The executive director of the Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, Professor Shabir Madhi, said that an updated analysis of the Novavax vaccine trial in South Africa showed vaccine efficacy of 55.4% against mainly mild COVID-19 among HIV-negative trial participants.
Vaccinology professor, Shabir Madhi, lead investigator on the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine trial in South Africa, said the local variant and a third wave of infections expected later this year were likely to hinder inoculation plans.
In a local Phase 2b clinical trial, the Novavax vaccine has shown a 60% efficacy in preventing mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 in HIV-negative participants. The vaccine also showed efficacy against the 501Y.V2 coronavirus variant, according to Professor Shabir Madhi.
On Sunday evening, 8 February 2021, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize held a webinar with experts to update the nation on COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa. #COVID19news #AstraZeneca #Vaccines
The rollout of that particular vaccine has been put on ice for the time being after early data showed that the AstraZeneca inoculation gave minimal protection against mild-to-moderate infection caused by the dominant variant.
Wits University professor, Shabir Madhi, said that studies on this method were already under way in the United Kingdom.
Data shows the vaccine has a 60% efficacy for the prevention of mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 in 92% of the cohort that was HIV-negative.
The first peer-reviewed results of phase 3 human trials show that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine candidate has an acceptable safety profile and is effective against symptomatic COVID-19.
The national number of new daily cases crept over 3,000 last week, up 50% from an average of 2,000 earlier in November. More than half the increase is driven by infections in the Eastern Cape and around 25% by cases in the Western Cape.
The professor’s comments come in the wake of coronavirus infection surges in parts of the country, which have raised fears that South Africa could see a second wave in cases compounded by gatherings during the upcoming festive season.
The recent success of vaccine trials has provided some global hope of beating COVID-19. But when will South Africans be able to get their hands on it? We spoke to the country's top scientists to find.
Countries like the United States will ensure its citizens are catered to first, while the rest of us will have to wait a little longer to be protected from the coronavirus, which has infected more than 55 million people around the world and claimed the lives of more than 1.3 million others.
Scientists have noticed that complacency and super spreader events are some of the key drivers in the second wave gripping Europe, which is once again the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic and they're calling on South Africans to learn from Europe's mistakes.
Several countries have gone into yet another lockdown to stop the spread of the virus like in Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, many of which have fewer coronavirus cases than South Africa at the moment.
One of the country’s top scientists, Professor Shabir Madhi on Friday said they started on Monday by visiting households in the province to determine how widespread the virus is.
With experts sounding the alarm on a possible second spike in coronavirus transmissions, public hospitals are confident they’ll be better prepared.
Professor of Vaccinology at Wits University, Shabir Madhi, said that some sectors of the population could have developed immune cells.
Wits Professor Shabir Madhi, who is in charge of the South African leg of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial, has called for the re-opening of borders and resumption of international flights.
