COVID-19 WRAP | SA Covid-19 cases climb to 744,000

November 12  2020 - 20:35

SA approaches 700,000 Covid-19 recoveries, as cases climb to 744,000

Nearly 700,000 people have recovered from Covid-19 in SA, the health ministry said on Thursday.

In a statement, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said that there were now 690,903 recorded recoveries, at a recovery rate of 92.7%.

November 12  2020 - 16:38

Antivirals, therapies for early intervention need of the hour to tackle COVID-19 - Fauci

U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Thursday that efforts are underway in the U.S. to push for the development of antivirals and other therapies for early intervention during the course of the COVID-19 respiratory illness.

Fauci's comments come days after the United States authorized emergency use of Eli Lilly & Co's bamlanivimab, the first experimental antibody drug for COVID-19 in patients who are not hospitalized, but are at risk of serious illness because of their age or other conditions.

"Studies have shown that things like dexamethasone and remdesivir have very positive effects late in the course when people are hospitalized, even when they've been on ventilators and requiring oxygen," Fauci said at a webinar conducted by British think tank Chatham House.

-REUTERS

November 12  2020 - 14:53

ANALYSIS | The impoverished will reap a putrid economic crop after lockdown

When President Cyril Ramaphosa shut South Africa down on March 27, it had as much to do with the economy, and the country’s public finances, as it did with public health.

A lockdown designed to save lives and alleviate the surges for hospital beds playing out in early epicentres like China and Italy inevitably struck deep at the economy and set off a cascade of social consequences.

While many public health experts applauded the government’s decision to implement one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, some economists are now questioning if it was a well-taken decision.

November 12  2020 - 14:09

Misinformation could prompt people to turn against Covid-19 vaccines — study  

Conspiracy theories and misinformation fuel mistrust in vaccines and could push levels that potential Covid-19 vaccines are taken in the US and Britain below the rates needed to protect communities against the disease, a study found on Thursday.

The study of 8,000 people in the two countries found that fewer people would "definitely" take a Covid-19 vaccine than the 55% of the population scientists estimate is needed to provide so-called "herd immunity".

"Vaccines only work if people take them. Misinformation plays into existing anxieties and uncertainty around new (Covid) vaccines, as well as the new platforms that are being used to develop them," said Heidi Larson, a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who co-led the study.

—Reuters

November 12  2020 - 13:22

Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane tests positive for Covid-19

Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently self isolating.

As soon as his test results came back positive, Mabuyane informed his family members, staff and some of the people he met recently, spokesperson Mvusi Sicwethsa said.

"The premier encourages any person he met within the last seven days who might be having or feeling similar symptoms to take a Covid-19 test for them to know their health status."

—DispatchLIVE

November 12  2020 - 12:46

CureVac CEO eyes Covid-19 vaccine approval in Q3 2021

German biotech company CureVac hopes to receive approval for its experimental Covid-19 vaccine in the third quarter of 2021, Chief Executive Franz-Werner Haas said on Thursday.

Haas told a news conference of foreign journalists that the company aimed to initiate rolling review of its vaccine in the first quarter of 2021.

The exact timing for final approval will depend on how many other shots are given the green light over the next few months, he added.

—Reuters

November 12  2020 - 11:44

Weekend booze sales are back and international travel gets green light

Eased lockdown regulations allowing weekend alcohol sales, the partial reopening of borders and resumption of international travel have been gazetted and are effective immediately.

Co-operative governance & traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma signed off on amendments to the regulations, which became effective at one minute past midnight on Thursday.

They make provision for the sale of liquor by licensed premises for off-site consumption, during licensed trading hours.

November 12  2020 - 11:23

From international travel to a vaccine: 5 things you need to know from Ramaphosa's address

International travellers wishing to come to SA can now do so, though this will be under stringent measures.

This was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his address to the nation on Wednesday evening.

Visitors will be required to produce a certificate of a negative Covid-19 test which is no older than 72 hours from the time of departure.

FULL ADDRESS | Ramaphosa addresses SA on Covid-19 developments

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November 12  2020 - 09:15

South Korea in final talks over Covid-19 vaccines, seeks supplies for 60% population

South Korea is in final talks with global drugmakers including Pfizer Inc over potential coronavirus vaccines as it seeks to secure supplies to cover 60% of its population this year, health authorities said on Thursday.

The government has allotted 172bn won (about R2.4bn) to purchase an initial 60 million doses to fend off persistent Covid-19 outbreaks that have pummelled Asia's fourth-largest economy and upended daily life for its 52 million people.

This week, Pfizer said its experimental Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective amid a hastened global race to contain the pandemic which has killed more than 1 million people since it emerged in China late last year.

—Reuters

November 12  2020 - 08:48

Ukraine president Zelenskiy hospitalised due to Covid-19 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was hospitalised after he contracted coronavirus earlier this week, a presidential official said on Thursday.

"He first went home, but decided to move to Feofania (hospital). To accurately isolate and not expose anyone," a presidential spokeswoman told Reuters.

"There are better conditions for patients. Nothing serious," she said referring to the president's health. Zelenskiy said on Monday he tested positive for coronavirus.

—Reuters

November 12  2020 - 08:46

The bad, the booze & the beauty filter: Here's what Mzansi thought of Ramaphosa's Covid-19 address

South Africans flooded social media on Wednesday night in reaction to President Cyril Ramaphosa's address on Covid-19 developments in the country.

Ramaphosa detailed the country's fight against the pandemic, warning of a surge in the Eastern Cape and urging citizens to obey safety regulations to curb the spread of the virus.

He also announced the extension of the national state of disaster to December 15 and the “winding down” of Covid-19 relief measures.  

November 12  2020 - 08:42

ANC lambasted for breaching Covid-19 regulations during Polokwane rally

The ANC in Limpopo has come under fire for not adhering to Covid-19 safety regulations — and has been accused of jeopardising the already hard-hit events industry.

This follows a Siyanqoba rally held in Polokwane on Sunday, where the party was said to have flouted Covid-19 restrictions. The regional ANC admitted to TimesLIVE that the situation was beyond its control during the “entertainment session” of the event.

The SA Events Council (SAEC) expressed extreme concern and disappointment.

November 12  2020 - 08:38

ICU beds full as Covid surges in Indian capital, weekend festival a worry

After his 92-year-old grandmother started coughing and her blood oxygen levels plummeted, Varunn Kaushik took her to two top private hospitals in New Delhi on Monday. Neither took her in, even after one of them found her positive for Covid-19.

Kaushik said several other hospitals told him and his family on the phone that they did have free beds, but not in the intensive care units (ICU) his grandmother needed. He finally admitted her to a non-ICU Covid bed in a government hospital, 10 hours after leaving home.

Her condition was stable as of Thursday, according to Kaushik.

—Reuters

November 12  2020 - 08:34

US notches up more Covid-19 case and hospitalisation records

The US continued to notch up grim records on Wednesday as it battles through the coronavirus pandemic, with a worsening outbreak in the northeast of the country adding pressure on top of an already reeling Midwest.

Reported new Covid-19 infections of 142,279 were at an all-time daily high for a second day in a row and above 100,000 for an eighth consecutive day, according to a Reuters tally.

The number of people hospitalised with the virus also surged, to at least 64,939 by late Wednesday, the highest ever during the pandemic. The death toll rose by 1,464.

—Reuters

November 12  2020 - 06:00

WATCH | Booze & travel restrictions eased

According to figures released on Wednesday, there were 740,254 confirmed Covid-19 cases across SA and 19,951 fatalities.