END US SANCTIONS ON INTERNATIONAL AID

Report: U.N. food aid to North Korea stalling under restrictions


International food assistance to North Korea may not be reaching women and children amid the pandemic, according to a South Korean press report Tuesday. 

File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo


Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Food aid for North Korean children and pregnant women is being delayed due to an ongoing border closure, according to a South Korean press report.

Newsis reported Tuesday that a source at Seoul's unification ministry said the food assistance from the United Nations' World Food Program is not reaching North Korea's most vulnerable population amid the coronavirus pandemic.

North Korea admits goods across its 880-mile border with China, but in the wake of COVID-19 ,the regime shut its borders. Trade dropped significantly with China in 2020, or by about 80%, according to Seoul's Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.

On Tuesday, Newsis' ministry source said WFP food assistance must take place in accordance with international standards. U.N. officials need access to the country for monitoring purposes, but North Korean restrictions against foreign officers is preventing aid from being tracked, the South Korean source said.

Report of hindrances to food assistance comes after the WFP released a revision to its North Korea Strategic Plan.

"WFP will opportunistically use windows in which food imports are allowed to replenish and optimize in-country stocks and mitigate against import delays," the report read. "However, there is a significant residual risk that, should food imports not be possible, operations will cease in 2021."

The WFP report also said physical monitoring access "remain curtailed" indefinitely due to North Korean measures against the coronavirus.

RELATED Report: North Korea's trade with China declined 80% in 2020 

While a significant number of North Korean children and women are at risk of malnutrition, the Kim Jong Un regime has not stopped using cyberattacks to steal millions of dollars to expand its weapons facilities. NO EVIDENCE OF THAT

Bloomberg reported Sunday that a Nigerian social media celebrity with millions of followers on Instagram has been extradited from Dubai and faces charges in the United States.

Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, who frequently posed before private jets and luxury vehicles, is accused of laundering funds on behalf of North Korean hackers who stole more than $1.3 billion of cash and cryptocurrency, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Abbas was arrested in July, according to the report.

                                             POSTMODERN BANK ROBBER

U.N. expert: Iran committed multiple human rights violations in plane shootdown

Among the victims of the flight, 138 had ties to Canada 

as either citizens or permanent residents 

FROM YEG & TO

Iran's military shot down an Ukraine International Airlines flight in Tehran on Jan. 8, 2020, killing 176 people on board. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA-EFE

Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A U.N.-appointed independent investigator has accused Iran in a condemning letter of committing numerous human rights violations before, during and after its military shot down a Ukrainian airliner early last year, killing 176 people on board.

Released to the public on Tuesday, the damning 45-page letter delivered to Iran in December by Agnes Callamard -- the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution -- details the conclusions of her 6-month investigation into the shoot down, accusing Iran of numerous violations that leave unanswered the question of whether the civilian flight was intentionally targeted.

"I have found no concrete evidence that the targeting of that particular plane was intentional and premeditated. However, the inconsistencies in the official explanation and the reckless nature of the mistakes have led many including myself to question whether the downing of PS752 was intentional," she said during a virtual press conference about her findings.

The letter to Iran sought clarification on several issues but she said she has yet to receive a response.

Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 from Tehran to Kiev was shot down shortly after takeoff by an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defense missile unit on Jan. 8, 2020, amid heightened tensions between the Middle Eastern country and the United States, which had days earlier assassinated in Iraq Qassem Soleimani, the then-head of the IRGC.

Iran for three days after the incident blamed the downed flight on an on board fire before admitting it had been shot down by two missiles launched from a military air defense unit that was placed near the civilian airport.

Tehran in July released a report that blamed the downed plane on "a chain of events initiated by a human error" that included a misalignment of the air defense unit and its operator being unable to communicate with their commanding officer for a matter of seconds before firing at the target they allegedly believed was a missile.

During the virtual press conference, Callamard said the inconsistencies of Iran's official explanation seem "designed to create a maximum of confusion and a minimum of clarity."

"As for the admitted mistakes, these indicate a reckless if not criminal disregard for standard procedures and the principles of precaution, which should have been implemented to the fullest given the circumstances and the location of the unit," she said.

Callamard detailed numerous contradictions and inconsistencies with Iran's explanation, stating Tehran has yet to identify why the missile unit was miscalibrated, why the miscalibration had not been detected and how it led to the plane's targeting.

She also said Iran has failed to explain why this civilian plane was targeted and not others departing and arriving at the civilian airport as well as why a second missile was launched 30 seconds after the first one given that once struck the plane's path and profile would not match the behavior of "a streaking incoming cruise missile."

There is also the inconsistency of Iran claiming the unit had only 10 seconds to decide whether to fire at the target though Callamard's investigation revealed it had at least a 45-second window if not longer to determine that it was a plane.

"Indeed, on the basis of the information received, one may even question whether the order or implicit encouragement by the chain of command [was given] to the crew on the ground to apply lethal force without going through standard procedures and precautionary steps," she said.

Callamard said Iran's failure to thoroughly and adequately investigate the shoot down amounted to a failure to respect the right to life and that there is evidence suggesting it destroyed and failed to protect evidence as it bulldozed the location, which was open to looters.

Tehran also violated the rights of the victims' families, she said, stating that they were subjected to harassment, threat and physical assault by Iranian authorities not only in Iran but in Canada, where many of the victims had ties to.

"The authorities allegedly also denied families access to the crash site and failed to return the entirety of the passengers' belongings to them with the result that many families are left without the smallest mementoes of those who lost their lives," she said, adding that authorities also threatened to withhold the victims' remains from families if they did not publicly declare support for the government.

"Many families were reportedly also denied private funerals. Victims were declared 'martyrs' who died for their country," the letter states. "... It is suggested that the labeling of those who died as 'martyrs' for Iran was forced upon them without their consent."

The letter comes months after Canada's special advisor to Prime Minister Justice Trudeau raised concerns in December over Iran's investigation into the disaster, stating that Tehran's probe "raises obvious concerns about credibility, conflicts of interests and a lack of transparency and accountability."

Among the victims of the flight, 138 had ties to Canada as either citizens or permanent residents though citizens of Iran, Afghanistan, Britain, Ukraine, and Sweden were also on board.

Ex-USA Gymnastics coach Geddert found dead; charged with human trafficking

HERE IS WHERE YOU FIND THE REAL ABUSERS, 

NOT PIZZAGATE

Former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert was found dead on Thursday after being charged with 24 crimes including human trafficking and criminal sexual conduct related to abuse of his students. File Photo by Kimimasa Mayama/EPA-EFE

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach John Geddert died by suicide Thursday after being charged with 24 crimes stemming from alleged sexual, physical and emotional abuse against gymnasts in his care, prosecutors said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement confirming that authorities found Geddert's body late Thursday afternoon after the charges against him were announced.

"This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved," she said.

Geddert, 63, was charged with 20 felony counts of human trafficking for allegedly subjecting his athletes to forced labor or services "under extreme conditions that contributed to them suffering injuries and harm." He was also charged with individual felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, second-degree criminal sexual conduct and continuing a criminal enterprise.

RELATED Pentagon commission on sexual assault to be announced by end of week

The attorney general's office said Geddert "sold his reputation as an Olympic-level coach" and promised to turn students at his gym Twistars into "word-class athletes" and secure them college scholarships but subjected them to "an environment of continued abuse" under the guise of coaching.

"These allegations focus around multiple acts of verbal, physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by the defendant against multiple young women," Nessel said. "I am grateful for these survivors coming forward to cooperate with our investigation and for bravely sharing their stories."

He also faced one charge of lying to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation for false or misleading statements to authorities investigating former Team USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar who was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for sexually assaulting hundreds of girls.

Nassar worked as Geddert's team physician and in-house medical expert at Twistars for 20 years and was the sole medical doctor whose advice he would accept, the attorney general's office said.

The charges filed against Geddert carried sentences ranging from four years to life in prison.

The attorney general's office said the charges against Geddert were unrelated to its ongoing investigation into Michigan State University, which led to charges against Nassar, adding that the investigation remains inconclusive.
RELATED 'Comfort woman' calls for case to be brought to international court



"When this department set out more than three years ago on this investigation, the Trustees stated, 'only a review by our office can resolve the questions in a way that the victims, their families, and the public will deem satisfactory and that will help all those affected by Nassar's horrible crimes to heal," Nessel said. "Yet, if the board does not consent, my office will be forced to close its investigation without a conclusion and you will have shut the door on the pursuit of justice."

THANKS TO THE GOP
Winter storm could be costliest disaster in Texas history
By Mitchell Ferman, The Texas Tribune


Public works crews work to repair broken water lines in Wylie, Texas on February 18. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The winter storm that left dozens of Texans dead, millions without power and nearly 15 million with water issues could be the costliest disaster in state history, potentially exceeding the $125 billion in damage from Hurricane Harvey.

The deadly 2017 hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast region. Last week's winter storm impacted every region of the state, a reason why experts and officials are discussing the possibility of damage and cost exceeding those from Hurricane Harvey.

"All 254 counties will have been impacted in some way by the freeze," said Lee Loftis, director of government affairs for the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. "That is just unheard of."

As of Monday, state agencies reported spending $41 million on the storm, and local governments had spent $49 million, according to Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Department of Emergency Management. Kidd said he expects the state to be reimbursed for 75% of its expenses by the federal government. Only a fraction of local governments reported their spending, and he said the expenses already incurred by state and local governments only account for emergency costs. Kidd has not yet reported the cost of damage to state infrastructure.

RELATED Texas winter storm exposed massive risks for disruption

Loftis said it is too early to tally the total cost of destruction, and state Sen. Jane Nelson, chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee that hosted Kidd on Monday, said the state's share of the financial toll is not yet known. But while state lawmakers over the last decade repeatedly ignored recommendations to protect the state's power grid from extreme weather, they have an opportunity to address the energy and water crises -- and possibly prevent Texans from ever having to again endure days without basic necessities like clean water and working lights.

Lawmakers are in the middle of the 2021 legislative session, where they have been working through issues unrelated to the twin crises since they convened at the Capitol in January. Back then, state Comptroller Glenn Hegar told lawmakers how much money they'd have to spend on a state budget for the next two years.

After a bleak prediction last summer, when Hegar told lawmakers he projected that they would have a $4.6 billion deficit in 2021, Hegar had rosier news for lawmakers in January. Hegar's projection in January was roughly a $1 billion deficit, still a deficit but significantly better than his previous estimate from the summer when the coronavirus was ravaging the economy.

After Hegar told lawmakers how much money they'd likely have to spend, Gov. Greg Abbott, the state House and Senate announced their legislative priorities, focusing on issues such as criminal justice and problems related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Most of Abbott's focus on energy this year before the storm centered on fighting President Joe Biden on energy and climate issues, despite experts saying Biden's moves could help Texas.

Abbott went to the oil-rich Permian Basin in West Texas in January and signed an executive order to "direct every state agency to use all lawful powers and tools to challenge any federal action that threatens" the energy sector in Texas. And he announced his support for legislation that "prohibits cities and counties from banning natural gas appliances."

RELATED NFL's Texans donate $500K to Winter Storm Uri relief efforts in Houston

Then last week's winter storm hit. It exposed problems lawmakers failed to address in previous legislative sessions and showed the vulnerabilities of the state's natural gas system, which was not prepared for the cold.

Now, lawmakers say they will take action.

They have until May to write the state budget for the next two years. Leaders in the state House and Senate have released their preliminary budgets, which did not dedicate money toward the kinds of measures that would prevent another power grid failure.

Abbott has asked lawmakers to reform the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state's power grid operator. He asked lawmakers to mandate the winterization of generators and power plants, a proposal previously floated but not implemented by state leaders in the aftermath of another winter storm in 2011. And Abbott requested that lawmakers provide power companies with funding to make the necessary changes.

But retroactively equipping power plants to withstand cold temperatures is likely to be very difficult and costly, energy experts said. Building energy infrastructure to perform in winter conditions is easier and cheaper, they said.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tuesday released a list of 31 legislative priorities, a mix of newly urgent issues after the storm, familiar topics stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and a host of hot-button conservative issues. Patrick's list was vague and did not provide specifics. Most of his priority bills have not been filed.

It is unclear where the money for storm-related bills would come from. Lawmakers have access to the state's savings account, called the Economic Stabilization Fund or rainy day fund, which has more than $10 billion for them to spend. State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, said Sunday "the rainy day fund should be used to offset increased energy cost for rate payers."

There will be federal assistance for Texas, as Kidd emphasized in Monday's Senate Finance Committee meeting. Texans in more than 100 counties can begin applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency relief totaling $45 billion to $50 billion for the state, according to AccuWeather.

In the same meeting on Monday, Hegar, the comptroller, did not yet have data available on the storm's financial toll, but one point he made was clear.

"Unfortunately," Hegar said, "the last few days have been a black eye on the reputation of Texas."

Disclosure: Independent Insurance Agents of Texas has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune. Find the original here.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

PROLETARIAN PAINTER

Vincent van Gogh painting 

to go on public display 

for first time in 134 years

The 1887 painting was a part of a pivotal period in Vincent van Gogh's painting career in which he began to use a greater variety of color. Image courtesy of Sotheby's

Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A painting of Paris' Montmartre district by Vincent van Gogh will go on public display for the first time next week in Amsterdam ahead of its auction later in March.

The painting, Impasse des Deux Frères et le Moulin à Poivre (Street scene in Montmartre), has been in private hands since its creation in the spring of 1887, according to auction house Mirabaud Mercier. The Paris-based company is joining with Sotheby's to sell the painting in a March 25 auction of impressionist and modern art in Paris.

The landscape depicts a couple and a child on a street in front of the famed Moulin Debray, a 19th century pepper mill that was destroyed in 1911. The mill is seen from the Impasse des Deux Frères, a street atop the hill in Paris known as Montmartre.

"When we saw the painting for the first time, we felt a strong emotion," said Claudia Mercier and Fabien Mirabaud in a statement. "We are happy to present this unique work on the art market today, which has remained in the same family for a century."

Aurélie Vandevoorde and Etienne Hellman, senior directors of the Impressionist and Modern Art department at Sotheby's France, said it's rare for an artwork from this period to have been maintained by the same family and kept private for so long. Most, they said, are kept in prestigious museums.

"The presentation on the market of a painting from this iconic series will therefore undoubtedly be a major event for Van Gogh collectors and for the art market in general," they said.

Van Gogh painted the scene while living with his brother, Theo van Gogh, in Montmartre -- the district in Paris named after the hill. A release from Mirabaud Mercier said the period marks the pivotal moment in van Gogh's career when he began to experiment more with color. His earlier works tended to be darker, using more neutral earth tones.

RELATED Botticelli painting sells for $92M shattering artist's previous record

"Street scene in Montmartre is thus a remarkable testimony to a crucial era in the work of one of the greatest masters of modern art," the release said.

The painting will be on display Monday-Wednesday at Sotheby's Amsterdam; March 9-12 at Sotheby's Hong Kong; March 16-18 at Hôtel Drouot in Paris; and March 19-23 at Sotheby's Paris.

US House passes Equality Act in move to expand LGBTQ protections


Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks alongside fellow Democrats after the House on Thursday voted 224-206 to approve the Equality Act, which aims to close gaps in current federal civil rights laws to protect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The House on Thursday passed one of President Joe Biden's top legislative priorities -- a bill that would extend protections against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill, called the Equality Act, or House Resolution 5, was approved 224-206 in a floor vote.

"It's been long enough. Discrimination against LGBTQ people needs to end. We need the Equality Act to be federal law NOW. This is about respect. This is about pride," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote on Twitter following the vote.

Introduced in the House and Senate last week, the proposal aims to close gaps in current federal civil rights laws to protect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said Wednesday the measure would codify into law the changes to expand discrimination protections for American LGBTQ communities.

"We think that's the right thing to do," he told reporters.

The U.S. Supreme Court extended workplace protections for the LGBTQ community in a ruling last summer, but advocacy groups such as the National Women's Law Center said the language granting those protections are still not spelled out in federal laws.

"These protections would apply in the contexts of housing, public accommodations, credit, federally funded programs (including education) and federal jury service," the NWLC said in a statement.

"In line with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, the Equality Act would make clear that discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in all of these settings is unlawful."

Rep. David N. Cicilline, D-R.I., who introduced the bill in the House, said it would provide protections in employment, education, credit, jury service, federal funding, housing and public accommodations.

"In 2021, every American should be treated with respect and dignity," he said in a statement last week. "Yet, in most states, LGBTQ people can be discriminated against because of who they are, or who they love."

Biden promoted the issue many times during his campaign last year and it is said to be among his top legislative priorities in the early stages of his administration.

The bill faces considerably more uncertainty in the Senate, where Democrats hold a one-vote advantage. They would need, however, several Republicans to vote in favor of the bill to invoke cloture and end a GOP-led filibuster.

"LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. The House just passed the Equality Act. And we're working to pass it in the Senate so President Biden can sign it," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wrote on Twitter Thursday.

University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock, who has opposed the Equality Act in the past, told NPR he supports adding the changes to federal law -- but believes the proposal is too restrictive in allowing people to defend themselves against claims of discrimination.

"It protects the rights of one side, but attempts to destroy the rights of the other side," Laycock said. "We ought to protect the liberty of both sides to live their own lives by their own identities and their own values."

Costco raises its minimum wage to $16 an hour

UNION JOBS WITH BENEFITS! 

TAKE THAT JOE MANCHIN

The move puts Costco's starting wage above rivals such as Amazon, Target and Walmart.

Costco CEO Craig Jelinek said Thursday at a Senate budget hearing the minimum wage for its U.S. hourly employees would increase to $16 next week. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Costco will raise its hourly minimum wage to $16 for U.S. employees amid ongoing debate among lawmakers on raising federal hourly minimum wage to $15.

"Two years ago, we moved our starting hourly wage to $15 everywhere in the U.S. Effective next week, the starting wage will go to $16," Costco CEO Craig Jelinek said during a Senate budget hearing T

Jelinek added that Costco has 180,000 employees across the United States. Employees have the opportunity to receive annual wage increases. The average wage is around $24, which doesn't take into account $2 premium pay employees received during the COVID-19 pandemic and healthcare benefits.

The move puts Costco's starting wage above rivals such as Amazon, Target and Walmart.

Amazon raised its starting wage to $15 in 2018, and Target raised its minimum wage to $15 last year. Walmart, which has an $11 minimum wage, announced last week it would raise its minimum wage for 425,000 store associates working in frontline roles to $13 an hour.

University of Massachusetts economics professor Arindrajit Dube told CNN Business Costco's wage increase would put pressure on rival employers to match it.

The Senate budget hearing -- titled "Should Taxpayers Subsidize Poverty Wages at Large Profitable Corporations?" -- comes amid lawmakers debating a provision to raise the national minimum wage to $15 per hour

The House plans to vote Friday on President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, and while it has enough support to pass in the House, Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have threatened to oppose the stimulus plan over the provision to raise the minimum wage.

Biden has pushed to raise the federal minimum wage for all workers, which has been $7.25 since 2009, and has already raised the federal worker minimum wage to $15 by executive order.

Individually, many states and cities have raised their minimum wages over the past few years amid grassroots advocacy by groups such as One Fair Wage and the Poor People's Campaign.

Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office said raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would boost wages for some 17 million people and raise 900,000 U.S. workers out of poverty, but cost the United States 1.4 million jobs by 2025. MYTHICAL JOBS

Proponents have said unemployment rates were unaffected by minimum wage hikes in cities such as New York City and Seattle. Opponents, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement prior to the pandemic, raising the minimum wage would cause economic disruption for employers, especially small businesses, and have "negative effects on the job opportunities for first time and lower-skilled workers."

Cherokee Nation wants Jeep to stop

using name


Image of a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit. The leader of the Cherokee Nation said last week he wants the company to stop using the name. Photo courtesy Fiat Chrysler

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The Cherokee Nation wants Jeep to change the name of its popular vehicles named after the Native Americans, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskins Jr. said.

Hoskins said it is the time for the automobile company to end using the name, after the NFL team in Washington and Cleveland's Major League baseball team decided to end their use of Native American names.

"I'm sure this comes from a place that is well-intended, but it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car," Hoskins told Car and Driver magazine. "The best way to honor us is to learn about our sovereign government, our role in this country, our history, culture and language and have meaningful dialogue with federally recognized tribes on cultural appropriateness."

Jeep said in a statement it was "committed to a respectful and open dialogue" with Hoskins about the name.

"Our vehicle names have been carefully chosen and nurtured over the years to honor and celebrate Native American people for their nobility, prowess and pride," Rick Deneau, a spokesman for Stellantis, the parent company of the Jeep brand, said. 

BS AND OH BY THE WAY YOU OWE THEM $$$ FOR THE USE OF THEIR BRAND!

Jeep, which has used the Cherokee name since the 1970s, is on the verge of launching a new series of the Grand Cherokee L this year.

The Cherokee Nation, based in Oklahoma, is the largest Native American tribe in the country with 385,000 members. Originally located in the southeastern United States, the nation was forced to relocate to Oklahoma in 1838.

NOTE THE DATE

First real-world study shows Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 94% effective


A medical professional prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at the Qalandiya checkpoint in east Jerusalem, Israel, on Tuesday. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has performed as well in real-world conditions as it did in clinical trials, according to the first study of its kind of the COVID-19 era.

The study examined the vaccine's effectiveness in 600,000 pairs of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, comparing all illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. The study was performed in Israel.

According to the results, the vaccine was found to be effective in about 94% of all people who were inoculated. Clinical trials of the vaccine reported its effectiveness at almost the exact same figure.

"Estimated vaccine effectiveness during the follow-up period starting seven days after the second dose was 92% for documented infection, 94% for symptomatic COVID-19, 87% for hospitalization, and 92% for severe COVID-19," the study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, said.

Senior author Ran Balicer, director of the Clalit Research Institute of Israel, said the results confirmed for the first time the vaccine's effectiveness beyond controlled clinical conditions.

"The vaccine fulfilled the promise that was there," Balicer said. "And it was somewhat of a surprise to see that in a real-world setting, a vaccine was able to perform as well as it did in the very controlled setting of a clinical trial, where cold-chain is perfect and the people are being carefully selected."

Balicer warned that there's potential for a false sense of security. Although the drug proved highly effective among the thousands examined, he said, there were still people who were fully vaccinated and still developed severe COVID-19

"These vaccines are not a force field around you that negates the chance that you will have an illness or that you will have a severe illness," he said. "There is a residual risk.

"And so I think continuing precautions, especially among those populations at risk at a time when community spread is evident and is massive ... would be the prudent thing to do, even for those who are fully vaccinated."

VACCINE NATIONALISM

The vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech is one of two coronavirus vaccines (Moderna) that have been approved for use in the United States. A slightly different vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson is expected to become the third when it's approved by U.S. regulators, which is expected soon.

Other vaccines from Novavax and GSK/Sanofi are also still in development, and one from AstraZeneca and Oxford University has been approved for use in some countries.

THAT 'OTHER' VACCINE

South Korean consortium to make 500 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine

South Korean biomedical firms and the Russian Direct Investment Fund are in discussions for the production of Sputnik V vaccines in Korea for export.

 File Photo by RDIF/EPA-EFE


Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A consortium of South Korean biomedical companies is to manufacture Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.

Industry sources in Korea said the consortium that includes firms Binex, ISU Abxis, Boryung Biopharma, Chong Kun Dang Bio, Quratis, Humendix and Andong Animal Cell Validation Support Center are in negotiations with the Russian Direct Investment Fund over specific production quantities and prices, South Korean news service EDaily reported Thursday.

According to Hankook Korus Pharm, a member of the consortium, South Korean firms are planning to produce at least 500 million doses of the Russian vaccine.

The Russian fund has said one dose of Sputnik V will sell for about $10. South Korean firms will be responsible for manufacturing $5 billion worth of Russian vaccines.

After accounting for production costs, Korean companies are expected to make a 10% to 30% gross profit per dose, according to EDaily.

Russia came under criticism last year after it said in August it had the world's first COVID-19 vaccine before completing Phase III of trials for Sputnik V.

The country's vaccine and claims of a 92% efficacy rate has gained traction in the scientific community, however.

In early February the Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, said Sputnik V had a 91.6% efficacy rate against the novel coronavirus, and a 91.8% rate for vaccine recipients over age 60.

"The development of the Sputnik V vaccine has been criticized for unseemly haste, corner cutting, and an absence of transparency. But the outcome reported here is clear and the scientific principle of vaccination is demonstrated, which means another vaccine can now join the fight to reduce the incidence of COVID-19," the Lancet said.

The Sputnik V doses manufactured in South Korea are not for domestic use. The vaccine is to be exported back to Russia. The doses also will be exported to Iran, Argentina, Algeria, Hungary and the United Arab Emirates, according to EDaily.