HEALTH - The African Mirror

Feb

10

2021

Europe’s oldest person, 117-year-old French nun, survives COVID-19

COVID-19

EUROPE's oldest person, French nun Sister Andre, has survived COVID-19 and will celebrate her 117th birthday this week, her caregivers said. Lucile Randon, who took the name of Sister Andre when she joined a Catholic charitable order in 1944, tested positive for coronavirus in her retirement home in Toulon, southern France, on January 16. She was isolated from other residents, but displayed no symptoms. Asked if she was scared to have COVID, Sister Andre told France's BFM television, "No, I wasn't scared because I wasn't scared to die... I'm happy to be with you, but I would wish to be…

Feb

10

2021

By The African Mirror

How changing blood pressure targets in South Africa could save costs and lives

HEALTH

HIGH blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a serious public health threat globally. If uncontrolled it substantially increases the risk of disability and death from stroke, heart attacks and other cardiovascular conditions. It’s also a huge problem in South Africa – an estimated 35% of people in the country older than 15 have high blood pressure. This is expected to increase as the country’s population rapidly ages over the coming decades. NIKKIL SUDHARSANAN, Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg JUSTINE INA DAVIES, Professor of Global Health, Institute for Applied Research, University…

Feb

09

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa to roll out AstraZeneca vaccine in steps to assess efficacy

COVID-19

JOHN REVILL SOUTH Africa will roll out AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine in a "stepped manner" to assess its ability to prevent severe illness, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, co-chair of South Africa's Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19, said yesterday. South Africa said on Sunday it would put on hold its use of the AstraZeneca shot after research showing it was only minimally effective in preventing mild-to-moderate illness against a variant of the coronavirus now dominant in the country. Professor Salim Abdool Karim Speaking to a briefing of the World Health Organization (WHO), Abdool Karim said it was too early to say whether…

Feb

09

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria to stick with AstraZeneca vaccine

COVID-19

NIGERIA has not yet found the South African variant of COVID-19 in its population and will continue with plans to distribute the AstraZeneca vaccine, the head of the country's primary healthcare agency said yesterday. On Sunday, South Africa said it would put its use of the AstraZeneca shot on hold after research showed it was only minimally effective in preventing mild illness against the coronavirus variant dominant in the country. Faisal Shuaib, director of Nigeria's national primary healthcare development agency, said authorities were diligently searching test samples for the South African strain, and subjecting samples from travellers returning from the…

Feb

09

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa now looks to J&J vaccine

COVID-19

JOHNSON & Johnson will speed up deliveries of its COVID-19 vaccine to South Africa, a senior government official yesteray, after the country suspended plans to roll out AstraZeneca shots due to disappointing trial data. Health ministry Deputy Director-General Anban Pillay told public broadcaster SABC that the first J&J doses could arrive around the end of the week, whereas officials had previously said deliveries would start in the second quarter. J&J said it was in advanced discussions with South Africa about "potential additional collaborations" to combat COVID-19. "We hope to be able to share more details in the coming days," it…

Feb

09

2021

By The African Mirror

S.A. issues vaccine tender

COVID-19

SOUTH Africa's health ministry yesterday called for bids from service providers to import, store and distribute COVID-19 vaccines for the second and subsequent phases of the country's vaccination programme. In the first phase of vaccination, which was due to start this week but has been suspended temporarily, healthcare workers are to be vaccinated. The government said on Sunday it was putting on hold use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by South Africa's dominant coronavirus variant. The country is now waiting to receive deliveries of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, possibly by…

Feb

09

2021

By The African Mirror

Alzheimer’s disease: obesity may worsen its effects – new research

HEALTH

BEING overweight increases the risk of many serious health conditions, including strokes, cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Less well known, perhaps, is the link between being overweight or obese and the health of our brain. Research has shown that a higher body mass index and mid-life obesity are both linked to increased risk of dementia. Some evidence also indicates that obesity and Alzheimer’s disease cause similar brain dysfunctions. MATTEO DE MARCO, Lecturer, Neuroscience of Dementia, University of Sheffield ANNALENA VENNERI, Chair Professor, Translational Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Sheffield Our latest research has now shown that being overweight or obese negatively affects…

Feb

08

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa suspends use of AstraZeneca vaccine

COVID-19

South Africa will suspend use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot in its vaccination programme after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild to moderate infection caused by the country's dominant coronavirus variant. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Sunday the government would await advice from scientists on how best to proceed, after disappointing results in a trial conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand. The government had intended to roll the AstraZeneca shot out to healthcare workers soon, after receiving 1 million doses produced by the Serum Institute of India on Monday. Instead, it will offer vaccines developed by Johnson…

Feb

08

2021

By The African Mirror

Shot can stop severe disease from variant

COVID-19

BRITISH drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Saturday it believed its COVID-19 vaccine developed with the University of Oxford could protect against severe disease caused by the South African variant of the virus. AstraZeneca confirmed that early data from a small trial, first reported by the Financial Times, had shown limited efficacy for the vaccine against mild disease primarily due to this variant. "We do believe our vaccine could protect against severe disease, as neutralising antibody activity is equivalent to that of other COVID-19 vaccines that have demonstrated activity against more severe disease, particularly when the dosing interval is optimised to 8-12…

Feb

07

2021

By The African Mirror

Vatican urges U.N. Security Council meeting on COVID vaccine access

COVID-19

PHILLIP PULLELLA THE charity arm of the Vatican and Roman Catholic Church has urged the United Nations to hold a Security Council meeting to designate the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as a global security issue. An appeal by two senior Vatican cardinals and the secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis (CI) said rich nations had a moral obligation to see that vaccines reach the poor, refugees and minorities. "(We) call for a Security Council meeting to address the issue of access to the vaccines as a global security problem with firm political decisions based on multilateralism," the appeal text said. "This…