COVID-19 vaccine - The African Mirror

Sep

2020

Africa to get 230-million doses of new COVID-19 vaccine

GEORGE OBULUTSA and DUNCAN MIRIRI THE World Health Organization wants to secure an initial 230-million doses of any COVID-19 vaccine for Africa, officials have announced, while emphasising that any vaccine in development should also be tested on the continent. The global vaccine allocation plan, called COVAX, aims to help buy and fairly distribute deliver 2-billion doses of approved vaccines by the end of 2021. "This ... (initial batch) will cover 20% of the African population, initially prioritising those who are the front line, health care workers, then expanding to cover vulnerable groups," Richard Mihigo, the programme area manager for WHO…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

The importance and role of communication during epidemics in Africa

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PHUMLA WILLIAMS THE absence of a COVID-19 vaccine elevates prevention measures as a country’s first line of defence against the onslaught of the virus. To create awareness of these measures and effect behaviour change, reliable information needs to be shared with citizens so that they can make informed decisions on protecting themselves and their families. Communication that provides accurate, useful, and up-to-date information has become an essential tool in a country's mitigating strategy. The pandemic has however changed the way that many governments engage with their citizens as face-to-face interactions are limited due to the nature of the virus. At…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Steroids cut COVID-19 death risk; hepatitis C drugs may help fight the coronavirus

HEALTH

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. Steroids reduce death risk from severe COVID-19 Treating critically ill COVID-19 patients with corticosteroid drugs reduces the risk of death by 20% regardless of which steroid is used, according to an analysis of seven international trials published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The analysis, which pooled data from separate trials of low dose hydrocortisone, dexamethasone and methylprednisolone, found that they improve survival…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Russia to begin COVID-19 vaccine trials on 40,000 people next week

WORLD

MASS testing of Russia's first potential COVID-19 vaccine to get domestic regulatory approval will involve more than 40,000 people and will be overseen by a foreign research body when it starts next week, backers of the project have announced. These were the first details on the shape and size of the upcoming late-stage trial of the vaccine given by its developers, who are aiming to allay concerns among some scientists about the lack of data provided by Russia so far. The vaccine, called "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite launched by the Soviet Union, has been hailed…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Novavax begins mid-stage study of COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa

COVID-19

U.S. drug developer Novavax Inc said on Monday that it is starting a mid-stage study of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa, as the country experiences a surge in coronavirus cases. The Phase 2b trial study of NVX-CoV2373 will be conducted on about 2,665 healthy adults and will evaluate the safety and immunogenicity in about 240 medically stable, HIV-positive adults, the company said in a statement. "Because South Africa is experiencing a winter surge of COVID-19 disease, this important Phase 2b clinical trial has the potential to provide an early indication of efficacy, along with additional safety and immunogenicity…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Seven African countries to start testing for COVID-19 antibodies

COVID-19

GIULIA PARAVICINI SEVEN African countries will start administering coronavirus antibody tests from next week, as part of efforts to understand the extent of the outbreak on the continent. "Liberia, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco are the first set of countries that committed to it," said John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, based in Addis Ababa. Western governments are using antibody tests to find out how many of their citizens have been infected, in the hope that will help them reopen their economies. Africa has so far conducted 9.4 million coronavirus tests, a…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Germany says Russian COVID-19 vaccine has not been sufficiently tested

COVID-19

GERMAN Health Minister Jens Spahn says Russia's COVID-19 vaccine had not been sufficiently tested, adding the aim was to have a safe product rather than just being first to start vaccinating people. President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Russia had become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing. Moscow's decision to grant approval before final trials have been completed has raised concerns among some experts. "It can be dangerous to start vaccinating millions, if not billions, of people too early because it could pretty much kill the…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Russia approves world’s first COVID-19 vaccine

NEWS

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin has revealed that Russia had become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess. The development paves the way for the mass inoculation of the Russian population, even as the final stage of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue. The speed at which Russia is moving to roll out its vaccine highlights its determination to win the global race for an effective product, but has stirred concerns that it may…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Russia to deliver COVID-19 drug to S.Africa

NEWS

RUSSIA has signed deals to supply South Africa and seven Latin American countries with an anti-viral drug Russian authorities have approved to treat COVID-19, its sovereign wealth fund has said. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said that at least 150,000 packs of the drug, known as Avifavir, would be sent to Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay and Uruguay. The drug will also be supplied to South Africa, RDIF said in a statement. Technology to make the drug would be transferred to Bolivia's Sigma Corp S.R.L. for it to be produced locally, RDIF said. The Russian health ministry…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Africa’s research capacity is growing

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

SAM KINYANJUI, Head of Training & Director, IDeAL, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme SHARON FONN, Professor of Public Health; Co-Director Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa; Panel Member, Private Healthcare Market Inquiry, University of the Witwatersrand The COVID-19 pandemic has put global emergency preparedness under sharp scrutiny. It’s also placed national health systems’ capacity to predict and respond to major emergencies under the microscope. Much of the response to the pandemic is focused on testing, case management and control measures such as personal hygiene, quarantine and social distancing. But in most African countries, these measures are not backed by…