Author: Staff Writer

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the South African government published “special regulations” to contain the spread of the disease. These actions were taken under special powers granted by the Disaster Management Act.

In April 2022, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an end to the crisis management mode the country had been in for two years. Now processes are underway to embed some of the special regulations into the country’s general health regulations related to notifiable medical conditions.

Notifiable medical conditions are conditions, diseases or infections that pose an immediate and significant risk to public health. The diseases are categorised based on the severity of the threat they pose. Each disease is designated a reporting time and a set of conditions aimed at controlling its spread. Novel influenza viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, and diseases such as viral haemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola and malaria, are already on the list.

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Government continues to fund students wishing to further their studies using African languages, says Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

The Minister said this while participating in a debate on Freedom Day during a plenary of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

“Every year, we fund and support financially, students for African languages, anything between 120 to 400 per annum in all universities which we have in our country,” said the Minister.

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As of 3 May 2022, the WCC Annual Review 2021 is available for download online. The annual review records many of the WCC’s activities undertaken in 2021 and continuing into 2022.

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Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, says while the country is still at great risk of COVID-19, government is observing the daily new infections and remains on high alert.

Phaahla said the next seven days until 6 May will give an indication as to whether the 5th wave of the pandemic has started.

Addressing a virtual media briefing on Friday, the Minister expressed concern at the daily new infections, which has been rising to up to 6 000 new cases a day.

“We need to remain on high alert. The rise in daily infections took a sharper uptick during the last week,” Phaahla said, adding that the trend needs to be observed.

He said government has noted the spike of cases in other parts of the world.

Nationally, there has been a 137% increase in new cases, compared to the seven days prior.

Gauteng, Western Cape and the Northern Cape are showing the highest new daily infections.

“COVID-19 remains a threat and it is not yet over… We cannot afford to drop our prevention measures. We urge those who have not vaccinated to come forward and take the jab.

“We are still under 50% of adults that have taken one dose of the vaccination. We need to get this to 60% of adults to protect us,” Phaahla said.

Phaahla urged young people who are between the ages of 18 – 35 to come forward in their numbers to protect themselves and the elderly people around them.

“Natural immunity wanes with time and cannot be boosted. It is only the vaccine immunity that can be boosted,” Phaahla said.

The Minister said as winter approaches, people will spend more time indoors, with a risk respiratory infections.

Meanwhile, South Africa recorded 4 146 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3 780 444.

The increase represents a 18.3% positivity rate.

“There has been an increase of 64 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours,” the Department of Health said in a statement. – SAnews.gov.za

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent a stern warning to government departments and businesses providing goods and services, that South Africa will not stand for acts of self-enrichment at the expense of those who need relief – following a deluge of catastrophic floods in some parts of the country.

The President said this when he addressed a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday.

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