COVID-19 WRAP | 2,000 new Covid-19 cases & CT is not going into a hard lockdown and it has no food shortages

October 29 2020 - 20:49

2,000 new Covid-19 cases confirmed, taking SA total past 720,000

SA recorded 2,056 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Thursday.

This means there have now been 721,770 recorded cases of the illness across the country.

October 29 2020 - 14:25

Winde pleads for 'deal' with citizens to prevent fresh Covid-19 surge

Cape Town’s more affluent southern and western suburbs were responsible for the surge in Covid-19 cases seen over the past three weeks in the Western Cape.

Western Cape health department head Dr Keith Cloete said on Thursday that a superspreading event in the southern suburbs, where scores of people aged between 15 and 25 contracted the virus, was responsible for the surge in cases.

October 29 2020 - 14:22

Poland's PM says wants to avoid full lockdown

Poland wants to avoid a full lockdown as it fights the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday, as the country reported a fresh record in Covid-19 cases and deaths.

The country of 38 million reported 20,156 news cases and 301 deaths related to Covid-19.

-REUTERS

October 29 2020 - 13:09

No, Cape Town is not going into a hard lockdown and it has no food shortages

The City of Cape Town has rubbished claims of a hard lockdown being imminent, resulting in food shortages.

Mayco member for community services and health, Dr Zahid Badroodien, dismissed the rumours after a voice-note was circulated on WhatsApp.

He said the fear-mongering was causing more devastation than Covid-19 and distracted from the city's responsibility to help keep citizens safe.

October 29 2020 - 13:00

Iran reports 8,293 coronavirus cases, 399 deaths in one day - TV

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Iran rose by 8,293 to 596,941, the health ministry spokeswoman told state TV on Thursday, as the country reported 399 deaths in the past 24 hours.

Sima Sadat Lari said the death toll from the COVID-19 in Iran stood at 34,113 in the Middle East's worst-hit country. 

-REUTERS

October 29 2020 - 11:21

New French Covid lockdown may have to go beyond December 1

France's new national lockdown, aimed at curbing the resurgence of Covid-19, may have to be extended beyond its initial deadline of Dec. 1, government scentific adviser Professor Jean-François Delfraissy said on Thursday.

President Emmanuel Macron said late on Wednesday that France might start to ease back lockdown measures once Covid infections fell back to about 5,000 per day from around 40,000 per day at present.

But Delfraissy said he did not think that could be achieved by Dec. 1.

October 29 2020 - 10:58

Russia's daily coronavirus cases and deaths surge to record highs

 Russia's daily tally of coronavirus cases surged to a record high of 17,717 on Thursday, including 4,906 in Moscow, taking the national total to 1,581,693 since the pandemic began.

Authorities also reported a record high of 366 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 27,301.

-REUTERS

October 29 2020 - 10:10

Philippines reports 1,761 new coronavirus cases, 33 more deaths

The Philippines' health ministry on Thursday recorded 1,761 new coronavirus infections and 33 more deaths.In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed infections had risen to 376,935, while deaths had reached 7,147.

New Covid-19 cases in the Philippines increased by fewer than 2,000 in seven of the last 10 days.

-REUTERS

October 29 2020 - 10:02

Paris parks will stay open during new Covid-19 lockdown - government

Parks will stay open in Paris during the new coronavirus lockdown, government spokesman Gabriel Attal told RTL radio on Thursday - unlike the last lockdown when they closed.

-REUTERS

October 29 2020 - 09:28

UK doing everything it can to avoid national lockdown, minister says

The British government will do everything it can to avoid putting the country into a second national lockdown and believes it can control the virus with tough local measures, housing minister Robert Jenrick said on Thursday.

The minister added that the government kept everything under review but it wanted to avoid a second full national shutdown because of the damage it creates to livelihoods and the economy.

"The very clear policy of the government is to do everything we can to avoid a full national lockdown," he told Sky News. 

-REUTERS

October 29 2020 - 08:58

Next crop of Covid-19 vaccine developers take more traditional route

The handful of drugmakers dominating the global coronavirus vaccine race are pushing the boundaries of vaccine technology. The next crop under development feature more conventional, proven designs.

The world will need several different vaccines to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, given the sheer size of global need, variations in effects on different populations, and possible limits of effectiveness in the first crop.

October 29 2020 - 08:30

Czech Republic reports 12,977 new coronavirus cases, 128 deaths

The Czech Republic reported 12,977 new coronavirus cases for Oct. 28, health ministry data showed on Thursday.

Total cases rose to 297,013 while deaths climbed by 128 to 2,675. The country has been struggling with one of Europe's fastest growing infection rates. 

-REUTERS

October 29 2020 - 07:20

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 44.2 million, death toll at 1,169,580

More than 44.2 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,169,580​ 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