Scramble to sell Covid-19 drug
ROLL-OUT: MINISTER ‘AWAITING ADVICE’ FROM SCIENTISTS
Mkhize can’t provide answers during presentation.
With South Africa running against time on what to do with one million doses of the Indian-manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine due to expire by April, there has been a scramble by other drug manufacturers and countries, lobbying government to sell the much-needed drug.
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, who is “awaiting advice and guidance” from scientists, is tomorrow expected to spell out the country’s position on the AstraZeneca vaccine – received with much fanfare and originally meant to cover front-line healthcare workers.
Mkhize, his deputy Dr Joe Phaahla and department deputy director-general Anban Pillay, who yesterday addressed the parliamentary portfolio committee on health, could not give satisfactory answers to National Freedom Party MP Ahmed Munzoor Shaik Emam when asked about the manufacturing and expiry date of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“How do we accept a vaccine without knowing the manufacturing and expiry date?” asked Shaik.
Amid the arguments, ANC MPs closed ranks in support of Mkhize and his team.
The health team’s PowerPoint presentation, which was not readily available to MPs at the start of the meeting, had to be rescheduled to later in the morning, with the Northern Cape team asked to move in, explaining its vaccine roll-out preparedness.
In its formal presentation, Pillay said the department of health’s approach to the Covid-19 pandemic was not that of being gullible to any drug available in the market, but to get more data and study the efficacy of each vaccine against the highly contagious variant, 501Y.V2.
With scientific evidence pointing to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine’s weak 22% efficacy against 501Y.V2, government has resolved to halt the roll-out of the Indian-manufactured drug.
Pillay said laboratory studies showed all vaccine-induced antibodies had greater difficulty in neutralising the 501Y.V2 variant compared to pre-existing variants.
Not clear if athlete and murderer is aware of long-time coach’s death.
While tributes poured in yesterday for Ampie Louw, it was unclear whether controversial sprinter Oscar Pistorius was even aware that his long-time coach had died.
Louw passed away due to Covid-19-related issues. He was 72.
“I have no idea if Oscar has been informed yet as due to Covid regulations, he has no visitors,” said his former agent Peet van Zyl.
“His only contact is when he is allowed to have his phone calls.”
Louw coached the convicted murderer throughout his athletics career after convincing the young athlete to take up the sport when he picked up a rugby injury in high school.
He was also renowned for working with other athletes with disabilities.
“So very sad to hear of the passing of legendary coach and thorough gentleman Ampie Louw,” Andy Scott, a former Paralympian and chief operations officer at the Sports Trust, said on social media.
“You took our athletes with disabilities to heights unheard of.”
Best known for his success with his star athlete, Louw was a driving force behind Pistorius during his nine-year career on the track.
Under Louw’s guidance, the double amputee sprinter broke multiple Paralympic world records.
After winning a breakthrough court case against World Athletics in 2008, which cleared him to compete against able-bodied athletes, Pistorius also made history when he became the first amputee to earn a medal on the track at the World Athletics Championships, forming part of the South African 4x400m relay team who bagged the silver medal at the global showpiece in Daegu in 2011.
His career came crashing down, however, when he was found guilty of murder after killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February 2013.
He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison. Louw, at the time, said he was shocked at the “heart-breaking events” which led to Steenkamp’s death.
“I am looking forward to the day I can get my boy back on the track,” he said.
Louw, however, died two years before Pistorius would be eligible to apply for parole, in 2023.
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