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S. Africa Research Council Can’t Access Vaccine Data

S. Africa Medical Research Council Can’t Access Vaccination Data

The South African Medical Research Council said it cannot access the country’s Covid-19 vaccination data and it is working to amend a data-sharing agreement with the Department of Health.

The inability to access the data may impinge on the organization’s ability to determine the impact of the omicron variant on mortality, it said in a statement on Monday. 

The council produces a weekly report on national excess deaths, a measure of mortality above the historical average that is seen as a more accurate measure of the impact of Covid-19 than official data.

“The country is missing an opportunity to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines in the context of omicron, Debbie Bradshaw, chief specialist scientist at the council and a co-author of the weekly mortality report, said by text message.

The deaths data report will still be produced, Glenda Gray, the chief executive officer of the council, said by text message.

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