COVID-19 WRAP | 434,200 Covid-19 cases confirmed

July 25 2020 - 22:23

A cumulative total of 434 200 confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa have been recorded with 12 204 new cases identified

To date 2 730 812 tests have been  conducted with 46 324 new tests.

Regrettably there has been 312 new Covid-19 related deaths: 44 from Eastern Cape, 209 from Gauteng, 37 from KwaZulu Natal, 18 from Western Cape and 4 from Northern Cape.

This brings the cumulative number of deaths to 6 655.

The number of recoveries currently stands at 263 054 which translates to a recovery rate of 60,6%

July 25 2020 - 20:46

Minister of Trade Industry Ebrahim Patel tests positive for Covid-19 

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Ebrahim Patel (MP), has tested positive for Covid-19. The Minister received his results on 25 July 2020.

This was the Minister’s second test to be conducted since the outbreak.

Minister Patel is in good spirits and is in self-quarantine, and will continue to work from home. Those that have been in contact with the Minister are also in self-isolation and have been encouraged to get tested.

Minister Patel had participated in the virtual parliamentary budget vote debate on the revised budget for the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, on 24 July 2020. 

The Minister remains committed to preparing South Africa for the post-covid world, strengthening efforts around reconstruction and recovery.

As part his budget debate speech yesterday, the Minister announced that every directorate of the DTIC and every agency within its mandate will prioritise saving firms and jobs during this period.

As we wish the Minister a speedy recovery, we extend the same well wishes to the thousands of South Africans and their families who are also battling coronavirus, said Ms Phumla Williams – Cabinet Spokesperson.

To defeat this virus, we must all continue playing our part in observing all health protocols of washing our hands regularly, properly wearing a mask when in public and practicing physical distancing.

July 25 2020 - 15:06

Medical aids needled by claim they have failed members during pandemic

Health-care funders have hit back at claims by the industry regulator that they are not acting in their members' best interests during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a circular on Thursday, the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) said many medical aids had not applied for exemptions to regulations that would allow them to waive contributions for members struggling to make ends meet during the lockdown.

On Saturday, the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) said the CMS accusation that its members were “denying beneficiaries relief despite extreme Covid-19 conditions” was incorrect and unfair.

July 25 2020 - 14:51

July 25 2020 - 14:27

July 25 2020 - 13:18

Greece to 'prioritise' coronavirus vaccines for elderly, at-risk

Greece will prioritise giving coronavirus vaccines to the elderly and high-risk groups if and when they become available, the country's health minister said on Saturday.

"If and when a vaccine comes, we will prioritise those who must take it above all," Vassilis Kikilias told Skai TV.

"Who is that? Our very aged fellow citizens, the very elderly, high-risk groups ... we will protect those in danger."

He added that vaccines will not be compulsory but they will be "strongly recommended."

Greece has so far recorded 201 Covid-19 deaths and more than 4,100 infections.

- AFP

July 25 2020 - 12:51

Xavi tests positive for Covid-19 ahead of Qatar league restart

Al-Sadd coach Xavi Hernandez, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, said on Saturday he had tested positive for Covid-19 but was asymptomatic.

Xavi, who renewed his contract with the Qatari club on July 5, said he will self-isolate as his team prepare for their first match on Saturday after the Qatar Stars League (QSL) was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Today I won't be able to join my team on their comeback to the official competition," Xavi said in a statement. "David Prats will be there on my behalf as head of the technical staff - coach to the Al-Sadd reserves."

"A few days ago, following the QSL protocol, I tested positive in the last Covid-19 test. Fortunately, I'm feeling OK, but I will be isolated until I am given the all clear."

The QSL resumed on Friday after being suspended since March due to the new coronavirus pandemic. 

- Reuters

July 25 2020 - 11:57

Vietnam detects first coronavirus case in nearly 100 days

Vietnam has detected its first locally-transmitted case of coronavirus in nearly 100 days, authorities said on Saturday, in a country whose swift and full lockdown won praise for controlling the spread of the disease.

"Patient 416" is a 57-year-old retired Vietnamese man in the southern city of Danang, and the first community transmission since April 16.Local health officials have tested 105 people who had been in close contact with him, the Ministry of Health said on its website.

The man had taken his mother to a hospital in the days before after showing symptoms of the sickness, authorities said, but gave no confirmation of how he was infected in a country where the virus appeared to have been stubbed out for several months.

"The patient is currently on ventilator support due to respiratory failure," it said, adding his family believe his contacts with others were limited. "He didn't go out of the city and only stayed at home to look after his grandchild and interact with neighbours, he didn't make contact with strangers," it said.

Danang has been packed with local tourists returning to its beaches and restaurants since Vietnam lifted its lockdown. Despite sharing a long, ungovernable border with China, Vietnam has recorded just 416 virus cases - including the latest from Danang - with no deaths.

- AFP

July 25 2020 - 11:26

Zimbabweans in SA who missed food assistance deadline are desperate

Zimbabweans who missed the submission deadline on July 19 to apply for food assistance cannot get an extension, Zimbabwean consul general in Johannesburg Melody Chaurura  told GroundUp on Wednesday.

“There is no room for extension at this point because submitted details are already being processed,” said Chaurura.

The embassy had put out a call for Zimbabweans in SA in need of food assistance because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to apply for help by July 19. 

July 25 2020 - 10:33

Record numbers of Covid-19 cases in every global region

Almost 40 countries have reported record single-day increases in coronavirus infections over the past week, around double the number that did so the previous week, according to a Reuters tally showing a pick-up in the pandemic in every region of the world.

The rate of cases has been increasing not only in countries like the US, Brazil and India, which have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks, but in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bolivia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Uzbekistan and Israel, among others.

Many countries, especially those where officials eased earlier social distancing lockdowns, are experiencing a second peak more than a month after recording their first.

July 25 2020 - 9:56

Obesity increases risks of death from Covid-19 - UK's public health agency

People who are obese or overweight are at increased risk of death or severe illness from Covid-19, a report by Public Health England (PHE) said on Saturday as the government prepares to introduce measures to confront the problem.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to tackle obesity and has himself lost weight since he was admitted to intensive care with Covid-19.

PHE said data showed that for people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30-35, risk of death from Covid-19 increased by 40%, and it increased by 90% for those with a BMI over 40 compared to those of a healthy weight.

July 25 2020 - 9:27

Ubuntu will save SA from Covid-19, says Salim Abdool Karim

Ubuntu is SA's best chance of defeating Covid-19, says the government's leading adviser on the pandemic.

Speaking to Nature, Prof Salim Abdool Karim — chair of the health minister's advisory committee — said SA was built on ubuntu and it was the principle that could save it.

“This virus exposes the fault lines in our society. But I think when we get to a point where sufficient numbers of people have a relative, or family member, or someone in their neighbourhood who has been sick or died from the virus, individuals are moved to collective action so that they can stand united again,” said Karim.

July 25 2020 - 9:01

Halep's Palermo appearance in doubt after Italy's quarantine order

The upcoming Palermo Ladies Open could lose its biggest draw in world number two Simona Halep after Italy decided to impose a mandatory quarantine of 14 days for people coming from Romania and Bulgaria amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Friday people who have been in Romania and Bulgaria in the past 14 days will be quarantined upon arrival in Italy, a move aimed at preventing the importation of Covid-19 cases.