SA has not started vaccine trials, says Mkhize
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says South Africa has not started with any vaccine trials for coronavirus.
However, he says the country is watching developments around so-called therapeutic trials taking place in four other countries.
“The phase one of the research is that four countries are participating in it. One is China, one is Australia, one is the US and the UK. There are 40 vaccines that are being tried right now. Those are the countries that are involved in phase one,” he said in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Mkhize’s comments come after social media outrage over false claims that Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates wanted to test a Covid-19 vaccine in Africa.
South Africa was believed to part of that list.
Mkhize also reiterated that there still is no cure for Covid-19.
“There are observations on a number of drugs like hydroxychloroquine which has shown early promise against Covid-19 in small-scale studies in France and China.”
China and France has recorded improvements in patients who have been tested positive for Covid-19 after administering anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.
However more tests still need to be run, to determine the effectiveness of the drug on coronavirus.