COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 26,976 new Covid-19 cases

15 December 2021 - 05:30

By TimesLIVE

December 15 2021 - 14:53

UK gives green light to travellers from SA, but now there's a huge visa backlog

The UK may have dropped its “red list” travel ban on people arriving from South Africa, but for South African passport holders, massive delays in the issuing of visas means their travel plans are still up in the air.

Lee-Ann Collingridge of Johannesburg applied for her UK visa on November 12, having booked three seats on a British Airways flight which was due to depart on December 10. That flight was cancelled, thanks to the travel ban, and the family has just rebooked for a December 21 flight, but Collingridge has no idea whether her visa will be issued by then.

December 15 2021 - 14:19

Omicron discovery flip-flop lands UK health secretary in a political pickle

First he publicly praised SA for alerting the world about the Omicron variant, but UK health secretary Sajid Javid is taking flak for his abrupt about-turn after he publicly declared the UK “alerted the world to the threat” posed by the new Covid-19 strain.

Speaking during a UK parliamentary sitting earlier this week, Javid said: “May I remind the honourable gentleman that it was the UK that alerted the world to the threat of Omicron. There is no country better prepared if you look at how quickly and swiftly the UK reacted, for example, with the international restrictions and information we shared to the world on vaccines.”

Javid was providing a response regarding the UK’s handling of the Omicron variant after receiving criticism from a fellow MP, reported the Express.

December 15 2021 - 11:25

Will Omicron oust Delta among key questions facing virus scientists

The scientists who were among a network that was the first to sequence Omicron are watching to see if the highly mutated coronavirus variant will dictate the course of the pandemic.

Will future strains stem from its lineage or will other variants crowd it out?

Initial findings in SA, where Omicron is driving the country’s fourth wave of infections, show the new variant is easily transmitted and has largely overtaken Delta, which had abated after an intense third wave of infections in the middle of 2021.

December 15 2021 - 09:57

Pfizer set to oust AstraZeneca as top supplier of Covid-19 shots to poor nations

Pfizer and BioNtech are set to displace AstraZeneca as the main suppliers of Covid-19 vaccines to the global COVAX programme at the start of 2022, a shift that shows the increasing importance of their shot for poorer states.

The expected change comes with headaches for receiving countries that lack sufficient cold storage capacity to handle the Pfizer vaccine, and amid risks of a shortage of syringes needed to administer that shot.

AstraZeneca is currently the most distributed vaccine by COVAX, according to data from Gavi, the vaccine alliance that co-manages the programme with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

December 15 2021 - 09:48

SA part of landmark study to evaluate Covid-19 vaccine efficacy in HIV patients

A landmark clinical trial in eight sub-Saharan African countries will be the first to specifically evaluate the efficacy of a Covid-19 vaccine in people living with HIV.

It also is the first study to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines — in this case, Moderna mRNA-1273 — against the Omicron variant, said the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC).

The Ubuntu trial is being sponsored by the SAMRC and funded by the US government and supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) within the National Institutes of Health.

December 15 2021 - 09:28

Court halts implementation of Covid-19 vaccination requirement in Kenya

A Kenyan court has temporarily halted the government's plan to require Covid-19 vaccination for access to public services until a petition challenging it is heard and ruled upon, court documents seen by Reuters showed.

Last month Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe announced all residents would have to show proof of vaccination by December 21 to be able access all public services in person.

The requirement affected a range of public services including schools, transport, immigration and other state offices, as well as hotels, bars, restaurants, national parks and wildlife reserves.

On Tuesday however, Antony Mrima, a high court judge in the capital Nairobi, issued a temporary order halting implementation of the mandate pending a legal decision on a petition filed by a Kenyan declaring the move "unconstitutional".

December 15 2021 - 09:21

Omicron estimated to be 2.9% of Covid-19 variants in US: CDC

The Omicron variant was estimated to be 2.9% of the Covid-19 variants circulating in the United States as of December 11, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the week ended December 4, Omicron constituted 0.4% of all variants in the country, based on the specimens sequenced.

The agency also estimated that the fast-spreading variant, first detected in South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong in late November, was 13.1% of circulating Covid-19 variants in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands for the week ended December 11.

December 15 2021 - 08:15

Controversial bishop vows to take legal action against mandatory vaccination

Controversial Durban Zionist Bishop Timothy Bheki Ngcobo has vowed to protest in several cities against the “mandatory vaccine injustice” being rolled out in SA which he deems to be unconstitutional.

Ngcobo spoke to TimesLIVE after penning an open letter on Monday to President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce motorcade and prayer protests starting on Friday to the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

“This letter serves to inform you that God’s Church Must Rise (GCMR) will embark on a massive motorcade demonstration to the Union Buildings to submit a petition and memorandum against the mandatory vaccine injustice being rolled out on our citizens,” read the letter.

December 15 2021 - 08:12

I have TB — am I at greater risk of catching Covid-19?

While studies on the effects of Covid-19 on tuberculosis (TB) patients are limited, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says it anticipates people ill with both are at greater risk of severe infection, especially if TB treatment is interrupted.

“Older age, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are linked with more severe Covid-19 and are also risk factors for poor outcomes in TB.”

It said Covid-19 and TB show similar symptoms such as a cough, fever and difficulty breathing.