South Africa, which is the country with the highest Coronavirus cases in Africa, announces that they will roll out the first coronavirus vaccine trial in Africa this week.
The Covid -19 vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, which was developed by the Oxford Jenner Institute, is reported to have about 4,000 participants who have signed up for the trial and it is already being evaluated in Britain.
The 2,000 people signed up in South Africa for the vaccine, was reported that 50 of the very same candidates are HIV carriers.
Shabir Madhi, vaccinology professor told a virtual press conference “we began screening participants for the South African Oxford 1 Covid-19 vaccine trial last week, and the first participants will be vaccinated this week”
“As we enter winter in South Africa and pressure increases on public hospitals, now more than ever we need a vaccine to prevent infection by COVID-19,” Madhi continues describing the vaccine trial as a “landmark moment”.
Zweli Mkhize the South Africa Health Minister voiced concerns about Covid-19 infection in South Africa;
“Our scientific estimation is that 60 to 70 percent of our population may be infected by coronavirus, ” He also talked about the ” devastating Storm” South Africa is to face.
The University of Withwatersrand is said to be collaborating with the University of Oxford and the Oxford Jenner Institute on the South African trial.
The estimate of Doctors and Nurse infected with the virus in South Africa is over 3,500 since the start of the pandemic, and at least 34 have succumbed to the respiratory disease.
As the country prepares for its coronavirus vaccination trial, health officials have also pegged high hopes on dexamethasone, a generic anti-inflammatory drug found to reduce mortality among ventilated patients.
