COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | Government a step closer to ending state of disaster: Phaahla

February 24 2022 - 18:05

Covid-19 pandemic at a ‘turning point’: groundbreaking study

More than half of children in SA have had Covid-19, as have about 80% of adults older than 50.

These data are according to a study by the Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit led by Prof Shabir Madhi, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

It indicates that the pandemic has reached a definite “turning point”, said Madhi.

February 24 2022 - 17:55

Chiefs confident of winning Covid-19 case against PSL, says Jessica Motaung

Kaizer Chiefs' marketing director Jessica Motaung says the club are “very confident” of winning their arbitration case against the Premier Soccer League (PSL), because Amakhosi followed the rules of the country regarding Covid-19.

Chiefs' arbitration at the SA Football Association (Safa) regarding two matches they failed to honour in December amid an outbreak of more than 50 cases of Covid-19 at the club is to be heard on March 5.

The PSL executive committee had rejected Chiefs' request to postpone their DStv Premiership matches in December, including a home game against Cape Town City and a match away to Lamontville Golden Arrows that Amakhosi failed to honour.

February 24 2022 - 17:51

Man enters court premises with 'positive' Covid-19 results

There was drama at the Mbombela (Nelspruit) magistrate's court on Thursday morning when a man entered the courtroom carrying a positive Covid-19 result. 

The man was attending the double murder and attempted murder case against former Mpumalanga agriculture MEC Mandla Msibi and five co-accused. Msibi is suspended from his role of election manager for the ANC in Mpumalanga.  

People attending the court had to wait outside for some time before the case could start, as security personnel advised attendees of the problem. 

February 24 2022 - 17:47

Government a step closer to ending state of disaster: Phaahla

Health minister Dr Joe Phaahla has confirmed that the government is a step closer to finalising regulations that could see the national state of disaster lifted soon.

“We are almost at the tail end of finalising this matter ... We are hoping that by next week there should be a national coronavirus command council [NCCC] meeting where alternative regulations can be presented [by health and other departments],” said Phaahla.

The minister was briefing journalists on Thursday in his capacity as the co-chair of the social protection, community and human development (SPCHD) cluster after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation address.

February 24 2022 - 13:22

Man enters court premises with 'positive' Covid-19 results

There was drama at the Mbombela (Nelspruit) magistrate's court on Thursday morning when a man entered the courtroom carrying a positive Covid-19 result. 

The man was attending the double murder and attempted murder case against former Mpumalanga agriculture MEC Mandla Msibi and five co-accused. Msibi is suspended from his role of election manager for the ANC in Mpumalanga.  

People attending the court had to wait outside for some time before the case could start, as security personnel advised attendees of the problem. 

“You can't enter now as they are verifying if indeed the man's results are recent,” a security personnel member told Sowetan. 

February 24 2022 - 12:39

Omicron BA.2 sub-variant more infectious but no more severe — Africa CDC

The Omicron BA.2 sub-variant of Covid-19 appears to be more infectious than the original BA.1 sub-variant, but does not cause more severe disease, the head of Africa's top public health body said on Thursday, citing data from SA.

“SA is reporting that it is more transmissible than the BA.1 variant, but the severity seems to be the same,” said Dr John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

February 24 2022 - 09:43

Covid-19 surges in New Zealand, protesters against mandates chase away Ardern

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was rushed out of a school event in Christchurch on Thursday after protesters opposed to Covid-19 restrictive measures thronged the venue and chased her car, while daily infection numbers hit record levels.

New Zealand reported over 6,000 new cases of Covid-19, with 250 hospitalisations, and the government expects the outbreak to peak in mid-March.

Having been lauded earlier for her success in keeping the country Covid-19-free, Ardern has been fiercely criticised recently for the slow unlocking of restrictive measures.

Demonstrations against her leadership that began in the capital, Wellington, have now spread to other parts of the North and South Islands.

February 24 2022 - 09:13

Hong Kong rolls out Covid-19 vaccine passport, paves way for mainland doctors

Residents will have to show their vaccine record to access venues including supermarkets, shopping malls and restaurants, a major inconvenience in a city where malls link train stations to residences and office buildings.

Separately, city leader Carrie Lam used emergency powers granted under British colonial-era laws to exempt mainland Chinese staff and projects from any licensing or other legal requirements to operate in Hong Kong.

City authorities have asked their mainland Chinese counterparts for help to build additional isolation, treatment and testing facilities, and boost the workforce as Hong Kong's health system is increasingly overwhelmed.

February 24 2022 - 07:50

J&J says it nears vaccine licensing deal with S.Africa's Aspen

US drugmaker Johnson & Johnson is close to a vaccine licensing deal with South African group Aspen Pharmacare, a senior J&J executive told a conference in Nigeria on Wednesday.

"We are at the advanced stages of a potential licensing agreement with Aspen and we are really hopeful it will be finalised," said Stacy Meyer, J&J's Vice President Global Public Health, Operations and Partnerships.

She gave no further details.

In November, Aspen signed non-binding terms with subsidiaries of J&J, saying this was a step towards a licensing deal for Aspen to package and sell J&J's's Covid-19 vaccine in Africa.

The non-binding agreements were hailed by the World Health Organization as a "transformative moment" in the drive towards greater vaccine equity.

Africa is the least vaccinated part of the world. Multiple organisations and companies are involved in initiatives to build up vaccine manufacturing capacity on the continent, to avoid a repeat of what happened at the start of the Covid-19 vaccination drive, when rich countries hoarded supplies. 

Reuters

February 24 2022 - 07:00

What is the new time frame to get my second Pfizer shot?

The health department has reduced the time between first and second doses of Pfizer vaccine from 42 days to 21 days. 

This week, the department said individuals who are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, meaning they have received both doses, will now be eligible for a booster dose 90 days after the second dose instead of the current 180 days.

The department said individuals older than 18 who have received one dose of the J&J vaccine are now eligible to receive a booster dose of the same vaccine or a booster dose of Pfizer vaccine after two months.

February 24 2022 - 06:00

Budget 2022 | Tax windfall will pay for Covid-19 R350 grant & job creation projects

A R182bn tax windfall boosted by a commodity boom has resulted in a slight improvement in public finances, giving the government room to reduce borrowing, narrow the budget deficit, extend social grants and invest in job creating projects.

A buoyant National Treasury described returning public finances to a healthier position as a great milestone, but finance minister Enoch Godongwana warned in his speech the country is still a long way from a more sustainable economic recovery and that spending must still be curbed.

“The improved revenue performance is not a reflection of an improvement in the capacity of our economy. As such, we cannot plan permanent expenditure on the basis of short-term increases in commodity prices. To be clear, any permanent increases in spending should be financed in a way that does worsen the fiscal deficit,” he said.