The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says if the next wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is worse than expected, the national state of disaster could be reinstated.

The next wave is expected in May, or June this year.

Dlamini-Zuma says the health department will then give advice on whether the state of disaster should be reactivated.

She says this will happen if infection rates are high and the country’s hospitals start filling up.

Watch the full briefing here.

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Those most at risk of having severe outcomes, when contracting the annual flu, are urged to also get their yearly flu vaccination.

According to the World Health Organization, people with underlying health conditions and the elderly, have more severe manifestations of influenza.

The WHO’s Director for Infectious Diseases Management, Dr. Sylvie Briand says getting the flu vaccination can help give patients better protection in the winter season.

Briand says the vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective.

Watch Briand’s full briefing here.

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The Athlone Vaccination Centre of Hope officially closed its doors over the weekend.

The facility opened in August of 2021, with a drive-through component that was introduced in September of 2021 to facilitate easier access to Covid-19 vaccines for Mother City residents.

Deputy General at the Western Cape Department of Health, Dr. Saadiq Kariem says that more than 80,000 doses of vaccine had been administered at the site.

He encourages residents to visit the City’s other available vaccination sites to get their Covid-19 injections.

Read more here.

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The Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19, says the change in the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been influenced by the high levels of immunity seen in the population.

Professor Jeremy Nel says a large proportion of the country’s adult population now has some degree of immunity, largely due to natural infection.

He says the country’s vaccination drive has also, to some extent, contributed to the heightened levels of immunity.

Nel says this has contributed to the decision to not continue with the practice of contact tracing.

Access the full briefing here.

Read Nel’s presentation here.

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South Africa will start producing second generation vaccines to better fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the South African-born billionaire, Patrick Soon-Shiong the vaccine production facility which opened here in the Mother City yesterday, would produce vaccines which would be far more capable in fighting the virus.

He says this new generation of vaccines are a lot more effective in disrupting the reproduction and further spread of the virus than currently available vaccines.

Soon-Shiong says the facility would also develop and produce therapies for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, HIV and tuberculosis.

Watch Dr. Soon-Shiong’s full briefing here.

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