"Hope", the Senegalese app that saves lives by optimizing blood donations. When emergency blood transfusions are needed in Senegal, too often, doctors have to delve into thick paper registers to find compatible donors - sometimes with deadly consequences for critically ill patients that urgently need transfusions. In the capital, Dakar, two young engineers have developed “Hope”, an application that saves lives by quickly identifying compatible donors for emergency transfusions.

Tal Zaks, chief medical officer for Moderna since 2015, explains the technology behind the firm's Covid-19 vaccine (Credit: Moderna)

Unwrapping the biological secrets behind Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine technology. Moderna’s new Covid-19 vaccine has a myriad of advantages compared to traditional vaccine technologies, with massive implications for mass-production, vaccine cost, and the development of effective immunity against the coronavirus. However, it is still unclear how much the experimental vaccine will cost, says Tal Zaks, chief medical officer for Moderna, in an exclusive interview with Geneva Solutions.

From emergency room to classroom – the double life of Dr Vinh-Kim Nguyen. Geneva’s Global Health Centre co-director Vinh-Kim Nhuyen is accustomed to straddling two worlds – academia and front-line medical work. Trained as a family physician and medical anthropologist, Nguyen spoke with Geneva Solutions about treating the “whole” individual, and informing health policies from the ground up.

New Covid-19 global vaccine facility would include a three-track finance mechanism - but finalizing legal structure is critical. Although 170 countries have already expressed interest in the new WHO-sponsored Covid-19 vaccine facility (COVAX), no firm financial commitments have yet been signed, as the facility lacks a formal legal framework, explains Switzerland’s global health ambassador Nora Kronig.

US Agency investigates Moderna’s patents for allegedly failing to disclose federal support. The US research and development agency (DARPA) is investigating Moderna for allegedly failing to disclose federal funding on its US patent applications, warn civil society advocates. A Moderna spokesperson, however, says otherwise.

EPA/MAST IRHAM

A woman walks past a coronavirus mural as part of the Covid-19 awareness campaign in Jakarta, Indonesia on 2 September. Indonesia recorded 111 new deaths in the past day bringing the coronavirus death toll to 7,616, the highest among the Southeast Asian countries.

8 September | Healthcare for planets and humans: why looking after the environment is good for mind and body. The UK’s Environment Agency chief executive Sir James Bevan, and environmental experts from University College London (UCL), will discuss how governments, businesses, and the public can protect our environment and health.

9 September | Virtual launch event: WHO report on global trans fat elimination 2020. Harmful ‘trans’ fats are one of the main drivers of cardiovascular disease - the leading cause of deaths worldwide. Join WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and former director of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Thomas Frieden, to learn about this past year’s progress to eliminate trans fat consumption, and what still needs to be done.

10 September | Overcoming tobacco industry interference to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Although the tobacco industry has claimed it supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), time and again, it has directly opposed SDG progress. High profile figures from civil society and the United Nations (UN) will shine light on the actions necessary to counter tobacco industry interference.