Wits VIDA - We Make Life Count VIDA was established in 2019 and was a succession to the Pneumococcal Diseases Research Unit and subsequent rebranded Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit which had been established in 1997. VIDA research is focused on...

Wits VIDA - We Make Life Count

VIDA was established in 2019 and was a succession to the Pneumococcal Diseases Research Unit and subsequent rebranded Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit which had been established in 1997. VIDA research is focused on clinical and molecular epidemiology of vaccine preventable disease, clinical development and evaluation of vaccines, study of the immunology of vaccines including in people living with HIV and basic science research aimed at discovery of potential vaccine epitopes. In the last few years, the Unit has also established a health and demographic surveillance (HDSS) platform to understand the context in which infections occur and how population dynamics are affected by disease trends, both in children and in pregnant women. This HDSS platform has provided an integral platform to understand COVID-19 epidemiology and the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 across all age groups. The Unit has established itself as a premier clinical trial facility for vaccine research and has undertaken pivotal studies on pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, as well as being an international leader in vaccine studies in pregnant women aimed at the protection of mother-newborn dyads. Over the past two years, VIDA has been at the forefront of Covid-19 vaccine research in Africa, having spearheaded the first two Covid-19 vaccine studies undertaken only on the continent.

The studies done by VIDA on pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and rotavirus vaccine in children contributed to South Africa being the first African country to include both vaccines in its public immunization program, and underpinned the WHO recommendation for the inclusion of these vaccines in public immunization programs of other low and middle income countries. VIDA also performed the first placebo-controlled randomized trial of the influenza vaccine in pregnant women, that contributed to WHO recommending for the prioritization of pregnant women to be vaccinated with seasonal influenza vaccines. It has also undertaken the first studies of an investigational multi-component Group B Streptococcus (GBS) conjugate vaccine in pregnant women, a portfolio of research that is ongoing, including discovery research on other potential GBS vaccine epitopes. This is pertinent to Africa and South Africa which has reported the highest incidence of invasive GBS disease globally. Most recently, VIDA has pioneered COVID-19 vaccine trials, providing critical evidence on vaccine effectiveness in African populations. A further important respiratory pathogen being investigated by VIDA over the past 25 years is Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). VIDA has been intricately involved in the evaluation of a long-lasting monoclonal antibody that is more affordable than the currently available palivizumab, and is also participating in RSV vaccine trials in pregnant women, including having led the first such study of a nano particle F protein vaccine in pregnant women. Wits VIDA has furthermore done extensive epidemiology work on COVID-19, in addition to evaluating the safety, immunogenicity, efficacy and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

GAUTENG PUBLIC SECTOR COVID-19 AGENCY NURSES PROJECT

At the beginning of the third wave (Delta), management and COVID-19 clinicians in key Gauteng public sector hospitals worked with the GDOH Acting HOD and HQ officials to submit a proposal to the Solidarity Fund to support the provision of agency nurses to the eight largest public hospitals in the province. This was to respond to the unprecedented need for significantly more COVID-19 beds. The proposal identified the shortage of nursing personnel as the single biggest bottleneck to opening more COVID ICU, high care and covid general beds. Technical support and leadership for the project was provided by the South African Medical Research Council working with the heads of the nursing management at all hospitals and Wits Heath Consortium (Pty) Ltd were appointed as the project managers. The collaborative partnership between the Solidarity Fund, the Gauteng Department of Health, The South African Medical Research Council and Wits Health Consortium (Pty) Ltd successfully identified, recruited and deployed nurses with the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies for safe patient care to 8 Gauteng hospitals. From 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022 the Solidarity Fund through Wits Health Consortium assisted the Gauteng Department of Health with funding for agency nurses to augment staffing in 8 of the Gauteng hospitals. The highly transmittable Delta variant led to an overwhelming increase in infections resulting in increased hospitalization, and it became evident that the Gauteng provincial health services would not be able to cope with the increased demand for beds. The third wave affected Gauteng more than any province in the country. The Solidarity Fund initially donated R16,692 million and then extended the programme with an additional R6,246 million. The funding received allowed hospitals to use the additional services of over 10 000 nurses. The efficacy of the model was trialed at Steve Biko Academic Hospital and was an overwhelming success which was quickly rolled out to the other 7 hospitals in Gauteng. As a result of this funding a total of 1 428 new beds were opened across ICU, high care, general wards in paediatric obstetric and COVID ICU. This partnership, through the opening of additional beds, contributed to reduced Covid morbidity, closed critical nursing gaps and reduced the work pressures on the small pool of full-time nursing staff in the hospitals. The project demonstrated how relatively small sums of money, when utilised effectively can qualitatively change health outcomes. The data and experience of the hospitals during the third wave highlighted that the SF-GDoH project made a significant impact in hospitals allowing them stay true to the value of saving lives and allowed community members to access and receive the treatment they so desperately required during this period. Given the positive outcome of the project during the third wave, an extension was granted that saw the support being provided through the fourth (Omicron) wave. The project reflects the impact of an investment in the provision of more than 10 000 nursing shifts to the main public sector hospitals in Gauteng during a time of crisis and represents the best examples of the power of partnership in the face of an unprecedented crisis.