For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: DA welcomes Ramaphosa's vaccine update, but questions 'very vague' details, Ministerial Advisory Committee says the use of ivermectin is 'risky, unethical and unjustified' and, Nigeria working on type and quantity of Covid-19 vaccines to procure

 

DA welcomes Ramaphosa's vaccine update, but questions 'very vague' details

The DA has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to provide more details after he announced that 20-million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been secured.

The party welcomed the development, but highlighted that Ramaphosa's announcement was short on details.

Soon after the president addressed the nation, DA leader John Steenhuisen said government had "failed to do the one thing that can save both lives and the economy, and that is the acquisition of sufficient vaccines".

 

Ministerial Advisory Committee says the use of ivermectin is 'risky

Until more robust evidence is available, the routine use of ivermectin for either the prevention or treatment of Covid-19 is not justified. In addition, the use of unregulated products purporting to contain ivermectin is risky and unethical.

This, according to a memo from the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19, sent to Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on 7 January.

The memo is signed by committee co-chairs professors Salim Abdool Karim and Marian Jacobs.

Ivermectin works by paralysing and killing parasites in animals is not currently registered for human use.

The committee warned that no ivermectin-containing medicine for human use is registered in South Africa, and that there had been no applications for clinical trials involving ivermectin, nor for the registration of any ivermectin-containing medicine for the treatment or prevention of Covid-19.

 

Nigeria working on type and quantity of Covid-19 vaccines to procure

Nigeria is working on what type and quantity of Covid-19 vaccines to procure and will make financial provision for them in its 2021 budget.

Africa's most populous nation has not been as hard-hit by the pandemic as others on the continent, such as South Africa, but it is in the grip of a second wave of infections.

Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed said the finance and health ministries should finalize an amount to allocate to vaccine procurement within the next two weeks.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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