@Dr_Groome of @nicd_sa: 1. Almost 99% of all new #COVID19 cases in SA now = #Omicron (Omicron = red on table, see Nov/Dec) 2. Extremely low proportions of other variants are currently detected through sequencing
2. @Dr_Groome: 1. SA reached its #Omicron peak on 15 Dec (22,588 new #COVID19 cases on that day) 2. Reported cases = only +/- 10% of the actual cases 3. There's been a small increase in new cases over Xmas, but we have seen persistent decreases in terms of 7 day moving averages
3. @Dr_Groome: 1. Previous waves were longer and waves started and ended a few weeks apart in different provinces. With #Omicron the wave is much steeper and provinces followed each other much quicker 2. Gauteng (where SA's Omicron wave started) has exited its 4th (Omicron) wave
4. @Dr_Groome: 1. Under 10 year olds: incidence = lowest out of all age groups, so while under 5 incidence = slightly higher than in previous waves, still = low incidence 2. 20-39: Incidence higher than in other waves 3. 60+: Incidence decreasing in last 2 waves (vax started)
5. @Dr_Groome: 1. Gauteng = exited 4th wave 2. All provinces now show a downward trend in new #COVID19 cases
6. @Dr_Groome: 1. Average national test positivity rate for week of 2 Jan = 24.4% (6.5% down from previous week). 2. + test rate on 13 Jan = 14.3% 3. Down slope of the #Omicron wave won't be as steep as the up slope (so infections decreasing slower than what they had increased)
7. @Dr_Groome: 1. Test positivity rates in all provinces have been decreasing over the past two weeks 2. Country maps (below): Look at how the test + rates in the northern and eastern parts of SA have decreased (4th map)
8. @Dr_Groome: 1. The graph shows the 7 day moving averages for test + rates 2. GP = 1st province to reach a peak (40% test + rate at peak, now at about 17%) 3. There is now a consistent decrease in + rates in all provinces
9. @Dr_Groome: 1. At the beginning of #Omicron the 20-29 age group had the highest test + rates, also high rates in 30-39, but those peaked in early Dec 2. Older age groups increased later 3. Peaks in different age groups = similar test + rates 3. All age groups = decreasing
10. @Dr_Groome:
Summary: 1. #Omicron infections = decreasing at a slower rate than what they increased 2. Omicron waves in all 9 provinces have peaked 3. Although #COVID19 cases among younger people were more common at the beginning of the wave, that changed as the wave moved on
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[Thread] 1. BREAKING: Treasury has awarded @healthza emergency funds of R753 528-mil via section 16 of the Public Finance Management Act to help fill the gap of the #Trump administration's cutting of #HIV and #TB grants.
2. R590 407-mil of the total of R753 528-mil will go to provinces for #HIV service delivery.
R32 121-mil will go to @healthza to support the CCMDD programme (this delivers chronic meds such as #ARin communities so people don't have to line up at clinics)
3. R132-mil of the total of R753 528-mil will go to the SA Medical Research Council to support medical research (lots of US grants were lost, especially from the NIH, although it looks like some of cuts may now be recversed by the NIH. science.org/content/articl…
🧵1. BREAKING: The peer-reviewed results of the study of a 6-monthly jab, #lenacapavir, in which not a single of the 2134 women between 16-25 years who received the jab contracted #HIV, were released at #Aids2024.
2. Women often find it hard to adhere to daily #oralPrEP. In the Purpose 1 trial, 91.5% of women returned on time for their next #lenacapavir jab at 26 weeks and 92.8% at week 52.
3. Only 4 women out of 2134 (0.2%) who received #lenacapavir dropped out of the trial because of injection-site reactions.
[Thread] 12 things to know about the the proportion of pregnant women infected with #HIV from SA’s latest antenatal HIV survey. The survey is conducted by the @nicd_sa.
(Analysis of our 95-95-95 goals in my next thread later in Jan).
1/12
2. What is the antenatal #HIV survey?
1. It measures the % of HIV+ pregnant women between the ages of 15 + 49. 2. Only women using state pregnancy clinics take part. 3. The survey has been conducted each year between 1990-2015, then in 2017, 2019 +2022.
3. How many pregnant women between 15-49’s blood was tested for #HIV? 37 828 out of 40 542 collected samples.
- 37 7171 = Black African women
- 37 541 didn’t live with the dad of their child
- 35,635 of dads were 5 years+ older than moms (this makes them more likely to get HIV)
JUST IN [Thread]:
1.@healthza's Lesley Broomberg:
An extra #COVID19 booster jab for people of 18+ in SA will become available towards the end of JANUARY
- People of 50+ qualify for a 5th dose
- People of 18+ qualify for a 4th dose
2. Lesley Broomberg: Can you mix and match with additional boosters? Yes. You can choose whether you want a #JnJ or #Pfizer booster.
3. Lesley Broomberg:
Will teens of 12-17 qualify for boosters? Not at this stage. Why not? The #VMAC = not recommended booster doses for 12-17, based on an understanding that the protection provided by 2 #Pfizer doses = adequate, as 12-17 = @ low risk of severe #COVID19 illness
[Thread] #JoePhaahla:
- Genomic surveillance Network reported the detection of the new subvariant XBB.1.5 in SA of a sample of a patient tested on 22 Dec
- Details of the patient = not known, it was a random sample taken for testing
- XBB.1.5 = also common in US
2. XBB.1.5 = common in US
#JoePhaahla:
- 97%+ of #COVID19 cases worldwide = still #Omicron
- XBB.1.5 cases = no major change in hospitalisations or deaths
- Immunity of SAs (vax and natural immunity) = still strong, so that is why we haven't seen much change in terms of hospital admissions/deaths
Which APIs will Aspen use?
India's Serum Institute's
2. Why is it NB that an African company makes these jabs?
#Africa imports almost all its jabs. #COVID19 showed us this results in Africa being last in line to get vaccines during pandemics. The grant to Aspen is 1 of the 1st steps to change that.
3. What's the goal?
By 2040, the African Union wants #Africa to make 60% of the jabs the continent uses.
Why?
So that Africa is better equipped 2 respond 2 outbreaks (by developing the ability to make jabs + have technology in place to also make new jabs during pandemics).