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South Africa To Commence First COVID-19 Vaccine Trial This Week

The professor who works with the University of Witwatersrand, Wits, disclosed the development during a virtual meeting a few moments ago.

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South Africa professor, Shabir Madhi has revealed that the country will roll out its first COVID-19 vaccine trial in the next few days.

The professor who works with the University of Witwatersrand, Wits, disclosed the development during a virtual meeting a few moments ago, Naija News understands.

The country which currently has the highest confirmed cases of the dreaded disease in Africa will conduct a trial on its vaccine labelled ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. It was gathered that the remedy was developed by the Oxford Jenner Institute and has already been examined in Britain, with no less than four thousand persons already signed up for the trial.

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According to the report, not less than 2,000 people have been set out to be vaccinated, and 50 of the numbers are confirmed to be HIV positive.

Speaking on the development, Madhi said, “We began screening participants for the South African Oxford 1 Covid-19 vaccine trial last week, and the first participants will be vaccinated this week,” 

“Wits is collaborating with the University of Oxford and the Oxford Jenner Institute on the South African trial,” 

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Madhi added, “As we enter winter in South Africa and pressure increases on public hospitals, now more than ever we need a vaccine to prevent infection by COVID-19,”

On his part, the South Africa Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, express his concern on cases of Coronavirus already recorded in the country, noting that South Africa is at the moment going through a “devastating storm”.

The Minister estimated that more than half citizens of the country may contract the killer virus.

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“Our scientific estimation is that 60 to 70 percent of our population may be infected by coronavirus,” said Mkhize while launching the trial vaccines.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has reported four hundred and fifty-two new cases of Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.