According to the coordinator of Luanda's Expanded Immunization Program, this campaign will last until Friday and cover 16 municipalities in the capital of Angola.
Felismina Neto reported that stationary points were organized in medical facilities, as well as mobile and advanced teams. Unlike previous campaigns, vaccinators will not conduct door-to-door visits.
Felismina Neto stated in an interview with the Angolan state radio station that they will approach leaders so that they can jointly determine a location with the residents' committee where teams will wait for the population for vaccination.
The source also emphasized the importance of completing the vaccination schedule for children under one year old, who are the target group for routine vaccination. The coordinator of the Expanded Immunization Program added that it is also necessary to complete the vaccination schedule for pregnant women.
As part of the campaign, vaccination agents will administer vaccines against respiratory diseases to children, which are common during the current cold season. Felismina Neto noted that the national calendar provides for two types of vaccines containing antigens to protect families, especially children, from respiratory diseases, namely pentavalent and Pneumo 13.
Schools across the Western Cape participated in a blood drive campaign as part of the 'Warriors Week' initiative. The goal of this initiative is to encourage young people to become regular blood donors.
The campaign ran from Monday, July 27, to Friday, July 31, and was organized by the Western Cape Blood Service (WCBS). WCBS's main objective is to increase its base of young donors by 1,500 people during the current financial year.
During the campaign, each participating school organized its own blood collection point on school premises. This event takes place against the backdrop of WCBS facing pressure on blood supplies during the winter months, while also striving to foster a culture of donation among youth.
A representative from WCBS, Marike Carly, emphasized the importance of the younger generation in the field of donation, stating: 'Young donors are the future of blood donation.' She added that investing in growing the base of young donors now is necessary to ensure a stable blood supply in the future, noting that students are demonstrating 'incredible leadership' by helping their communities save lives.
Among the schools that took part in the event were Bergvliet High School, Westerford High School, Settlers High School, Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck, Paarl Vallei High School, Bridge House School, Mondeor High School, Apex High School, Hoërskool President, Worcester Gymnasium, HTS Drostdy, George High School, Hoërskool Outeniqua, and Knysna High School.
People aged between 16 and 75 who weigh at least 50 kg, are in good general health, and lead a safe sexual lifestyle are eligible to donate blood. Donors are advised to consume plenty of fluids before, during, and after the procedure. The process itself takes about 30 minutes, and eligible donors can donate blood every 56 days.
An analysis based on data from 34 countries demonstrated that during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the absolute mortality from all causes among men exceeded that among women. However, relative excess mortality indicators suggest that over time and with the introduction of universal vaccination, the gender gap has significantly narrowed.
A research group led by Katarzyna Doniec from Oxford University conducted the first comprehensive study of gender trends in excess mortality between February 2020 and July 2023. For this, scientists used data collected in 34 high-income countries. Baseline mortality levels were determined based on indicators recorded between 2013 and 2019, and excess mortality was assessed across 136 combinations of age groups and countries.
Overall, during the peak moments of the pandemic, especially before vaccination began, the absolute figures for excess mortality from all causes were higher in men in most countries. However, trends regarding relative mortality suggested that some of these gender differences were due to a higher baseline mortality among men. Before vaccination, in more than half of the studied combinations (60%), scientists recorded noticeably increased mortality among men.
The situation changed in the post-vaccination period: this phenomenon became less frequent, remaining significant in about half of the age group and country combinations (51%). By the start of the epidemic phase (after the global pandemic ended), this trend persisted in only 23% of combinations. Two exceptions were noted: countries with a late start to the pandemic, such as Germany and South Korea, where the unfavorable position of men worsened after vaccination and during the endemic phase for certain age groups (15–64 and 65–74 years in Germany); and countries with an initially low level of excess mortality in both sexes, including Iceland, Finland, Luxembourg, and New Zealand.
When analyzing relative excess mortality (the ratio of actual deaths to expected deaths), changes were observed in the position of men. In the pre-vaccination period, increased excess mortality among men was recorded in only 28% of combinations. In the post-vaccination stage, this figure halved to 14%. In some cases, this indicator was higher in women, for example, in Bulgaria and the USA among people aged 65–74 in the post-vaccination period. In the epidemic period, there were fewer signs of relative gender inequality.
The authors concluded that the unfavorable position of men was evident in the months of high mortality during the pre-vaccination stage. Nevertheless, various statistical methods showed a significant reduction in the gender gap. The Doniec team believes that using both absolute and relative metrics allows for the conclusion that COVID-19 had a negligible impact on long-term changes in gender differences in excess mortality.
