With the 14-day adjusted alert level 4 lockdown due to end on Sunday (July 11), the eyes of the nation have been focused on the high number of cases characterising the third wave.
South Africa’s third wave is predominantly driven by the Delta variant. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), data from the UK shows that the Delta variant (first detected in India) is 97% more transmissible than the original lineage.
Covid-19 vaccines are said to remain highly effective in preventing severe disease after Delta variant infection, with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine showing 96% efficacy after two doses.
Vaccines
The Department of Health (DoH) announced on July 8 that 4 017 442 vaccinations have been administered to date, with 191 833 administered in the past 24-hours.
The majority of these are Pfizer vaccines, which account for 3 141 867; Johnson & Johnson vaccines account for 875 575.
Government announced that Covid-19 vaccine registration is now open to citizens 50 years and above. All citizens who qualify for the current vaccine roll-out have been urged to register.
In a briefing on July 9, Acting Minister of Health Mmamoloko Kubayi announced that registrations for 35-49 year olds open on July 15.
Pharmaceutical chain Dis-Chem has extended its Covid-19 vaccine service to medically insured and uninsured individuals, provided they are registered on the electronic vaccination data system (EVDS). Since the campaign started, the chain says it has administered about 100 000 vaccinations.
Read more here: Over-50s without medical aid can get vaccinated at Dis-Chem
Six steps to get registered
- Register on the EVDS here
- The welcome screen will tell you what to do next.
- Follow the instructions and input all the details the system asks you for.
- When you are done, the system will send an SMS to the number you provided.
- The SMS will tell you that you are registered.
- When it is your turn to be vaccinated, the system will send you another SMS with a date and the venue for your vaccination.
Citizens can also register using USSD. Simply dial *1234*832*IDnumber# (if you do not have an ID number, just dial *1234*832# )
Alternatively, registrations are now also open via WhatsApp. Simply send the word REGISTER to 0600 012 3456.
IEC delays voter registration
The Electoral Commission (IEC) has postponed the voter registration weekend by two weeks, to July 31 and August 1, as a result of the high number of Covid-19 infections. The elections are set to take place on October 27, although the date is yet to be promulgated.
Constitutionally, they must take place before November 1. According to IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela in an announcement made on July 7, the decision comes after a review of the Covid-19 conditions facing the country over the past seven days and the impact on preparations for the registration weekend.
Read more on this here: IEC delays voter registration on account of third wave
Command council updated on the management of the third wave
As part of its weekly programme, the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) met to receive updates on the management of the current third wave of Covid-19 in South Africa. The updates included progress on the vaccination roll-out and the decision to accelerate the programme by vaccinating citizens aged 50-plus earlier than was planned.
As demonstrated by the newly announced vaccination registration date for people aged 35 and over, the NCCC is looking into also making vaccines available for other age groups sooner than anticipated. The NCCC further noted that workplace vaccinations are open to all eligible employees in the relevant sectors, as recently announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The NCCC says ‘vaccination is rolling out well in the education and police sectors but also in workplace settings such as mines, agriculture and other productive settings. Plans are advanced for the launch of registration of the army and military veterans and other essential service workers’.
The experts confirmed that the Lambda variant has not been detected in South Africa but said that all precautions must be taken to ensure readiness should the variant be detected. The NCCC further noted that more provinces are officially in the third wave of Covid-19.
Current Covid-19 numbers in the country
The Department of Health reported 22 910 new Covid-19 cases as of July 8, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2 135 246. As per the National DoH, a further 460 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 63 499 to date.
The number of tests conducted in both public and private sectors to date now stands at 13 694 914.
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