SABC Joburg News Features
Interesting and thought-provoking news feature stories produced by the Johannesburg Radio News Team.
17
FEB
Vaccination programme kicks off in Gauteng
The Gauteng government intends vaccinating ten-point-four million of it's citizens in the coming months. The vaccination programme kicked off today at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto. Health MEC, Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi was the first healthcare worker to receive the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine arrived at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Gauteng on Tuesday night. Prabashini Moodley reports...
16
FEB
Ivermectic tablets found to contain undeclared substances
A study by the Soweto Clinical Trial Centre has shown that 80-percent of Ivermectic tablets found in South Africa contain at least one undeclared substance. According to the centre's Managing Director, Dr Qasim Ebrahim Bhorat, the ingredients could have dangerous consequences for patients. The health products regulator, SAHPRA, recently approved the compassionate use of Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 but under strict conditions. Health practitioners have been allowed to prescribe the drug under Section 21 authorisation of the Medicines and Related Substances Act, even though the drug isn't registered for human use in the country. Prabashini Moodley reports...
07
FEB
Medical Aid Schemes will cover COVID-19 vaccine
All Medical Aid schemes in South Africa will be covering the cost of the COVID-19 vaccine for their members. This comes after South Africa's Council for Medical Schemes or CMS added the Covid-19 vaccine to its list of Prescribed Minimum Benefits. Prabashini Moodley reports...
02
FEB
South Africans assured that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe
The National Department of Health has assured South Africans that the Corona Virus vaccine is safe. Acting Director General Dr Anban Pillay says millions of people around the world have already taken the vaccine with no reports of side effects. South Africa received it's first consignment of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine from the Serum Institute of India yesterday. While many citizens remain hesitant about vaccination - Dr Pillay says the vaccine has been developed to teach your immune system to recognise and fight the infection. Prabashini Moodley looks at the concerns facing South Africans and speaks to experts about how the vaccine really works...
29
JAN
COVID-19 second surge begins it's descent in Gauteng
While the second surge of the coronavirus pandemic has begun its descent in the province of Gauteng - experts still remain concerned about the high rate of hospitalisation. The Provincial Command Council, led by Premier David Makhura, updated citizens and the media on the province's handling of the pandemic. Gauteng has recorded almost eight-thousand deaths, 380-thousand more positive Covid-19 cases, and more than 360-thousand recoveries. Prabashini Moodley reports...
28
JAN
Lethole family demand immediate suspension of Tembisa Hospital CEO
The Justice for Shoni campaign and the family of Shonisani Lethole are demanding the immediate suspension of the Thembisa Tertiary Hospital CEO pending a disciplinary enquiry. The family held a virtual press conference after the Health Ombudsman, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba released his report on the circumstances surrounding the death of the businessman at the hospital last year. The report recommended that the Gauteng Department of Health institute a disciplinary inquiry against 19 staff members, including nurses and medical doctors for negligence. Prabashini Moodley reports...
27
JAN
One-third of the country are not willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19
There's been much debate and activity around the efficacy, procurement, cost and roll out strategy for Covid-vaccines. An online survey has recently been conducted by the University of Johannesburg and the Human Sciences Research Council, touted as the largest and most comprehensive survey on people's willingness to take a Covid-19 vaccine. It found that one third of South Africa's population says that they'll most likely not take the COVID-19 vaccine when it's rolled out. It's an early pointer to the government of the challenges they face in convincing people to take the vaccine, the first batch of which according to the health ministry, should arrive on our shores in the next few days. Prabashini Moodley reports....
22
JAN
Concerns over prolonged use of masks
Labour unions have strongly condemned the use of surgical masks for prolonged periods. This after some healthcare workers raised concern that they sometimes have to use the same mask for up to 5 days. They say the overuse of a single mask may be leading to the high infection rate and deaths within the sector. Zoleka Qodashe reports...
21
JAN
"Depriving South Africans access to Ivermectic remains unconstitutional"
Health policy expert at the Free Market Foundation, Eustace Davie, believes depriving South Africans access to the Ivermectin drug is unconstitutional. This as pressure mounts on government and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority or SAHPRA to allow for the legal use of the human formulation of Ivermectin. While South Africa mainly allows for the use of the veterinary version of the drug, desperation to help loved ones battling Covid-19 has seen many take to the black market. Prabashini Moodley reports...
15
JAN
More South Africans receive false negative COVID-19 test results
Health experts say a negative COVID-19 test result doesn't necessarily mean you're in the clear, especially if you have symptoms associated with the disease. There are many cases where South Africans had to take two tests to confirm that they're Covid-positive. That's because the first test returned a negative result despite the patients experiencing severe symptoms related to the Coronavirus. Prabashini Moodley explores some of the reasons for the initial negative test result...
13
JAN
Horror for Johannesburg mother after her baby tests COVID-19 positive
INTRO: While SARS CoV-2 has been less known to impact young children, a Johannesburg mother, who almost lost her five month old baby to the coronavirus, is warning otherwise. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says children have been found to be more resilient to the virus. Despite this, they are warning that prescribed health measures must also be applied to children. Prabashini Moodley reports...
11
JAN
Whatsapp users migrate to other social media platforms
Users of the messenger application WhatsApp have shared their frustration and annoyance about the platforms new terms of service, with some having already migrated to other platforms. Last week, the Facebook-owned messenger app, introduced new terms, requesting users to agree and allow Facebook and it's subsidiaries to collect user data from their devices. The move has raised many questions about the invasion of user privacy. Prabashini Moodley reports...
