COVID-19 WRAP | 57 more deaths recorded in SA

June 14 2020 - 22:39

57 more deaths recorded in SA

There were 57 more Covid-19 related deaths recorded in SA on Sunday, bringing the total number to 1,480.

Of the 57 new deaths, 42 were recorded in the Western Cape, 10 from the Eastern Cape and five from KwaZulu-Natal.

The number of confirmed cases in the country has increased to 70,038.

June 14 2020 - 17:23

45 South Africans, including Olympic athlete, left at Frankfurt Airport after SAA says it cannot take all

An athlete who represented SA in the 2012 London Olympics and more than 40 other South Africans found themselves stranded in Germany after a SAA repatriation flight left for SA without them.

Though tickets had been paid for and after a delay of a day, the 45-odd South Africans were left behind after being told the flight could not accommodate all of them.

June 14 2020 - 16:44

Tshwane metro's headquarters closes for Covid-19 decontamination

Three of the City of Tshwane's buildings have been closed for four working days, starting on Monday, after staffers tested positive for Covid-19.

The city’s headquarters, Tshwane House, as well as Mini Munitoria in Mamelodi West and the Silverton Fire Station have been temporarily closed with immediate effect.

They are scheduled to reopen on Friday, the metro said in a statement.

June 14 2020 - 16:29

Putin says Russia's handling of coronavirus is superior to US

President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that Russia was emerging from the novel coronavirus epidemic with minimal losses, having handled it better than the US where he said party political interests got in the way.

With 528,964 confirmed cases, Russia has the third-highest number of infections after Brazil and the US.

Russia's political system had handled the crisis better than its US counterpart, said Putin, because authorities at federal and regional level had worked as one team without disagreements unlike those in the US.

June 14 2020 - 15:41

New wave of Covid-19 cases from Beijing market spreads to Liaoning

After weeks with almost no new coronavirus infections, Beijing has recorded dozens of new cases in recent days, all linked to a major wholesale food market, raising concerns about a resurgence of the disease.

There had been almost no new cases in the city for almost two months until an infection was reported on June 12, and since then the total number has climbed to 51, including eight more in the first seven hours of Sunday.

According to the city's health authority, contact tracing showed all the infected people had either worked or shopped inside Xinfadi, said to be the largest food market in Asia, or had been in contact with someone who was there.

June 14 2020 - 14:53

Iran daily coronavirus deaths exceed 100 for first time in 2 months

Iran on Sunday reported more than 100 deaths in a single day from the novel coronavirus for the first time in two months, with authorities saying a recent surge in confirmed cases is due to increased testing.

The Islamic republic has struggled to contain what has become the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of the Covid-19 since it reported its first cases in the Shiite holy city of Qom in February.

But since April, the country has progressively lifted restrictions aimed at containing the outbreak to ease the intense pressure on its sanctions-hit economy.

Official figures have shown a rising trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections.

- AFP

June 14 2020 - 14:41

Student union Cosas threatens to shut down schools across SA over Covid-19

The Congress of SA Students (Cosas) says it will be “shutting down all schools” from Monday.

“We want to put it on record that we are not giving anyone an option but we are taking a radical approach, we will save the lives of innocent scholars by hook or crook,” it said in a statement.

Cosas said it would mobilise at a school in Cape Town where it believed a Covid-19 case had been reported, “from there we will move to any other school that is operating”.

June 14 2020 - 14:37

Lockdown: Cabinet won't reimpose stringent rules despite coming Covid-19 spike

Despite senior ministers and premiers advocating for the government to reconsider the relaxation of lockdown regulations, there appears to be no appetite from the Union Buildings to reimpose stringent rules.

This comes as some health experts raise concerns over whether SA's health system is ready for the approaching onslaught of Covid-19 infections. By Friday, 1,354 people had died - 2.2% of the country's 61,927 infections.

Minister in the presidency Jackson Mthembu told the Sunday Times that the cabinet's decision to relax lockdown rules, including lifting the ban on alcohol sales, is "not up for reviewal".

June 14 2020 - 14:15

Tanzania first African country to restart league amid Covid-19

Tanzania this weekend became the first African country to resume a national league suspended in March because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Tanzania suspended the 20-club national championship in mid-March as the Covid-19 outbreak began to wreak havoc throughout Africa.

According to the Africa Centre for Disease Control on June 13, 225,126 people in Africa have been infected with 6,051 deaths.

June 14 2020 - 13:58

'Where will government find R4bn?': Taxis demand Covid-19 billions

Taxi bosses have rejected a R1.1bn Covid-19 relief payment from the government and are threatening to bring SA to a halt unless they get billions more.

The R1.1bn offer of a one-off payment was turned down in talks between the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and transport minister Fikile Mbalula this week.

Taxi owners are demanding R20,000 per taxi for each month of the lockdown. With an estimated 200,000 taxis across SA, a bailout on these terms could cost up to R4bn a month.

June 14 2020 - 13:45

WATCH | Guard tackled to ground in mask row, man banned from mall

A security guard who was violently tackled to the ground, after insisting a female shopper wear a face mask, has laid a charge of assault against the man who accosted him.

This is according to the Garden Route Mall in George, which has also issued a banning order against the customer accused of assault. The incident took place on Thursday.

In footage released on social media, the security guard is seen asking a female customer, who had entered the mall without a face mask, to leave the mall.

June 14 2020 - 13:11

All-clear for Panyaza Lesufi after Covid-19 test

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza on Sunday shared that he had tested negative for Covid-19.

Posting a text confirmation of his results, Lesufi told his 227,600 Twitter followers: “Thank you so much for the support and endless prayers. I felt your love and care and for that I am grateful.”

His department said the MEC went into self-isolation after conducting a test on Tuesday, June 9, “and accordingly received his results, today, 13 June 2020, confirming that he tested negative for Covid-19".

June 14 2020 - 11:46

Hospital patients forced to pitch in with cleaning

Patients being turned away at the casualty unit, rubbish piling up in the passages and staff on a go-slow.

This was the situation at Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth on Friday as tensions lasting several weeks between unions and hospital management over the non-payment of overtime to non-clinical staff began to boil over.

A nurse who works at the hospital, and who asked not to be named, told the Weekend Post newspaper that nursing staff had now resorted to cleaning, washing dishes and serving up for patients on their own.

June 14 2020 - 10:42

14 police officers have died of Covid-19: Bheki Cele

Police minister Bheki Cele says 14 police officers have died from Covid-19, with the number of infected officers now at 1,685.

“The Western Cape has 1,134 positive cases followed by the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal,” Cele said at the weekend.

“Over 600 of the officers have recovered from this virus and are back to serving our communities,” he disclosed.

June 14 2020 - 08:45

Much-mocked motorbikes go where ambulances cannot: Health ministry

Deeply rural areas of the Eastern Cape where patients have to travel on foot or transported on wheelbarrows to access care is where the newly unveiled medical motorbikes will be utilised, says the health ministry.

Government on Friday unveiled 100 of the specially adapted motorbikes which can ferry patients either seated or lying down, and are covered to ensure they are waterproof.

June 14 2020 - 06:00

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 7.72 million, death toll at 426,665

More than 7.72 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 426,665​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

-REUTERS

June 14 2020 - 05:53

Egypt confirms highest daily rise of new COVID-19 cases and deaths

Egypt on Saturday confirmed 1,677 new coronavirus cases and 62 deaths, the health ministry said, the highest daily increase for both counts.In total, the Arab world's most populous country has registered 42,980 cases including 1,484 deaths, the ministry said in a statement.

-REUTERS