COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 4,215 new Covid-19 cases

September 16 2021 - 19:22

No provinces record more than 1,000 new Covid-19 cases as 'downward trend' of infections continues: NICD

Not a single province recorded more than 1,000 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, data from the National Institution for Communicable Diseases showed on Thursday.

In fact, just three provinces had more than 500 new cases in the past day.

The NICD said there were 4,215 new infections recorded in the past 24 hours, which showed that the current wave was on a “sustained downward trend”. Of the new cases, the majority were in the Western Cape (905), followed by the Eastern Cape (850) and KwaZulu-Natal (806).

September 16 2021 - 19:14

Selling AstraZeneca vaccines resulted in up to 22,000 deaths, says Madhi

The lives of 18,000 to 22,000 elderly South Africans could have been saved had the country not sold 1.5-million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to other African countries in March.

The sale also fuelled vaccine hesitancy across the continent, leaving many doses unused, until they ultimately expired.

This is according to an in-depth analysis conducted by vaccinology expert Prof Shabir Madhi at Johannesburg’s Wits University, who said the government “completely ignored” the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO), with disastrous consequences.

September 16 2021 - 15:49

LISTEN | SA has been using 'vaccine passports' for years - expert

Calls have been made nationally for a protest against possible plans for Covid-19 vaccine passports.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government was considering the idea of requiring citizens to produce proof of vaccination against Covid-19 to access certain activities, events and venues.

In response to the announcement, protesters under the World Wide Rally For Freedom banner said they would join the global protest against vaccine passports taking place on Saturday.

September 16 2021 - 14:11

How soon can you drink alcohol after getting your Covid-19 vaccine?

Perhaps you’ve heard the warning going around: you shouldn’t drink after you’ve been vaccinated. If you’ve already received your shot and decided to toast the occasion, or are planning on doing so as soon as you've been jabbed, you might be wondering if you’ve made the right call.

We asked a trio of experts how soon you can drink alcohol after getting the Covid-19 vaccine.

September 16 2021 - 10:13

People plan to hit the streets this weekend to oppose possible vaccine passports — what you need to know

Calls have been made nationally for a protest against the possible plans for Covid-19 vaccine passports.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government was considering the idea of requiring citizens to produce proof of vaccination against Covid-19 to access certain activities, events and venues.

In response to the announcement, many protesters, under the World Wide Rally For Freedom banner, will join the global protest against vaccine passports taking place on Saturday.

September 16 2021 - 08:55

Children too at risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation, new report shows

Children as young as 15 have lost their lives due to Covid-19, and at least 7% of patients admitted to intensive care units have been aged 18 and younger.

This is according to a National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) report.

According to the NICD's latest monthly Covid-19 in children surveillance report, between March 2020 and August 28, 2021, people under the age of 19 made up 14.2% of Covid-19 tests and almost 12% of laboratory-confirmed cases. teenagers and young children accounted for almost 8% of admissions and 0.7% of hospital deaths.

September 16 2021 - 07:15

What happens if I miss my appointment to get the second jab?

More than 7-million people have received their first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine and over 4-million people have received their second dose, according to the latest government statistics.

The interval between the first and second dose is 42 days. The government decided on this interval after evidence showed older patients who delay the second dose of the vaccine have a much stronger immune response.

What happens if I miss my second dose?

September 16 2021 - 06:15

New parents hit by lockdown blues, UCT study finds

New parents are experiencing an added mental health strain during Covid-19's protracted lockdown, a new South African study has revealed.

According to the study by a team of University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers, parents with children born during lockdown were less likely to have their preferred choice of birth method, had worse self-reported birth experiences, were less likely to have skin-to-skin contact with their babies after birth and were frequently unable to have someone at their birth that they had wanted to be there — all adding up to their mental health woes.

Researchers said that, as a result, new parents are experiencing psychological strain and symptoms of depression are common.

September 16 2021 - 05:30

The longer Covid-19 vaccine inequity persists, the more, the virus will keep circulating: Ghebreyesus