Covid-19: Good news and bad news this week for South Africa
The total recoveries from Covid-19 now stand at 1 488 060, representing a recovery rate of 95%.
As of yesterday, 15 April, the total number of Covid-19 cases for South Africa was 1 562 931, with 10 259 664 tests conducted.
The Department of Health (DoH) reports 73 more Covid-19 related deaths:
- 13 in the Eastern Cape
- 6 in the Free State
- 16 in Gauteng
- 20 in KwaZulu-Natal
- 8 in Limpopo
- 4 in Mpumalanga
- 1 in the Northern Cape
- 5 in the Western Cape
This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 53 571. The total recoveries from Covid-19 now stands at 1 488 060, representing a recovery rate of 95%.
Temporary suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
This week, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States of America advised the temporary suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout in the US. This was due to reports of six females who developed unusual blood clots with low levels of platelets. These incidents occurred between six and 13 days after vaccination in women between the ages of 18 and 48.
The DoH has decided to voluntarily suspend South Africa’s rollout of this vaccine until the relationship between the development of clots and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is sufficiently investigated.
Read more on this here: ‘Rare’ blood clot cases lead to temporary halt on J&J vaccine roll-out
Extension of the national state of disaster
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has extended South Africa’s State of Disaster to 15 May 2021. The extension considers the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to mitigate against the impact of the disaster on lives and livelihoods.
Vaccine registration for people over 60
Despite the setback caused by the temporary suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, it has been announced that vaccine registration for people over 60 is expected to open today (16 April) at 4pm, as South Africa prepares for the second phase of the vaccine rollout.
Those who qualify for this phase will be able to enrol on the Electronic Vaccination Data System by clicking here.
Information submitted during registration will be used to:
- Identify eligible vaccination beneficiaries,
- Plan supply of vaccines and ancillary items,
- Allocate beneficiaries to their nearest available service point,
- Communicate with enrolled individuals about the vaccination programme, including but not limited to:
- eligibility
- where they will be vaccinated
- follow-up vaccination appointments.
What is needed to register
- Access to the internet on any device (cellphone, laptop, tablet, desktop etc.),
- Your ID or passport number (non-RSA), general contact information (your cellphone number will be used as the primary mode of communication),
- Information about your employment (primary employer and location of work),
- Where relevant, your professional registration details, and medical aid are also requested,
- With all information at hand, registration should take approximately 2-3 minutes (three steps)
*Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
