COVID-19 WRAP | How PIMS worsens Covid for children

December 10 2021 - 15:43

WATCH | Anti-vax protesters demand urgent court hearing, vow to mobilise

It was a small protest but the large syringe at the entrance of the high court in Pretoria caught the attention of passers-by and some supporters of the anti-vaccination cause.

The protest was organised by Free the Children–Save the Nation, a non-profit organisation along with other organisations who believe children should not be vaccinated.

December 10 2021 - 15:43

Omicron detected in Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay wastewater as cases rise

The SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) says its scientists have detected the Covid-19 Omicron variant in Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay.

The variant was detected in most wastewater treatment plants tested in Cape Town, and in a sample collected at Cape Town International Airport (CTIA).

December 10 2021 - 13:50

Spread of Omicron in the UK may be faster than in SA

December 10 2021 - 12:30

‘The ongoing punishment seems pointless’: Piers Morgan calls for SA to be removed from travel red list

Broadcaster Piers Morgan has weighed in on travel bans amid the outbreak of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, calling for SA to be removed from the UK’s red list. 

Southern African flights were banned from entering the UK last month after the detection of the new variant.

December 10 2021 - 11:55

Safa postpones congress after delegates test positive for Covid-19

The SA Football Association (Safa) has postponed its congress due to a number of delegates testing positive for Covid-19, Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe said.

Though delegates had to present vaccine certificates to attend the Congress to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from Saturday, another requirement was Covid-19 testing amid rising infections as SA enters its fourth wave.

December 10 2021 - 11:50

Nelson Mandela Bay calls for large events to be shelved as Covid-19 infections rise

Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Eugene Johnson says the city has urged event organisers to postpone or cancel planned large gatherings ahead of the festive season due to a resurgence in Covid-19 infections.

December 10 2021 - 11:27

‘Dear President Ramaphosa’: plea for clarity on festive season travel as fourth wave gathers steam

A plea has gone out to President Cyril Ramaphosa in an open letter to “provide certainty” about interprovincial travel during the festive season after Omicron travel bans wrecked an anticipated foreign tourism boom in SA.

The open letter was penned by Flight Centre Travel Group SA MD Euan McNeil, who said “knee-jerk international travel bans” imposed on SA had left beds and seats empty in the hospitality sector.

He is hopeful local holidaymakers will be able to fill some of the empty spaces.

December 10 2021 - 11:00

Recommendations for mandatory vaccinations not yet tabled, says Mondli Gungubele

Minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele says recommendations for making the Covid-19 vaccine mandatory have not been tabled. 

On Thursday Gungubele said further discussions regarding the vaccine mandate were to take place in the coming weeks.

“We are looking at information on the implications of the mandatory stuff,” he said.  

“It’s clear to a number of us that you need a policy that encourages vaccination and a policy that discourages cynicism towards vaccines. What type of policy that is, will depend on the findings as we assess the situation.” 

December 10 2021 - 10:31

WHO exec: donated Covid-19 vaccines with short shelf life 'major problem'

Wealthy countries donating Covid-19 vaccines with a relatively short shelf life has been a "major problem" for the COVAX dose sharing programme, a senior official at the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.

December 10 2021 - 10:08

SA’s Beta breakthrough biologist goes one better with Omicron

Sandile Cele’s Christmas present to SA last year was a breakthrough that made him the first scientist to grow a live virus of Covid-19’s Beta variant within two months of its discovery. 

Nearly a year after his December 25 2020 breakthrough, the microbiologist and biochemist from the Africa Health Research Institute in KwaZulu-Natal has gone one better this Christmas.

He has grown a live Omicron virus in just more than two weeks, and proved the Pfizer vaccine is still effective against it.

Cele’s achievement was praised on Friday by his boss at the institute, Prof Alex Sigal, who told a health department media briefing the laboratory technologist’s results are highly encouraging.

December 10 2021 - 09:30

Premier Alan Winde welcomes booster shots amid looming Covid-19 fourth wave in Western Cape

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has welcomed the approval of Pfizer booster shots, encouraging residents to get vaccinated amid the looming Covid-19 fourth wave in the province.

This week the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) approved the Pfizer booster shot for everyone older than 18. 

December 10 2021 - 08:16

Omicron 'spread across hotel corridor' between two fully vaccinated travellers

The Covid-19 Omicron variant spread between two fully vaccinated travellers across the corridor of a Hong Kong quarantine hotel, underscoring why the mutated strain is unnerving health authorities. 

Closed-circuit television camera footage shows neither person left their room or had contact, leaving airborne transmission when respective doors were opened for food collection or Covid-19 testing the most probable mode of spread, researchers at the University of Hong Kong said in a study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

December 10 2021 - 07:32

Can children be cared for at home if they have Covid-19?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised that children who contract Covid-19 be kept together with their parents or caregivers wherever possible.

As the Omicron variant spreads there have been concerns about children being infected. Experts say higher hospital admissions among children in recent weeks should prompt vigilance but not panic, as infections have been mild.

The WHO said children with mild or moderate symptoms can be considered for home care if the home setting is suitable for isolation and care of the child.

December 10 2021 - 06:30

Vaccine equity is crucial for Africa, but there won’t be a gold rush: study

Vaccine inequity has become a sticking point, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently slamming it as a phenomenon that puts everyone at risk and affects the most vulnerable in the poorest countries.

A new study by the University of Cape Town (UCT) has now highlighted the granular detail of how it could look if and when vaccines became more readily available in Africa.

It suggests that while there would be high uptake, with positive effects on public health, it wouldn’t necessarily be the gold-rush effect one might expect.

December 10 2021 - 06:20

How PIMS worsens Covid for children

Whilst severe illness from Covid-19 is rare in kids, many children still struggle with its effects, including pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome.

December 10 2021 - 06:00

Omicron drives 255% Covid-19 surge in S. Africa

South Africa has seen a 255% rise in Covid-19 infections in the past week, but data suggests that the Omicron variant is less severe