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Tag: COVID-19 Vaccine

  • Citi FM, TV3 and GHOne did not err in report on AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine – Bridget Otoo

    Ghanaian journalist Bridget Otoo has indicated that media outlets Citi FM, TV3 and GHOne did not misreport the potential severe side effects of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. 

    She highlighted on the X platform that the company itself admitted to these risks in court documents.

    “The company that made the Covid vaccine has admitted in court documents that it causes severe and dangerous side effects. Same company issues a PR statement to say they are withdrawing the drug for “commercial reasons” You on twitter say we should believe “the commercial reason and not the severe and dangerous side effects” The fact that a company had to be forced in court to admit this is enough reason to doubt anything they put out. Citi FM, Tv3 and GHONE did not err in their report, they simply reported what the company had admitted in court,” she wrote.

    Recently, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca made the significant move to globally withdraw its Covid-19 vaccine due to mounting evidence of potential life-threatening risks.

    This decision followed months of scrutiny and concerns over the vaccine’s safety.

    The British-Swedish company had already halted the marketing of its vaccine, known as Vaxzevria, across the European Union in 2021.

     The withdrawal of its EU marketing authorization was prompted by an oversupply of updated vaccines targeting new Covid-19 variants, leading to decreased demand for Vaxzevria.

    AstraZeneca’s acknowledgment of the vaccine’s potential to cause severe side effects, including blood clots and low blood platelet counts, became public knowledge during a class action lawsuit in the UK.

    Court documents revealed the company’s admission of the rare but alarming thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) associated with the vaccine.

    Despite being initially hailed as a crucial tool in the fight against the pandemic, AstraZeneca’s vaccine faced mounting scrutiny as reports of adverse reactions emerged.

    The company eventually conceded that the vaccine could, in rare instances, result in fatal outcomes.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) also recognized the vaccine’s link to thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, adding to the concerns about its safety profile.

    A report by the independent.co.uk indicates that in response to the controversy, AstraZeneca defended its vaccine’s contribution to ending the pandemic, citing estimates of millions of lives saved and billions of doses administered globally. 

    However, the decision to withdraw the vaccine underscores the seriousness of the safety concerns surrounding its use.

  • Chinese football fans finish tickets ‘in five minutes’ ahead of Chinese Super League

    Chinese football fans finish tickets ‘in five minutes’ ahead of Chinese Super League

    After three years of Covid control, the new Chinese Super League season begins on Saturday, with the biggest match of the inaugural weekend apparently selling out in only five minutes.

    The campaign will begin on Saturday with four games at the newly renovated Workers’ Stadium in the city, including the opening ceremony and a match between the hosts Beijing Guoan and Meizhou Hakka.

    After restrictions placed on Chinese football since the Covid pandemic, including games in secure “bubbles” and limits on attendances, fans will be able to see their beloved teams home and away again.

    The state-run Global Times reported there will be a capacity 68,000 crowd to watch title-contenders Beijing play Meizhou and said that tickets sold out in five minutes when they went on sale on Thursday.

    The newspaper said it will be the first match since the stadium underwent a vast rebuild and called it “the perfect location for the start of a new era in Chinese soccer”.

    The respected publication Soccer News said that there were also strong ticket sales for other games on the opening weekend.

    Defending champions Wuhan Three Towns are also in action on Saturday when they host a Shanghai Port side containing the former Chelsea and Brazilian international Oscar.

    A crowd of about 40,000 is expected, Soccer News said, hailing a return to a semblance of normality for Chinese football.

    China once had a reputation for spending vast amounts of money on transfers and salaries for famous foreign players and coaches, but those days are long gone and Oscar is one of the few stars left.

    President Xi Jinping wants his country to one day host and even win a World Cup, but the national men’s side languish in 81st in the FIFA rankings.

    Chinese football is also in the grip of another major corruption scandal which has seen several leading administrators placed under investigation, including Chinese Football Association head Chen Xuyuan.

    Former national coach and Premier League player Li Tie is also under investigation.

    Numerous clubs have also folded in recent years, notably then-CSL champions Jiangsu Suning in 2021, as Chinese football went from boom to bust.

    Despite all the issues confronting the game in the country and enduring disappointment with the national team, fans are relishing being back in stadiums again without any Covid restrictions.

    “I haven’t watched a game live for three years and can’t hold back,” The Paper in Shanghai quoted one supporter as saying.

    “Last season there were a few away games that sold tickets, but because it was inconvenient to get out of Beijing, I didn’t go anywhere.”

    The CSL has 16 teams and concludes in November.

  • Korle-Bu staff to undergo mass vaccination following renewed COVID-19 outbreak

    Staff of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital have been directed to undergo mass testing and vaccination following the renewed COVID-19 cases reporting to the facility.

    Within the last two weeks, the hospital has confirmed about 45 positive cases compared to only three as of 11th September, 2022.

    “Surveillance data from the Public Health Unit of the Hospital indicate that from the week ending 11th September 2022 to the week ending 23rd September, 2022, the number of confirmed COVID-l9 cases has risen from 3 to 45,”…. an internal memo sighted by myxyzonline said.

    Subsequently, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has directed heads of all Units, Directorates, Departments and Sub-BMCs (UDSs, to mobilize staff for an ongoing COVID-19 vaccination mop-up exercise.

    The notice said a desk has also been set up at the Public Health Event Park for staff and patients interested.

    It urged departmental heads to ensure that staff, patients and relatives adhere strictly to COVID -19 protocols at all entry points to OPDs, wards, offices and waiting areas within their buildings/structures.

  • Moderna suing Pfizer over Covid vaccine technology

    Moderna said it is suing Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech for patent infringement in the development of the first Covid-19 vaccine.

    The US biotech company is alleging that mRNA technology it developed before the pandemic was copied.

    The lawsuit, which is seeking unspecified financial damages, was filed in the US and Germany.

    Pfizer said it was “surprised” by the action and would defend itself against the allegations.

    In a statement, Moderna said Pfizer/BioNTech copied two types of its intellectual property. One involved an mRNA structure that Moderna says its scientists began developing in 2010 and were the first to validate in human trials in 2015.

    The second alleged infringement involves the coding of the spike protein on the outside of the virus itself.

    “We are filing these lawsuits to protect the innovative mRNA technology platform that we pioneered, invested billions of dollars in creating, and patented during the decade preceding the Covid-19 pandemic,” Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel said.

    Moderna, which was only formed as a company in 2010, was an early developer of the mRNA technology used commercially for the first time in Covid vaccines.

    The jabs use a molecule of genetic code called messenger RNA to generate an immune response.

    That trains the body to fight off the real virus when it comes into contact with it.

    Early in the pandemic, Moderna said it would not enforce its patents to help other drug companies develop their own jabs, particularly for low- and middle-income countries.

    But in March 2022 it said rivals such as Pfizer and BioNTech would have to respect its intellectual property rights, though it would not claim any damages for activity before that date.

    Patent litigation is not uncommon in the development of new technology and both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are already facing other lawsuits relating to their respective mRNA platforms.

    Moderna itself is being sued for alleged patent infringement in an ongoing dispute with the US National Institutes of Health.

    In July, German biotech company CureVac filed a lawsuit against BioNTech claiming it violated patents related to the engineering of mRNA molecules and seeking “fair compensation”.

    Source; BBC

  • COVID-19: For your own safety, get vaccinated – Dr Nyarko

    Since the coronavirus disease outbreak, the Akatsi Municipal Director of Health Services says that the municipality has documented three fatalities and 61 cases.

    He claimed that at one point, the cases appeared to be decreasing until a fresh case was reported in the municipality on Tuesday, August 9.

    Dr. Nyarko made this statement during a meeting of the Municipal Health Committee in the Akatsi South Municipal Assembly Hall.

    The Health Director said that 5,081 persons had received all of their vaccinations, compared to 21,213 who only received one dosage.

    Further adding, he indicated that roughly 70,563 local inhabitants have not yet received their vaccinations.

    For their safety, he recommended people take the immunizations without hesitation.

    He appealed to traditional authorities and religious leaders to revive public education on the relevance of taking the vaccines.

    Municipal Director of Health Services, the Akatsi South Municipal Coordinating Director, also appealed to individuals to disregard all political attempts and misconceptions targeted at discouraging others from taking the vaccines.

  • COVID-19 Trust Fund releases GH¢1.8m for research into coronavirus herbal medication

    The COVID-19 National Trust Fund has advanced an amount of GH¢1.8 million to the Centre for Plant Medicine Research for the possible production of herbal medication for coronaviruses.

    The fund says the use of unorthodox medicines has become important following the spike in COVID-19 cases.

    Speaking at a signing ceremony at the Jubilee House, Chairperson of the Fund, Sophia Akuffo, said herbal remedies will be needed to fight COVID-19.

    “The purpose of this financial support is to fund research into the development of herbal products against the SARS COVID-2 virus, the COVID-19 virus.”

    “This funding is intended to enable the CPMI [Centre for Plant Medicine Research] to undertake full-scale research and development of antiviral and immunomodulatory herbal products,” she said.

    The COVID-19 National Trust Fund has received many donations and contributions from businesses and individuals to complement the efforts of the government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    But the fund is yet to publicly account for how much money it has raised since it was set up.

    Source:citinewsroom.com

  • Mandatory vaccination is against fundamental human rights of citizens CFELAG

    The Center For Excellent Leadership Accountable Governance (CFELAG) has rejected the compulsory vaccination exercise in Ghana introduced by the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

    The Executive Director of the Centre, a private legal practitioner, Dr Z.O. Hunter, said at a press conference that compulsory vaccination violates the fundamental human rights of each citizen.

    “Recently, there have been concerns about the government actions to make vaccination mandatory from January 2020, of which we see it as [an] infringement on the basic fundamental human right as enshrines within the great constitution that gave birth to our democracy.

    “First of all, we do not stand against the vaccination but have great concerns about the mandatory vaccination, which we believe is tantamount to the basic fundamental right of each citizen of this country since people are proving immunity to the virus, having side effects to the regarding taking the vaccines, etc. when we take a look at the Public Health Act 851 (2012) it states that;
    Public vaccination Section 21.

    “(1) A public vaccinator shall vaccinate, free of charge, persons who present themselves or are presented for the purpose, or persons who are or become liable to be vaccinated. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply where vaccination would be injurious to health, or where there is satisfactory evidence that a person is already successfully vaccinated or otherwise has natural immunity to the disease.”

    As part of measures to reduce the coronavirus pandemic to its lowest ebb, the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Health (MoH), has declared the month of December 2021 as the mandatory vaccination month.

    The exercise is also to ensure that the yule does not become a springboard for an increment in infection rate since there will be [a] high rate of movement of persons.

    Addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday, November 28, the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kumah-Aboagye, said vaccination was the surest way to deal with the spread of the virus, hospitalization, and also deaths.

    In accordance with the mandatory vaccination directive, organizations, corporate bodies, and institutions are adopting mandatory vaccination to compel staff to take the Jab.

    TV3 can confirm the exercise is gradually gaining ground in the country.

    Laud Adu-Asare reports that while the government has mandated only public sector workers to take the vaccination jabs, some private firms have already begun demanding the same from employees.

    Source: 3news.com

  • Covid-19: Travelers from Accra to UAE to show proof of 24-hour negative test results

    Travelers to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Accra will now have to show proof a 24-hour negative Covid-19 test result before the scheduled departure time.

    The result must be obtained within 24 hours before the departure and only hard copies of such negative results with barcodes for verification would be accepted.

    In a press statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, sighted by MyJoyOnline.com, the stringent measure recommended to be implemented by government is to “convince the UAE government to reconsider its decision and lift the travel restrictions of travelers from Ghana to UAE.”

    According to the statement dated January 12, five laboratories have been approved to take such tests. They are Leding, Frontiers, Airport Clinic, Akai House and MDS Lancet laboratory.

    Covid-19: Travelers from Accra to UAE to show proof of 24-hour negative test results

    Earlier, it was notified that people travelling from Uganda and Ghana to UAE on transit flights should have a negative Covid-19 test conducted with 48 hours and a Rapid-PCR test which will be done at the airport within six hours of departure.

    But the Ministry says relevant UAE authorities have proposed new measures.

    As part of its proposition, “Passengers will additionally be required to present a negative Covid-19 rapid or rare time PCR test certificate with QR code for a test conducted at the airport within 6-hours of departure.”

    Covid-19: Travelers from Accra to UAE to show proof of 24-hour negative test results

    The approved labs to provide such services are Leding and Frontiers.

    Meanwhile, airlines that ply the Accra-Dubai routes have been urged to comply with the recent measure.

    Source: MyJoyOnline.com

  • China to donate a billion COVID-19 vaccines to Africa – President Xi

    China will donate a billion additional COVID-19 vaccines to Africa, President Xi Jinping pledged yesterday when he addressed a China – Africa forum that took place in Senegal.

    Xi disclosed that 600 million of the doses will be sent directly while the remaining 400 million will be delivered via investment in vaccine production across the continent.

    The event was the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for China – Africa Cooperation, FOCAC.

    China has been a major donor of vaccines to a number of African countries and has also sold doses to others notably to Zimbabwe.

    Records indicate that 180 million vaccine doses to Africa are China-made – be it Sinovac or Sinopharm.

    With about 7% of Africa’s population fully vaccinated, the continent is about the least vaccinated.

    Vaccines for countries in the African region have largely been via bilateral donations or via the COVAX facility – a WHO-led vaccine platform pushing for equity in inoculation rollout.

    China will donate a billion additional COVID-19 vaccines to Africa, President Xi Jinping pledged yesterday when he addressed a China – Africa forum that took place in Senegal.

    Xi disclosed that 600 million of the doses will be sent directly while the remaining 400 million will be delivered via investment in vaccine production across the continent.

    The event was the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for China – Africa Cooperation, FOCAC.

    China has been a major donor of vaccines to a number of African countries and has also sold doses to others notably to Zimbabwe.

    Records indicate that 180 million vaccine doses to Africa are China-made – be it Sinovac or Sinopharm.

    With about 7% of Africa’s population fully vaccinated, the continent is about the least vaccinated.

    Vaccines for countries in the African region have largely been via bilateral donations or via the COVAX facility – a WHO-led vaccine platform pushing for equity in inoculation rollout.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Ghana working to manufacture vaccines Akufo-Addo reveals

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has hinted that a committee has been established to produce a plan on how Ghana can develop and manufacture its own vaccines.

    Addressing the nation on Sunday, February 28, for the 24th time since the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in March 2020, the President revealed that steps are being taken to ensure that coronavirus vaccines are produced locally as part of the fight against the virus in Ghana.

    He said he is committed to combating the Coronavirus pandemic from the country therefore Ghana must produce its own local products.

    Akufo-Addo indicated a committee to that effect which is chaired by a former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, has been formed.

    “I want to reiterate my determination that we should manufacture our own vaccines here in Ghana. To that end, a Committee has been established under the Chairmanship of a former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the world-renowned scientist, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng which is formulating a concrete plan of action towards vaccine development and manufacturing,” the President said.

    He further said that the Vaccines Deployment Plan Ghana submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) for approval was well received.

    His comment follows the arrival of the vaccines into the country.

    “We are the first country in the world to be recipients of vaccines from the COVAX facility. I want to express my appreciation to members of the COVID-19 taskforce which I chair and to officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service for this commendable feat.

    “The vaccine deployment plan we submitted to the WHO was well received. We are grateful also, naturally to the managers of the COVAX facility.”

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Coronavirus: Our hospitals are full Akufo-Addo announces

    When COVID-19 first hit Ghana in March, the president declared a lockdown of parts of Accra, Tema and Tema metropolitan areas when total active cases hit 397.

    Today, however, despite over 4000 active cases recorded in this second wave of infections, with “our average daily rates of infection now stand[ing] at 700, compared to 200 two weeks ago”, all social media predictions of a lockdown announcement by the president did not materialise.

    The president in his 23rd Coronavirus address on Sunday said: “You do not have to be arrested by the police before you wear your mask, your workplace should not be closed for non-conformity with the protocols, if there is no urgent reason for you to be outside, please stay at home.”

    He continued, “As of Friday, January 29, sixty-four more people had sadly died over the last two weeks, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths to 416…our hospitalisation rates are increasing, with the number of critically and severely ill persons now at 172. Our hospitals have become full, and we have had to reactivate our isolation centres.”

    The total number of active cases, President Akufo-Addo noted, has more than doubled from a little over 1,900 two weeks ago, to 5,358 currently.

    The president, therefore, only announced that funerals should be limited to 25 persons.

    “My faith in God tells me that this too shall pass, for, the Battle is the Lords,” Akufo-Addo concluded his speech.

  • Ghana to decide on COVID-19 vaccines soon

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed that the Committee set up to recommend the appropriate decision on the deployment of a safe Covid-19 vaccine in Ghana has concluded its work enabling the government to begin discussions with vaccine manufacturing companies.

    The President made this known Tuesday in an address at the 72nd Annual New Year School and Conference in Accra.

    He said the goal of the discussion was to order the most suitable vaccine for Ghana.

    He said: “Through the advances of science we now have vaccines that are already being administered in some countries that could help control and eventually end the pandemic.  The Committee formed by government to recommend the appropriate decision on COVID-19 vaccines has completed its work, enabling government to begin discussions with vaccine-manufacturing companies with the goal of ordering the suitable doses of the vaccine for use in Ghana. Details of this will be announced very soon”.

    COVID-19 vaccine approval

    Ghana’s FDA has not yet approved any COVID-19 vaccine for use in the country and last week issued a Public Health Alert against the patronage of any vaccine.

    However, the United States (US) FDA has approved two vaccines; Moderna’s vaccine on December 18, 2020, and the Pfizer vaccine on December 11. The vaccines are currently being distributed across the US to battle the pandemic.

    The United Kingdom (UK) has also approved three vaccines; the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines.

    The Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna vaccines each require two doses and you are not fully vaccinated until a week after your second shot.

    Meanwhile, Guinea late last year began vaccinating against COVID-19 with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine on an experimental basis, starting with government officials. It ordered only 55 doses of the Russian vaccine.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • COVID-19: US hospital worker arrested for destroying 500 vaccine doses

    A since-fired Wisconsin hospital worker was arrested for removing more than 500 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from refrigeration, causing them to spoil, police said Thursday.

    A statement from police in Grafton, near Milwaukee, said the suspect was charged after “tampering with and causing the destruction of 57 vials containing approximately 570 doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine.”
    The name of the person charged has not been released.

    Advocate Aurora Health initially reported that 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine were tossed after an employee “inadvertently” removed them from the fridge at the Grafton center and left them out overnight. The employee, however, admitted to doing it deliberately, officials said.

    Dr Jeff Bahr, Aurora Health Care Medical Group president, said Thursday that the FBI and Wisconsin state police had joined the ongoing law enforcement investigation. He added that the individual’s motive remained unclear.
    The worker was fired Wednesday.

    The vaccine must be stored in a freezer between minus 13 degrees and 5 degrees Fahrenheit, then thawed in a refrigerator for 21 and a half hours or at room temperature for an hour.

    “We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic,” Aurora Health said in a statement.

    “We are more than disappointed that this individual’s actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine. This was a violation of our core values, and the individual is no longer employed by us.”

    Aurora Health said it has contacted “appropriate authorities for further investigation, but Grafton police have not publicized any potential charges.
    Bahr said there was no evidence the individual tampered with any other vials of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines at the facility. He credited the system in place at the hospital for preventing further losses.

    “It’s become clear this is a situation involving a bad actor and not a bad process,” Bahr said during a news conference.

    Bahr said that 57 people received vaccines from the doses that were removed from the facility’s refrigerators, before the rest of the vaccine was tossed.
    The doctor said those who received those doses have been informed that their inoculations may have been less effective.

    Wisconsin has reported more than 477,000 positive Covid-19 cases so far and almost 5,000 deaths.

    Source: GNA

  • Coronavirus: World must ‘pull together’ to find and fund vaccine

    European leaders have pledged support for a plan to raise €7.5bn (£6.6bn; $8.3bn) to find a coronavirus vaccine in a jointly signed open letter.

    The Brussels-led initiative was set out by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday.

    The promises come ahead of an online pledging conference on Monday.

    UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge countries to “pull together” to meet “the most urgent shared endeavour of our lifetimes”.

    Mr Johnson, who spent three nights in intensive care with Covid-19, will also confirm the UK’s pledge of £388m for vaccine research, testing and treatment.

    The conference will be co-hosted by the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the European Commission.

    The UN says a return to normal life will only be possible with a vaccine.

    Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are also among those who have signed up to the initiative.

    In the open letter published in weekend newspapers, the leaders said that the funds raised would “kickstart an unprecedented global co-operation between scientists and regulators, industry and governments, international organisations, foundations and healthcare professionals”.

    “If we can develop a vaccine that is produced by the world, for the whole world, this will be a unique global public good of the 21st Century,” they added.

    At the same time, the signatories gave their backing to the World Health Organization in the face of US criticism of its handling of the outbreak.

    Dozens of research projects trying to find a vaccine are currently under way across the world.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: WHO says 70 vaccines in the works, with three leading candidates

    There are 70 coronavirus vaccines in development globally, with three candidates already being tested in human trials, according to the World Health Organization, as drugmakers race to find a cure for the deadly pathogen.

    The furthest along in the clinical process is an experimental vaccine developed by Hong Kong-listed CanSino Biologics Inc. and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, which is in phase 2.

    The other two being tested in humans are treatments developed separately by U.S. drugmakers Moderna Inc. and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc., according to a WHO document.

    Progress is occurring at unprecedented speed in developing vaccines as the infectious pathogen looks unlikely to be stamped out through containment measures alone. The drug industry is hoping to compress the time it takes to get a vaccine to market — usually about 10 to 15 years — to within the next year.

    Drugmakers big and small have jumped in to try to develop a vaccine, which would be the most effective way to contain the virus. Pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi have vaccine candidates in the preclinical stages, according to the WHO document.

    CanSino said last month it received Chinese regulatory approval to start human trials of its vaccine. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna — which has never put out a product — received regulatory approval to move quickly to human trials in March, skipping the years of animal trials that are the norm in developing vaccines. Inovio began its human trials last week.

     

    Source: Bloomberg