Tag: vaccine

Africa: Covid-19 – Africa Plans a Vaccine Revolution

July 3, 2021
Very few vaccines have found their way into the arms of Africans as they struggle with a surge in COVID-19 infections. Several countries now want to start producing vaccines on the continent. Can they succeed? The third wave of coronavirus is rolling through much of Africa — and it could be the most severe of

Zimbabweans Protest Covid-19 Vaccine Shortages

June 3, 2021
Harare — Hundreds of Zimbabweans protested Wednesday about a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as the country awaits more doses from China. The government wants to inoculate at least 60% of Zimbabwe’s more than 14 million people by the end of the year but has struggled to get the necessary supplies. Claudina Maneni brought her 60-year-old

Africa: Europe Addresses Africa’s Vaccine Dilemma

May 29, 2021
Germany’s health minister, Jens Spahn, is in South Africa as part of an initiative to assist vaccine production on the continent. But improving manufacuting capacity is still set to be a long journey. German Health Minister Jens Spahn touched down in South Africa on Friday, as part of a trip focused on assisting local vaccine

South Africa: Behind the Scenes – How the First 500 000 Vaccine Doses Administered in SA Were Secured

May 17, 2021
On 1 February 2021, a million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India arrived at OR Tambo International Airport. Everything seemed set for the country’s vaccine rollout to kick off two or so weeks later. But just a few days later on 7 February, the devastating news came that

South Africa: Phase Two of Covid Vaccine Roll-Out Starts Off By Prioritising Old Age Homes

May 17, 2021
Phase Two of SA’s Covid-19 vaccine roll-out is officially under way from today, Monday, 17 May. The vaccine doses are in hand, with more on the way. National and provincial governments have admitted that the start will be slow, but promised it will start on time and with some of the most vulnerable: those living

Africa: WHO lists additional COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use and issues interim policy recommendations

May 7, 2021
Geneva — WHO today listed the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for this vaccine to be rolled out globally. The Sinopharm vaccine is produced by Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd, subsidiary of China National Biotec Group (CNBG). “The addition of this vaccine has the potential to rapidly accelerate

West Virginia to Reward Citizens Aged 16-35 Who Get Vaccine With $100 Savings Bond

April 27, 2021
Since Joe Biden took office, Americans have been getting vaccinated at a rapid rate. The President’s initial plan was to deliver 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office. The administration shattered that goal with over 200 million shots being delivered. But at this point, many of the people who were interested in

Kenya to Pilot Another Malaria Vaccine Trial

April 24, 2021
Kenya is among four African countries that will carry out a larger trial in nearly 5,000 children, on a malaria vaccine proven to be 77 per cent effective. The results of trials on 450 children in Burkina Faso, by University of Oxford researchers, could be a major breakthrough against the disease that kills more than

Africa: Vaccine Nationalism and African Govt Deficiencies Hinder Roll-Out

April 18, 2021
The African Union – mainly through its Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) – has done well in trying to acquire COVID-19 vaccines for the continent as part of its commendable approach to tackling the pandemic in general. But Africa CDC Director John Nkengasong isn’t getting as much help as he would

Africa: Online Vaccine Scams – INTERPOL and Homeland Security Investigations Issue Public Warning

March 24, 2021
Lyon — INTERPOL and the United States’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have joined forces to warn the public against purchasing alleged COVID-19 vaccines and treatments online. With criminal groups producing, distributing, and selling fake vaccines, the risks to the public are clear: these can include buying a product which not only does not protect against

Africa: Solar Technologies Can Speed Up Vaccine Rollout in Africa. Here’s How

March 20, 2021
There’s hope that some industrialised countries will achieve near-universal vaccination against COVID-19 in the coming months. Yet the effort to vaccinate even the most essential workers in developing countries has only just begun. By current estimates, achieving herd immunity (to current strains) will require at least 75% of the world’s population to be vaccinated. Some

Trump and his wife received coronavirus vaccine before leaving the White House.

March 2, 2021
Former President Donald J. Trump and his wife, Melania, quietly received coronavirus vaccinations in January before leaving the White House, an adviser said on Monday.The news came a day after Mr. Trump appeared at the CPAC political conference in Orlando, Fla., where for the first time he encouraged people to go get vaccinated.“Everyone should go

Excerpts from the March edition of the Harper’s Index. (And a vaccine poll)

February 15, 2021
Prison mortality is way up over the past decade, and many inmates die while awaiting trial. Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week. Selected excerpts from the March edition of Harper’s Index (not yet on-line): Percentage increase last year in use of the phrase “technical difficulties” during

South Africa: Covid-19 Vaccine Trials Hold Key Lessons for Future Partnerships

February 10, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine supplies are available in various parts of the world. But it’s clear that distribution is not symmetrical. High-income countries have access to disproportionate quantities of limited supplies. Vaccine nationalism, stockpiling and profit-driven strategies of global pharmaceutical manufacturers have shown up global health inequities. More than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been

Mozambique: Problems With Astrazeneca Vaccine Are ‘Bucket of Cold Water’

February 9, 2021
Maputo — The discovery that the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 is not effective against the South African strain of the coronavirus is a “bucket of cold water” poured over the hopes of the region, declared Mozambique’s Deputy National Director of Public Health, Benigna Matsinhe, on Monday. The South African health authorities announced on Sunday that

Africa: Study shows vaccine nationalism could cost rich countries US$4.5 trillion

January 25, 2021
Paris — New comprehensive economic modelling shows advanced economies stand to lose trillions of dollars through vaccine nationalism – more than previously thoughtEconomic benefits of funding multilateral efforts to ensure equitable access to vaccines dwarf the costsAdvanced economies with international linkages have the most to gain from global collaboration on vaccine access and distribution A

Africa: Here’s How Africans Can Advocate for COVID-19 Vaccine Equity

January 5, 2021
Lagos — Now that COVID-19 vaccines are available, the richest countries in the world have effectively bought them up. African leaders have let them. As an African, I am disappointed at these leaders who have become so dependent on rich western nations to fund every aspect of healthcare delivery on the continent that they are

South Africa: Health Workers Demand Vaccine Rollout

January 2, 2021
Thousands sign letter calling for Department of Health to act urgently “We call on the Department of Health to act urgently, transparently and decisively now to obtain vaccines and to implement vaccination, so as to reduce death and illness, and bring the pandemic under control.” So reads a letter started by Professor Heather Zar, a

South Africa: Vaccine Rollout – Here Is Where South Africa Stands

December 21, 2020
Johnson & Johnson is trying to get approval for a vaccine against Covid-19 that only requires one shot. Details of the vaccine’s trial are expected to be released in January. Only a massive global rollout of an effective vaccine can end the Covid-19 pandemic in the short term. The vaccine is being rolled out in

Africa: Russian Disinformation Popularizes Sputnik V Vaccine in Africa

December 11, 2020
Beach Gray, PhD, is a Senior Open Source Analyst at Novetta, specializing in Russian disinformation and media influence. Neil Edwards is an Open Source African Media Analyst at Novetta. On December 3, a vaccine produced by Pfizer, BNT162, became the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive authorization in the United Kingdom for distribution. The United States

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shows promise with the elderly

November 19, 2020
Britain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has produced a strong immune response among older people – and researchers expect to release late-stage trial results by Christmas, according to a report. The data published in The Lancet medical journal Thursday suggest that people over 70 who are at higher risk of serious illness and death

Medical workers who took Russian vaccine infected with COVID-19: report

November 11, 2020
Three Siberian health-care workers who received Russia’s so-called Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine have tested positive for the deadly bug, according to reports. Officials in the Altai region reported that the three were among 42 medical workers who received the two-dose vaccine, which Russian health officials say is 92 percent effective, the Moscow Times reported. “The

COVID-19 vaccine could be distributed to public by spring

November 10, 2020
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday said a coronavirus vaccine could be ready to distribute widely to the public by spring. Azar told NBC’s “Today” show that Pfizer, which announced Monday that it developed a vaccine that proved to be 90 percent effective in late-stage trials, is stepping up production that would allow

Couple behind promising COVID-19 vaccine remain modest despite success

November 10, 2020
A promising coronavirus vaccine that on Monday was revealed to be more than 90 percent effective is the work of a modest, married German couple who have become multi-billionaires with Pfizer’s backing. Dr. Ozlem Tureci, 53 and her 55-year-old husband, Dr. Ugur Sahin, founders of BioNTech, are on the verge of successfully developing the COVID-19

Couple behind promising COVID-19 vaccine remain modest despite success

November 10, 2020
A promising coronavirus vaccine that on Monday was revealed to be more than 90 percent effective is the work of a modest, married German couple who have become multi-billionaires with Pfizer’s backing. Dr. Ozlem Tureci, 53 and her 55-year-old husband, Dr. Ugur Sahin, founders of BioNTech, are on the verge of successfully developing the COVID-19

Couple behind promising COVID-19 vaccine remain modest despite success

November 10, 2020
A promising coronavirus vaccine that on Monday was revealed to be more than 90 percent effective is the work of a modest, married German couple who have become multi-billionaires with Pfizer’s backing. Dr. Ozlem Tureci, 53 and her 55-year-old husband, Dr. Ugur Sahin, founders of BioNTech, are on the verge of successfully developing the COVID-19

Couple behind promising COVID-19 vaccine remain modest despite success

November 10, 2020
A promising coronavirus vaccine that on Monday was revealed to be more than 90 percent effective is the work of a modest, married German couple who have become multi-billionaires with Pfizer’s backing. Dr. Ozlem Tureci, 53 and her 55-year-old husband, Dr. Ugur Sahin, founders of BioNTech, are on the verge of successfully developing the COVID-19

Trump claims Democrats and the FDA delayed coronavirus vaccine news

November 10, 2020
President Trump on Monday suggested, without providing evidence, that the Food and Drug Administration and the Democratic Party conspired together to delay the release of a coronavirus vaccine until after the 2020 presidential election. Trump made the claim in a tweet Monday evening, hours after the Pfizer drug company announced an initial analysis of their

Fauci says it’s ‘unlikely’ there will be a coronavirus vaccine before the US election, despite the CDC asking states to be prepared by November

September 9, 2020
Dr. Anthony Fauci preparing for a hearing on Capitol Hill on March 11. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty ImagesDr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-disease expert, has said a coronavirus vaccine for the US probably won’t be ready before the November presidential election.Those remarks contrasted with President Donald Trump’s strong suggestions that a vaccine might be