COVID 19: Mzansi Records 20 Deaths in Last 24 Hours, Almost 20 000 New Cases
- Infection rates continue to rise as almost 20, 000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24-hours
- Unfortunately, at least 20 people have also succumbed to the virus in the last day
- Officials are calling on South Africans to continue practising social distancing measures and get vaccinated
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With South Africa officially in its fourth Coronavirus wave, at least 20 people have unfortunately succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours pushing the countries total death toll to 90,080.
Source: Getty Images
While Gauteng still leads the surge with over 9,000 cases the KZN province and Western Cape are not far behind with 2,500 and 2,000 cases respectively, eNCA reports.
19,018 people have tested positive in the last few hours with concerns growing among South Africans that the Omicron variant may have something to do with it.
However, Health Department officials say there's no data to suggest that this variant may be more deadly or contagious, EWN reports. Instead, they're calling for calm and for responsible citizens to keep getting vaccinated.
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'Enough is enough': Anti-vaxxers in Pretoria call for urgent court hearing
In related news, Briefly News previously reported that South Africans who are against the government's move to make the Covid-19 vaccine a mandatory undertaking gathered in the capital city Pretoria to reiterate their unwavering stance on Friday.
Reports on the ground suggest the demonstrations were on a small-scale, seeing only a small group gathered at the entrance of the high court. A large syringe placed at its entrance stood as the more noticeable symbol of the group's conviction against the vaccine.
EWN reported that just over 17 million South African adults are fully vaccinated, out of an adult population of about 40 million, while the emergence of new variants and waves of Covid-19 poses a huge challenge to society at large.
However, the gathering was organised by a non-profit organisation (NPO) called Free the Children–Save the Nation, along with several other organisations lobbying against children being vaccinated, according to a TimesLIVE report.
Current regulations by the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) allow all children aged 12 and above to receive a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Themba Nkosi, who was among the protesting party, said the organisations would continue to mobilise support over the weekend.
Unwavering stance on children's vaccine
“We'll be making our way to Klerksdorp in the North West on Sunday. We're saying enough is enough. We do not want to be forced into doing something that we don't approve of. So, it cannot be forced onto our kids either,” said Nkosi.
Further to the sentiments of the protesters, Free the Children-Save the Nation said in a statement that they want the matter to be heard before the court by or before 17 December. However, the NPO said Sahpra was not responding swiftly to the challenge.
The Department of Health, meanwhile, said it will oppose the court case. Public interest law centre Section27 has since applied to be a party to the matter as a friend of the court, citing that schooling is likely to be impacted if children remain unvaccinated.
Source: Briefly News
