Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
pfizerlatest news & developments
Has Africa taken its foot off the pedal in the race to secure enough Covid-19 vaccines for all?
ASPEN

Africa needs a billion Covid vaccines, but supply is slowing down

Data collected by Unicef shows an alarming drop-off in shipments arriving in the continent since the start of 2022

  • Adam Oxford
6 min read
(Unless South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccine uptake improves soon, the country will be saddled with well over seven million expiring doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine by July — with nobody to offload them onto. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
COVID 19

More than 7-million expired Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines could be wasted by July

Vaccine hesitancy, corruption, and conspiracy theories and disinformation slow down uptake of Covid-19 vaccines

  • Chris Bateman
8 min read
BOOSTER

Health department rolls out Pfizer boosters to eligible individuals

Low uptake anticipated because of festive season, but healthcare workers stand ready

  • Marcia Zali
2 min read
Proactive: Teachers and support staff queue for the Covid-19 vaccination at Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein in the face of the more transmittable Delta variant. (Mlungisi Louw/Gallo Images/Volksblad)
ANGELIQUE COETZEE

Health department scraps quarantine, isolation requirements for asymptomatic Covid-19 contacts

The government has also started administering J&J booster shots from 24 December and will roll out Pfizer boosters from 28 December

  • Marcia Zali
2 min read
File photo by Madelene Cronjé
BOOSTER SHOT

Children between 12 and 17 are now eligible for second vaccine shot

Those 12 years and older who are severely immunocompromised can get a Pfizer booster dose at least 28 days after their second jab

  • Eunice Masson
1 min read
The World Health Organisation has enlisted a team of South African researchers to produce a new mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, but with no recipe to follow, it’s not an easy task. (Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP via Getty Images)
AFRICA

South Africa at the start of a Covid-19 vaccine the world has never seen

The World Health Organisation has enlisted a team of South African researchers to produce a new mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, but with no recipe to follow, it’s not an easy task

  • Laura López González
7 min read
Has Africa taken its foot off the pedal in the race to secure enough Covid-19 vaccines for all?
COVID 19

Covid-19 booster shot possibly on cards for South Africans

The country’s health products regulator has received an application from vaccine manufacturer Pfizer for third-dose approval

  • Marcia Zali
2 min read
The demand for donor organs far outstrips the supply because data is not shared, not all hospitals are equipped to do transplants and the National Health Act is inadequate. Photo: Burger/Phanie /AFP
COVID 19

Immunocompromised finally prioritised for Covid-19 booster shots

Organ recipients are at greater risk of death from Covid-19, while waiting lists for transplants grow

  • Chris Bateman
8 min read
The first child to be vaccinated at MeCRU Clinical Research Unit in South Africa on September 10, 2021 in Pretoria, South Africa. ..China’s Sinovac Biotec will trial its COVID-19 vaccine on children and adolescents aged 6 months to 17 years, the trial has been approved by South African drugs regulator SAHPRA .The study will evaluate the efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of the CoronaVac vaccine. .(Photo by Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images via Getty Images)..
12 TO 17 YEAR OLDS

Almost 7 000 children receive Pfizer shot on first day for under-18s

More than 39 000 young people had registered on the government’s database by 4pm on Wednesday

  • Marcia Zali
3 min read
Fixing the problems in both the public and private health system will help ensure all people in South Africa get quality and healthcare
CHILDREN

South Africa opens up vaccinations for 12 to 17 year-olds

Vaccinology researcher Professor Shabir Madhi said young people were being vaccinated to reduce the number of people who could transmit the virus and the focus should instead be…

  • Eunice Masson
3 min read
A healthcare worker administers a SINOVAC Covid-19 vaccine on a minor during the Numolux/SINOVAC Paediatric Covid-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Pretoria, on September 10, 2021. – The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of two doses of CoronaVac against confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 cases in children and adolescents aged 6 months to 17 years. Efficacy will also be evaluated against hospitalization and severe COVID-19 cases. The study worldwide will enroll 14 000 children and adolescents in various pediatric age group cohorts across 5 countries (South Africa, Chile, Philippines, Malaysia and Kenya). (Photo by Phill Magakoe / AFP)
12 YEARS AND OLDER

Pfizer vaccine approved for children older than 12, but roll-out not yet on the way

Vulnerable older groups remain a priority for the health department, so no Covid-19 jabs for children for now

  • Marcia Zali
4 min read
Local residents wearing protective face masks wait at a bus stop in the Imizamo Yethu township area of Hout Bay, in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, July 24, 2020. South Africas surging coronavirus infections and the resumption of rolling blackouts are clouding the outlook for the economy. Photographer: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images
ACCESS

Low vaccination rates due to access issues and misinformation

Vaccine acceptance has risen to 72%, but inequality remains the biggest stumbling block for poor people’s access to the jab

  • Marcia Zali
8 min read
A volunteers directs vehicles into Zwartkops Raceway drive-through vaccination site, in Centurion, to receive their dose of either the Pfizer or Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, on August 13, 2021. (Photo by LUCA SOLA / AFP) (Photo by LUCA SOLA/AFP via Getty Images)
COVID 19

Third wave ‘stubbornly persists’, young adults urged to get vaccinated

The past seven days show an 18.2% increase in new infections, compared with the previous week, says health minister

  • Eunice Masson
3 min read
Spreading a measure of safety: Healthcare workers wait for doses to start vaccinating people with Pfizer vaccines at the Bertha Gxowa Hospital in Germiston. Photo: Michele Spatari/AFP
BUSINESS FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Where you can walk in and get vaccinated

People aged 35 and over without a medical scheme can benefit from free walk-ins at easy to reach private-sector pharmacies

  • Eunice Masson
2 min read
Long way to go: A Johannesburg resident is tested for Covid-19. About three million people (4.4% of the population) are fully vaccinated and herd immunity is achieved at 67%. Photo: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images
ANDREW MUSYOKI

Covid: Masks, sanitisers the future norm

Even if herd immunity is finally reached in South Africa, non-pharmaceutical measures are necessary

  • Marcia Zali
7 min read
Mandatory vaccination involves, at a glance, the constitutional rights to bodily integrity, privacy, to protection against unfair discrimination and to freedom of thought, religion, conscience and opinion. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
AFROBAROMETER

‘Exciting’ ramp-up for Covid jabs

As more vaccines arrive in the country, South Africa could administer 420 000 doses a day

  • Sarah Smit
5 min read
Being fully vaccinated ‘makes you a little bit more comfortable in your skin’, says 61-year-old Elize Parker. (David Harrison/M&G)
CLICKS PHARMACY

Covid-19 jab: a ticket of responsibility, not a ticket to freedom

Being fully vaccinated ‘makes you a little bit more comfortable in your skin’, says 61-year-old Elize Parker

  • Eunice Masson
3 min read
South Africa’s vaccine roll-out is happening – slowly. Only 3% of eligible adults have been fully vaccinated. KwaZulu-Natal is leading the pack with the Eastern Cape hot on its heels. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
COVID 19

Covid-19 vaccinations: How are the provinces doing?

South Africa’s vaccine roll-out is happening – slowly. Only 3% of eligible adults have been fully vaccinated. KwaZulu-Natal is leading the pack with the Eastern Cape hot on its…

  • Media Hack
  • Bhekisisa Team
1 min read
Manuel Locatelli of Italy celebrates with team mates after scoring their side’s second goal during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group A match between Italy and Switzerland at Olimpico Stadium on June 16, 2021 in Rome, Italy. (Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN

Screen Grab: Watching the Euros is shockingly good

If you can look past the bad SuperSport suits and live-action heart attacks, the Euros offer a seductive glimpse of a post-pandemic world

  • Carlos Amato
4 min read
The South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) has been deployed to Gauteng as an increase in Covid-19 infections places pressure on the province’s health system.
CHARLOTTE MAXEKE ACADEMIC HOSPITAL

As Covid third wave digs in, military health service sent to Gauteng

The defence branch will assist with mass testing, screening and contact tracing

  • Eunice Masson
2 min read