President Cyril Ramaphosa said yesterday that the government was in discussions with other Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers in a bid to boost the country's slow inoculation roll-out.
Evaluating vaccines and chasing down ‘breakthrough infections’ are key to success Data generated from Sisonke study will prove to be invaluable to understanding of vaccines and their effectiveness 23 May 2021 - 17:47
The vaccination of health workers through the Sisonke study is done but the work is not, and chasing down “breakthrough infections” when people get Covid after vaccination is a priority, said the scientists in charge, profs Glenda Gray and Linda-Gail Bekker.
“Sisonke’s main cause was to prevent healthcare workers from getting very sick or dying. It was never about preventing infections. That is a bonus. There is no 100% prophylactic vaccine today,” said Bekker.
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 a study found the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine offered little or no protection against mild-to-moderate Covid-19 caused by the variant of SARS-CoV-2 prevalent in South Africa. Some argued that we should use the vaccine regardless since it might protect against severe disease and death, but the decision was taken not to use it and the vaccines were later sold.
We will procure our own vaccines: Alan Winde
By Velani Ludidi
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Cape Town - Premier Alan Winde is marching ahead with his plan to procure vaccines and has put a budget in place.
This is despite Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize telling the premier that there was no need for him to procure vaccines.
“I will not decommission our procurement plan. We have put a budget in place and the minister is aware of our plans,” said Winde.
Winde said he was unhappy with the progress the country has made on its vaccine roll-out, saying it was disappointing that the country is behind compared to other African countries.
Medicines regulator appeals to Treasury for more funding
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Most Read Medicines regulator appeals to Treasury for more funding After a cut in Treasury allocation of 8%, authority tells MPs that understaffing affects the speed and efficacy with which it can make regulatory decisions BL PREMIUM 05 May 2021 - 19:43 Tamar Kahn
The medicines regulator has appealed to the Treasury for a bigger budget, warning that it cannot do its job effectively unless key vacancies are filled.
The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) shot to public prominence during the coronavirus pandemic as it plays a pivotal role in approving new diagnostics, vaccines and treatments. It is one of the most stringent medicine regulators on the African continent and responsible for overseeing the safety and efficacy of human and animal medicines, medical devices and clinical trials.