Covid 19 vaccines

JOHANNESBURG – China's Sinovac Biotech will trial its Covid-19 vaccine in children and adolescents in South Africa as part of a global Phase III study, Sinovac and local partner Numolux Group said on Thursday. The study will evaluate the efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of the CoronaVac vaccine on children and adolescents aged six months to 17 years, the firms said in a statement. The global trial will enrol 14,000 participants across Chile, the Philippines, Malaysia and Kenya, including 2,000 in South Africa, they said. The trial has been approved by South African drugs regulator SAHPRA, and the first child will be vaccinated at the MeCRU Clinical Research Unit based at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University on Friday. "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 ... efficacy will also be evaluated against hospitalisation and severe Covid-19," ... » Learn More about Sinovac to trial COVID-19 vaccine in South African children in global study

GENEVA (AFP) - Africa wants to buy Covid-19 vaccines, rather than keep waiting for donor-funded doses to arrive, the African Union (AU) said on Tuesday (Sept 14), imploring producers to give the continent a fair shot at market access. The AU also urged manufacturing nations to lift export bans so the continent can begin to address for itself the glaring inequity in access to coronavirus jabs, as wealthy nations hog available doses. "Vaccine sharing is good. But we shouldn't have to be relying on vaccine sharing," Strive Masiyiwa, the AU's Covid-19 special envoy, told a press conference at the World Health Organisation in Geneva. "We want to buy from those same manufacturers." The major Covid-19 vaccine producers have a moral responsibility to ensure equitable access to end the pandemic, he said, but "those manufacturers know very well that they never gave us proper access". Just nine vaccine doses have been administered per 100 people in Africa, according to an AFP ... » Learn More about Let us buy Covid-19 vaccines, pleads Africa

SYDNEY - A curfew imposed on more than two million people in the 12 Sydney suburbs hardest hit by the spread of the coronavirus Delta variant will end on Wednesday (Sept 15) night, authorities said, stopping short of easing more lockdown restrictions. Officials said first-dose Covid-19 vaccination levels have reached 80 per cent of the New South Wales (NSW) adult population, while the dual-dose rate in Sydney's home state stands at 48 per cent now. That's above the national average of 43 per cent, but well below the 70 per cent level that will trigger the easing of other curbs first imposed three months ago. Authorities expect to achieve the 70per cent rate around the middle of next month, and plans to relax more restrictions once it has climbed to 80 per cent. "The stabilisation and decline in some areas of concern are pleasing and we are at a critical stage ... but the best advice we have is that it's too early and too risky to do anything further today," Premier Gladys ... » Learn More about Sydney nightly curfew to end as Covid-19 vaccinations hit fresh milestone

Addressing the event, Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung thanked the French and Italian governments and people for supporting Vietnam in the Covid-19 fight, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. This is evidence of the dynamic development of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and the two European countries as well as their friendship and solidarity to overcome the pandemic, he stated. Dung spoke highly of the initiative to set up the COVAX mechanism to ensure fair and equal access to Covid-19 vaccines, with France and Italy being among leading EU donors. He expressed belief that the valuable support that France and Italy give to Vietnam and Asean countries will help speed up the countries’ reopening process and facilitating people's travel. On behalf of the COVAX mechanism, Dr Kidong Park, World Health Oganisation (WHO) Representative in Vietnam, thanked France and Italy for providing the vaccine to Vietnam through COVAX, noting that so far, the country has received 11.7 ... » Learn More about Vietnam receives 1.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from France and Italy

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Singapore has kicked off its national Covid-19 vaccine booster programme on Wednesday (Sept 15), with more than 100 seniors having taken their shot at one of the many centres islandwide. Over the next few days, a total of 140,000 seniors will receive invitations from the Ministry of Health (MOH) to make an appointment to receive their booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. Seniors can also receive their third dose at Tanjong Pagar Community Club and some vaccination centres, polyclinics and participating Public Health Preparedness Clinics. Retired NTUC Income chief executive Tan Kin Lian was among the first in line at Teck Ghee Community Club, home to a vaccination centre run by Raffles Medical Group. By noon, more than 100 seniors had taken their third shot at the centre. "I'm in favour of vaccinations. If you're unvaccinated, you're five to eight times more likely to suffer serious illness," said Tan, ... » Learn More about Singapore kicks off Covid-19 vaccine booster programme

PETALING JAYA: A total of 39,923,416 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Malaysia as of Friday (Sept 17). According to figures put out by the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) on its Twitter account on Saturday (Sept 18), a total of people 21,861,904 (or 92.9% of the adult population) have received their first dose while 18,135,561 (or 77.5% of the adult population) had both doses. It also said that a total of 238,002 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered on Friday where 75,986 individuals had received their first doses while another 162,016 people completed their second dose. Cumulative vaccination report by state as of 17 September 2021. #LindungDiriLindungSemua pic.twitter.com/zd1zBasXKb — Vaksin COVID-19  (@JKJAVMY) September 18, 2021 ... » Learn More about JKJAV: 238,002 Covid-19 vaccine jabs given on Friday (Sept 17)

YANGON (Xinhua): Four million more doses of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines arrived in Myanmar's Yangon on Sunday (Sept 12), according to a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar. So far, China has supplied 12.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Myanmar, of which 3.9 million doses were donated by China, the statement said. According to Myanmar's Ministry of Health on Sunday, over 3.23 million people have been fully vaccinated nationwide, while over 1.7 million people have received the first jab of Covid-19 vaccines as of Saturday. The number of Covid-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 431,833 on Sunday after 1,953 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, the ministry said. A total of 79 new deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 16,530 in the country as of Sunday. ... » Learn More about More Chinese Covid-19 vaccines arrive in Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry has revealed that a total of 90.5% of teachers nationwide have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as of Sept 20, this year. Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin told the Dewan Rakyat the ministry would cooperate closely with the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) to ensure that the vaccination rate among teachers, AKP and supporting services staff would continue. This, he explained, was to create an ecosystem where they along with students were fully vaccinated. "Meanwhile, 7.2% teachers, 11.4% of the AKP and 15.1% supporting services staff are still waiting for their second dose of Covid-19 vaccine," he said while delivering his closing speech for his ministry on the motion of thanks to the Royal Address on Wednesday (Sept 22). Radzi said that any teachers who have yet to or did not receive their vaccination would not be allowed to do the in-situ teaching. According to him, a total of 2,100 teachers refused to be ... » Learn More about Radzi: 90.5% of teachers have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine as of Sept 20

Lithuania will donate 235,900 additional doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan, the European Union nation said on Wednesday, September 22, after angering China by allowing Taiwan to open a representative office under its own name. China considers Taiwan its own territory. Lithuania, which also donated 20,000 vaccines to Taiwan in June, will give Taiwan jabs purchased under an EU contract signed on behalf of member states with the producer. "AstraZeneca vaccines are not popular in our country, so we are able to donate them," Lithuanian Health Minister Arunas Dulkys said during a televised government meeting. The vaccines will be donated by mid-October, following a September 16 request made by Taiwan's mission in neighboring Latvia, Lithuania's Health Ministry said. "On behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, I sincerely thank Lithuania for the heartfelt friendship and good will during our times of difficulties and challenges," the ... » Learn More about Lithuania donates more COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan

TOKYO (Reuters): Japan will double its Covid-19 vaccine donations to about 60 million doses intended for needy countries, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a virtual summit on Thursday (Sept 23). The pledge adds to a previous agreement to provide 30 million doses and $1 billion to Covax programme, overseen by the GAVI alliance and the World Health Organization. "Japan has provided approximately 23 million doses of Covid vaccine to various countries and regions across the world, which is the third largest provision of vaccine in the world so far," Suga told the conference. Much of Japan's vaccine donations thus far have been via bilateral agreements with Asian neighbours, outside of the Covax programme. Japan is giving away most of its domestically produced supply of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca Plc. The nation has relied mainly on imported mRNA-type vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc for its inoculation push, which has fully vaccinated about 55% of its ... » Learn More about Japan doubles Covid-19 vaccine donation pledge to 60 million doses