[ad_1]
LATEST SCIENCES AND RESEARCH
READ | Covid Vaccines Update: Trials, Results – What We Know So Far
Pfizer and BioNtech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, and Johnson & Johnson are the most promising Covid-19 vaccine candidates that have broken all speed records in the history of vaccine development.
It has been just over two weeks since Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine trial results were shown to be 94.5% effective (the chance that a vaccine will work in people), and since the announcement of the end of the Pfizer and BioNtech trial, which also revealed an impressive 95% efficiency.
The results of the Oxford University trial and AstraZeneca were also promising, with up to 90% efficacy reported, although there has been some confusion.
Full test data from all companies has yet to be published, but will soon be published in peer-reviewed medical journals for public scrutiny.
We take a look at where some of the most prominent vaccines are at the moment, including the status of the Johnson & Johnson trial (vaccine being developed by Janssen).
The Drugmaker Moderna vaccine trial involved 30,000 volunteers and included high-risk groups, such as the elderly. In this study, 15,000 volunteers received the actual vaccine, while the rest received placebo injections. No serious side effects were reported in those who received injections of the royal vaccine.
READ: OPINION | Why an antidepressant could be used to treat Covid-19
A commonly used drug called fluvoxamine was recently tested as a treatment for Covid-19 in the United States. All 152 patients enrolled in the trial had been confirmed to have Covid-19 by a PCR test and had seen symptoms appear in the past seven days.
Patients who already required hospitalization for Covid-19 or who had an underlying lung condition, congestive heart failure, or other immune conditions were excluded.
The study looked at only those who at that time had a relatively mild form of the disease.
Among these patients, the study found that taking fluvoxamine reduced the incidence of developing a severe Covid-19 condition over a 15-day period. None of the 80 patients treated with fluvoxamine deteriorated, while six (8.3%) of the 72 patients who received a placebo saw their condition worsen.
His symptoms included shortness of breath, pneumonia, and reduced blood oxygen.
The second week of Covid-19 infection is when clinical deterioration is typically seen, suggesting that fluvoxamine could be a useful tool to prevent mild Covid-19 from getting worse.
LATEST CORONAVIRUS CASES
SA cases update:
The latest number of confirmed cases is 796,472.
According to the latest update, there have been 21,709 deaths in the country.
There have been 734,305 recoveries.
The National Department of Health has not yet disclosed the latest number of tests performed.
Global Cases Update:
For the latest global data, follow this interactive map from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
As of late Wednesday night, positive cases worldwide were 64,293,447, while deaths were 1,488,321.
The United States had the highest number of cases in the world, 13,861,243, as well as the highest number of deaths, about 272,500.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SA
Last News:
READ | A 10 p.m. curfew for SA’s Covid-19 hotspots and new alcoholic beverage restrictions, NCCC recommends
The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) agreed that there should be a 10 p.m. curfew in Covid-19 hotspot areas across the country, that alcohol sales should be restricted Monday through Thursday, and that pubs and taverns should close at 9:00 pm, News24 understands from impeccable sources close to the discussions.
The NCCC met Tuesday when it recommended that alcohol consumption be banned in public areas, such as beaches and parks, and that restaurants should close at 9:00 p.m. in areas where there are spikes in Covid-19 infections.
In addition, it recommended that public gatherings at these hotspots be limited to 100 people indoors and 250 outdoors, including for religious events, sources close to the meeting said.
News24 understands that attendees at Tuesday’s meeting agreed that there should be regionalized restrictions to slow the spread of the virus in critical areas, such as Nelson Mandela Bay and the Garden Route. The list of Covid-19 hot spot areas is not finalized, but the government has turned its attention to the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
For the rest of the country, it appears that Level 1 one of the national lockdown will remain in place, according to sources.
Insiders said meeting attendees were told that Nelson Mandela Bay posed the greatest risk as hospitals were full, including private health facilities.
Worse still, the country is expected to see an influx of people from Gauteng and the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape, posing a challenge for local authorities.
READ | Garden Route Public Events Stopped, Venues to Close Due to Rise of Covid-19
Large public events will be removed in some parts of the Western Cape in an attempt to control the rising Covid-19 numbers.
Events on the Garden Route will be banned until further notice, and public venues and facilities will be closed to the public, said Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell.
“The region is experiencing an increase in Covid-19 infections. Furthermore, a large number of visitors are expected over the next few weeks, further increasing the risk of infection. This requires drastic action that we are not afraid to take.”
George Township has closed all sports facilities and public venues. All events at George have been canceled and venues are not available for events. The municipality of Kannaland has done the same and closed all the facilities, including the town halls.
Municipal guidelines for camping facilities and places that cater to tourists are also being formulated and enforcement operations will continue to ensure compliance at taverns, fuel stations on major routes, and mass transit hubs.
“The Covid pandemic is not a sprint. It is a marathon. We are all in this marathon together and if we all work together, more of us will reach the end of this pandemic and certainly much earlier. If we do not work together in the next few weeks, it is We may see the situation getting worse and worse, “Bredell said.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD
Last News:
READ | The UK Just Approved Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine – Here’s Who Will Get Vaccinated First
The Covid-19 vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech was approved by the UK regulator on Wednesday, the first Western country to give a green light to a coronavirus vaccine.
In a statement, the government said the vaccine would be available within a week and that nursing home residents and their caregivers would be first in line.
In all, the UK has ordered around 40 million doses of the two-shot vaccine, enough to immunize 20 million of the roughly 67 million people in the country.
The two doses are given 21 days apart, and immunity kicks in seven days after the second dose.
800,000 doses will arrive in the country next week from Belgium, where Pfizer is producing the UK supply of vaccines, Matt Hancock, UK health secretary, told the BBC on Wednesday. This means that 400,000 people will be vaccinated in the first wave of vaccines, he said.
“This will start small and build up,” Hancock said. “The vast majority of vaccines hope to be in the new year.”
READ | The United States averages one Covid-19 death per minute, according to a global health expert
The United States averages one Covid-19 death per minute, according to a global health expert who sits on an advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The grim death rate was shared at a Tuesday meeting for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which operates under the CDC.
The federal advisory panel met Tuesday afternoon to discuss and vote on recommendations for the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine.
Dr. Beth Bell, a global health expert at the University of Washington who serves as co-chair of the panel’s working group, put that death rate in perspective for the three-hour meeting.
“There is an average of one covid death per minute right now,” he said during the meeting.
“In the time it takes us to have this ACIP meeting, 180 people will have died from Covid-19, so we will not act too soon.”
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 a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose of the tissue immediately after use.
