SARS-CoV-2 - The African Mirror

Dec

2020

COVID-19 vaccine trials in Africa: what’s promising, and what’s problematic

SCIENTISTS are working around the clock to develop and test vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Experts agree that widespread use of safe and effective vaccines will rapidly contain the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing transmission and disease. BENJAMIN KAGINA, Senior Research Officer, Vaccines For Africa Initiative, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town A key step in the process of any vaccine development is clinical testing, which involves assigning a vaccine or a placebo to human subjects, then evaluating the health effects over a period of time. This testing helps to demonstrate safety in diverse human populations living…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria needs innovation and science investment to help control COVID-19

COVID-19

NIGERIA, like other African countries, wasn’t spared from the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. To overcome this challenge, countries have been advised to keep testing, treating and isolating to reduce infections. CHRISTIAN HAPPI, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Redeemer's University IFEYINWA ANIEBO, Research fellow (Harvard Takemi fellow), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Nigeria has been expanding its capacity to test. The country’s laboratories can carry out about 18,000 tests per million daily, but this can be improved. The country ought to be doing about 40,000 - 50,000 tests daily. Nigeria successfully controlled Ebola and is applying some…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 causes some patients’ immune systems to attack their own bodies, which may contribute to severe illness

COVID-19

MATTHEW WOODRUFF, Instructor, Lowance Center for Human Immunology, Emory University ACROSS the world, immunologists who retooled their labs to join the fight against SARS-CoV-2 are furiously trying to explain why some people get so sick while others recover unscathed. The pace is dizzying, but some clear trends have emerged. One area of focus has been the production of antibodies – powerful proteins capable of disabling and killing invading pathogens like viruses. Of great concern has been the sporadic identification of so-called autoreactive antibodies that, instead of targeting disease causing microbes, target the tissues of individuals suffering from severe cases of…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigerian scientists have identified seven lineages of SARS-CoV-2: why it matters

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

CHRISTIAN HAPPI, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genomics, Redeemer's University BY the first week of August 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic had caused about 654,000 deaths worldwide. In Nigeria, as of July 28, there were 38,945 confirmed cases recorded with 813 deaths. The pandemic hit the African continent last, and the numbers remain comparatively low for most countries. But there is a strong view among scientists that data recorded on the continent are an underestimate as countries struggle with testing. As frantic work continues to find a vaccine, countries like Nigeria continue to do all they can to curb the spread…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Antibody tests aren’t a COVID-19 panacea. But they’re a useful additional tool

COVID-19

EFTYHIA VARDAS, Clinical specialist Virology, Stellenbosch University AS the COVID-19 pandemic escalates, South Africa is struggling to keep up with the demand for testing. This has pushed laboratory professionals and clinicians to consider using alternative tests that are commonly used to diagnose and detect exposure to other viral infectious diseases. The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana asked Professor Eftyhia Vardas to explain what’s being done. What’s the most commonly used test? Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are the standard means of diagnosing viral respiratory infections. It is a molecular test that detects the viral genetic material that indicates the presence of…