What do we know about vaccines ?

An effective vaccine is a solution to finally get out of this health crisis once and for all. So far, what do we know about vaccines, especially in Madagascar ?

Coco Lodge Majunga, being a Hotel ★★★, a Gourmet Restaurant, a Tour Operator and an organizer of events and conferences, is very affected by the covid19 crisis and travel restrictions, which arise from it. And we are therefore very interested in vaccines and their effectiveness.

250 000 Covishield/AstraZeneca doses distributed in Madagascar

Antananarivo, 08 May 2021 : Madagascar received a batch of 250 000 dose you vaccine COVID-19, Covishield/AstraZeneca, through the global COVAX initiative. Madagascar thus joins the long list of African countries having benefited from the COVAX initiative which plans to deliver at least two billion doses of vaccine in 2021.

Vaccines not recognized by the EU

What do we know about vaccines ?

Last week, we learn that the Covishield vaccine, used on the Big Island, is not recognized by the European authorities.

That is to say, Malagasy people and people vaccinated with Covishield will not be authorized to enter European territory. without compelling reason.

After this announcement, the Malagasy Minister of Public Health, Professor Jean Louis Rakotovao, questioned the presence of representatives of the European Union during the reception of 250 000 doses at Ivato airport. The minister stressed that upon the arrival of the first dose of vaccine, resident representatives of the United Nations System, WHO, that of the European Union, as well as representatives of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps made the trip to Ivato airport to show their support for the initiative. But also and above all to encourage the Malagasy population to be vaccinated. The Malagasy government then requested explanations from the WHO.

EMA assessments (Agence EEuropean Mmedicines)

Faced with this situation, the EU delegation provided explanations, relayed by Tribune Madagascar. The EMA is an independent body, responsible for the scientific evaluation of pharmaceutical products. Its assessments serve as a basis for the European Commission to grant marketing authorizations in all Member States of the European Union.”, she detailed.

In a press release, the EU delegation clarified that the decision of the European authorities not to recognize Covishield, is based on the recommendations of the EMA. As such, this was done independently of the initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO).

COVAX stakeholders, dont l’OMS, also decide, completely independently, vaccines that will be distributed through this mechanism. “In February, WHO pre-authorized the Covishield vaccine, which allowed COVAX to distribute it in several countries around the world. This was done through a WHO procedure which took into account strict safety criteria., efficiency and quality”, recalled the delegation.

She also stressed that Covishield is one of the 4 vaccines, chosen by Madagascar on 19 last April at the suggestion of the National Academy of Medicine of Madagascar.

The Johnson Vaccine&Johnson (Janssen)

The French Embassy, ​​for its part, brought in the Johnson vaccine&Johnson (Janssen), a single injection, for its nationals established in Madagascar. Vaccination is of course done in Antananarivo, but also in the provinces for all French and other Europeans in Madagascar, under the responsibility of the French Embassy in Madagascar :

Toliara : 21- 23 June (French college),

Diego : 21-25 June (consular agency),

Majunga : 28 June – 2 July (French college),

Tamatave : 29 June – 2 July (French high school),

Nosy Be : 6 – 8 July (French primary school).

Each eligible and willing person must make an appointment by telephone by answering a short questionnaire. Call from Tuesday 15 June on : 032 50 000 22 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., from Monday to Friday.

Rappel : Only people aged 18 and over are eligible. 55 years and older, of French nationality or nationals of a country of the European Union as well as their foreign spouses (Malagasy or other nationalities), married or in a civil partnership and the foreign parent of a minor French child living in their home.

The age limit of 55 years is linked to the nature of the vaccine proposed, Janssen (European version of Johnson and Johnson), for which the French High Authority of Health recommends administration only to people of 55 years and older.

Thanks to M. the French Ambassador for having responded favorably to the request of French people established in the provinces, collected and transmitted by their elected officials Geneviève Tadjer-Farajallah and Jean-Herve Fraslin, Advisors to French people abroad.

Have the opportunity to be vaccinated

The EU delegation also spoke on the importance of vaccination in the fight against the coronavirus. LThe European Union considers that with a rapidly evolving pandemic, none of us are safe, until we are all vaccinated.

As such, the European Union and its member states, who are among the contributors to the COVAX mechanism, strive to provide fair and equitable access to vaccines for all participating countries.

What do we know about vaccines ?

What is the fate of those who have already been vaccinated with Covishield? ? And can a patient who has already been vaccinated be injected with another vaccine? ?

These are the questions that many are currently asking in Madagascar. But until then, we don't have an answer yet...

The Malagasy Government has sent a request for explanations to the World Health Organization (WHO). “We are waiting for the WHO’s response to this question”, declared the Malagasy Minister of Public Health, Professor Jean Louis.

What do we know about vaccines ? – By #CocoLodgeMajunga