South African government mulls mandatory vaccine policy

A pupil gets her temperature checked in Soweto. Pic/AFP

The South African government is considering a mandatory Covid-19 inoculation policy as experts have raised concerns about vaccine hesitancy, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said.

"A suggestion has been made by various influential people in society that we should consider a mandatory vaccination policy. This is a matter which we are very reluctant to venture into, but it is a matter which we are discussing in various forums," Phaahla said at a media briefing on Friday.

"In my view, we don't foresee a kind of regulation or some kind of national government regulation that says everybody must vaccinate," he said, adding, "But what is possible is that at various service providers or areas of entertainment or where people obtain services or even workplaces, a locally determined requirement can be made."

Over 3,000 Covid cases reported across LA schools

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles County Public Health Department announced that 3,186 Coronavirus cases had been reported from schools from August 16-22. The data, collected as students came back to campus en masse for the first time in more than a year, offered an early snapshot of the status of local schools in protecting against on-campus transmission of the fatal disease, especially the Delta variant. "The early data we have on schools is somewhat sobering," said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer during a public briefing here on Friday.

21,63,76,557
TOTAL Number OF CORONAVIRUS

CASES IN THE WORLD

45,02,297
Number OF DEATHS WORLDWIDE

19,33,68,690
Number OF RECOVERED PATIENTS

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