The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), will pump R25 million towards the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) as scientists grapple with the new Covid-19 variant.
Higher Education, Science and Innovation minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, announced this on Friday, during a joint briefing with the Department of Health and scientists.
“This was in the wake of the latest surveillance results that shows a worrying trend of the highly transmittable Covid-19 variant first identified in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape, and moved to the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and is now the dominant and possibly the only Covid-19 variant responsible for the current surge,” said the department.
According to the department, the R25 million of the R45 million required over the next 12 months will help scientists to complete the sequencing of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 10 000 genomes in South Africa and Africa.
A group of scientists discovered the new “unusual” coronavirus variant called 501.V2, which is spreading rapidly in the country.
According to health department minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, this variant is seeing a larger proportion of younger patients with no comorbidities develop serious illness.
“The evidence that has been collated, therefore, strongly suggests that that the current second wave we are experiencing is being driven by this new variant.”
The department said the grant will be used to understand the spread of Covid-19 and other virus lineages on the continent while also supporting the clinical and laboratory investigations of the genomic variation in the country.
“This is in line with the use of pathogen genomics for monitoring of transmission dynamics of infectious agents and potential vaccine escape is of crucial importance to South Africa, Africa and the world,” said minister Nzimande.
Nzimande said that these funds will be used to acquire equipment to automate the sequencing system and to buy reagents and other laboratory consumables.
Meanwhile, in April 2020, DSI through the Strategic Health Innovation Partnership funded KRISP for the project, ‘Spatial and Genomic monitoring of COVID-19 cases in South Africa to fight the flames before they become a wildfire’ to a tune of R10 million.
“This resulted in the establishment of the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa in June 2020, with the goal to sequence the genome of at least 10 000 SARS-CoV-2 samples to inform the public health response in South Africa, and to use spatial and genomic monitoring of Covid-19 cases to help the government to identify hotspots of transmission and control the local epidemic.”
Meanwhile, the minister said the next step is to get a better understanding of whether there is any clinical and epidemiological evidence to suggest increased transmissibility and/or pathogenicity of the virus and/or vaccine escape.
KRISP
KRISP was established in 2017, situated at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine.
The department describes KRISP as a cutting-edge genomics centre offering a range of DNA sequencing, precision medicine testing, bioinformatics services and technologies to academic, industrial and commercial users.
The centre is a platform of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an agency of the DSI – a flagship programme of the South African Medical Research Council has established an excellent scientific infrastructure.
“Their vision is to challenge the status quo and establish one of the worlds most advanced and respected genetic sequencing platforms, to enable and support world-class genomics research and diagnostics services in Africa,” he said.
Nzimande said the consortium capacitated five key National Health Laboratory Services and their associated academic institutions to produce and analyse completely viral genomes in South Africa in near real-time.
The main investigators include Professor Tulio de Oliveira, Professor Carolyn Williamson, Dr Jinal Bhiman, Dr Nokukhanya Msomi, Professor Diana Hardie, Dr Marvin Hsiao, Professor Nicky Goedhals and Professor Susan Engelbrecht.
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].
Highest Annual Price Increases in Stats SA’s Latest Consumer Price Index
Statistics South Africa has published its latest consumer price index, showing that annual consumer price inflation was 3.2% in November 2020, down from 3.3% in October 2020.
The main contributors to the 3,2% annual inflation rate were food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing and utilities, and miscellaneous goods and service, the statistics body said.
“Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices continued to climb, recording an aggregate annual increase of 5.8%, up from 5.4% in October. Food inflation contributed one percentage point to November’s headline rate of 3.2%.”
Some of the largest annual price increases (November 2019 vs November 2020) were recorded for the following goods and services:
Bread and cereals
StatsSA said that cake flour prices have increased by 11.9% over the last year, while brown bread prices rose by 9,2%, and white bread by 7.9%.
As a category, bread and cereals recorded an annual price rise of 4.2% in November.
Bucking the trend of the category as a whole, super maize meal prices have decreased over the last year, declining on average by 7.4%.
Meat and fish
The meat index recorded an annual rise of 6.6%. as beef products in particular have experienced high annual increases.
Beef steak is 16% more expensive than it was a year ago. Beef mince prices have increased by 9.2%, and stewing beef by 8.6%.
Prices in the fish category registered a 4.5% rise over the last year. However, prices dropped slightly (by 0.2%) in November 2020 compared with October 2020, Stats SA said.
Oils and fats
The annual change in prices in the oils and fats category was 8.3%. However, on a monthly basis prices edged slightly lower by 0.2%.
The price of peanut butter has increased by 6.6% over the last year, though a monthly decline of 2% was recorded in November. Cooking oil prices climbed by 9.3% over the last year, and margarine by 7.9%.
Hot beverages
The hot beverages index increased by 6,2% on an annual basis, but on a monthly basis declined slightly by 0.1%.
Black tea is 10.8% more expensive than it was a year ago, but on a monthly basis black tea is cheaper by 0.7%.
Transport goods and services
Prices for products related to transport recorded an average monthly decline of 0,8% and an annual decrease of 1.3% in November, StatsSA said.
All the main transport indices were lower in November 2020 compared with October 2020: vehicle prices declined by 0.3%, public transport by 0.4% and fuel by 2.0%.
Fuel prices are, on aggregate, 10,4% lower than they were a year ago. As an example, the price of inland 95-octane petrol was R16.08 per litre in November 2019, falling to R14,59 in November 2020.
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].
University of Cape Town’s Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng Among Times Higher Education’s 10 People of the Year
University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng has been named among the Times Higher Education’s (THE) 10 People of the Year.
Professor Phakeng is among the 10 people “who mattered in higher education in 2020”, named by THE on Thursday, 17 December. The list comprises “the academics and administrators who have shaped the debate in the past 12 months”.
According to THE: “There is no doubt that higher education will need strong, transformational leadership as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, and few people embody this more than Phakeng. Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town since 2018, she continued to speak out powerfully against inequality in South Africa and in academia globally over the past year.”
Speaking at this year’s THE World Academic Summit, Phakeng said that universities needed to show more “reflection and humility” around their own “complicity” in perpetuating racism and sexism, and called for the creation of more diverse leadership teams and an end to the exploitation of researchers from the Global South.
“If universities are to transform into more equal institutions, they will need leaders like Professor Phakeng who are not afraid to speak uncomfortable truths and hold the sector to account,” wrote THE.
Phakeng is the only African named on the list. The others are:
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].
Covax Participation Secured After South Africa Makes R283m Down Payment for Vaccine Scheme
The National Department of Health and the Solidarity Fund announced that the country’s Covax participation has been secured after the down payment needed was been made.
On Tuesday, the Health department said that the down payment of $19.2 million (about R283m) has been made to Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance) to secure South Africa’s entry into the Covax facility.
The World Health Organization describes the Covax programme as the global initiative aimed at working with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries worldwide with equitable access to safe and effective vaccines.
The payment was made in line with the fund’s previous allocation of funds and commitment to support the government’s efforts to accelerate the roll-out of vaccines in South Africa.
Covax has confirmed South Africa’s entry into the facility.
The down payment represents 15% of the total cost of securing access to vaccines for 10% (roughly 6 million) of the population. The country’s membership in the Covax facility ensures that South Africa receives its equitable share of the vaccine once it becomes available.
Solidarity Fund chairperson Gloria Serobe said: “There can be no doubt that a Covid-19 vaccine will play an important role in helping South Africa manage the virus.
“The Solidarity Fund was set up for exactly this purpose – to be additive to the work of the government and assist in initiatives and programmes that have the greatest impact in the fight against the pandemic. The fund is grateful to be in a position to assist at this crucial juncture.”
Department of Health Director-General Dr Sandile Buthelezi said: “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Solidarity Fund for providing the financial support that has enabled the country to meet the down payment obligations as required in terms of the agreement.
“The Department of Health will make additional payments, in relation to vaccines delivered under the Covax facility, as they fall due over the next year.”
Health Minister Dr Zwelini Mkhize hailed this milestone.
“It is a privilege to oversee a process that has brought together the government, international partners and business for the sole purpose of delivering quality health care to the people of South Africa.
“This is what we have been advocating for when we speak of multisectoral collaboration, and it is gratifying to see this spirit being harnessed for the good of our people, Africans and the global village,” he said.
“We convey our sincere gratitude to the Solidarity Fund for their unwavering support to the government, to ensure that no one gets left behind as we seek to protect our most vulnerable citizens against the scourge of Covid-19.
“The collaboration with the Covax facility will continue as South Africa ramps up efforts to put the necessary systems and processes in place to ensure that, amongst other health systems strengthening and logistical requirements, the cold supply chain is ready to immunise the population identified.
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].
Science and Innovation Department to Fund New COVID-19 Variant Study
The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), will pump R25 million towards the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) as scientists grapple with the new Covid-19 variant.
Higher Education, Science and Innovation minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, announced this on Friday, during a joint briefing with the Department of Health and scientists.
“This was in the wake of the latest surveillance results that shows a worrying trend of the highly transmittable Covid-19 variant first identified in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape, and moved to the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and is now the dominant and possibly the only Covid-19 variant responsible for the current surge,” said the department.
According to the department, the R25 million of the R45 million required over the next 12 months will help scientists to complete the sequencing of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 10 000 genomes in South Africa and Africa.
A group of scientists discovered the new “unusual” coronavirus variant called 501.V2, which is spreading rapidly in the country.
According to health department minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, this variant is seeing a larger proportion of younger patients with no comorbidities develop serious illness.
“The evidence that has been collated, therefore, strongly suggests that that the current second wave we are experiencing is being driven by this new variant.”
The department said the grant will be used to understand the spread of Covid-19 and other virus lineages on the continent while also supporting the clinical and laboratory investigations of the genomic variation in the country.
“This is in line with the use of pathogen genomics for monitoring of transmission dynamics of infectious agents and potential vaccine escape is of crucial importance to South Africa, Africa and the world,” said minister Nzimande.
Nzimande said that these funds will be used to acquire equipment to automate the sequencing system and to buy reagents and other laboratory consumables.
Meanwhile, in April 2020, DSI through the Strategic Health Innovation Partnership funded KRISP for the project, ‘Spatial and Genomic monitoring of COVID-19 cases in South Africa to fight the flames before they become a wildfire’ to a tune of R10 million.
“This resulted in the establishment of the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa in June 2020, with the goal to sequence the genome of at least 10 000 SARS-CoV-2 samples to inform the public health response in South Africa, and to use spatial and genomic monitoring of Covid-19 cases to help the government to identify hotspots of transmission and control the local epidemic.”
Meanwhile, the minister said the next step is to get a better understanding of whether there is any clinical and epidemiological evidence to suggest increased transmissibility and/or pathogenicity of the virus and/or vaccine escape.
KRISP
KRISP was established in 2017, situated at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine.
The department describes KRISP as a cutting-edge genomics centre offering a range of DNA sequencing, precision medicine testing, bioinformatics services and technologies to academic, industrial and commercial users.
The centre is a platform of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), an agency of the DSI – a flagship programme of the South African Medical Research Council has established an excellent scientific infrastructure.
“Their vision is to challenge the status quo and establish one of the worlds most advanced and respected genetic sequencing platforms, to enable and support world-class genomics research and diagnostics services in Africa,” he said.
Nzimande said the consortium capacitated five key National Health Laboratory Services and their associated academic institutions to produce and analyse completely viral genomes in South Africa in near real-time.
The main investigators include Professor Tulio de Oliveira, Professor Carolyn Williamson, Dr Jinal Bhiman, Dr Nokukhanya Msomi, Professor Diana Hardie, Dr Marvin Hsiao, Professor Nicky Goedhals and Professor Susan Engelbrecht.
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].