COVID-19 WRAP | SA's Covid-19 cases now 622,551 & S.Korea running out of sickbeds in Covid-19 resurgence

August 29 2020 - 22:30

SA's Covid-19 cases now 622,551

Eastern Cape 85899

Free State 37157

Gauteng 209123

KwaZulu-Natal 112291

Limpopo 13039

Mpumalanga 23946

North West 25086

Northern Cape 10284

Western Cape 105676

August 29 2020 - 13:26

Sinovac's coronavirus vaccine candidate approved for emergency use in China-source

Sinovac Biotech Ltd's coronavirus vaccine candidate CoronaVac was approved for emergency use as part of a programme in China to vaccinate high-risk groups such as medical staff, a person familiar with the matter said.

China National Biotec Group (CNBG), a unit of state-owned pharmaceutical giant China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), also said it had obtained emergency use approval for a coronavirus vaccine candidate in social media platform WeChat last Sunday.

CNBG, which has two vaccine candidates in phase 3 clinical trials, did not say which of its vaccines had been cleared for emergency use.

—Reuters

August 29 2020 - 10:10

Namibia opens airports and schools but extends overnight curfew

Namibia will lift lockdown restrictions, allowing international travel, schools to reopen and onsite alcohol consumption from September, President Hage Geingob announced Friday, but he extended an overnight curfew as Covid-19 cases continue to rise.

The southern African country of two million now has 6,906 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the disease is not yet contained — of its 65 deaths, 55 were in August alone.

But as with other southern African nations, leaders are weighing the impact of the virus against the huge economic and social damage done by lockdowns.

—Reuters

August 29 2020 - 09:00

S.Korea running out of sickbeds in COVID-19 resurgence

South Korea reported more than 300 infections of the new coronavirus on Saturday, the 16th day of three-digit rises, fanning concerns about a worsening shortage of sickbeds amid a resurgence of Covid-19.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) posted 308 new cases as of midnight Friday, bringing the total infections to 19,400, including 321 deaths from Covid-19.

After having largely curbed the first large outbreak outside China early this year, South Korea is suffering a setback this month after a church cluster spread to a political rally in Seoul, attended by tens of thousands from across the country.

—Reuters