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Africa: African Scientists Slam CDC Recommendation On Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
VOA, 21 December 2021
Scientists and health advocates in Africa say they're deeply disappointed by a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the Johnson & Johnson… Read more »
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Africa: CDC Endorses ACIP's Updated Covid-19 Vaccine Recommendations
CDC, 16 December 2021
Today, CDC is endorsing updated recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the prevention of COVID-19, expressing a clinical preference for… Read more »
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Africa: Letter to U.S. Government On Its Responsibility to Help Scale Up the Supply of Covid-19 Vaccines
MSF, 16 December 2021
US should immediately demand pharmaceutical corporations transfer mRNA vaccine technology as new report identifies more than 100 possible additional manufacturers Read more »
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Africa: Vaccine Famine & Its Impact On African Economies
IPS, 21 December 2021
We are about to start a third year of living with COVID-19. The world's humanity and solidarity are now at its further test - and yet the implications of the absence of solidarity… Read more »
'Irreparable' Harm Done to African Covid-19 Vaccination Efforts
Health authorities in Africa say the U.S. health agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has done "irreparable" harm to their vaccination efforts. They say that the CDC's linking of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine with rare, but potentially fatal, side effects will spark widespread rejection of the vaccine on the continent, where other vaccines are mostly unavailable.
A statement from U.S. health agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines over the J&J treatment, Darren Taylor of Voice of America reports.
The CDC statement featured an endorsement of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines due to concerns that the J&J shot could, in rare cases, cause blood clots, or thrombosis. "This updated CDC recommendation follows similar recommendations from other countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom," the CDC said. Still, the CDC said "receiving any vaccine is better than being unvaccinated."
According to Mayo Clinic, the J&J shot incoporates an adenovirus vaccine, which is is a virus that has been altered so that it can't make you sick due to it lacking imp[ortant parts of the virus genome. It also cannot replicate, nor can it integrate into one's DNA. The J&J vaccine is one of the most widely used in Africa, because it's a single dose shot that doesn't require ultra-cold storage. The South African health department has reassured people that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is safe.
As of December 22, 2021, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 9,257,141 while over 178,385,705 vaccinations have been administered across the continent.
InFocus
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As of August 21, 2022, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 12,126,067 while 373,195,217 vaccinations have been administered across ... Read more »
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The Nigerian government has confirmed the report of the expiration of doses of vaccines supplied to the country, blaming it on the short shelf life. Health Minister Osagie ... Read more »
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The African Union has announced that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccines assembled in South Africa will no longer be exported to Europe and will instead be distributed among ... Read more »
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The Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator has launched its strategic plan and budget for the next 12 months, outlining the urgent actions and funding needed to ... Read more »
A pallet of Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine donated by the United States via Covax, a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines directed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the World Health Organization. (file photo).
