South African Covid-19 News and Discussions

[saffakanera]

UK death rate is very high, and they've had universal BCG vaccination since 1953.

UK are handling this situation like idiots.

 

[Lupus]

UK death rate is very high, and they've had universal BCG vaccination since 1953.

They stopped in 2005, also the vaccine only has efficacy for 15 years anyway

 

[Gordon_R]

If the vaccine was protecting for 60 years SA wouldn't have any TB left

Logic fail.

The problem with TB in South Africa has little to do with declining efficacy of the BCG vaccine. It has a lot to do with socio-economic deprivation, chronic alcoholism, and HIV, leading to depressed immune systems.

I am fortunate that I do not know anyone in my socio-economic group ever infected with TB. I do know two in a lower socio-economic group who did have it: one died, one recovered. Both were car guards. Draw your own conclusions...

 

[JayM]

They stopped in 2005, also the vaccine only has efficacy for 15 years anyway

They did, but it's almost exclusively old people that have been dying, who would definitely have been vaccinated.

According to Wikipedia, the 15 years efficacy is disputed.

 

[Lupus]

Logic fail.

The problem with TB in South Africa has little to do with declining efficacy of the BCG vaccine. It has a lot to do with socio-economic deprivation, chronic alcoholism, and HIV, leading to depressed immune systems.

I am fortunate that I do not know anyone in my socio-economic group ever infected with TB. I do know two in a lower socio-economic group who did have it: one died, one recovered. Both were car guards. Draw your own conclusions...

I've never known anyone with it.

 

[MiW]

And again, it is NOT about total prevention, that requires a vaccine. It is about what role BCG could possibly be playing in reducing the severity of Covid 19, or improving the body's chance of developing anti-bodies sooner and even could mean why more people in SA are asymptotic.

Yes, what exactly make you think that I missed that point? Or you also just like to post for the sake of posting.

 

[Gordon_R]

I've never known anyone with it.

TB is much more prevalent in the Western Cape, for various reasons, including the cold and wet winters, and high rate of chronic alcoholism.

 

[Lupus]

TB is much more prevalent in the Western Cape, for various reasons, including the cold and wet winters, and high rate of chronic alcoholism.

Possibly why than.

 

[MiW]

The only people I've seen personally with TB, were relatively young doctors who got it working in government hospitals

 

[ponder]

True, but South Africa doesn't have to do any trials, because 80-90% of the population was vaccinated at birth...

If the trials demonstrate the vaccine is effective we'll be smiling.

If you were born before 1973 you would not have received the vaccine, either way less people to vaccinate.

 

[Jings]

If you were born before 1973 you would not have received the vaccine, either way less people to vaccinate.

Depends which country you were born. But also take into account kids are immunised for various diseases normally until school going age. It could have been administered at a later stage, if not at birth.

 

[JayM]

There does seem to be a very strong correlation of low # cases and fatalities in countries where there is a BCG vaccination regime:

South Korea
Japan
Singapore
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Thailand

Most of these countries haven't had full lockdowns and have very densely populated urban areas - exactly where you'd expect the virus to spread much faster. Maybe there is some validity to the theory. Or corona is racist and doesn't like Asians.

 

[ponder]

Depends which country you were born. But also take into account kids are immunised for various diseases normally until school going age. It could have been administered at a later stage, if not at birth.

Talking about SA births.

 

[Jings]

Talking about SA births.

Could still have been administered when the vaccine became available.

 

[Gordon_R]

If you were born before 1973 you would not have received the vaccine, either way less people to vaccinate.

I was born in 1961, and have a vaccine scar on my shoulder. Why do you think the vaccine was not used before 1973? I had a followup test in 1979 that confirmed that I had been vaccinated at a young age. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaf_test

 

[Gordon_R]

Vaccine trials are not universally welcome:

Apology to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for 'Africa vaccine' story

News24 unreservedly apologises to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for falsely reporting that they want to test a vaccine for coronavirus in Africa.

www.news24.com

 

[MEIOT]

Vaccine trials are not universally welcome:

Apology to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for 'Africa vaccine' story

News24 unreservedly apologises to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for falsely reporting that they want to test a vaccine for coronavirus in Africa.

www.news24.com

Well...that's not surprising in the least.

 

[Geoff.D]

But very disappointing never the less.
A typical reaction driven by fear, suspicion and superstition.

 

[ponder]

Why do you think the vaccine was not used before 1973?

WHO | Disseminated bacille Calmette–Guérin disease in HIV-infected South African infants

www.who.int

In South Africa, universal BCG vaccination of infants at birth was implemented in 1973.

BCG vaccination in South African HIV-exposed infants – risks and benefits

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

BCG has been used in South Africa since 1973.

 

[ponder]

But very disappointing never the less.
A typical reaction driven by fear, suspicion and superstition.

They must just say the vaccine came from cuba & russia... problem solved.