COVID-19 WRAP | SA passes 19,500 Covid-19 deaths & Johnson & Johnson working on Covid-19 vaccine

October 3 2020 - 21:16

SA passes 19,500 Covid-19 deaths, with 74 in the past 24 hours

SA recorded 74 Covid-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed fatalities past 19,500.

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Tuesday night that of the 74 deaths, 10 were reported to have occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours. The remaining 64 were historical deaths that had been confirmed since the release on Monday's figures.

November 3 2020 - 20:51

Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune has Covid-19 but improving, presidency says

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has tested positive for Covid-19, but his condition is gradually improving as he receives treatment in a German hospital, the presidency said on Tuesday.

Algerian authorities had previously said Tebboune was in Germany for medical checks when he flew there last week, after saying people in his administration had the coronavirus.

Tebboune, 75 and a smoker, was elected less than a year ago as Algeria faced its biggest political crisis in decades with a mass protest movement demanding the entire ruling class be replaced.

November 3 2020 - 15:15

Swedish PM warns pandemic situation 'very serious' as new local restrictions announced

Covid-19 cases are increasing fast in Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Tuesday as he announced stricter recommendations for another three regions.

"We have a very serious situation," Lofven told a news conference. "More and more intensive care beds are now being used to treat Covid patients. The respite we got this summer is over."

He also said parties at restaurants would be limited to eight people.

Sweden has seen a surge in new infections in recent weeks, surpassing peaks set in the spring, though levels are not as high as in countries like Belgium, Spain and France relative to the size of the population. 

-REUTERS

November 3 2020 - 15:02

Previously unemployed graduate now part of team finding solutions in Covid-19 fight

Two years ago, Rirhandzu Rikhotso was an unemployed graduate in search of workplace skills. Now she is part of team helping to recruit potential candidates to participate in the country's Covid-19 vaccine trials.   

The 28-year-old, originally from Giyani, Limpopo, left her hometown for Gauteng in 2017 to find work to support her family.

November 3 2020 - 14:44

Swedish PM warns pandemic situation "very serious" as new local restrictions announced

Covid-19 cases are increasing fast in Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Tuesday as he announced stricter recommendations for another three regions.

"We have a very serious situation," Lofven told a news conference.

"More and more intensive care beds are now being used to treat Covid patients. The respite we got this summer is over."

He also said parties at restaurants would be limited to eight people.

Sweden has seen a surge in new infections in recent weeks, surpassing peaks set in the spring, though levels are not as high as in countries like Belgium, Spain and France relative to the size of the population.

-REUTERS

November 3 2020 - 14:00

Germany faced more than 400,000 daily coronavirus cases without action - RKI

Germany would have faced more than 400,000 new daily coronavirus cases by Christmas if the pace of infections had been allowed to continue, a senior health official said on Tuesday, a day after a new partial lockdown was introduced.

"The (new) measures can brake the spread of the virus," said Lars Schaade, Vice President of the Robert Koch Institute, the leading authority in Germany on the virus.

-REUTERS

November 3 2020 - 11:57

IEC needs R70m for PPE as registration looms for local government elections

The Electoral Commission (IEC) will need R70m it had not budgeted for to organise registration for next year’s local government elections in adherence with Covid-19 safety protocols.

That's according to the commission's chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo.

Mamabolo told TimesLIVE the commission would have to redirect funds from other areas to afford the R70m needed to procure personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect its staff at 23,000 registration stations across the country.

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November 3 2020 - 11:35

Johnson & Johnson working on Covid-19 vaccine, and it'll be produced in SA

SA's largest pharmaceutical group, Aspen, has secured a Covid-19 vaccine deal with Johnson & Johnson.

The pharmaceutical group announced on Monday that the Covid-19 vaccine would be produced at its existing sterile facility in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.

November 3 2020 - 11:30

Indonesia reports 2,973 new coronavirus cases, 102 deaths

Indonesia reported 2,973 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the total number of infections to 418,375, data from the country's health ministry showed.

It also reported 102 additional deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 14,146.

The Indonesia Medical Association (IDI) said earlier on Tuesday that 161 doctors, including nine dentists, had died from the virus in the March-October period.

-REUTERS

November 3 2020 - 09:30

Czech Republic reports 9,241 new coronavirus cases, 225 deaths

The Czech Republic reported 9,241 new coronavirus cases for Nov. 2, and 225 new deaths, data from the health ministry showed on Tuesday.

The tally of infections rose to 350,896 in the nation of 10.7 million people, while deaths stood at 3,654.

The increase in deaths was spread over several days because of reporting issues, however, and was not limited to the past 24 hours. 

-REUTERS

November 3 2020 - 08:57

Ukraine reports record daily new coronavirus cases

Ukraine registered a record 8,899 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday, up from the Oct. 30 high of 8,312.Total infections stood at 411,093 by Tuesday with 7,532 deaths.

-REUTERS

November 3 2020 - 07:58

Australia has one new local Covid-19 case as two NZ health workers test positive

Australia reported on Tuesday one locally acquired case of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, while New Zealand registered its first community transmissions in more than two weeks, after two workers at a quarantine facility tested positive.

Australia's most populous state of New South Wales reported the single case, although it and northeastern Queensland state said there were six infections among people returning from overseas and in quarantine.

-REUTERS

November 3 2020 - 07:30

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 46.73 million, death toll at 1,202,824

More than 46.73 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,202,824​ 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