Los Angeles-based South African expat Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong has announced the launch of an ambitious initiative to build the capacity for advanced health care in Africa. It’s the ultimate gift to the land he still loves (like many expats, ‘Jerusalema’ made him homesick!). It is an incredible gesture… and as President Cyril Ramaphosa said at […]

No South African has died from the COVID-19 jab, according to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHRPA) which continues to investigate the safety of vaccines. National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee (NISEC) Chairperson, Professor Hannelie Meyer, made the announcement during a webinar on self-reporting of side effects or adverse events. Meyer said SAHPRA and […]

Tissue donation is an essential component in the work that surgeons and healthcare professionals do to improve the quality of life of their patients. Human tissue – including bone, skin, heart valves and corneas – is used in a number of surgical applications. It can save patients with severe burns, repair torn ligaments and tendons, […]

South Africa is expecting to receive at least 2.2 million more Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses today, donated by the USA. Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla announced the news yesterday, saying the doses are being donated via the COVAX facility – an international group lobbying for the equal access to and procurement of vaccines. Phaahla said […]

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has again urged all South Africans over the age of 18 to get vaccinated against COVID-19… as the country is expected to enter a fourth wave of the virus in November. In an update to the nation on the vaccination rollout, Dr Phaahla said: “We have opened [vaccinations] for everybody above […]

Several anomalies, pointing to a dysfunctional provincial department, have been revealed as many ill residents in Gauteng continue to wait for the full reopening of the Charlotte Maxeke hospital… after the fire that wreaked havoc at the hospital earlier this year. The last Charlotte Maxeke hospital fire audit was back in 2017, and appears to […]

South Africa has recorded 13 263 new COVID-19 cases overnight. This increase represents a 22.3% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further 423 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 73 415 to date. A total of 15 031 457 tests have been conducted in both public and […]

South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme, outlined by the Ministry of Health, had three phases, starting with the most vulnerable population. Phase one included all the frontline healthcare workers. They received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Phase 2 vaccinated people over 60 years old and those in congregate settings. The third and final phase, now […]

South Africa’s vaccine rollout is finally ramping up, as the country grapples with a ferocious Third Wave. Only 1.2 million South Africans have been fully vaccinated so far (in a country with a population of over 58 million), the Health Department revealed today… but with the go-ahead for clinics to remain open on weekend days […]

Patients suffering from Covid-19 are allegedly dying from poor treatment while badly-needed ICU beds remain closed at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital since the fire on 16 April, according to the DA. The only sections of the hospital that have reopened are the cancer radiology department, a ward for newborn babies and part of the […]

The City of Cape Town and Discovery Health on Tuesday conducted an oversight visit at the Cape Town International Convention Centre mass Vaccination Centre of Hope to check on its preparation ahead of its activation today. Premier Alan Winde says they’re hoping for 4,000 vaccinations per day. Between July and December this year, this mass […]

Ivermectin has been touted as the wonder drug solution to the Covid-19 crisis. Several trials have suggested it may have some benefit. But the largest trial yet comparing ivermectin to placebo was published on Friday. It found no statistically significant benefit from ivermectin but possible harm from the drug. Yet even this trial is too […]

South Africa has recorded 12 513 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 2 075 409. “This increase represents a 31.6% positivity rate, which is higher than yesterday (30.2%),” the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Monday. The majority of new cases are from Gauteng (60%), followed by the […]

The Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Regional Hospital in Bizana, Eastern Cape is currently the only Covid-19 vaccination site in the Winnie Madikizela Mandela Municipality. Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Regional Hospital in Bizana, Eastern Cape is the only vaccination site in Winnie Madikizela Mandela Municipality. Villagers from Nyavini travel up to 70 kilometres on treacherous roads […]

South Africa recorded 21 584 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). The Gauteng province accounts for the majority of new cases (59%), followed by the Western Cape (11%) and North West (7%) provinces. Gauteng reported 12 806 cases while the Western Cape reported 2 447. This as South Africa battles […]

AfriForum has sent a formal PAIA application to the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19 (MAC) and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to obtain documents and information from these organisations that relate to their review of ivermectin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. As much of the country enters a third wave […]

South Africa detected 8 881 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily spike since 23 January, when the country recorded 12 271 infections. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the majority of new infections are from Gauteng, which accounts for 58%, followed by the Western Cape with 9%. The latest data show that […]

The City of Cape Town and the Western Cape government have worked together to turn the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) into a mass vaccination site… a ‘vaccination centre of hope’. With much of the legwork done and the funding for this important endeavour secured, formal contracts are due to be signed imminently with […]

Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown says he believes at least $30 billion is needed annually for an effective global vaccination plan… and he would like this high on the agenda for next week’s G7 Summit in Cornwall, England, where the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada will be meeting. He’s not the only […]

The Eastern Cape Department of Health says it’s boosting efforts to register people for the Covid-19 vaccine who are homeless and over the age of 60. A few homeless people in Nelson Mandela Bay say health officials have neglected them during the pandemic. The people we spoke to say they either did not have a […]

Tim Noakes has a long history of making misleading and false claims, including promoting the debunked theory that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine contributes to autism and promoting hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for Covid-19… writes Eduard Grebe. In a recent tweet, he linked to an utterly misleading BizNews article on the recent release of thousands of emails to and from […]

South Africa has recorded 3 755 new COVID-19 infections, as President Cyril Ramaphosa moved the country to lockdown adjusted level two, with effect from Monday. This means South Africa now has 1 662 825 cases of Coronavirus since the first person tested positive in March last year. Meanwhile, 24 more deaths were reported on Sunday, pushing the tally […]

South Africa recorded 4 623 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday as the positivity rate increased to 10.1%. This means the country now has 1 645 555 detected infections since the outbreak. Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said a further 102 Coronavirus-related deaths have been reported, bringing the tally to 56 077. Two provinces recorded double-digit deaths […]

Currently, Covid-19 vaccine sites will only vaccinate if a person has an appointment through the Electronic Vaccine Data System (EVDS). After registering online, one must wait for an SMS with the time and location for vaccination. Walk-ins are not accepted. But on Tuesday, things did not go according to this plan at the Discovery Health […]

A 31-year-old mother of twins, who were joined at the head, is over the moon after her babies were separated at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) in Cape Town, South Africa. “I am overjoyed! I wasn’t expecting to leave here holding my children one in each arm,” said the elated mom, Ntombikayise Tyhalisi. […]