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The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) board chairperson, Professor Helen Reese, has assured South Africans that the authority is working to make sure that COVID-19 vaccines are effective against new variants.

Reese was speaking during a presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Health on Thursday.

Reese said the behaviour of the new COVID-19 variant, C.1.2, against the vaccines currently being rolled out is being monitored closely.

“What we are doing is that for each variant that we see in this country, we will be testing the vaccines that we have against that variant to make sure that the vaccines we are rolling out remain effective. We are looking all the time at the effectiveness of vaccines once we roll them out, and we look at that in different ways.

“We look at how they are responding to new variants but we also look at what are called breakthrough infections… Are we seeing people who’ve been vaccinated getting hospitalised? If so, what was the variant, is it a new variant? When were they vaccinated? Are we seeing breakthrough infections because this vaccine or that vaccine is not as good at fighting off that particular variant? That is how we monitor it,” Reese said.

She said research is showing that the variant is not behaving in the same way as the highly transmissible Delta variant.

However, she warned that that could change.

“It only represents about 2% of the current testing that’s going on but it’s been detected in eight of our nine provinces… It’s also been detected in eight countries around the world. It’s widely detected but it’s not doing at the moment what we have seen the Delta variant do, which is really take off – something we’re all familiar with.

“But with changes in this new variant… the concern is that the mutations suggest that this is a variant that could be more transmissible or could be better at evading our immune systems [and] resisting our immune response. We are watching it closely,” Reese said.

She acknowledged that the efficacy of vaccines can vary as variants emerge, but vaccines do still fight severe illness, hospitalisation and even death.

“…All of these variants are learning ways to resist [vaccines]… so the effectiveness of all of the vaccines has dropped somewhat but it has not gone away. We then have to say, how effective are the vaccines that we’ve got against this variant because they might have been very effective at the beginning but their effectiveness could have dropped.

“The bar that we have set for ourselves – and this is an international bar – is to say 50% effectiveness is the minimum we would expect. But we also know many of the vaccines [are good at fighting]… severe disease and hospitalisation,” Reese said. – SAnews

• Six new NHS trusts across England will receive funding for ground-breaking trial
• AI will be used to automatically and accurately detect prostate cancer from biopsy images
• Largest multi-site deployment of AI in the UK

Men across England could benefit from faster diagnosis and quicker treatment of prostate cancer following the expansion of a pioneering trial of Artificial Intelligence to analyse biopsies.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men. In the UK, nearly 100,000 men undergo a prostate biopsy every year – a number expected to double in the next ten years. More than 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in England every year.

The technology, which has been developed by health tech company Ibex Medical Analytics, is designed to help reduce diagnostic errors and speed up diagnosis. Clinicians will compare the results of the AI analysis to current diagnosis methods, where biopsies are meticulously reviewed by a pathologist.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid said:

Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform our health and care system and studies like this are vital in understanding the impact AI can make.

Cancer diagnosis and treatment has remained a top priority throughout the pandemic and I am committed to busting the backlog in cancer care.

The earlier cancer is detected the quicker it is treated leading to better outcomes for patients, so this ground-breaking work has the potential to benefit thousands of people.

Funded as part of the £140 million NHSX AI in Health and Care awards, the study will enable leading researchers to evaluate the effectiveness of the AI solution Galen™ Prostate in detecting and grading cancer in prostate biopsies using samples from 600 men over 14 months.

The funding will be used for deploying and evaluating the AI technology, with the potential for it to be adopted more widely across the health service, cutting diagnosis times and freeing up valuable clinician time.

Minister for Innovation Lord Bethell said:

I am committed to ensuring the UK becomes a leader in health technology, including through pioneering AI studies like this so our NHS and patients can benefit from better diagnosis and treatment.

Initiatives like the “AI in Health and Care” awards are accelerating the testing and evaluation of the most promising AI technologies to improve our health and care system.

The next round of funding is open now, and I look forward to seeing more trailblazing organisations like Ibex Medical Analytics demonstrate how AI can be used to revolutionise healthcare.

Matthew Gould, NHSX CEO, said:

We are currently caught between having too few pathologists and rising demand for biopsies. This technology could help, and give thousands of men with prostate cancer faster, more accurate diagnoses.

It is a prime example of how AI can help clinicians improve care for patients as we recover from the pandemic.

Professor Hashim Ahmed, chair of urology at Imperial College London and principal investigator, said:

We strongly believe that AI has the potential to enhance both quality and efficiency, which is of paramount importance as we focus on putting every patient on the path to recovery.

Ibex’s technology has demonstrated its robustness on several studies abroad and so we look forward to seeing its performance and utility firsthand in the NHS.

Joseph Mossel, CEO and co-founder of Ibex Medical Analytics, said:

This funding acknowledges the potential of AI in pathology practice and the scientific evidence and clinical utility we have demonstrated to date.

The UK is clearly on track to become a world leader in implementing AI technologies in healthcare and we look forward to cooperating with our NHS partners and introducing our AI solution into multiple pathology labs in the UK.

Dr David Snead, pathologist at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire and director of PathLAKE, an Innovate UK funded center of excellence for AI in digital pathology and radiology said:

We are excited to participate in this important validation of Ibex’s platform. I believe that AI will forever change the pathology practice.

Pathologists will adapt and learn to utilize such tools in ways that provide better care to our patients. With initiatives such as the AI in Health and Care Award and PathLAKE, the UK is well positioned to lead this transformation.

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has promised to give necessary support to traditional medicine practice in the State so that the practitioners can continue to support quality healthcare delivery for all residents.

Sanwo-Olu, who made the promise in his keynote address at the Y2021 African Traditional Medicine Day celebration held at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, also promised the provision of a state-of-the-art office infrastructure for the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB) and its practitioners.

The Governor, represented at the event by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said that the present administration has, in addition to the provision of necessary infrastructure for LSTMB, will also invest in clinical trials, research works, evidence-based healing and publication of findings for traditional medicine practitioners.

He emphasised that the same way modern-day doctors are regulated, the Ministry of Health through its relevant agencies will be regulating traditional medicine in order to ensure that the practitioners practise sound alternative medicine.

Speaking on the theme of the celebration, “Traditional Medicine: Research and Development”, the Governor lamented the rate at which deforestation is affecting the entire South West of the State and Nigeria specifically, saying that the development is seriously posing threats to effective traditional medicine practice.

Sanwo-Olu, however, challenged the traditional medicine practitioners to rise up to the challenge and become advocates of reforestation of the environment, where there would be abundant herbs for traditional healing.

In his words, “You need to see yourself as a powerful voice that must be listened to. You should also speak out on this deforestation issue that is happening all around us. The loss of habitat where your natural herbs, roots can be found should be of great concern to all of us, especially you”.

Citing Indian and China as some of the countries of the world that have been making deliberate steps to save their forests from deforestation as a strategy towards strengthening their traditional medicine practice, the Governor promised that the present administration will provide needed guidance for the practitioners and also assist in protecting some of the medicinal plants and herbs that are currently disappearing due to deforestation.

The Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji, in her goodwill message, said that the celebration will further reassure practitioners of traditional medicine that they are recognised by the State Government as major stakeholders in the provision of healthcare to Lagos residents.

She encouraged traditional practitioners to work hand in hand with medical doctors in ensuring that residents remain healthy and have access to their choice of treatment either through traditional medicine or modern medicine

The Chairman of the Board, Prof. Adebukunola Adefule-Ositelu, thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu for the recognition accorded the traditional medicine practitioners since he assumed office, just as she affirmed that more attention is now being paid to traditional medicine within the last 18 months than previous years.

The Registrar of LSTMB, Mr. Olorunkemi Kadiku, remarked that the Board will continue to provide the enabling environment needed to unlock the inherent potentials in traditional medicine to the benefit of mankind.

According to him, over 9,000 Practitioners have benefited from our continuous training programmes initiated by the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, stressing that the initiative had assisted in professionalising traditional medicine practice and addressing quackery.

He pleaded with stakeholders to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the various fields of traditional medicine and equally uphold high ethical standards in the discharge of their obligation to patients and mankind.

“We are at a point in our onerous journey in achieving parity and recognition accorded conventional healthcare practitioners and products, as such, all hands are needed on deck”, Kadiku stated.

The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, has applauded Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for setting new standards in infrastructure management with the ongoing massive rehabilitation of fire service stations and other public buildings across the State.

Speaking on the ongoing renovations in an interview with Alausa Alert, Mrs. Adeseye said the initiative has improved the working condition of officers and enhanced service delivery, through the provision of modern infrastructure.

According to her, the headquarters of the Fire Service and 13 stations will be rehabilitated across the metropolis.

She listed some of the Fire Service Stations for rehabilitation as Mobolaji Johnson Fire Station, Agege Fire Station, Ikorodu Fire Station, Sari-Iganmu Fire Station, Lekki Phase I Fire Station, Lekki Phase II Fire Station, Ojo Fire Station, Abesan Fire Station and Ejigbo Fire Station.

Mrs. Adeseye said: “The Government is transforming the ambience to ultra-modern standards with the scope of work covering architectural facelift, mechanical and electrical installations as well as furniture and fittings. Lekki Phase I Fire Station and the Alausa Headquarters are undergoing reconstruction with the latter going up to a storey building from a bungalow”.

“The Government has also built three new Fire Service Stations at Epe II, Ajegunle in Apapa and Ebute Elefun on the Lagos Island, while it has begun construction of four Fire Stations at Ijegun-Egba, Ikorodu, Oworonshoki and Mainland”, she revealed.

Deputy President David Mabuza says South Africa’s government aims to meet its target to vaccinate 40 million people by 31 December 2021 in order to achieve herd immunity.

“We need to get out of this situation. Our economy is devastated and our people have lost jobs, so, we can’t stay in this situation forever. Seventy percent is roughly 40 million, we reach that and we still go ahead to vaccinate the remaining [people],” the Deputy President said.

Mabuza made the remarks during a COVID-19 vaccine rollout outreach programme, in Mogale City, west of Johannesburg.

Mabuza, together with members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on COVID-19 vaccines and Gauteng Premier David Makhura, visited a pop-up vaccination site at Kagiso Mall and Kagiso Taxi rank on Thursday, to assess the province’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme.

The IMC on COVID-19 vaccines identified three provinces falling short of their set targets to reach population immunity, including Gauteng Province. It then resolved to visit parts of the country experiencing challenges and identify areas of improvement.

The Deputy President visited the West Rand District Municipality, as it has been identified as the lowest performing sub-district, with only 8% of the total population vaccinated.

Mabuza called on scientists, including experts and healthcare workers to come forward and explain the benefits of getting a vaccine, as most people are reluctant to get a jab due to fake news surrounding the vaccines.

He maintained that people understand and want to vaccinate, but the problem is fake news.

“How do you deal with fake news, is to come with correct news so that you help people to understand better why they should vaccinate. Our strategy now is, let’s go to the people, let’s not sit at our vaccination sites and wait for people to come.

“From all the people we talk to, all of them said they are going to vaccinate, and they are happy that we are here and encouraging them to vaccinate. We are going to work with our councillors, using the District Development Model [and] all of us will go [out]. We are going to use this approach, going forward,” the Deputy President said.

New variant under control

The Deputy President has also allayed fears over the new COVID-19 variant C.1.2, saying it is still under control.

“For now, there is nothing to worry about. If we feel that this new variant is now a problem, the Minister of Health will announce how best we deal with it. But for now, we are tracking it … no reason to worry for now,” Mabuza said.

Significant turnaround in mineworkers

Makhura said the provincial government understands the nature of West Rand District, which is a mining area, and one of the things they do to crack the hesitancy, is working with the mine houses.

“We visited them two weeks ago [and] they are now the ones who are driving [vaccination campaign], so we have lots of mineworkers who are working in the mines. We have vaccination sites in those workplaces in the mines, and that campaign is going very well. In the last seven days they’ve been doing very well in terms of how many people are vaccinated a day, so, you will see a significant turnaround,” Makhura said.

Makhura said the second element includes door-to-door work and bringing mobile sites into the communities.

He said the province has trained the community healthcare workers, as well as different community workers.

The Premier said from 1 September, the principal focus will be door-to-door work, checking how many people were living in a household; how many elderly are in there; who has and has not been vaccinated and what are the reasons.

“Where there is real resistance, they will bring the health care professionals to give them information and advice … we have a whole programme,” Makhura said. – SAnews