Andrew Stegmann
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Novavax Starts COVID-19 Vaccine Trial in South Africa

American vaccine development company Novavax says it has begun a Phase 2b clinical trial in South Africa to evaluate the efficacy of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

Dr Shabir Madhi, professor of Vaccinology at Wits University, will lead the clinical trial which is supported in part by a $15 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the company said in a statement on Monday (17 August).

“Because South Africa is experiencing a winter surge of Covid-19 disease, this important Phase 2b clinical trial has the potential to provide an early indication of efficacy, along with additional safety and immunogenicity data for NVX-CoV2373,” said Gregory M. Glenn, president of Research and Development at Novavax.

“We appreciate the continued support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CEPI, and our strong ongoing collaboration with Wits University, all of whom are united with us in our commitment to produce and deliver a safe, effective vaccine across the globe.”

Novavax said that the trial will consist of two cohorts.  The first cohort will evaluate efficacy, safety and immunogenicity in approximately 2,665 healthy adults.

The second cohort will evaluate safety and immunogenicity in approximately 240 medically stable, HIV-positive adults. This allows for evaluation of the vaccine across a diverse, representative study population, it said.

Novavax expects that, if approved in South Africa, its Covid-19 vaccine will ultimately be supplied to in the country through a recently announced collaboration with the Serum Institute of India.

“The major motivation for the Covid-19 vaccines being evaluated at an early stage in South Africa is to generate evidence in the African context on how well these vaccines work in settings such as our own,” said Madhi.

“I am pleased to work with Novavax as the principal investigator in this clinical trial, following Novavax’ Covid-19 vaccine’s positive Phase 1 data, which provides strong rationale for moving development forward in a larger subset of adults.”

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann
,

South Africa Moves Into Level 2 Lock-down. Here Are the New Regulations

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has published the official alert level 2 lockdown regulations for South Africa.

The directive comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country will ease its lockdown restrictions from midnight on Monday (17 August).

While Ramaphosa has announced most of the prominent changes, the directive provides further clarity on a number of issues and makes the change to level 2 official.

Notably, the directive does not make any mention around the sale of tobacco products, although this may be clarified in a later set of regulations.

The most prominent changes are outlined below.

Curfew and masks

  • Every person is confined to his or her place of residence from 22h00 until 04h00 daily, except where a person has been granted a permit or is attending to a security or medical emergency;
  • A person must when in a public place, wear a face mask; and may not be allowed to be in a public place, use any form of public transport, or enter a public building, place or premises, if that person is not wearing a face mask.

Gatherings

All gatherings are prohibited except a gathering at:

  • A social event at a place of residence, subject to a limitation of 10 visitors or less;
  • A faith-based institution, which is limited to 50 persons or less, depending on the size of the place of worship;
  • Attendance at a funeral is limited to 50 persons and will not be regarded as a prohibited gathering;
  • A workplace for work purposes;
  • Theatres, concerts and live performances, subject to a limitation of 50 persons or less;
  • Casinos, subject to a restriction on the number of persons allowed in the casino to not more than 50 percent of the available floor space.
  • Weddings, subject to a limitation of 50 persons,
  • Events at function venues, subject to a limitation of 50 persons, and directions issued by the relevant Cabinet member.

Open to the public

The directive states that the following places which are open to the public, subject to all persons wearing face masks and strict adherence to all health protocols and social distancing measure:

  • Fitness centres and gyms, further subject to a limitation of 50 persons or less;
  • Sports grounds and fields;
  • Swimming pools, further subject to a limitation of 50 persons or less;
  • Beaches and public parks;
  • Museums, galleries, libraries and archives;
  • Personal care services, including hairdressing, beauty treatments, make -up and nails salons and piercing and tattoo parlours;
  • Restaurants;
  • Bars, taverns, shebeens, and similar establishments, further subject to a limitation of 50 persons or less;
  • Al accommodation establishments and tour operators, subject to a restriction on the number of persons allowed in such establishments to not more than 50% of the available floor space.

The directive states that night clubs remain closed to the public.

Alcohol and tobacco

The sale of liquor by licensed premises for off-consumption, is permitted from 09h00 to 17h00, from Mondays to Thursdays, excluding Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays;

A licensed premises may also sell for on-site consumption, subject to strict adherence to the curfew.

In terms of tobacco, the sale of tobacco products has been removed from the list of economic exclusions.

Transport

Bus and taxi services – may not carry more than 70% of the licensed capacity for long distance travel.

However, they may carry 100% of the licensed capacity for any trip not regarded as long-distance travel.

A driver, owner or operator of public transport may not allow any member of the public not wearing a face mask, to board or be conveyed in a public transport owned or operated by him or her.

Warning from the President

Writing in his weekly open letter to the nation, Ramaphosa said that the country must urgently focus its efforts on recovery, but warned that a move to a lower level is not a ‘free for all’.

“It is a sign of the progress we are making in reducing new infections and demand on our health facilities. It is also a very important development as we strive to restart our economy. But it is too soon to celebrate,” he said.

Ramaphosa said that country is ‘still very much in the middle of a deadly pandemic’ that has claimed 11,000 lives in South Africa alone.

At more than half a million confirmed cases, the country has the fifth-highest number of infections globally, and there is always a chance of a resurgence of the disease, he said.

“If we ever need a stark reminder of the need for vigilance, we should look to recent events thousands of kilometres away in New Zealand.

“Three months since the country was declared coronavirus-free, New Zealand is once again under lockdown. Although the latest outbreak was of relatively few cases, the government swiftly re-imposed lockdown restrictions.”

Ramaphosa said that similar restrictions have had to be reimposed in several parts of Europe as they experience a ‘second wave’ of infections.

“We now need to manage this risk and ensure the gains we have made thus far in containing the pandemic’s spread are not reversed. The greatest threat to the health of nation right now is complacency.

“It may be that we are now permitted to meet friends and family, to visit entertainment venues, to travel for leisure and to consume alcohol in restaurants, bars and taverns.

“But as the old adage goes, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann
,

Entry Update on Quarantine Protocols in Nigeria

Lynn Mackenzie, J.D., LLM
Courtesy of Bloomfield Law Practice

The Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed its readiness to reopen the nation’s International airspace in a matter of weeks. Although there is no set date yet, we can confirm that the Federal Government has commenced putting measures in place for the process of the gradual resumption of international flight operations.

The Nigerian Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 requires persons arriving in Nigeria to self-isolate for 14 days at a location of their choosing in the City/State of their point of entry (i.e. Lagos or Abuja).  Travelers will have their passports retained by the Nigeria Immigration Service throughout the isolation period. We have highlighted below the arrival requirement for the quarantine process in existence in Nigeria;

  1. Upon arrival at the airport passengers are mandated to present a COVID-19 tested certificate stating a negative result. The certificate is also a mandatory requirement to board any international aircraft during the period and must be obtained 72 hours before the flight.
  2. The passenger will be handed a form to complete and provide their full correct address and phone number.
  3. Upon completion of the form, the passenger will be required to submit their original international passport, COVID-19 test result and the completed form to the immigration officials present at the pot of entry.
  4. Passengers will be given an appointment time and date to present them at the sample collection center located in Lagos or Abuja for a repeat COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of arrival.
  5. Once the test has been successfully carried our, the test result will be available after the compulsory 14 day quarantine period, and if the result is negative, a certificate will be issued.
  6. The certificate once available for the exit interview will be taken to the immigration officials at the airport to retrieve passports submitted.
  7. Once the passport is retrieved, the passenger is allowed to reintegrate with the public.

Please be advised that it has been confirmed that the assignee’s presence will not be required to retrieve their passport at the airport after the completion of the compulsory 14 days quarantine process.

The content of this article is provided for general information purposes. The provision of this article does not constitute legal advice or opinion of any kind; no advisory or fiduciary relationship is created between Relocation Africa and any other person accessing or using this article. Relocation Africa will not be liable for any damages or loss arising from using any part of this article.  

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann
,

Statistics South Africa to Conduct Trial of the Country’s First Ever Digital Census

The Census 2021 Trial, scheduled to start from 10 August – 06 September 2020 in selected areas around the country will test online and telephonic data collection to prepare for remote data collection in the upcoming Census 2021.

Census 2021 is the first population count to introduce digital census taking through the use of online and telephonic data collection platforms, which will also allow respondents to complete the census questionnaire on their own.

The telephonic data collection makes provision for respondents to participate in the census with the assistance of a Stats SA call centre agent. The increased use of cell phones and the current technology driven digital era will minimise the challenge of reaching hard to access communities, thus allowing more people to participate in the census. Participating in the Census 2021 Trial requires respondents to register through a platform that is available on Stats SA online and social media platforms.

Respondents may also contact Stats SA via our toll free number 0800 110 248 for further assistance. A census provides small area data on demographics, socio-economic and living conditions of the population. It assists with forming the basis for active community participation in reviewing access to public services among other issues. Data collected through a census is used by government and different sectors of society for policy-formulation, decision making and planning.

Stats SA derives its mandate from the Statistics Act No. 6 of 1999 to collect data for statistical purposes and to conduct a census. The Act makes is mandatory for respondents to provide data when required. Data collected by Stats SA is only used for statistical purposes and may not be shared with the state or any organs of the state and it remains confidential. As part of quality assessment, Stats SA conducts an independent survey called the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES).

The PES 2021 Trial will be conducted immediately after the completion of Census 2021 Trial data collection, and the survey is used to evaluate the quality of the Census 2021 Trial data. 

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, Remuneration, and Expat Tax needs, email info@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: [1], [2], [3]. Image sources: [1], [2].