For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: J&J vaccine study to resume in South Africa on Wednesday; Free State ANC PEC withdraws ConCourt appeal to set aside SCA judgment declaring it unlawful; And, Covid-19 cases increase by 1 101

J&J vaccine study to resume in South Africa on Wednesday

A research study in South Africa further evaluating Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine in the field will resume on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said, after the study was paused over rare cases of blood clots in people given the vaccine.

During the pause, it had been established that there is a one in a million chance of getting a clot after the vaccine, so regulators across the world have recommended the continued use of J&J's shot, the Ministry said.

Local regulator the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, the South African Medical Research Council and the Health Ministry have worked to ensure there is intensified pre-vaccination assessment and post-vaccination monitoring when the J&J study resumes, it added.

Free State ANC PEC withdraws ConCourt appeal to set aside SCA judgment declaring it unlawful

The already under pressure Free State ANC provincial executive committee has made a U-turn by withdrawing its appeal of a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling.

The PEC wanted the Constitutional Court to set aside an SCA judgment which found that the 2018 election of the PEC in the Free State was unlawful.

The letter stated that the ANC national officials as well as national working committee have directed the PEC that this matter be resolved through political and organisational processes and not through legal processes. The political and organisational process is currently proceeding. The PEC confirmed that chairperson Sam Mashinini did not have the authority or was not mandated to file an affidavit on behalf of the PEC.

Paseka Nompondo, currently serving as ANC provincial secretary, said no-one should take instructions from anybody except his office in all matters relating to the Free State PEC.

And, Covid-19 cases increase by 1 101

South Africa recorded 1 101 new Covid-19 cases by Sunday and 23 more Covid-19-related deaths, taking the death toll to 54 148.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement on Sunday that the country had recorded a total of 1 575 471 Covid-19 cases.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most active cases with 5 097, followed by the Northern Cape with 3 284 and Gauteng with 2 919.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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