HEALTH - The African Mirror

Jan

09

2021

Vaccine appears effective against new variants

COVID-19

MICHAEL ERMAN PFIZER Inc and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine appears able to protect against a key mutation in the highly transmissible new variants of the coronavirus discovered in Britain and South Africa, according to a laboratory study conducted by the U.S. drugmaker. The study by Pfizer and scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, indicated the vaccine was effective in neutralizing variants with the so-called N501Y mutation, situated on a portion of the virus that it uses to enter and infect cells. All of the vaccines already approved or in development use this outer…

Jul

19

2022

By The African Mirror

Technology and home visits can help South Africans with diabetes cope with insulin

HEALTH

APPROXIMATELY 4.5 million South Africans have type 2 diabetes – a condition characterised by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can be treated with drugs and managed through healthy eating and exercise. But if it’s not managed well, it can be life-threatening. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in South Africa. Blood sugar levels rise to dangerous levels when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar in the body. Authors PATRICK NGASSA PIOTIE, Project Manager, Tshwane Insulin Project, University of Pretoria ELIZABETH M. WEBB, Associate professor, University…

Jan

09

2021

By The African Mirror

WHO chief says ‘clear problem’ poorer nations not getting COVID-19 vaccines yet

COVID-19

THE head of the World Health Organization says there is a "clear problem" that low and middle income countries are not yet receiving supplies of COVID-19 vaccines. "Rich countries have the majority of the supply," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing in Geneva, adding that he urged countries and manufacturers to stop making bilateral deals at the expense of the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility.

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Mozambique wants vaccine for 20% of population

COVID-19

MOZAMBIQUE has applied to access COVID-19 vaccines through the global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization, giving it the option to buy doses for at least 20% of its population, President Filipe Nyusi has announced. As a low-income country, Mozambique qualifies for subsidised vaccines under the COVAX facility, which aims to make available 2 billion doses of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. "We have applied to the COVAX programme and we expect to get the vaccine to vaccinate 20% of vulnerable people", Nyusi said in an address to the nation. Health minister…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Sudan lifts ban on travel

COVID-19

SUDAN has lifted a ban on travellers coming from Britain, the Netherlands and South Africa as of Wednesday until April 11, the country's civil aviation authority said in a statement. The country imposed the ban on December 23 due to the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus in the three countries. Instead of the ban, travellers from the three countries have to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in Sudan, and must report any disease symptoms to health officials, the authority said. All travellers coming from abroad must have a certificate showing a negative test for COVID-19 issued…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

J&J COVID-19 vaccine on track for rollout

COVID-19

JULIE STEENHYSEN JOHNSON&JOHNSON is on track to roll out its single-shot coronavirus vaccine in March, and plans to have clear data on how effective it is by the end of this month or early February, the U.S. healthcare company's chief science officer said. Dr. Paul Stoffels in an interview also said J&J expects to meet its stated target of delivering one billion doses of its vaccine by the end of this year as the company ramps up production. The New York Times has reported that J&J was experiencing manufacturing delays that would reduce the number of doses initially available. Stoffels…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Data on AstraZeneca vaccine and S.African variant should come soon – UK expert

COVID-19

DATA on the highly contagious COVID-19 variant identified in England do not suggest that vaccines will be less effective against it, while data on the South African variant should be available within weeks, a top British vaccines expert has said. "We have the most data on the UK variant. That doesn't suggest that it will be any less well protected against by the vaccine," said Wei Shen Lim, chair of Covid-19 Immunisation on Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Asked specifically about the South African variant, he said that Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine trials had been conducted in South Africa which…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal in talks to buy vaccine from China

COVID-19

SENEGAL is in talks to buy at least 200,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine developed by China's Sinopharm, Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr has announced. Senegal this month said it would buy extra vaccines to complement those it will get through the World Health Organization-backed COVAX scheme, which aims to deliver 1.3 billion doses this year to 92 low- and middle-income nations. A deal with Sinopharm could help Senegal start vaccinations before COVAX kicks in, a small boost for a country where cases this month have surged to record highs and intensive care beds are full. But it would cover…

Jan

13

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria working procuring vaccines

COVID-19

CHIJIOKE OHUOCHA NIGERIA is working on what type and quantity of COVID-19 vaccines to procure and will make financial provision for them in its 2021 budget, Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed has said. Africa's most populous nation has not been as hard-hit by the pandemic as others on the continent, such as South Africa, but it is in the grip of a second wave of infections. Nigerian authorities have previously said the country is working with the COVAX programme backed by the World Health Organization and expects to receive its first doses in January. Ahmed said the finance and health ministries…

Jan

13

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal’s hospitals stretched

COVID-19

EDWARD McALLISTER and DIADIE BA SENEGAL is rushing to provide more hospital beds for coronavirus patients as infections soar and a lack of capacity means doctors are only able to admit the most severe cases, health officials said. A second wave of new infections and deaths hit record highs this month, forcing President Macky Sall to reimpose a state of emergency that bans gatherings and enforces mask-wearing. Doctors hope that will buy authorities enough time to install new facilities and reopen health centres that were active during the first wave last year but were shuttered as cases dropped in the…