Low vaccination rates and the highly transmissible Omicron sub-variant are behind the recent jump in COVID-19 infections amongst children between 10 and 14-years-old. In week 17 this age group represented 34.2 percent of all infections in SouthAfrica. Public Health Specialist…
The Department of Health announced on Thursday that children must continue wearing masks at school and other general indoor gatherings. On Wednesday night when it released new limited COVID-19 regulations, it stated that children would not have to wear masks…
South Africans will have to continue wearing face-masks in indoor public spaces for now. The National Department of Health announced limited regulations on Wednesday an hour before current COVID-19 regulations were due to expire at midnight. These limited restrictions, which…
As South Africa approaches its 5th wave of COVID-19 the number of people getting vaccinated has stagnated. Government missed its target to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by the end of last year. Currently, just 44% of adults have…
Ending the National State of Disaster does not mean the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, warned Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Tuesday afternoon. Dlamini-Zuma said it just means South Africa has reached a stage where the…
Just over 46,000 people could have been fully vaccinated with the 92,370 doses of the Pfizer vaccine that expire tomorrow. Once expired these vaccines cannot be used and will be destroyed. Health Ministry spokesman Foster Mohale said the expiring…
The health department has made several changes to the vaccination programme . This includes cutting the waiting time between the first and second doses of Pfizer from 42 days to 21 days as from Wednesday. In a statement released on.…
The Health Department and sexual and reproductive health NGOs are urging South Africans to use condoms to avoid contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). South Africa is marking STI/Condom Week which highlights the importance of condom usage and also educates people…
Discovery Health has released its research on the effectiveness of two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination in preventing severe disease and hospitalisation by the Omicron variant. The study was carried out by Discovery Health’s actuarial team in collaboration with scientists at the South…
Pfizer is expected to make an application to SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) early next year to have its COVID-19 vaccine administered to children under 12. This emerged during the National Health Department’s update on South Africa’s preparations for…
Health Minister Dr.Joe Phaalhla has urged South Africans not to panic about the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Speaking at a virtual media briefing on Monday, Phaahla and a team of scientists moved to allay fears, as…
Gauteng has entered the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dr. Michelle Groome, head of the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Groome…
A new COVID-19 variant has been detected in South Africa, scientists confirmed during an urgent briefing on Thursday afternoon The variant, currently known as B.1.1.529 exhibits a large number of mutations, according to researchers. This has raised concerns about its…
South Africa has asked manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines to delay delivery until next year as the country has sufficient stock, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said the country has stocks to last it…
South Africa’s COVID-19 cases are beginning to climb as the government continues its drive to get 70 percent of the population vaccinated by the end of the year. The National Institute of Communicable Diseases warned there has been a spike…