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Mia Malan

@miamalan

31 Mar

[Thread] 1. SA’s commercial #CovidVaccine roll-out will start in April, the government says. Which jabs will we use? For now, J&J (the same jabs used in the Sisonke implementation study) and Pfizer. We will also consider Moderna, but no deals yet.

2. Why are we using J&J + Pfizer? SA trials showed J&J works well against the new variant, #501YV2. Pfizer hasn’t been tested in SA, but lab tests suggest it has reduced efficacy @ 501Y.V2. But because the efficacy is high (95%), even the reduced efficacy will provide protection.

@SAHPRA1

3. Have the jabs been approved for commercial use in SA? Pfizer received emergency use authorisation (called Section 21 approval in SA) in March. J&J has not yet been approved (only for research), but on Monday @SAHPRA1 said an announcement will be made “within the next days”.

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Mia Malan

@miamalan

30 Mar

[Thread] 1.#CyrilRamaphosa: In SA we are not yet ready to return to normal life because of #COVID19. For the 2nd year we will have to limited our interactions during the Easter period. Over the last year we have recorded more than 1.5 million cases.
bit.ly/3fognEZ

2. #CyrilRamaphosa: For the past 2 weeks, our cases stayed stable and hospitalisations and deaths have declined. This is because South Africans have largely abided by the restrictions put in place.

3. #CyrilRamaphosa: Phase 1 of our vaccination programme for health workers will be completed within 3 months (it started on Feb 17).

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Mia Malan

@miamalan

13 Mar

@LindaGailBekker

[Thread] 1. How are we doing with our J&J #Covid Sisonke study vaccinations in provinces? Most vaccinations have happened in Gauteng, KZN and Western Cape. Gender breakdown: 74% of jabs have been given to women #HealthWorkers. Source: @LindaGailBekker @DTHF_SA webinar, 13 March

2. Have we seen side effects/adverse events in SA's Sisonke #CovidVaccine study? 2.1% of "vaccinees" have reported minor adverse events, e.g. swelling/redness where they've been injected or mild headaches/body pain. Of those, about 96% have recovered or are busy getting better.

3. What side effects should you expect when injected with the Johnson & Johnson #CovidVaccine? Pain/swelling (at the site of injection), chills, tiredness, headaches. Most of these symptoms disappear within two days.

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Mia Malan

@miamalan

12 Mar

@bhekisisa_MG

[Thread] 1. To which #African countries have the new #COVID virus variants 1st identified in SA (501Y.V2/#B1351) + the UK (#B117) spread? To 21 countries so far — 8 have both variants. @bhekisisa_MG has created this map in collaboration with @mediahackza and Africa Data Hub.

2. The #501YV2 variant first identified in SA has spread to almost all Southern African countries. But the #B117 variant first identified in the UK, has now also been detected in South Africa — and so has a new variant first identified in Uganda. bit.ly/3bFqN0x

3. What are the implications of variants spreading? #B117 and #501YV2 spread faster than the original form of #SARSCoV2 (the virus the causes #COVID) because they’re more transmissible. That means more hospitalisations + deaths — because there are so many more #COVID cases.

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Mia Malan

@miamalan

2 Mar

[Thread] 1. How long will it take for the J&J #CovidVaccine to be approved for full registration so we can use it for wider roll-out (outside a study setting) and is there a way around it? bit.ly/3r8Wfd2

@SAHPRA1

2. Full registration by @SAHPRA1 for a branded medicine can take up to two years. But for #COVIDVaccines this process has been sped up - all jabs move right to the front of the queue. bit.ly/3r8Wfd2

3. J&J has applied for full registration via a rolling review (a review process where they submitted data throughout the efficacy trial they did, instead of submitting all info at the end of the trial, so it saves time and Sahpra doesn’t have to review all the data at once).

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Mia Malan

@miamalan

28 Feb

Breaking: #Ramaphosa says SA moves from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 1 from later this evening once the regulations have been gazetted. Gatherings will be permitted subject so limitations on size.

#Ramaphosa: Religious, social, political and cultural gatherings are allowed. The maximum nr of people at any gathering = 100 for indoor gatherings and 250 for outdoor gatherings.

#Ramaphosa: Nightclubs will remain closed. The sale of alcohol = permitted. But no alcohol can be sold during curfew hours. Masks are still mandatory. Failure to wear a mask remains a criminal offense.

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