vaccination programme - The African Mirror

Jun

2021

Organisers show off Olympic village a month before Games begin

ANTONI SLODKOWSKI ORGANISERS of the Tokyo Olympics opened the athletes' village to the media on Sunday, showing off apartments and a timber-laced shopping plaza where 11,000 athletes would stay and mingle during the sporting extravaganza. The once-delayed Games are due to start on July 23 amid concern that the influx of thousands of people from around the world would contribute to the spread of COVID-19. Japan has avoided the kind of explosive outbreaks that crippled many other countries. But its vaccination programme has been slow and the medical system pushed to the brink in parts of the country. The government's…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

S.A’s Imperial Logistics selected to import COVID-19 vaccines

BUSINESS

NQOBILE DLUDLA SOUTH Africa's largest logistics company Imperial Logistics has been awarded the tender to import COVID-19 vaccines for the second and subsequent phases of the country's vaccination programme, it told Reuters yesterday. Imperial Logistics was among a slew of bidders who had shown interest in importing, storing and distributing vaccines in the country under a tender floated by the government in February for its phase 2 vaccination drive. The government is yet to announce the names of the selected bidders, a health ministry spokesman said, but Imperial Logistics confirmed in an emailed response it had won the contract for…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

India backs AstraZeneca shot despite South Africa halt

COVID-19

KRISHNA N DAS and ANURON KUMAR MITRA INDIA has no concerns over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine despite South Africa putting it on hold, and ordered 10 million more doses of the shot for its own huge immunisation campaign. South Africa delayed use of the vaccine after researchers found it offered minimal protection against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease caused by the country's dominant coronavirus variant. India, with the highest number of infections after the United States, has yet to detect the South African variant and will continue to use the vaccine in an inoculation drive that has covered 6.3…

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…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Morocco to launch vaccination programme

COVID-19

MOROCCO’S health ministry has started distributing COVID-19 vaccines across the country as it prepares to become the first African state to roll out a mass immunisation programme this week. Appointments have been made for health workers and citizens are registering online to receive the vaccine in 3,000 locations, said Ben Azouz Mohammed, head of the ministry's vaccination programme. Morocco on Friday received 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by India's Serum Institute and it expects to get 500,000 doses of vaccine from China's Sinopharm on Wednesday. The virus has hit Morocco hard, shrinking the economy by 7.2% last…