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COVID-19 Vaccinations available on all three campuses of the UFS

06 October 2021 | Story Lunga Luthuli

Students and staff can now get vaccinated on all three campuses of the University of the Free State.

For the month of October, Clicks Pharmacy will be doing vaccinations ( Johnson and Johnson) on the Bloemfontein Campus for staff and students. Clicks Pharmacy staff will be available on the campus in EXR 1(enter from the basketball courts), next to the screening site, on Wednesdays from 09:00 to 13:00.

The following should be noted:

• The COVID-19 vaccine will be administered free of charge.

• You can speed up the process by registering on the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme registration portal before you get to the vaccination site. Staff will be on stand-by to register those who have not yet done so.

• Please bring positive identification, such as an ID book or driver’s licence.

• You will receive proof of your first vaccination via a vaccine card.

In addition to the vaccination site at the Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein, staff and students can also get vaccinated on the Qwaqwa and South campuses. Take note that the Qwaqwa Campus vaccination site is open on Wednesdays only.

COVID-19 Vaccination Programme Registration link: https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/

News Archive

Using sugar to make the world a sweeter place

2017-10-13

Dr Deepack Santchurn, former PhD student in the
Department of Plant Sciences at the UFS,
and plant breeder in the Mauritius Sugar Industry
Research Institute, with Prof Maryke Labuschagne, left,
Dr Santchurn’s study leader.
Photo: Charl Devenish

Besides it mainly being used for sugar production, sugarcane has emerged as an important alternative for providing clean renewable energy. Dr Deepack Santchurn, who works in the sugarcane breeding department of the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute (MSIRI), believes if he could contribute towards a more environment-friendly and renewable energy through the use of sugarcane biomass, he would consider himself having made a great leap towards a better world.

Sugarcane is mostly known and exploited for the sugar in its cane stem. According to Dr Santchurn it is not the only thing the crop does well. “Together with certain grasses, it is the finest living collector of sunlight energy and a producer of biomass in unit time. Sugarcane is now recognised worldwide as a potential renewable and environment-friendly bioenergy crop.”

Significantly more bioenergy can be produced from sugarcane if the production system is not focused on the production and recovery of sucrose alone but on the maximum use to the total above-ground biomass. Diversification within the sugarcane industry is of paramount importance.

He has been able to identify a few high biomass varieties that can be exploited industrially. One of the varieties is a commercial type with relatively high sugar and low fibre in the cane stem. Dr Santchurn explains: “Its sucrose content is about 0.5% less than the most cultivated commercial variety in Mauritius. Nevertheless, its sugar yield and above-ground biomass yield surpass those of the commercial varieties by more than 24%. The genetic gains compared to commercial varieties were around +50% for total biomass yield and +100% for fibre yield. Its cultivation is strictly related to bio-energy production and the extracted juice can be used as a feed-stock for ethanol and other high-value products.”

Dr Santchurn received his PhD at the UFS’s Department of Plant Sciences during the Winter Graduation Ceremonies in June this year. His study leader was Prof Maryke Labuschagne from the Department of Plant Sciences.

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