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When scientists finish developing a Covid-19 vaccine, will people be willing to take it?
An international research team analysed data from 19 countries hit hard by the new coronavirus and found that when confidence in government was low, hesitancy to accept a Covid-19 vaccine was higher.
Based on a previous survey of more than 13 400 people, researchers found that about 72% were likely to take a vaccine. About 14% would refuse and a similar percentage would hesitate, the survey showed.
Vaccine hesitancy a key obstacle
“The problem of vaccine hesitancy is strongly related with a lack of trust in government. Vaccine confidence was invariably higher in countries where trust was higher,” said study co-leader Jeffrey Lazarus, of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain.
Study co-leader Ayman El-Mohandes said health leaders need to increase confidence and improve the public’s understanding of how they can help control the spread of Covid-19. El-Mohandes is dean of the School of Public Health at the City University of New York (CUNY).
Vaccine hesitancy will be a key obstacle for public health officials, in addition to the already challenging tasks of developing, producing and equitably distributing a vaccine. More than 90 Covid-19 vaccines are in development around the world, and about half are in human trials.
Vaccine acceptance varied by country, with the highest percentage of positive responses, 87%, coming from respondents in China. The lowest number of positives, 55%, was from Russia.
In the United States, 76% of survey respondents gave positive responses. About 11% were negative; 13% of respondents had no opinion.
Robust and sustained effort
Respondents who were older and those with higher incomes were more likely to accept a vaccine. People who had been sick with Covid-19 or whose relatives had been sick were not more likely to respond positively.
“It will be tragic if we develop safe and effective vaccines and people refuse to take them,” said study co-author Scott Ratzan, a lecturer at CUNY.
“We need to develop a robust and sustained effort to address vaccine hesitancy and rebuild public confidence in the personal, family and community benefits of immunisations,” he said in a CUNY news release.
Ratzan noted that the results were consistent with recent surveys in the United States, which point to diminished public trust in a Covid-19 vaccine.
The findings were published recently in the journal Nature Medicine.
Image credit: Pixabay
Here’s more proof that masking up reduces transmission of Covid-19: A new Massachusetts study found that wearing face coverings resulted in a decrease in coronavirus cases among healthcare workers as infections were increasing in the surrounding community.
“We found clear benefits to universal masking for preventing infectious spread within the work environment,” researcher Dr Stefanos Kales said. He’s division chief of occupational and environmental medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance (a Harvard-affiliated community health system) and a professor at Harvard Medical School.
Universal masking implemented and maintained
For the study, the researchers compared the rate of Covid-19 cases between the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and Massachusetts residents from 17 March to 6 May. The CHA started requiring masks on 26 March.
The universal masking was done during a time of rising infections in both the healthcare system and the community. After the policy was instituted, infections among healthcare workers sharply decreased, while community infections continued to rise until their peak on April 20. Before the mask mandate, infection rates increased almost identically in the healthcare system and the state’s population, the study found.
The report was published on 21 October in Occupational Medicine.
“Our findings suggest that universal masking policy should be implemented and maintained in healthcare settings as well as within indoor businesses when physical distancing and ventilation may be inadequate,” Kales added in a CHA news release.
Image credit: Getty Images
| Remuneration: | negotiable |
| Location: | Stellenbosch |
| Education level: | Masters |
| Job level: | Mid |
| Own transport required: | Yes |
| Travel requirement: | Occasional |
| Type: | Permanent |
| Company: | Boston City Campus |
Disciplines: Marketing, advertising, integrated marketing communication
Posted on 28 Oct 14:12
| Remuneration: | Negotiable depending on experience |
| Benefits: | CTC |
| Location: | Port Elizabeth, South End |
| Education level: | Diploma |
| Job level: | Mid/Senior |
| Own transport required: | Yes |
| Travel requirement: | Occasional |
| Job policy: | Employment Equity position |
| Type: | Permanent |
| Reference: | #BOOMSTRAT21 |
| Company: | Boomtown |
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The digital marketing strategist is responsible for developing solutions to meet clients’ brand objectives based on consumer insight and data. Through their digital knowledge, spotting of trends and technologies, develop strategies that drive ROI by combining all the relevant marketing channels and platforms – from audits, strategy to content – into one actionable plan that is then used to launch our clients product or service.
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Knowledge and attributes
Posted on 28 Oct 11:10
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Proceedings in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court was an event to be beheld on Tuesday morning as five men appeared for their alleged involvement in the murder of former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.
With limited space in the courtroom, reporters as well AfriForum’s private prosecution unit had to find ways to sit through the proceedings, while also maintaining physical distance to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Muzikawukhulelwa S’Tembu Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mthobisi Prince Mncube, Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa and Sifokuhle Sifiso Nkani Ntuli appeared before magistrate Hans Havenga.
Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi.
Chanté Schatz, News24
But a sudden turn of events caught the court by surprise when four of them – Sibiya, Mncube, Maphisa and Ntuli – appeared without any legal representation and contended they had no need of one because they were wrongly implicated.
Sifokuhle Sifiso Nkani Ntuli (middle).
Chanté Schatz, News24
The accused said they were being implicated because “they did not have money”, while those “with money” were out on the loose.
READ | Senzo Meyiwa: Leaked document reveals Kelly Khumalo’s cellphone records must be obtained in probe
They also alleged it was not true they were arrested on Monday and that they had been in custody.
Police Minister Bheki Cele announced the five men were arrested between 08:00 and 10:00 on Monday.
According to the indictment all the accused are South African citizens.
Sibiya, 34, and Ntanzi are respectively from Tembisa in Gauteng and Rustenburg in the North West, while their co-accused – Mncube, 36, Maphisa, 35, Ntuli, 34 – are from KwaZulu-Natal.
Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi.
Chanté Schatz, News24
They face five counts that include murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, the contravention of Section 3 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 (possession of firearm) and contravention of Section 90 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 (possession of ammunition).
Mthokoziseni Ziphozonke Maphisa.
Chante Schatz, News24
The court heard the accused were facing a schedule six offence.
According to the indictment, the accused face a charge in that they allegedly unlawfully and intentionally killed 30-year-old Meyiwa on 26 October 2014 in Vosloorus and they attempted to kill Kelly Khumalo’s sister, Zandile Lorraine, whom they allegedly shot.
At the time of the incident, Meyiwa was also in the presence of Khumalo’s mother, Gladness, Longwe Thwala, who was Zandile’s boyfriend, Meyiwa’s friend, Tumelo Madlala, as well as Mthokozisi Thwala.
The indictment also states that count three is for the assault of Khumalo whose cellphone, a Samsung S4, was taken from her at gunpoint.
Count four and five are for the possession and use of a firearm, a 9mm parabellum C7 model 75 pistol whose serial number was filed off, without a licence.
The summary of substantial facts reads that while Meyiwa was at Khumalo’s home on the day, two people barged in at around 20:00 with a firearm and a knife and demanded money and cellphones from the victims.
A scuffle ensued between Meyiwa and the person who had the firearm and the footballer was shot in the chest. It is alleged the shooter had dreadlocks, a gold tooth and was wearing a khaki coat. One of the shots fired on the day struck Zandile on her right ankle.
EXCLUSIVE | Police find Senzo Meyiwa murder weapon
The suspects fled after taking Khumalo’s cellphone.
They dropped a hat on the premises while fleeing.
Meyiwa was declared dead on arrival at Botshelong healthcare facility.
The State alleges the accused were acting in common cause.
Addressing the allegations from the accused that they were not arrested on Monday, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said the reality was that they were all in custody.
ALSO READ | Meyiwa’s family hopeful after arrests: ‘We have been waiting for this day for 6 years’
He said warrants of arrests were only obtained last week and the police executed them.
“Maybe there’s a difference of understanding in terms of the technicalities that are involved because they were in custody, they [thought] they were arrested [sic].
“They were not arrested for this particular matter and so they had to be moved from the prisons where they were because there were warrants that were executed in order for them to be able to appear for this murder case here this morning,” Ngwema added.
He said the investigation was tight and there were no possibilities of wrongful arrests, adding they were confident the accused were the right ones at this point while more arrests were not ruled out.
Ngwema added:
We still have a long way to go. When the [DPP] took the decision on Wednesday because there was sufficient evidence to charge these five, there were number of instructions that he had issued so that we can make sure that when we present the final indictment everything [would] have been done and follow up investigations…
Meanwhile, Meyiwa’s brother, Sifiso, had only a few words to express himself following court proceedings, saying it was just the beginning.
“When they [the accused] say they don’t know anything, obviously when you are arrested for a crime, you deny it. Investigations will continue. But I am happy there have been people arrested. The police bringing them to court mean they have done their investigation and I don’t think they would have brought them in without any evidence.”
He thanked the scores of supporters who had come out to court, calling for the accused to remain in jail.
The five men will remain in custody at various prisons and police custody.
They will appear again in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court on 27 November to allow for the State to submit a final submission for the case to be moved to the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.
* Please note: police and court officials faces have been distorted as per the court’s instruction.
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An Internal Monitor vacancy is available at our Client, Wits Health Consortium’s Clinical HIV Research Unit (CHRU) in Port Elizabeth – Eastern Cape.
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Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Limited (“WHC“) is a wholly-owned Company of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa) under its Faculty of Health Sciences. WHC provides Faculty with a legal framework within which to operate the research and other activities necessary to support its academic objectives. In addition, WHC offers a range of products and services to the Academics conducting these activities in order to assist with the management thereof.
The Clinical HIV Research Unit (CHRU) was initiated in 1998 by Professor Ian Sanne, under the auspices of the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS). Today the CHRU is an HIV/AIDS, TB and Cervical Cancer research syndicate of the Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Limited (WHC), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of WITS.
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Based at the Helen Joseph Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, the CHRU conducts research into HIV-AIDs, carrying out clinical trials that encompass associated dread diseases (TB, Cervical Cancer and other opportunistic infections) and provides technical expertise and assistance, training of health care personnel, quality assurance assessments of sites, and clinical support services
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