April, 2021 - The African Mirror

Apr

2021

SA health regulator registers J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine

SOUTH Africa's health regulator has registered Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for deliveries to start in the second quarter. The registration of J&J's vaccine is a boost for the country worst affected by the pandemic on the continent in terms of recorded infections and deaths. South Africa is counting on J&J to supply 31 million doses of its vaccine. J&J said in a statement that the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) had "granted registration with conditions" for its single-dose vaccine. SAHPRA's spokesman confirmed that J&J's vaccine had been registered when called by Reuters. He said…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Pfizer COVID-19 shot 91% effective

COVID-19

CARL O’DONNELL Pfizer Inc and BioNTech have revealed that their COVID-19 vaccine is around 91% effective at preventing the disease, citing updated trial data that included participants inoculated for up to six months. The shot was also 100% effective in preventing illness among trial participants in South Africa, where a new variant called B1351 is dominant, although that rate was derived from a relatively small number of nine infections observed there, which were all in the placebo group, Pfizer said. While the new overall efficacy rate of 91.3% is lower than the 95% originally reported in November for its 44,000-person…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt gets 854,400 doses of vaccine

COVID-19

EGYPT has received 854,400 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as part of the global COVAX agreement, the health ministry said. COVAX was established by the Geneva-based GAVI vaccine alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the equitable distribution of vaccines. The shipment is part of 40 million doses that Egypt is set to receive via GAVI. The AstraZeneca vaccine has received approval for emergency use from WHO and the Egyptian Drug Authority, the ministry spokesman said in a statement. The shipment will be tested in the authority's labs before the vaccination of medical workers, the elderly, and eligible groups…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Vaccine delay could be catastrophic for Africa ‘

COVID-19

INDIA’S temporary hold on major exports of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot will undermine Africa's vaccination plans, and could have a "catastrophic" impact if extended, the head of the continent's disease control body said yesterday. India decided to delay big exports of the shots made in its territory by the Serum Institute of India (SII) to make sure it could meet local demand, two sources told Reuters last week. The hold "will definitely impact our ability to continuously vaccinate people," the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told a news conference in Addis Ababa. The African…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Three takeaways from the George Floyd murder trial

WORLD

Here are three takeaways from yesterday's testimony at the trial of former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin, accused of killing George Floyd, a Black man whose death in May led to protests against racial injustice in cities worldwide: * Floyd's girlfriend Courteney Ross, 45, testified they were a loving couple who struggled with an addiction to painkillers. Chauvin's lawyers argue Floyd's death was the result of an overdose, but the Floyd family's lawyers said in a statement: "Tens of thousands of Americans struggle with self-medication and opioid abuse and are treated with dignity, respect and support, not brutality." Months ago the…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Suu Kyi faces new charge under Myanmar’s secrets act; wireless internet suspended

WORLD

MYANMAR’S deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been charged with breaking a colonial-era official secrets law, the most serious charge against the veteran opponent of military rule, her lawyer disclosed yesterday. Myanmar has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew Suu Kyi's elected government on February 1 citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud in a November election that her party swept. In a new measure to stifle communication about the turmoil, the junta ordered internet service providers to shut down wireless broadband services until further notice, several telecoms sources said. Suu Kyi and other members of her National League…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Brazil’s Bolsonaro seeks police support before elections with reshuffle

WORLD

GABRIEL STARGARDTER PRESIDENT Jair Bolsonaro rattled Brazilian politics and irked military commanders with a major cabinet reshuffle this week but one powerful constituency is thrilled: the police have one of their own running the Justice Ministry. By picking a cop, rather than a lawyer or civil servant, Bolsonaro sent a clear message on law and order in turbulent times, said Wellington Corsino, who leads an association of 134,000 state military police officers. "It's great to have a president who is concerned with public security at this time of disturbance, at a moment of political, social and economic instability," said Corsino.…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Ten years on, a call for justice for the murder of photojournalist Anton Hammerl in Libya

MEDIA FREEDOM

JUST days before the tenth anniversary of photojournalist Anton Hammerl’s death, his widow Penny Sukhraj-Hammerl has launched a campaign to seek justice for his murder. Anton Hammerl was shot and fatally wounded in Libya by forces loyal to Gaddafi on April 5, 2011. He was covering the 2011 Libyan conflict as a freelancer. After a decade with no action, no answers and no accountability, Penny Sukhraj-Hammerl has instructed a legal team from Doughty Street Chambers. Her intention to renew the pursuit for justice for Anton was announced in an online launch and press briefing, hosted by Doughty Street Chambers with…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Book sheds light on apartheid South Africa’s hidden massacre

LITERATURE

APPALLING atrocities occurred under the flag of apartheid as the white minority government sought to impose a racist system on the majority of South African citizens. Many of the atrocities were subsequently investigated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and are now seared into public memory. MIGNONNE BREIER, Honorary Research Associate, School of Education, University of Cape Town But not all. One of the more notable gaps in the country’s collective memory is a massacre that took place in 1952. It was never officially investigated and few people know about it. I set about trying to rectify this in my…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Why parts of Good Friday worship have been controversial

RELIGION

CHURCHES around the world will be holding services for their three most important days during this Holy Week: Holy Thursday, sometimes called Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. JOANNE M. PIERCE, Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross Easter commemorates Christ’s resurrection from the dead, the fundamental belief of Christianity. It is the earliest and most central of all Christian holidays, more ancient than Christmas. As a scholar in medieval Christian liturgy, I know that historically the most controversial of these three holy days has been the worship service for Good Friday, which focuses on the crucifixion…