The winter months in South Africa bring with them the annual influenza season, a time when the country experiences a surge in flu cases.

Progressive Health Forum recommends South Africans to get Covid booster vaccines ahead of the winter season, especially people over 50 years.

Health Minister Joe Phaahla says South Africa still has 25 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines and encourages people to get booster shots.

In the western world, there has been a significant increase in oropharyngeal cancer, which is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Recent developments in South Africa have highlighted the opportunities and challenges facing vaccine production on the African continent.

Tetanus, a rare but potentially fatal disease, has recently claimed the life of a woman in her 80s in New South Wales, Australia.

RSV vaccine given to pregnant women can reduce the risk of severe lower respiratory tract infections in newborns by 82%.

One would think the DA leaders would be proud of, is being undermined by several of the party’s top people.

Adequate funding is required to fight childhood TB – the global targets set in 2018 aimed to treat 40 million people with TB disease.

Measles is highly contagious and is caused by a virus that mainly spreads through infectious airborne respiratory droplets.

Mistrust and hesitancy of COVID-19 vaccine on South Africans resulted in the country recording only 35% fully vaccinated.

Development of malaria vaccines has proved to be far more challenging than developing a vaccine to protect people from COVID-19.

The 14-year-old girl says the school threatened to not allow her back after her mom refused to give permission for her to receive the vaccine

University of the Free State announced that they are dropping their mandatory vaccination policy at the university.

Kgomotso Tshatshu was retrenched a year ago for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine, she has since won a case against her former employer.

Moderna has decided to continue making the vaccine itself, a sign that they are not looking to license third party manufacturers soon.

The City of Tshwane has urged parents to vaccinate their children after four cases of measles were detected and three were from the Metro.

The SA government is trying to encourage the youth to get vaccinated by creating an interactive online competition.

The lack of rubella vaccines in the public health sector is a concern for many pregnant women who may face stillbirths or miscarriages.

WHO says they have enough vaccines and will not order from Aspen, although the plant will close after receiving no Covid-19 vaccine orders.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Injury No-Fault Compensation Scheme will not fall away with the scarpping of the National State of Disaster.

Need your news quickly? Watch daily News in a minute videos from The South African YouTube page for all that you really need to know!

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the COVID-19 Vaccine Compensation Fund will be terminated ‘once it has achieved its purpose’

The CDC shared that the timing between jabs is important and that the number of vaccines taken does not increase the amount of risks.

The Health Department says over 92 000 unused Pfizer vaccine vials are due to expire on Thursday – and millions more in the coming months

“It will not be heavy duty. It will be light duty”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has his say on ending the State of Disaster.

You can now mix-and-match your vaccine booster! Had J&J? You can now get a Pfizer booster shot. You can also now get your booster sooner.

Cyril Ramaphosa said that he might not have made it to SONA 2022 without the vaccine, having suffered with symptoms in December last year.

The United Kingdom has opted to relax certian COVID-19 travel restrictions in a bid to make travel cheaper and easier.

The health regulator also given the green light for those who’ve had the Pfizer vaccine to be administered the J&J booster

According to MEC Simelane, there’s a big problem in KZN with people believing that the COVID-19 vaccine will make them cannibals… *sigh*.

Ghana is introducing some of the world’s strictest travel requirements by banning people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.

The CDC in the US released data on the side effects of booster vaccines in what is believed to be ‘the most comprehensive’ analysis to date.

Our COVID vaccines have one main job, and that’s to prevent most of us from getting seriously ill – as Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted on Monday.

South Africans have now recieved tentative insight over when the third COVID-19 vaccination booster shots will be made locally available.

Carry on jabbing: That’s the message from Pfizer today, after they released a set of results to show how a third vaccine neutralises Omicron.

Well, it looks like we’ve now got a ‘vegan vaccine’. Medicago, a Canadian pharmaceutical company, has taken a completely different approach.

Several big-name South African companies have announced that they will be implementing a mandatory vaccine policy.

The 50-year-old man tried to tried to pass off a silicone arm as his own at a COVID-19 vaccination centre, but this didn’t fool the nurse

The CEO of Standard Bank has gone public with the company’s plan to introduce a vaccine mandate next year – here are the details.

We’ll take it: The first findings on how our vaccines will hold up against the Omicron variant look reassuring… for now.

The number of people getting a COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa increased noticeably on Monday – but can Ramaphosa take credit?

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the new task team will report to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Vaccination

For a while, it seemed like the debate about making vaccines mandatory in South Africa – for any setting – was done. Then Omicron arrived…

Should South Africans should only be able to use taxis or busses if they are vaccinated? One group wants a BIG vaccine mandate.

A new agreement will allow qualified generic drug manufacturers to make their own versions of Pfizer’s experimental antiviral COVID-19 pill.

The Oxford word of the year is a word or expression that has attracted a great deal of interest over the last 12 months. Can you guess what it is?

How’s this for some delightful news? The Gauteng’s Department of Health has surpassed the six million vaccination figure.

Pop-up vaccination sites are operating at nearly 1 000 voting stations across the country on Election Day, and food vouchers are up for grabs.

Would you take a tablet vaccine? A US company will run a trial in South Africa for its new ‘pill based’ oral COVID-19 vaccine.

It looks like a child will find it ‘effectively impossible’ to try and get the vaccination without parental consent.

Take a jab for a tasty meal! New York prisons have offered McDonald’s and pizza treats to inmates – but they have to vaccinate first.

From 1 January 2022, UCT students and staff will ne required to show proof of vaccination before entering the institution’s premises

Foreign nationals need second jabs after their first doses outside Mzansi borders – but SA can’t provide the service, nor vaccine certificates.

The application for the use of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine has been put on hold by SAHPRA after the applicant failed to provide the required data.

The Department of Health says children over 12 can get COVID-19 vaccines without parental consent. The law permits it in the Children’s Act.

According to the Department of Health, as of Friday evening, 15 October 2021, 20 124 176 vaccine vials were administered

Children between 12 to 17 years old will be able to get their COVID-19 vaccine without their parents’ consent from 20 October.

B4SA says it’s time for mandatory vaccination policies and rewards, or else the national December vaccination target will be a lost dream.

F1 Race Director Michael Masi confirmed that South African Medical Driver Alan van der Merwe could miss some of the forthcoming races due to his decision to opt against the vaccine.

A North West municipality, embroiled in a controversial ‘whites-only’ vaccine scandal, will have its council dissolved ahead of the Local Elections.

Wits University has revealed a plan for mandatory vaccinations for staff and students. Some of the details will leave anti-vaxxers furious.

Moderna’s vaccine has been so successful, three people with a stake in the company are now amongst the wealthiest in America

While ‘COVID toe’ left many scratching their heads, a new study set out to uncover why some people develop this condition after contracting COVID-19.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said residents must get their first shot of vaccine by 20 October to ensure they are fully protected by December.

The Western Cape government has added an extra vaccination programme to rollout more rabies jabs to at least 70 000 animals.

Let’s hope Mogoeng Mogoeng’s next career move isn’t into the field of epidemiology – because his views on the vaccine are… unconventional.

The motion to make vaccines compulsory for UCT students and staff members was passed after 83% voted in favour of it

From the ‘Best Mile High Meltdown’ to ‘Outstanding Achievement In Scapegoating’, here are the nominees for the 2021 ‘Pandemmys’.

Health Minister Joe Phaahla said on Friday that government’s proposal to issue vaccine passports won’t limit anyone’s freedom of movement.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says it is unconstitutional for companies to force employees to vaccinate against COVID-19.

A complaint was laid by someone who claimed they were asked to pay R100 for a vaccine certificate at Dis-Chem

The South African Students Congress (SASCO) says it is against forced COVID-19 vaccinations and students should have freedom of choice.

The Department of Health reported on Wednesday 15 September that a further 166 people have died from COVID-19 over the past 24-hours,

There have been 300 new COVID-19 deaths over the past 24-hours, with a further 3 699 cases reported on Tuesday 14 September

WCED head Debbie Schafer encouraged eligible Grade 12 learners to get vaccinated ahead of their final exams, which are less than seven weeks away.

According to SAHPRA, people died either after contracting COVID-19 before being vaccinated or were infected shortly after inoculation

Nicki Minaj claims her cousin’s friend became impotent and his testicles got swollen after getting the COVID-19 vaccine

Britney Spears took first place in this year’s TIME100 reader poll, which makes her ‘the most influential person’ of 2021.

SAHPRA said the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for use in individuals 12 years and older in terms of Section 21 of the Medicines Act.

The first of 2000 South African children, aged between six months and 17 years old, were vaccinated in the CoronaVac trial on Friday.

South Africa’s giant finance corporation Sanlam has announced that all staff must be vaccinated – with a few exceptions.

The global Sinovac study includes 14 000 children and adolescents in South Africa, Chile, Philippines, Malaysia and Kenya

South Africa is one of five countries participating in the global children’s vaccine trial. The first of 2000 SA children will receive a COVID-19 jab on Friday.

Soft incentives: There are ongoing discussions around practical ways of ‘encouraging’ South Africans to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

You can now choose the date and place of your vaccination appointment on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) system.

South African insurance company Discovery intends to implement a mandatory vaccination policy for all its staff from 1 January 2022.

SAHPRA looked into 32 deaths, 30 of which were found to be coincidental, while there isn’t enough information on the other two fatalities

With a new season, comes a new EVDS feature. The public will now be able to book their own vaccination appointment date, time and site.

Eric Clapton shared his thoughts on COVID-19 vaccine ‘propaganda’ in a new song, ‘This Has Gotta Stop’. Take a look…

According to Health Minister Joe Phaahla, the increase in young people testing positive for COVID-19, is mainly taking place in two provinces.

The Western Cape’s health minister has invited anti-vaxxers to visit a hospital in the region and see the dead body count for themselves.

Plans devised by the Limpopo Health Department have been fiercely opposed this week, after a ‘no vaccine, no alcohol’ policy was proposed.

A group of anti-vaxxers held a protest outside the Groote Schuur Hospital and accused staff of intentionally killing patients

Rapper Sho Madjozi is not a fan of needles but she seemed to think taking the COVID vaccine was a piece of cake! Watch her reaction here.

A further 13 672 COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday, with 553 more people dying from the deadly virus. 553 more people have died.

Although there’s good news for youngsters who are desperate for their vaccines, those hoping to move out of Level 3 won’t be happy.

Great news! Those between the ages of 18-34 will be able to register for a COVID-19 vaccine earlier than expected, Cabinet confirmed.

The Plett Rage festival will go ahead in December, but festival organisers have said matrics will need to be vaccinated before they would be allowed to join in the fun.

Worried about having a bad reaction to the vaccine? Then you should also be terrified of Elvis Pressley being found alive – they’re the same odds…