SAGE to meet over COVID-19 vaccine use

By Daniel Chigundu

The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) is expected to meet on Tuesday to avail proposals and recommendations to the World Health Organisation on COVID-19 use.

SAGE is the principal advisory group to WHO for vaccines and immunisation.

In a notice on the Week ahead for the media, WHO advised that the SAGE will be meeting virtually.

“This extraordinary virtual meeting for the have a virtual meeting for the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) will take place on Tuesday 7 December 2021 to propose recommendations to WHO on the use of COVID-19 vaccine(s),’’ read the notice.

According to the meeting program, the SAGE is expected to also touch on evidence and consideration for booster vaccination, evidence assessment of vaccine effectiveness over time, and immunogenicity, vaccine effectiveness and safety of booster doses, among many other things.

Although there are several vaccines that have been give the Emergency Use Licence, issues of safety of the vaccines has remained topical.

The issue has been worse by recommendations for booster shots or the third jab, barely a year after people got vaccinated.

Zimbabwe started its vaccination program in February this year and moved some ground in administering the jabs.

So far about close to two million people have been fully vaccinated, while about three million are said to have received the first dose.

The government is optimistic that it will attain herd immunity before the end of the year.

Zimbabwe has about 16 million people and the government is targeting about 10 million.

According to the Deputy Minister of Health John Mangwiro, the country is almost at 40% in its journey towards vaccinating 60% of the population.

Vaccination of teenagers is expected to play a huge role in ensuring that the target is met.

The government is expected to decent on schools to administer the live saving jabs.

However, the issue of the third jab might result in people questioning the effectiveness of the vaccines.

Just recently, the government announced that most at-risk groups and frontline workers must get the third jab.

It is not yet clear if the booster shots will be administered using a different vaccine or it will be of the same vaccines.

There is no mention of the budget to acquire the extra vaccine for the booster shots. In his 2022 National Budget, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube was silent on the specific COVID-19 war chest.

SAGE to meet over COVID-19 vaccine use