Subject: RE: Our standing WB offer to support the government of Georgia during the COVID-19 crisis
From: Sebastian-A Molineus <[email-masked]>
To: Maya Tskitishvili <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Cc: Ekaterine Mikabadze <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, Evgenij Najdov <[email-masked]>, Ahmet Levent Yener <[email-masked]>, Abdulaziz Faghi <[email-masked]>, Thea Gigiberia <[email-masked]>, Salome Bakradze <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, Maia Duishvili <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 08 Feb 2021 18:37:02 +0000

Dear all -

In follow-up to Friday’s meeting and as discussed, please find attached a status update of COVID-19 Vaccines within the WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process for info.

Thank you and kind regards,

Sebastian

Sebastian Molineus

Regional Director for the South Caucasus

Europe and Central Asia

T
+995 (32) 291 6238

M
+995 (577) 78 7821

M
+1 (202) 492-3914

E
[email-masked]

W
www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca

@smolineus

www.linkedin.com/in/molineus/

From: Sebastian-A Molineus

Sent: Sunday, February 7, 2021 7:27 PM

To: Maya Tskitishvili ; [email-masked]; [email-masked]; [email-masked]'

Cc: Ekaterine Mikabadze ; [email-masked]; [email-masked]; [email-masked]' ; Evgenij Najdov ; Ahmet Levent Yener ; Abdulaziz Faghi ;
Thea Gigiberia ; Salome Bakradze ; [email-masked]; [email-masked]; [email-masked]; Maia Duishvili

Subject: RE: Our standing WB offer to support the government of Georgia during the COVID-19 crisis

Dear colleagues – please find attached and below our weekly COVID-19 monitoring presentation and weekly update (sorry for distributing slightly late).

Best, Sebastian

2021

Feb 3

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update

Summary – Key Development

Global Numbers as of February 3, 2021 (1 am ET):

103,866,068
cases

2,252,923
deaths

Fully vaccinated:11.26
million

Number of doses administered:
101.31
million

Frontrunner countries per capita: Israel (58%), Gibraltar (39%), UAE (34%), Seychelles (31%), UK (15%)

The US detected
its first case of B.1.351
or South African variant in South Carolina. Case detected in
Baltimore
as well.

The pace of the Covid pandemic has slowed in every
region of the world for the third week in a row, with a 13% decline as compared to the previous week.

Saturday 30 January 2021 marked one year since WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

A single dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine
provides sustained protection against Covid-19 for at least three months and reduced transmission of the disease by 67%.

Sputnik V vaccine results from 20,000 trial participants
suggest an efficacy of 91.6% against COVID-19.

EU Commission gives final approval to
AstraZeneca vaccine.

Johnson
& Johnson (J&J) vaccine demonstrated 66% efficacy in preventing moderate-to-severe COVID-19 disease across several Phase 3 trial locations: the US (72%), Latin America (66%), and South Africa (57%). The
vaccine demonstrated 85% efficacy in terms of preventing severe disease.

Novavax
COVID-19 vaccine 89% effective in UK trial.

S. Korea's Seegene develops
first COVID-19 test kit that can detect multiple variants.

Headlines and Epidemiology update

Update on Key Tools

Number of weekly confirmed cases reported

IBRD:  1,413,616

IDA-eligible: 84,549

Number of weekly confirmed deaths reported

IBRD:  41,444

IDA-eligible:  1,866

Total number of confirmed cases

IBRD:  48,828,215

IDA-eligible:  3,082,704

Total number of confirmed deaths

IBRD:  1,164,531

IDA-eligible: 56,137

39.2% of all new weekly COVID-19 cases (Jan 25-Feb 1) are reported in IBRD countries, 2.3% in IDA-eligible countries and 58.4% in high-income
countries. Likewise, 44.7% of all COVID-19 deaths since last week are reported in IBRD countries, 2.0% in IDA-eligible countries and 53.3% in high-income countries.

Of the total COVID-19 cases: 47.7% were reported in IBRD countries, 3.0% were reported in IDA-eligible countries, and 49.3% in High-income
countries.

Regional Numbers – Per Capita

Source: The case and death data is collected from WHO situation reports and population data is from World Development Indicators (World
Banka Data). Only IDA and IBRD countries included. Countries that are not reporting data are not included. (As of February 1, 2021).

Epidemiology Update – New SARS-CoV-2 variants

VOC 202012/01 or B.1.1.7 (UK variant) detected in ten additional countries. As of 2 February, a total of 80 countries have reported either imported cases or community transmission of this variant.

Vietnam
confirms latest virus outbreak is more contagious B.1.1.7 variant.

Variant 501Y.V2 or B.1.351 (South Africa variant) reported in ten new countries – totaling 41 countries.

The US detected
its first case of B.1.351 or South African variant in South Carolina. Case detected in
Baltimore
as well.

Both J&J
and Novavax vaccines less effective against the B 1.351 variant.

How to redesign COVID vaccines so they protect against variants?

Variant P.1 or B.1.1.28 (Brazil variant) reported in two additional countries. To date, this variant is reported in ten countries worldwide.

A study published in
The
Lancet analyzed the increased SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Manaus, Brazil, a region that had previously shown high levels of seroprevalence among its community members. Despite the high
seroprevalence, Manaus exhibited a large surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in January 2021. The researchers present 4 possible explanations for the surprising surge in cases: (1) prior overestimation of seroprevalence; (2) waning of immunity; (3)
new variant, including the P.1 variant, less susceptible to antibodies from prior infections;(4) much higher transmissibility, allowing for community transmission even in areas with high existing seroprevalence.

Scientific American guide to the
most-concerning mutations
seen in five SARS-CoV-2 variants first identified in Spain, the UK, and South Africa, as well as two in Brazil.

Other Headlines

The pace of the Covid pandemic
has slowed in every region of the world for the third week in a row, with a 13% decline as compared to the previous week.

Saturday 30 January 2021 marked one year since WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). At that time, there were 9826 cases in 20 countries, and 213 deaths in one
country (all in China).

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires
masks to be worn by all people traveling on public transportation,
including airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares.

Number of French
coronavirus patients highest since end November.

Nigeria
battles oxygen shortages amid COVID-19 surge.

Mexico's
COVID-19 death toll surpasses India, becomes world's third highest.

More than half of New Delhi’s
20 million inhabitants possibly infected with the coronavirus, according to a new serological survey.

Three takeaways from India's 'pandemic budget'.

COVID-19 cases - potential link to new diabetes cases.

Double masking may provide additional
layers of filtration for inhaled and exhaled air with the ultimate goal of further decreasing SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk.

UPDATE ON KEY TOOLS

Vaccine Development and WHO approval

·
A
single dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine
provides sustained protection against Covid-19 for at least three months and reduced transmission of the disease by 67%.

·
Sputnik V vaccine
results from 20,000 trial participants published in The Lancet, suggesting an efficacy of 91.6% against COVID-19. There was good efficacy in older adults, who are at highest risk for death, but little diversity, since most participants were white males.

·
EU Commission gives final approval to
AstraZeneca vaccine.

·
Johnson
& Johnson (J&J) vaccine demonstrated 66% efficacy in preventing moderate-to-severe COVID-19 disease across several Phase 3 trial locations: the US (72%), Latin America (66%), and South
Africa (57%). The lower efficacy in Latin America and South Africa prompted concern about the vaccine’s protection against emerging variants, including B.1.351 which is circulating widely in South Africa. Nearly all trial included cases of COVID-19 (95%) [in
South Africa] were due to infection with the B.1.351 lineage. The vaccine demonstrated 85% efficacy in terms of preventing severe disease across all locations, regardless of the variant.

·
Novavax
says COVID-19 vaccine 89% effective in UK trial but only less
effective against the South African variant.

·
The WHO updated its
guidance
on the Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to include
pregnant
women.

How do vaccine front-runners compare?

(Updated as of February 1, 2021; source: New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg)

Vaccine  Access, Delivery, and Rollout

·
German authorities have blocked the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on people aged over 65, the Financial Times has reported.

·
WHO
director-general says COVID-19 vaccine nationalism harmful for all.

Africa (AFE and AFW)

·
First vaccine doses arrive in hard-hit
South Africa.

·
Tanzania
has “no plans” to accept COVID-19 vaccines.

·
The
Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced a partnership between VillageReach, Swoop Aero, and the Ministry of Health—“Drones
for Health”— to promote equitable access to healthcare for half a million people in remote communities of the Equateur province. In addition to standard medical supplies, the new program
is expected to support SARS-CoV-2 vaccination efforts in the country. These drones will be used to deliver medicine and other supplies to 75 health facilities in the province.

·
The Africa CDC secured another
400
million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, manufactured by India’s Serum Institute. This adds to the 270 million doses previously secured from Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Johnson &
Johnson (J&J).

Europe

·
France
to offer vaccine for all French people by summer-end.

·
Hungary’s
drug regulator granted emergency use approval to Chinese Sinopharm’s vaccine, in addition to Sputnik V ( last month) rather than waiting for the bloc’s European Medicines Agency (EMA)
approval.

·
Both France and Germany have threatened legal action against AstraZeneca in the row over a shortage of coronavirus vaccine in the EU.

·
The
EU’s medicines regulator has authorized AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine for use in adults throughout the bloc.

·
Armenia
approves Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.

East Asia and Pacific

·
Malaysia
to receive first batch of Pfizer vaccines on Feb. 26.

·
China cracks
fake COVID-19 vaccine
ring, confiscates 3,000 doses.

Latin America and the Caribbean

·
Rio
de Janeiro will be able to use hundreds of Sinovac vaccines the city initially feared spoiled after a power outage left them stored at an inappropriate temperature.

·
Peru
regulators approve Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19.

·
Mexico nears approval of Russia vaccine.

·
Mexico
to import AstraZeneca vaccine from India.

Middle-East and North Africa

·
The Palestinian
Authority began vaccinating its health workers in the occupied West Bank against Covid-19 after receiving doses from Israel.

South Asia Region

·
Pakistan
military airlifts first COVID-19 vaccine consignment from China.

·
Sputnik V Covid vaccine production
starts in India.

·
Bangladesh
starts COVID vaccination drive from February 7th but misinformation
may lead to vaccine skepticism.

Treatment

·
The evolving clinical treatment standards for COVID-19 patients are driving a
shortage
of oxygen, in the US and countries
around
the world. The use of high-flow oxygen, as opposed to mechanical ventilation, is placing strain on oxygen production and use capacity, which has resulted in efforts to mitigate the increase
in use and identify solutions to bolster capacity.

·
Monoclonal bodies
ineffective against new COVID-19 variants.

Diagnostics

·
S.
Korea's Seegene develops first COVID-19 test kit that can detect multiple variants.

Thank you and kind regards,

Sebastian

Sebastian Molineus

Regional Director for the South Caucasus

Europe and Central Asia

T
+995 (32) 291 6238

M
+995 (577) 78 7821

M
+1 (202) 492-3914

E
[email-masked]

W
www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca

@smolineus

www.linkedin.com/in/molineus/

From: Sebastian-A Molineus

Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2021 9:00 AM

To: Maya Tskitishvili <[email-masked]>;
[email-masked];
[email-masked]; [email-masked]' <[email-masked]>

Cc: Ekaterine Mikabadze <[email-masked]>;
[email-masked];
[email-masked]; [email-masked]' <[email-masked]>; Evgenij Najdov <[email-masked]>; Ahmet Levent Yener <[email-masked]>;
Abdulaziz Faghi <[email-masked]>; Thea Gigiberia <[email-masked]>; Salome Bakradze <[email-masked]>;
[email-masked];
[email-masked]; [email-masked]; Maia Duishvili <[email-masked]>

Subject: RE: Our standing WB offer to support the government of Georgia during the COVID-19 crisis

Dear colleagues –

Please find below and attached our WB weekly update on key COVID indicators across the Region and also globally, with a particular focus on vaccinations. Please also find attached the weekly ECA COVID-19 Monitoring presentation with key
indicators across the region.

Best regards,

Sebastian

2021

Jan 26

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update

Summary – Key Developments

Global Numbers as of January 26, 2021 (9 pm ET):

100,221,840 cases

2,155,052 deaths

Fully vaccinated:
6.15 million

Number of doses administered:
69.16 million

Frontrunner countries per capita: Israel (47%), UAE (27%),  UK (11%)

First World
Bank project
for vaccine financing and rollout approved for Lebanon for US$34 million.

The South African COVID variant potentially
more contagious
, and can
elude immune responses. The UK
variant of concern (VOC) may
be associated with increased mortality..

Both Pfizer
and Moderna
are effective against the UK and South Africa (less protective) variants, and are also developing a booster shots.

Minnesota
confirms US’s first COVID-19 case associated with Brazil P.1 variant.

Mexican
President
tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

U.S.
Tops 25 Million Confirmed Coronavirus Cases and UK crosses
100,000 deaths.

WHO issued recommendations on Moderna and Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is expected imminently.

COVID-19 lessons from
Bolivia,
vaccine roll out
lessons from Israel and UAE.

Australia grants emergency approval for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Merck
discontinues development of COVID-19 Viral Vector Vaccine Candidates due to inferior immune responses.

Morocco
received doses of AstraZeneca/SII Covid-19 vaccine and Sinopharm, as it prepares to become the first African State to roll out mass immunization program.

Higher blood
thinner dose keeps patients off ventilators

WHO issues new
clinical advice on treating COVID-19 patients.

United States extends
travel bans on Brazil, South Africa, and much of Europe.

Headlines and Epidemiology update

Update on Key Tools

Number of weekly confirmed cases reported

IBRD:  2,437,588

IDA-eligible: 111,303

Number of weekly confirmed deaths reported

IBRD:  43,934

IDA-eligible:  2,349

Total number of confirmed cases

IBRD:  47,414,599

IDA-eligible:  2,998,155

Total number of confirmed deaths

IBRD:  1,123,087

IDA-eligible: 54,271

47.0% of all new weekly COVID-19 cases (Jan 18-25) are reported in IBRD countries,
2.1% in IDA-eligible countries and 50.8% in high-income countries. Likewise, 43.2% of all COVID-19 deaths since last week are reported in IBRD countries, 2.3% in IDA-eligible countries and 54.5% in high-income countries.

Of the total COVID-19 cases: 48.0% were reported in IBRD countries, 3.0% were
reported in IDA-eligible countries, and 49.0% in High-income countries.

Epidemiology Update – New SARS-CoV-2 variants

The South African COVID variant 501Y.V2 may
be more
contagious , and
can
elude immune responses
–with several mutations in its spike protein blunt effects of neutralizing antibodies and may compromise immunity and vaccine effectiveness.

The UK
B.1.1.7
variant of concern (VOC) may be associated with increased mortality compared to other strains of SARS-CoV-2, in addition to higher transmissibility.
Mortality risks were higher in multiple age groups ranging from 29% to 91% in multiple studies.

HOW DO SARS-CoV-2 VARIANTS COMPARE?

UK (B.1.1.7)

South Africa

( B.1.351)

Brazil (P.1)

Alternate name

501.Y.V1

501Y.V2

501Y.V3

Mutations

17

21

17

Transmissibility

>40% increase

Suggested
heightened
transmissibility of >50%

Unknown

Virulence

/Severity

Increased virulence suggested

No evidence of increased virulence

Unknown

Vaccine efficacy

Initial data from
Pfizer
and Moderna suggests that vaccines are effective

In vitro studies suggest potential for immune escape

Reports for reinfection reported, remains unresolved

Source: New Scientist-  A
guide to
SARS-CoV-2 variants (Jan 25, 2021)

Are vaccines effective against variants?

Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech both say their vaccines are effective against new variants of the coronavirus discovered in Britain and South Africa. Both are slightly
less effective
against the South Africa variant. Moderna said, although there was
a six-fold reduction in vaccine’s neutralizing
power to the South African vaccine in vitro, it
is still protective.
No data is available for Brazil variant.

Booster Shots –
Both
Pfizer
and Moderna
are developing a booster shot to protect against COVID-19 variants.

What to keep in mind with regards to booster shots?
Booster shots will have cost implications for countries and could require further regulatory review process for a new booster or an additional booster
dose.

Minnesota
confirms US’s first COVID-19 case associated with Brazil P.1 variant.

Countries reporting Coronavirus variants

Map is for illustrative purposes only and is not an official map. As a result,
the map may not represent boundaries and borders accurately.

Source:
https://cov-lineages.org/global_report.html

Other Headlines

Patients battle covid 'enemy' in
Nigeria second wave.

Countries in Europe grappled with more fallout from their surges, including riots in
Netherlands
over COVID-19 measures;
Germany,
where a Berlin hospital is on lockdown following an B117 variant outbreak, and France, where officials are considering a third lockdown amid rising cases and hospitalizations.
UK crosses 100,000 deaths.

Lebanon
is facing a COVID-19 surge, with hospitals running out of room for more patients, Oxygen tanks, ventilators, and medical staff in extremely short supply.

Mexican
President
tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

COVID-19 lessons from Bolivia
– In Bolivia, non-pharmaceutical interventions were combined with income supports targeted at workers at risk of impoverishment. Further, policy making at the subnational level was a crucial aspect of the response.

Nearly
8.8% of global working
hours were lost in 2020  according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).

New Zealand’s
first case of community transmission
in 2 months in form of South Africa COVID-19 variant.

U.S.
Tops 25 Million Confirmed Coronavirus Cases.

Health worker strikes in Africa - In
Eswatini,
health care workers announced a national strike on 18 January. Although nurses in Bungoma,
Kenya
suspended their strike on 21 January, nurses continue to strike in Kenya, which may effect the number of tests performed and overall health system delivery.

UPDATE ON KEY TOOLS

Vaccine Development and WHO approval

Status of
COVID-19
Vaccines within WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process
(20 January)

Merck
discontinues development of COVID-19 Viral Vector Vaccine Candidates due to inferior immune responses.

Johnson
& Johnson
expected to share results from COVID-19 vaccine trial next week.

The
World
Health Organization (WHO)
issued recommendations on Tuesday on the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and WHO emergency use listing is now imminent.

WHO
expected to review AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on February 8.

Gamaleya
begins testing a single-dose version called “Sputnik Light.”

In India, Bharat Biotech‘s inactivated vaccine Covaxin has been given emergency approval, while it’s still finishing up Phase III trials. The
Phase I data
is now published.

Vaccine  Access, Delivery, and Rollout

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
– global economy could lose as much as $9.2 trillion if governments don't ensure that developing countries have access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer/BioNTech sign a 40 million supply deal with COVAX.

BioNTech to supply 50m specialty needles to countries struggling to extract a sixth dose from vials of its Covid-19 vaccine as Europe’s immunization drive is
held back by a temporary supply shortfall.

AstraZeneca
vaccine
may be in shorter supply due to manufacturing problems. AstraZeneca to supply 31 million COVID-19 shots to EU in first quarter, a 60% cut.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
updated its guidance regarding use of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. The US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
has approved an updated label allowing a potential extra dose of the Pfizer and BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine to be extracted using low dead-volume syringes.

Map is for illustrative purposes only and is not an official map. As a result,
the map may not represent boundaries and borders accurately.

Africa (AFE and AFW)

Zimbabwe
launches wide vaccine effort and plans to buy sufficient coronavirus vaccines to inoculate about two-thirds of its population, amid a surge in infections and deaths.

Nigeria
expects to get 1st COVID-19 vaccine in February.

Mali
secures AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for 4.2 million people, expected to start vaccination in April.

South
Africa’s
ambitious vaccine roll out plan.

Europe

Hungary
has licensed Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, breaking ranks with other EU countries and ignoring calls to stick to a common European vaccine policy.

Turkey
receives 6.5 million doses of China's Sinovac vaccine.

Denmark will include homeless people among those given priority for Covid-19 vaccines.

East Asia and Pacific

Australia
grants
provisional authorization for the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Malaysia
secures 18.4 million doses of Russian, Chinese COVID-19 vaccines.

Thailand
to start its coronavirus inoculation programme next month by administering the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Mexico is very close to signing a contract for Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine and the first shipment of around 200,000 doses could arrive next week.

Ecuador has approved the use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine.

Brazil approves use of CoronaVac doses partly manufactured locally.

Middle-East and North Africa

Bahrain approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine for emergency use.

Morocco
received 2m doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, as it prepares to become the first African state to roll out a mass immunization program this week.
Morocco
also approved emergency use authorization for China’s Sinopharm vaccine. First batch to arrive by Wednesday.

Iran
approved Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V.

Lessons from frontrunners
- Israel and UAE are world front runners in vaccine roll out with 47 and 27 vaccines administered per 100 people respectively.  Preliminary
analysis of 200,000 vaccinated 60+ citizens in Israel (where more than 75% of older people have gotten a COVID-19 shot) shows that they were 33%
less likely to test positive 2 weeks after their first dose, compared to 200,000 unvaccinated people. Israel also reported a
60% drop in hospitalizations
for people aged 60+ just 3 weeks after they got their first Pfizer COVID vaccine dose. Reductions in hospitalizations, then deaths, are believed to be the first signs the vaccines are working. On the other hand, despite a world-leading vaccine programme, the
UAE is struggling
to contain surging coronavirus infections, driven in part by reluctance to shut down its vital tourism sector.
Israel is using Pfizer and Moderna. UAE is using Sinopharm and Pfizer, and as of this week,
approved Sputnik V.
UAE’s experience
warns against complacency in public health measures during roll out of vaccines.

What worked in Israel and why?
Lessons
from Israel’s vaccine roll out success highlight
the importance of: (1) political stewardship; (2) outreach to minority groups; (3) dedicated vaccination sites; (4) high level of preparedness and community mobilization during crises; (5) linking prioritization for different groups to different delivery systems;
(6) using traditional forms of interaction in addition to digital communication; (7) strong health workforce; and (8) system to monitor uptake and post-vaccine surveillance.

South Asia Region

Pfizer will pursue its request for India to approve its COVID-19 vaccine if the government commits to buying shots.

India will administer
homegrown coronavirus vaccine ‘Covaxin’ in seven more states from Monday as it seeks to inoculate 30 million healthcare workers across the country.

Indian hesitancy sets
back world’s biggest Covid vaccination drive. India’s Covid-19 vaccine drive has been
hampered by
turnout as low as 22% in some states, as fears over the safety of the vaccine and the spread of misinformation has fueled widespread hesitancy. Many doctors
have expressed concern over the incomplete data underpinning India’s Bharat Biotech  Covaxin shot.

Taliban
backs Afghan vaccine drive
after COVAX pledges $112 million.

Pakistan
is all set to approve the Russian Sputnik vaccine for emergency use.

Bangladesh receives first Covid vaccine consignment of 5 million doses from India. Bangladesh has so far purchased 30 million doses of Covishield vaccine from
the Serum Institute of India. India
and vaccine diplomacy.

Treatment

Higher
blood thinner dose keeps patients off ventilators
: A large clinical trial found that full dose blood thinners helped reduce mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

A new study suggests
that
those who recover from COVID-19 are protected against the virus for at least six months.

Spanish pharmaceutical company
PharmaMar
publishes paper that shows, its drug Plitidepsin has a "potent preclinical efficacy" against COVID-19.

WHO issues new
clinical advice on treating COVID-19 patients.

Mobility

United States
extends travel bans on Brazil, South Africa, and much of Europe.

The
UK will announce on Tuesday enforced quarantine for travelers arriving in the country from abroad.
Germany is extending its national lockdown until 14 February.

Iceland
to start issuing vaccine certificates.

Olympic Games will go ahead in July despite a
state of emergency
being declared in Tokyo because of increasing Covid-19 cases.

Thank you and kind regards,

Sebastian

Sebastian Molineus

Regional Director for the South Caucasus

Europe and Central Asia

T
+995 (32) 291 6238

M
+995 (577) 78 7821

M
+1 (202) 492-3914

E
[email-masked]

W
www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca

@smolineus

www.linkedin.com/in/molineus/

From: Sebastian-A Molineus

Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2021 10:12 PM

To: Maya Tskitishvili <[email-masked]>;
[email-masked];
[email-masked]; [email-masked]' <[email-masked]>

Cc: Ekaterine Mikabadze <[email-masked]>;
[email-masked];
[email-masked]; [email-masked]' <[email-masked]>; Evgenij Najdov <[email-masked]>; Ahmet Levent Yener <[email-masked]>;
Abdulaziz Faghi <[email-masked]>; Thea Gigiberia <[email-masked]>; Salome Bakradze <[email-masked]>;
[email-masked];
[email-masked]; [email-masked]; Maia Duishvili <[email-masked]>

Subject: RE: Our standing WB offer to support the government of Georgia during the COVID-19 crisis

Dear colleagues – below and attached our WB COVID-19 update with key indicators across the region and world. As always, we remain available to help, in particular with respect to the vaccination roll-out.

Kind regards, Sebastian

2021

Jan 19

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update

Summary – Key Developments

Global Numbers as of January 19, 2021 (5 p ET):

96,058,991 cases

2,053,384 deaths

Fully vaccinated: 2.8 million

Number of doses administered:
41.79 million

Of the 119 IDA/IBRD countries in which we are currently engaged,
85 countries have
completed at least one round of vaccines readiness assessment (VIRAF/VIRAT update)

Several SARS-CoV-2 variants
with evidence of increased transmissibility continue to raise alarms. Another
Coronavirus
Variant linked to cases in California.

Germany
is the latest country to discover a new mutation of the coronavirus, with a new variant identified among a group of hospital patients.

Independent WHO panel’s
interim report
on COVID-19 pandemic response.

EpiVacCorona,
Russia's second to be registered, reported to be "100% effective" in early-stage trials.

Human trials
of a coronavirus vaccine combining Russia's Sputnik V shot with AstraZeneca shot expected to start in early February.

African Union
secures 270 Million COVID-19 Vaccines – WHO not opposed to deals outside COVAX.

WHO says Africa
to see 1st vaccine doses from COVAX in March.

Brazil
clears emergency use of Sinovac, AstraZeneca vaccines, shots begin.

Ivermectin,
an antiparasitic drug with antiviral properties, has shown promise during in vitro studies by inhibiting replication of SARS-CoV-2 in very small concentrations.

Epidemiology update

Update on Key Tools

Epidemiology Update – New SARS-CoV-2 variants

Several SARS-CoV-2 variants
with evidence of increased transmissibility continue to raise alarms as they are identified in more countries. The specific mutations in the recently identified variants of concern—including B.1.1.7 (UK variant), B.1.351 (South Africa variant), and P.1 (Brazil
variant)—are being investigated for increased transmissibility and potentially immune escape.

Researchers from the US CDC COVID-19 Response Team projected that the B.1.1.7 variant
would contribute to a rapid growth
in cases in the US early in 2021. The B.1.1.7 has been identified in 122 cases in 20 US states, including California and Florida with at least 40 reported cases each.

A small
study at the University of Texas Medical Division found the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine would likely still be effective against a key mutation in the U.K. and South African variants.

Map is for illustrative purposes only and is not an official map. As a result, the map may not represent boundaries and borders accurately.

Useful Links:
An
analysis
by British researchers suggesting the SARS-CoV-2 variant necessitates greater virus control measures, and The
European Center for Disease Prevention
and Control’s assessment of the threat associated with the variant. The World Health Organization’s
year-end summary
and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s report.

Another
Coronavirus
Variant
linked to growing cases in in California. Health officials stress they haven’t determined whether the variant might be more contagious or resistant to vaccine.

Germany
is the latest country to discover a new mutation of the coronavirus, with a new variant identified among a group of hospital patients.

Scientists have found new biological evidence that a
South
African Covid variant of binds more readily to human cells, making it more infectious. Germany extended lockdown to Feb. 14 on fears of COVID variants.

Japan has detected a variant of the new coronavirus first discovered in Britain in three people who had not travelled there.

Morocco’s health ministry confirmed its first imported case of the more contagious variant of coronavirus first discovered in the UK.

South Africa has delayed reopening its schools amid a rapid resurgence of Covid-19 driven by a more infectious variant of the virus.
Previous
infection with the coronavirus may offer less protection against the new variant, although scientists hope that vaccines will still work.

Kuwait
registers first cases of new virus variant.

Other Headlines

“The world was not as prepared as it should have been, and it must do better,” concludes an independent WHO panel
reviewing the pandemic response in an interim
report.

Americas
region experiencing sustained surge in COVID-19 cases with 2.5 million confirmed cases in the last week: PAHO.

Infectious diseases
and livelihood crises lead the rankings of risks expected to pose a critical threat to the world in the next two years, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF).

UPDATE ON KEY TOOLS

Vaccine Development

A candidate COVID-19 vaccine known as
EpiVacCorona,
Russia's second to be registered, proved "100% effective" in early-stage trials, according to Russian consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.

Human trials
of a coronavirus vaccine combining Russia's Sputnik V shot with that developed by Britain's AstraZeneca and Oxford University are expected to start in early February.

Vaccine Access and Delivery

The European Union wants to set up a mechanism that would allow the sharing of surplus vaccines with poorer neighboring states and Africa, the EU health chief said, in a move that may undercut
a WHO-led global scheme.

Equity Issues:
The world is on the verge of a “catastrophic moral failure” as wealthy countries hoard COVID-19 vaccines, WHO chief warned this weekend, lamenting that 39 million+ doses had been rolled out in 49 richer states—while one poor nation had just 25 doses.

Map is for illustrative purposes only and is not an official map. As a result, the map may not represent
boundaries and borders accurately.

Map is for illustrative purposes only and is not an official map. As a result, the map may not represent
boundaries and borders accurately.

Africa

Nigeria
will seek to procure vaccines that are less dependent on cooling facilities, talks are in progress with Russia and India.

African Union
secures 270 Million COVID-19 Vaccines – WHO Says Its Not Opposed To Deals Outside COVAX.

WHO says Africa
to see 1st vaccine doses from COVAX in March.

Europe

The European Commission recommended at least 70% of the European Union’s adult population be vaccinated by this summer.

Britain would give COVID-19 shots to up to 2,000 people working in vaccine supply chains, after AstraZeneca requested protection for its workers.

Serbia
becomes first European country to use Chinese COVID vaccine (Sinopharm) for mass rollout.

Norway
said on Monday it was not changing its policy on the use of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine following reports of deaths in highly frail recipients after the inoculation was
given.

East Asia and Pacific

The Philippines will buy 20 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine, adding to deals for a total of 72 million doses from AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sinovac.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Brazil
clears emergency use of Sinovac, AstraZeneca vaccines and begins nationwide immunization program.

The
Amazonian city of Manaus in Brazil has begun administering Covid vaccines as the city’s health system struggles amid an increase in infections and dwindling oxygen
supplies.

Mexico
aims to administer 7.4 million doses of the Sputnik V Russian COVID-19 vaccine to its people by the end of March, even though the government has yet to approve its use.

Middle-East and North Africa

Palestinians
expect to receive a first batch of COVID-19 vaccine by the weekend.

South Asia

India began world's biggest Covid vaccination program last week. The country of 1.3 billion people hopes to vaccinate 300 million citizens by August.
India’s
COVID-19 vaccination drive was still facing some delays on Sunday after it hit a bump on the first day due to glitches in CO-WIN app used to coordinate the campaign. India, will start exports of COVID-19 vaccines as early as Jan. 20, government sources said.

Diagnostics

Study concludes
that saliva tests for COVID-19 have similar diagnostic accuracy to nasopharyngeal swabs for PCR. These findings support larger-scale research on the use of saliva as an alternative to nasopharyngeal swab.

Treatment and Oxygen

Ivermectin,
an antiparasitic drug with antiviral properties, has shown promise during in vitro studies by inhibiting replication of SARS-CoV-2 in very small concentrations.

Venezuela has sent a convoy
of trucks carrying emergency oxygen supplies for Brazil's northern Amazonas state, where a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has hit hard.

Mobility

The EU’s member states plan to agree by the end of the month on the form of a common vaccination certificate.

Emirates
and Etihad, two of the middle east’s biggest airlines, said they would be among the first companies
to test an application that allows pre-travel verification of coronavirus tests and vaccinations.

Sulzhan Bali
and Akiko Kitamura

On behalf of COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

Thank you and kind regards,

Sebastian

Sebastian Molineus

Regional Director for the South Caucasus

Europe and Central Asia

T
+995 (32) 291 6238

M
+995 (577) 78 7821

M
+1 (202) 492-3914

E
[email-masked]

W
www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca

@smolineus

www.linkedin.com/in/molineus/