SA scientists develop COVID-19 prototype vaccine
South African scientists who've banded together to develop the first COVID-19 vaccine from Africa, say they hope their jab will end the pandemic.
The vaccine called ShantiVax is being developed by PE-based immunotherapy company, Genlab in partnership with a Danish biotech firm called, Immunitrack.
Genlab CEO, Kamsellin Chetty says it'll be a next-generation vaccine that will elicit both antibodies and T-cells.
He says it hasn't reached the clinical trial phase as yet.
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"We've been given about 10 months for a pre-clinical phase. It might seem a lot for some people but we are of the opinion, this is the global opinion that the next generation of vaccines, even though they might come after the current vaccine are otherwise going to end the pandemic."
"The others are going to stem the pandemic and we hope while ours will take a little longer it will end the pandemic."
31 more people, diagnosed with COVID-19, have died in South Africa - as the number of daily infections rose by 862. Since March last year, more than 1.5 million people have tested positive for the virus - 50 678 have lost their lives.
