Government urged to devise quick plan to decentralise COVID-19 vaccine delivery


South Africa has recorded 655 new coronavirus infections and 34 deaths in the last 24-hour cycle. The country's total number of infections now is 1 559 113 while the death toll has climbed to 53 356.

A highly contagious variant of COVID-19 first identified in Britain does not cause more severe disease in hospitalised patients, according to a new study published in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases on Monday.

South Africa has recorded 655 new coronavirus infections in the last 24-hour cycle, taking the total number to 1 559 113.

Ex-combatants from liberation movements affiliated to different political parties are playing a significant role in fighting poverty through agricultural programmes in the Eastern Cape's O R Tambo region.

Australia has abandoned a goal to vaccinate nearly all of its 26 million population by the end of 2021 following advice that people under the age of 50 take Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine rather than AstraZeneca's shot.

India on Sunday banned the export of anti-viral drug Remdesivir and its active pharmaceutical ingredients as demand rocketed due to a record surge in COVID-19 infections, leading to crippling shortages in many parts.

China's top disease control official has said the country is formally considering mixing COVID-19 vaccines, as a way of further boosting vaccine efficacy.

The South African Health Products Authority (SAHPRA) has sought to allay fears overtaking a vaccine against the coronavirus, saying the jab's positive effects outweigh the risks.

The coronavirus variant discovered in South Africa can “break through” Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to some extent, a real-world data study in Israel found, though its prevalence in the country is low and the research has not been peer reviewed.

As global efforts to ramp up vaccination programmes around the world continue, China has been steadily making progress.

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake off Indonesia's Java island on Saturday killed one person and damaged buildings in several cities, media reports said.

La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent erupted on Friday after decades of inactivity, sending dark plumes of ash and smoke billowing into the sky and forcing thousands from surrounding villages to evacuate.

Europe’s drug regulator said on Friday that it is reviewing rare blood clots in four people in the United States who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine.

South Africa has recorded 1 366 new coronavirus infections in the last 24-hour cycle, taking the total number to 1 556 242.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Thembi Siweya, says she is satisfied with the rolling out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Mpumalanga.

In this week's Global COVID-19 Wrap, SABC News captures highlights from all corners of the globe, as the number of confirmed infections worldwide continues to rise.

Department of Science & Innovation Director-General, Dr. Phil Mjwara says he hopes an announcement will be made in the next 18 months on how far it is in terms of ensuring locally manufactured vaccines.

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) says officials are reviewing the efficacy of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine and China's Sinovac vaccine.

India reported another record number of new COVID-19 infections on Friday with daily deaths also hitting their highest in more than five months as the country battles a second wave of infections and states complain of a persistent vaccine shortage.

Unit Director of the HIV Prevention Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council, Professor Ameena Goga, says they expect to have concluded with the Johnson and Johnson vaccine Sisonke protocol study by the end of April and first week in May.

Facebook Inc’s platforms including WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram were down for thousands of users on Thursday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com.

South Africa has recorded 1 366 new coronavirus infections in the last 24-hour cycle, taking the total number to 1 554 975.

Australia and the Philippines limited use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, while the Africa Union dropped plans to buy the shot, dealing further blows to the company’s hopes to deliver a vaccine for the world.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says government has secured agreements for 51 million doses of vaccine doses from pharmaceutical Johnson and Johnson to combat COVID-19.

Health Minister Doctor Zweli Mkhize is today expected to make an important announcement on the arrival of more batches of vaccines in the country.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says efforts are under way to reduce TB infections in children in the province.

Toyota Motor Corp on Thursday unveiled its new Lexus and Mirai models in Japan, equipped with the company’s latest advanced driver assistance that enables safe driving and wireless software updates.

South Africa has recorded 756 new coronavirus infections in the last 24-hour cycle, taking the total number to 1 553 609.

Germany is about to start bilateral negotiations with Russia to obtain its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, a source told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that any final agreement depended on Russia providing key data to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Brazil's Supreme Court is set to rule on Wednesday on whether drug patents can be extended in the country, a decision that could lower costs for drugs critical to treating COVID-19 patients but also hurt the bottom lines of pharmaceutical firms.