Covid-19 vaccines: Has science been ignored for political expediency?
Dr Nathi Mdladla does a deep dive into the relentless vaccine race and raises those tough but salient questions that have been sidelined.
Dr Nathi Mdladla does a deep dive into the relentless vaccine race and raises those tough but salient questions that have been sidelined.
After South Africa halted the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the WHO has recommended the shot for all adults, including the elderly.
Madhi ‘urged authorities to continue using the shot to cut death, hospitalisation rates and the chance of further virus mutations’, reports Bloomberg.
‘I believe the data we’ve released speaks to why it was important to be active in getting vaccine studies done in South Africa’, says Madhi.
How many people have Covid in South Africa? How many have had it? What difference does it make and why does no one seem to know?
‘SA may face months more of lockdowns, further resurgences and increasing isolation as other countries race ahead with inoculations’.
The ANC has dropped the ball on vaccine procurement and there is little evidence that a rollout can begin in the next few weeks.
‘In my view the proposed Covid-19 strategy is not a strategy, but rather an aspirational goal. And an unrealistic one at that’, writes Professor Madhi.
Scientists are investigating whether the South Africa variant of Covid-19 is more resistant to vaccines being rolled out in the UK, United States and elsewhere.
We hear from Professor Madhi and AstraZeneca’s Pascal Soriot, who say partners have been engaged to produce hundreds of millions of doses of their vaccine.