For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: Covid-19 cases surge with 173 more deaths, Section27 says Human Rights approach needed for vaccine distribution and, US advisory panel endorses Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

Covid-19 cases surge with 173 more deaths

Another 8 166 new Covid-19 cases have been reported in South Africa.

This after Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize raised the alarm that the pandemic was in its second wave.

Mkhize pleaded with South Africans to heed the threat of the rising numbers of Covid-19 cases identified.

On Thursday, another 173 people were recorded to have died of Covid-19-related illnesses, with the Eastern Cape bearing the brunt with 90 people dead.

Public interest law centre Section27 has said that a human rights approach needs to be taken into account for the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

Section27 says Human Rights approach needed for vaccine distribution

Section27 director Umunyana Rugege stated that once a vaccine becomes available in South Africa, the most vulnerable, including the elderly and people with underlying conditions, should be prioritised.

Rugege stated that prioritising such groups is in line with the Constitution which guarantees the right to equality for everyone and prohibits unfair discrimination on prohibited grounds such as religion, disability, race, gender or social origin, among other grounds.

US advisory panel endorses Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

US government advisory panel has endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, a critical step towards the vaccine’s final approval for eventual distribution across the country.

A panel of outside advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday evening voted 17 to 4 in favour of the vaccine, with one abstention, deciding that its benefits outweigh any risks for use by individuals aged 16 years and older.

The FDA is expected to authorise the vaccine’s distribution in the coming days.

Both the United Kingdom and Canada have already authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with the first doses administered in the UK earlier this week.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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