AstraZeneca vaccine - The African Mirror

Feb

2021

Morocco receives 500 000 doses

MOROCCO received a second batch of 500,000 doses of China's Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine yesterday, part of its national vaccination campaign, health ministry sources said. The 1 million Sinopharm doses add to 6 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by India's Serum Institute which Morocco has received so far. Morocco has ordered 66 million doses of the vaccines, which require two doses per person, under plans to inoculate 80% of its 36 million-strong population for free. By Monday, Morocco had Africa's largest vaccinated population of 1.7 million people. The number of infections had reached 478,595, including 8,491 deaths. Despite a…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa CDC’s guide AstraZeneca vaccine

COVID-19

AFRICAN countries that have not reported the circulation of the 501Y.V2 coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa should proceed with the rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the African Union's disease control body said on Thursday. For countries that have reported circulation of the 501Y.V2 variant, they should accelerate their preparedness to introduce all vaccines that have received emergency use authorisation, Africa CDC Director John Nkengasong told a news conference. "Consideration should be given to the effectiveness of the vaccine against the 501Y.V2 variant," Nkengasong said.

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Morocco receives four million vaccines

COVID-19

MOROCCO received a second batch of four million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine yesterday, having begun Africa's first national vaccination campaign two weeks ago, health ministry sources said. The shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines manufacturd by India's Serum Institute arrived at Casablanca airport yesterday afternoon. "This new batch would enable a steady continuation of Morocco's national vaccination campaign," said Said Afif, a member of the health ministry's scientific committee. The latest batch of AstraZeneca vaccines follows 2 million doses received last month and 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinopharm. By Wednesday Morocco had vaccinated 746,116 people and…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

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.…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

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…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

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…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

eSwatini will not use AstraZeneca vaccine

COVID-19

LUNGA MASUKU eSWATINI will no longer use AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, its health minister said yesterday, after a trial showed it gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 caused by the dominant variant in South Africa. eSwatini, a tiny kingdom formerly known as Swaziland that borders South Africa, was due to receive AstraZeneca doses from COVAX, the global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO). South Africa on Sunday put on hold the rollout of AstraZeneca's vaccine after researchers published preliminary data showing it had significantly reduced efficacy against the more contagious 501Y.V2 variant identified late last year. The…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

COVID-19

HEALTH officials around the world gave their backing to the AstraZeneca vaccine, after a study showing it had little effect against mild disease caused by the variant now spreading quickly in South Africa rang global alarm. The prospect that new variants could evolve the ability to elude vaccines is one of the main risks hanging over the global strategy to emerge from the pandemic. South Africa, where a new variant now accounts for the vast majority of cases, initially announced a pause in its rollout of a million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. But it said on Monday it could…

Feb

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

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…