South Africa’s controversial bid to sell the potentially lifesaving 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to the African Union is faltering as the 30 April expiry looms – with some top researchers suggesting an unprecedented approach.
African countries have an advantage in rolling out Covid-19 vaccines
Vaccine drives like the one against Ebola in the DRC in 2018 mean African healthcare workers are well-prepared for coronavirus vaccine drives.
February 19, 2021
Concerns have been raised that African countries may struggle to effectively deploy Covid-19 vaccines at the unprecedented scale needed to counter the coronavirus pandemic.
Yet Africa is one of the most experienced regions in the world in dealing with disease outbreaks. It has successfully carried out several, sudden large-scale vaccine introductions and vaccinations in crowded urban centers and remote rural communities. These experiences and infrastructure will be a major asset in Covid-19 vaccine deployment in the continent.
Mixing different Covid vaccines together? Prof explains this may be beneficial
5 February 2021 12:49 PM
John Maytham talks to Francois Venter about having more than one vaccine for Covid-19.
What would happen, for example, if you mixed doses of Covid-19 vaccines such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca?
Well, that is what researchers in Britain are investigating in order to cover the mutating variants that have emerged, reports Reuters.
A UK trial has been launched with the idea to also provide more flexibility with vaccine rollout and help deal with any potential disruption to supplies.
John Maytham talks to a virus expert, Professor Francois Venter about mixing vaccines.