Omicron – The Mail & Guardian

/ 22 July 2022

Covid-19: Centaurus variant mild but spreads rapidly, vaccinate the vulnerable, experts say

Only the costly N95 mask works and achieving a high penetration of Covid-19 booster vaccination is ‘the only effective strategy’, says virologist Shabir Madhi

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By Chris Bateman

Africa

/ 21 January 2022

Sub-Saharan Africa children show higher Covid-19 death rate than elsewhere

Infants younger than one year in Africa have nearly five times the risk of death than those aged 15 to 19 years after contracting the virus

By Eunice Masson

Health

/ 14 January 2022

Blood supply is critically low and a rise in demand looms, says the blood service

Instead of reaching a daily target of 3 500 litres, the South African National Blood Service is collecting only 2 300 litres

By Eunice Masson

Coronavirus

/ 12 January 2022

Putin says Russia has two weeks to prepare for Omicron wave

Russia has lifted nearly all the restrictions designed to limit new cases, despite an increasing caseload and growing Omicron infections

By Agence France Presse

Business

/ 9 January 2022

China and Omicron are the wild cards for the global economy and financial markets

Lockdown restrictions will continue to disrupt global value chains and support rising inflation that will require aggressive rate hikes

By Isaah Mhlanga

Business

/ 5 January 2022

2022: A return to normality or more economic uncertainty?

Covid-19 cast the economy adrift, but a less punishing new phase of the pandemic could set it back on track

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By Sarah Smit

Health

/ 31 December 2021

Curfew lifted as South Africa’s Omicron-fuelled fourth wave subsides

During the surge in December, only a marginal increase in Covid-19 deaths was noted, while hospitalisation rates were lower than in previous waves, the presidency statement said

By Agence France Presse

Coronavirus

/ 29 December 2021

Health department suspends revised Covid-19 quarantine and contact tracing protocols

A revised circular will be released once the department has taken additional input into consideration.

By Marcia Zali

Top Six

/ 29 December 2021

WHO warns of ‘very high’ Omicron risk as Covid surges worldwide

Europe was again one of the hotspots for the pandemic, which is known to have claimed more than 5.4-million lives around the world.

By Robin Millard

Health

/ 22 December 2021

Scientists hopeful future Covid variants will be less severe

The lower severity of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 indicates that a stronger immune response has been built over time

By Marcia Zali

Health

/ 22 December 2021

How your body can protect you from getting sick with Omicron

Omicron’s many mutations allow it to duck our body’s natural defence, but the immune system has a some tricks to prevent you from getting severely ill

By Aisha Abdool Karim

Health

/ 21 December 2021

How quickly Omicron is spreading in South Africa?

The Omicron variant’s spread across South Africa has already surpassed the peak of the Delta-driven third wave. Here’s what the data tells us so far about how quickly Omicron spreads — but truly understanding the variant will take more time.

By Aisha Abdool Karim

World

/ 20 December 2021

World Economic Forum ‘will defer’ Davos meeting over Omicron fears

The high-powered meeting scheduled for January 17-21 will instead be held in “early summer”, the organisers said.

By Agence France Presse

Coronavirus

/ 14 December 2021

Airline association welcomes UK travel red list U-turn on Africa

The UK will remove South Africa and other African countries it recently placed on its travel red list at midnight on Wednesday

By Tunicia Phillips

Coronavirus

/ 14 December 2021

Current Covid-19 wave less fatal than others, says World Health Organisation

A study by the World Health Organisation found that there was a 66% surge in new Covid-19 cases during the past week in South Africa

By Anathi Madubela

Sport

/ 13 December 2021

Crunch time for the Africa Cup of Nations

With the main stadium unfinished and Covid-19 on the move, Africa’s football tournament has … let’s call them issues. Still, the hosts insist Afcon will go ahead

By Isifu Wirfengla, The Continent

Coronavirus

/ 9 December 2021

Alarm as almost 20% of South Africa’s healthcare workers contract Covid

The 10-day healthcare worker ‘isolate and contact trace’ policy puts pressure on other healthcare workers and compromises hospitals’ ability to deliver quality healthcare

By Chris Bateman

Coronavirus

/ 9 December 2021

Covid-19 lockdown restrictions still to be discussed, says Gungubele

The minister in the presidency said the cabinet had not discussed adjusted lockdown restrictions and vaccine mandates

By Eyaaz Matwadia

Africa

/ 9 December 2021

Africa’s problem is vaccine access, not hesitancy

Omicron has shown up the racism of the West and highlighted inequalities and failures in our own countries. We need to tackle these to get more people vaccinated

By Anand Madhvani

Africa

/ 8 December 2021

Zimbabweans living in South Africa may be unable to travel home for the holidays

According to the government’s latest Covid-19 guidelines, anyone coming into Zimbabwe must quarantine in a hotel for 10 days — at their own expense

By The Continent

Health

/ 8 December 2021

Debunked: The cruel and racist logic of Omicron travel bans

Wealthy countries were quick to ban Southern African nations from entering their borders when the Omicron variant was identified, but did not do so to each other.

By Mia Malan

Business

/ 6 December 2021

MTN staff members who refuse vaccination will be fired

MTN has joined the list of companies that have made vaccines mandatory

By Anathi Madubela

Coronavirus

/ 6 December 2021

Unvaccinated South Africans to pay more for insurance premiums

Insurance companies have adjusted their premiums and people who are not vaccinated will pay more for cover

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By Anathi Madubela

Business

/ 5 December 2021

Decline in demand for office space continues

Many companies are revising their requirements as the pandemic continues to upset business plans

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By Anathi Madubela

Opinion

/ 3 December 2021

The anomaly of Covid-19: Living in an in-between space

The coronavirus pandemic, and ensuing variants, mean we can’t make plans without the prospect of last-minute cancellations. But there’s precious little we can do about it

By Charmain Naidoo

Opinion

/ 3 December 2021

The Gospel According to Saint MoMo

If the former chief justice can cure HIV/Aids, surely he can unvaccinate the vaccinated? But not before he’s president

By Paddy Harper

Editorial

/ 2 December 2021

Editorial: The West dithers, but South Africa has to take some responsibility for this wave

We can’t bury our heads in the sand: there is no way to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic other than vaccination. South Africa — and the rest of Africa — still has a long way to go

By Ron Derby

Opinion

/ 1 December 2021

Omicron variant of Covid the dominant strain in South Africa

It’s time to get vaccinated because the Covid viral firestorm is spreading fast

By Howard Armistead

Opinion

/ 1 December 2021

What the Omicron variant and Mashaba’s election ticket have in common

Stigmatising the marginalised is driven by vested interests, both in the case of African foreign nationals subject to xenophobia and South Africans facing economic doom

By Casper Lӧtter

Coronavirus

/ 30 November 2021

Shabir Madhi: SA scientists were responsible when announcing Omicron

But the virologist urges caution before scientists make blanket public announcements that can lead to ‘hasty’ international decisions

By Marcia Zali

Coronavirus

/ 29 November 2021

The Covid-19 Omicron variant: What is known so far

As scientists scramble to learn more about it, infectious disease expert Professor Salim Abdool Karim says current vaccines are effective against the new variant

By Marcia Zali