COVID-19 WRAP | SA's virus cases cross 1-million mark & Covid-19 curbs loom as hospitals fill up

December 27 2020 - 19:55

SA's virus cases cross 1-million mark

December 27 2020 - 15:54

'The beginning of the end': Europe rolls out vaccines to see off pandemic

Europe launched a massive vaccination drive on Sunday with pensioners and medics lining up to take the first shots to see off the Covid-19 pandemic that has crippled economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide.

“Thank God,” 96-year-old Araceli Hidalgo said as she became the first person in Spain to get a vaccine. She told staff at her care home in Guadalajara near Madrid she hadn't felt a thing. “Let's see if we can make this virus go away.”

In Italy, the first country in Europe to record significant numbers of infections, 29-year-old nurse Claudia Alivernini was one of three medical staff to receive the first shots of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

December 27 2020 - 13:46

Israel speeds vaccines, locks down in hope of March exit from pandemic

Israel will enter what officials hope will be its last coronavirus lockdown on Sunday as they ramp up vaccinations to a pace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said may allow an emergence from the pandemic by March.

If realised, that could help Netanyahu's re-election hopes after missteps that include lifting a first lockdown with a premature declaration of victory in May, inconsistent enforcement of curbs and sluggish economic relief.

After beginning vaccinations a week before the European Union's roll-out on Sunday, Israel's centralised health system is now administering around 70,000 shots daily.

Netanyahu wants that raised to 150,000 by next weekend, with the opening of 24/7 vaccination stations among proposals.

Such a pace could enable the vaccination of half of Israel's 9 million population by the end of January. The country has logged almost 400,000 Covid-19 cases and 3,210 deaths.

Reuters

December 27 2020 - 13:16

European Union launches its Covid-19 vaccination campaign

The European Union officially launched its mass Covid-19 vaccination programme on Sunday with the goal of making shots available to all its adult population by the end of 2021.

Germany's BioNTech has sent an initial 12.5 million doses of the vaccine it developed with US drugs giant Pfizer to EU countries. In total, the 27-country region of 450 million people has negotiated contracts for over two billion doses of vaccine from various suppliers.

Reuters

December 27 2020 - 13:13

Oman to reopen borders on December 29 - government tweet

Oman will reopen its land, air and sea borders as of Tuesday December 29, a government Twitter account said on Sunday.

A negative Covid-19 polymerase test within 72 hours of entry is required for people from all countries and another test will be taken by those arriving from abroad at any of Oman's airports, it said.

Reuters

December 27 2020 - 12:56

Thai hospital banned from offer to sell Covid-19 vaccine

A private Thai hospital was ordered on Sunday to stop advertising Covid-19 vaccinations for sale in advance on the grounds that no vaccine is yet approved in Thailand.

Vibhavadi Hospital told Reuters its online offer for 1,000 initial reservations for the two-dose Moderna vaccine had been the result of a misunderstanding. With reservations priced at 4,000 baht, the total cost of getting vaccinated would have been 10,000 baht ($330).

As the first governments begin vaccine rollouts around the world, questions have been raised over how the limited supplies are prioritised and whether people will be able to pay to jump the queue.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement that no Covid-19 vaccine had been approved for use in Thailand yet and that advertising one violated hospital regulations.

"The removal of the advertisement was ordered," it said.

Reuters

December 27 2020 - 11:40

December 27 2020 - 11:31

Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane recovers from Covid-19

Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane has been cleared of Covid-19‚ and can resume coaching the Cairo giants after testing positive just less than two weeks ago.

Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Mosimane tweeted his thanks for the support he has received in Egypt and SA while he has been self-isolating with the illness that has gripped the world in a pandemic.

December 27 2020 - 11:01

December 27 2020 - 10:46

Italy kicks off vaccinations against Covid-19 in Rome

Almost 10 months after the first Italian patient tested positive for the new coronavirus, Italy on Sunday vaccinated the first residents against Covid-19.

Three health workers at the Rome Spallanzani hospital were inoculated shortly before 0700 GMT with the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, a statement by the commissioner for the epidemic Domenico Arcuri said.

December 27 2020 - 10:15

December 27 2020 - 10:01

Liquor traders implore government not to impose total booze ban

SA liquor traders appealed to the government on Sunday not to impose a total ban on alcohol sales in response to an exponential rise in Covid-19 infections.

Fresh restrictions could be imposed after the National Coronavirus Command Council meets to discuss the Covid-19 resurgence.

December 27 2020 - 09:01

Sydney awaits verdict on New Year's Eve festivities as covid-19 outbreak grows

Sydney's Covid-19 outbreak continued on Sunday with more than a quarter million people in lockdown as Australia's largest city awaited word on whether any public New Year's Eve celebrations will be allowed.

Seven cases of the new coronavirus were reported in New South Wales state, six linked directly to the outbreak in Sydney's northern beach suburbs, which are under a stay-at-home order until Wednesday. Infections stand at 122.

December 27 2020 - 06:30

UK says regulator must be given time to carry out Oxford Covid-19 vaccine review

Britain's Department of Health said on Sunday that medicines regulator MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) must be given time to carry out its review of the data of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

"We must now give the MHRA the time to carry out its important work and we must wait for its advice", a Health Department spokeswoman said, commenting on a Sunday Telegraph report that Britain will roll out the vaccine from January 4.

Reuters

December 27 2020 - 06:00

Mexico posts 4,974 new coronavirus cases, 189 more deaths

Mexico's health ministry on Saturday reported 4,974 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 189 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 1,377,217 cases and 122,026 deaths.

The government said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than its reported cases.

Reuters

December 27 2020 - 00:05

‘New wave’ Covid-19 curbs loom as hospitals fill up, oxygen is rationed

Tougher restrictions could be imposed nationwide when the National Coronavirus Command Council meets this week to discuss a Covid-19 resurgence, partly driven by a highly transmissible mutation of the virus.

December 27 2020 - 00:04

'When this Covid-19 wave is over, there is going to be a third and fourth wave'

“As long as the virus is circulating, there will be variation … we need to understand that when this wave is over, there is going to be a third and fourth wave.” But, Glenda Gray said, this cycle is in our hands.

December 27 2020 - 00:03

'It would appear new Covid-19 variant has higher transmissibility': experts

Known as 501Y.V2, it has quickly become the main variant circulating in Western Cape and Eastern Cape hotspots.

Carolyn Williamson, head of medical virology at the University of Cape Town, said samples from the Garden Route in October contained no virus mutations. By early November, about 40% showed the V2 mutation and by late November it was up to 80%.