With the fifth COVID-19 infection wave now upon us, there is no better time to get your vaccine booster. But what is a booster? And why do you need it? We asked Professor Rosemary Dorrington, virologist at Rhodes University and member of the Provincial COVID-19 Expert Panel, all the essential questions about boosters.

Vaccines are ultimately the best way to ensure that we beat COVID-19, yet vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to protecting our community. In this series, Virologist at Rhodes University and member of the Provincial COVID-19 Expert Panel, Professor Rosemary Dorrington, addresses queries, fears, and misinformation.

Vaccines are ultimately the only way to ensure that we beat COVID-19, yet vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to protecting our community. In this series, Virologist at Rhodes University and member of the Provincial COVID-19 Expert Panel, Professor Rosemary Dorrington, will address queries, fears, and misinformation that many of our citizens face.

From Rhodes University in South Africa, Sioux Mckenna asks whether the technological arms race of plagiarism detection is of any benefit to students and learning

Vaccines are ultimately the only way to ensure that we beat COVID-19, yet vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to protecting our community. In this series, Virologist at Rhodes University and member of the Provincial COVID-19 Expert Panel, Professor Rosemary Dorrington, will address queries, fears, and misinformation that many of our citizens face.

Vaccines are ultimately the only way to ensure that we beat COVID-19, yet vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to attaining herd immunity and protecting the whole community. In this series, Virologist at Rhodes University and member of the Provincial COVID-19 Expert Panel, Professor Rosemary Dorrington, will address queries, fears, and misinformation that many of our citizens face. Question: “What are all these different coronavirus variants I keep hearing about? And which ones are affecting South Africa?”

Vaccines are ultimately the only way to ensure that we beat COVID-19, yet vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to attaining herd immunity and protecting the whole community. In this series, Virologist at Rhodes University and member of the Provincial COVID-19 Expert Panel, Professor Rosemary Dorrington, will address queries, fears, and misinformation that many of our citizens face.

Vaccines are ultimately the only way to ensure that we beat COVID-19, yet vaccine hesitancy remains a threat to attaining herd immunity and protecting the whole community. In this series, Virologist at Rhodes University and member of the Provincial COVID-19 Expert Panel, Professor Rosemary Dorrington, will address queries, fears, and misinformation that many of our citizens face.

In a televised address to the nation on Sunday, 27 June, President Ramaphosa announced that in light of the third wave of the pandemic, the country would be moving to adjusted Alert Level 4 as of Monday, 28 June 2021. “Our priority is to break the chain of transmission by reducing person-to-person contact and thereby help to flatten the curve,” Ramaphosa said.

It is always a pleasure to take time to engage you on important matters that affect you as a student. In my communique to you on 9 April, I mentioned a number of important things.

We are almost at the end of 2020, a year that started like any other. This year being the beginning of a new decade seemed to promise big opportunities. When it started we were already aware of an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in Wuhan China, and yet none of us thought this year would bequeath us a pandemic of this magnitude; a pandemic that forced us to change the way we do things.

On Wednesday, 16 September 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation regarding the move from national Alert Level 2 to 1. In his speech, the President emphasised the need for the country to open the economy as a result of a significant decrease in COVID-19 infections and deaths, as well as the preparedness of our health system. However, he warned us not to lower our guard as we embrace the ‘new normal’, but to keep adhering to health and safety protocols and non-pharmaceutical interventions of wearing a face mask, washing our hands regularly with soap and water or a sanitiser and practising safe physical distancing at all times.

The last five months have been extraordinarily difficult and unsettling for many of us and in so many ways. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives in ways no one could have imagined or predicted.

More Rhodes University students are to be invited to return to campus, following an announcement by government to move the country to Alert Level 2 of its Risk-Adjusted Strategy to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.

In order to curb the spread of the virus in our University and the local community, all students are required to adhere the preventative measures.

As we commence the second semester on Monday 3 August, we are forced to look back with gratitude at what we have achieved during the first semester albeit under very difficult and stressful national lockdown conditions.

I hope you are holding up reasonably well in this time of unprecedented uncertainty, anxiety and stress. I am acutely aware of just how difficult it is for all of us to operate under the constant threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. My thoughts are with our staff and students who are in isolation, quarantine or are receiving treatment.

Today marks day 79 of the national Covid-19 lockdown, although under eased conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives in ways no one could have imagined a short five months ago. Many of us have adjusted to this as our temporary new ‘normal’ and are ensuring that our daily business processes continue with as little disruption as possible. However, for many people these conditions are hard to comprehend.

On 23 May 2020, the Minister of Higher Education, Science & Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, laid out a set of criteria for the return of students to universities according to the declared risk-adjusted alert levels. The Ministry’s framing theme in providing guidance for the post-school in these uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic is #SaveLives, #SaveTheAcademicYear.

Although the concept of remote teaching at Rhodes University is not new, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought this form of teaching and learning into focus.

Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela, today expressed 'deep gratitude’ to the institution’s donors who have been providing raw materials for the sanitiser production initiative.

Today is the 49th day of the nationwide lockdown. For many, this has been a very difficult time. Adjusting to the changed circumstances has taken its toll. Projections are that the virus will be with us for a considerable period of time. Thank you for your role in helping curb the transmission of the virus and, in the process, saving lives.

The purpose of this email is to give staff an update with regards to essential or permitted services staff in the workplace. I would like to say thank-you to all the staff who worked so hard last week, your efforts and commitment are appreciated.

We have been compelled to transition from face-to-face teaching and learning to online/remote teaching and learning, not only to save the academic year 2020, but most importantly to ensure that our students are able to continue with their education; to ensure the sustainability of the University; and make sure that students and staff are not exposed to the risk of contracting the deadly virus.

Professor Steve Olivier, who started as a student at Rhodes University in 1981, has accepted the appointment of Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen, Scotland. He accepts this responsibility despite the global Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges it poses to higher education.

We would like to thank all of you for your patience whilst we worked tirelessly to explore various forms of remote/online teaching and learning to ensure that the academic project continues during this period of the Covid-19 pandemic. We thank all staff who have been at the forefront of planning for remote/online teaching and learning. We also thank all essential services staff who have been at work for the past six weeks. We are pleased to share the progress we have made to date.

Two eminent Rhodes University academics, Professors Rosemary Dorrington and Rod Walker have joined a team of experts assembled by Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane and assigned by the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, to shore up efforts to curb Covid-19 in the Eastern Cape Province.

Rhodes University has entered into agreements with the mobile carriers Vodacom, MTN and Cell C to provide data bundles for our students who are clients of those carriers. Engagements are also underway with Telkom Mobile around a similar agreement.

Rhodes University Dean of Pharmacy, Professor Sandile Khamanga, recently received a delegation of scientific technicians from the Dohne Agricultural Development Institute in Stutterheim for training in sanitiser production.

Celebrating Freedom Day under lockdown feels like a contradiction however the rain is most welcome. We see South Africans rise to the challenge and Celebrate Freedom Day by enhancing the lives of those that are less fortunate around them. There is no better way to celebrate and honour Freedom Day than to live respectfully, with compassion and kindness to those around you.

Our preparations to migrate to remote/online teaching and learning delivery are moving ahead. The Orientation Programme has gone well and some of the teething challenges are being attended to. The Orientation Programme will continue for the whole of next week.

This plan emanates from intense engagement with, amongst others, the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, the Registrar and Faculty Deans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also shared with the Student Representative Council.

On 13 April I wrote a letter to you indicating, among other things, that, in line with other universities, we would migrate to alternative forms of teaching and learning in order to ensure successful completion of the 2020 Academic Year. I also indicated that, underpinning our approach to remote/online teaching and learning will be principles of social justice and of ensuring that no student will be left behind on account of lack of an appropriate device or access to connectivity.

Several Rhodes University academics recently assisted the Department of Health during its mobile Covid-19 screening drive in Makhanda.

Rhodes University has turned to its alumni, business and members of the public for help to mobilise resources to ensure successful completion of the 2020 academic year.

In the past few weeks you have received several communications as we work to address the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of this is exploring alternative forms of teaching and learning, including online teaching and learning commencing 20 April.

The purpose of this email is to remind staff of the wellness interventions that are in place for staff during lockdown as well as where to find up to date information as it pertains to COVID-19 and what the University has put in place.

Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela, has pledged 33% of his salary - for three months - to the Covid-19 Relief Fund.

I am writing to you to provide you with an update on activities and plans to ensure a successful completion of the 2020 academic year.

I hope that this finds you, your household, your family and friends safe, healthy, well and managing to adjust to lockdown. I would like to have written to you all sooner but the run up to lockdown was frantic and the first week was equally busy and our new reality took some time to get used to. Last week and this week HR and Payroll are working to ensure that the April payroll runs smoothly.

We are constantly monitoring the situation regarding the spread of the virus, and will take our lead from the COVID-19 National Command Council, Science experts and USAf on the collective sectoral approach to salvage the 2020 academic year. We remain committed to completing the 2020 academic year within this calendar year. In order to achieve this objective, we will need to review our academic calendar and embrace different and/or alternative approaches to teaching and learning.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic arrangements, the Publishers’ Association of South Africa (PASA) and the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO), have agreed to make additional provisions for Universities.

The Psychology Department at Rhodes University has put together some mental health guidance for students over the period of the lockdown.

Our plans for online teaching and learning are progressing well, notwithstanding the challenges of venturing into an untested and unfamiliar terrain.

Epidemiologists advise us of the power of individual behaviour in the context of a pandemic like COVID-19 in slowing or expediting the transmission and spread of the virus. The war against the coronavirus (COVID-19) will be won or lost depending on how each one of us, yes, 58.78 million of us, exercise our agency in reducing the transmission and the spread of the virus.

I trust that you and your family are well and that you can appreciate the importance of placing our country under a nationwide 21-day lockdown. It is intended to avert a human catastrophe that would unfold were such drastic measures not taken to curb the transmission of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Following the Vice-Chancellor’s Circular issued on18 March 2020 wherein an announcement was made to bring the first term one recess forward, a number of issues have been raised. This communique aims to address some of these.

In response to the global health emergency created by the rate of spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), on 15 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a National State of Disaster. He further announced stringent measures to curb the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande further issued a statement in line with the President’s national announcement.

On 15 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a national disaster. He further announced a wide range of stringent measures to reduce the spread of the virus.

All academic activities at Rhodes University will be temporarily suspended on Monday, 16 March 2020.

Taking into consideration the national and global situation regarding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the need for all of us to take all necessary precautionary measures to reduce the potential risk of exposure to the virus, the University Executive Leadership has had to take important decisions regarding events on campus that may involve significant numbers of people from outside Makhanda/Grahamstown.

The situation has moved quickly from an outbreak in one part of the world just two months ago to the list of affected geographic spaces across the globe growing almost daily. Travel, most particularly international travel, is clearly a major factor in the spread of the disease.

Rhodes University’s Coronavirus Response Task Team (CVRTT) met this week to address the challenges that might arise should there be a suspected or confirmed case at Rhodes University and to develop and implement an action plan to respond to the risks of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

We are all aware of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which originated in Wuhan, China in 2019 and has spread to other parts of the world.

In the wake of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), where hand washing is one of the ways to avoid contracting the virus, South Africa is currently experiencing a nationwide shortage of hand sanitiser. In response to this dire need, a team of Rhodes University scientists has set up a lab to produce hand sanitiser.

Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela, has emphasised the importance of preparing for online teaching and learning. He said Rhodes University staff should not view the 21-day national lockdown period (27 March to 17 April 2020) as a vacation, but to use these days responsibly to prepare for online teaching and learning methods for when the university reopens on 20 April 2020.

On Monday, 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on further measures that the National Coronavirus Command Council had decide on to reduce the overall number of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections and to delay the spread of infection over a longer period.

A report is doing rounds on social media alleging that a Rhodes University student who arrived at OR Tambo Airport from the USA, on Thursday, was allowed to proceed to his private residence in Makhanda instead of the mandatory quarantine site for all arrivals from designated high-risk countries.