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

Making headlines: Solidarity launches legal action against new Covid-19 health regulations; Africa CDC urges Covid-19 vaccine buyers to order from Aspen; And, South Africa records highest positivity rate yet of fifth wave

Solidarity launches legal action against new Covid-19 health regulations

Following the publication of new Covid-19 health regulations by Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, Solidarity has launched legal action against the regulations, calling them “unlawful and irrational”.

Phaahla published amendments to health regulations on Wednesday night, just hours before the 30 days of transitional rules automatically lapsed.

Solidarity issued Phaahla with a legal letter asking him to disclose how the decision on the Covid-19 health regulations was reached.

Solidary’s Dirk Hermann said there was major uncertainty about the legal framework within which these limited regulations functioned.

He explained that the most worrying of the new regulations is the fact that the Minister of Health can decide to enact or withdraw them.

Africa CDC urges Covid-19 vaccine buyers to order from Aspen

Africa's top public health body is urging all those purchasing Covid-19 vaccines for the continent to place orders with South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare, saying the market was key to developing vaccine manufacturing on the continent.

The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said it was doing everything it could behind the scenes to prevent a situation where Aspen closes its facility due to a lack of orders.

Aspen negotiated a licensing deal in November to package and sell Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine and distribute it across Africa.

This was hailed as a game-changing moment for an under-vaccinated continent frustrated by sluggish Western handouts, but Aspen's Covid-19 vaccine plant now risks shutting down after receiving not a single order.

And, South Africa records highest positivity rate yet of fifth wave

South Africa’s daily coronavirus test positivity rate rose to its highest level yet on Wednesday amid its fifth wave of infections.

There were 6 170 new Covid-19 cases identified, representing a 22.6% positivity rate of those tested, with the majority of the cases in Gauteng province at 41%, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 27.

South Africa is still a long way off previous records. The largest daily count for new cases was 26 976, reached on December 15, and the highest positivity rate was 33.4%, reported on January 4. But the fifth wave comes just as winter starts and just after the country ended its more than two-year National State of Disaster.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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