COVID-19 - The African Mirror

Nov

16

2020

J&J starts two-dose trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate

COVID-19

KATE KELLAND JOHNSON & JOHNSON has launched a new large-scale late-stage trial to test a two-dose regimen of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine and evaluate potential incremental benefits for the duration of protection with a second dose. The U.S. drugmaker plans to enrol up to 30,000 participants for the study and run it in parallel with a one-dose trial with as many as 60,000 volunteers that began in September. The UK arm of the study is aiming to recruit 6,000 participants and the rest will join from other countries with a high incidence of COVID-19 cases such as the United States,…

Oct

31

2020

By The African Mirror

WHO scheme may compensate people in poor countries against COVID vaccine side-effects

COVID-19

A vaccine scheme co-led by the World Health Organization is setting up a compensation fund for people in poor nations who might suffer any side-effects from COVID-19 vaccines, aiming to allay fears that could hamper a global rollout of shots. The scheme is being set up by the promoters of the COVAX vaccine facility, which is co-led by the WHO and GAVI, a vaccine alliance, a COVAX document published on Thursday said. The scheme could foot the bill for 92 low-income countries, meaning their governments would temporarily not be liable for claims from patients should anything go unexpectedly wrong. However,…

Oct

31

2020

By The African Mirror

Kenya joins global trial of Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19

KENYA has joined the global clinical trial of Oxford University's vaccine candidate against the new coronavirus, the state medical research institute has announced. The vaccine candidate, known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, has been developed jointly with AstraZeneca and is being evaluated in four countries: Britain, South Africa, Brazil and now Kenya. "To ensure that Kenyans can benefit... if it proves to be successful, it is important to assess its performance among Kenyan volunteers," the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) said in a statement. KEMRI has already vaccinated the first volunteers after receiving the receiving the required regulatory and ethical approvals, it…

Oct

30

2020

By The African Mirror

Tunisia bans internal travel to contain pandemic

COVID-19

TUNISIA has banned travel between the country's regions, suspended schools and public gatherings and extended a curfew, as it tried to contain a rapid surge of COVID-19 cases with hospitals nearly full. Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi has said Tunisia cannot afford a second lockdown with the government already fighting the central bank over a projected deficit double what it had originally foreseen. However, after successfully containing the coronavirus in the spring and summer, Tunisia is now experiencing a very rapid spread of the disease with more than 55,000 cases and intensive care units full in some…

Oct

30

2020

By The African Mirror

Activists urge ‘Big Pharma’ to be transparent on COVID-19 vaccine costs

COVID-19

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY ACTIVISTS called on pharmaceutical companies to be transparent about the costs and terms of providing COVID-19 vaccines, saying they must be available and affordable for all. French drugmaker Sanofi and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline said they would supply 200 million doses of their COVID-19 candidate vaccine to the global COVAX vaccine facility backed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the GAVI vaccine alliance. Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) demanded the two companies provide details around price, supply and distribution of any vaccine proven safe and effective. "Pharmaceutical corporations Sanofi and GSK must sell their vaccines at-cost and open…

Oct

30

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Africa must prepare for second COVID wave’

COVID-19

GUILIA PARAVICINI and DUNCAN MIRIRI COVID-19 cases are accelerating in some parts of Africa and governments should step up preparations for a second wave, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. Over the past four weeks, cases have increased by 45% per week on average in Kenya, by 19% in the Democratic Republic of Congo and by 8% in Egypt, the African Union-run organisation's head John Nkengasong said. "The time to prepare for a second wave is truly now," he said, urging governments "not to get into prevention fatigue mode." The continent of 1.3 billion people…

Oct

30

2020

By The African Mirror

Algerian president’s health condition ‘stable’, presidency says

COVID-19

ALGERIA’S President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's health condition is "stable and does not cause concern", the presidency said on Thursday, a day after being flown to Germany for medical checks. "His medical staff is optimistic as to the results of checks," it said in a statement. Tebboune, 75, had entered a military hospital in Algiers after senior aides tested positive for COVID-19. - Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Oct

29

2020

By The African Mirror

Tunisia says COVID spread ‘very dangerous’ with new curbs expected

COVID-19

TUNISIA says that the coronavirus pandemic had become "very dangerous" with 2,125 new infections and 52 deaths recorded in the past 48 hours, and new restrictions were expected to be announced within hours. The total death toll now exceeds 1,150 with 55,000 cases and medical sources told Reuters intensive care units in most state hospitals had reached maximum capacity. Health Ministry spokeswoman Nassaf ben Alaya said that the situation had become "very dangerous". Ministry official Faisal ben Saleh told reporters that the number of deaths was expected to double next month. New curbs were expected, but no full lockdown, he…

Oct

29

2020

By The African Mirror

Algerian leader flies to Germany for ‘medical checks’ after isolating for COVID

COVID-19

ALGERIAN President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been transferred to Germany for medical checks, days after senior aides tested positive for COVID-19 and he went into hospital, state media has reported. Tebboune, 75, has been in office for less than a year after winning an election to replace the veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was ousted during mass protests last year. He said on Saturday he was self isolating after senior government aides had fallen sick and on Tuesday state media said he had been admitted to a specialised treatment unit in an army hospital, without saying if he had COVID-19. "I…

Oct

28

2020

By The African Mirror

Algeria’s president enters specialised treatment unit, his condition is stable – statement

COVID-19

ALGERIA’S president has entered a specialised treatment unit at an army hospital, but his health condition is stable and does not cause any concern, a statement from the presidency said. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, 75, had decided to put himself in isolation a few days ago after his top aides contracted COVID-19. It was not immediately clear if his admission to the hospital was linked to the coronavirus. - Thomson Reuters Foundation.