TOPLINE Visits for postpartum mental health treatment spiked 30% during the pandemic, according to a study of more than 137,000 women in Ontario published Monday, adding to the many other emerging mental health effects of the pandemic.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



Visits for anxiety and depressive disorders by new mothers were as much as 39% higher from March to November 2020 compared to pre-pandemic levels, while visits for substance use disorders also rose, according to a study of more than 137,000 postpartum women in Ontario published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.



Increases in less-densely populated portions of the province saw returns to pre-pandemic levels of postpartum mental health visits beginning in the summer, which may be because fewer Covid-19 cases allowed in-person school, in-person dining and other hallmarks of normalcy.



The smaller increases in mental health visits among low-income women may be because they can’t take time off of work or don’t have wifi and a phone that can handle telehealth appointments, said Dr. Simone Vigod, lead author of the study and head of psychiatry at the University of Toronto-affiliated Women’s College Hospital.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



“Postpartum mental health issues are very treatable,” but without access to healthcare they can become a long-term problem affecting a woman’s wellbeing, said Vigod. Postpartum anxiety and depression has also been linked to social and emotional problems for children, she said. “There can be long-term implications across generations.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



The pandemic shut down many of the social supports that new parents rely on, including help from family, parent groups and public health nurses, said Vigod. Mental health problems have broadly increased during the pandemic in the U.S. as well. In 2019, slightly more than one in 10 adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders to the CDC. In 2020, the agency’s surveys regularly found&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/mental-health.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more than one-quarter of adults</a>&nbsp;said they had symptoms of anxiety or depression—and sometimes more than one in three adults said they were struggling with those issues.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/193/23/E835" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Postpartum mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic</a>&nbsp;(Canadian Medical Association Journal)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mishagajewski/2020/06/19/moms-are-not-okay-coronavirus-pandemic-triples-anxiety-and-depression-in-new-mothers/">Moms Are Not Okay: Pandemic Triples Anxiety And Depression Symptoms In New Mothers</a> (Forbes)



By Graison Dangor, Forbes Staff

Tired new mother holding her baby

Postpartum Mental Health Visits Spike 30% During Pandemic, Study Finds

Topline: South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, addressed the nation on Sunday evening on developments in the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his announcement, the president said that the country would be moving to alert level 2 from Monday.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>When last the president addressed the nation, two months ago, it was to mildly put in place restrictions for the Easter weekend in April.</li><li>The president told the country on Sunday that this move to alert level two is urgent and necessary. It is about beating the third wave before it reaches it peak, Ramaphosa said. He further warned that the increase in daily cases is following the same trajectory as it did at the start of the previous two waves. This is a concern as in other countries the consequence of allowing the virus to spread unchecked was calamitous.&nbsp;</li><li>South Africa has seen an increase of 31% positive cases this week and 66% increase on the week before that. This is mostly due to the increasing number of social gatherings where people are not observing essential health protocols.&nbsp; Free State, Northern Cape, North West and Gauteng have reached the threshold of a third wave of infections.</li><li>“We are advised that a positivity rate of over 5 per cent is a cause for concern&#8230;It may only be a matter of time before the country as a whole will have entered a third wave,” he said.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-changes-in-restrictions">Crucial Changes in Restrictions&nbsp;</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The hours of curfew will start at 11pm (as opposed to midnight) and end at 4am.</li><li>Non-essential establishments like restaurants, bars and fitness centres will need to close by 10pm.&nbsp;</li><li>All gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 100 people indoors and 250 people outdoors.&nbsp; This includes religious services, political events and social gatherings, as well as restaurants, bars, taverns and similar places.</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vaccine-update">Vaccine Update&nbsp;</h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>At the start of May,&nbsp; South Africa started its second phase of the country’s three-phase vaccination program.&nbsp;</li><li>When phase one began on 17 February, South Africa wanted to reach 1.25 million healthcare workers will be vaccinated in total, with 500 000 vaccinated by mid-May and the remaining approximately 600 000 vaccinated during phase 2 of the vaccine rollout.&nbsp;</li><li>Phase two is about prioritizing around 16.5 million South Africans based on age and other vulnerable sections of the population.</li><li>Ramaphosa stated that more than 67% of health workers have been vaccinated. Over the last two weeks, over 480,000 people have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine as part of the public vaccination campaign. In total so far&nbsp; over 960,000 people in South Africa have received one vaccine dose</li><li>“As the African continent, we are pushing ahead with efforts to expand our vaccine manufacturing capacity with a view to being self-sufficient in vaccine production. We are also part of the global effort to ensure that all countries have access to sufficient vaccines as a matter of urgency,” Ramaphosa said.&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h3>



“However, we need to delay the increase in infections for as long as we can to allow more of our most vulnerable citizens to be protected,” the president said in his address to the nation. “Every week that we delay the peak of the third wave allows us to vaccinate hundreds of thousands more people, and may well save their lives.”

Interview with South Africa’s President Ramaphosa

South Africa “Urgently” Moves Back To Alert Level 2

TOPLINE Three researchers working at a Wuhan virology lab went to the hospital with Covid-like symptoms weeks before the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in China on December 8, according to newly disclosed U.S. intelligence obtained and reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday—corroborating previous State Department findings and casting further doubts on the longstanding assertion that Covid-19 did not escape from a lab.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



The State Department previously&nbsp;<a href="https://2017-2021.state.gov/fact-sheet-activity-at-the-wuhan-institute-of-virology/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;that U.S. officials have &#8220;reason to believe&#8221; several researchers inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology faced &#8220;symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses&#8221; last fall, but it didn&#8217;t specify that the researchers were hospitalized or the exact timing of their illnesses.



Unnamed officials familiar with the intelligence reportedly gave the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;varying accounts of the new information&#8217;s veracity, with one person saying it needed further investigation while another described it as &#8220;very precise.&#8221;



“The U.S. continues to hype the lab leak theory,&#8221; China&#8217;s Foreign Ministry, which did not immediately respond to&nbsp;Forbes&#8217;&nbsp;requestfor comment, said in a statement to the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal.&nbsp;



In its statement, the Foreign Ministry pointed to March&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-convened-global-study-of-origins-of-sars-cov-2-china-part-annexes.pdf?sfvrsn=3065bcd8_5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">findings</a>&nbsp;from the World Health Organization saying it was &#8220;extremely unlikely&#8221; that Covid-19 originated from a lab leak and that it was instead more likely the virus spread from bats to humans.



However, after the report was released, WHO head Tedros Ghebreyesus called for a deeper investigation on the matter,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-30/who-chief-critiques-covid-report-says-lab-leak-study-needed" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">saying</a>&nbsp;the probe didn’t adequately assess the possibility of a lab leak.



Forbes&nbsp;is awaiting comment from the State Department.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Many scientists last year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/10/a-timeline-of-the-covid-19-wuhan-lab-origin-theory/?sh=370c029e5aba">initially dismissed</a>&nbsp;claims that Covid-19 originated in a Wuhan lab, but the theory quickly became a hot-button issue among conservative lawmakers casting blame onto China for the pandemic. However, as widespread vaccination helps the U.S. turn a corner on the virus, a growing number of domestic officials—from both sides of the aisle—are once again calling for investigations into the origins of Covid-19. Secretary of State Antony Blinken&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/04/11/biden-secretary-of-state-condemns-chinas-acts-of-genocide-against-muslim-uyghurs/?sh=26f49b7050ca">condemned</a>&nbsp;China last month for its lack of transparency during the pandemic&#8217;s early days, saying the country failed to give international health experts real-time access to information about the virus&#8217; spread and urging the country to help put in place a stronger global health security system to revisit the pandemic&#8217;s origins.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h3>



Though the virus was first confirmed in December 2019, WHO researchers have since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/possible-early-covid-19-cases-in-china-emerge-during-who-mission-11612996225" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">identified</a>&nbsp;more than 90 potential Covid-19 cases dating as far back as October of that year.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE&nbsp;</h3>



Asked earlier this month whether he was confident Covid-19 developed naturally, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation&#8217;s top infectious disease experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fauci-not-convinced-covid-19-developed-naturally" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">responded</a>: &#8220;No actually&#8230; I am not convinced about that. I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened… Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/intelligence-on-sick-staff-at-wuhan-lab-fuels-debate-on-covid-19-origin-11621796228?reflink=share_mobilewebshare" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Intelligence on Sick Staff at Wuhan Lab Fuels Debate On Covid-19 Origin</a>&nbsp;(WSJ)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/05/10/a-timeline-of-the-covid-19-wuhan-lab-origin-theory/">A Timeline Of The COVID-19 Wuhan Lab Origin Theory</a> (Forbes)



By Jonathan Ponciano, Forbes Staff

gettyimages-1201569878-594×594

Report: Wuhan Lab Staff Went To Hospital With Covid-Like Symptoms Before Confirmed Outbreak, New Intelligence Finds

TOPLINE A new U.K. study has found that more than 95% of Britons vaccinated with just one shot of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine develop Covid-19 antibodies, a figure that rises to almost 100% after the second dose, adding to mounting evidence from the real-world deployment of the vaccines that show they are effective and useful tools in bringing the pandemic under control. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



In a study of more than 8,500 people from England and Wales, who did not have antibodies before their first shot and provided a total of 13,232 antibody samples, 96% developed antibodies 28 to 34 days after receiving their first dose, according to research from University College London (UCL).



The&nbsp;<a href="https://ucl-virus-watch.net/?page_id=913" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a>, which is being prepared for peer review, found this figure to rise to 99% within seven and 14 days of their second shot for recipients of both vaccines, evidence that they provide protection against the coronavirus.&nbsp;



While those receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine developed antibodies faster than those receiving the AstraZeneca shot, rates were practically identical after a period of four weeks.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Many groups at a greater risk from Covid-19—including those with underlying conditions like diabetes and cancer, those taking immune system suppressing drugs and older adults—produced fewer antibodies after a single dose, a potential problem for countries like the U.K. where the second dose is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/05/14/study-finds-12-week-gap-between-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-dose-generates-35-times-higher-antibody-response/?sh=5fe5400da6a3">delayed</a>&nbsp;by several weeks in order to vaccinate more people.



However, a second shot boosted antibody levels to the standard high levels, something Professor Rob Aldridge, the chief investigator of the study,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/18/96-of-britons-develop-antibodies-after-one-covid-jab-study-finds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;Guardian&nbsp;underscores the “importance of getting the second dose.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Aldridge described the findings as “reassuring &#8211; vaccines are our way out of the pandemic.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



Dr. Maddie Shrotri, the paper’s lead author,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/18/96-of-britons-develop-antibodies-after-one-covid-jab-study-finds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;the findings are from some of the earliest “real-world vaccine studies in the U.K.” Shrotri said the results are “fantastic news,” adding that it is “remarkable” how well the vaccines work given the speed at which they’ve been developed. “It’s a real feat of science in the face of the most devastating pandemic in a century.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



57 million. This is&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">how many vaccines&nbsp;</a>have been given out in the U.K., the vast majority being the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca shots. Just over 20 million people have received their second dose.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/18/96-of-britons-develop-antibodies-after-one-covid-jab-study-finds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Covid vaccine: 96% of Britons develop antibodies after one jab, study finds</a>&nbsp;(Guardian)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/05/14/study-finds-12-week-gap-between-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-dose-generates-35-times-higher-antibody-response/?sh=5fe5400da6a3">12-Week Gap Between Pfizer Vaccine Doses Generates Higher Antibody Response, Study Finds</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)

Healthcare professional in protective gloves & workwear holding & organising a tray of COVID-19 vaccine vials

96% Of People Develop Covid Antibodies After Just One Shot Of Pfizer Or AstraZeneca Vaccine, U.K. Study Finds

TOPLINE As India continues to face a devastating second wave of the pandemic, the World Health Organisation on Monday classified the coronavirus variant first detected in the country–B.1.617—as a variant of concern following preliminary findings which suggest it could be more transmissible.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



The WHO’s new classification—which is an upgrade from “variant of interest”—adds the Indian variant to a list that also contains variants first detected in the U.K. (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351) and&nbsp; Brazil (P.1).



The global health body will publish a detailed report on the B.1.617 variant in its weekly epidemiological update on Tuesday, the WHO’s technical lead officer on Covid-19, Maria van Kerkhove said.



Kerkhove noted that some available information suggested that the variant showed “increased transmissibility,” and a non-peer-reviewed study on a limited number of patients also suggested that it may also be able to evade some key antibodies.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



3,876. That’s the total number of Covid-19 deaths India&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/COVIDNewsByMIB/status/1391986229768376322" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday, taking its official tally up to 249,992—which many experts suggest is a severe undercount. The country’s daily infection and fatalities have continued to remain high despite a drop in new infections in key cities like Mumbai and Delhi.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



The second wave of the pandemic has continued to rage across India pushing the country’s health care system past its breaking point. As the country reports more than 350,000 new infections and nearly 4,000 deaths from Covid-19 every day, the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are under increasing pressure to impose a strict nationwide lockdown. Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India’s main opposition party has written a letter to Modi which slams his government’s failures and notes that “another devastating national lockdown is almost inevitable.”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-lockdown-in-india-latest-news-may-8-pressure-mounts-on-pm-narendra-modi-to-impose-nationwide-lockdown-shutdown-coronavirus-latest-news-2889434" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Several others</a>, including medical experts, Supreme Court judges and other opposition leaders and even&nbsp;<a href="https://qz.com/india/2007013/anthony-fauci-and-indian-doctors-ask-modi-to-declare-a-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a>—the U.S.’s senior-most infectious disease official—have called for a national shut down to break the chain of transmission.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-10/who-cites-concern-on-variant-from-india-seen-spreading-quickly?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amp;utm_content=business&amp;cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&amp;sref=CSMHWBLp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Covid Variant From India Triggers WHO Concern Over Fast Spread</a>&nbsp;(Bloomberg)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/coronavirus/">Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus</a>



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

INDIA-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINES

WHO Classifies Indian Covid-19 Mutation As A ‘Variant Of Concern’

Topline England on Monday reported no new deaths from Covid-19 for the time since last March, a positive milestone that comes as the country continues to ease long-lasting lockdown restrictions.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



<a href="https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths?areaType=nation&amp;areaName=England" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Data</a>&nbsp;released by Public Health England Monday afternoon added no new deaths to the country’s toll of 112,245.&nbsp;



Scotland and Northern Ireland also reported no new deaths for Sunday, a streak in the U.K. broken by Wales, which reported four more residents dead from Covid-19 in Monday’s update.&nbsp;



Both Scotland and Northern Ireland have reported zero coronavirus deaths prior to May 10, but this is the first time since March 7 England has hit such a milestone.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER&nbsp;</h3>



126,605. That’s how many people have died from Covid-19 in the U.K. since the start of the pandemic.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h3>



England’s 14-month record low for Covid-19 deaths comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce Monday the latest round of lockdown easing. The U.K.’s alert level has been lowered from a four to a three, meaning the transmission of coronavirus is no longer deemed to be high or rising exponentially, though it’s still in general circulation. Johnson is expected to announce friends and families can hug and mix indoors starting next week, including in pubs and restaurants, while cinemas, museums and theaters can reopen.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT&nbsp;</h3>



After hitting a peak of 70,000 cases per day in January, the U.K. is now recording an average of less than 2,000 new daily infections. The bloc of countries have also benefited from one of the world’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most successful&nbsp;</a>vaccine rollouts, with over a quarter of residents fully vaccinated and more than half fully inoculated.



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/coronavirus/">Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus</a>



By Jemima McEvoy, Forbes Staff

Michael Nardone, who plays D.I Neil McKinven in the BBC

England Reports Zero New Coronavirus Deaths For First Time In 14 Months

As the pandemic began to rage a year ago, the biopharma industry responded in unprecedented fashion. Life sciences companies raced to find a solution to the nightmare virus, and promising vaccine efforts soon emerged. The stocks of the companies with the best vaccine candidates soared, and many of their executives rushed to sell shares with a fury that generated scrutiny.



There has been one huge exception. Uğur Şahin, the CEO and scientist behind the first Covid-19 vaccine authorized in the U.S., has not sold a single share of his company’s booming stock during the pandemic, Securities and Exchange Commission filings show.



Şahin’s decision to not sell any of his BioNTech shares stands in stark contrast to the large stock sales of some of the most prominent scientists and entrepreneurs whose biotechnology companies developed vaccines against the virus, particularly Moderna Therapeutics. It also reflects Şahin’s general approach to life and business. He is a CEO who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/business/biontech-covid-vaccine.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lives in a modest apartment</a>&nbsp;in the German town of Mainz, rides his bicycle to work and doesn’t own a car. He describes himself on his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ugur-sahin-65905917/?originalSubdomain=de" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LinkedIn page</a>&nbsp;first and foremost as a translational oncology professor at University Medical Center Mainz. Şahin accepts the financial edifice that surrounds biotechnology innovation—the venture fundraising, IPOs and merger deals. He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/6633221e-3b28-4a15-b02d-958854644c79" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a>&nbsp;learned the business aspects of biotechnology from online videos and reading a&nbsp;Business Plans for Dummies&nbsp;book. But in the end, Şahin is in it for the science and the patients. &nbsp;



In its hour of greatest need, Şahin emerged from relative obscurity to provide the world with a game-changing vaccine that could save lives and tame the pandemic. As early as January 2020, Şahin became convinced Covid-19 would become a deadly pandemic and pivoted BioNTech to create a messenger RNA vaccine to combat it. He then partnered with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/pfizer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PFE</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/pfizer">+0.3%</a>&nbsp;to develop and supply 3 billion doses of the vaccine to the world by the end of 2021.



The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has radically changed Wall Street’s perception of BioNTech. In the months prior to the pandemic,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2020/06/01/ugur-sahin-becomes-a-billionaire-on-hopes-for-technology-behind-covid-19-vaccine/">Şahin had come to New York</a>&nbsp;to sell investors on BioNTech’s stock as the company launched its initial public offering by listing on Nasdaq&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/nasdaq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NDAQ</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/nasdaq">+0.7%</a>. At the time, BioNTech was a decade-old company that had yet to develop a single approved product from its mRNA and immunotherapy technologies. Şahin received a cool reception in the stock market, which initially valued BioNTech at $3.4 billion. With the development of the vaccine, however, BioNTech’s stock has risen by 900% since its 2019 IPO and today the company is valued at $37 billion. BioNTech now expects to generate $11.5 billion of revenue under deals for the vaccine that have already been struck. On paper, Şahin’s BioNTech stake is worth $6.1 billion. &nbsp;MORE FOR YOU<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2021/04/02/how-troubled-trader-bill-hwang-quietly-amassed-10-billion/">How Troubled Trader Bill Hwang Quietly Amassed $10 Billion</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2021/04/08/how-indiana-university-bros-fueled-a-hollywood-actors-690-million-ponzi-scheme/">How Indiana University Bros Fueled A Hollywood Actor’s $690 Million Ponzi Scheme</a><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2021/03/12/pfizer-ceo-albert-bourla-helped-save-the-world-can-he-save-his-companys-stock/">Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Helped Save The World. Can He Save His Company’s Stock?</a>



Filings made to the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission in February and March show that Şahin controls 41.66 million BioNTech shares, a 17% stake, through Medine GmbH, a limited liability company he solely owns. Medine holds a relatively small number of shares for “a former colleague” and transferred 27,540 shares held for other colleagues to their beneficiaries under trust arrangements late last year. But amid this stock transfer, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001776985/000119312521044856/d329239dsc13ga.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">securities filing</a>&nbsp;in February made sure to point out that “Neither Medine GbmH nor Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D. has sold any ordinary shares since February 13, 2020,” the eve of the pandemic. Such worded disclosures are not common in securities filings. Şahin, who declined to comment, appears to have wanted people to understand he wasn’t selling any BioNTech stock.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Last year, executives and directors of companies like Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/novavax" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NVAX</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/companies/novavax">-6%</a>&nbsp;realized stock gains linked to investor enthusiasm around the vaccines by selling nearly $500 million of stock,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/insiders-at-covid-19-vaccine-makers-sold-nearly-500-million-of-stock-last-year-11613557801" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;reported</a>. The selling has continued this year. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel has sold more than $150 million of Moderna stock since the start of the pandemic. He still owns just under 8% of Moderna. Tal Zaks has sold more than $100 million of Moderna stock, nearly all the shares he had accumulated since becoming Moderna’s chief medical officer in 2015.



Moderna has consistently explained that all executive stock sales are made through preset trading plans established under securities regulatory rule 10b5-1, which legally allows corporate insiders to periodically sell a predetermined number of shares, often tied to certain share price targets being attained.



In November, Pfizer CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-ceo-joins-host-of-executives-at-covid-19-vaccine-makers-in-big-stock-sale-11605139164?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Albert Bourla sold</a>&nbsp;about 60% of his stock in the company for about $5.6 million under a preset 10b5-1 plan. The sale came on the same day that Pfizer announced key clinical results showing that its Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective. Bourla’s share sale had been authorized in February 2020 and updated in August. A few days later,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/sec-chairman-urges-corporate-insiders-to-avoid-quick-stock-sales-11605637892?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jay Clayton, then chairman of the SEC, suggested</a>&nbsp;corporate executives not trade in their company’s stock immediately after preset trading plans are established. At a Senate hearing, Clayton called for a “cooling-off” period, but did not specify the length of such an interval. “Whether that’s four months so you cover a full quarter, or it’s six months—I can make arguments for either,” Clayton said. There was also some concern the insider stock sales by Moderna and Pfizer might undermine the public perception of their vaccines as crucial public health tools. &nbsp;



For his part, Şahin has not sold any BioNTech stock in the last 18 months. The post-IPO lockup of his BioNTech shares expired around the start of the pandemic, securities filings show, and he was free to sell. As a result of hanging on to all the shares, ironically, he is for now much richer—at least on paper—given the continued surge of BioNTech’s stock price. He certainly believes the company’s cutting-edge technology will lead to the development of therapies and vaccines for other diseases.



“Our way of developing our technologies is not based on the idea of a single-trick pony,” Şahin told investors on a Wall Street call in March. “Rather, our goal from the very beginning was to build a novel industrial approach for precision pharmaceuticals that can address medical need in multiple disease areas.”



By Nathan Vardi, Forbes Staff

Springer Award Goes To BioNTech Founders Özlem Türeci And Ugur Sahin

The Billionaire Scientist Behind The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Has Not Sold A Single Share Of His Booming Stock

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY CONSTANTLY pushes boundaries with its innovations. Over the years, we’ve seen disruptions like 3D bio-printing; the Internet of Medical Things; virtual reality for mental health; robotic surgery and nanomedicine – precision healthcare at a molecular level. 



Early in the pandemic, telemedicine took center stage as patients and healthcare workers turned to technology out of necessity, but it remains to be seen if its popularity will last.



 It was also during the pandemic that Microsoft experimented with its mixed reality (MR) headset, the HoloLens 2. The headset enables surgeons to view 3D holographic images of a patient, obtained from X-rays or CT scans, and supports hand gestures and voice commands. 



Recently, at its annual Ignite conference in March, the company announced Microsoft Mesh, a mixed-reality platform built on Azure that can be accessed on the HoloLens as well as other VR headsets, smartphones, PCs, Macs and tablets, making it more mainstream. 



The HoloLens 2 project was led by Professor Thomas Gregory who used the original HoloLens for its first MR surgery back in 2017. He brought together 15 surgeons across 13 countries to perform a series of MR orthopedic operations. Shoulder surgeries were chosen because it requires 3D planning and modeling of the shoulder. Professor Stephen Roche, orthopedic surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town in South Africa participated in three surgeries; one in South Africa and assistance with two others in France and Germany.



 “Technology is playing a bigger role in surgery, research, and healthcare and certainly during Covid-19, where trainees have not been able to operate, this has highlighted the use and need for technology in training and teaching,” says Roche. 



The HoloLens 2 lets us manipulate images in real-time so intraoperative findings can be checked with surgical planning, he adds. 



“It allows us to access the internet during surgery and more importantly, we can bring a surgeon into the theater virtually for advice, which would be a massive benefit for a continent like Africa, with many of our colleagues working in poorlyresourced areas.” 



Another company targeting disadvantaged communities in South Africa is a start-up called Robots Can Think, which adapted during Covid-19 by 3D-printing personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers. 



<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile" style="grid-template-columns:35% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="917" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Natalie-Raphil-917x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50857 size-full" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Natalie-Raphil-917x1024.jpg 917w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Natalie-Raphil-269x300.jpg 269w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Natalie-Raphil-768x857.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Natalie-Raphil-1376x1536.jpg 1376w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Natalie-Raphil-1834x2048.jpg 1834w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Natalie-Raphil.jpg 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 917px) 100vw, 917px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">At Robots Can Think, we strive to use AI for good, to place AI in a meaningful way in the hands of all, from Sandton to Kagiso, to deep rural Eastern Cape. – Natalie Raphil</blockquote>
</div></div>



Natalie Raphil, founder of Robots Can Think, says that during level 5 of the lockdown in South Africa, when imports and exports were at a standstill and PPE was in demand, she read about healthcare workers using cloth to cover their face and nose due to PPE delays. 



“I have access to a 3D-printer and decided to print face shields and masks with the 3D-printing material I had available. I then distributed them to medical staff in public hospitals, those in Alexandra in Johannesburg and so on,” says Raphil.



Raphil has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence (AI) from Stanford University and started Robots Can Think three years ago with a current focus on the medical and healthcare sectors. After questioning the inclusivity of AI for the visually and hearing impaired, she realized things needed to change. 



The start-up came up with an AI module that is fitted on to existing walking sticks, and once activated, assists the visually-impaired to navigate outdoors.



“The device captures real-time images and the AI then recognizes objects such as traffic lights, traffic light colors, how many vehicles/ pedestrians (essentially objects) are in front of the visually-impaired, all the while navigating them to their final destination.”



The device then either communicates back to the visually-impaired via speech through a Bluetooth device or via sensory pulses emitted from the device to the hand holding the stick. 



The AI walking stick is still in a testing phase, and runs on proprietary software that includes image recognition, image/text to speech, and text/speech to sensory conversion software, hosted on-premise.



Raphil credits Robots Can Think’s partner, All Round Tech, for its engineering genius in developing the AI module for walking sticks. Once approved, it will be made available to purchase; supplied to medical organizations; and will be donated to the needy. 



Over the next two years, Robots Can Think will focus on exploring medical tech to enhance the continent’s adoption of AI, invent products that are easily accessible to all and continue to use AI for good, says Raphil. 



“At Robots Can Think, we strive to use AI for good, to place AI in a meaningful way in the hands of all, from Sandton to Kagiso, to deep rural Eastern Cape in South Africa.”



BY NAFISA AKABOR

HoloLens2

The Advancements In Medical Technology That Go Beyond Covid-19

As per this year’s&nbsp;latest&nbsp;<a href="http://wt-mail.henleyglobal.com/c/6/?T=NDQzMjAyNzc%3AcDEtYjIxMTAzLTAxZjY0NTQyY2U0NDRlZmY5ZjY1ZWZjNGIzNTgzMDgw%3AcmVudWthLm1ldGhpbEBhYm4zNjAuY29t%3AY29udGFjdC05YjQ5MGI4M2Y4OTJlNzExOWRiZjAwNTA1NmJjMDdmMy1lM2E0ZGM1ODkxNDQ0ZGQ5OTIyZjhmNmYyZTE1MjhkOQ%3AZmFsc2U%3AMA%3A%3AaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaGVubGV5Z2xvYmFsLmNvbS9wYXNzcG9ydC1pbmRleD9fY2xkZWU9Y21WdWRXdGhMbTFsZEdocGJFQmhZbTR6TmpBdVkyOXQmcmVjaXBpZW50aWQ9Y29udGFjdC05YjQ5MGI4M2Y4OTJlNzExOWRiZjAwNTA1NmJjMDdmMy1lM2E0ZGM1ODkxNDQ0ZGQ5OTIyZjhmNmYyZTE1MjhkOSZlc2lkPTQxZWQ5MGM3LTJkOWMtZWIxMS04YmMwLTAwNTA1NjhkOWExOA&amp;K=vJWLaK0qWC7j9BwnzD83sg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Henley Passport Index</a>&nbsp;— the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa – Japanese passport holders theoretically are able to access a record 193 destinations around the world visa-free. &nbsp;



Singapore remains in second place, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 192, while Germany and South Korea again share joint-third place, each with access to 191 destinations. &nbsp;The index provides exclusive insight into what post-pandemic travel freedom might look like as countries around the world&nbsp;selectively begin to open their borders&nbsp;to international visitors.&nbsp;



 Based on exclusive data from the&nbsp;<a href="http://wt-mail.henleyglobal.com/c/6/?T=NDQzMjAyNzc%3AcDEtYjIxMTAzLTAxZjY0NTQyY2U0NDRlZmY5ZjY1ZWZjNGIzNTgzMDgw%3AcmVudWthLm1ldGhpbEBhYm4zNjAuY29t%3AY29udGFjdC05YjQ5MGI4M2Y4OTJlNzExOWRiZjAwNTA1NmJjMDdmMy1lM2E0ZGM1ODkxNDQ0ZGQ5OTIyZjhmNmYyZTE1MjhkOQ%3AZmFsc2U%3AMQ%3A%3AaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaWF0YS5vcmcvP19jbGRlZT1jbVZ1ZFd0aExtMWxkR2hwYkVCaFltNHpOakF1WTI5dCZyZWNpcGllbnRpZD1jb250YWN0LTliNDkwYjgzZjg5MmU3MTE5ZGJmMDA1MDU2YmMwN2YzLWUzYTRkYzU4OTE0NDRkZDk5MjJmOGY2ZjJlMTUyOGQ5JmVzaWQ9NDFlZDkwYzctMmQ5Yy1lYjExLThiYzAtMDA1MDU2OGQ5YTE4&amp;K=GPVhmx3NNGZER0Qshw6TlA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International Air Transport Association</a>&nbsp;(IATA), and as has been the case for most of the index’s 16-year history, the majority of the remaining top 10 spots are held by European Union countries. &nbsp;



The United Arab Emirates continues its stellar ascent. In 2011, it was ranked 65th&nbsp;with a&nbsp;visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 67, while today, it is ranked 15th&nbsp;with a score of 174. &nbsp;Closer home, Seychelles and Mauritius are in the top 50.&nbsp;



Seychelles, the archipelago country in the Indian Ocean, is Africa’s top-ranking African passport in this regard, at 27 with access to 152 destinations worldwide.&nbsp;



It is followed by Mauritius which is at 30 with a score of 146 destinations passport-holders of this country can visit.&nbsp;



Ranked 53, the number of global destinations South African passport-holders can travel to is 103.&nbsp;



The rest of the African continent dominates the bottom quarter of the rankings with weaker passports than most.&nbsp;

Man holding passport and boarding pass at airline check-in counter

What Travel Freedom Looks Like In The Pandemic World

TOPLINE The number of new coronavirus infections in India surged this week, making its outbreak the fastest-growing in the world as it struggles with widespread vaccine shortages and a low vaccination rate.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



India reported 145,384 new coronavirus cases Saturday, the fifth time&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-idUSKBN2BX031" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this week</a>&nbsp;that the country set a new daily infection record, following more than a month of precipitously increasing case counts, according to data compiled by&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/india" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johns Hopkins University</a>.



Daily coronavirus case counts in India are now larger than in any other country, far surpassing previous frontrunners&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/03/13/brazil-now-has-the-worlds-worst-covid-outbreak-experts-blame-variants/?sh=30487e4478b1">Brazil</a>&nbsp;(which reported&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.saude.gov.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">about 93,000</a>&nbsp;new cases Saturday) and the United States (at&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/united-states" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">just under 83,000</a>&nbsp;new cases).



Still, India has averaged about 84.2 new cases per million residents over the past week, a much lower rate than less populous countries like the United States (205.1) and Brazil (311.2), per statistics from Oxford’s&nbsp;<a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Our World In Data</a>&nbsp;project.



Deaths in India have also gradually climbed in recent weeks, reaching 794&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">on Saturday</a>, which is significantly lower than in&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.saude.gov.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brazil</a>&nbsp;(3,693) and the&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/united-states" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United States</a>&nbsp;(958) and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-09-16-20-intl/h_2e2f271cc29816352e45c39c79fef5ba" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">still below</a>&nbsp;India’s September peak.



Hard-hit states like Maharashtra, home to Mumbai,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbctv18.com/healthcare/no-intention-to-put-a-full-lockdown-in-maharashtra-says-health-minister-tope-8885671.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">imposed weekend lockdowns</a>&nbsp;starting Friday, aiming to curb infections as hospitals in the densely populated state&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-maharashtra-idUSKBN2BT15V" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">overflow with sick patients</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-maharashtra-idUSKBN2BT15V" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">run low on oxygen</a>.



Local experts say&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/global-trade-mumbai-india-coronavirus-pandemic-infectious-diseases-3f8acdda6d595da27980ac2a8072ab88" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">India’s cases</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/global-trade-mumbai-india-coronavirus-pandemic-infectious-diseases-3f8acdda6d595da27980ac2a8072ab88" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">are surging</a>&nbsp;partly because many people have stopped following social distancing guidelines and&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/india-sees-lockdowns-coronavirus-cases-rise-76038339" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">returned</a>&nbsp;to normal routines, and the federal government is unwilling to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covid19-in-india-hard-lockdown-ruled-out-pm-modi-says-focus-on-testing-101617925294364.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reimpose</a>&nbsp;last year’s strict&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/world/asia/india-coronavirus-lockdown.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">national lockdowns</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h4>



6.3%. That the share of India’s population that has received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/CumulativeCOVIDVaccinationCOverageReport9thApril2021.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">government figures</a>. The country’s vaccination rate is lagging behind wealthier countries with severe coronavirus outbreaks like Mexico (7%), Brazil (9.5%) and the United States (34.5%), per data compiled by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bloomberg</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



India is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines, with the Serum Institute of India&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56513371" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exporting tens of millions</a>&nbsp;of doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, yet the country is grappling with painful shortages at home. India’s vaccination campaign has sped up in recent weeks, but vaccine clinics still&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/india-faces-covid-19-vaccine-shortage-as-cases-surge-11617970632" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a>&nbsp;don’t have enough shots to keep up with demand.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h4>



India&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-news-india-global-trade-coronavirus-pandemic-dd58b5c596f261f8a5655e8d8b5d6984" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sharply limited</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/fcdffb8f-f86e-4bd9-adec-20256aeb0a07" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exports</a>&nbsp;of AstraZeneca’s vaccine last month, in an effort to focus on its own supply issues. This could&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56513371" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slow deliveries</a>&nbsp;in wealthy countries like the United Kingdom, but it will pose especially serious delays for poorer countries, many of which are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-98e1561a12c4944478e27c0214f8e447" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reliant on</a>&nbsp;AstraZeneca doses from the COVAX international vaccine subsidy program.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h4>



“The globe needs this vaccine,” Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-vaccination-rs-3-000-crores-needed-to-ramp-up-vaccine-production-adar-poonawalla-2407614" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Tuesday</a>. “We are prioritizing the needs of India at the moment, and we are still short of being able to supply to every Indian that needs it.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



Vaccine shortages are not unique to India. Well-heeled places like the United States and Europe have vaccinated their populations far more quickly than low and middle-income countries, partly because they pre-ordered hundreds of millions of doses last year. So far, about 87% of the world’s vaccine supplies have gone to wealthy or upper-middle-income countries, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19-9-april-2021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Health Organization</a>&nbsp;said Friday, while many African countries have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">secured enough doses</a>&nbsp;to immunize less than 1% of their populations.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/world/asia/india-covid19-vaccines-mumbai.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">India Battles a Second Covid-19 Wave and Vaccine Skepticism (New York Times)</a>



By Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff

India’s Covid Outbreak Is Now The World’s Worst As It Lags In Vaccinations

Understanding the new variants of the coronavirus and if and how the vaccines will catch up.



When this story was going to press, Nigeria had a total of 159,000 Covid-19 cases and counting. A big chunk of these cases was attributed to the two variants discovered in the West African country – the B.1.525 also found in the United Kingdom (UK) and the B.1.207 genetically sequenced in Nigeria.



Experts continue to closely monitor the situation of countries that have seen new variants as the effects of these mutations have yet to be determined. In South Africa, more light has been shed on the 501Y.V2 variant which has been found to be more infectious and deadlier than the original strain.



South Africa has also seen a new strain emerge, as the variant, 501Y.V2, which has wreaked havoc on the country and seen the number of cases increase exponentially since its discovery in December last year.



The situation in Nigeria and South Africa are not unique, however, as other parts of the world too have had to face the daunting reality of combating a new variant and the possibility of minimal protection offered by the vaccines now available.



Professor Lynn Morris, interim Executive Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of South Africa, explains to FORBES AFRICA that the virus is likely to become a norm and not disappear altogether from society.



“SARS-CoV-2 is likely to become endemic – in other words, it will continue to circulate amongst people who lack sufficient immunity,” explains Morris. With Covid-19 expected to join the likes of HIV in becoming an endemic, mutations are expected as “viruses mutate as they replicate, fortunately most are harmless”.



It is the area in which these replications have occurred, however, that has created the current crisis with the vaccines available. The spike protein is a key component to the survival of the coronavirus cell and is how the virus enters the body and begins to replicate.



The spike protein allows for the coronavirus cell to invade human cells. By doing this, it ensures the survival of the virus as viruses are only able to replicate once they have entered the host cell. Mutations on the spike protein have a number of different implications as each chemical component of the spike protein serves a different purpose.



One of these purposes is the rate of infection as Morris explains: “The 501Y.V2 variant has a number of mutations in its spike protein. One of these is shared with the variant circulating in the UK that has been shown to increase transmissibility. Another three are escape mutations that make the virus partially or in some cases completely resistant to otherwise protective antibodies.”



The other issue that has also arisen as a result of these mutations is resistance to the current vaccine models available. The vaccines produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford and AstraZeneca all use a specific genetic component from the virus in their vaccine and the antibodies created by the body then formulate their reaction based on the genetic material of this component.



The material used by all these companies has been derived from the spike protein of the virus. This then brings the efficacy of the vaccines into question in dealing with the mutations of the coronavirus cell and still being able to provide a high enough level of protection against the virus.



This theory became a reality in South Africa, where the rollout of vaccines had to be paused with one of the main factors being a low-efficacy level of the vaccine when treating the new strain of the virus. The vaccine in question, the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine, had been purchased from the Serum Institute of India and was due for rollout in February.



Due to results conducted by an independent researcher, and a close approaching expiration date, the use of these vaccines was halted and replaced with the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine, Ad26.cov2.S. At the time of writing, this vaccine had been administered to over 145,000 health workers who were given priority.



The possibility of vaccines being a permanent or long-term solution has yet to be determined.



“We don’t know yet how long vaccine-induced immunity will last. If it follows the same pattern as natural infection where antibodies are relatively short-lived, then a booster will likely be required,” says Morris.



As more mutations arise as the virus replicates and the number of vaccines approved for use increases, this war between virus and vaccine is coming to a head and at this point, the victor is anyone’s guess.



Variant B.1.525 – this variant is still relatively new and undergoing investigation is still determining the extent to which the mutations affect the rate of infection. This strain has been found across the world including Ghana and Nigeria.



Variant B.1.1.207 – Initially discovered through genome sequencing done in Nigeria, the exact effects of this variant are still under study, as of March 2021, this variant has been found across the world including countries in Europe, Asia and North America.



Cluster Five – This cluster was found in Denmark amongst the mink population and was found that it would be possible to spread to humans from mink farms. This then led to the culling of 17 million minks which subsequently led to the extinction of the cluster five variant.

PALESTINIAN-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINE

The Conflict Between Virus And Vaccine

Personal shoppers attest to seeing an interesting shift in the spending habits of the ultra-wealthy. The Covid-19 lockdowns meant an unexpected rise in their business. 



With retail most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, both companies and consumers have had to revisit their shopping philosophies. And this also applied to Africa’s vast contingent of luxury personal shoppers and high net-worth individuals, who would otherwise travel abroad for their Louis Vuittons and Valentinos. The retail therapy continues online for those with deep pockets and greater choices in a world of evolving e-commerce.



For the retail entrepreneurs, this has meant consistently reinventing the wheel – and this time, they seem to be laughing all the way to the bank.



Take 31-year-old United-Kingdom-born Nigerian Lisa Omeleh, the founder of Classles, a company that has grown from being a personal shopping service, specifically offering discounted luxury goods for its members, to a social media-based personal shopping brand, with over 300 annual clients.



A typical day for Omeleh pre-Covid would involve attending luxury fashion events such as London Fashion Week and having private meetings with the head honchos of high-end brands on behalf of her clients. These days, she spends most of her time tapping into her enormous network of luxury resellers and shopping assistants from some of the world’s most premium brands like Cartier, Tiffany and Hermès, to source the best products for her affluent customers.



“The most expensive items will typically be jewelry and Hermès Birkin bags or Kelly bags. If I am sourcing Hermès bags, I usually do a 10% to 20% commission on top of the bags. The bags range from $10,000 to $11,000 (resale price) and then if you are talking different types of skins such as crocodile or alligator, it can go upwards of $30,000. Jewelry can go from $14,000,” says Omeleh.



Her clients, she says, are the daughters of presidents, wives of governors as well as high net-worth individuals. Omeleh has seen her business grow, but Covid-19 ushered in a new era, one in which her clients rely on her expertise to keep up-to-date with fashion trends on the other side of the Atlantic.



<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="683" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lisa-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50712 size-full" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lisa-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lisa-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lisa-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lisa-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lisa-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/lisa-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“I have made much more money and doubled my income in the pandemic than any other time because I assume people are bored and are shopping or are looking for something to do.” <cite>– Lisa Omeleh</cite></blockquote>
</div></div>



“A lot of people see fashion as frivolous but it is a necessity for a lot of people. I have made much more money and doubled my income in the pandemic than any other time because I assume people are bored and shopping or looking for something to do. Or they are hoping that by purchasing expensive items, they have something to look forward to when the lockdown is over. Also, a lot of my relationships with sales assistants on the shop [floor] is bearing fruit and they are sending me stuff so I can push out to my clients because they still need to make their sales even though the shops are closed,” says Omeleh, who has seen an average spending of between $15,000 to $20,000 per client since the pandemic hit last year.



It has been a good run for Omeleh, who graduated from the University of Greenwich in the UK with a journalism and public relations degree, but stumbled on a career in fashion.



“I felt I was always good at building strong relationships with clients and I made a lot of contacts with people abroad and on the ground here in the UK as well, so I transferred the skills to my business. It got to a point where I was making more money than my nine-to-five and I haven’t looked back since,” says the astute entrepreneur.



With Covid-19, Cassandra Okoroafor, of Bespoke Luxury Shopper Limited, also noticed a similar spike in her personal shopping business.



“When the pandemic started in March, I only made $11,000 and then, by May 2020, it was crazy and I had an influx of new clients,” she says.



Her journey into the glamorous world of luxury personal shopping began in 2016 when she was doing her master’s program in London. At the time, she was looking for a way to earn extra cash and stumbled on the idea of personal shopping. After creating a business plan, Okoroafor decided her niche would be primarily focused on helping unconventional ultra-wealthy clients who do not have time to shop on account of their busy schedules.



Similar to Omeleh, Okoroafor’s business utilizes social media to attract clients through glitzy images of products and by selling an aspirational lifestyle.



<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cassandra-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50710 size-full" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cassandra-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cassandra-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cassandra-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cassandra-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cassandra-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“The middle-class clients compensated for the sales when my wealthy clients cut back. Sales went up by 31% in 2020 compared to 2019.”<cite>– Cassandra Okoroafor</cite></blockquote>
</div></div>



“The business moved me away from the traditional view of depending on men to survive and taught me that I can work and buy everything by myself. The biggest challenge was getting clients to trust me. You are asking people to spend over $9,000 for items and coming from Nigeria, with the stigma of scams, it affects people’s willingness to trust you. Even now, I leave my name as ‘Cassy’ because if I use my surname, some clients may start thinking I am from Nigeria and all the negative stereotypes that come with it,” says Okoroafor.



To overcome this stigma, she and Omeleh rely heavily on referrals from other clients. At the start of the pandemic, Okoroafor noticed an interesting shift in spending habits among her 200-strong clientele spread across Nigeria, Ghana, the UAE and South Africa.



“I have the ultra-wealthy clients and the normal middle-class clients. I noticed my wealthy clients cut back on spending on luxury items during the pandemic and they were more into wellbeing products and more comfort clothes to wear at home. But then, my middle-class clients started spending a lot of money on luxury bags and shoes and I think it had a lot to do with staying at home and doing nothing. I was calling it ‘boredom shopping’, they didn’t have anything to do and they spent more money at home trying to pass the time.”



By December 2020, her wealthy clients returned mainly because they had to buy gifts for family and corporate clients during the Christmas period.



“So, it was good for me because the middle-class clients compensated for the sales when my wealthy clients cut back. Sales went up by 31% in 2020 compared to 2019,” says Okoroafor.



To make profit on commissions requires an uncanny ability to handle a number of costs as well as uncertainties in the supply chain. Firstly, you have the issue of sourcing and logistics to contend with.



“Sourcing and logistics are the hardest part because when you are doing high-priced items and so many of them at a time, you have sleepless nights because you are trying to sort out shipping. Shipping to Nigeria is not as straight-forward and can be very expensive. For example, if you lose an item, there isn’t much insurance on that product. I only had a shipper lose one item before and that was a lot of headache,” recalls Omeleh.



Then, you have the issue of fluctuating currencies to deal with.



“Another problem is exchange rates and trying to convert the naira to pounds. So, you need to figure out how to incorporate that into the business in order to make a profit. For the first year, I didn’t make that much money,” says Okoroafor.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Abisola-Ola-Saheed.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-50709" width="346" height="433" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Abisola-Ola-Saheed.jpg 512w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Abisola-Ola-Saheed-240x300.jpg 240w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 346px) 100vw, 346px" /><figcaption>Abisola Ola Saheed</figcaption></figure></div>



Her clients spend more on jewelry than any other item. The growth in her business has led to Okoroafor diversifying her portfolio to accommodate more demands.



“Firstly, I have VIP Sourcing, where I have to source rare items like Hermès bags. For example, in 2020, I sourced a three-toned croc Hermès bag and it was shocking to source that during a pandemic. I even sourced a bike from BMW once and it is the highest service I offer clients. Then, I offer services like buying home décor and clothing. I charge a personal shopping commission on items, which is 10%. Then I create pieces for clients and charge a fee for styling them as well,” she says.&nbsp;



The personal shopping industry attracts professionals from all backgrounds. Take the case of lawyer-turned-CEO of Hays Personal Shopper Limited, Abisola Ola-Saheed.



She started out in this space in 2015 initially for its flexible working hours as she started a family. Today, it is turning over more than her legal job and after making a career switch as a full-time personal shopper, Ola-Saheed is also reaping the unexpected rewards of the lockdown.



“2019 was my biggest year followed by 2020. The pandemic has not affected me in anyway because people are still shopping. My clients are saying if they die, no one will enjoy their money so, they would rather shop and enjoy themselves now than save. In 2020 alone, I had over 200 clients,” says Ola-Saheed.



Her secret is giving her clients as much attention as they require in order to close a sale.



“We shop for high net-worth clients and we source hard-to-get pieces. You are being trusted with a lot of money so with the amount of money coming into your hands, you need to give them 24/7 attention.” &nbsp;



By all accounts, it seems the trend, especially with wealthy African consumers, is geared towards stress-free, bespoke shopping. Brands are also increasingly leaning on personal shoppers and their loyal client base to help them retail hard-to-sell products during the lockdown and as a result, for now, it appears the market remains favorable for enterprising Africans in the diaspora willing to go the extra mile – and the last mile – to meet the insatiable shopping demands of their clients back home.

African American woman opening packages of shoes on sofa

The Luxe Factor: A Boom In Business For Personal Shoppers

Topline: South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in another “family meeting” on Tuesday evening that although the country will not be moving from Alert Level one, heavy restrictions would be put in place for this upcoming Easter Weekend.  



Key Facts&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Officially it has been over a year since South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced that country would be going into a hard lockdown to mitigate the spread of the global pandemic, Covid-19.  </li><li>However, the president made it clear that the number of cases has remained “relatively stable” but warns the country should not be complacent.  </li><li>“The number of hospitalizations is declining, as is the number of deaths. Our national recovery rate stands at slightly higher than 95%,” Ramaphosa said in his address.  </li><li>With that being said, alcohol sales for this weekend will be restricted to curb “reckless behavior” over the long weekend. On-site sales at restaurants, shebeens, and bars will still be allowed but just up until 23:00. </li><li>In addition to that, Ramaphosa also announced that South Africa has secured another 20 million dosages of the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine. In the middle of February, South Africa began Phase 1 of its vaccination program, which involves the vaccination of health workers. This phase is on track to be completed within three months. Phase 2 is scheduled to start in mid-May. </li></ul>



Crucial Quote



“Any action that puts ourselves or others at risk must be avoided. The restrictions that are in place for our collective health and safety must be observed. Let us be a responsible nation that is forever aware of the presence of the virus. Let us remain at home or in small groups. Let us avoid being in large crowds and places with poor ventilation. Let us not go to funerals unless we are immediate family and not visit the homes of the bereaved. We all have a role in this great national effort to end COVID-19,” Ramaphosa pleaded with South Africa.&nbsp;

South African President Ramaphosa visits the Mashatile family home to offer condolences

Restrictions for Easter Weekend In South Africa

A preview of some of the cool gadgets being rolled out by global players this year.



BY NAFISA AKABOR



IN LIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, THE WORLD’S LARGEST consumer electronics show held annually in Las Vegas, which saw well over 171,000 attendees in 2020 – went all digital this year. At CES 2021, we saw a mix of interesting prototypes and products. Naturally, it included ways to combat Covid-19, such as body sensors from BioButton to detect flu-like symptoms; the MaskFone with built-in microphone for calls without removing a mask; and Alarm.com’s touchless video doorbell to help reduce the transmission of bacteria. 



As expected, there were plenty of robots but with UV lights to disinfect high-traffic areas such as the Coro-Bot, LG’s CLOi and the Adibot.



Gaming hardware company Razer introduced a prototype N95 mask called Project Hazel that is waterproof, scratch-resistant and transparent, which supports RGB lights that shine on the mouth. It features voice projection and can filter 95% of airborne particles.



Interestingly, the Metropolitan Museum of Art went virtual through the launch of The Met Unframed. It is a free smartphone-only experience of a digitally rendered art gallery including iconic masterpieces and the ability to play augmented reality games. It runs until mid-February.



There were also rollable phone screens showcased by LG and TLC, both with displays that expand as needed. However, the hype at CES this year was around updated television screens.



TVs unveiled at CES 2021 included brighter OLED screens, 8K support, laser TVs, mini-LED and micro-LED. The main difference between mini and micro LED is that the former can have more packed together in the same area and is backlit, whereas the latter is even smaller but self-illuminating.



HiSense unveiled a TriChroma Laser projection TV that displays “purer colors”, which is an improvement over RGB color and has brighter pixels, according to the company.



It also claims the technology offers 50% better color than cinemas, an industry that has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.



Meanwhile, Sony’s 2021 TV line-up will feature 8K support, OLEDs and 4K LED models. Bravias will be powered by its new Cognitive Processor XR that can divide the screen into various zones to detect its focal point, and analyze sound positioning to match what appears on screen.



The company says that while conventional AI can only detect and analyze picture elements like color, contrast and detail individually, the new processor can cross-analyze an array of elements at once, like our brain does. Sony is also the first manufacturer to announce support for the new Google TV platform, the successor to Android TV.



LG, on the other hand, has been busy with NanoCell TVs, 4K OLED monitors, QNED mini LED and second-generation panels called OLED Evo. It also announced a futuristic concept transparent TV that can be used in the bedroom, as a restaurant partition or on public transport to display route information.



The company will bring most of the line-up to South Africa, including the top of the range 8K Z1, the GX Gallery OLED and the 48-inch C1 model that was previously not available in the region, which is best for movies, sports and gaming.



Lance Berger, sales head for home entertainment at LG Electronics South Africa, says its 4K OLED monitors are suited for productivity, entertainment and gaming. “For those working from home, LG’s UltraFine Monitors are renowned for offering immersive viewing, but they also shine as productivity powerhouses, delivering a flexible workstation experience and easy setup.”



Berger says a USB-C port allows a 4K video display, data transfer and laptop/mobile device charging all at the same time over a single cable, which helps reduce cord clutter and increase efficiency.



Late in 2020, LG announced an exclusive partnership with Microsoft’s new Xbox Series X gaming console. This year, LG will offer a ‘game optimizer’ feature that fine-tunes the picture for consoles and PCs Berger says the feature gives gamers fast access to tweaks one would be likely to use, such as lag reduction and variable refresh rate. 



“Gamers can enable AI-based sound tuning for specific genres – it will adjust for a first-person shooter, role-playing game or even a real-time strategy title.”

Economic and financial impact during the Covid-19 health crisis deepens. Businesswoman with protective face mask checking financial trading data on smartphone by the stock exchange market display screen board in downtown financial district showing stock m

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