Blow up the outside world
The declining economic and social conditions in South Africa are creating the perfect breeding ground for the anti-vaccine movement to morph into extreme far-right politics.
COVID-19
For the latest Covid-19 statistics, please visit the Covid-19 Corona Virus South African Resource Portal.
Universities’ mandatory vaccination conundrum
Some institutes of higher education have made being inoculated against Covid-19 a requirement for admission next year while others are still debating their vaccination policy.
Social media spurs youth vaccine reluctance
Many young people between the ages of 18 and 35 are sceptical of the Covid-19 jab because of stories circulating online about negative side effects and mixed messages from officials.
Disinformation and rumours drive vaccination fears
Conversations with ordinary South Africans of all ages reveal a widespread distrust in the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines and the real need for accurate information.
No wonder the people are suspicious of the state
South Africans have no reason to trust a government that has forsaken them throughout Covid-19 and seems wholly unmoved by their economic plight.
Our veins do not end in our bodies
Covid can only be contained with global solidarity. Shutting borders is as irrational as it is prejudicial.
Cartoon | Knee-jerk syndrome
In this week’s cartoon, the discovery of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the threat of which remains unclear, triggers a pandemic of punitive panic.
Vaccine inequity persists in Africa
While the world discusses returning to normalcy, an entire continent is still struggling to secure first doses and has yet to surpass a 10% vaccination rate, with little concern from international bodies.
No graves for the dead in eThekwini
A shortage of burial plots and viable land for new cemeteries has been worsened by the pandemic’s death toll, forcing people to buy rural land on which to bury their loved ones.
Women bear Covid-19’s silent burden
The pandemic has disproportionately affected women, who have suffered more job losses and greater emotional distress. Yet few can access the mental health help they need.
Zimbabwe’s vaccine decree leaves workers in a bind
Several companies followed the government’s lead when it issued a mandatory vaccination directive to all civil servants, but workers feel their rights have been violated.
How Covid activism can persuade vaccine sceptics
Cape Flats activist Joanie Fredericks has made significant contributions to Tafelsig in her 21 years there, including setting up a Covid information drive and a vaccination pop-up site.
Nick Hudson and Panda are wrong about vaccines
Believing them is deadly as Covid-19 vaccines are working in South Africa – and here’s the proof.
South Africa’s next Covid-19 frontiers
The challenges of the pandemic are not new, but the country and the continent still face a long road to adequate vaccination and getting coronavirus infections under control.
Undocumented people neglected in plans to vaccinate
Those without an ID, passport or asylum-seeker number fear that getting the jab will get them booted out the country – that is if they are able to access vaccination in the first place.
South Africa’s potential new variant
The most highly mutated Covid-19 variant yet is now circulating in most of the country.
Vaccines are a collective asset for all humankind
Medical science has often been used as a tool of elite power mediated through class, race and gender. But it emerges from shared learning and should be owned in common and used for the public good.
Covid-19 pandemic is worsening hunger in Brazil
Less than four years after the government instituted a ceiling on public spending, almost 60% of the country’s population is facing food insecurity amid rising job losses.
Cartoon | Grave mistakes
In this week’s cartoon, the spread of misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines and the resulting hesitation to get vaccinated paint a grim picture for South Africa.
Funeral costs add pain to grief of Covid-19 deaths
Global demand for timber and a huge increase in deaths means the soaring cost of a decent burial is beyond the reach of many impoverished South Africans.
Photo Essay | Rural residents get Covid jab
Non-profit organisation Right to Care has been taking vaccines to underserved areas of the Eastern Cape, giving protection to more than 4 000 people in a month.