Size does count, and the Covid-19 pandemic has confirmed it. Thanks to the networks of scientists across the world who are running big clinical trials, we can better decide which medicines should be used. Large well-designed clinical trials show us which medicines work and which don’t against Covid-19. The trials of ivermectin have been poorly […]

The South African Government will go ahead with its planned phase one of vaccination, targeting healthcare workers – using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine instead of an AstraZeneca jab. Updating the country on the latest developments, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been proven effective against 501Y.V2, while necessary […]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to decide on the emergency use listing of the AstraZeneca vaccine, for the two sites in India and the Republic of Korea, which will produce it for COVAX. The announcement comes after results showed that the two-dose regimen of the University of Oxford’s AstraZeneca vaccine offers minimal protection […]

In a promising sign that a corner has been turned, South Africa has recorded its lowest number of new coronavirus infections in a 24-hour period, since November 2020. The number of new cases – 1 379 – represents a 9% positivity rate as positive cases continue to decrease. There have now been 1 477 511 […]

The Khayelitsha community has been commended for their concerted efforts in flattening the COVID-19 curve. Western Cape Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz said: “As a province, we continue to face a pandemic which has taken many lives and destabilised our economy, resulting in many becoming unemployed. However, the outcome could have been far more severe […]

South Africa has put a temporary halt to the rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines, after it was found that the vaccine may not have the same efficacy (or effectiveness) against the mutated COVID-19 501Y.V2 variant, which is predominant in South Africa (and has been blamed for the sharp spike in Coronavirus cases during the […]

The Western Cape province will officially begin its COVID-19 vaccine rollout programme by no later than Monday 15 February, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde announced in a statement. “We anticipate delivery of the Western Cape’s share of South Africa’s first batch of vaccines at our Cape Medical Depot within the next 5 to 10 days […]

The novel Coronavirus has claimed more than 45 000 lives since the first case was reported in March last year. This is after 398 more COVID-19 related deaths were reported on Wednesday, pushing the death toll to 45 344. Of the latest fatalities, 138 are from KwaZulu-Natal, 97 in Gauteng, 67 in the Western Cape, 46 in […]

Queen Elizabeth II led tributes on Tuesday evening for Captain Sir Tom Moore, the 100-year-old war hero with youthful zest and determination who captured the heart of the nation, and the world, with his daily walks (with his zimmer frame) around his garden during the UK’s first Lockdown, which raised almost £33-million for the NHS […]

AfriForum obtained a court order today, with the consent of the South African Health Products Regulations Authority (SAHPRA), which will enable doctors to start ivermectin treatment concurrently with the submission of an article 21 application, in cases where the doctor deems urgent access to ivermectin as crucial for a patient. According to the Medicines and […]

The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, FEDHASA, has welcomed tonight’s Presidential address that confirmed shorter curfew hours and the lifting of the outright ban on alcohol sales, bringing great relief to a hospitality sector which has borne the brunt of heightened restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID. “We are thrilled with tonight’s […]

South Africans are tonight toasting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that although the country will remain on Level 3 Alert, several restrictions are being eased. Alcohol sales and restaurant consumption is again allowed. Beaches and parks are open once more. Here are more details on the revisions… Alcohol Alcohol sales from retail outlets will be permitted […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 20h00 today, Monday 1 February 2021, on developments in relation to the country’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Watch below. Today’s address follows meetings in recent days of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) and Cabinet. Several South Africans are preparing to […]

Barefoot running legend Zola Budd (54) has shared her experience of suffering from Covid-19, and its impact on her running. Zola said she felt compelled to share her experience in order to inform other runners. Taking to social media, Zola said she and her daughter had both recently been diagnosed with Covid… and fortunately both […]

South Africa has recorded 1 453 761 COVID-19 cases, with 4 525 new cases identified as of Sunday evening. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said that the cumulative total of tests conducted to date is 8 279 200, with 34 076 new tests recorded since the last report on Sunday. “Our recoveries now stand at […]

The first shipment of one million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine for South Africa is officially on its way to SA. The South African Government today posted photos of the shipment, from Serum Institute of India (SII), as it left the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, India, on Sunday. The Government posted […]

Disinformation, bad science and fake news have spiked to unprecedented levels as the globe has been battered by COVID-19 for over a year. This week Carte Blanche takes some of South Africans’ most frequently asked COVID-19 questions to some of the country’s top scientists. You can watch the show on Sunday 31 January in South […]

The obsessive pressure being put on the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to approve ivermectin is extraordinary and dangerous… writes GroundUp editor Nathan Geffen. There are circumstances when early – or even illegal – access to drugs is justified. In the early 2000s I worked with the TAC to import fluconazole, a life-saving […]

The Department of Health has discouraged the use of Ivermectin vaccine for management of COVID-19, until the study on its efficacy and safety is concluded. In a statement on Thursday, department spokesperson Popo Maja said that the National Essential Medicines List Committee (NEMLC) COVID-19 Sub-Committee has carefully considered all available evidence on the treatment or […]

COVID-19 has now killed more than 43 000 people in South Africa after 555 more patients succumbed to the respiratory disease on Thursday. According to the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, 249 fatalities were recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, 150 in the Eastern Cape, 70 in Gauteng, 45 in the Western Cape, 21 in Mpumalanga and 10 in […]

In June 2020, the first Ivermectin news that received public attention was a report that Ivermectin inhibited the replication of SARS-COV-2 in monkey kidney cells (1)… writes Justin Ward. This sparked considerable interest in the drug and over the next six months, many studies were completed including randomized controlled trials (RCT) as well as prospective […]

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has confirmed the long-awaited news that the first consignment of one million COVID-19 vaccines is expected to land on South African shores on Monday. The first batch is scheduled to leave India on Sunday, 31 January, and arrive at OR Tambo International Airport on 1 February 2021. The Minister broke […]

For the first time since November, the number of weekly excess deaths estimated by Medical Research Council (MRC) has declined. The latest MRC report, published on Wednesday, shows that the total number of deaths dropped from about 23,900 for the week ending 16 January to about 21,800 for the week ending 23 January. The excess […]

AfriForum says SAHPRA’s announcement that it will allow, for humanitarian reasons, a controlled access programme for the use of ivermectin in humans to treat COVID-19 is a step in the right direction BUT still “extremely restrictive”. Therefore AfriForum’s case against SAHPRA, which will be heard on 2 February 2021, will continue, said the organisation. AfriForum […]

Shonisani Lethole was young, had no co-morbidities, and a fair chance to live. However, due to negligence at the Tembisa Tertiary Hospital – including not being fed for 100 hours – the Gauteng businessman who called himself Shoni did not make it. These are some of the chilling findings contained in the 202-page report of […]