COVID-19 WRAP | 445,433 confirmed Covid-19 cases in SA

July 26 2020 - 22:36

445 433 confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa 

2 773 778 tests have been conducted to date. There has been 114 Covid-19 related deaths in the past 24 hour cycle -  7 from Eastern Cape, 29 from Gauteng, 12 from KwaZulu Natal, 30 from Western Cape, 34 from Limpopo and 2 from Northern Cape.

The cumulative number of deaths are now 6769.  The number of recoveries currently stands at 265 077 which translates to a recovery rate of 59,5%

July 26 2020 - 22:09

IN QUOTES | Health minister Zweli Mkhize answers questions from the public

What can we expect in the next four months?

“We expect the numbers are still likely to increase ... August and September we’ll still have high numbers ... which means more people might still be hospitalised.

“Each province had its own trajectory ... However, we do believe that at some point we will be over this problem ...

“We work very hard to break the cycle of infection.”

July 26 2020 - 21:19

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Sunday evening said the latest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases was 445 433.

The number of deaths stood at 6769.

If we are not practising social behavioural changes, #COVID19 will continue to spread. The numbers will always grow depending on how well as a community we can break the cycle, he said.

July 26 2020 - 19:11

Minister Mantashe discharged from hospital 

Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Mr Gwede Mantashe has been discharged from hospital, according to cabinet spokesperson Ms Phumla Williams.

The Minister tested positive for Covid-19 on 14 July 2020 and went into self-quarantine. On 20 July 2020, Minister Mantashe was admitted to hospital for further medical attention and monitoring.

Though he has been discharged, he has been advised by his medical team to stay home for another seven days.

July 26 2020 - 16:42

Pakistan virus deaths drop, but government warns of Eid spike

Pakistan has seen an 80-per cent drop in coronavirus deaths but risks a spike in new cases after the upcoming Eid festival, a government health official said Sunday.

July 26 2020 - 14:21

Doctors reject food parcels from the government, saying they need better salaries and working conditions

It took Zimbabwe five months to reach 1,000 Covid-19 cases but within a week the country is approaching 3,000.

July 26 2020 - 13:39

Fedsas awaits Motshekga on new directives on school reopening before taking action

The Federation of Governing Bodies of SA Schools (Fedsas) says it is awaiting further directions from basic education minister Angie Motshekga on the amended school calendar before taking any action.

After President Cyril Ramaphosa's address on Thursday, stating that all public schools will close until August 24, except matrics and grade 7s, some schools have stated that the school calendar issued by Motshekga on June 7 gives them a right to phase in grades earlier than anticipated.

Fedsas CEO Paul Colditz said the federation had no plans to make any legal challenge at this stage and said it would wait for Motshekga to issue new directives before deciding on what action to take.

July 26 2020 - 12:20

This is not a time to be complacent, says Prof Karim as Covid-19 ‘takes off’ in KZN

Amid concerns that KwaZulu-Natal may become SA’s next coronavirus epicentre, Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee chair professor Salim Abdool Karim has warned against complacency.

Karim said that from his analysis of the data, KwaZulu-Natal — which recorded the first case of Covid-19 in SA in March — “is my concern”. This comes as health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize also cautioned that the province could “take over from Gauteng”.

July 26 2020 - 11:50

Black business chief blasts 'covidpreneurs' as PPE scandal grows

Anti-corruption investigators are probing a sickening slew of allegations that unscrupulous officials and businesses benefited from billions meant to fight Covid-19.

Deals believed to be worth more than R2.2bn, involving emergency purchases of personal protective equipment (PPE), are at the centre of what one business leader described as a "heart-wrenching, unscrupulous and filthy" feeding frenzy.

Sandile Zungu, president of the Black Business Council, said he was saddened to see that his lobbying for black businesses to benefit from the process has been hijacked.

July 26 2020 - 11:05

Job losses in SA: Covid-19 victims are not only the sick

Some 3-million South Africans lost their jobs between February and April. They include CEOs, cashiers, software developers, roadside traders, cleaners and credit managers.

Their dreams and careers in tatters, some of them told the 'Sunday Times' how they have been forced to sell cars and designer appliances, ration food and rely on friends and family to make ends meet.

July 26 2020 - 10:44

Gauteng sees another 209 Covid-19 deaths in one day

A total of 12,204 new Covid-19 cases and 312 more deaths were announced on Saturday, taking the country's death toll to 6,655.

Gauteng had the most deaths (209) followed by the Eastern Cape (44), KwaZulu-Natal (37), Western Cape (18) and Northern Cape (4).

July 26 2020 - 9:54

From Mantashe to Nxesi: Covid-19 infects 22,000 public servants

More than 22,000 public servants have been infected with the coronavirus - leading to sporadic temporary closures of 161 government offices across SA.

This was revealed by the department of public service & administration in response to questions from the Sunday Times.

As at July 17, 22,219 government employees out of a workforce of 1.2-million had tested positive. The department said 234 had died of the diseases caused by Covid-19.

July 26 2020 - 9:33

Australia suffers deadliest day of pandemic

Australia has suffered its deadliest day from the coronavirus since the pandemic began, with authorities reporting 10 fatalities on Sunday and a rise in new infections despite an intensive lockdown effort.

The country's Covid-19 death toll rose to 155 and the southeastern state of Victoria reported more than 450 new infections in the last 24 hours.

A clearly concerned Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said 10 people aged between their 40s and 80s had died, of which seven deaths were linked to outbreaks in aged care facilities.

It is the worst loss of life from the virus in Australia since the disease first emerged, according to a tally compiled by AFP.

- AFP

July 26 2020 - 9:18

Number of global virus cases tops 16-million: AFP tally

The global number of coronavirus cases crossed 16-million on Sunday, more than half of them in the Americas and the Caribbean, according to an AFP tally from official sources.

The 16,050,223 cases include 645,184 fatalities with the United States the worst hit country, registering 4,178,021 cases and 146,460 dead.

Europe has 3,052,108 cases and 207,734 dead.

The spread of the pandemic continues to accelerate and more than five-million cases have been declared since July 1.

- AFP

July 26 2020 - 8:32

North Korea declares emergency after 'runaway' coronavirus defector returns

North Korean authorities have imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong after discovering what they called the country's first suspected case of Covid-19, state media reported on Sunday.

Leader Kim Jong Un convened an emergency politburo meeting on Saturday to implement a "maximum emergency system and issue a top-class alert" to contain the virus, official news agency KCNA said.

If confirmed, it would be the first officially recognised Covid-19 case in the North where medical infrastructure is seen as woefully inadequate for dealing with any epidemic.

July 26 2020 - 7:36

Rio de Janeiro cancels New Year's Eve festivities over coronavirus

The annual New Year's Eve celebrations which traditionally see millions of people gathered on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro have been cancelled this year as Brazil grapples with surging coronavirus infections, city authorities said.

The celebrations are "not viable in this pandemic scenario, without a vaccine," the city's tourism office said in a statement, noting that the world-famous Carnival celebrations, normally set for February, might also have to be cancelled.

Instead, a virtual New Year's celebration was being planned.

- AFP

July 26 2020 - 6:53

Former model C schools 'revolt' against school closures

At least two schools are set to defy the suspension of classes and are preparing to open in two weeks.

President Cyril Ramaphosa this week said all state schools would close until August 24, except matrics and grades 7s.

The defiance is likely to widen the divide between rich and poor schools, according to one official.

July 26 2020 - 6:19

Eastern Cape death-stats snafu sparks witch-hunt

An apparent jump of 400 Covid-19 deaths in a single day in the Eastern Cape this week has sparked finger-pointing as scapegoats are sought for the reporting "glitch".

The sudden rise from 945 on Tuesday to 1,345 on Wednesday came after the Nelson Mandela Bay region failed to report deaths between June 29 and July 21.

By Friday the province had recorded 71,338 Covid-19 cases and 1,406 deaths.

July 26 2020 - 6:10

Turning homes into hospitals eases pressure on overwhelmed doctors, nurses

When she tested positive for Covid-19, Durban pilot Fathima Khan Gabie had a mini hospital ward set up in her home, with care from a nurse, doctors and a psychologist.

Khan, who is CEO of her own flight school, was relieved not to have to go to hospital when she suffered breathing problems, temperature spikes and dizziness.

Overcrowded wards and overwhelmed health-care professionals have prompted some private doctors to create Covid-19 “wards” in patients’ homes.