COVID-19 WRAP | SA's Covid-19 cases rise to 752,269 & SA needs to have a conversation about alcohol: Mkhize

November 16 2020 - 22:02

SA Covid-19 cases rise to 752,269, with 20,314 deaths

The cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases in the country has increased to 752,269, with 1,245 new cases identified in the past 24-hour cycle, health minister Zweli Mkhize said on Monday.

Seventy-three more Covid-19 related deaths were reported, 32 in the Eastern Cape, 23 in the Free State, seven in Gauteng and 11 in the Western Cape.

November 16 2002 - 17:40

Moderna says its vaccine is 94.5% effective in preventing Covid-19

Moderna Inc said on Monday its experimental vaccine was 94.5% effective in preventing Covid-19 based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial, becoming the second US company in a week to report results that far exceed expectations.

November 16 2020 - 17:38

UK shopper numbers plunge as English lockdown makes impact

Total shopper numbers across British retail destinations plummeted 57.7% in the week to November 14 year-on-year, reflecting the impact of England's second national lockdown, market researcher Springboard said on Monday.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland enacted new Covid-19 health restrictions last month and England began a one-month lockdown on November 5 to curb a second wave of the pandemic that has left the United Kingdom with Europe's highest death toll.

November 16 2020 - 13:22

SA needs to have a conversation about alcohol: Zweli Mkhize on possible Covid-19 resurgence

The government does not yet have a basis to implement restrictions on mass gatherings, or the sale and consumption of alcohol, despite the increasing number of Covid-19 infections. 

This was revealed by health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on Sunday evening. He was addressing the media on the country's response and readiness to deal with a possible second wave of the virus. 

He said SA had not yet reached a second wave but the government had identified areas of concern and where interventions were needed the most. 

November 16 2020 - 12:20

International travel, booze ban and using umhlonyana : 5 key points from Zweli Mkhize's Covid-19 update

Health minister Zweli Mkhize has explained the government's decision to open South Africa's borders to international travellers during the Covid-19 pandemic and lift the ban on the sale of alcohol, sharing his confidence that stringent health measures will help stop the virus from spreading.

He said the government had considered risks associated with reopening borders, saying these will be managed through effective measures as the country eases back to normality.

November 16 2020 - 12:00

Indonesia reports 3,535 new coronavirus infections, 85 deaths

 Indonesia reported 3,535 new coronavirus infections on Monday, taking the total number to 470,648, data from the country's health ministry website showed.The data showed 85 new deaths, bringing the total to 15,296.

Indonesia has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Southeast Asia.

-REUTERS

November 16 2020 - 08:30

Czech Republic reports 1,887 new coronavirus cases, fewest since Oct 4

The Czech Republic, one of the worst-hit countries in Europe amid the second the wave of the coronavirus pandemic, reported 1,887 new cases for Nov. 15, its lowest daily tally since Oct. 4, Health Ministry data showed on Monday.

The ministry also reported 150 new deaths related to COVID-19, including 65 on Sunday along with revisions from previous days.

The total number of deaths has doubled to 6,208 since Oct. 29.The Czech Republic has Europe's highest per-capita death rate in recent weeks and one of the highest infection rates, although daily tallies of new cases have fallen in the past week after tighter lockdown measures came into place.

The country of 10.7 million has reported 460,116 cases of the novel coronavirus since the pandemic started in March.

-REUTERS

November 16 2020 - 07:35

J&J starts two-dose trial of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate

Johnson & Johnson launched a new large-scale late-stage trial on Monday to test a two-dose regimen of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine and evaluate potential incremental benefits for the duration of protection with a second dose.

The U.S. drugmaker plans to enrol up to 30,000 participants for the study and run it in parallel with a one-dose trial with as many as 60,000 volunteers that began in September.

The UK arm of the study is aiming to recruit 6,000 participants and the rest will join from other countries with a high incidence of COVID-19 cases such as the United States, Belgium, Colombia, France, Germany, the Philippines, South Africa and Spain, it said.

-REUTERS