Tag Archive for: Department of Health

Sisipho Ntsabo
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SA Government to introduce digital Covid-19 certificate

Government to introduce new digital Covid-19 certificate for South Africa.

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, addressed the media on Friday, 10th of September on the latest COVID-19 developments in South Africa. In these recent developments, Phaahla mentioned that the government is to introduce a new digital COVID-19 certificate for South Africans.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the digital COVID-19 certificates are a mechanism by which an individual’s Covid-19 related health data can be digitally documented through an electronic certificate.

WHO is undertaking an initiative to standardise vaccination proof globally. Phaahla states that the certificate has been developed with fraud and other security protections. The digital certificate will align with international standards.

The Association of Southern African Travel Agents (Asata) welcomes this announcement, citing that “A digital vaccination certificate will be an important criterion for any outbound travel,”

CEO of Asata, Otto de Vries, believes that the digital vaccine certificate can potentially lessen the current bureaucratic paperwork required for outbound travel.

Dr Phaahla says the digital certificate may be useful in accessing certain services and businesses in the future. He further adds that the government has no intention of making the certificate a requirement for accessing public services. The digital certificate will be available on smartphones and can also be printed out.

South Africa is the perfect destination for investment, and we are proud to offer Immigration and Relocation services in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg. Please contact us via email, website or social media for further information.

Look through a brief overview, housing, school and immigration information about South Africa on our Locations’ page: https://www.relocationafrica.com/locations/south-africa/

Sisipho Ntsabo
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Angolan Exemption Permit Project

Angolan Exemption Permit Project Information

The following has been confirmed with the South African Department of Home Affairs:

  • If a foreign national is currently in possession of an Angolan cessation permit, or Angolan special permit, they may apply for the new Angolan exemption permit.
  • If a foreign national currently has no status, but had valid refugee status or an asylum seeker permit which was issued prior to 31 August 2013, they may apply for the new Angolan exemption permit, but the fact that they currently have no legal status, will be investigated.
  • If a foreign national currently has a valid or pending mainstream temporary residence visa (a normal temporary residence visa such as relative visa, work visa, study visa, etc.), they may not apply for the new Angolan exemption permit.
  • The new permits will be issued for an indefinite duration.
  • Once the main applicant is in possession of the new Angolan exemption permit, their family members may apply for mainstream temporary residence visas.

 

Sisipho Ntsabo
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Biovac To Produce Covid-19 Vaccine in Africa

BioNTech and Pfizer have announced that they reached a deal with Biovac to produce Covid-19 for the African Union (AU) countries beginning in 2022. Biovac is a bio-pharmaceutical company that was established with the South African government as a partnership for local vaccine manufacturing capability. Under this agreement, 100 million doses are expected to be produced annually for the AU countries.

In an MoneyWeb’s interview with the CEO of Biovac, Dr Morena Makhoana states that this is a historical moment for Africa as this is the first mRNA technology transfer on the continent. Pfizer has committed about 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine before the Biovac-Pfizer agreement.

Biovac CEO states, “The deal is to “fill and finish” the vaccine, the final stages of manufacturing where the product is processed and put into vials. It does not cover the complicated processes of mRNA drug substance production, which Pfizer and BioNTech will do at their own facilities in Europe”.

Pfizer released a press release in which the full statement of the Biovac and Pfizer-Biotech deal was extensively discussed. In the technicality of the manufacturing of the vaccine in Africa, Pfizer writes, “Biovac will perform manufacturing and distribution activities within Pfizer’s and BioNTech’s global COVID-19 vaccine supply chain and manufacturing network, which will now span three continents and include more than 20 manufacturing facilities. To facilitate Biovac’s involvement in the process, technical transfer, on-site development and equipment installation activities will begin immediately.”

We can expect the Biovac’s integration into the vaccine supply chain by the end of 2021, while the manufacturing of finished doses is scheduled to star in 2022. Once full operation capacity is reached, the annual production is set to exceed 100 million finished doses distributed within the 55 states of the AU.

Pfizer Chairman and CEO, Albert Bourla wrote, “Our latest collaboration with Biovac is a shining example of the tireless work being done, in this instance to benefit Africa. We will continue to explore and pursue opportunities to bring new partners into our supply chain network, including in Latin America, to further accelerate access of COVID-19 vaccines.”

This is good news for the continent of Africa. Currently experiencing the third-wave and a hampered rollout out, things are looking up as Senegal joins likes of Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa in the list of African countries that have successfully secured the rights to produce the jabs.

South Africa will be a great destination for investment, and we are proud to offer services for Immigration and Relocation services into Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg. Please contact us for further information.

Have a look at the brief overview, housing, school and immigration information about South Africa on our location’s website: https://www.relocationafrica.com/locations/south-africa/

 

 

 

Sisipho Ntsabo
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Senegal to start manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines

Senegal has joined the list of African countries to secure the patent right to manufacture the COVID-19 vaccines in 2022. The country has signed a deal with Belgian biotech group, Univercells to produce these vaccines in the next year. Senegal joins the likes of Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa in the list of African countries that have successfully secured the rights to produce the jabs.

In April, Univercells announced the signing of a letter of intent for collaboration with the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal. Under the Univercells agreement, the Institut Pasteur supplies Covid-19 vaccines to countries across West Africa using vaccine production technology developed by Univercells. The initial packaging and distribution of these vaccines would begin early next year.

This is good news for Africa. As we reported in our last article, Africa is currently undergoing its third wave. Out of a continent of 1.3 billion people, only 7 million people have been fully vaccinated. Institut Pasteur director Amadou Sall says that the facility is at work with donors to secure financial backing for this huge project. Furthermore, Sall adds that there is a lot of political will for this project to create a real opportunity in Africa.

In other good news, the European Union (EU) said last month that it is willing to invest at least 1bn to build manufacturing hubs in Africa, with Senegal, SA, Rwanda, Morocco, and Egypt among the leading candidates. South Africa’s Biovac Institute has been in contact with the German and French governments and their respective pharmaceutical companies to produce 30m Covid-19 vaccines annually. Further, South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare is already in the process of Janssen vaccine shots locally.

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Have a look at the brief overview, housing, school and immigration information about Senegal on our locations website: https://www.relocationafrica.com/locations/senegal/