COVID-19 WRAP | SA records nearly 2,000 new Covid-19 cases

09 September 2020 - 06:42

By TimesLIVE

September 9 2020 - 21:32

82 Covid-19 related deaths recorded over past 24 hours

South Africa recorded 1,990 new cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours, health minister Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday evening.

This brings the cumulative number of infections in the country since the start of the pandemic to 642,431.

"Regrettably, we report 82 more Covid-19 related deaths: 10 from KwaZulu-Natal, 27 from Gauteng, five from Eastern Cape, eight from Free State, 10 from North West and 22 from Western Cape," said Mkhize.

September 9 2020 - 13:37

'Surge is over' — Zweli Mkhize hints SA may move to level 1 in a few days

The declining number of Covid-19 infections in SA may see the country move to level 1 in a few days' time, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize revealed on Wednesday.

The news comes as the country sits with a cumulative total of 640,441 infections and 15,086 deaths related to Covid-19.

Speaking to Radio Islam, Mkhize said the worst was over.

“We can safely say we are over the surge. June, July and August were the worst months, as predicted by our models. However, we found that not as many people as the model suggested would be affected,” he said.

September 9 2020 - 12:36

Buy booze legally, alcohol industry appeals to SA

The alcohol industry says closing the tax leakage from the illicit alcohol trade is critical for SA's post-lockdown economic recovery.

This comes after SA Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Edward Kieswetter expressed concern that it could take years to dismantle the criminal networks that entrenched themselves as a result of the ban on the sale of alcohol during earlier stages of the Covid-19 lockdown, Bloomberg reports.

Sibani Mngadi, spokesperson for the alcohol industry, said “the closing of tax leakages and efficient collection of revenue is one of the key priorities for the country’s economic recovery. The alcohol industry is committed to working with Sars to find solutions to the problem of illicit trade, which poses a mutual revenue risk for government and the industry.”

September 9 2020 - 10:11

Zimbabwe nurses end three-month strike over pay

Zimbabwe's biggest nurses union said on Wednesday it was encouraging its members to end a pay strike which started in June and which forced major hospitals to turn away patients at a time the country is fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Inflation is running above 800%, reviving memories of the hardships of more than a decade ago when hyperinflation wiped out savings and pensions.

The Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA), which has more than 16,000 members, called for the strike to force President Emmerson Mnanagwa's government to pay US dollar salaries, but authorities say they are unable to do so.

September 9 2020 - 09:51

Oxford's Covid-19 vaccine trial paused after 'unexplained illness'

AstraZeneca Plc said it has paused global trials, including large late-stage trials, of its experimental coronavirus vaccine due to an unexplained illness in a study participant.

The vaccine, developed with the University of Oxford, has been described by the World Health Organisation as probably the world's leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development. The suspension dims prospects for an early rollout amid reports that the US was aiming for a fast-track approval before the November presidential election.

September 9 2020 - 09:18

Is breaking the law right on Brexit? UK says the law must be obeyed on Covid

Britain's health minister said on Wednesday that people should obey the law over coronavirus after he was asked if it was right to break international law in a limited and specific way over Brexit.

"Of course, abiding by these rules is absolutely vital to protect life," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said when asked why people should obey the law following remarks from a minister on Tuesday that proposed legislation would break international law in a "limited way".

September 9 2020 - 07:30

'Highly unlikely' you can get Covid-19 from food, say experts

It’s highly unlikely that you can get Covid-19 from food, a team of international experts on food contamination has said.

“Considering that there are to date no proven cases or scientific associations between food consumption and Covid-19, it is highly unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 constitutes a food safety risk,” said the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) in a position paper circulated this week.