HEALTH - The African Mirror

Apr

27

2021

South African study using J&J vaccine will resume

COVID-19

SOUTH African researchers will tomorrow resume a study further evaluating the efficacy of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine in the field, after it was temporarily suspended along with use of the shot in the United States. U.S. regulators recommended pausing the use of the single-shot earlier this month due to extremely rare cases of blood clots but on Friday said the United States could restart vaccinations. Europe's drug regulator has backed its overall benefits against any risk. The Sisonke study is being carried out by the National Department of Health, South African Medical Research Council and Johnson & Johnson among…

Apr

27

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt approves vaccine for emergency use

COVID-19

EGYPT'S drug authority said on Monday it had granted approval to China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. Egypt has so far approved and received shipments of the Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines and has said it is preparing to produce up to 80 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine locally. It has also granted approval to Russia's Sputnik vaccine.

Apr

27

2021

By The African Mirror

Disruptions to immunisation put millions of children at risk – U.N.

HEALTH

MILLIONS of children whose immunisations have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Africa, are now at risk from life-threatening diseases such as measles, polio, yellow fever and diphtheria, U.N. health agencies has warned. Gaps in vaccination coverage have already led to serious measles outbreaks in Pakistan and Yemen, the agencies said, and are likely to lead to more epidemics as more regular childhood vaccinations are missed. Compared to 2020, some progress has been made in restoring routine vaccinations disrupted by the pandemic, but more than a third of the 135 countries that responded to a World Health Organization…

Apr

28

2021

By The African Mirror

New malaria vaccine proves highly effective – and COVID shows how quickly it could be deployed

HEALTH

CORONAVIRUS vaccines have been developed and deployed in record time, but as global rollout has progressed, too few doses have been made available in low-income countries. It’s a stark reminder that when it comes to infectious diseases, the world’s poorest often get left behind. ADRIAN HILL, Director of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford This is a problem that extends far beyond COVID-19. In Africa, for example, malaria has probably caused four times as many deaths as COVID-19 over the past year. Thankfully, our new research shows that an effective vaccine against malaria could now be closer than ever before.…

May

31

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenya extends COVID-19 curfew by 60 days

COVID-19

KENYA has extended its nightly curfew by 60 days to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. The move followed a decision by President Uhuru Kenyatta in late March to extend the 10 p.m to 4 a.m. curfew. A ban on political gatherings and processions that could turn into super spreader events was also extended for 60 days, as was a prohibition on overnight events and vigils, the ministry said. When the first coronavirus cases were confirmed in Kenya in March 2020, the government closed schools, imposed a curfew, banned public gatherings and on multiple occasions…

May

31

2021

By The African Mirror

Egypt lifts coronavirus restrictions

COVID-19

EGYPYT will lift restrictions it imposed earlier this month to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including early closure of shops and restaurants, from June 1, the cabinet said. Since May 6, stores, malls and restaurants had to close by 9 p.m after a rise in infections.

May

30

2021

By The African Mirror

COVID Science: Latest

COVID-19

NANCY LAPID THE following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. India variant shows resistance to antibody drugs, vaccines Antibody drugs and COVID-19 vaccines are less effective against a coronavirus variant that was first detected in India, according to researchers. The variant, known as B.1.617.2, has mutations that make it more transmissible. It is now predominant in some parts of India and has spread to many other countries. A multicenter team of scientists in France studied a B.1.617.2…

Jun

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Don’t panic, says Zim govt

COVID-19

ZIMBABWE’S government has urged citizens not to panic because it had enough COVID-19 vaccines for those needing a second shot after some centres ran out of doses this week and turned people away. The southern African nation, which aims to vaccinate 10 million people by the end of the year, has to date received just over 1.735 million doses from Sinopharm, Sinovac and Covaxin. Some 684,164 people have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while another 364,240 got their second shot. Agnes Mahomva, the national coordinator on government's response to COVID-19, told state broadcaster ZBC that just over…

Jun

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Embassies in Tanzania can import vaccines

COVID-19

TANZANIA has announced that embassies and international agencies can import COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate their citizens and staff against the coronavirus. The move is part of a more proactive approach to tackling the disease following the death in March of President John Magufuli, who underplayed the pandemic and expressed scepticism of vaccines. The announcement came after experts presented President Samia Suluhu Hassan with a plan, including the issuing of vaccines in the country. "President Samia (Suluhu Hassan) said embassies and international organisations have been permitted to import COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate their own nationals and staff to meet their countries…

Jun

04

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Congo faces third wave of coronavirus’

COVID-19

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo is facing a third wave of coronavirus infections, with its epicentre in the capital, Kinshasa, one of Africa's most populous cities, Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani said on Thursday. Like many other African countries, Congo has officially reported relatively few cases and deaths, but health authorities are concerned about a recent spike in infections that saw 243 new cases recorded on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since March. "I officially announce the onset of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in our country, with Kinshasa as its epicentre," Mbungani told reporters. A low vaccination rate and…