
<p>While most cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus have been reported in the U.S. , Europe, and China, the virus is spreading rapidly across the African continent. </p>



<p>The confirmed worldwide cases for the virus have surpassed 200 million with the current figure being at 222,262,640</p>



<p>The death toll continues to rise globally now surpassing 4 million. It is currently at 4,593,598.</p>



<p>The world is currently dealing with a new variant of the virus known as the &#8216;Delta Variant&#8217;. The variant is known to be in over 85 countries globally. </p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"><p>A<em>frica has just marked the continent’s most dire pandemic week ever. But the worst is yet to come as the fast-moving third wave continues to gain speed and new ground. The end to this precipitous rise is still weeks away. Cases are doubling now every 18 days, compared with every 21 days only a week ago. We can still break the chain of transmission by testing, isolating contacts and cases and following key public health measures.”</em> <strong><em><em>said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa</em></em></strong> <strong><em>on July 8 2021</em></strong></p></blockquote>



<p>The U.S. leads with 666,627 deaths. Brazil comes second with 583,866. India&#8217;s deaths are at 441,433; Mexico is with 263,470 deaths, and Peru is with 198,523.</p>



<p>China, where the virus originated from, maintains that the country&#8217;s death toll is at 4,634.</p>



<p>The figure of the global recoveries stands at 198,882,734.</p>



<p>The African continent now has a total figure of 8,003,746 confirmed cases of Covid-19, while the death toll stands at 200,275. The continent has made 7,162,070 recoveries. </p>



<p>World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said in an online briefing Thursday (1 July) that &#8220;The speed and scale of Africa’s third wave are like nothing we’ve seen before.&#8221;  </p>



<p>&#8220;The continent is on the verge of exceeding its worst week ever in this pandemic,&#8221; Moeti said</p>



<p>Here are the country-wide numbers for Africa:</p>



<figure id="main_table_countries_today" class="wp-block-table"><table><thead><tr><th>Country</th><th>Total<br>Cases</th><th>Total<br>Deaths</th><th>Total<br>Recovered</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Africa</td><td>8,003,746</td><td>200,275</td><td>7,162,070</td></tr><tr><td>Algeria</td><td>198,313</td><td>5,445</td><td>135,232</td></tr><tr><td>Angola</td><td>48,790</td><td>1,282</td><td>44,054</td></tr><tr><td>Benin</td><td>16,946</td><td>135</td><td>11,890</td></tr><tr><td>Botswana</td><td>162,186</td><td>2,309</td><td>155,403</td></tr><tr><td>Burkina Faso</td><td>13,851</td><td>171</td><td>13,575</td></tr><tr><td>Burundi</td><td>12,585</td><td>38</td><td>773</td></tr><tr><td>Cabo Verde</td><td>36,012</td><td>316</td><td>34,725</td></tr><tr><td>Cameroon</td><td>84,210</td><td>1,357</td><td>80,433</td></tr><tr><td>CAR</td><td>11,296</td><td>100</td><td>6,859</td></tr><tr><td>Chad</td><td>4,996</td><td>174</td><td>4,816</td></tr><tr><td>Comoros</td><td>4,086</td><td>147</td><td>3,909</td></tr><tr><td>Congo</td><td>13,588</td><td>183</td><td>12,421</td></tr><tr><td>Djibouti</td><td>11,785</td><td>157</td><td>11,592</td></tr><tr><td>DRC</td><td>55,307</td><td>1,061</td><td>30,858</td></tr><tr><td>Egypt</td><td>290,395</td><td>16,801</td><td>242,623</td></tr><tr><td>Equatorial Guinea</td><td>9,939</td><td>129</td><td>8,971</td></tr><tr><td>Eritrea</td><td>6,648</td><td>38</td><td>6,601</td></tr><tr><td>Eswatini</td><td>44,234</td><td>1,156</td><td>38,871</td></tr><tr><td>Ethiopia</td><td>316,174</td><td>4,785</td><td>284,895</td></tr><tr><td>Gabon</td><td>26,177</td><td>168</td><td>25,775</td></tr><tr><td>Gambia</td><td>9,789</td><td>328</td><td>9,379</td></tr><tr><td>Ghana</td><td>121,307</td><td>1,069</td><td>113,267</td></tr><tr><td>Guinea</td><td>29,877</td><td>358</td><td>27,742</td></tr><tr><td>Guinea-Bissau</td><td>5,902</td><td>121</td><td>4,967</td></tr><tr><td>Ivory Coast</td><td>57,056</td><td>477</td><td>54,804</td></tr><tr><td>Kenya</td><td>241,134</td><td>4,800</td><td>229,762</td></tr><tr><td>Lesotho</td><td>14,395</td><td>403</td><td>6,830</td></tr><tr><td>Liberia</td><td>5,459</td><td>148</td><td>2,715</td></tr><tr><td>Libya</td><td>318,069</td><td>4,363</td><td>230,995</td></tr><tr><td>Madagascar</td><td>42,884</td><td>957</td><td>41,311</td></tr><tr><td>Malawi</td><td>60,852</td><td>2,217</td><td>49,374</td></tr><tr><td>Mali</td><td>14,942</td><td>542</td><td>14,135</td></tr><tr><td>Mauritania</td><td>34,297</td><td>737</td><td>31,832</td></tr><tr><td>Mauritius</td><td>11,466</td><td>32</td><td>1,854</td></tr><tr><td>Mayotte</td><td>19,925</td><td>175</td><td>2,964</td></tr><tr><td>Morocco</td><td>886,008</td><td>13,145</td><td>828,148</td></tr><tr><td>Mozambique</td><td>148,054</td><td>1,881</td><td>137,891</td></tr><tr><td>Namibia</td><td>125,772</td><td>3,414</td><td>120,812</td></tr><tr><td>Niger</td><td>5,888</td><td>199</td><td>5,624</td></tr><tr><td>Nigeria</td><td>195,890</td><td>2,556</td><td>184,882</td></tr><tr><td>Rwanda</td><td>90,145</td><td>1,134</td><td>45,362</td></tr><tr><td>Réunion</td><td>50,346</td><td>342</td><td>47,752</td></tr><tr><td>Saint Helena</td><td>2</td><td></td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td>Sao Tome and Principe</td><td>2,692</td><td>37</td><td>2,461</td></tr><tr><td>Senegal</td><td>73,257</td><td>1,812</td><td>64,582</td></tr><tr><td>Seychelles</td><td>20,323</td><td>108</td><td>19,767</td></tr><tr><td>Sierra Leone</td><td>6,374</td><td>121</td><td>4,364</td></tr><tr><td>Somalia</td><td>17,947</td><td>1,005</td><td>8,896</td></tr><tr><td>South Africa</td><td>2,824,063</td><td>83,617</td><td>2,599,667</td></tr><tr><td>South Sudan</td><td>11,526</td><td>120</td><td>11,195</td></tr><tr><td>Sudan</td><td>37,715</td><td>2,837</td><td>31,675</td></tr><tr><td>Tanzania</td><td>1,367</td><td>50</td><td>183</td></tr><tr><td>Togo</td><td>22,625</td><td>197</td><td>17,669</td></tr><tr><td>Tunisia</td><td>675,191</td><td>23,846</td><td>639,708</td></tr><tr><td>Uganda</td><td>120,714</td><td>3,061</td><td>95,679</td></tr><tr><td>Western Sahara</td><td>10</td><td>1</td><td>8</td></tr><tr><td>Zambia</td><td>207,294</td><td>3,620</td><td>202,500</td></tr><tr><td>Zimbabwe</td><td>125,671</td><td>4,493</td><td>117,036</td></tr></tbody></table><figcaption><a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">Data From World O Meter</a></figcaption></figure>



<p><em>Note: The numbers will be updated as new information is available. </em></p>


South African truck drivers receive COVID-19 vaccine

[IN NUMBERS] Coronavirus Update: COVID-19 In Africa


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong> The World Health Organization <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on-covid-19---31-august-2021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> it has identified a new coronavirus “variant of interest,” named mu—also known by its scientific name, B.1.621—in its weekly pandemic update Tuesday, warning it was becoming increasingly prevalent in Colombia and Ecuador and shows signs of possible resistance to vaccines.  </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Since mu was first identified in Colombia in January 2021, there have been “sporadic reports” of cases and outbreaks in South America and Europe, the WHO said.&nbsp;</p>



<p>While the global prevalence of mu among sequenced Covid-19 cases has fallen below 0.1%, the WHO said its prevalence has “consistently increased” in Colombia and Ecuador, where it is now responsible for around 39% and 13% of infections, respectively.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Reports on the variant’s prevalence should be “interpreted with due consideration” given the low sequencing capacity of most countries, the agency said.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Mu has a number of mutations that suggest it could be more resistant to vaccines, the health agency warned, but said further research would be needed to confirm this.</p>



<p>Preliminary data show a reduced effectiveness of vaccines “similar to that seen for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/health/beta-variant-covid-19.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">beta</a>&nbsp;variant,” the WHO said.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



<p>All viruses mutate over time and most mutations have little to no impact on the virus’ behavior. The WHO keeps&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">track</a>&nbsp;of “variants of interest,” those which have mutations “predicted or known to affect virus characteristics” like transmissibility, resistance to vaccines and disease severity. Mu is the fifth variant of interest to be monitored by the WHO since March. There are also four “variants of concern” the health agency tracks—alpha, beta, gamma and delta—which, in addition to meeting the criteria to be a variant of interest, have more significant changes, such as reducing the effectiveness of vaccines. The WHO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/31-05-2021-who-announces-simple-easy-to-say-labels-for-sars-cov-2-variants-of-interest-and-concern" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">introduced</a>&nbsp;a naming convention concerning variants in May to avoid the stigma and consequences when a variant is named after where it was first discovered.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>While wealthy countries hoard limited vaccine supplies for booster campaigns, many parts of the world have not yet had a chance to begin vaccinating. Limited vaccine coverage and the rapid spread of the coronavirus makes an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/18/stockpiling-vaccines-risks-new-variants-emerging-and-rising-covid-cases-study-finds-as-us-readies-booster-campaign/?sh=3a255afa132a">ideal</a>&nbsp;environment for new virus variants to emerge. The WHO said it would be monitoring “the epidemiology of the mu variant in South America, particularly with the co-circulation of the delta variant… for changes”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>3,857. That’s how many genome sequences—analyzed samples of the virus taken from patients that can be used to track how it moves through the population—on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gisaid.org/hcov19-variants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GISAID</a>, an open source genome repository, have been designated as mu in the past four weeks. The vast majority of these—1,544—have been reported in the U.S., and Colombia (844), Mexico (352) and Spain (351) also report a high number of sequences. This figure will be affected by both sequencing capacity, surveillance and the total number of cases in an area.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/23/a-new-covid-variant-is-being-investigated-in-the-uk-after-being-detected-in-countries-including-the-us-and-japan/?sh=6631f8a03298">A New Covid Variant Is Being Investigated In The U.K. After Being Detected In Countries Including The U.S. And Japan</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/08/12/a-new-killer-on-the-loose-b1621/?sh=44e2aacf3d1f">A New Covid Variant On The Loose: B.1.621</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/08/30/inside-pfizer-labs-variant-hunters-race-to-stay-ahead-of-pandemic-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Inside Pfizer’s labs, ‘variant hunters’ race to stay ahead of the pandemic’s next twist</a> (STAT News)</p>



<p><strong><em>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Scientist in a protective suit holds and compares two different Coronavirus of different color in his hands. Creative image.

WHO Tracking New Covid Variant Named Mu, Warns It Could Be More Resistant To Vaccine


<p><strong>TOPLINE</strong>: Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are likely to offer long-lasting protection against Covid-19, according to a study published on Monday, indicating that people who are already inoculated with either of the mRNA vaccines may not need a booster dose for years.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p>According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03738-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">peer-reviewed study</a>&nbsp;published in the science journal&nbsp;<em>Nature</em>, scientists found that the vaccines induced a strong immune reaction that may protect against Covid-19 for years.</p>



<p>The study reinforces a previous finding,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/health/coronavirus-immunity-vaccines.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first reported in May</a>, that people who have both recovered from infection and have been fully inoculated with one of the mRNA vaccines have an even stronger immune response.</p>



<p>The study also showed that the vaccines produced high levels of neutralizing antibodies that were effective against three variants of the coronavirus, including the Beta variant that has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.</p>



<p>Nearly four months after the first dose of either vaccine, the body still had the so-called germinal centers in the lymph nodes which effectively train the body’s immune cells to protect against future infection.</p>



<p>According to scientists who conducted the study, this is a very positive sign since germinal centers normally peak one or two weeks after vaccination and then begin to decline, the New York Times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/28/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask?smtyp=cur&amp;smid=tw-nytimesworld#a-study-finds-that-the-pfizer-and-moderna-vaccines-could-offer-protection-for-years" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.</p>



<p>Production of a broader range of immune cells and longer training times for those cells will lead to more robust protection against the virus and any variants that may emerge.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-don-t-know">WHAT WE DON’T KNOW</h3>



<p>The scope of the study was only limited to the two approved mRNA vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. It did not examine the single-dose Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine and one of the study’s authors&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/28/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask?smtyp=cur&amp;smid=tw-nytimesworld#a-study-finds-that-the-pfizer-and-moderna-vaccines-could-offer-protection-for-years" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<em>New York Times&nbsp;</em>that he expected the immune response from that shot to be less durable. The study also does not throw any light on the effectiveness of the vaccine against the Delta variant of the coronavirus which is more transmissible than other variants.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>While the mRNA vaccines have been highly effective in preventing infections, the emergence of more infectious variants of the coronavirus has led to speculation that booster doses may be needed to protect against Covid-19. Speaking at a&nbsp;<em>Forbes</em>&nbsp;event earlier this month, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfellows/2021/06/08/moderna-ceo-says-vaccine-boosters-and-flucovid-combo-shots-are-likely-for-the-future/?sh=886c6a03347d">also suggested</a>&nbsp;that it was likely booster shots will be needed in the near future, both to bolster waning immunity and to protect against new virus mutations. However, public health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-05-21/covid-19-booster-shots-not-necessarily-needed-this-fall-fauci-says" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pushed back</a>&nbsp;against this notion. The results of this study suggest that a vast majority of people, who have received one of the two mRNA vaccines, will likely be protected over the long term and may not need a booster shot anytime soon. However, the emergence of newer, more infectious variants could still blunt the effectiveness of these mRNA vaccines. Additionally, a large proportion of vaccine recipients around the world have received viral vector-based vaccines which may offer less durable immunity.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/28/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask?smtyp=cur&amp;smid=tw-nytimesworld#a-study-finds-that-the-pfizer-and-moderna-vaccines-could-offer-protection-for-years" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mRNA Vaccines May Offer Lasting Protection, Study Finds</a>&nbsp;(New York Times)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/health/coronavirus-immunity-vaccines.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Immunity to the Coronavirus May Persist for Years, Scientists Find</a>&nbsp;(New York Times)</p>



<p><em><strong>By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


In this photo illustration the medical syringe is seen with

Pfizer And Moderna Vaccines May Offer Years-Long Protection Against Covid-19, Scientists Say


<p><strong>Topline </strong>England on Monday reported no new deaths from Covid-19 for the time since last March, a positive milestone that comes as the country continues to ease long-lasting lockdown restrictions.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<p><a href="https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths?areaType=nation&amp;areaName=England" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Data</a>&nbsp;released by Public Health England Monday afternoon added no new deaths to the country’s toll of 112,245.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Scotland and Northern Ireland also reported no new deaths for Sunday, a streak in the U.K. broken by Wales, which reported four more residents dead from Covid-19 in Monday’s update.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Both Scotland and Northern Ireland have reported zero coronavirus deaths prior to May 10, but this is the first time since March 7 England has hit such a milestone.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER&nbsp;</h3>



<p>126,605. That’s how many people have died from Covid-19 in the U.K. since the start of the pandemic.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h3>



<p>England’s 14-month record low for Covid-19 deaths comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce Monday the latest round of lockdown easing. The U.K.’s alert level has been lowered from a four to a three, meaning the transmission of coronavirus is no longer deemed to be high or rising exponentially, though it’s still in general circulation. Johnson is expected to announce friends and families can hug and mix indoors starting next week, including in pubs and restaurants, while cinemas, museums and theaters can reopen.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT&nbsp;</h3>



<p>After hitting a peak of 70,000 cases per day in January, the U.K. is now recording an average of less than 2,000 new daily infections. The bloc of countries have also benefited from one of the world’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most successful&nbsp;</a>vaccine rollouts, with over a quarter of residents fully vaccinated and more than half fully inoculated.</p>



<p><strong><a href="https://www.forbes.com/coronavirus/">Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus</a></strong></p>



<p><em><strong>By Jemima McEvoy, Forbes Staff</strong></em></p>


Michael Nardone, who plays D.I Neil McKinven in the BBC

England Reports Zero New Coronavirus Deaths For First Time In 14 Months


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine staved off illness and death for over 95% of Israeli patients, according to government figures released Saturday from a report reviewed by multiple news outlets, encouraging news from the world’s most heavily vaccinated country.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Israel’s Ministry of Health studied the roughly 1.7 million Israelis who had received both shots of Pfizer’s vaccine as of the end of last month, and released a report later obtained by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel-vaccine/covid-infections-dropped-95-8-after-both-pfizer-shots-israeli-health-ministry-idUSKBN2AK0NC" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters</a> and several <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/vaccine-close-to-99-percent-effective-in-preventing-death-latest-israeli-data-shows-1.9555313" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">local</a> <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-says-vaccine-dramatically-effective-prevents-98-9-of-covid-deaths/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">news</a> <a href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/1613844321-israel-coronavirus-vaccine-almost-96-percent-effective-in-preventing-disease" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outlets</a>. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Two weeks after receiving both doses, vaccinated Israelis were 95.8% less likely to fall ill from Covid-19 and 98.9% less likely to face hospitalization or death, Reuters reported.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>This report follows a spate of good news from Israel: The country’s main healthcare provider <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-israel-vaccine-idUSKBN2AE0Q2?taid=60298276a77dbd00013d1f6c&amp;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&amp;utm_medium=trueAnthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Sunday</a> vaccinated patients are 92% less likely to end up with serious Covid-19 cases than their unvaccinated peers, and a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2821%2900448-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">non-peer reviewed study</a> Thursday found just one dose of the vaccine reduces the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/02/19/single-shot-of-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-is-85-effective-study-finds/?sh=52725c173969">risk of infection</a> by 75% after two weeks.</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



<p>32.4%. That’s the share of Israelis who are fully vaccinated as of Saturday, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>New York Times</em></a>’ tracker. The country ranks first in the world for vaccinations, compared to the United States’ 5.1% immunization rate.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



<p>Israel is leading the worldwide vaccination race, partly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/01/04/why-israel-is-leading-the-world-in-covid-vaccinations-and-the-us-is-trailing/?sh=6408ca0b1592">due to</a>&nbsp;the country’s small size,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/01/why-israels-vaccine-success-might-be-hard-replicate/617780/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">speed</a>&nbsp;in buying up doses and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/31/covid-vaccine-israel-says-its-inoculated-7percent-of-its-population-its-less-than-1percent-in-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">comprehensive network</a>&nbsp;of HMOs (the effort&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/04/world/middleeast/israel-palestinians-vaccine.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">controversially</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/55800921" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">doesn’t include</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/pa-says-israel-has-agreed-to-vaccinate-palestinian-workers-against-covid-1.9553781" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most</a>&nbsp;residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip). Public health authorities around the world are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/05/world/middleeast/israel-virus-vaccination.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watching Israel’s progress closely</a>, making the country the planet’s largest test case for the impact of mass-vaccination. So far, experts say there’s reason for cautious optimism: cases and hospitalizations have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-05/israel-s-pioneering-covid-vaccination-program-offers-key-lessons" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">declined for</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/israel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">several weeks</a>.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



<p>“Israel has a remarkable diminution in cases associated with the efficiency of their vaccine,” U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/02/17/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-4/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Wednesday</a>.</p>



<p><em>By Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff</em></p>


ISRAEL-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINE

Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine Over 95% Effective In Israel, New Study Reportedly Shows


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> Someone who is fully vaccinated who’s exposed to coronavirus doesn’t have to quarantine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/clinical-considerations.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said&nbsp;</a>Wednesday, offering clarity into how vaccinated people should go about their lives as the rest of the country waits to get inoculated.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>In the new guidance, the CDC said people who have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and are currently asymptomatic are no longer required to quarantine for two weeks.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>It can take up to two weeks to develop immunity after the last dose, so the CDC says people should still quarantine if it has been less than two weeks since their last shot.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>However, the free pass on quarantining only applies to those who received their second shot within the last three months, since it’s unclear as of yet how long protection lasts.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The CDC still says that vaccinated people should continue to wear masks and social distance because the vaccine isn’t 100% effective and it&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/vaccines/vaccines-faq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">doesn’t prevent</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2021/01/16/rand-paul-says-throw-your-mask-away-after-covid-19-vaccination-dont-do-that/?sh=6dc3f0b07ccf">asymptomatic&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/02/health/covid-19-vaccine-why-people-still-test-positive/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">illness</a>.</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



<p>“Individual and societal benefits of avoiding unnecessary quarantine may outweigh the potential but unknown risk of transmission, and facilitate the direction of public health resources to persons at highest risk for transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to others,” the CDC said.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



<p>There have been a few publicized cases of individuals testing positive for the virus even after they have been vaccinated, including Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stephen-lynch-covid-19-positive-vaccine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Steve Lynch</a>&nbsp;(D-Ma.) and a California man who&nbsp;<a href="https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2021/02/09/orange-county-man-tests-positive-covid-19-vaccine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tested&nbsp;</a>positive three weeks after getting his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Still,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahrosenbaum/2021/01/29/some-experts-claim-covid-19-reinfections-are-not-a-huge-problem-but-nobodys-tracking-the-numbers/?sh=368ea41b1915">no one</a>&nbsp;is keeping track of reinfections, so it’s unclear how widespread the issue is.</p>



<p><em>By Rachel Sandler, Forbes Staff</em></p>


PALESTINIAN-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINE

Fully Vaccinated People Don’t Have To Quarantine If They’re Exposed To Coronavirus, CDC Says


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> South Africa has dropped plans to roll out the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after a new analysis suggests the shot provides “minimal protection” against mild disease from the new variant circulating in the country—the country will possibly sell the doses and instead distribute the unauthorized Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine to frontline healthcare workers, a move that runs counter to advice from experts who believe the shot is still of value in preventing severe disease.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Health Minister Zweli Mkhize <a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-news-coronavirus-pandemic-africa-south-africa-coronavirus-vaccine-3f54526ca5bfca84eadfaeaea5ade5d5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> South Africa had abandoned plans to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as it “does not prevent mild to moderate disease” caused by the variant circulating in the country.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The rollout was first suspended Sunday after a small study that had not undergone peer review and did not evaluate the vaccine’s protection against severe disease, a key metric of success, suggested it provided “minimal protection” against mild disease from the variant.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Instead, Mkhize said South Africa might <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-safrica-idUSKBN2AA0G2?taid=602387f7496f1e00010ad0aa&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=trueanthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sell</a> or swap its 1.5 million Oxford-AstraZeneca shots—something he said has been discussed with the Covax alliance for equitable vaccine distribution worldwide, through which South Africa has acquired some of its shots—and deploy the Johnson &amp; Johnson single-shot vaccine to frontline healthcare workers.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The World Health Organization, along with the study’s lead author and a number of other health organizations, has <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-08/astra-s-covid-shot-still-useful-in-variant-hit-areas-who-says" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urged</a> South Africa not to dismiss the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot too soon, stressing its ability to help prevent severe cases of the disease. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Though the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine has not been authorized for use in any country yet, Mkhize said it is safe and was in the process of being approved in South Africa and would be initially distributed as part of an “implementation study.”</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>“The Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine has been proven effective against the 501Y.V2 variant and the necessary approval processes for use in South Africa are underway,” Mkhize said.</li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC&nbsp;</h4>



<p>Shabir Madhi, lead investigator of the study prompting the policy change and a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-09/s-africa-s-madhi-says-astrazeneca-vaccine-should-be-used" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urged</a>&nbsp;the country not to be “reckless” in how it deals with the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot. “It’s going to have global repercussions,” he added.&nbsp;“The toss-up is going to be between no vaccine or a vaccine that’s got a high likelihood of preventing severe disease and death,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/02/08/965390228/why-south-africa-is-putting-the-astrozeneca-vaccine-on-hold" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



<p>A new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/02/03/astrazeneca-vaccine-helps-slow-covid-19-transmission-first-dose-76-effective-for-at-least-three-months-study-finds/?sh=14c3d9de1745">study</a>&nbsp;has found that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine could lead to a significant drop in the spread of Covid-19 in the U.K.. As well as slowing the spread of the virus, scientists found a single dose of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is 76% effective in preventing symptomatic infection after three months of receiving the shot, a finding that validates the U.K. government’s current approach of delaying the second dose.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



<p>The emergence of new Covid-19 variants capable of evading, at least partially, the protection conferred by vaccines is another indication the novel coronavirus could be a permanent fixture in the future. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-news-vaccine-may-not-work-variants-7950427023f7883e0c2d33998aafb279" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;Monday that South Africa’s decision is “a reminder that we need to do everything we can to reduce circulation of the virus with proven public health measures” and that vaccine manufacturers will need to adjust their vaccines going forward. Several, Oxford-AstraZeneca included, are already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/02/03/next-gen-vaccine-for-covid-19-mutants-will-be-ready-by-fall-astrazeneca-says/?sh=3a78fd947b94">developing</a>&nbsp;booster shots to account for the new variants.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



<p>Other countries in the region may follow South Africa’s lead in swapping the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for something else. On Tuesday, the health minister for neighboring eSwatini&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-eswatini/update-1-eswatini-will-not-use-astrazeneca-vaccine-after-safrica-trial-data-idUSL1N2KF2DZ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;it would no longer use the vaccine.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-news-coronavirus-pandemic-africa-south-africa-coronavirus-vaccine-3f54526ca5bfca84eadfaeaea5ade5d5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">South Africa scraps AstraZeneca vaccine, will give J&amp;J jabs</a>&nbsp;(AP)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/02/08/south-africa-halts-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-after-study-shows-minimal-protection-against-local-variant/?sh=2016bf78461a">South Africa Halts AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine After Study Shows ‘Minimal Protection’ Against Local Variant</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/02/08/965390228/why-south-africa-is-putting-the-astrozeneca-vaccine-on-hold" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why South Africa Is Putting The AstraZeneca Vaccine On Hold</a>&nbsp;(NPR)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-safrica-idUSKBN2AA0G2?taid=602387f7496f1e00010ad0aa&amp;utm_campaign=trueanthem&amp;utm_medium=trueanthem&amp;utm_source=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">South Africa says selling or swapping AstraZeneca doses are options</a> (Reuters)</p>



<p><em>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</em></p>


South African Minister Zweli Mkhize conducts an inspection of King Dinuzulu Hospital

South Africa Abandons Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine In Favor Of Unapproved Johnson & Johnson Shot


<p><strong>Understanding the successful storage, supply chain, and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine and what Africa needs to do to get it right.</strong></p>



<p>THERE WAS PERSONAL DILIGENCE IN conducting the research for this story, as this writer too tested positive for Covid-19 at the end of December, in South Africa, a country that recorded a million coronavirus infections that same week. Following the story and the world’s quest for an effective<br>cure, this article now focuses on the concomitant issue of vaccine distribution across Africa even as the continent grapples with a deadly second wave of the pandemic.</p>



<p>Different countries have taken different approaches to securing their supply of vaccines. In North Africa, for example, Morocco has secured over 65 million doses, some of which has come from China’s Sinopharm and Britain’s AstraZeneca and Oxford supplies. The country aims to have<br>at least 80% of its population vaccinated with this supply.</p>



<p>South Africa, having joined the COVAX coalition, has secured 20 million doses thus far. The country’s government is using a phased approach with healthcare workers being the first to receive the vaccine, and the continent’s second largest economy aims to have 60% of the overall population vaccinated to initiate herd immunity.</p>



<p>Other countries look to their alliances with China and Russia to provide vaccine doses. While countries have had to ensure the security of their supply first, other issues around the vaccine are also to be considered which in turn plays a deciding role in the type of Covid-19 vaccine a country needs.</p>



<p>One such issue is storage. The current vaccines that have been approved as a result of their high efficacy rates pose a difficult challenge when it comes<br>to shipping and storage. There are certain conditions that have to be met to ensure that a vaccine is stored successfully and still viable for use after being shipped.</p>



<p>This is where the vaccine cold chain comes in. The cold chain is the network of cold storage facilities that are used through every key stage of the vaccines’ journey; from the manufacturing line to their eventual use in a syringe. Proper storage and handling of vaccines during the cold chain process ensures that no part of the vaccine being transported degrades and<br>becomes unusable for treatment.</p>



<p>Part of the cold chain process is also temperature regulation and includes all equipment and procedures required during the transportation and storage process.</p>



<p>Africa faces a unique challenge in the area of storage. With vaccines requiring resilience in being able to travel across great distances and many facilities, particularly in rural areas not reaching the requirements for long-term storage, certain vaccines have had to be ruled out.</p>



<p>There are enough examples now of businesses and services in this critical area. iKhaya Automation Solutions is a temperature monitoring specialist based in Pietermaritzburg, a town in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The company has received accreditation from the World Health Organization (WHO) which is critical in the roll-out and storage of<br>vaccines on the African continent.</p>



<p>Eckart Zollner, the sales and marketing executive of iKhaya, says the accreditation could not have come at a more critical juncture. “The temperature of every vaccine (and indeed all temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals) must be kept as advised by the manufacturers during transport and storage to preserve the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety once administered,” says Zollner.</p>



<p>Temperature monitoring systems such as the ones provided by iKhaya are a key component to ensuring that the viability of a vaccine is maintained throughout the cold chain process. Devices manufactured by iKhaya have been deployed at a number of different storage facilities and laboratories that have been involved in the vaccine process.</p>



<p>“Vaccine storage at the recommended temperatures in Africa is not easy to achieve,” says Zollner.</p>



<p>In order for the accreditation to be achieved, a number of compliances and regulations had to be met. The criteria included a thorough examination of the devices and quality of technology being used in its mechanisms for measurement. There were also strict regulations on how the devices interacted with the environment and the alert systems in place should the temperature and condition of the vaccine face being compromised. Zollner elaborates on the importance of data analysis and data storage systems that were also in place and part of the approval of the accreditation process as “it has been quite an intricate and rigorous process in ensuring our data<br>systems matched the criteria set out by WHO”.</p>



<p>Given that the storage of the vaccine is determined by the specific temperature range, the devices created have to ensure that the temperature regulation processes can be monitored in real-time and breaches can be controlled immediately.</p>



<p>“The alerts have a three-level hierarchy to ensure that personnel are able to act accordingly and before temperatures reach a critical juncture and the vaccine is compromised,&#8221; says Zollner. </p>



<p>In Africa, there are also other issues in the cold chain process. One of them, power.</p>



<p>“Electricity supplies have proven to be unstable in some parts of Africa, which is not ideal for temperature regulation devices; the consistent maintenance of electricity, particularly in rural areas is needed for vaccines to maintain their efficacy,” adds Zollner.</p>



<p>Training is also of importance as personnel needs to be well-versed in the temperature regulation measures needed for the storage of a particular vaccine. Zollner also mentions the lack of qualified staff in certain regions.</p>



<p>Another critical issue is the actual distribution of the vaccine within an African context.</p>



<p>The distribution of Covid-19 vaccines also comes with a subset of issues. Dr John Sargent, one of the co-founders of BroadReach Healthcare, spoke to FORBES AFRICA on some of the issues in Africa.</p>



<p>Sargent explains that the model of distribution for the Covid-19 vaccine is a complex one.</p>



<p>“When you think about from when a vaccine gets into a country to when it gets put into someone’s arm, especially those that require two doses, there are literally a thousand steps that need to happen first,” notes Sargent.</p>



<p>One of the first things that need to happen in each country is regulatory approval.</p>



<p>The second consideration, once approval has been granted, is budget.</p>



<p>“The cost of the actual vaccine is only part of the cost, the cost for the vaccine process needs to be taken into account, this includes costs for syringes, alcohol swabs, personnel to administer the vaccine, and it just continues from there.”</p>



<p>The third area, according to Sargent, is supply chain logistics which he foresees as being a challenge, especially due to the cold chain process. He reasons that this can be overcome by explaining that “in many of the countries I have been in sub- Saharan Africa, I could get ice cream”. </p>



<p>By this, he means partnering with industries and companies in the private sector and using their facilities as an innovation within the cold chain process.</p>



<p>Apart from the technicalities around distribution, Sargent mentions more intrinsic social issues such as community awareness and adherence as potential concerns.</p>



<p>Sargent feels education needs to happen through communication strategies and exploring avenues such as social media campaigns and community programs.</p>



<p>The last thing Sargent feels is needed is effective project management.</p>



<p>By this, he refers to technical nuances such as an effective data management system or how vaccine candidates are being catalogued and the logistics around key facilities that would offer vaccination.</p>



<p>Understanding the supply chain in distributing the vaccine is going to be instrumental in ensuring that the vaccination process is as widespread as it needs to be.</p>



<p>With different countries adopting different approaches in how the vaccine is distributed, only time will tell which has been the most effective in making Covid-19 a thing of the past.</p>



<div class="wp-block-group has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="738" height="544" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Screenshot-2021-02-10-at-10.25.02.png" alt="" class="wp-image-49978" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Screenshot-2021-02-10-at-10.25.02.png 738w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Screenshot-2021-02-10-at-10.25.02-300x221.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Screenshot-2021-02-10-at-10.25.02-600x442.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 738px) 100vw, 738px" /></figure>



<p><strong>Storage conditions of the vaccines currently available:</strong> Currently, there are at least five vaccines that have approval and are being rolled out in different parts of the globe. Each of these vaccines have different storage requirements in terms of the temperatures required to ensure they remain viable. The reason for this is due to the components of each vaccine and how they have been structured biologically.</p>



<p><strong>BNT162b2 (Pfizer and BioNTech): </strong>This vaccine needs to be shipped and stored at temperatures between -60 to -80°C. It can be stored for up to five days in normal refrigerator conditions (2-8°C) before use and has a shelf life of up to six months under the right storage conditions.</p>



<p><strong>mRNA-1273 (Moderna):</strong> This vaccine has easier conditions to meet than the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine as it only needs to be shipped and stored<br>at temperatures between -15 to -25°C, the average temperature of a freezer. It can also be stored in refrigerator conditions for up to 30 days and also has a shelf life of six months.</p>



<p><strong>AZD1222 (AstraZeneca and Oxford): </strong>The vaccine created by AstraZeneca and Oxford has the easiest conditions in terms of storage as it can be stored and shipped at temperatures between 2-8°C, the average temperature of a refrigerator. It can also be stored at these temperatures for up to six months without use.</p>



<p><strong>CoronaVac (Sinovac):</strong> This vaccine uses an inactivated vaccine approach and as such, can be stored at refrigerator temperatures (between 2-8°C) for extended periods of time.</p>



<p><strong>Sputnik V (Gamaleya)</strong>: Using a viral vector approach, the viral vector vaccine can be stored at refrigerator temperatures when in dry mass form, and at temperatures of around -18.5°C in liquid form.</p>
</div></div>



<p></p>


JAPAN-HEALTH-VIRUS

Virus, Vaccine, And Viability


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> The World Health Organization team investigating the origins of Covid-19 has not been able to uncover the source of the virus or meaningfully change our understanding of the pandemic, the group said Tuesday, though it did rule out the idea commonly touted by former President Trump that the virus escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. </p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>In a joint press conference led by members of WHO and Chinese delegations, experts said their two weeks in the field had uncovered new information but had not dramatically changed the picture of the pandemic. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Peter Ben Embarek, who chaired the WHO team, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/09/wuhan-laboratory-leak-covid-origin-theory-unlikely-says-who-team" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> the theory that the virus escaped from a Wuhan lab is “extremely unlikely” and does not merit further study, pointing to a lack of work on similar viruses “anywhere in the world” and a strong set of lab procedures making it “very unlikely that anything could escape from that place.”</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Embarek said the most likely hypothesis remains the virus entering humans through an intermediary species—evidence suggests this could be bats or pangolins—but said the group was unable to identify a natural animal reservoir for the virus and further research would be needed.  </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Embarek said further work was also needed to evaluate two other theories, such as whether the virus could have entered into humans from an animal reservoir directly or if frozen products were involved “in the introduction of the virus over a distance”. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>According to the <em>Guardian</em>, the Chinese delegation, which spoke first, heavily emphasized the latter theory, in fitting with ongoing efforts by officials to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/29/a-year-after-wuhan-alarm-china-seeks-to-change-covid-origin-story" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">relocate</a> the virus’ origins overseas.  </li></ul>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-don-t-know">WHAT WE DON’T KNOW</h4>



<p>After months of tense buildup and diplomatic back and forth to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/11/china-finally-green-lights-who-investigation-into-coronavirus-origins-as-daily-covid-19-cases-spike-to-five-month-high/?sh=3f87ad3b6511">greenlight</a>&nbsp;the WHO investigation, the origins of Covid-19 remain a mystery. It is unclear whether further investigations will receive approval from the authorities, and despite its continued claims of cooperation for the mission, China repeatedly refused to authorize a visit and even&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/06/who-chief-very-disappointed-as-china-blocks-entry-of-experts-studying-origins-of-covid-19/?sh=7ee973c347d4">blocked</a>&nbsp;the team’s arrival as they were leaving their home countries. It now says its side of the investigation is over, adding that this is just the “first part” of the WHO’s “global origin tracing work.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



<p>Amid manifold failures and mounting criticism, China became a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/04/25/republicans-see-attacks-on-china-as-a-winning-strategy-for-2020/#52bc901a3473">target</a>&nbsp;for Trump and Republicans looking to cast blame for the Covid-19 crisis in the United States. Beyond the virus being first detected there, the former President and his officials repeatedly pushed, without evidence, the idea that the virus also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/10/a-timeline-of-the-covid-19-wuhan-lab-origin-theory/?sh=7589d49b5aba">leaked</a>&nbsp;from a lab in Wuhan. Trump once said he had a “high degree of confidence” in the Wuhan lab theory, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was “enormous evidence” the claim was true.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/09/wuhan-laboratory-leak-covid-origin-theory-unlikely-says-who-team" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wuhan laboratory leak Covid origin theory &#8216;unlikely&#8217;, says WHO team</a>&nbsp;(Guardian)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/10/a-timeline-of-the-covid-19-wuhan-lab-origin-theory/?sh=7589d49b5aba">A Timeline Of The COVID-19 Wuhan Lab Origin Theory</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/11/china-finally-green-lights-who-investigation-into-coronavirus-origins-as-daily-covid-19-cases-spike-to-five-month-high/?sh=3f87ad3b6511">China Finally Green Lights WHO Investigation Into Coronavirus Origins As Daily Covid-19 Cases Spike To Five-Month High</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><em>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</em></p>


CHINA-HEALTH-VIRUS

Wuhan Lab Theory ‘Extremely Unlikely’ Covid-19 Source, WHO Concludes—Correcting A Trump White House Claim


<p>The UNICEF released a report in November last year titled <em>COVID-19: A Catastrophe for Children in Sub-Saharan Africa</em>, stating that prolonged school closures due to Covid-19 have presented multiple problems in the sub-Saharan African region. There is now a higher rate of teenage pregnancy, poor nutrition, and permanent dropouts from school.</p>



<p>Furthermore, the report read: “School closures have caused the number of children and adolescents not going to school to rise from around 100 million before the pandemic to 350 million.” A classroom report of different countries:</p>



<p><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">NIGERIA</span></strong></p>



<p>Despite the fact that Nigeria is battling with the second wave of the pandemic, learners returned to school on January 18 this year. However, the House of Representatives asked the government to postpone the reopening by three months, due to the increasing number of Covid-19 deaths.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49958" width="335" height="223" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230667585-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 335px) 100vw, 335px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Olukayode Jaiyeola/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>&#8220;We are particularly concerned that when the infection rates hovered around 500 and under, schools were closed but now that it hovers well above 1,000 infections daily, schools are being reopened. Why are we rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure our children?” The House Committee on Basic Education and Services stated in a press release, reported <em>This Day.</em></p>



<p><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">SOUTH AFRICA</span></strong></p>



<p>The government announced on January 15 that schools will remain closed until February 15. This is due to concerns around the country’s more serious second Covid-19 wave. Teachers have had to report to schools at the beginning of February.</p>



<p>At the end of January the country&#8217;s Basic education Minister, Angie Motshekga, indicated in a gazette that the return of students will be staggered. Business Tech further reported that private school pupils will be allowed to return to school two weeks earlier than their public school counterparts.</p>



<p><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">KENYA</span></strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49956" width="444" height="295" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230423366-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px" /><figcaption>. (Photo by Dennis Sigwe/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>Schools in Kenya reopened at the beginning of the year after being closed since March 2020. <em>VOA News </em>reported that Kenya has yet to contain the pandemic and there are concerns among teachers and parents about being exposed to the infection.</p>



<p><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">ZIMBABWE</span></strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-1024x678.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49957" width="267" height="177" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-768x508.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-2048x1356.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230436018-600x397.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px" /><figcaption> (Photo by Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>At the end of last year, the country announced it would postpone the date schools reopen. Originally, learners were to return on January 4, but a new date would be announced in due course. This, however, is not only due to the pandemic but also coupled with the threat of flooding posed by Cyclone Chalane.</p>



<p><strong><span class="has-inline-color has-vivid-red-color">eSWATINI</span></strong></p>



<p>After eSwatini strengthened its lockdown regulations on January 7, with a spike in Covid-19 cases, Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku announced that schools would remain closed indefinitely.</p>



<p>According to the <em>SABC</em>, the President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers in eSwatini, Mbongwa Dlamini, commended the government for postponing the reopening of schools.</p>



<p>“As a trade union of teachers, we are saying that the government should make sure that before schools are open, the schools should be safe for teaching and learning. So if the schools are not safe for teaching and learning, it is best for the government to wait.”</p>



<p></p>


KENYA-HEALTH-VIRUS-EDUCATION

Covid’s Effects On African Classrooms


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> A Covid-19 vaccine candidate from Novavax offers strong protection against a more contagious coronavirus variant first discovered in the United Kingdom, but it’s somewhat less effective against a rapidly spreading mutation from South Africa, according to <a href="https://ir.novavax.com/news-releases/news-release-details/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-demonstrates-893-efficacy-uk-phase-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">early data</a> released Thursday, marking the latest vaccine to face some efficacy issues as new strains of the virus evolve.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<p>Novavax’s vaccine, which hasn’t been approved for use yet, was 89.3% effective in the United Kingdom, according to data from a phase 3 trial in that country (it was 86% effective against the new U.K. variant and 96% effective for&nbsp;<a href="https://ir.novavax.com/static-files/e8c12211-6544-4106-b8fb-2b74a9a01265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">other forms</a>&nbsp;of the virus).</p>



<p>In a smaller study in South Africa, a country dominated by a highly contagious new coronavirus variant, the vaccine was just 49.4% effective, though its efficacy jumped by more than 10 points for patients who are HIV-negative.</p>



<p>Following the announcement, Novavax’s&nbsp;<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NVAX?p=NVAX&amp;.tsrc=fin-srch" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">share price</a>&nbsp;rose 29.2% in after-hours trading to $173.11.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



<p>Novavax says it’s working on a new version of the vaccine that could offer stronger immunity against the South Africa variant, and it&nbsp;<a href="https://ir.novavax.com/static-files/e8c12211-6544-4106-b8fb-2b74a9a01265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hopes to launch trials</a>&nbsp;in the second quarter of this year. Still, in a conference call Thursday, executives cast the South Africa results as proof its vaccine offers some protection against an increasingly common strain of the virus.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



<p>In recent months, more contagious new coronavirus strains have torn through the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa and quickly spread to dozens of other countries including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/01/28/more-contagious-uk-coronavirus-strain-has-been-detected-in-over-half-of-us-states/">the</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2021/01/25/first-known-case-of-brazilian-covid-19-variant-identified-in-us/">United</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/01/28/first-us-cases-of-south-africa-coronavirus-strain-discovered-in-south-carolina/">States</a>. Some experts are concerned existing vaccines could offer less protection against new forms of the virus. Novavax isn’t the only vaccine developer to watch these new variants closely:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/01/25/960341384/moderna-finds-covid-19-vaccine-less-effective-against-variant-found-in-south-afr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moderna</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/pfizer-vaccine-only-slightly-less-effective-against-key-parts-south-n1255959" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pfizer</a>&nbsp;say their vaccines (which are currently being distributed in the United States) appear to be slightly less effective in South Africa than in the United Kingdom, leading Moderna to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/01/25/moderna-launches-trial-for-covid-19-vaccine-booster-to-tackle-south-african-strain/?sh=57ae6970737b">start developing</a>&nbsp;a booster to improve immunity against the South Africa variant.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h4>



<p>Seasonal flu vaccines often have efficacy rates below 50%, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines-work/2019-2020.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data</a>&nbsp;from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



<p>Novavax says it plans on starting the approval process with regulators soon. The Gaithersburg, Md.-based biotech company, which specializes in vaccines, will likely ask for authorization in the United Kingdom first, executives said, and it has begun speaking with regulators in the United States, where a phase 3 trial&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/phase-3-trial-novavax-investigational-covid-19-vaccine-opens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kicked off last year</a>&nbsp;and is&nbsp;<a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04611802?term=novavax&amp;draw=2&amp;rank=2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expected to wrap up</a>&nbsp;in March. Novavax has&nbsp;<a href="https://ir.novavax.com/news-releases/news-release-details/novavax-announces-16-billion-funding-operation-warp-speed" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">agreed to produce</a>&nbsp;100 million doses for U.S. patients, part of a deal struck through Operation Warp Speed last year.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



<p>“We look forward to continuing to work with our partners, collaborators, investigators and regulators around the world to make the vaccine available as quickly as possible,” Novavax CEO Stanley Erck said in a statement Thursday.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/novavax-vaccine-is-89-effective-against-covid-19-in-u-k-study-11611867720" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Novavax Vaccine Is 89% Effective Against Covid-19 in U.K. Study (Wall Street Journal)</a></p>



<p><em>-by Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff</em></p>


Middlesbrough Pharmacy Rolls Out Covid Vaccine Programme

Novavax Covid Vaccine Is Highly Effective Against U.K. Variant But Struggled In South Africa, Data Shows


<p><strong>Only 27, Ofentse Pitse owns and conducts an orchestra in South Africa, rewriting the soundtrack for the region’s abundant though overlooked musical talent. But the pandemic has made performing together a logistical conundrum.</strong></p>



<p class="has-drop-cap">IF IT REQUIRES 10,000 HOURS OF dedication to master an instrument, it takes someone of harmonic resolve to become the conductor of a 45-piece orchestra, and 30-member choir, by the age of 27. Ofentse Pitse is the owner of Anchored Sound, the Johannesburg-based, all-black phenomenon rewriting aspiration’s soundtrack for the region’s abundant but overlooked musical talent.</p>



<p>The first black South African woman to own and conduct an orchestra was playing the flugelhorn, a gift from an uncle, by the age of 12 (her grandfather was the trumpeter and jazz conductor Otto Pitse); her nascent talent and determination were nurtured by the Salvation Army band in her home town of Mabopane, Pretoria, the capital of South Africa.</p>



<p>“In the beginning, the dream was a silent dream,” she says. “I didn’t really share my ideas, I was just thinking of how far I wanted to go. I didn’t see enough representation in the brass band at church. I thought to myself, ‘hang on, I’ve not seen enough girls’! That was a leadership step.”</p>



<p>A formative experience at school then sparked a natural instinct for transgressive innovation.</p>



<p>“I remember one day just wanting to touch the piano in the music department,” she says. “And being told, ‘no, you can’t touch the piano’. That made me feel so small. My argument will always be that you have to<br>be what you want to see; you cannot fight a system if you are not willing to challenge it yourself.”</p>



<p>Out of this frustration, Anchored Sound was born, named after the Biblical metaphor of hope as the anchor of the soul. The choir and orchestra, supported by Pitse, with funds from her own architectural practice, perform everything from Sibelius to Vivaldi to Dvořák, with Pitse’s leadership in turn bolstered by mentorship from the University of Pretoria Symphony Orchestra conductor, Gerben Grooten.</p>



<p>“I told him that if we need to do the very hard pieces, we are going to do the very hard pieces,” she says. “So we do. It’s always a challenge, every single week. He always emphasizes the leadership required. How you stand, or how you enter a rehearsal space, influences how you are treated. Because being a woman, sometimes when they see me enter the space they think, ‘ah, what does she know’!”</p>



<p>The obstacles she faces are financial as well as cultural; funding is scarce and difficult to obtain. “Sometimes people see your pictures and you look like money, they hear interviews, you sound like money,” she says. “But there’s not one single person investing in Anchored Sound, the brand, or myself as a conductor. It’s challenging to keep the ship afloat. I learned early on that if you want something to happen, you cannot wait for the government, or whatever, because then I would complain for years without having anything done.”</p>



<p>Central to her role is her support for her members, many of whom lack the resources to purchase their own instruments or fulfil their own ambitions alone.</p>



<p>“I empower my members by first of all being great – or at least a good enough! – example,” she says. “So beyond just the musicianship, I always encourage them to study, even if it’s not music. Education<br>is the tool for opening up many doors mentally, not just in terms<br>of opportunities. In the beginning, I would help them with their registration at school, with their tuition, with their accommodation.</p>



<p>Whenever we book concerts, the funds go straight into their education. Most of them are very talented, but they come from homes that are disenfranchized.”</p>



<p>The pandemic has also made rehearsing and performing together a logistical conundrum that is difficult to solve for members from disadvantaged communities.</p>



<p>“Technology doesn’t come as second nature to some of us, so it has been difficult to facilitate how we go digital,” she says. “All the major orchestras have the infrastructure to have your good cameras, your good clip-on mics. For us, it’s very challenging, because you have players in remote areas, some in very small houses. If you ask them to record using their phone, you find in the other room there’s a baby sister making noise. So I’ve been looking at new ways of thinking as conductors, because we are so used to meeting up in spaces that are enclosed; how do we live with this new norm? How do we create a new world symphony?”</p>



<p>For Pitse, the unexplored musical frontier that emerges after the pandemic will be unapologetically, dynamically African.</p>



<p>“My second dream is to create an African orchestra, with African instruments like the <em>marimba </em>and the <em>balafon </em>(gourd- resonated xylophone),” she says. “Most musicians who play African instruments don’t know how to read music, so it would be such a spiritual exchange. These musicians know how to be guided by the spirit of music. And that’s the beauty of all things African – it really is the spirit! I’m eagerly excited to make that happen in the near future, to find out how the spirit of Africa can come alive within this new world of what an orchestra can be.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2-Photo-credit-Hymie-Sokupha-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-49775" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2-Photo-credit-Hymie-Sokupha-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2-Photo-credit-Hymie-Sokupha-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2-Photo-credit-Hymie-Sokupha-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2-Photo-credit-Hymie-Sokupha-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2-Photo-credit-Hymie-Sokupha-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Photo by Hymie Sokupha</figcaption></figure>



<p><em>&#8211;<strong>BY ALASTAIR HAGGER</strong></em></p>


5 Photo credit Media24 copy

The Musician Who is Conducting Inspiration Even During Covid


<p id="h-topline"><strong>TOPLINE</strong> WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday issued a dire warning about the new variants of Covid-19 that are emerging across the globe, noting that because those variants can be more contagious, the surge in cases they’re likely to cause could further stress hospitals and health workers already stretched to the brink.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<p>During a press briefing Monday, Ghebreyesus said that more contagious variants of the coronavirus “can drive a surge of cases and hospitalizations, which is highly problematic for health workers and hospitals already close to the breaking point.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>The added strain on hospitals puts other essential health services at risk, he added, meaning that critical surgeries or procedures may become more difficult because hospital resources are more limited.</p>



<p>While these variants have been found to be more contagious, experts say they don’t appear to cause more severe sickness or increase the risk of death.</p>



<p>Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned last week that the U.S. is “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/01/08/close-to-a-worst-case-scenario-former-cdc-director-issues-horrifying-outlook-for-new-covid-strain/?sh=490010c43738">close to a worst-case scenario</a>” because of the rapid spread of a new, highly contagious strain of Covid-19.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h4>



<p>New variants of Covid-19 have been found in the United Kingdom, the United States (where 63 cases have been detected), Canada, South Africa, and Nigeria, among other countries, the CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">says</a>. Japan’s health authorities announced over the weekend that they had detected a new variant of the virus in four travelers from Brazil, Reuters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-japan-variant/japan-finds-new-coronavirus-variant-in-travellers-from-brazil-idUSKBN29F08R" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



<p>Scientists are keeping track of new mutations as they emerge and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00031-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studying</a>&nbsp;how they will impact the effectiveness of vaccines. “I’m quite optimistic that even with these mutations, immunity is not going to suddenly fail on us,” Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/07/coronavirus-mutation-vaccine-strength/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the healthcare publication&nbsp;<em>STAT</em>. “It might be gradually eroded, but it’s not going to fail on us, at least in the short term.” A recent study from the University of Texas and pharma giant Pfizer found that Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/08/pfizer-biontech-vaccine-appears-resistant-to-new-covid-variant-study-finds-as-us-records-deadliest-day/?sh=34930796c7c7">still effective</a>&nbsp;in protecting against new variants of the virus.</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/01/08/close-to-a-worst-case-scenario-former-cdc-director-issues-horrifying-outlook-for-new-covid-strain/">‘Close To A Worst-Case Scenario’—Former CDC Director Issues ‘Horrifying’ Outlook For New Covid Strain</a>&nbsp;<em>(Forbes)</em></p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/01/07/new-more-contagious-uk-coronavirus-strain-found-in-pennsylvania---here-are-the-states-with-cases-so-far/">New, More Contagious U.K. Coronavirus Strain Found In Connecticut — Here Are The States With Cases So Far</a>&nbsp;<em>(Forbes)</em></p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/12/24/new-coronavirus-strain-is-56-more-infectious-scientists-estimate/?sh=342b06d3297c">New Coronavirus Strain Is 56% More Infectious, Scientists Estimate</a>&nbsp;<em>(Forbes)</em></p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/01/08/pfizer-biontech-vaccine-appears-resistant-to-new-covid-variant-study-finds-as-us-records-deadliest-day/">Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Appears To Work Against New Covid Variants, Study Finds, As U.S. Records Deadliest Day</a>&nbsp;<em>(Forbes)</em></p>


TOPSHOT-US-HEALTH-VIRUS

WHO Warns Of ‘Highly Problematic’ New Covid-19 Variants, Says Hospitals And Essential Health Services At Risk


<p><strong>Topline: </strong>In yet another “family meeting”, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday evening that the country would stay on alert level 3. In addition to regulations put in place, the South African government has chosen to close all 20 land ports of entry. </p>



<p><strong>Key Facts.&nbsp;</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Land ports of entry will be closed until February, 15 for general entry and departure. These will include the six busiest border posts; Beitbridge, Lebombo, Maseru Bridge, Oshoek, Ficksburg, and Kopfontein.</li><li>This decision has been made as a way to reduce congestion and the high risk of transmission as South Africa has reported nearly 190, 000 Covid-19 cases since the start of 2021. The country has also recorded more than 4,600 Covid-related deaths so far this year.</li><li><a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/current-affairs/2020/12/28/south-africa-in-grave-danger-ramaphosa-implores-adherence-to-safety-protocols-as-country-moves-again-to-lockdown-level-3/">Alcohol sales</a> are still not permitted, however, curfew times have changed slightly from 9 pm to 6 am to 9 pm to 5 am. </li></ul>



<p><strong>The Government Vaccine Strategy&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>Part of South Africa’s strategy is to identify priority groups that need to be vaccinated as the country receives them throughout the year. This will be done in phases.&nbsp;</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li><strong>Phase 1-</strong> the first batch of vaccines will be prioritized around 1.2 million front line health workers.</li><li><strong>Phase 2-</strong> When more vaccines arrive, South Africa will prioritize essential workers such as teachers, police, municipal workers, and other frontline personnel. People in institutions like old age homes, shelters, and prisons, people over 60 years of age, and adults with co-morbidities will also be prioritized in this phase. The country plans to reach 16 million people at this stage.&nbsp;</li><li><strong>Phase 3</strong>&#8211; With increased manufacturer supplies, the country will then vaccinate the remaining adult population of approximately 22.5 million people.</li></ul>



<p><strong>Crucial Quote&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>“But, if we are to realize our aspirations for the year, we must unite to overcome the grave, persistent, and deepening coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic in our country is now at its most devastating,” Ramaphosa said during the live broadcast. “The number of new infections, hospital admissions, and deaths is higher now than it has ever been since the first case was recorded in our country in March 2020.”</p>


SAFRICA-HEALTH-VIRUS

South Africa To Close All Land Borders Until Mid-Feb


<p><strong>Topline</strong>: South Africa’s Department of Health has indicated that the process to roll out the SARS-COV-2 vaccine will start this month. A million doses of the vaccine will come from the Serum Institute of India (SII). </p>



<p><strong>Key Facts</strong></p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>In addition to the million, the department has stated that they will also get 500,000 doses from the SII in February.  </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>South African Health Minister, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, said in a statement on Thursday that the government will be prioritizing health workers by ensuring that they receive the vaccine by February.</li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>South Africa has entered the second wave of the pandemic, reporting over 20,000 new cases on Wednesday, January 6. </li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As of today, the total number of confirmed <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases is 1 149 591, the total number of deaths is 31 368 and the total number of recoveries is 929 239. <a href="https://t.co/ceWOvUlWyw">pic.twitter.com/ceWOvUlWyw</a></p>&mdash; Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrZweliMkhize/status/1346938540152729600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The department has been in talks with the SII but could not disclose any details regarding the deal with the institute for the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccines. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>When briefing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Thursday morning, Mkihze further said that the department did approach several vaccine manufacturers and discussions are at a “sensitive stage” and believes those talks to be concluded very soon. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>It is still unclear the exact dates when South Africa will receive these vaccines and when they will be rolled out to the public. </li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>What has been made clear, however, is that medical schemes and the government have come up with a plan that will cover the vaccination against the virus, according to<em>Radio 702. </em></li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>&#8220;It’s mandatory for medical schemes to pay for the Covid-19 vaccine,&#8221; Dr Ryan Noach, CEO at Discovery Health, on <em>Radio 702. </em></li></ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>In addition to this, President Cyril Ramaphosa tweeted on Wednesday that Canada may share any excess stock with South Africa.</li></ul>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Canada has committed to sharing any excess pre-purchase orders with countries in need once supplies are available, and to influence other countries to act in the interests of multilateralism to defeat the virus in the spirit of security and safety for all.</p>&mdash; Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) <a href="https://twitter.com/CyrilRamaphosa/status/1346758260083273728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p><strong>Countries that have received the Covid-19 vaccine so far:</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="723" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1-1024x723.png" alt="" class="wp-image-49585" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1-1024x723.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1-300x212.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1-768x542.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1-1536x1084.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1-2048x1446.png 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1-600x424.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption><br><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations">Graphic from Our World Data</a></figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="723" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1024x723.png" alt="" class="wp-image-49582" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1024x723.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-300x212.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-768x542.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-1536x1084.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-2048x1446.png 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/covid-vaccination-doses-per-capita-600x424.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations">Graphic from Our World Data</a></figcaption></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote"><strong>Crucial Quote</strong></h4>



<p>“We are happy that the SII/Astra Zeneca vaccine has already been approved by various regulators and is being rolled out in other countries. Therefore, as part of expediting the regulatory process, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) is applying reliance on that regulatory work,” said Mkhize in his statement on Thursday.&nbsp;</p>


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