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Day: 12 January 2021

Jan122021 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
BioNTech increases 2021 COVID-19 vaccine supply forecast to two billion doses

BioNTech increases 2021 COVID-19 vaccine supply forecast to two billion doses

NEWS
German company BioNTech, which developed the first coronavirus vaccine approved in the West, said on Monday it expects to produce two billion doses in 2021, up from the 1.3 billion previously forecast. “We now believe that we can potentially deliver approximately 2 billion doses in total by the end of 2021, which incorporates the updated six-dose label,” said the company, referring to an additional dose that could be extracted from each vial of the vaccine. European regulators last week approved doctors drawing six doses from each vial, boosting dosage capacity by 20 per cent. The Mainz-based company, which developed the jab with US giant Pfizer, is planning to open a new factory in Marburg, Germany, in February, expected to ramp up production capacity by 750 million doses a y
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Jan122021 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
Hospitals won’t be able to handle serious COVID-19 cases soon — NCDC

Hospitals won’t be able to handle serious COVID-19 cases soon — NCDC

NEWS
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says the country is now reaching a critical level, adding that the hospital capacity will no longer be able to cope with more serious COVID-19 cases. The Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said this in a series of tweets on Monday while reacting to the spike in COVID-19 infections in the last one month. Ihekweazu said this as the fear of COVID-19 spread at the National Identity Management Commission grew on Monday because Nigerians besieged the NIMC offices following the workers’ suspension of the strike they embarked upon on Thursday. Recall that Nigerians have been trooping to the NIMC offices since December 14, 2020 when the Federal Government ordered telecommunications firms to disconnect telephone lines of subscribers
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Jan122021 by PharmaTimesNo Comments
At least two gorillas at San Diego Zoo tested positive for Covid-19, in the first known cases among great apes

At least two gorillas at San Diego Zoo tested positive for Covid-19, in the first known cases among great apes

NEWS
The surge of Covid-19 in California has just gotten even worse, after at least two gorillas at the San Diego Zoo became infected with Covid-19, the zoo and Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. Three animals are currently showing symptoms of the virus, and it is suspected that they were infected by an asymptomatic staff member, according to a press release. This is the first known instance of coronavirus in great apes, the zoo said, though previous research has shown that some non-human primates are susceptible. The gorillas live as a family, so it is assumed that all members have been exposed, zoo officials say. It started last Wednesday, when two zoo gorillas began coughing. A preliminary test within the group showed presence of the virus on Friday, and the US Department of Agricultu...
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