A LA UNE
SOUTH AFRICA: Astra/Zeneca vaccine temporarily suspended
South Africa has decided to suspend the vaccine developed by the Astra/Zeneca-Oxford laboratories following a study by the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. According to the South African authorities, the study shows that the UK vaccine offers limited protection against moderate forms of the disease due to the South African variant in young adults.
This is a blow to South Africa, which enthusiastically welcomed the first delivery of Astra/Zeneca vaccine doses. The country has decided to suspend the vaccination campaign that began a few weeks ago to stop the spread of the coronavirus. According to the first results of the study by the University of Witwatersrand, the vaccine is only 22% effective against moderate forms of the South African variant. No results are yet available on its effectiveness against severe forms. “This is a temporary problem, we need to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccines until we have solved these problems,” South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said at a press conference.
The 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine delivered to South Africa will already expire in April. However, according to the Minister, they will be retained until the scientists give clear indications of their use. For his part, the epidemiologist and co-chair of the scientific committee at the South African Ministry of Health, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, warned that the second generation of vaccines for all variants will take longer to produce.
Minister Zweli Mkhize wanted to reassure his fellow citizens about the availability of other vaccines. “In the next four weeks, we will have Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines,” she said. Discussions with other laboratories are also underway, including Moderna and the Russian vaccine manufacturer Sputnik V. The South African minister recently announced that he has earmarked 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. South Africa plans to vaccinate at least 67% of the population by the end of the year, or about 40 million people.
The WHO Strategic Committee of Immunization Experts meets on Monday to make interim recommendations on the use of the vaccine developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca. “Special attention will be given to the discussion on the use of the vaccine on older adults,” says the WHO agenda. With an average efficiency of 70% at the moment, this vaccine is less convincing than those of Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna, whose effectiveness exceeds 90%.
The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has been approved by several countries, but some have preferred to recommend it only for people under the age of 65, due to insufficient data on older people.
Yamoussoukro, December 26, 2023- After an impregnation visit of the Charles Konan-Banny stadium in Yamoussoukro, Tuesday, December 26, 2023, the Prime Minister, Minister of Sport and Living Environment, Robert Beugré Mambé, said reassured. The stadium, he said, is ready to host Group C matches from Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea and The Gambia.
‘What we have seen is reassuring. Technically, from the equipment point of view, we are ready at the Yamoussoukro stadium. But we will remain vigilant until the end,” said Robert Beugré Mambé.
The Prime Minister called for on-call teams to be set up in all sectors. We will have specialists permanently because Côte d’Ivoire wants to be up to date, in all circumstances, with the expected benefits of this great country. We have given indications that vigilance is needed,’ insisted the Head of Government.
For this visit, which is part of the visits of infrastructure related to the CAN 2023, the Vice-President of the Republic, Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, accompanied by the Prime Minister and other members of the government, visited the host infrastructure, in particular the President’s Hotel where official delegations will stay.
CAN 2023 is scheduled from January 13 to February 11, 2024 in Côte d’Ivoire with 24 teams.
CICG
The Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), received the Innovative Deal of the Year Award from the AFIS AWARDS 2023, in conjunction with the SGI EDC Investment Corporation. It was on the occasion of the African Financial Industry Summit (AFIS), held in Lomé (Togo), on November 15 and 16, 2023.
A statement from the Brvm informs that this prize is awarded relative to the success of the introduction to the BRVM of Orange Côte d’Ivoire, on December 30, 2022, with a record capitalization at the introduction of 1538.19 billion Cfa francs.
The document reports that the distinction made to the BRVM through the «Innovative Deal of the Year» Award reflects the recognition of the African financial industry to a rare transaction in recent times on the markets (partial privatization by IPO) which raised the WAEMU stock market to fifth place on African stock exchanges in terms of capitalisation in September 2023.
Dr Edoh Kossi AMENOUNVE expressed the gratitude of the BRVM, its Board of Directors, its General Management and all its staff who are honoured to receive this distinction. It is the culmination of the efforts undertaken over several years in terms of promoting the regional financial market and innovation.
Dr AMENOUNVE took the opportunity to express his deep gratitude to the Ivorian Government and its Privatization Committee whose vision and leadership he praised. He thanked them for their ongoing concern for the BRVM. The public offer to sell the shares of Orange Côte d’Ivoire was arranged and conducted by SGI EDC Investment Corporation (Ecobank Group) co-winner of the prize.
Initiated by Jeune Afrique Media Groupe (JAMG) in partnership with Mazars, the AFIS Awards annually reward five categories of companies and individuals who have contributed significantly to the growth of the African financial sector.
Burkina Faso is not “enemy” of the “French people”, said Captain Ibrahim Traoré, transitional president, following a coup d’état, in an interview broadcast Wednesday, September 06, 2023 by Radio television of Burkina (RTB, public.
“We are not enemies with the French people, it is the policy of those who lead France that poses a problem in Africa, so as long as a state is not in an imperialist spirit (…) there is no problem,” he said in the interview recorded on 31 August.
Burkina has been looking for new cooperation ever since. We have new partners who support us in terms of equipment and so on,’ he added, without naming them.
Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister, Olivia Rouamba, on Monday expressed her country’s desire to “strengthen bilateral cooperation” with Iran, during a meeting in Tehran with President Ebrahim Raïssi.
A Russian delegation exchanged with Mr. Traoré last week in Ouagadougou, on issues of development and military cooperation and Captain Traoré went to Saint Petersburg in July for the Russia-Africa summit.
He reaffirmed his country’s support for Niger, the scene of a coup d’état on 26 July, with which Burkina shares the so-called “three-border” zone between Mali, Niger and Burkina, considered a hideout of jihadist groups.
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