Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on Friday announced that a variant of the SARS-COV-2 Virus (Covid-19) – currently termed the ‘501.V2 Variant’ – has been identified by genomics scientists in South Africa.
Mkhize said a genomics team, led by the Kwazulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform, or KRISP, has sequenced hundreds of samples from across the country since the beginning of the pandemic in March. They noticed that a particular variant has increasingly dominated the findings of the samples collected in the past two months.
In addition, clinicians have been providing anecdotal evidence of a shift in the clinical epidemiological picture – in particular noting that they are seeing a larger proportion of younger patients with no co-morbidities presenting with critical illness. The evidence that has been collated, therefore, strongly suggests that that the current second wave we are experiencing is being driven by this new variant.
Israel Blocks Arrivals from South Africa, Also Hit by Mutant Coronavirus Variant | The Jewish Press - JewishPress com | Hana Levi Julian | 6 Tevet 5781 – December 20, 2020
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Only 3% of South Africans to get Covid-19 vaccine by the first half of next year
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The Covax vaccine set to be delivered to South Africa by the first half of 2021, will only be enough to cover 3% of the population, the City Press reports.
Deputy director-general of health Dr Anban Pillay said in a webinar, that each of the 190 countries set to receive the vaccine will only receive enough to cover 3% of their populations by this period.
This falls some way short of president Cyril Ramaphosa’s original expectation of 10% national vaccination against the coronavirus by July 2021.
According to the report, frontline workers in the public and private sectors will be first in line to receive the vaccine when it becomes available.
Beginning Sunday, shipments totaling 5.9 million doses of the Moderna vaccine may be sent to rural areas, smaller hospitals and local health departments. The first shots are expected to be given Monday.Credit.Andrew Kelly/Reuters
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized the Covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna for emergency use, allowing the shipment of millions more doses across the nation and intensifying the debate over who will be next in line to get inoculated.
The move will make Moderna’s vaccine the second to reach the American public, after the one by Pfizer and BioNTech, which was authorized just one week ago.
Saturday 19 December 2020 - 6:57am
A new variant of COVID-19 has been identified in South Africa. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says it s believed the second wave of COVID-19 is being driven by it. Courtesy #DStv403
JOHANNESBURG - A severe variant of the coronavirus detected in South Africa could explain the rapid spread of a second wave that affects younger people, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.
Known as the 501.V2 Variant, it was identified by South African researchers and details have been sent to the World Health Organization, Mkhize said in a statement.
A team led by the Kwazulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), has sequenced hundreds of virus samples since the pandemic began, and noticed that a particular variant has increasingly dominated the findings of the samples collected in the past two months, he added.
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