Unless a future pandemic ‘instrument’ is properly financed and legally binding, it will not be able to prevent health emergencies, numerous member states told the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 150th executive board meeting on Monday. Speaking on behalf of Africa’s 47 member states, Kenya’s Dr Cleopa Mailu said there should be a “radical disruption” of […] Continue reading ->
In a stark departure from months of booster opposition, WHO on Friday recommended the wider administration of a third shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine – as well as jabs for children age 5 and older.  The recommendation comes after over 120 countries already have booster campaigns in full-swing, some of them beginning as early […] Continue reading ->
Russia’s Sputnik V demonstrated more than two times higher virus neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant in comparison to the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, according to a study of blood samples, released Thursday by the National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani in Italy and Russia’s Gamaleya Center. The research was prepared by a team of […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – South African-born US biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong launched a vaccine manufacturing plant in the country of his birth on Wednesday, aimed at producing “second generation” vaccines to address COVID-19 and other diseases. Soon-Shiong, who has made his fortune from developing successful cancer treatments, has committed an initial $195 million to NantSA – […] Continue reading ->
A fourth COVID-19 booster mRNA vaccine has proven ineffective against Omicron infection, according to preliminary research from Israel released on Monday. “Despite a significant increase in antibodies after the fourth vaccine, this protection is only partially effective against the Omicron strain, which is relatively resistant to the vaccine,” lead researcher Prof Gili Regev-Yochay, told a […] Continue reading ->
Women who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 had a slight but not clinically significant change in the length of their menstrual cycles compared to unvaccinated women, according to a new study published by researchers from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Specifically, vaccinated women experienced a less than one-day (0.71-day) […] Continue reading ->