Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
mrna vaccinelatest news & developments
Epidemic control workers who perform nucleic acid tests wear protective clothing to protect against the spread of COVID-19 as they ride shared bicycles in a nearly empty street in the Central Business District on November 23, 2022 in Beijing, China. In an effort to try to bring rising cases under control, the local government last week closed most stores and restaurants for inside dining, switched schools to online studies, and asked people to work from home. Though the government recently revised its COVID strategy, it has said it will continue to stick to its strict zero tolerance policy with mandatory testings, quarantines and lockdowns in many areas in an effort to control the spread of the virus. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
CHEN WENQING

China flip-flops over zero-Covid in the face of rising protests

Easing of restrictions marks a shift in policy, but Beijing’s stance remains hazy and inconsistent

  • Minxin Pei
4 min read
Employees at the Afrigen biotechnology company and Vaccine Hub facility at work in the manufacturing laboratory. (Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images)
AFRICA

Africa’s first mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub gets to work

Africa currently has no vaccine technology hub, although there are six vaccine production facilities on the continent

  • Petro Terblanche
6 min read
Local residents wearing protective face masks wait at a bus stop in the Imizamo Yethu township area of Hout Bay, in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, July 24, 2020. South Africas surging coronavirus infections and the resumption of rolling blackouts are clouding the outlook for the economy. Photographer: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images
ACCESS

Low vaccination rates due to access issues and misinformation

Vaccine acceptance has risen to 72%, but inequality remains the biggest stumbling block for poor people’s access to the jab

  • Marcia Zali
8 min read