The World Health Organization insisted Monday that the AstraZeneca <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccine</a> was still a vital tool in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic after South Africa delayed the start of its inoculation programme over concerns about its efficacy against a virus variant.

South Africa said on Sunday&nbsp;it would put on hold its use of the&nbsp;AstraZeneca&nbsp;shot after research showing it was only minimally effective in preventing mild-to-moderate illness against a variant of the coronavirus now dominant in the country.

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WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was "a concerning news" but noted that the South African study was small and had tested the vaccine using a short four-week interval between the first and second doses. He called on vaccines manufacturers to "adjust" and take into account the variants.

The lead investigator on the South African trial of&nbsp;AstraZeneca's vaccine said he believed the vaccine had a major role to play in Africa and globally, despite data showing it offered minimal protection against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease by the country's dominant virus variant.

"It is vastly too early to be dismissing this vaccine," said Richard Hatchett, who heads the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which co-leads the Covax vaccine facility with the WHO and Gavi after the AstraZeneca shot ran into a number of setbacks, including questions about its efficacy for over-65s.&nbsp;

"It is absolutely crucial to use the tools that we have as effectively as we possibly can," he said, speaking at the WHO's regular bi-weekly press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;

The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently a vital part of Covax, which was set up to procure Covid-19 vaccines and ensure their equitable distribution around the world.

It accounts for almost all of the 337.2 million vaccine doses Covax is preparing to begin shipping to some 145 countries during the first half of the year, once it receives WHO authorisation, which is expected next week.&nbsp;

But a trial at Johannesburg's University of Witwatersrand concluded the vaccine provided only "minimal" protection against mild to moderate Covid-19 caused by the variant first detected in South Africa.

That was bad news for many poorer nations counting on the logistical advantages offered by the AstraZeneca shot.

South Africa, the continent's hardest-hit nation, had been due to start its campaign in the coming days with a million AstraZeneca doses.

However, the government decided to hold off because of the results from the trial.

"It's a temporary issue that we have to hold on AstraZeneca until we figure out these issues," Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told reporters on Sunday.

South Africa has 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses, which will expire in April.

AstraZeneca, which developed the shot with the University of Oxford, also stood by its product.

The World Health Organization insisted Monday that the AstraZeneca vaccine was still a vital tool in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic after South Africa delayed the start of its inoculation programme over concerns about its efficacy against a virus variant.

The World Health Organization insisted Monday that the AstraZeneca vaccine was still a vital tool in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic after South Africa delayed the start of its inoculation programme over concerns about its efficacy against a virus variant. South Africa said on Sunday it would put on hold its use of the AstraZeneca shot after research showing it was only minimally effective in preventing mild-to-moderate illness against a variant of the coronavirus now dominant in the country. WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was "a concerning news" but noted that the South African study was small and had tested the vaccine using a short four-week interval between the first and second doses. He called on vaccines manufacturers to "adjust" and take into account the variants. The lead investigator on the South African trial of AstraZeneca's vaccine said he believed the vaccine had a major role to play in Africa and globally, despite data showing it offered minimal protection against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 disease by the country's dominant virus variant. "It is vastly too early to be dismissing this vaccine," said Richard Hatchett, who heads the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which co-leads the Covax vaccine facility with the WHO and Gavi after the AstraZeneca shot ran into a number of setbacks, including questions about its efficacy for over-65s. "It is absolutely crucial to use the tools that we have as effectively as we possibly can," he said, speaking at the WHO's regular bi-weekly press briefing on the coronavirus pandemic. The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently a vital part of Covax, which was set up to procure Covid-19 vaccines and ensure their equitable distribution around the world. It accounts for almost all of the 337.2 million vaccine doses Covax is preparing to begin shipping to some 145 countries during the first half of the year, once it receives WHO authorisation, which is expected next week. But a trial at Johannesburg's University of Witwatersrand concluded the vaccine provided only "minimal" protection against mild to moderate Covid-19 caused by the variant first detected in South Africa. That was bad news for many poorer nations counting on the logistical advantages offered by the AstraZeneca shot. South Africa, the continent's hardest-hit nation, had been due to start its campaign in the coming days with a million AstraZeneca doses. However, the government decided to hold off because of the results from the trial. "It's a temporary issue that we have to hold on AstraZeneca until we figure out these issues," Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told reporters on Sunday. South Africa has 1.5 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses, which will expire in April. AstraZeneca, which developed the shot with the University of Oxford, also stood by its product.

WHO says do not dismiss AstraZeneca jab after South Africa suspends vaccine campaign

The reopening of South African schools for the new academic year has been postponed by two weeks in the wake of rising new covid-19 variant cases.&nbsp;

“All stakeholders were united in supporting a delay in the opening of schools. Given the pressure experienced by the health system in the past weeks due to covid-19, the council of education, ministers in conjunction with NCCC and cabinet has taken a decision to delay the reopening of both public and private schools by two weeks, Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Reginah Mhaule said.&nbsp;

The schools will now be opening on February 15.&nbsp;

The decision to postpone the reopening of schools has caused divisions in the country. While some support the government’s decision, others are visibly upset.&nbsp;

Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party of South Africa said that they do not support the decision made by the government.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-covid-19-mutant-found-in-south-africa-spreads-more-swiftly-351972">New Covid-19 mutant found in South Africa spreads more swiftly</a>

“We strongly believe that the health and safety of learners and teachers should be prioritised, however, we do not believe delaying the start of the academic year will achieve this. We are concerned about the impact that this delay could have on the psychological and academic development of learners,” the party said.

According to UNICEF monitoring, as of 12 January 2021, approximately 825 million learners are currently affected due to school closures due to the pandemic.&nbsp;

It said 23 countries are currently implementing nationwide closures.

Even though experts and scientists are yet to determine if the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible to children, most countries, including South Africa witnessed more younger people getting infected with the new variant.&nbsp;

Earlier strains of coronavirus found it harder to infect children than adults.

An expert, WION, spoke to said postponing of schools is primarily a measure taken by the government to decrease the transmission amongst learners and teachers.&nbsp;

“It’s all about lifestyle, younger people are more likely to go out, socialize, attend super spreader events, so this is why they say younger people are more susceptible to the virus. I would recommend going back to school is an important component of going back to normal life,” Guy Richards, Director of Critical Care at Wits University said.&nbsp;

As on Thursday, the cumulative covid-19 new cases in South Africa stood at 1.38 million and death tolls rose to 39, 501.

The reopening of South African schools for the new academic year has been postponed by two weeks in the wake of rising new covid-19 variant cases. “All stakeholders were united in supporting a delay in the opening of schools.

The reopening of South African schools for the new academic year has been postponed by two weeks in the wake of rising new covid-19 variant cases. “All stakeholders were united in supporting a delay in the opening of schools. Given the pressure experienced by the health system in the past weeks due to covid-19, the council of education, ministers in conjunction with NCCC and cabinet has taken a decision to delay the reopening of both public and private schools by two weeks, Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Reginah Mhaule said. The schools will now be opening on February 15. The decision to postpone the reopening of schools has caused divisions in the country. While some support the government’s decision, others are visibly upset. Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition party of South Africa said that they do not support the decision made by the government. Also read| New Covid-19 mutant found in South Africa spreads more swiftly “We strongly believe that the health and safety of learners and teachers should be prioritised, however, we do not believe delaying the start of the academic year will achieve this. We are concerned about the impact that this delay could have on the psychological and academic development of learners,” the party said. According to UNICEF monitoring, as of 12 January 2021, approximately 825 million learners are currently affected due to school closures due to the pandemic. It said 23 countries are currently implementing nationwide closures. Even though experts and scientists are yet to determine if the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible to children, most countries, including South Africa witnessed more younger people getting infected with the new variant. Earlier strains of coronavirus found it harder to infect children than adults. An expert, WION, spoke to said postponing of schools is primarily a measure taken by the government to decrease the transmission amongst learners and teachers. “It’s all about lifestyle, younger people are more likely to go out, socialize, attend super spreader events, so this is why they say younger people are more susceptible to the virus. I would recommend going back to school is an important component of going back to normal life,” Guy Richards, Director of Critical Care at Wits University said. As on Thursday, the cumulative covid-19 new cases in South Africa stood at 1.38 million and death tolls rose to 39, 501.

South Africa: Schools to stay closed amid surge in coronavirus cases

The novel coronavirus South Africa is spreading at a rapid pace and amid the surge in a number of deaths, coffin demand has increased sharply in the country.

WION visited ENZO Wood, one of the country's largest coffin manufacturer in Gauteng and was told by an official that the company is under "pressure" to meet the rise in demand.&nbsp;

"Pressure has increased…It is a bit difficult now. We need to push work as much as we can to satisfy the market," said Kasie Pillay, Sales Manager, ENZO Wood.&nbsp;

Pillay said that the manufactures themselves are facing challenges and therefore it is difficult to fulfil market needs.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-african-president-ramaphosa-extends-lockdown-level-3-in-south-africa-356249">South African President Ramaphosa extends lockdown level 3 in South Africa</a>

"With the second wave demand has increased, but there are always challenges…price increase in raw materials, shortage of timber…sometimes it's difficult to cope…You can only make so many units per day," the sales manager said.&nbsp;

WION also talked with Lawrence Konyana, Deputy President, National Funeral Directors Association, who was relieved that coffin manufacturers are back to work in full swing after the December holidays.

"Due to a rising number of deaths, in particular, in the Eastern Cape, funeral directors did indicate that they are running out of coffins. This was attributed to the fact that most of the manufacturers were still on a December break. However, most of them did come back early to start production immediately and further introduce a double shift system to make sure their depots are stocked as soon as possible. Some of the stocks were mobilized from different provinces which were less affected to the ones that were highly affected," Konyana said.&nbsp;

However, Pillay said despite rising deaths, it will not ask its employees to overwork and stick to their original working hours.&nbsp;

" (The) unfortunate part is we need to survive with people dying. It's not a good thing to say but it is a reality. (The) production might have spiked in the second wave but remember we can only manufacture so many boxes in a day. We work flat 7:30 am to 4 pm. We can't burn out our staff. (The) death toll will rise but we can only do so much, unfortunately," Pillay said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The novel coronavirus South Africa is spreading at a rapid pace and amid the surge in a number of deaths, coffin demand has increased sharply in the country. WION visited ENZO Wood, one of the country's largest coffin manufacturer in Gauteng and was told by an official that the company is under "pressure" to meet the rise in demand.

The novel coronavirus South Africa is spreading at a rapid pace and amid the surge in a number of deaths, coffin demand has increased sharply in the country. WION visited ENZO Wood, one of the country's largest coffin manufacturer in Gauteng and was told by an official that the company is under "pressure" to meet the rise in demand. "Pressure has increased…It is a bit difficult now. We need to push work as much as we can to satisfy the market," said Kasie Pillay, Sales Manager, ENZO Wood. Pillay said that the manufactures themselves are facing challenges and therefore it is difficult to fulfil market needs. Also read | South African President Ramaphosa extends lockdown level 3 in South Africa "With the second wave demand has increased, but there are always challenges…price increase in raw materials, shortage of timber…sometimes it's difficult to cope…You can only make so many units per day," the sales manager said. WION also talked with Lawrence Konyana, Deputy President, National Funeral Directors Association, who was relieved that coffin manufacturers are back to work in full swing after the December holidays. "Due to a rising number of deaths, in particular, in the Eastern Cape, funeral directors did indicate that they are running out of coffins. This was attributed to the fact that most of the manufacturers were still on a December break. However, most of them did come back early to start production immediately and further introduce a double shift system to make sure their depots are stocked as soon as possible. Some of the stocks were mobilized from different provinces which were less affected to the ones that were highly affected," Konyana said. However, Pillay said despite rising deaths, it will not ask its employees to overwork and stick to their original working hours. " (The) unfortunate part is we need to survive with people dying. It's not a good thing to say but it is a reality. (The) production might have spiked in the second wave but remember we can only manufacture so many boxes in a day. We work flat 7:30 am to 4 pm. We can't burn out our staff. (The) death toll will rise but we can only do so much, unfortunately," Pillay said.

As Covid-19 explodes in South Africa, coffin demand rises sharply

South Africa will be receiving 1.5 million doses of vaccine from Serum Institute of India (SII), country’s health minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement.&nbsp;

“Today, I am pleased to announce that the Serum Institute of India (SII) has given us permission to make a public announcement and start engaging with all relevant stakeholders in preparation for the roll out,” he said.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

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The country will be receiving 1 million doses in January and 500,000 doses in February from the SII.

The minister reiterated that an estimated 1.25 million health care workers from both public and private hospitals will be the first in line to get access to the vaccine.&nbsp;

In order to strengthen the credibility of the process, the acquisition has been done directly by the Department of Health, Mkhize said.

“We will now be engaging all relevant stakeholders in order to ensure the efficient and effective roll out of the vaccine for our health workers,” he added.

According to the latest government statistics, South Africa witnessed a record 21, 832 new cases and 844 new deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases to around 1.15 million and 31,368 deaths.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

South Africa will be receiving 1.5 million doses of vaccine from Serum Institute of India (SII), country’s health minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement. “Today, I am pleased to announce that the Serum Institute of India (SII) has given us permission to make a public announcement and start engaging with all relevant stakeholders in preparation for the roll out,” he said.

South Africa will be receiving 1.5 million doses of vaccine from Serum Institute of India (SII), country’s health minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement. “Today, I am pleased to announce that the Serum Institute of India (SII) has given us permission to make a public announcement and start engaging with all relevant stakeholders in preparation for the roll out,” he said. Watch | The country will be receiving 1 million doses in January and 500,000 doses in February from the SII. The minister reiterated that an estimated 1.25 million health care workers from both public and private hospitals will be the first in line to get access to the vaccine. In order to strengthen the credibility of the process, the acquisition has been done directly by the Department of Health, Mkhize said. “We will now be engaging all relevant stakeholders in order to ensure the efficient and effective roll out of the vaccine for our health workers,” he added. According to the latest government statistics, South Africa witnessed a record 21, 832 new cases and 844 new deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases to around 1.15 million and 31,368 deaths.

South Africa to receive 1.5 million vaccines doses from India's Serum Institute

Nelson Mandela's international day is an annual celebration of the icon that is held on his birthday. Many poor communities in his home nation of South Africa have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. So to commemorate the day this year the chef's decided to cook thousands of liters of soup. Watch report.

Annual Mandela Day celebrations: Soup cook-a-thorn pays tribute to Nelson Mandela

Coronavirus cases have surged passed 300,000 mark in South Africa and the country has now become a worse affected nation in the whole of Africa. Watch report.

South Africa struggles to control coronavirus: COVID-19 cases surpass 300,000 mark

Cricket South Africa (CSA) revealed on Monday that seven people within the organisation had tested positive for coronavirus, raising questions over the sport's potential return to action in the country.

The acting chief executive of South African cricket's governing body, Jacques Faul, said more than 100 tests had been conducted within the organisation, and theu had included players and support staff.&nbsp;

"The number of seven is actually quite low," said Faul, who added CSA's medical and ethical protocol prevented him from revealing the identity of those who had tested positive.

The announced cases of COVID-19 are likely to further delay the resumption of the sport in the country.&nbsp;

A three-team event was scheduled for this coming Saturday involving 24 leading players. It was due to be South Africa's first televised sporting event since the country went into lockdown in March.

It was announced last Saturday the competition had been postponed because it had not yet been approved by the government.&nbsp;

Faul said on Monday CSA had been "a little ambitious" in announcing the date, especially as Centurion, where the match was due to be played, is considered a virus "hot spot".

Faul said no new date had yet been decided and it was possible the venue would be changed.

The news compounds a bad weekend for South African cricket after it emerged that CSA had been criticised by sports minister Nathi Mthethwa during a parliamentary briefing over the appointment of three white men –- Faul, director of cricket Graeme Smith and national team head coach Mark Boucher –- to key positions.

According to local media reports, Mthethwa said he felt "insulted" when CSA president Chris Nenzani told him the appointments had been made on merit.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) revealed on Monday that seven people within the organisation had tested positive for coronavirus, raising questions over the sport's potential return to action in the country.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) revealed on Monday that seven people within the organisation had tested positive for coronavirus, raising questions over the sport's potential return to action in the country. The acting chief executive of South African cricket's governing body, Jacques Faul, said more than 100 tests had been conducted within the organisation, and theu had included players and support staff. "The number of seven is actually quite low," said Faul, who added CSA's medical and ethical protocol prevented him from revealing the identity of those who had tested positive. The announced cases of COVID-19 are likely to further delay the resumption of the sport in the country. A three-team event was scheduled for this coming Saturday involving 24 leading players. It was due to be South Africa's first televised sporting event since the country went into lockdown in March. It was announced last Saturday the competition had been postponed because it had not yet been approved by the government. Faul said on Monday CSA had been "a little ambitious" in announcing the date, especially as Centurion, where the match was due to be played, is considered a virus "hot spot". Faul said no new date had yet been decided and it was possible the venue would be changed. The news compounds a bad weekend for South African cricket after it emerged that CSA had been criticised by sports minister Nathi Mthethwa during a parliamentary briefing over the appointment of three white men –- Faul, director of cricket Graeme Smith and national team head coach Mark Boucher –- to key positions. According to local media reports, Mthethwa said he felt "insulted" when CSA president Chris Nenzani told him the appointments had been made on merit.

Cricket South Africa announces seven coronavirus cases

South Africa fights hunger amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 12,739 people are infected with the virus yet.

South Africa fights hunger amid the COVID-19 outbreak; 12,739 infected with the virus

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 500 billion rand ($26.3 billion) rescue package on Tuesday (April 21), equivalent to 10% of GDP of Africa's most industrialised nation, to try to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic. South Africa has denied that it will be deploying 70,000 army troops to try and end force the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. Watch report.

How South Africa will implement coronavirus bailout

South Africa has denied that it will be deploying 70,000 army troops to try and end force the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. Watch report.

South Africa fights COVID-19: Prez Ramaphosa announces stimulus package