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vaccinationlatest news & developments
DA leader John Steenhuisen. (Delwyn Verasamy/ M&G)
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

Steenhuisen confirms 274 foot-and-mouth disease cases in five provinces

Officials said South Africa’s phytosanitary and biosecurity requirements are world class and the department is awaiting bilateral trade agreements to be resolved to begin exports…

  • Nkateko Joseph Mabasa
4 min read
Vaccines are not just medicine. They are mirrors. They show us who we are, what we value and whose lives we’re willing to protect.
AFRICAN VACCINATION

Vaccines: The US is endangering children while Africa leads the way

Countries on the continent are not waiting to be saved, they are paving the way with community-led, astute, innovative and independent immunisation programmes

  • Tian Johnson
11 min read
Effort: In an effort to get people vaccinated against Covid-19, Kenya’s health workers go door to door for people who live far from health facilities. The more benign Omnicron variant has also made people complacent. Photo: Briaqn Ongoro/AFP
AFRICA

Africa’s Covid neglect poses global danger

Low vaccination levels and high number of health-compromised populations make the continent a ‘breeding ground for variants’ that pose a global risk

  • Chris Bateman
8 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa
COVID 19

Boost for sports and entertainment as SA eases Covid-19 restrictions

President Cyril Ramaphosa announces the scaling back of restrictions and lifts the need to wear masks outdoors

  • Emsie Ferreira
3 min read
Making vaccination mandatory may be beneficial, given that the government has a responsibility to protect its people; but it does raise the issue of whether forcing individuals to receive a compulsory vaccination would interfere with their rights.
COVID 19

Vaccination mandates: It’s time for responsible leadership

Ethical decision-making for leaders involves balancing many competing needs, which includes allowing individuals hesitant about vaccines to discuss their concerns

  • Mark Smith
4 min read
UFS said in its announcement that it consulted widely with stakeholders including legal firms that and up to 85% of the university’s senate supported the decision.
CCMA

Solidarity vs University of Free State in vaccine mandate court case

The union wants the court to decide whether the policy of enforcing vaccinations at UFS holds water.

  • Marcia Zali
4 min read
BOOSTER

Health department rolls out Pfizer boosters to eligible individuals

Low uptake anticipated because of festive season, but healthcare workers stand ready

  • Marcia Zali
2 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa on the campaign trail in October 2021. (Photo by Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
CORONAVIRUS

Ramaphosa returns to work after recovering from Covid-19

President Cyril Ramaphosa encourages citizens to vaccinate and continue to practice safety measures

  • Marcia Zali
1 min read
Shrill reactionary: Carl Niehaus seems to be against anything good, including vaccinations. Photo: Fani Mahuntsi/Gallo Images
CARL NIEHAUS

‘Don’t vax or Ramaphosa will stay on’

Conman Carl and his cohort think that taking the jab will boost his re-election

  • Paddy Harper
4 min read
Making vaccination mandatory may be beneficial, given that the government has a responsibility to protect its people; but it does raise the issue of whether forcing individuals to receive a compulsory vaccination would interfere with their rights.
COVID 19

Unvaccinated South Africans to pay more for insurance premiums

Insurance companies have adjusted their premiums and people who are not vaccinated will pay more for cover

  • Anathi Madubela
5 min read
Push: Kenyans who are not vaccinated will not be allowed to use public amenities such as transport. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)
COVID 19

Kenya to make Covid vaccination mandatory

The unvaccinated will be denied use of public services on 21 December, but only 5% of the population has been vaccinated

  • Soila Kenya, The Continent
3 min read
It’s time to get vaccinated because the Covid viral firestorm is spreading fast. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
COVID 19

Omicron variant of Covid the dominant strain in South Africa

It’s time to get vaccinated because the Covid viral firestorm is spreading fast

  • Howard Armistead
6 min read
The World Health Organisation has enlisted a team of South African researchers to produce a new mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, but with no recipe to follow, it’s not an easy task. (Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP via Getty Images)
AFRICA

South Africa at the start of a Covid-19 vaccine the world has never seen

The World Health Organisation has enlisted a team of South African researchers to produce a new mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, but with no recipe to follow, it’s not an easy task

  • Laura López González
7 min read
The demand for donor organs far outstrips the supply because data is not shared, not all hospitals are equipped to do transplants and the National Health Act is inadequate. Photo: Burger/Phanie /AFP
COVID 19

Immunocompromised finally prioritised for Covid-19 booster shots

Organ recipients are at greater risk of death from Covid-19, while waiting lists for transplants grow

  • Chris Bateman
8 min read
Making vaccination mandatory may be beneficial, given that the government has a responsibility to protect its people; but it does raise the issue of whether forcing individuals to receive a compulsory vaccination would interfere with their rights.
COVID 19

The psychology of vaccine hesitancy and refusal

Once South Africa secured adequate amounts of vaccines, we were faced with a baffling dilemma. Not everyone wanted to take it

  • Angie Vorster
6 min read
A mine employee measures the temperature of a mineworker, enroute to his evening shift at the Sibanye-Stillwater platinum mine, before letting him board a company bus at the Wonderkop taxi rank in Marikana, near Rustenburg. (Photo by Michele Spatari/AFP)
CORONAVIRUS

Mining industry vaccinates over 200 000 workers, mandatory vaccination not on the cards for now

Minerals Council aims to get 80% of its workforce vaccinated by November

  • Marcia Zali
2 min read
Local residents wearing protective face masks wait at a bus stop in the Imizamo Yethu township area of Hout Bay, in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday, July 24, 2020. South Africas surging coronavirus infections and the resumption of rolling blackouts are clouding the outlook for the economy. Photographer: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images
CORONAVIRUS

Restrictions eased as South Africa moves to lockdown level 2

As national lockdown regulations ease, President Cyril Ramaphosa urges South Africans to vaccinate

  • Eunice Masson
3 min read
A university that teaches but does not innovate, that researches but does not apply, will find itself detached from the society it is meant to serve and elevate
ANC

A blended and vaccinated future for universities

Leadership will be at the core of how the learning space evolves and uses the pandemic as an opportunity to advance

  • Chris Gilili
3 min read
Debatable: People wear face masks in Tokyo on July 28, a day after the city reported a record 2 848 new daily cases of Covid-19. Many people oppose measures to stop the spread of the virus such as masks and vaccines. They range from ‘free choicers’ and anti-vaxxers to the super-religious. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP)
CONSTITUTION

Covid controls limit our freedom, but free choices are rarely free

Dissident views on masks and vaccines should be heard but until science rules them wrong, it’s best to follow scientists’ advice

  • Johann van der Westhuizen
6 min read
To the rescue: In Barcelona, a man wearing face mask walks by a work by Italian street artist TvBoy named The Three Vaccines, depicting the graces dressed in AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer labels, which consciously references Raphael’s classic painting The Three Graces. (Josep Lago/AFP)
AGE

Vaccine hesitant? An expert answers questions people have

Safety, side-effects and the jargon-filled scientific information explained for those who have concerns about getting vaccinated

  • Chris Bateman
6 min read