Category: COVID

Categories : COVIDTags :

Pfizer Vaccine 90% Effective After a Single Dose

On By ModernMedia

A study from the University of East Anglia (UEA) reported that the Pfizer vaccine provides “very high” protection after a single dose.

The researchers drew on Israeli data, where the vaccine had been widely administered, and found that the vaccine was 90% effective at 21 days after the initial dose. This supports the plan that the UK and other nations have of delaying a second dose to achieve maximum coverage. However, they also noted that infection rates increased eight days after the first dose, which they attribute to people becoming less cautious as a result of the vaccination. The study is available on the medRxiv preprint server, and has not been peer reviewed, as it is a rapid response to the ongoing COVID pandemic.

Lead researcher and COVID expert Prof Paul Hunter, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “A second dose of the Pfizer vaccine would normally be given 21 days or more after the first to top up and lengthen the effect of the first dose.

“But here in the UK, the decision was made to delay the timing of the second injection until 12 weeks after the first.

“The logic behind this is to protect more people sooner and so reduce the total number of severe infections, hospitalisations, and deaths.

“But this decision caused criticism from some quarters due in part to a belief that a single injection may not give adequate immunity.”

Prof Hunter explains the motivation for the study was previous flawed research on the Pfizer vaccine, also using Israeli data. But the study did not consider effectiveness past day 18.

The researchers observed that case incidence rose up til day eight by which time it had doubled, then fell. Prof Hunter said: “We found that the vaccine effectiveness was still pretty much zero until about 14 days after people were vaccinated. But then after day 14 immunity rose gradually day by day to about 90 percent at day 21 and then didn’t improve any further. All the observed improvement was before any second injection.

“This shows that a single dose of vaccine is highly protective, although it can take up to 21 days to achieve this.”

Although the vaccine’s effectiveness beyond this is not known, it still supports the UK’s decision to space out vaccine doses, Prof Hunter concluded.

Source: Medical Xpress

Journal information: “Estimating the effectiveness of the Pfizer COVID-19 BNT162b2 vaccine after a single dose. A reanalysis of a study of ‘real-world’ vaccination outcomes from Israel” is published on the medRxiv pre-print server: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.110 … 021.02.01.21250957v1

Categories : COVID HospitalsTags :

UK Teen Awakens from 10 Month Coma, Unaware of Pandemic

On By ModernMedia

A British teenager who has been in a coma for 10 months, has awakened but is still largely unaware of the scale of the COVID pandemic. 

Joseph Flavill, 19, was hit by a car while walking on 1 March 2020, which was three weeks before the UK entered into its first national lockdown. Having suffered a traumatic brain injury, he has since been in a coma but is now making a slow recovery and is responsive. Ironically, he has caught COVID twice while in hospital but had recovered both times.

His aunt, Sally Flavill Smith, told the Guardian: “He won’t know anything about the pandemic as he’s been asleep for 10 months. His awareness is starting to improve now but we just don’t know what he knows.

“I just don’t know where to start with it. A year ago if someone had told me what was going to happen over the last year, I don’t think I would have believed it. I’ve got no idea how Joseph’s going to come to understand what we’ve all been through.”

He is now able to respond to commands, such as touching his left or right ear, respond with yes/no by blinking, and is able to smile.

His family had trained to explain in video calls why they can’t see him in person due to COVID restrictions, but had not tried to convey the scale of the pandemic. She says that they will try to explain it to him when they are able to visit him in person. His mother was able to see him in December, wearing full PPE, but he was not as aware as he is now. The family has put together a fundraiser to help his recovery.

Source: The Guardian

Categories : COVIDTags :

New Single-dose Intranasal Vaccine Shows Promise

On By ModernMedia

A new, single dose intranasal vaccine has shown ability to protect Macaques against COVID, as reported in a preprint article on bioRxiv. If it proves effective and safe in humans, it could be a radically effective and simple to administer vaccine against COVID.

Currently, most COVID vaccines are administered intramuscularly and require two doses. However, after immunisation, an infected person can still shed the virus from the upper airways because they do not have local or mucosal immunity, as demonstrated by intramuscular vaccination in non-human primates.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the target the host cell by the spike (S) protein antigen locking on to the cell’s angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. Thus, the S protein is a critical target for vaccine development.The researchers developed the new vaccine uses a chimpanzee adenovirus which expresses the S protein (ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S). The chimpanzee adenovirus (also used in the AstraZeneca vaccine) is ideal as an antigen carrier for vaccines as the prevalence of neutralising antibodies against it is low. 

In the researchers’ previous work, the vaccine had been administered intranasally to mice with expressed human ACE2 receptors, producing a detectable immune response. The researchers then moved experimentation on to macaques, administering a single intranasal dose of vaccine, followed by intranasal and intrabroncheal challenge with SARS-CoV-2.

A detectable immune response was detected by the presence of anti-S, anti-RBD, and neutralising antibodies, as well as T cell responses. Viral RNA loads measured by nasal swabs were lower in immunised animals, with only one having detectable virus presence, compared to four of six control animals. These results suggest that local infection is prevented, with reduced viral RNA levels and faster viral clearing. 

Infection was also measured in broncheal alveolar lavage fluid (BALF)At day seven, immunised animals showed lower viral DNA than controls, corresponding to increased neutralising antibody levels.

Administering the vaccine intranasally could allow protection of the local and surrounding tissues, while reducing disease severity and spread to others. However, the lack of severe pathologies in both sets of animals means that no conclusions can be drawn about the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing against COVID.

Further research is required to compare the effects of intramuscular and intranasal administration of the vaccine, and the work is yet to be peer reviewed.

Source: News-Medical.Net

Journal information: Hassan, A. O. et al. (2021). A single intranasal dose of chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection in rhesus macaques. bioRxiv preprint. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.26.428251. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.26.428251v1

Categories : COVIDTags :

Ramaphosa to Take Delivery of SA’s First Vaccine Doses

On By ModernMedia

President Cyril Ramaphosa will take delivery of the first million doses arrives in South Africa at OR Tambo airport on Monday.

Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Deputy President David Mabuza, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize and the High Commissioner of India. After the vaccine has been received, it will be taken to cold storage for and undergo technical processing and quality testing.

Acting spokesperson for the Presidency, Tyrone Seale, said: “The arrival of the fist consignment at OR Tambo International Airport marks the start of the vaccine roll-out, which President Ramaphosa describes as the largest and most complex logistical vaccine undertaking in South Africa’s history.”

The AstraZeneca doses were produced by the Serum Institute of India, and healthcare workers will be the first to be vaccinated, with essential workers second on the list. However, the Department of Health has suggested that politicians (who are classified as essential workers) may be the first to receive the vaccine, in order to reassure the public and encourage vaccine uptake. An additional 500 000 doses are to be delivered in February.

There are fears that current vaccines are less effective against the B1.351 “South African” variant. The Novovax vaccine has been shown to have slightly less than 50% effectiveness in South African trials, due to the variant and the prevalence of HIV in the population. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, which is set to be produced locally by Aspen, is around 57% effective in South Africa. These are about what is achieved with annual flu vaccines, which are 40-60% effective. The AstraZeneca AZD1222 vaccine developed in concert with Oxford University have been shown to be 70% effective in clinical trials, although this was prior to the widespread emergence of COVID variants. However, it is possible to adjust vaccines to to deal with the new variants, with Dr Anthony Fauci saying that this reduced vaccine effectiveness against variants is a “wake-up call”.

The Azstra Zeneca vaccine uses a non replicating viral vector to deliver genetic information to cells, instructing them to produce the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to train the immune system to recognise it and build immunity. It requires two doses administered four weeks apart, and unlike many other vaccines, does not require storage at extremely cold temperatures – only requiring normal refrigeration at 2° to 8°C.

Source: Eyewitness News

Categories : COVIDTags : 1 Comment

Ivermectin Approved to Treat COVID in SA on Limited Basis

On By ModernMedia

Ivermectin, which has some reports of high effectiveness in limited studies, has received approval from the SA government to be used under strict control for compassionate use.  

Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, head of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), said that practitioners applying to use the drug will be considered case-by-case.

Ivermectin has a long history of use as an antiparasitic treatment in animals, while in humans it’s used as an anthelmintic drug that is usually indicated for filarial and resistant scabies infections. While the World Health Organization has suggested the drug has encouraging effects on coronavirus, although it hasn’t been properly evaluated yet.

“We absolutely share everyone’s desperation at this point,” said Helen Rees, SAHPRA chairwoman. “So the question about ivermectin and self-medication goes back to what everyone in the scientific community is saying. And that is, we don’t know if it works and we don’t know if it doesn’t work. That’s why we need to get data.”

Physicians in Zimbabwe are reportedly treating COVID with ivermectin in combination with silver nanoparticles – normally used as an algaecide – to great success.

Rees, however, warned South Africans that people self-medicating “need to be very careful because we don’t have any information about the quality of what you’re taking.”

Dr Semete-Makokotlela said that clear guidelines for the rollout would be given tomorrow. She added that SAHPRA granted the health department permission to distribute the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, the first one for SA. It is also currently reviewing applications from Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, but has yet to receive an application from Moderna, she said.

Source: BusinessTech

Categories : COVID HIVTags :

Novavax COVID Vaccine only 49.4% Effective in SA

On By ModernMedia

On Thursday, Novavax announced that its vaccine was 89% effective, according to its UK trials which had 15 000 participants. However, its SA trials showed a much lower effectiveness of 49.4%, believed to be caused by the SA COVID variant B.1.351 (aka 501.V2). 

The company conveyed the information in a press release, with a detailed journal publication still to come. The SA trial had 4400 participants, and the observed protection varied depending on HIV status. In people who were HIV negative, the vaccine conferred 60% protection. If the vaccination trial included a representative proportion of HIV positive adult South Africans, it may mean that its effectiveness for this vulnerable segment is very low.

“The higher efficacy of the vaccine in the UK than in South Africa is because the variants circulating in SA are less sensitive to vaccine induced immune responses,” said Professor Shabir Madhi, Executive Director of the Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit (VIDA) at Wits, and principal investigator in the Novavax COVID vaccine trial in SA.

“Nevertheless, the 60% reduced risk against Covid-19 illness in vaccinated individuals in South Africans underscores the value of this vaccine to prevent illness from the highly worrisome variant currently circulating in South Africa, and which is spreading globally. This is the only Covid-19 vaccine for which we now have objective evidence that it protects against the variant dominating in South Africa.”

Novavax is pressing ahead with a trial involving 30 000 participants in the United States and Mexico, and has shared data with the UK’s pharmaceutical regulator. It is not clear whether the data from the US and Mexico trial will be required before the vaccine receives approval there. Meanwhile on Friday, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine developed by its subsidiary Janssen has been shown to be 66% effective. It is a single dose vaccine with minimal refrigeration requirements, making it very important for the logistical challenge of vaccinations in developing countries. Since Aspen would be producing some of the doses locally, the SA government had been in talks with Johnson & Johnson to secure some of those vaccines for SA use. However, there are signs that it too is less effective against the B.1.351 variant.

Source: Business Insider

Categories : COVID PoliticsTags :

EU Demands AstraZeneca Vaccine Produced by UK Plants

On By ModernMedia

In another twist to the EU’s seemingly never-ending vaccine procurement problems, the EU health minister has demanded that vaccine production from AstraZeneca’s UK operations be sent to EU countries to make up for the company’s shortfall at its two European plants. 

EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides dismissed AstraZeneca’s argument that it the UK take precedence.

“We reject the logic of first come, first served,” the commissioner declared. “That may work at the neighbourhood butcher’s [shop] but not in contracts and not in our advanced purchase agreements. There’s no priority clause in the purchase agreements.”

The Anglo-Swedish company had triggered fury in Brussels when it was revealed that it would only be able to deliver 25% of the agreed vaccine doses when they received approval as expected this Friday. However, AstraZeneca assured the UK government that it would meet its commitment of supplying 2 million doses a week. UK government sources insisted that only once AstraZeneca had fulfilled its order to provide the UK with 100 million doses would its vaccine production be allowed to be released to serve other countries.

The EU meanwhile is flagging far behind, with only 2% of its adult population vaccinated compared to 10% of the UK’s. Kyriakides pointed out that in its contract with AstraZeneca, four European plants were listed as suppliers and two of those were located in the UK, and she expected them to work for EU citizens.

An AstraZeneca spokesperson said: “Each supply chain was developed with input and investment from specific countries or international organisations based on the supply agreements, including our agreement with the European commission.

“As each supply chain has been set up to meet the needs of a specific agreement, the vaccine produced from any supply chain is dedicated to the relevant countries or regions and makes use of local manufacturing wherever possible.”

Kyriakides said the argument was unacceptable, emphasising that the company had a moral duty to treat the EU similarly to the UK, adding that there was no “priority clause” that would justify UK residents benefiting first from doses made there.

Germany meanwhile has said that it is facing 10 weeks of vaccine shortage.
However, there is encouraging news as Israel reported a 92% effectiveness with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine outside trials. Only 31 of 163 000 Israelis caught COVID within ten days of the innoculation reaching its full strength. None were hospitalised.

Source: The Guardian

Categories : COVIDTags :

Six Key Takeaways of SA’s Vaccination Programme

On By ModernMedia

From a webinar held by the Department of Health late Wednesday night, there are six key points that were learned about the government’s vaccination programme.

1: To receive a vaccine, people will need an internet connection, cellphone and an ID. The internet connection is needed for self-enrolment on the Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS), and the cellphone is needed to receive an SMS detailing the time and place for vaccination. An ID book is required for identification. After the second vaccination (if a two-dose vaccine), an “electronic vaccination certificate” can be accessed from the EVDS. No mention was made of alternatives for those without ID books or internet access to the EVDS.

2: Private doctors and nurses will be paid R50 to R60 per shot administered. However, the government would prefer to use public healthcare facilities wherever possible.

3: Medical aids will pay double or triple for the vaccine doses. As reported in early January, medical aid schemes will pay for some of the costs of achieving herd immunity. The single exit price (SEP) of vaccines will be higher. Whether medical aids cover the number of additional doses for uninsured people at 1:1 or 2:1 is yet to be determined.

4: Mines have significant vaccination capacity – assuming they have enough doses on hand. The head of health for the Minerals Council, Thuthula Balfour, explained: “We’ve actually worked out that the industry can administer about 60 000 to 80 000 vaccines a day, so within two months we could vaccinate between 2.5 million to 3 million people.” This would equate to some five extra people per mineworker.

5: Rural clinics without generators will not receive vaccines. The distribution will use a hub-and-spoke model with hubs that are able to guarantee security and available electricity receiving vaccine stocks.

6: The auditor-general is already involved, to forestall corruption. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said that “all the approaches that we’re taking to make sure that at the end of it they can give us a sense of checks and balances they are going to suggest as we deal with the risks associated with this process.”

Source: Business Insider

Categories : COVIDTags :

Sceptical South Africans Want More Vaccine Info

On By ModernMedia

Professor Carin Runciman, Director of the Centre for Social Change at UJ, has said that most people who are sceptical about COVID vaccines simply want more information. 

An online survey of 10 000 South African adults conducted with the Human Sciences Research Council showed that 67% were likely to take the vaccine if it were offered to them. Runciman said that many of the participants had indicated that they wanted more information before they could decide to take it.

Government and scientists came for criticism recently for giving mixed messages about vaccines, which are a few days away from their first rollout in South Africa. With the first million doses arriving in SA from the end of January, an ambitious target of 31 000 vaccinations a day has been announced, though with few firm details. The majority (70%) of the vaccines are to be AstraZeneca, although given their delays in supplying the EU and the bloc’s subsequent restrictions on vaccine exports, that may impact on SA’s vaccination programme.

Opinions also differed according to age and race. In a very strange result, those with higher levels of education were less likely to want to take a vaccine than those with a lower level. Age and race also played a factor, although no explanation was offered for the discrepancy. “Black African adults were more likely to want to take the vaccine – 69% for black African adults, 55% for white adults – those who [are] older are more likely to want to take the vaccine compared to those that are younger. Those that have a less than matric education are much more likely to want to take the vaccine than those with a tertiary education.”

Source: Eyewitness News

Categories : COVIDTags :

EU to Restrict AstraZeneca Exports to Tackle Vaccine Shortage

On By ModernMedia

In response to AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine production and delays, the European Union has warned that it will tighten exports of the company’s vaccine to countries outside its borders.

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides warned it would “take any action required to protect its citizens”, adding that she had requested detailed delivery schedules and a meeting next week with the company. She added that “in the future, all companies producing vaccines against Covid-19 in the EU will have to provide early notification whenever they want to export vaccines to third countries”.

The vaccine, developed by Oxford University and the British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, is still yet to be approved in the EU but should receive it by the end of January, with distribution set to start on the 15th of February. The EU has been suffering from a number of vaccination programme setbacks, including a previous announcement last week from Pfizer that its own deliveries were being delayed in order to upgrade manufacturing capabilities at a plant in Belgium, provoking ire amongst EU politicians. Italy’s PM has resigned over handling of the pandemic.

The EU had signed a deal in August to secure 300 million doses from AstraZeneca, with an option for another 100 million. Last week, AstraZeneca had announced a slowdown in delivery due to “reduced yields at a manufacturing site within our European supply chain”. The problem is thought to be from a manufacturing plant also in Belgium, which is run by an AstraZeneca partner firm. The exact size of the shortfall is not known but some believe it to be a drop of 31 million doses, or 60% of those meant to be delivered by the end of the quarter.

Where this leaves low and middle-income countries counting on the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines is unclear, but it certainly will add to mounting tension between countries seeking vaccines for their populations amidst the spread of more contagious COVID variants. President Cyril Ramaphosa warned in an address to the World Economic Forum that vaccine nationalism was a growing concern and threat to global recovery. The African Union’s vaccine task team has thus far managed to secure only 270 million doses.

Source: BBC News