For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: Vaccination for children aged 12 to 17 to begin next week; Wits extends deadline for comments on proposed compulsory Covid-19 vaccinations; And, South Africa records 947 new infections and 40 deaths

Vaccination for children aged 12 to 17 to begin next week

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla announced that the Covid-19 vaccination of children between the ages 12 and 17 will start on October 20, with one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

This follows a recommendation by the Vaccine Ministerial Advisory Committee  which was supported by Health MECs and Cabinet.

The Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority for this age group.

Phaahla made the announcement during the Department of Health’s provincial oversight visit to monitor the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Diamond City in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape.

The committee advised that the timing of the second dose will be informed by further information.

Wits extends deadline for comments on proposed compulsory Covid-19 vaccinations

The deadline for comments on Wits University's proposed compulsory vaccination policy has been extended by a week. 

Spokesperson Shiron Patel said the deadline was extended to Friday 22 October, and that more than 300 comments had been received so far, mostly in favour of the policy.

The university is proposing compulsory vaccination against Covid-19, unless in exceptional circumstances. 

The Students Representative Council deems the policy anti-poor because of the high cost of weekly PCR testing.

Private tests cost between R800 and R1 000, excluding the cost a doctor's referral, at the country's two major pathology laboratories.

And, South Africa records 947 new infections and 40 deaths

South Africa recorded 947 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Thursday. 40 new deaths have been recorded, bringing the confirmed death toll to 88 506. KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 25% of the new cases recorded on Thursday.

According to a statement by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, as of Thursday, the country recorded more than 2.9-million laboratory-confirmed cases.

There were 84 new hospital admissions in the last 24-hour cycle.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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