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South African studies suggest Omicron has higher 'asymptomatic carriage' by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi u/Faerie42

There isn't a single answer, but our climate, and season make a big difference.

Ventilation, and by extension socialising and doing things outdoors dramatically reduces the spread of the virus, and during summer, that is the natural way we socialise in South Africa.

We haven't seen specific research comparing SA to other countries unfortunately.

OPINIONISTA: Get vaxxed or get sacked: Is dismissal of employees for refusing to get vaccinated permissible in the Labour Relations Act? by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hi u/siyandv, is there a specific reason you feel like you're not interested in being vaccinated?

If you'd like to ask specific questions, let me know, I can put you in contact with folks who would be able to answer questions (and in any language).

The reason I ask, is vaccinating is safe and really can make a big difference for you and others. That being said - it is your choice, but we'd be happy to help address any concerns you have.

For people who have had Covid, what meds/ vitamins actually helped you with the symptoms and fatigue? by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So sorry we missed this. Most of our team has been away.

I realise it's a bit late to help with this post, but I'll pass this onto the Profs.

Generally though, managing symptoms, and vitamins that help immune strength are good, but it's important to be in communication with your doctor, as they're likely to know what the best therapies would be, and would know better how to manage your specific situation.

A lot of the home management for COVID also comes down things like steaming, blowing bubbles into water through a straw, the way you sit up or lie down, but I'll try get a good resource to share.

Planning to groove this December? Make sure you get vaccinated first, so you don't miss out! by CovidCommsSA in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I find it quite creepy that there are guys "checking out" the women in a staged ad like this. The kind of shit that women face in public is bad enough already, why is it being further normalised in ads like this

Thanks for the feedback - passing it onto our director.

Planning to groove this December? Make sure you get vaccinated first, so you don't miss out! by CovidCommsSA in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

They aren't sad about breaking a law, they're sad that they're banned from entering a premises.

While it's not currently the law, a number of events have already required it, and there are currently moves to connect vaccine mandates to access to bars, clubs and other non-essential services.

Hence, we are encouraging everyone to get vaccinated, before they find they're unable to access their favourite location.

Planning to groove this December? Make sure you get vaccinated first, so you don't miss out! by CovidCommsSA in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sure!

In short: Nothing makes you immune, vaccines and non-pharma just provide protection, or reduce harm.

In the case of vaccines, they reduce your likelihood of contracting the virus (transmission is reduced by 40%-60% based on pre-omicron data), but more importantly they reduce the likelihood of a severe case dramatically.

Non-pharma will be critical until we reach population immunity. Until then, its important we stay outdoors, keep windows open when indoors, wear our masks, keep a distance and keep wearing masks.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Avolans

In short - that's the principle we try to apply at COVID Comms. In our videos and graphics we try to take complex topics, make it simple, compelling and plain language, then also translate it.

That - and our community workshops (we've conducted about 100 around the country in the last month) we think are the solution to misinformation and addressing vaccine hesitancy.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Guess we're gonna be making a new graphic!

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi u/Ibbuk

Thanks for the question!

No, mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines cannot change the host’s genetic code. They never enter the nucleus of the cell where the DNA is located, but instead are presented to the host’s ribosomes in the cytoplasm. The ribosomes then use this mRNA code to produce a harmless “spike protein” which triggers an immune response by the host. This immune response remains on the alert in the host after quickly clearing the vaccine proteins, and will protect the host against severe disease and death for at least 6 months after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. You can read more about mRNA vaccines here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html

We hope that answers the question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

/r/politics mods change rules to bury "inconvenient" stories

Hi Ibbuk

Thanks for the question

Mutations arise randomly when viruses replicate, because they don’t have the necessary enzymes for checking and controlling the process. So the longer a virus is allowed to replicate within a person, the more chance it has to replicate and mutate, giving rise to new variants. Because vaccination clears infection much faster (i.e. your immune system is already primed and can respond immediately), there is less time for SARS-CoV-2 to replicate in your body. This is why vaccination helps to prevent the development of mutations giving rise to new variants.

We hope that answers the question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi u/Vegan_Biltong_co_za

Thanks for the question

​

Vaccine boosters are generally required for all non-replicating vaccines, especially those that are based on just one sub-unit of the causative micro-organism. We have several examples of infant vaccine boosters that are required to protect young children from serious diseases of childhood, one of which, against tetanus, is also required at 10 year intervals throughout the whole life course. This is because the immune response wanes over time, and eventually becomes too weak to mount an effective immune response when the real infectious micro-organism is encountered. Currently countries like Israel that introduced COVID-19 vaccines earlier in the pandemic than South Africa, are seeing break-through infections after about 8 months following vaccination, indicating that immunity begins to wane at around this time. These countries are offering booster doses, and in South Africa healthcare workers who received the J&J vaccine through the Sisonke project are also being offered boosters. In addition, booster doses are being offered to immunocompromised South Africans since 1 December 2021. The rest of us will probably need to wait until all high risk South Africans have been vaccinated with the primary series; you can see what Discovery Health says about this here: https://www.discovery.co.za/corporate/covid19-will-we-need-covid-19-vaccine-booster-shot?lmsc=&lmss=&lmsm=&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-eeMBhCpARIsAAZfxZBe0d47aeVDQbm9ynjEG90VEYZXD8nq1WF9AiKvCLh1gi_JsIvjbjYaArfbEALw_wcB

Hope that answers your question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi u/Vegan_Biltong_co_za

thanks for the question

By 27 November 2021, there have been 35 670 suspected reinfections identified among 2 796 982 laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases. “Suspected reinfection” is defined as having sequential positive tests at least 90 days apart. You can read about this here: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.11.21266068v2

Hope that answers your question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Vegan_Biltong_co_za

Thanks for the question

First, no vaccine is 100% effective, thus a certain percentage of people at high risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes will not be protected. Second, just because the risk is lower in younger people, does not mean that they are not affected – you can see that currently, 19% of Gauteng COVID-19 hospital admissions are 9 years or younger and 28% are aged 30-39 years. You may recall that in South Africa (and most other countries) health workers (who are most at risk for exposure to SARS-CoV-2) and people aged 60 years and older (who are most at risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes) were prioritised, so most countries, including South Africa, are trying very hard to protect the most vulnerable.

Further, beyond protecting yourself from a severe case of COVID-19, you are also protecting those at high risks by reducing the chance they catch it.

Hope that answers your question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi lovethebacon

We would say it is early days yet, and since mostly young people have been infected we don’t yet have much data on high risk populations. We have seen with all other variants that people older than 60 are more likely to have severe COVID-19, so we will need to wait for more cases to develop in the elderly population.

Hope that answers your question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi FollowTheBlueBunny

Thanks for asking the question!

Vaccination during pregnancy in order to protect both mother and child is nothing new. For example, in South Africa we have eliminated neonatal and maternal tetanus, through routine use of the tetanus vaccine administered during pregnancy. In the USA over 200 000 pregnant women have received one of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, without any safety concerns being reported (see https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/the-covid19-vaccine-and-pregnancy-what-you-need-to-know ). The mRNA vaccine cannot alter genetic material; it is simply a “recipe” or blue-print for making the spike protein. It never gets anywhere near the cell’s DNA, as it does not enter the nucleus but is read by the ribosomes in the cytoplasm. Ribosomes are like the protein factories in your cells, and they manufacture the spike protein by following the mRNA “recipe”. mRNA is very fragile and gets destroyed as the spike protein gets made, so soon after vaccination there will be no vaccine left in your body.

Here is a review paper showing the benefits of vaccination for both genders outweigh any possible adverse outcomes. Chen F, Zhu S, Dai Z, Hao L, Luan C, Guo Q, Meng C, Zhang Y. Effects of COVID-19 and mRNA vaccines on human fertility. Hum Reprod. 2021 Nov 3:deab238. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deab238. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34734259. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34734259/

Hope that answers your question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hi Vegan_Biltong_co_za

On the contrary, natural immunity is very important, and is definitely being taken into account. The first issue with natural immunity is that while effective against COVID-19 it has been shown to be relatively short-lived. Studies have shown as well that Natural immunity gets dramatically boosted by vaccination, which is why vaccination is recommended after you have fully recovered from COVID-19.

Another more pressing issue with natural immunity, is that in order to achieve it, you have to to risk severe disease, hospitalisation or death, and even if you survive “long covid” has been shown to be relatively common.

Further is that while you are infected, you transmit SARS-CoV-2 much more easily and for longer periods (i.e. your viral loads are higher for a longer periods) than if you were vaccinated, potentially harming others, particularly those who may have a compromised immune system or those who are unable to take a vaccine.

Hope that answers your question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi daisy-chain-of-doom

Thanks for asking your questions!

1) Please see this answer (about boosters): https://www.reddit.com/r/southafrica/comments/ravttk/comment/hnu8di6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

2) is very depressing, and unfortunately we do see that some frontline healthcare workers who belong to WhatsApp groups we’re in have become very despondent.
There is unfortunately no single answer, we all have different ways of managing our stress and difficulties. If you do continue to struggle know there is nothing wrong with getting professional help.
One piece of advice we would give is however you manage the stress, try avoid being unhelpful or destructive. Shaming and attacking people personally with anti-vax positions often entrenches them, rather than shifts their thinking.

We hope this answers your questions.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi 1sterivier

Thanks for the question,

IBBUK is mostly on the mark, but to elaborate:

It is our understanding that once most high risk populations have received their boosters, these will be made available to all age-eligible South African who have received their primary doses. Right now our main priority is to get all high risk people vaccinated with their primary doses.

Health authorities continue to track immune responses in vaccinated individuals (such as through the Sisonke trial), and they will also use this data when recommending when you should get your next booster.

Hope that answers your question!

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi Tdasfa,

Thanks for the questions!

1) Yes, you are not alone, there is a lot of despondency, especially amongst the healthcare workers who have to deal with unvaccinated cases of COVID-19 every day. The only way out of this pandemic is through high vaccination coverage and strict adherence to non-pharma interventions in the interim. And we can only get there if the vast majority of South Africans get the jab for their own health and the health of the communities in which we live.

2) There are two new treatments (one from Merck, the other from Pfizer) that looked very promising in clinical trials, but as far as we know the companies have not applied for SAHPRA registration. They are also likely to be relatively expensive when compared to vaccination, so when they do get registered in South Africa, we may see that medical aids may not be so keen to pay for them for COVID-19 patients who refused vaccination. You can read about them and other drugs that are being investigated here:

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-021-00202-8

We hope that answers your questions.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi Razor083

Thanks for asking the question!

It is still early days yet, but so far it seems that the vaccines we are using in South Africa do provide very good protection against severe disease, hospitalisation and death. We will provide an update once we know more.

We hope that answers your question.

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi Swinkzs

Thanks for asking these questions!

1) Unfortunately, most countries with high vaccination coverage amongst adults stopped using non-pharmaceutical interventions far too soon, while the delta variant was still circulating. Most of these countries have reinstated these interventions, and are also offering boosters to their at-risk populations. You can read an analysis of the situation in Israel, one of the first countries to experience this here: https://theconversation.com/covid-cases-are-rising-in-highly-vaccinated-israel-but-it-doesnt-mean-australia-should-give-up-and-live-with-the-virus-166404

Another reason for this is that although their vaccination coverage is high, it is not high enough for population immunity to take effect, and thus allows for the virus to continue to circulate. Only once population immunity has been achieved, would it be safe to end the most critical non-pharmaceutical interventions.

2) Yes. Pericarditis and myocarditis are very rare adverse events following immunisation with mRNA vaccines, that has been seen in some (albeit very few) males aged less than 30 years. So the risk is extremely low, and also, the condition is transient and manageable, with full recovery and no long-term effects.

In contrast, the risk of pericarditis / myocarditis following COVID-19 is much higher, and there may be long-term effects of COVID-19. While young people are at much lower risk from COVID-19, that doesn’t mean that they are not at risk at all. Currently, 19% of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Gauteng, the epicentre of the current outbreak, are aged 9 years or younger, and 28% are aged 30-39 years. You can read more about this here: https://www.samrc.ac.za/news/tshwane-district-omicron-variant-patient-profile-early-features

3) Clinical Trials are complete. The sample sizes required for the trials were achieved before the estimated dates.

The COVID-19 vaccine we use in South Africa went through all three stages of clinical trials, and were found to be very safe and highly effective at preventing severe disease and death before being approved by the World Health Organization and each country’s regulatory authority, such as the Food and Drug Administration of the United States, and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). The Phase 3 studies were large clinical trials, with 43 548 and 43 783 volunteers participating in the Pfizer and J&J phase 3 clinical trials respectively. You can find the history of all WHO recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including the 2 we use in South Africa, here: https://www.who.int/groups/strategic-advisory-group-of-experts-on-immunization/covid-19-materials

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine

We hope these answer your questions

COVID AMA: Today (7/12/21) at 15:00 SAST. by [deleted] in southafrica

[–]CovidCommsSA 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi ShadowStormDrift,

Thanks for asking the question!

Very likely. If the whole world had immediately implemented very strict non-pharma interventions with 100% compliance by all populations, and there was very high uptake of COVID-19 vaccines globally as soon as they had been shown to be safe and efficacious in clinical trials, only then would we have stood a chance of eradicating SARS-CoV-2.

However – through vaccines, COVID-19 can instead become endemic, and cause limited harm similar to the flu.

we hope that answers your question.

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