South Africa rolls out the continent’s first coronavirus vaccine trial this week, the university leading the pilot said on Tuesday, as the country grapples with the highest number of cases in Africa.
The vaccine, developed by the Oxford Jenner Institute, is already being evaluated in the United Kingdom, where 4,000 participants have signed up for the trial. South Africa has set out to vaccinate 2,000 people with the vaccine known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. Fifty of the candidates have HIV.
“We began screening participants for the South African Oxford 1 COVID-19 vaccine trial last week, and the first participants will be vaccinated this week,” said Wits vaccinology professor Shabir Madhi at a virtual press conference.
Wits is collaborating with the University of Oxford and the Oxford Jenner Institute on the South African trial. South Africa’s coronavirus cases jumped to over 100,000 on Monday, while the number of deaths inched towards 2,000.
“As we enter winter in South Africa and pressure increases on public hospitals, now more than ever we need a vaccine to prevent infection by COVID-19,” Madhi said, describing the vaccine trial as a “landmark moment”.
South African health officials have also placed high hopes on dexamethasone, a generic anti-inflammatory drug found to reduce mortality among ventilated patients.
“This is one of those medicines where we do have excellent local capacity,” said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize in a statement last week. South African pharmaceutical giant Aspen Pharmacare has said it was ready to scale up production of the steroid. Coronavirus Hotline Number: 0800 029 999 from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday.
Help protect your loved ones by sharing this official South African government COVID-19 service with your family, friends and community. Send HI to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp.
The NICD has another Clinician Hotline to improve #COVID19 communication and support for healthcare providers. The Clinician Hotline is 0800 11 1131, operating 24 hrs. The Public Hotline is 0800 029 999 also operating 24hrs.
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Source: businesstech
