Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
pfizer vaccinelatest news & developments
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority had to speed up its approval of new medicines while still ensuring that they were safe and effective. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
COVID 19

Covid-19 Boosters: Why time is not enough to get people to line up for their next shot

You can now mix and match boosters and also get them sooner. But what’s the science behind it?

  • Aisha Abdool Karim
  • Joan Van Dyk
9 min read
Used vials of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. (Photo by Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
BOOSTERS

J&J boosters could be soon available to South Africans

Announcement of when the J&J booster shot will be available is expected to take place at the conclusion of the Sisonke 2 study

  • Marcia Zali
2 min read
Citizens receive Covid-19 vaccine at the Gautrain Sandton Station pop-up vaccination site on September 10, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to reports Gauteng health department has instituted Covid-19 pop-up vaccination sites to meet the demand and to reach as many people as possible. (Photo by Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
COVID 19

Covid-19 vaccines still protect against severe illness from the Omicron variant

The vast majority of hospital admissions in Gauteng are of unvaccinated people, data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases shows

  • Eunice Masson
3 min read
A local analysis found early evidence of promising protective effects of the Pfizer vaccine in South Africa — even among those who had received only one dose. (Photo by Dinendra Haria/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
COVID 19

How well is Pfizer’s Covid jab working in SA? We break down some of the data

A local analysis found early evidence of promising protective effects of the Pfizer vaccine in South Africa — even among those who had received only one dose

  • Ryan Noach
8 min read
People who have been vaccinated have to wait in the area for between 15 and 30 minutes to be monitored for potential vaccine-related side-effects. (Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism)
BETA VARIANT

What is it like to get a Covid-19 vaccine? We take you on a tour of a Johannesburg site

What does the inside of a vaccination centre look like and how do nurses administer the jab? The vials, syringes, the vaccinators — and the science behind it

  • Mia Malan
8 min read
Sister Merinda Ludick was one of the first people in the country to receive the vaccine on 17 February. The wider vaccine roll-out is scheduled to begin in the middle of May. (Photo by Gallo Images/Die Burger/Lulama Zenzile)
501Y V2 VARIANT

Covid vaccine: Six things you need to know about the jabs

SA is on the verge of rolling out Covid-19 vaccines, but can we vaccinate children and pregnant women, and which jabs work against the 501Y.V2 variant?

  • Mia Malan
  • Gopolang Makou
13 min read