Africa-Press – Uganda. Olympic teams should be immediately isolated if they arrive in Japan with a person infected with coronavirus, a Games official said Sunday, after members of Uganda’s squad tested positive.
Hidemasa Nakamura, a senior Tokyo 2020 Games official, said that it is “highly probable that people will come into close contact with an infected person if they travel on the same plane.”
“We’ll immediately prepare a system to isolate and test them even before making a determination (whether they had close contact with an infected person),” he said in a programme discussing coronavirus measures by public broadcaster NHK.
His comments come after two of the nine-member Ugandan Olympic delegation tested positive for the virus following their arrival this month.
Even after one person was confirmed infected during screening at Tokyo’s Narita airport on June 19, the rest of the team travelled on a chartered bus to Izumisano in Osaka prefecture.
Local health authorities later determined that the entire team – as well as eight other people, including host-city officials and bus drivers – had been in close contact with the two infected individuals, Kyodo News reported.
Public opinion has been firmly opposed to holding the Games this year over pandemic fears, though recent polls suggest opposition may be softening.
No overseas fans will be allowed and domestic spectators will be capped at 10,000 per event.
Japan has seen a comparatively small virus outbreak, with around 14,600 deaths, despite avoiding harsh lockdowns.
An initially slow vaccine drive has picked up, with nearly nine percent of the population inoculated.[11:18 AM, 6/28/2021] JOB EDITOR: Please check for photo on AFP[11:20 AM, 6/28/2021] Serez: get me the other story[11:40 AM, 6/28/2021] JOB EDITOR: sawa[11:41 AM, 6/28/2021] JOB EDITOR: Start with this[11:41 AM, 6/28/2021] JOB EDITOR: AstraZeneca tests booster jab against Covid variantAFP
AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford on Sunday began new trials to test a modified vaccine against the Beta variant, which first emerged in South Africa.
The ‘booster’ vaccine’s trial will involve around 2,250 participants from Britain, South Africa, Brazil and Poland.
They include people who have been fully vaccinated with two doses of the original Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine or an mRNA vaccine such as Pfizer as well as those who have not got the jab at all.
The new vaccine, known as AZD2816, has been designed using the same base as the main AstraZeneca shot but with minor genetic alterations to the spike protein based on the Beta variant.
“Testing booster doses of existing vaccines and new variant vaccines is important to ensure we are best prepared to stay ahead of the pandemic coronavirus, should their use be needed,” said Andrew Pollard, chief investigator and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford.
Britain has had a succesful vaccine roll out programme, but experts do not know how long protection lasts.
“This study will provide vital evidence on whether further doses including ‘tweaks’ against new virus variants may be needed in the future,” said Maheshi Ramasamy, Principal Investigator at the Oxford Vaccine Group.
Initial data from the trial is expected later this year.
Current vaccines are believed to be less effective against the Beta variant, although it is the Delta variant, which emerged in India, that is currently causing most concern.
Although the main vaccines are believed to be highly effective at preventing serious illness, the Delta variant’s transmissible nature is leading to a spike in cases in some countries, including Britain.
