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Feb
12
2021
By The African Mirror
Kenya moves ahead with AstraZeneca

Kenya moves ahead with AstraZeneca

COVID-19
KENYA is going ahead with its plan to inoculate its citizens against COVID-19 using a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, a senior health ministry official said yesterday, dismissing concerns over its efficacy. South Africa paused the rollout of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University following a small clinical trial that showed it offered minimal protection against mild to moderate illness from the 501Y.V2 variant dominant in the country. That move will not deter Kenya, which says it expects to receive 24 million doses of the vaccine beginning this month, said Mercy Mwangangi, the chief administrative secretary at the ministry.…
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Feb
12
2021
By The African Mirror
COVID-19: What you need to know

COVID-19: What you need to know

COVID-19
HERE's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: UK variant 'likely to sweep the world' The coronavirus variant first found in the British region of Kent is a concern because it could undermine the protection given by vaccines against developing COVID-19, the head of Britain's genetic surveillance programme said. The variant was dominant in Britain and was likely to sweep the world "in all probability", she said. Sharon Peacock, director of the COVID-19 Genomics UK consortium, told the BBC: "What's concerning about this is that the 1.1.7. variant that we have had circulating for some weeks and…
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Feb
12
2021
By The African Mirror
Not perfect, but saves lives, AstraZeneca says of COVID-19 vaccine

Not perfect, but saves lives, AstraZeneca says of COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19
PUSHKALA ARIPAKA and LUDWIG BURGER ASTRAZENECA’S COVID-19 vaccine is not perfect but will have a big impact on the pandemic, its chief executive predicted on Thursday, as the drugmaker pledged to double supplies to more than 200 million doses per month by April. The two-dose shot, developed with Oxford University, has been hailed as a "vaccine for the world" because it is cheaper and easier to distribute than some rivals. But its rapid approval in Europe and elsewhere has been clouded by doubts over its most effective dosage and interval between doses. Data at the weekend also showed it was…
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Aug
05
2021
By The African Mirror
Five ways Uganda’s health teams provided HIV care in lockdown

Five ways Uganda’s health teams provided HIV care in lockdown

HEALTH
UGANDA is currently in a partial country-wide lockdown. The “second wave” of coronavirus infections has been especially unforgiving. There is no household in Uganda I know of that has not been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media posts are awash with reports of death. Hundreds of lives cut short in their prime. It is no longer a story about the elderly. The frequency of death announcements in the national newspapers is truly unprecedented. HENRY ZAKUMUMPA, Health Systems Researcher, Makerere University Earlier this year, the world watched as funeral pyres burned across India. At the time, the ravages of the…
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Feb
11
2021
By The African Mirror
S.Africa secures millions of Pfizer, J&J vaccine doses to fight COVID variant – Ramaphosa

S.Africa secures millions of Pfizer, J&J vaccine doses to fight COVID variant – Ramaphosa

COVID-19
SOUTH Africa has secured millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines to fight the highly infectious COVID-19 variant that is dominant in the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa said tonight. During an annual state of the nation address, Ramaphosa said South Africa has secured 9 million doses of the J&J vaccine, of which 500,000 would arrive over the next four weeks so authorities could start vaccinating health workers. Another 20 million Pfizer doses were also on their way, he said. In addition, the World Health organisation-backed COVAX facility would provide 12 million vaccine doses, Ramaphosa said. South Africa…
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Aug
05
2021
By The African Mirror
COVID-19 herd immunity? It’s not going to happen, so what next?

COVID-19 herd immunity? It’s not going to happen, so what next?

COVID-19
ANY notion that COVID-19 was going to last for just a few months was very much misplaced in 2020. Especially after it was recognised that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was largely spread through the airborne route, all indications were that it would cause repeat bouts of waves. This is what happened in the flu epidemic of 1918. SHABIR A. MADHI, Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand In addition, very few scientists predicted that we would see the…
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Feb
11
2021
By The African Mirror
Explainer: how South Africa regulates medicines and vaccines

Explainer: how South Africa regulates medicines and vaccines

HEALTH
COVID-19 has raised public awareness about the role of national medicines regulatory authorities in enabling access to safe, effective and quality-assured medicines. This includes vaccines. ANDY GRAY, Senior Lecturer, Division of Pharmacology, University of KwaZulu-Natal In South Africa, the pandemic has also exposed a number of important misperceptions, among the public and health professionals. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority is responsible for monitoring, evaluating, investigating, inspecting and registering all health products. These include medicines for human and animal use, medical devices and diagnostic tests. The authority is an independent structure, located outside the Department of Health and the…
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Feb
11
2021
By The African Mirror
WHO gives AstraZeneca the greenlight

WHO gives AstraZeneca the greenlight

COVID-19
STEPHANIE NEBEHAY, KATE KELLAND and JOHN MILLER ASTRAZENECA’S COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective and should be deployed widely, including in countries where the South African variant of the coronavirus may reduce its efficacy, a World Health Organization panel said yesterday. In interim recommendations on the shot, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) panel said the vaccine should be given in two doses with an interval of 8 to 12 weeks, and should also be used in people aged 65 and older. Even in countries such as South Africa, where questions have been raised about the AstraZeneca…
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Feb
11
2021
By The African Mirror
South Africa aims to immunise 500,000 health workers in J&J study, scientist says

South Africa aims to immunise 500,000 health workers in J&J study, scientist says

COVID-19
WENDELL ROELF  SOUTH Africa aims to immunise between 350,000 and 500,000 health workers with Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine in an "implementation study" to further evaluate the shot, the president of the country's Medical Research Council said. Glenda Gray, co-lead investigator on the local leg of a J&J global trial, told Reuters South Africa expected to get batches of around 80,000 doses every seven to 14 days for the study, once it is approved. The implementation study would be aimed at further evaluating J&J's vaccine in the field and would be akin to a phase IIIb study, Gray said. J&J's…
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