AP: Siberians fight the pandemic by giving weary doctors a lift (Alexeyeva, 12/8). AP: Merkel backs tougher virus curbs as German deaths hit record (Moulson et al., 12/9). Borgen Magazine: COVID-19 Showing the Importance of Agricultural Market Resiliency (Friborg, 12/6). Devex: The man behind Africa’s COVID-19 response (Jerving, 12/9). Devex:…

AP: ‘Route out’ of pandemic: U.K. gives 1st COVID-19 vaccine doses “A retired British shop clerk received the first shot in the country’s COVID-19 vaccination program Tuesday, signaling the start of a global immunization effort intended to offer a route out of a pandemic that has killed 1.5 million. Margaret…

ABC News: Experts are homing in on an influenza vaccine that could last a lifetime (Afrahimi, 12/7). Al Jazeera: Bangladesh moves Rohingya to remote island (Ghani, 12/7). AP: Yemen ‘on edge of precipice’ as UNICEF launches aid appeal (Federman, 12/7). AP: ‘Nobody knows’: Experts baffled by mystery illness in India…

The Atlantic: Vaccine Nationalism Is Doomed to Fail “After nearly a year of waging a ‘war’ on the coronavirus, many countries are poised to declare victory. … Many of these vaccines, and the ongoing trials for potential alternatives, have benefited from huge levels of government investment — much of it…

AP: Hundreds ill, 1 dead due to unidentified disease in India (12/7). Financial Times: What HIV taught Matshidiso Moeti about Covid-19 (Gross, 12/5). Health Policy Watch: Economic Benefits Of ACT Accelerator Outweigh Costs, Says Eurasia Group (Santos, 12/4). New York Times: Why Melinda Gates Spends Time ‘Letting My Heart Break’…

AP: U.K. gears up for huge vaccination plan watched by the world “Shipments of the coronavirus vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech were delivered Sunday in the U.K. in super-cold containers, two days before it goes public in an immunization program that is being closely watched around…

AP: U.K. defends vaccine decision amid criticism it moved too fast “U.K. regulators went on the offensive Friday to beat back criticism that they rushed their authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine, saying they rigorously analyzed data on safety and effectiveness in the shortest time possible without compromising the thoroughness of…

Devex: U.K. withheld information about aid program cuts from NGOs and contractors “The U.K. government withheld information on development program cuts from NGOs and contractors despite promises to work ‘openly and pragmatically’ with suppliers during the pandemic, according to the public aid watchdog. Delays in deciding which development programs should…

POLITICO: U.K.’s speedy coronavirus vaccine approval sparks hope (and questions) “The world is watching the U.K. — and this time not for the Brexit drama. Excited webinars, press conferences, and briefings Wednesday offered a first glimpse of what is likely to become the next big challenge for countries all over…

The Guardian: Cutting U.K. overseas aid could harm the fight against future pandemics Matthew Baylis, director of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) HORN project and professor of veterinary epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, and Fiona Tomley, director of the GCRF One Health poultry hub, professor of experimental parasitology…