HEALTH - The African Mirror

Feb

04

2021

Coronavirus: a single ‘escape mutant’ shouldn’t render a vaccine useless

COVID-19

SEVERAL coronavirus variants have emerged in recent weeks that have got scientists worried. The variants, which were first identified in the UK (B117), South Africa (B1351) and Brazil (P1 and P2), have several mutations in the spike protein – the little projections on the surface of the virus that help it latch onto human cells. This protein is the target for all the COVID vaccines currently being rolled out. So will the vaccines protect us from these new variants? SARAH L CADDY, Clinical Research Fellow in Viral Immunology and Veterinary Surgeon, University of Cambridge Viruses are often not very good…

Sep

03

2021

By The African Mirror

SAfrica’s Aspen seeks licence for J&J COVID shot as EU shipments halted

COVID-19

PROMIT MUKHERJEE and MAGGIE FICK ASPEN Pharmacare is in talks to make Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus shot under licence in South Africa, at what would be the continent's first major independent distribution base for a global vaccine against COVID-19, the company has announced. News of the talks coincided with the suspension of heavily criticised shipments to Europe from Africa of the same shot, which is already being made under contract and packaged by Aspen but distributed by J&J. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last month he was "stunned" by that arrangement, since Europe has very high inoculation rates while…

Sep

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenya and Ghana to get vaccines from the US

COVID-19

THE United States will begin shipping more than 2 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine to Kenya and Ghana on Wednesday through the COVAX global distribution program, a White House official said. The United States is sending 880,460 doses to Kenya and 1,229,620 doses to Ghana, the official said, the latest instalments in a U.S. vaccine diplomacy push that has sent vaccines to dozens of countries. The doses will be delivered through the COVAX facility, jointly run by the World Health Organization and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). Africa has lagged sharply behind other regions in vaccinating…

Sep

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Canada to donate vaccines to African countries

COVID-19

CANADA will donate more than 1.3 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to three African countries through the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility, GAVI said on Thursday. Nigeria, Kenya and Niger will receive the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) said. The COVAX facility, backed by the World Health Organization and GAVI, aims to secure 2 billion vaccine doses for lower-income countries by the end of 2021.

Feb

04

2021

By The African Mirror

The role of bias in how women are treated during childbirth: a Kenyan case study

HEALTH

GLOBAL maternal mortality is unacceptably high. Around 810 women die every day from preventable causes related to childbirth and childbirth. PATIENCE AFULANI, Assistant Professor, University of California, San Francisco A number of factors drive maternal mortality. In developing countries it is often due to women not having access to basic health-care during pregnancy and when they give birth. Another contributory factor is the way in which women are treated when they seek care. Read more: What drives abuse of women in childbirth? We asked those providing the care Studies in poor countries have highlighted disparities in respectful and responsive care…

Feb

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Study suggests Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine less effective against S.African variant

COVID-19

KATE KELLAND THE Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may be less able to protect against infection with a South African variant of the virus that has a worrying mutation, according to results of a British study released yesterday. The preliminary data, which have yet to be peer-reviewed and involve a small number of patients, also suggest a significant proportion of people aged over 80 may not be sufficiently protected against new variants of the virus until they have had two doses of the vaccine, researchers leading the study said. "Of particular concern ... is the emergence of the E484K mutation (found in…

Feb

03

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Oxygen, oxygen, oxygen’: Nigeria battles shortages amid COVID-19 surge

COVID-19

LIBBY GEORGE and ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM THE Lagos businesswoman recalled the "horrendous" week she spent in the COVID-19 wing of a city public hospital, where the sense of crisis was lifted only briefly by whoops of joy when a patient secured one of the few available tanks of oxygen. "There was a shortage," the 47-year-old, who did not wish to be named in order to protect the staff who struggled to treat her, told Reuters. "It was discussed all around. It felt like that was the main issue – oxygen, oxygen, oxygen," she said, convalescing in a private hospital to which…

Sep

02

2021

By The African Mirror

Investors follow as COVID-19 pandemic pushes the pace of Africa’s vaccine development for other ailments

COVID-19

CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD AFRICA’S pandemic-induced bid to increase its share of vaccines manufactured in the continent has begun attracting foreign investors. Already, German and Chinese investors have expressed interest in boosting local production capacity both in terms of funding projects and skills transfer in preparation for a vaccine "revolution". Germany-based BioNTech last week affirmed its June plans of bringing its manufacturing to Africa following a meeting with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, Senegal’s President Macky Sall and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. The COVID-19 vaccine maker said it has begun evaluating the possibilities of setting up malaria…

Feb

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Cricket-Australia’s tour of South Africa postponed due to COVID

COVID-19

AUSTRALIA’S cricket tour of South Africa has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia has announced in a statement. Australian players were scheduled to fly out this month for a three-test series in March, but the touring side's cricket board said it had no choice but to postpone the trip due to the South African epidemic. "It has become clear that travelling from Australia to South Africa at this current time poses an unacceptable level of health and safety risk to our players, support staff and the community," CA's interim Chief Executive Nick Hockley said in a statement.…

Sep

02

2021

By The African Mirror

WHO boss’ caution on boosters

COVID-19

THE World Health Organisation recommends against using spare doses of COVID-19 vaccine to give booster shots to countries' fully-vaccinated populations since the priority is to ensure the global population is vaccinated, the agency's head said. Speaking in Berlin at the opening of a new epidemic intelligence hub, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries with spare vaccines available to donate any deliveries they received in the near term to COVAX or other initiatives aimed at sharing doses with poorer countries. "For now, we do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated," he said.…