President Cyril Ramaphosa Says Government 'Considering' End to State of Disaster

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has made the resounding declaration that the country could soon see the back of the state of emergency
• The President shed light on this possible avenue by the government during the launch of the NantSA vaccine plant in Cape Town
• Ramaphosa appreciated that the Covid-19 infection rate in the country continues to decline gradually, prompting the possibility

CAPE TOWN - South Africans could soon bask in the glory of everyday life free from a national state of disaster if President Cyril Ramaphosa's comments at the launch of the new NantSA Vaccine Manufacturing Campus in Brackenfell, Cape Town, are to be believed.

The opening of the state of the art factory had been in the pipeline since September last year when California-based transplant surgeon and bioscientist Patrick Soon-Shiong revealed plans to transfer technology for Covid-19 and cancer vaccine manufacturing in South Africa.

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The South African-born biotech entrepreneur has since made good on the ambitious venture with the now-completed launch of the facility that will facilitate the production of a billion Covid-19 vaccine doses by 2025, BusinessTech reported.

Amid the fanfare earlier on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) was rethinking its stance on the national state of disaster declared on 15 March 2020. Ramaphosa said this was because the Covid-19 infection rate continues on a gradual downward trajectory, TimesLIVE reported.

"We're discussing ideas on how to handle the current national state of disaster as infections have dropped. The NCCC is contemplating how best to consider health protocols, regulations to move forward in managing the pandemic," said Ramaphosa.

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The president added that many people questioned the government about using the legislation that informs the state of disaster to curb the spread of Covid-19.

"Even in court, many have challenged the use of the state of disaster. But since the government declared a state of emergency, the process has been sed managed well. We have to be rational in everything we do. But should we not do away with the state of disaster, there will be a rational explanation," he said.

Soon-Shiong explores Covid-19 leadership excellence

Elsewhere, Briefly News previously reported that Soon-Shiong delivered an impactful 2021 Botlhale Orenstein Memorial Lecture at Wits University on Wednesday, 6 October.

Antonia Appel, Communications Manager within the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences, unpacked the overarching theme of the lecture series in an exclusive interview with Briefly News.

She said the Orenstein lecture series brings to light leadership excellence, in particular recognising excellence in Wits Health Sciences Alumni.

Titled Cutting edge technology and 21st-century medicine during the Covid-19 Pandemic, Soon-Shiong's talk highlighted the role that innovative excellence has played in providing responsive health intervention to combat Covid-19.

Source: Briefly News