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 ->
Rwanda became the recipient of the one-billionth COVID-19 vaccine delivered by COVAX, the global platform set up to ensure equitable access to the vaccines,announced last Friday. After numerous supply problems – most seriously when its key supplier, the Serum Insitute of India, was banned from exporting its vaccines by the Indian government – COVAX was […] Continue reading ->
COVID-19 vaccination in Africa may be shifting from a supply challenge – to one of effective vaccine distribution, declared  a senior World Health Organization official in the African Region on Thursday.  African countries will have adequate access to COVID-19 vaccine supplies in 2022, said Dr Abdou Salam Gueye, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, WHO […] Continue reading ->
The European Union (EU) has described India’s call for an urgent meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference to discuss the body’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a proposed waiver of relevant intellectual property protections, as “premature”. Addressing the WTO General Council informal meeting on Monday, EU Ambassador João Aguiar Machado said […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – Shortly before New Year’s eve, the South African government lifted the country’s curfew and allowed indoor gatherings of up to 1000 people – despite the prevalence of the highly infectious Omicron variant. The Cabinet-level decision was taken after considering “the trajectory of the pandemic, the levels of vaccination in the country and […] 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 ->