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Addis Ababa – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 4,203,087 as of noon on Wednesday, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) said.
Africa’s CDC, the African Union’s specialty healthcare agency, said the death toll from the pandemic amounted to 112,471, while 3,762,968 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.
South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt are among the African countries with the most cases on the continent, according to the Africa CDC.
In terms of the number of cases, southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by North Africa and East Africa, while Central Africa is the least affected region on the continent, according to the African health agency.
African countries have so far received more than 26 million COVID-19 vaccines both from the COVAX facility and through bilateral agreements outside of COVAX, according to the Africa CDC.
Meanwhile, the U.S. National Institutes of Health on Wednesday began testing a new Coronavirus vaccine from Moderna designed to protect against a problematic variant that was first found in South Africa.
The phase one trial, led and funded by the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will test how safe and effective the new variant vaccine, known as B.1.351, is in approximately 210 healthy adults, according to the agency.
The B.1.351 variant first discovered in South Africa late last year has given scientists more cause for concern compared to other variants. The variant appears to spread more easily than the original “wild-type” strains, and research indicates that it may possibly evade some of the protections generated by therapies and vaccines.
The US Food and Drug Administration has previously said it will speed up the authorization process for updated vaccines that target problem variants, eliminating the need for lengthy clinical trials; however, an independent safety monitoring committee will continue to monitor trials to ensure injections. they are safe, the NIH statement said. – Xinhua / CNBC
