November 2020 - Online Technical Meeting

Meeting objectives:

  • Update on Covid-19 pandemic: What’s the new normal?

  • Discuss the impact of Covid-19 on WHO cervical elimination goals

  • Impact of Covid 19 on Vaccination
    - Discuss current situation of vaccination programs across different regions in the world.
    - Discuss the impact of Covid-19 on school-based vaccination programs and the strategies to restart the programs.
    - Vaccine implementation in LMICS and coverage in HICs.
    - Impact of Covid-19 on vaccine clinical trials; country examples with ongoing trials, challenges, and strategies to proceed forward.
    - Discuss how the vaccine supply shortage situation will evolve due to the pandemic.

  • Impact of Covid-19 on HPV Screening and Treatment
    - Discuss current situation of screening and treatment programs across different regions in the world.
    - Identify successful programs such as ROSE in Malaysia to discuss how Covid has impacted these programs their adapted strategies and what is the way forward.
    - Discuss self-sampling as an alternate strategy.
    - Discuss strategies to restart screening and treatment in HICs and LMICS.
    - Discuss the supply shortage of HPV assays.
    - HPV assays validation in Covid-19 times; current prospect and challenges.
    - Impact of Covid-19 on HPV screening and treatment Clinical trials; country examples with ongoing trials, challenges, and strategies to proceed forward.
    - Discuss modelling strategies to support decision making: What are the information needs for developing robust and accurate models of pandemic impacts.
    - Reviewing cervical cancer control disruptions in various countries and assess the impact of Covid-19 on vaccination, screening and treatment.
    - Using modelling expertise to determine the intermediate and long term impact of disruptions
    - Using modelling to inform decision-making for optimizing mitigation and recovery strategies.
  • Turning the impact of COVID-19 into a positive pathway for innovation
    - Discuss how Covid-19 can be used as an opportunity to bring more robust techniques to deal with screening and vaccination challenges i.e. mobile clinics, self-sampling, mobile apps, more innovative approaches.

Background document

Thursday, 12 November 2020

SESSION 1: OPENING AND OBJECTIVES
Chairs: Alex Vorsters & Karen Canfell

  • Introduction & Welcome
    Alex Vorsters (University of Antwerp)
    Karen Canfell (Cancer Council NSW)
        (Pdf, Video)
  • Update on Covid-19 pandemic: what’s the new normal?
         Pierre Van Damme (University of Antwerp)
        (Pdf, ​ Video)
       

SESSION 2 (PART 1): IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HPV VACCINATION
Chairs: Pierre Van Damme & Suzanne Garland

  • Guidance for HPV vaccination during Covid-19 pandemic
    Paul Bloem (WHO)
        (Pdf, ​Video) ​

  • Current situation of HPV vaccination programs across different regions in the world

    -   Current Situation of HPV Vaccination Programs in the Americas
    Lucia de Oliveira (Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) 
        (Pdf, ​Video)​
        
    -   Current Situation of HPV Vaccination Programs in Brazil
    Victor Gomes Porto (Ministry of Health Brazil)
        (PdfVideo)​
       
    -   10 years of experience in the delivery of HPV vaccine and COVID-19 Impact on vaccination coverage Rwanda
    Hassan Sibomana (Rwanda Biomedical Centre)
        (Pdf, Video​
      
    -   HPV vaccination programme: Current Situation in England
    Alejandra Castanon (King’s College London)​
        (Pdf Video
       
    -   Current Situation of HPV Vaccination Programs in Japan
    Sharon Hanley (Hokkaido University)
        (Pdf, Video)
       
        
    -  Current situation of HPV vaccination programs across EU countries 
    Hélène De Pauw (Sciensano, Belgium)
        
  • ​Questions & discussions

SESSION 2 (PART 2): IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HPV VACCINATION
Chairs: Margaret Stanley & Kate Cuschieri

  • Interruption of vaccination programs, and strategies to close the immunity gap
    UNICEF – Oya Zeren Afsar
        (PdfVideo) ​
      
  • Lessons learnt from the Ebola outbreak country response, interruption and restarting of vaccination programs - The example of Liberia
    Ado Bwaka (WHO)
        (PdfVideo)
        
  • Questions & discussions
                   
  • Impact of Covid-19 on single-dose HPV vaccination trials; interruption, current situation and way forward
    Aimee Kreimer (National Cancer Institute - NCI)

  • Questions & discussions

SESSION 3: IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HPV SCREENING AND TREATMENT
Chairs: Mario Poljak & Xavier Bosch

  • Current situation of screening programs across different regions in the world
    Laia Bruni (Catalan Institute of Oncology)

  • Interruption in the screening programme

    -   ROSE; Adapted Strategy and Moving forward in the Era of Covid-19
    Yin Ling Woo (University of Malaya) 
        (PdfVideo)
       
    -   HPV screening programme: Current Situation in England 
    Alejandra Castanon (King’s College London)​
        (Pdf Video)
        
    -   Interruption in the Cervical Screening Programme- COVID-19 and Japan​
    Sharon Hanley (Hokkaido University)
        (Pdf)
       
  • Perspectives Against COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on Guidelines
    Murat Gültekin (European Society of Gynaecological Oncology)
        (Pdf​ , Video)
       
  • Questions & discussions

    PANEL DISCUSSION
    Chairs: Anna Giuliano & Eduardo Franco

  • HPV Vaccine supply landscape; current scenario and future perspective
    Tania Cernuschi (WHO)
        (Pdf)
       
  • Environmental Scan: Current Status of new HPV vaccine​
    Peter Dull (Gates Foundation)
        (PdfVideo

  • Breakout session
    HPV assays shortage and HPV vaccine supply constraints; is 2030 elimination target possible?

  • Plenary feedback

Friday, 13 November 2020

SESSION 4: MODELLING STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT DECISION MAKING AND MAKE BETTER HEALTH INTERVENTIONS
Chairs: Freddie Bray and Karen Canfell

  • Overview of the Covid and Cancer Global Modelling Consortium (CCGMC) efforts in relation to cervical cancer
    Karen Canfell (Cancer Council NSW)
        (Pdf, ​ Video)​
        
  • Current challenges in collating and using cancer registry data to inform recovery planning for cervical cancer control
    Freddie Bray (IARC)
        (Video)​
        
  • LMIC Focus: Modelled near term impact of delays in elimination on cervical cancer cases averted and lives saved before 2030
    Kate Simms (Cancer Council NSW)
        (Pdf, ​Video)
        
  • Modelled impact of Covid related disruptions on cervical screening in the USA
    Emily Burger (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
        (Pdf)

  • Modelled impact of Covid related disruptions on cervical screening in the first CCGMC multi-country analysis
    Megan Smith (Cancer Council NSW)
        
  • Panel Discussion (all speakers): Discussion Video
    - What data do we need to inform the modelling of Covid impacts and optimal recovery strategies?
    - What recovery strategies should we prioritize for evaluation?

SESSION 5: TURNING IMPACT OF COVID-19 INTO PATHWAY FOR INNOVATION
Chairs: Paolo Bonanni & Nubia Muñoz

  • Approaches on how to generate a covid free space and re/evaluate the priorities
    Silvia de Sanjosé (National Cancer Institute and PATH)
        
  • Is self-sampling a solution to overcome COVID-19 related decreases in screening coverage
    Marc Arbyn (Sciensano)
         (Pdf, ​Video)​
       
  • GAVI INNOVATION CATALOGUE v1.0: Maintaining, restoring & strengthening immunization 
    Charlie Whetham (GAVI)
        (PdfVideo)​
          
  •  Questions & Discussion

BREAKOUT SESSION

  • Breakout session
    - Lessons learned from this meeting
    - Steps needed for the future
    - How can we make a difference?
  • Plenary feedback

SESSION 6: CONCLUSION
Chair: Alex Vorsters

  • Conclusion and concluding remarks
    Marc Baay (P95)
        (​Pdf)
    Alex Vorsters (University of Antwerp)