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LATEST SCIENCES AND RESEARCH
READ | The latest news on a leading Covid vaccine candidate is promising, but how optimistic should we be?
Drug maker Pfizer said Monday that data from its experimental phase 3 Covid-19 vaccine, BNT162b2, showed it to be 90% effective at preventing infections in volunteers.
The company and its collaborator, BioNTech, stated that no serious safety concerns were found during their large-scale global clinical trials, and were hoping to apply for US clearance this month for emergency use of the vaccine.
The published data was based on global data including the trial site in South Africa, a Pfizer spokesperson told Health24.
“We are pleased to share that the trial in South Africa is going as planned, having already completed recruitment of participants at four sites in Gauteng, Limpopo and the Western Cape,” the company said.
While some unanswered questions remain, such as how long the vaccine will provide protection, international scientists have welcomed the news saying “it is an excellent result for a first-generation vaccine.”
Health24 asked two local experts, Professor Wolfgang Preiser, Head of the Division of Medical Virology at Stellenbosch University, and Professor Thomas Scriba, Deputy Director of Immunology and Laboratory Director of the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative, University from Cape Town, if this was finally a light at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic tunnel.
READ | Covid-19: There is still no agreement to access the ‘90% effective ‘vaccine tested in South Africa
Dr. Essak Mitha, head of the South African branch of a key clinical trial of the Covid-19 vaccine, is “full of pride” in the participation of the teams in the research, which has shown that the candidate vaccine is more than 90 % effective based on early findings published in a press release this week.
“This is a huge advance. It is very exciting and the intermediate results are very promising. It leaves me very hopeful as this could pave the way for a vaccine to be developed before the end of the year, ”says Mitha, a clinical trial specialist and owner of Newtown Clinical Research in Johannesburg.
Pfizer and BioNTech, a German company, announced this week that their vaccine candidate was successful in preventing the symptomatic disease Covid-19 in the first interim analysis of the phase 3 trial that includes 44,000 people in a variety of countries.
While the news has been widely welcomed and global stock markets soared after the announcement, there has been some caution and criticism. There is consensus that more data is needed, and some commentators have said that announcing the companies through a press release (and not a peer-reviewed publication) is not good scientific practice nor does it help build public confidence in vaccines. .
Pfizer and BioNtech have said they will have 500 million doses of the vaccine available by the end of December and 1.3 billion doses by 2021. Several countries have already reached agreements with manufacturers to access the vaccine.
So far, South Africa has not obtained any doses of potential vaccines from Pfizer or any other manufacturer.
LATEST CORONAVIRUS CASES
SA cases update:
The latest number of confirmed cases is 742,394.
According to the latest update, 20,011 deaths have been registered in the country.
There have been 686,458 recoveries.
So far, 5,037,782 tests have been performed and 27,432 new tests have been reported.
Global Cases Update:
For the latest global data, follow this interactive map from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
As of early Thursday morning, positive cases worldwide were 51,857,776, while deaths were 1,278,086.
The United States had the highest number of cases in the world – 10,339,570, as well as the highest number of deaths – more than 240,000.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SA
Last News:
READ | No More Travel Red List And Longer Alcohol Sales: What You Need To Know About Ramaphosa’s Speech
South Africa will see a relaxation of at least two alert level 1 lockdown rules, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday, after officials privately suggested that stricter rules may be in play.
Ramaphosa voiced the government’s concern over the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the Eastern Cape, noting that the upcoming holiday season is also concerning, with a strong call on South Africans to wear masks and take other long-recommended common sense measures to help. to fight the pandemic. .
But the announcement of a promising vaccine candidate had changed the government’s perspective, he also said.
“As South Africans, we have weathered what we hope will be the worst of the storm,” he said, after pointing to spiraling Covid-19 figures in other parts of the world and warning against “coronavirus fatigue.”
READ | ‘Covid-19 will stay with us for some time’ – Ramaphosa tells the nation
President Cyril Ramaphosa warned the nation on Wednesday that while the country has suffered greatly, the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over.
Citizens, he said, must remain cautious.
“What we are seeing brings us home a difficult truth: Covid-19 is far from over. It is still here and will remain with us for some time,” he said, addressing the nation on Wednesday.
The president was providing an update on South Africa’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ramaphosa said the country had endured the worst of the storm.
SA is now seeing a relatively stable number of new infections and a declining rate of deaths and people needing hospitalization.
“We owe it to the decisive measures we took at the beginning of the pandemic and to the contribution that all South Africans have made in the fight against this virus.” We also owe it to the frontline workers, who have selflessly and courageously provided healthcare staff. facilities, which have gone out into the communities for testing and testing, which have maintained peace and stability, and which have kept essential services running, “he added.
READ | Covid-19 relief measures will have to come to an end – Ramaphosa
The Covid-19 FIU Temporary Help Plan for Employers / Employees, which has paid nearly R53 billion to more than 4.7 million workers, will eventually have to come to an end, said President Cyril Ramaphosa.
On Wednesday, the president addressed the nation about the developments in the Covid-19 response. The National State of Disaster has been extended one more month to.
“As the economy begins to recover, many of the aid package measures are constantly being scaled back. We are trying, within our limited resources, to ensure that this is a smooth transition,” Ramaphosa said.
He said the government recognizes that some industries are still unable to fully operate and that it would take time for many jobs to return. This is the reason why the government extended the Covid-19 special grant for three more months, until January 2021. The special grant supports around six million people.
The government had also extended the TERS relief for another month until October 15, 2020.
“These relief measures were necessary to protect the most vulnerable in a time of great distress, but they will have to come to an end,” he said.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD
Last News:
READ | Pfizer’s Covid vaccine requires 2 injections, 3 weeks apart, which could complicate distribution
Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine candidate is now leading the pack, and emergency clearance from the Food and Drug Administration is expected in a few weeks.
On Monday, the pharmaceutical giant and its German partner BioNTech announced that their vaccine was more than 90% effective, based on 94 cases of the disease observed in an interim study.
However, the Pfizer vaccine requires two doses to achieve that high effectiveness. The two injections are given three weeks apart.
In July, Pfizer said its researchers saw the highest level of virus-neutralizing antibodies a week after the participants’ second dose.
Many other vaccines also require consecutive doses to be most effective, including the one that protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
Other coronavirus vaccine candidates still in trials also involve double injections: Participants in Moderna’s clinical trial receive two injections four weeks apart, and AstraZeneca’s ongoing trial is testing single-dose results. of vaccine and two injections administered one month apart.
But a two-dose vaccine comes with supply chain challenges and the possibility that not everyone will return to the doctor’s office for the second critical dose.
HEALTH TIPS (as recommended by the NICD and WHO)
• Keep your physical distance: stay at least one meter from someone who is coughing or sneezing
• Practice frequent hand washing, especially after direct contact with sick people or their surroundings.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, as your hands touch many surfaces and could transmit the virus.
• Practice respiratory hygiene: Cover your mouth with a bent elbow or with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose of the tissue immediately after use.
Image Credit: Getty Images
