Roche launches new molecular diagnostics system
Roche announced the launch of the cobas 5800 System, a new molecular laboratory instrument, in countries accepting the CE mark. Testing is one of the first lines of defence to protect a patient’s general well-being and is vitally important in quickly guiding their treatment. The cobas 5800 System helps address challenges that laboratories are facing from an increase in patient testing, reimbursement complexities and the need for a more diverse testing menu while providing meaningful and timely results.
“The cobas 5800 System is a potential gateway to access where it is needed the most. Patients in Africa face barriers to access throughout their healthcare journey. Among the most pressing barriers are awareness, diagnostics, funding and healthcare capacity,1 said Sandra Orta, Corporate General Manager South Africa & Head of Management Center Sub-Saharan Africa Roche Diagnostics.
Ferdinand Omanyala joins vaccinate our world campaign
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), has joined forces with Africa’s fastest sprinter – Ferdinand Omanyala – who will help lead AHF’s Vaccinate Our World (VOW) campaign on the continent. Omanyala, an African record holder and the eighth fastest man of all time in the 100-metre race, will encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Vaccination rates in Africa are much lower compared to other parts of the world, due to the initial lack of vaccine supply as a result of hoarding by wealthy countries, and hesitancy by a significant number of people to get vaccinated. A 2020 Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) survey in 15 countries found vaccine hesitancy ranging from 4% to 38% despite 79% of respondents willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine.
With nearly 4 billion people already fully vaccinated around the world, COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing severe illness and death from coronavirus. Despite this safety assurance, in Kenya, for instance, only 4.8% of the population is fully inoculated compared to Africa’s average of 8.8%, which is largely attributed to vaccine hesitancy, the limited number of doses and the sporadic nature of the distribution channels.
