COVID-19 vaccines - The African Mirror

Dec

2020

WHO hopes to have 500 mln vaccine doses via COVAX scheme in Q1 2021 -chief scientist

THE World Health Organization hopes to have half a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines available for distribution by the global COVAX initiative in the first quarter of 2021, its chief scientist has said. To date 189 countries have joined the COVAX programme, which is backed by the WHO and seeks to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines. The United States is not among them, having secured bilateral deals. The initial COVAX plan is to vaccinate the 20% of populations at highest risk, including health workers and people aged over 65. "The goal is to get at least 2 billion doses by…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

South Africa expects first vaccines from COVAX scheme in Q2 2021

COVID-19

SOUTH Africa expects to receive its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from the global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization in the second quarter of next year, the health ministry said. The ministry added in a statement that it was on track to sign an agreement with the COVAX program by December 15, by which date it would also make the first tranche of payment. South Africa has recorded more than 800,000 coronavirus infections and over 21,000 deaths related to COVID-19, the most on the African continent. The country is seeking to buy vaccines for 10% of…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Promise of COVID vaccines is ‘phenomenal’, WHO says

COVID-19

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY THE promise of COVID-19 vaccines is "phenomenal" and "potentially game-changing", Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's regional director for Europe, told a briefing. Speaking from Copenhagen, he said supplies were expected to be very limited in the early stages and countries must decide who gets priority, though the WHO said there is "growing consensus" that first recipients should be older people, medical workers and people with co-morbidities. Britain approved Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, jumping ahead of the rest of the world in the race to begin the most crucial mass inoculation programme in history. Prime Minister…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

EXPLAINER-When and how will COVID-19 vaccines become available?

COVID-19

JULIE STEENHUYSEN nad CARL O’DONNELL BRITAIN has become the first Western country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, jumping ahead of the United States and Europe after its regulator cleared a shot developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use in record time. Pfizer, with partner BioNTech SE, and rival Moderna have released trial data showing their COVID-19 vaccines to be about 95% effective at preventing the illness, while AstraZeneca last month said its vaccine was on average about 70% effective. The companies have said distribution could begin almost immediately after any approval, with governments around the world to decide who…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

EXPLAINER – When and how will COVID-19 vaccines become available?

COVID-19

JULIE STEENHUYZEN and CARL O’DONNELL PFIZER Inc with partner BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc have released trial data showing their COVID-19 vaccines to be about 95% effective at preventing the illness, while AstraZeneca Plc this week said its vaccine could be up to 90% effective. If regulators approve any of the vaccines in coming weeks, the companies have said distribution could begin almost immediately with governments around the world to decide who gets them and in what order. The following is an outline of the process: WHEN WILL COMPANIES ROLL OUT A VACCINE? Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have already started…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

UNICEF says to ship 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines to poor nations in 2021

COVID-19

LIN TAYLOR NEARLY 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be shipped and flown to developing countries next year in a "mammoth operation", the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said on Monday, as world leaders vowed to ensure the fair distribution of vaccines. UNICEF said it was working with over 350 airlines and freight companies to deliver vaccines and 1 billion syringes to poor countries such as Burundi, Afghanistan and Yemen as part of COVAX, a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan with the World Health Organization (WHO). "This invaluable collaboration will go a long way to ensure that enough transport capacity is…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

WHO says vaccinating 20% of Latin America and Caribbean to cost more than $2 billion

WORLD

ANTHONY BOADLE VACCINATING 20% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean against COVID-19 will cost more than $2 billion but low-income countries will be helped by the COVAX Facility led by the World Health Organization, its regional branch said on Wednesday. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), COVAX aims to deploy at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. "This is a remarkable figure. But we also know that it won't be sufficient to vaccinate everyone, at least not at first," , PAHO Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa said. PAHO is working…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Life and livelihoods go together in fighting COVID-19, says WHO

COVID-19

THE World Health Organization (WHO) says the challenge of the coronavirus was not a choice between life and livelihoods, but that they were both part of the same fight. It also said there was no time for complacency in confronting the coronavirus despite positive news about possible vaccines. "The quickest way to open up economies is to defeat the virus," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing in Geneva. He said G20 leaders would meet this weekend, giving them an opportunity to commit financially and politically to the COVAX global facility, set up to provide COVID-19 vaccines to…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

WHO scheme may compensate people in poor countries against COVID vaccine side-effects

COVID-19

A vaccine scheme co-led by the World Health Organization is setting up a compensation fund for people in poor nations who might suffer any side-effects from COVID-19 vaccines, aiming to allay fears that could hamper a global rollout of shots. The scheme is being set up by the promoters of the COVAX vaccine facility, which is co-led by the WHO and GAVI, a vaccine alliance, a COVAX document published on Thursday said. The scheme could foot the bill for 92 low-income countries, meaning their governments would temporarily not be liable for claims from patients should anything go unexpectedly wrong. However,…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Afreximbank ready to raise up to $5 bln for COVID-19 vaccines for Africa – CDC head

BUSINESS

DAVID LEWIS and GIULIA PARAVICINI THE African Export-Import Bank is ready to raise up to $5 billion to purchase COVID-19 vaccines for African countries, according to the head of the continent's disease control body. John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Africa needs to be pro-active in the race to secure vaccines for the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 41 million people globally. COVAX, a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), will only be able to secure shots for less than 10% of the continent's…