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The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021
kilkennyobserver.ie
Covid update
Vaccine may be available as a pill before end of year FENDING off Covid-19 and avoiding potential trips to the hospital could soon be as simple as taking a pill, according to America’s CBS News. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the drug manufacturer is working to introduce an experimental tablet to treat the disease at its onset and, hopefully, would be available by the end if the year. In March, Pfizer began an early-stage clinical trial of a new antiviral therapy for the coronavirus. The drug could potentially be prescribed “at the first sign of infection, without requiring that patients are hospitalised or in critical care,” Dr Mikael Dolsten, chief scientific officer and president, worldwide research,
development and medical of Pfizer, said. Part of a group of medicines called ‘protease inhibitors’, which are used to treat HIV and Hepatitis C, the drug curbs production of enzymes needed for the virus to multiply in human cells. Dr Neeta Ogden said the
Part of a group of medicines used to treat HIV and Hepatitis C...’
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proposed pill could be a “game changer”. Should clinical trials prove successful and the necessary agencies approve the drug, it could be available before the end of 2021, Mr Bourla said. Dr Ogden told reporters: “We haven’t seen medication even discussed on the
This is our story BY: TOLUWANI AKAEHOMEN
WHEN Ireland began to welcome African people into its communities, one of the key things which appeared to have been missed was how different Africans are from one another. There is one plausible reason for this, apart from the fact that Africans all share a common heritage – our hopes, dreams and aspirations were very similar. Most, if not all of us came in search of a better future for ourselves and our children. So, in well-worn suitcases, loaded with unrealised dreams, the hope of a better tomorrow and the divine promise of a new life, we arrived the shores of the Céad Míle Fáilte. For the African community in Kilkenny, our journey has been fraught with many challenges, both within and without. From internal strains stemming from ethnic misunderstanding and strife, fixed mindset, loss of identity, and distrust, to external struggles against (conscious and unconscious) biases,
discrimination, racism, high levels of unemployment, and socioeconomic exclusion, our lived experiences are our story and our song. As the African community strives to overcome these challenges, unsurprisingly, the Kilkenny African Community (the organisation which serves as the voice of the African community) has also gone through its own internal battles. The first wave of the pandemic and the resultant lockdown provided the opportunity for an evaluation - how did we get here, how do we get out and where are we going? As the saying goes, “Charity
begins at home”. The call was to first put our house in order. To this end, we have had series of well-facilitated meetings, so that we can be better placed to serve the African community, as well as the entire Kilkenny community. As the Steering Committee of the Kilkenny African Community continues to work with renewed vigour to deliver an African community focused on active citizenship, community engagement and development, we ask that you become our allies, so that we can collectively strive for a more inclusive, equitable, just and fair Kilkenny.
horizon that one can take early on or prophylactically if you’ve been exposed, kind of like what we have for the flu. “The virus continues to mutate, and it will continue to be present in some form, and we need to have these kinds of remedies that we can take at the first sign of
symptoms that will prevent spread, that will prevent severity, that will prevent hospitalisations.” Pfizer — which developed the first approved Covid-19 with German drugmaker BioNTech — is continuing to test its vaccine in six-monthold to 11-year-old children.
The company last month asked America’s Federal Drugs Agency (FDA) to widen its vaccine authorisation to adolescents between 12 to 15 years old after studies found it to be effective. Mr Bourla told reporters he was “very optimistic” the agency would grant its request.
