South Africa

No person, insured or uninsured, will be expected to pay when they access the COVID-19 vaccination.

Employers in the agricultural sector have been urged to make the safe transportation of workers their top priority.

Government will use an electronic system to keep track of everyone who gets the COVID-19 vaccine as South Africa gears up for its historical mass vaccination.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on African economies, on public health and on the AU system itself.

Chairperson of the African Union (AU), President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the World Trade Organization to waiver specific Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) obligations related to the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 for a defined period.

Police Minister General Bheki Cele has saluted police officers who continue to put their lives on the line each day as the country battles COVID-19.

South Africa has recorded a further 753 deaths due to complications related to the Coronavirus, which takes the death toll to 42 550 since the outbreak.

National Treasury has reiterated government’s commitment to prioritising the COVID-19 pandemic response, reducing the fiscal deficit and stabilising debt over the next five years.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Dr Somadoda Fikeni for a five-year term of office as Commissioner of the Public Service Commission.

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 the news during a public health webinar on COVID-19 vaccine inoculation on Wednesday evening.