate it a "variant of interest" one containing genetic changes predicted or known to affect characteristics such as disease severity, transmissibility or antibody evasion. Here's what we know about the JN.1 variant so far.
First detected on 25 August 2023, JN.1 has already become the most prevalent variant in some countries. It is now rapidly increasing across all WHO regions. Wastewater data from multiple countries approaching the winter season also points at a large wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the community, WHO said.
In its initial risk assessment for JN.1, published on 19 December 2023, WHO added that as of 16 December 2023, JN.1 had been detected in 41 countries, and represented 27.1% of SARS-CoV-2 uploaded to the international GISAID database in the week ending 3 December. This was a substantial increase compared to the data reported four weeks earlier, when the global prevalence of JN.1 was 3.3%. The countries reporting the largest proportion of cases were France, USA, Singapore, Canada, the UK and Sweden.
When the BA.2.86 (Pirola) variant emerged in July 2023, scientists quickly became alarmed by the large number of mutations it contained, relative to previous forms of Omicron. JN.1 has acquired several further mutations, the most notable being a change in the part of the spike protein that latches onto human cells, known as the L455S mutation. This region is a major target for so-called neutralising antibodies ones that help to block infection.
According to research published online in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the L455S mutation may slightly reduce the ability of JN.1 to bind to human cells but enhance its ability to evade the immune system. In theory, this could make it less transmissible than BA.2.86, but better able to reinfect people who have previously had COVID-19.
The same study investigated the ability of antibodies from people who had previously received three doses of COVID-19 vaccines and were recovering from a breakthrough infection with the XBB sub-variant of Omicron. As predicted, the researchers found that JN.1 was better able to evade these antibodies than BA.2.86. Other preliminary studies also support the idea that JN.1 may be more immune-evasive, although WHO stressed that such data is limited for now.
Although data is limited at this stage, the available evidence does not suggest that JN.1 is any more dangerous than other currently circulating forms of SARS-CoV-2. "While there is a rapid increase in JN.1 infections, and likely increase in cases, available limited evidence does not suggest that the associated disease severity is higher as compared to other circulating variants," said WHO.
Even if JN.1 is more capable of sidestepping antibodies from previous infections and vaccinations, it is not entirely resistant to them. The more antibodies someone has, the greater their chances of fighting off COVID-19. By refreshing the immune system's memory of SARS-CoV2, COVID-19 vaccines top up people's antibody levels, reducing their risk of infection. And if the virus does break through, other immune defences including T-cells are also primed to reduce the severity of that infection, reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death.
Based on current evidence, the WHO has assessed the public health risk posed by JN.1 to be "low", but warned that the sub-variant may still cause an increase in COVID-19 cases amid a surge of other viral and bacterial infections, including influenza, RSV and common childhood pneumonia.
JN.1 is no different to earlier forms of SARS-CoV-2 in the way that it spreads primarily through coughs, sneezes and exhaled air. Coughing or sneezing into your elbow or a tissue, regularly washing your hands with soap, keeping rooms ventilated and wearing a good quality mask in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilated areas will all help to reduce transmission as will staying home if you are unwell. WHO has recommended universal masking and improved ventilation in health facilities.
Even though most people now have some degree of immunity against SARS-CoV-2 through vaccination and/or previous infection, COVID-19 is not just a cold, and people are still being hospitalised and dying from it. The threat of Long COVID also looms large. If you have respiratory symptoms and COVID-19 tests are available where you live, you should get tested and take precautions to limit further spread.
Editors note: During the holiday season, the Fort Worth Report is looking back at the stories you told us you appreciated the most in 2023.
Tarrant County experienced a COVID-19 spike in the middle of August when 1,152 new cases were reported. This was nearly double the 605 cases reported in July.
Dr. Carol Nwelue, an internal medicine physician with Baylor Scott & White Health in Fort Worth, said heading into the fall, COVID-19 cases were expected to increase and they did.
There have been times within the last couple of months, where weve seen pretty big increases on the outpatient side, which tells us that the virus is still around, she said.
(Source | Tarrant County Public Health)
COVID-19 cases continue to be of concern during the holiday season.
As of Dec. 16, 943 new cases have been reported in Tarrant County. Nwelue noted that the data on the number of new infections could be unreliable, given that some cases arent reported to public health officials.
Documented cases of the virus in Tarrant County have not been as prominent as in the news in previous years. The region saw 2,406 reported cases by this time in 2022 and 3,289 new cases by the end of December 2021.
The virus also isnt making a large amount of people sick enough to be hospitalized, said Nwelue.
Cases have mellowed out, at least in the hospitals, she said. Were definitely seeing more mild cases than when the pandemic started.
As of Dec. 16, only 2.37% of emergency department visits have been associated with COVID-19, according to Tarrant County Public Health. Experts are linking these COVID-19 cases to the most prominent variants in the region, EG.5, HV.1 and JN.1.
Like many other viruses, coronavirus has evolved and formed new variants, including Omicron, HV.1 and now JN.1.
In August, EG.5 was the most prominent strain in the U.S. with 17.3% of cases, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
In October and November, HV.1 became the dominant variant and accounted for one-third of cases nationwide with nearly 30% of new COVID-19 infections.
As of December, the coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is causing about 20% of new COVID-19 infections in this country and is the fastest-growing strain of the virus, according to CNN. However, it is most dominant in the Northeast, where it is estimated to cause about a third of new infections.
The majority of cases in Texas continue to be linked to HV.1, said Nwelue.
Like other variants, symptoms remain the same for HV.1: changes in taste and smell, dry cough, fatigue, fever, runny nose and sore throat.
Heading into the new year, those who are immunocompromised or have a weakened immune system are recommended to receive a booster vaccine now. Even though no vaccine currently targets HV.1, the updated COVID-19 vaccine made available in September still offers protection against new variants.
Tarrant County Public Health recommends anyone ages 6 months and older receive the latest COVID-19 vaccine.
If you are in urgent need of a booster, click here to see where you can receive a free vaccine in Tarrant County.
Nwelue encourages residents to practice good hygiene by covering coughs or sneezes with a tissue; avoiding close contact with those who are sick; avoiding contact with your eyes, nose and mouth; and to get plenty of rest.
David Moreno is the health reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.orgor viaTwitter.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policyhere.
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COVID-19 hospitalizations on the rise in Maine
by Thomas O'Boyle, WGME
FILE - Health care workers treat patients at Maine Medical Center in Portland. (Maine Medical Center)
Health officials in Maine are now tracking a slight increase in COVID-19 cases but still lower numbers than a year ago. This comes as many are gathering for the holidays.
The state's COVID dashboard shows the number of hospitalizations has reached its highest point since April.
Half of the counties in Maine are at a medium level for hospital admissions.
Experts say the holidays which saw people spending time with others indoors helped COVID-19 to spread.
The US CDC says the positive test rate is at just under 12%.
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28 Dec 2023, 08:16 AM IST Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: EPFO subscribers alert! Covid withdrawal facility may be stopped soon: Report
Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has reportedly shut the Covid-19 withdrawal facility that allowed its subscribers to take out a part of their retirement savings as Covid advances, the Economic Times reported. While there is no official notification in this regard yet. Mint could not independently verify this development. Read more here
Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Several life-saving drugs supplied to various government hospitals in Delhi have reportedly failed to pass quality tests. The list of medicines that have failed to match the mandatory quality standards includes steroids, anti-epilepsy medications, antibiotics, anti-hypertensive drugs, and even antacids. Read more here
Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Wearing masks, not sending children with symptoms to schools, adhering to COVID appropriate behaviour like social distancing, seven days home isolation and leave for infected patients, are among the measures that have been decided by the Karnataka government's cabinet sub-committee on coronavirus, amid a spike in cases and detection of JN.1 infections in the state.
It has also decided to administer "precautionary vaccine" for the aged and those with comorbidities and to get 30,000 doses of Corbevax vaccine from the Centre for this purpose.
Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday appealed to the disgruntled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal to make the documents public related to the alleged 40,000 crore scam in Covid-19 management during the previous BJP government in the state.
The minister said Yatnal should at least hand over the details to the Justice John Michael Cunha Commission of Inquiry to probe into the coronavirus related irregularities.
Kharge, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, suspected the involvement of the Central government in the Covid scam.
"Yatnal has said that if he is expelled from the BJP then he will release all the documents (related to Covid mismanagement). I appeal to him through the media to please make the documents public, keeping in mind the people of Karnataka and to safeguard their interest. Or at least share them with Justice John Michael Cunha Committee Commission of Inquiry," Kharge, who holds IT/BT and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj portfolios, told reporters.
Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) Leader Vijayakanth tested positive for COVID. The party informed that Vijayakanth has been put on a ventilator due to breathing issue.
Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: A fifty-eight-year-old daily wager died of Covid-19 on Wednesday in a government hospital for chest diseases here.
Director of Health G Sriramulu told PTI that the worker had co-morbidities, including a cardiac problem. He was first admitted to the Government General Hospital here. As he was diagnosed with Covid pneumonia, he was later shifted to the hospital for chest diseases, where he died today.
Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: After the national capital reported its first case of JN.1 variant infection, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that there is no need to panic and that it only causes mild sickness.
"JN.1 is a sub-variant of Omicron and is a mild infection. This is the one spreading in south India. There is no need to panic. It causes mild sickness," Bharadwaj said while speaking to ANI.
Earlier today, Delhi reported the first case of JN.1 variant infection.
"Delhi has reported the first case of JN.1, a Sub-Variant of Omicron. Out of the 3 samples sent for Genome Sequencing, one is JN.1 and the other two are Omicron," Saurabh Bharadwaj told ANI.
With new Covid sub-variant JN.1 fueling a sudden infection surge, former AIIMS director and senior pulmonologist, Dr Randeep Guleria noted though the new variant is spreading rapidly, it is not causing severe infections and hospitalisation. On the vaccine situation, he said that since the virus is changing, we need a new jab that covers a broader type of the virus. Read more here
Covid-19 JN.1 news LIVE: Two more Covid cases were detected in Gurugram on Wednesday, taking the total number of active cases to 10 while the authorities directed all hospitals to be on alert.
The directions come amid a scare over the new Covid sub-variant JN.1 which spreads rapidly but poses low risk. However, it has not been determined if the new cases in Gurugram belong to this sub-variant.
District Collector Nishant Kumar Yadav has asked all hospitals in Gurugram to expeditiously establish separate isolation wards exclusively for patients exhibiting Covid symptoms.
These wards should be equipped with necessary medical infrastructure, including isolation beds and oxygen facilities, to provide optimal care, according to the orders.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) of Delhi has issued guidelines for Covid-19 suspected or positive cases that will be reported at hospitals following the sudden surge in the cases of Coronavirus in the country.
- As per the policy on COVID-19 testing, directed by the management, testing will be done for patients with SARI (severe acute respiratory infection) like symptoms that include according to the WHO, acute respiratory infection, persistent fever or fever of >= 38 C with cough and onset within last 10 days.
-It further asked all the departments at the institution to make provisions in their respective designated wards to manage in-patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.
-"12 beds in the C6 ward will be earmarked for hospitalization of seriously ill COVID-19 patients," the memorandum said.
-It also said that a screening OPD in the Emergency Department will screen patients for COVID-like symptoms and triage them same based on the medical requirements.
-"Rooms no 1 to 12 in the new private ward are to be earmarked for hospitalization of COVID-19 positive EHS beneficiaries," it added.
Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, Lady Hardinge Hospital here has reserved 48 beds for the patients.
Apart from this, six ICU beds and a ward with 30 beds have also been reserved for Covid patients in the new building of Lady Hardinge Hospital.
Additionally, 12 beds have been reserved for paediatric patients in Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, which comes under Lady Hardinge Medical College.
Recently, the Director of the hospital also held a meeting with all the stakeholders and information was taken regarding all the arrangements related to COVID-19.
By late 2022, widespread COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant people likely halted a spike in the preterm birth rate that began at the start of the pandemic, suggests an analysis of State of California health data funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The authors conclude that their findings underscore the need for pregnant people to keep current on COVID-19 vaccination as a hedge against future viral mutations that may lead to outbreaks.
The study was conducted by Florencia Torche, Ph.D., of Stanford University, and Jenna Nobles, Ph.D, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. NIH funding was provided by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Previous studies have shown associations between COVID-19 during pregnancy and a higher risk for preterm birth and admission of newborns to the neonatal intensive care unit, the study authors wrote. Preterm birthbefore 37 weeks of pregnancyis the most common cause of infant death. Infants born preterm are at risk for cerebral palsy (a group of nervous system disorders that affect control of movement and posture), developmental delays, and vision and hearing problems.
To conduct the study, the researchers analyzed statewide data from California, which included information on the location of the birth facility, residential area of the people giving birth, and data on their prior births since 2014.
For people giving birth in California from July 2020 to February 2023, those with COVID-19 at the time of delivery had an 8.7% probability of giving birth preterm, compared to 7.3% for those without COVID-19. Probabilities of very preterm birth (before 32 weeks of pregnancy) also increased among pregnant people with COVID-19.
The researchers also compared the probability of pregnant people with COVID-19 giving birth preterm to their probability of preterm delivery in a different birth when they were not infected with COVID-19 (mostly before the pandemic). When they did not have COVID-19, their probability of giving birth preterm was 7.3%, compared to 8.4% when they gave birth when they had COVID-19. Dr. Torche noted that comparing births to the same mother accounts for any unobserved characteristics of the mother that could potentially influence the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
In another comparison of births to the same mother, the authors determined that maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection had the greatest effect on preterm birth in 2020, when the risk of preterm birth rose by more than 5 percentage points between July and November, from 6.9% to 12.2%. During 2021, when there were waves of infection caused by different variants, SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in an increased probability of preterm birth by around 2 to 4 percentage points. During 2022, the impact of COVID-19 infection on preterm birth disappeared. The authors attribute the waning impact of COVID-19 to increased COVID-19 vaccination rates, improved treatments for COVID-19, natural immunity from prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2, and the spread of the Omicron variant, which caused less severe COVID-19 among pregnant people than previous variants.
The authors also classified vaccination rates according to zip code. Before May 2021 (when vaccines were first made available) the effect of COVID-19 on preterm birth was similar across zip codes. After vaccines were made available, the effect of COVID-19 on excess risk of preterm birth declined sharply in those zip codes where vaccination was highest (a vaccination rate of 70% or higher). In zip codes where vaccination rates were lowest, the higher risk of preterm birth associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection remained significantly elevated into 2022.
The similarity in the excess risk of preterm birth among mothers with COVID-19 in all zip codes before the introduction of vaccines and the later drop in the excess risk of preterm birth in areas where vaccination rates were high suggests that vaccination was largely responsible for the drop, the authors wrote. They added that their findings underscore the importance of keeping COVID-19 vaccinations current to guard against future resurgences of the virus.
Unfortunately, even if the adverse impact of COVID-19 infection on preterm birth has plummeted to zero, this adverse impact is likely to emerge again as the virus continues to evolve and mutate and as vaccine-driven immunity wanes, Dr. Torche said.
Torche, F, and Nobles, J. Vaccination, immunity, and the changing impact of COVID-19 on infant health. PNAS. 2023.
Though its current evaluation of the global public health risk is low, the UN health agency cautioned that with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the new variant could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries, noting other diseases such as RSV, influenza and childhood pneumonia that are already on the rise.
The classification of JN.1 as a separate variant of interest (VOI) is down to its rapidly increasing spread around the globe, WHO said in an advisory issued on Tuesday.
JN.1 has been found in many countries, including India, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Previously JN.1 was classified and tracked as part of its parent BA.2.86 lineage, which itself is a descendant of the Omicron or B.1.1.529 variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19 disease.
In comparison with its parent lineage BA.2.86, JN.1 has an additional mutation (the L455S mutation) in the spike protein.
WHO said that based on the currently available data, the additional global public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low.
Despite this, with the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, JN.1 could increase the burden of respiratory infections in many countries, it added.
WHO also highlighted that current vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and death from JN.1 and other circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2.
COVID-19 is not the only respiratory disease in play. Influenza, RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) and common childhood pneumonia are on the rise, according to WHO.
It advised people to take measures to prevent infections and severe disease using all available tools, including wearing a mask when in crowded, enclosed, or poorly ventilated areas, and keeping a safe distance from others.
It also urged everyone to put safety first by covering coughs and sneezes; cleaning ones hands regularly; and staying up to date with vaccinations against COVID-19 and influenza, especially if you are at a high risk of severe disease.
Additionally, people should stay home if they are sick, and to get tested if they have symptoms, or if they might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or influenza.
COVAX facilitated the delivery of some two billion doses of COVID vaccines globally, pictured here, a delivery of Pfizer COVID-19 in vaccines in Nepal in 2021.
Also on Tuesday, WHO announced that COVAX, the landmark multilateral mechanism for equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, launched in 2020, will end on 31 December 2023, as COVID-19 vaccinations shift to regular immunization programmes.
Since its launch in 2020, COVAX delivered nearly two billion doses of vaccines to 146 economies and averted an estimated 2.7 million deaths in lower-income economies.
Low- and lower middle-income economies will continue to receive COVID-19 vaccines and delivery support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance in 2024 and 2025, with 83 million doses so far requested for 2024 from 58 economies, WHO said in a statement.
COVAX was the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, the ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
It was co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); WHO; and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF).
With the rallying cry no one is safe until everyone is safe, COVAX partners urged the world to place vaccine equity at the heart of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for every country to have at least enough doses to protect those most at risk.
The joint efforts of all partners to ensure an equitable response to the pandemic helped protect the futures of millions of children in vulnerable communities, said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF.
This huge and historic undertaking is something we can be collectively proud of and build on. UNICEF will continue to deliver vaccines to the world's youngest to stop the spread of all preventable diseases and build strong health systems for the future.
Catherine Arnett, at the time a Marine assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, speaks about her decision to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine, in this screenshot from the Echo 7 Sierra YouTube channel, Jan. 17, 2023. (Catherine Arnett)
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan A Marine veteran who refused the COVID-19 vaccine while serving in Japan and defied orders to return home was arrested this month at her former duty station.
Japanese police allege that Catherine Arnett, 25, was detained by military police after attempting to enter MCAS Iwakuni around 2:30 a.m. Dec. 1, a city police spokesman told Stars and Stripes on Tuesday. She was turned over to Iwakuni city police around 11:30 a.m. that day and released from custody last week, the spokesman said.
Arnett was returned to California in Marine Corps custody earlier this year and spent 113 days in brigs awaiting a court-martial before the Corps dropped all charges against her, set her free and administratively discharged her.
As a lance corporal at MCAS Iwakuni, Arnett refused at least three times to board aircraft bound for the U.S. and faced discharge for refusing the vaccine. She was charged separately with insubordination, missing a military flight, disobeying an officer and other offenses over her refusal to leave Japan.
Arnett, who described herself as a staunch Catholic, said the 2021 vaccine mandate from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was an unlawful order. Her case drew attention from a foundation critical of vaccines, Childrens Health Defense,founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who interviewed her on his podcast.
Another nonprofit foundation, founded by former SEAL Eddie Gallagher, in June helped raise $50,000 for Arnetts legal expenses.
Arnett did not respond to a Dec. 6 request from Stars and Stripes by Facebook Messenger and a phone call Tuesday seeking comment. In response to an email Tuesday, a woman who described herself as Arnetts secretary said Arnett was engaging in an act of civil disobedience by returning to MCAS Iwakuni.
Ms. Arnett was solely standing on the principle that since the mandate was unconstitutional from the jump, all other actions that transpired as a result were also unlawful orders, Jamie Engel said by email Friday. She arrived at the base to take the stand and drive home the concept that she refused to take her DD214 and still refuses to comply with any separation orders.
DD-214 is the official form issued to a service member upon their discharge from military service.
Military police at MCAS Iwakuni detained Arnett on suspicion of violating the status of forces agreement between Japan and the U.S., the spokesman said. Some government officials in Japan may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
Catherine Arnett was separated from the United States Marine Corps several months ago and has since had no official affiliation with the service, base spokesman 1st Lt. Aaron Ellis told Stars and Stripes by email on Wednesday. Since Catherine Arnett is a civilian, we do not have any additional information.
Unauthorized entries of U.S. military installations in Japan may be prosecuted by Japanese authorities, Ellissaid.
The case was referred to Japanese prosecutors, but no decision had been made as of Tuesday to prosecute Arnett, a spokesman for the Yamaguchi District Public Prosecutors Office said by phone Tuesday.
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