WeeklySA_AdminDIALOGUE:: G20 countries to review effectiveness of current campaigns against Covid
By Thuli Zungu
Will South Africa soon follow the example of other countries searching alternative medication for citizens who do not want to take a jab? Weekly SA Mirror posed this burning question to the National Department of Heath in the light of prevailing vaccine hesitancy among the South Africans slowing down efforts at reaching herd immunity.
“Not as yet,” was the response from Foster Mohale, South Africa’s Health Department’s media relations director, prompted by the growing prospects of Ivermectin being used by some European as a relief for people who do want to be vaccinated. This is also in the light of the drug having been given the green light by the European Union (EU) to be available on the world market.
Mohale pointed out that the EU Commission had stated that, “vaccination remains the strongest asset both against the virus and its variants”, and that therapeutics such as mAbs, are also important in treating COVID-19. He added that for any therapeutic agent to be considered by the National Department of Health for widespread public healthcare use, registration with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) was required.
“To date, the above-mentioned mAbs have no SAHPRA approval,” he said. “The WHO (World Health Organization) Therapeutics and COVID-19 living guidelines v7.1, published on 24 September 2021 do not recommend alternative therapies for patients who do not want COVID-19 vaccination.
“On the contrary, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that have been recommended by the WHO only include casirivimab and imdevimab for the treatment of individuals who have contracted COVID-19,” Mohale added. He said WHO found evidence only for a ‘probable’ reduction in need for hospital admission, with no significant difference in mortality, duration of hospital admission, or need for mechanical ventilation”. South Africa, following in the steps of the US Food and Drug Administration Agency, has consistently distanced themselves from possible endorsement of Ivermectin to fight Covid-19, and appears to dead set to remain so into the foreseeable future. This is in spite reports of some South Africans, apparently including medical doctors, ignoring the government stance on the issue.
This is despite the results of a study in July by Institut Pasteur scientists in France, which showed ivermectin, a drug used commercially as an antiparasitic treatment, offered protection from COVID-19 symptoms in an animal model.
The scientists had studied the impact of Ivermectin on the clinical symptoms of COVID-19 in an animal model in the laboratory. Ivermectin is commercially used as an antiparasitic treatment that is being studied for use in treating other diseases. The EU gave a go-head for the drug to be made available on the world market to treat or prevent Covid-19. But, in September, the World Health Organisation reiterated its earlier position that Ivermectin should be used only in clinical trials.
Likewise, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has maintained a similar position, that the drug should not be used to treat or prevent Covid-19. It noted the growing interest in Ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19, though. In the US, certain formulations are approved to treat and prevent parasites in animals, as are Ivermectin tables also permitted – in the case of humans – to be used to treat some parasitic worms, including topical formulations for the treatment of head lice and certain skin conditions.
“However, the FDA has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical attention, including hospitalisation, after self-medicating with Ivermectin intended for stock,” the organisation said. In a recent press release, Newscorner stated that as of October 20 this year, a number of European countries would abolish the vaccination processes and introduce the drug as an effective alternative to fight Covid-19.
Vaccines were no longer be justified since October 20 2021, according to Newscorner. It quoted the Institut Pasteur research study, which found that Ivermectin was now scientifically recognised as an effective drug in the prophylaxis and treatment of Covid-19. The results of their studies were published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine on July 12 2021.
Newscorner also stated that this strategy was a continuation of the EU’s proven vaccine strategy, in which the use of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines had been authorised in the EU to prevent and reduce the transmission of cases, as well as hospitalisation and death rates from the disease.
The EU had already approved five therapies that would be available in all hospitals in the Member States for the treatment of Covid -19. Newscorner noted that these therapies had been approved by a decree of the European Council (European Parliament) and would be in force immediately.
Four of these treatments were monoclonal antibodies under continuous evaluation by the European Medicines Agency. The fifth is an immune suppressant with marketing authorization that could be extended to the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides was recently quoted as saying: “Today we are taking the first step towards establishing a broad portfolio of COVID-19 treatments.
‘’Although vaccination is progressing at an increasing rate, the virus is not going to go away and patients will need safe and effective treatments to reduce the pressure of COVID-19. We need to identify other pioneering candidates under development and authorise at least three new treatments by the end of the year. This is the European Health Union.”
She highlighted the fact that WHO published a 71-page Living Guidelines on Therapeutics and COVID-19 in September. Meanwhile, a large and ever-growing group of Americans who were previously healthy and who believe they have been seriously injured by the Covid 19 vaccines during the clinical trial stage in the United States, will be hosting a special outdoor rally in Washington DC on Tuesday.
The rally will be led by Brianne Dressen, one of the first known victims of a COVID shot. Through their webpage (C19vaxreactions.com), the group’s members proclaim their support for vaccine, science, and say they were initially excited at the opportunity to be vaccinated and to do its part in helping to end the pandemic. But they now regret their decision as they are now crippled, some have died, while others are wheelchair-bound after taking the jab. In an article, John-Henry Westen, co-founder and editor-in-chief at LifeSiteNews.com, says almost 50 000 people in the US are reported to have died shortly after receiving a Covid-19 shot, with many more experiencing serious injuries. This group says mainstream media, however, continue to cover-up the devastating consequences of the injections for hundreds of thousands of people.
Brianne Dressen was one of the first people to be injured by a Covid-19 vaccine when she took part in AstraZeneca trials last year. She suffered a severe neurological reaction to the shot, eventually losing power in her limbs as well, to the point where she had to be taught to walk, eat and form sentences again. Ernest Ramirez lost his only son, 16-year-old Ernesto, reportedly to the Pfizer vaccine. Meanwhile, a Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit 2021 will convene in Rome Italy this weekend for a two-day meeting.
For 2021, the G20 is expected to review international response to the COVID-19 pandemic – to provide equitable, worldwide access to diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. This meeting takes place against the backdrop of continuing global efforts to contain the pandemic.
– additional reports sourced from Institut Pasteur, C19vaxreactions.com, LifeSiteNews.com, FDA website and WHO
