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WHO boss’ caution on boosters

WHO boss’ caution on boosters

THE World Health Organisation recommends against using spare doses of COVID-19 vaccine to give booster shots to countries' fully-vaccinated populations since the priority is to ensure the global population is vaccinated, the agency's head said. Speaking in Berlin at the opening of a new epidemic intelligence hub, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries with spare vaccines available to donate any deliveries they received in the near term to COVAX or other initiatives aimed at sharing doses with poorer countries. "For now, we do not want to see widespread use of boosters for healthy people who are fully vaccinated," he said.…
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African Union’s J&J vaccine shipments begin

African Union’s J&J vaccine shipments begin

MAGGIE FICK AFRICAN Union officials have revealed that the body had begun shipping COVID-19 vaccine doses acquired from Johnson & Johnson, but they raised alarm at the pace of total deliveries to a region where only 1.5% of people are fully vaccinated. The AU's COVID special envoy Strive Masiyiwa said the start of the J&J shipments marked a step forward for the continent of more than 1.3 billion people, but in a news conference, he called Africa's situation regarding vaccine deliveries a "crisis". Africa remains in the grip of a third wave of the pandemic, and in the past four…
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Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant or breastfeeding? Experts explain the safety, evidence and clinical trials

Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant or breastfeeding? Experts explain the safety, evidence and clinical trials

TERRA MANCA, Postdoctoral Fellow, Canadian Center for Vaccinology (IWK Health Centre); Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University KARINA A TOP, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University SINCE the COVID-19 pandemic began, public health communications put a special focus on helping high-risk populations, such as seniors, stay safe. Yet, information for pregnant or breastfeeding individuals has been inconsistent and hard to find. Though most pregnant people who become ill with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, pregnancy does increase the risk of being admitted to hospital and intensive care, as well as the risk of preterm birth and dangerously high blood pressure. Click…
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Africa to produce own vaccines

Africa to produce own vaccines

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AFRICA has taken the first step to wean herself from a dependence on the west for vaccines for COVID-19 and other pandemics.  A South African group - The Rubic Consortium - has signed a historic technology transfer and licensing agreement with Dyadic International with the aim of developing and commercializing vaccines throughout the African continent.  The Rubic consortium is made up of Rubic was founded by a consortium of public health, medical, academia, vaccine technology, technology transfer and economic sector experts interested in addressing the region’s specific challenges related to vaccine availability and affordability.  The implementation of the…
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Pfizer raises 2021 COVID-19 vaccine sales forecast to $33.5 billion

Pfizer raises 2021 COVID-19 vaccine sales forecast to $33.5 billion

MANAS MISHRA and MICHAEL ERMAN PFIZER Inc has raised its full-year sales forecast for the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with Germany's BioNTech by 29% to $33.5 billion, as nations stock up on doses for the rest of the year. The company also said it could apply for an emergency use authorization for a potential booster dose as early as August, reiterating that a third shot will likely be needed to enhance protection amid a resurgence in infections in many countries. New early data showed that a third dose generated virus-neutralizing antibodies more than 5 times higher in younger people and…
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Tanzania launches vaccination drive

Tanzania launches vaccination drive

TANZANIA’S President Samia Suluhu Hassan received her COVID-19 vaccine in public, in the most decisive signal yet of a break from the policies of her late predecessor who repeatedly dismissed the threat of the pandemic. Hassan took office after the death in March of former President John Magufuli, who had warned citizens against COVID-19 vaccines and recommended at-home remedies such as steam inhalation. Since then, the government has changed tack: officials now call for social distancing and emphasise mask-wearing in public. In June, Tanzania also joined the global COVAX scheme for sharing vaccines with poorer nations, culminating in the delivery…
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COVID-19 SCIENCE: J&J shot recipients may need a booster, new advice on infected kids

COVID-19 SCIENCE: J&J shot recipients may need a booster, new advice on infected kids

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. Johnson & Johnson shot may need boosting People who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine may need a booster shot to fend off some of the worrisome coronavirus variants now spreading worldwide, a study suggests.A "significant fraction" of blood samples from recipients of the J&J shot had low neutralizing antibody levels against the Delta, Delta Plus, Beta and Lambda variants, according to a report posted on Wednesday on the medical website…
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SA aims to vaccinate 35 million by Christmas

SA aims to vaccinate 35 million by Christmas

SOUTH Africa aims to have given at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to 35 million of its 60 million people by Christmas, a senior health official has disclosed. The Department of Health's Nicholas Crisp added during a briefing to a parliamentary committee that roughly 25,000 vaccine doses had been either stolen or destroyed during riots last week. The country is the worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic on the African continent in terms of recorded infections and deaths, and is experiencing a "third wave" of infections. Its vaccination campaign started slowly due to a mix of bureaucratic failures, bad…
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Tunisia to buy 3.5-million doses of vaccine

Tunisia to buy 3.5-million doses of vaccine

TUNISIA is to buy 3.5-million doses of COVID-19 vaccine directly from Johnson & Johnson, amid sharp criticism of the government for the slow pace of its vaccination campaign. So far, only about 592,000 Tunisians have received the two doses of vaccine in the country of 11.6 million residents. After successfully containing the virus in the first wave last year, Tunisia is grappling with a rise in infections. It imposed a lockdown in some cities since last week, but rejected a full national lockdown due to the economic crisis. In total, Tunisia has recorded 447,000 coronavirus cases and more than 14,000…
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South Africa approves China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

South Africa approves China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

TIM COCKS SOUTH Africa has approved China's Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19, the acting health minister has announced, as the country faces a crippling third wave of infections that has paralysed hospitals and brought its death toll to 60,000. "I would like to express gratitude to our regulatory authority for their sense of urgency, which included reducing turnaround time to process applications for registration of ... (the) COVID-19 vaccine," Mamoloko Kubayi said in a statement. The surge in infections in Africa's most industrialised nation has overwhelmed hospitals, especially in the main city of Johannesburg, and left overworked healthcare personnel struggling to…
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