COVID-19 WRAP | SA hits 9,010 new confirmed Covid-19 cases

18 January 2021 - 07:37 By TimesLIVE

January 18 2021 - 21:43

Everything we know about 501.V2, the new Covid-19 variant identified in SA

On Boxing Day last year, Prof Salim Abdool Karim, one of SA’s top infectious disease experts, set off to watch a cricket match. He arrived early and opened up his computer to check his e-mail. There was a message that would confirm his deepest fears of the latest variant of Sars-CoV-2 ripping through the country.

On Monday night, he and a team of leading scientists revealed in a webinar, hosted by the national ministry of health, what we know about the latest variant of the virus that causes Covid-19.

First, in-depth analysis in the laboratory has confirmed what was happening clinically and anecdotally: that the latest variant, known as 501.V2, spreads far more quickly than the one that brought us our first wave.

January 18 2021 - 20:14

WHO says close to Pfizer deal that would give poorer countries access

The World Health Organization is in advanced negotiations with Pfizer to include the firm's Covid-19 shot in the body's vaccine-sharing scheme, which would speed vaccine deliveries to poorer countries, a senior WHO official said on Monday.

The Covax scheme -- led by the WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance -- is due to start rolling out vaccines to poor and middle-income countries in February, with two of three billion doses expected to be delivered this year.

"We are in ... detailed discussions with Pfizer. We believe very soon we will have access to that product," WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward told the WHO's executive board meeting, adding that it would then look to add others.

—Reuters

January 18 2021 - 18:57

Too early to celebrate, but Covid cases 'may be starting to decline': Mkhize

For the first time in a number of weeks, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize shared some good news in the country's fight against the second wave of Covid-19 infections.

An admittedly cautious Mkhize, speaking during a briefing on the new coronavirus variant on Monday, said that there was some early evidence that the second wave was being brought under control.

“When we look at our records at this point, we can see that we are, possibly, beginning to see an inflection of the curve and we are also seeing that the numbers [of infections] may be starting to decline. But it is too early to celebrate,” he said.

January 18 2021 - 17:57

Lesufi lays down the law as Curro moves to online learning

SA’s largest private education provider, Curro, has said it will not go ahead with in-person teaching this week.

This comes after Curro said it would open, despite the education ministry saying the restart of the schooling year should be pushed back two weeks due to rising Covid-19 infections.

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has called for the postponement to be made official in a government gazette.

January 18 2021 - 17:29

KZN probes claim that deaths at a hospital were caused by load-shedding

The KwaZulu-Natal health department is investigating allegations that recent patient deaths at one hospital could be linked to load-shedding.

Provincial health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu confirmed during a media briefing on Monday that the department had received reports of patients who had allegedly died at a hospital due to slow-operating generators.

She and health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize were conducting visits to major health facilities in and around Durban on Monday, including Prince Mshiyeni Hospital in Umlazi, King DinuZulu Hospital in Springfield and a private facility in Umhlanga.

January 18 2021 - 16:20

WATCH | In numbers: India begins world’s largest vaccination drive against Covid-19

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched one of the world's largest vaccination campaigns on January 16 as part of efforts by the populous nation to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control, starting with two locally manufactured shots.

Modi will not immediately take the vaccine himself as India is initially prioritising nurses, doctors and others on the front line.

India, which has reported the most coronavirus infections after the US, wants to vaccinate about 300 million people with two doses in the first six to eight months of the year.

January 18 2021 - 16:10

Covid leaves trail of devastation at SA's TVET colleges

A total of 23 staff members from SA’s 50 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, and four from community education colleges, died of Covid-related complications between December 15 and January 11.

Up to November 13 last year, 48 staff members and 10 students from the country’s 26 universities also died after contracting the virus.

These figures were released by the minister of higher education, science and innovation, Blade Nzimande, on Monday during a briefing on plans for the reopening of the post-school education and training sector.

January 18 2021 - 15:43

Stellenbosch municipality loses two councillors and seven staff to Covid-19

Covid-19 has claimed the lives of two councillors and seven officials of the Stellenbosch municipality, the council said in a statement on Monday.

The two councillors, Manie Pietersen from the DA and Derrick Hendrickse from the EFF, died within days of each other earlier this month, the municipality said.

“These two sudden losses, mere days from each other, sent shock waves through the municipality and indeed the entire community,” the statement said.

January 18 2021 - 12:59

Here's how to pay for Covid-19 vaccine without hiking tax: Economists

The government should raise funds by other means, such as selling some of the state-owned enterprises, before considering raising taxes to fund the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines.

This is the view of two economists in reaction to a report that the National Treasury is considering a range of possible funding mechanisms to pay for the biggest vaccination drive in SA's history.

Treasury director-general Dondo-Mogajane told Business Day it was exploring potential financing options for Covid-19 vaccines, including raising taxes, widening the budget deficit and reprioritising government spending. The department of health has estimated a maximum cost of R20bn to vaccinate the entire country, while more recent internal estimates done by the Treasury are far lower than this, the newspaper said.

January 18 2021 - 11:25

Poor forced to pay R120 to access R350 social grant

A R120 chunk of the R350 Nomangesi Ndwayana and Nandile Ngemntu will each receive from the Covid-19 social relief of distress grant will go to pay the driver who transported them 50km from Peddie to Makhanda, in the Eastern Cape, to queue outside the post office.

The two travelled 50km from their village, arriving at 3am, only to find people already queuing.

“We do have a post office in Peddie town,” said Ndwayana. “But the challenge is that all the people from the rural villages [118 villages, according to the Ngqushwa municipality website] here are served by one post office. You can just imagine all those villagers coming together to a single post office. That is the reason we decided to come to Grahamstown [Makhanda] because they have a few post offices here to help people.”

January 18 2021 - 08:01

Tax increases to pay for Covid-19 vaccine under consideration — report

As the government’s efforts to secure supplies of Covid-19 vaccines find growing success, the Treasury is considering raising taxes as one of several possible mechanisms to fund the biggest vaccination drive in SA’s history.

Treasury director-general Dondo Mogajane said the government viewed Covid-19 vaccines as a public good and was committed to financing their rollout, with or without support from the private sector and medical schemes.

January 18 2021 - 07:51

SA mulls expunging criminal records of lockdown offenders, but not for multiple offenders

Government is considering expunging the criminal records of people who have violated lockdown regulations, but will not do this yet because it wants to enforce rules in place intended to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Tens of thousands of people have criminal records since the state of disaster was enacted almost a year ago.

Police minister Bheki Cele’s spokesperson Lirandzu Themba said on Friday more than 342,000 people have been arrested for violations of lockdown regulations since the start of the lockdown in March last year. She said most of those arrested received fines while others were released on warning.

January 18 2021 - 07:49

Man arrested for selling liquor in defiance of lockdown regulations

Three weeks after lockdown regulations were promulgated banning the sale of liquor, police in Kimberley arrested a 63-year-old man for selling alcohol from his house at inflated prices.

Northern Cape police members acted on a tip-off and arrested the man for illegally dealing in liquor and flouting the adjusted level 3 Covid-19 regulations.

“He had no valid liquor trading licence nor a licence to operate a tavern from his house in Beaconsfield,” said police spokesperson Capt Olebogeng Tawana.

January 18 2021 - 07:22

Restaurants raided for serving alcohol during lockdown ban, booze confiscated

Police arrested the managers of two popular restaurants in Sandton and Silverton for selling liquor to patrons during the prohibition on booze sales under Covid -19 adjusted level 3 lockdown regulations.

A restaurant in West Street in Sandton, Gauteng, was on Saturday found to be “full to capacity and openly serving alcohol at the tables”, said police. Health protocols were not being observed. Two of the restaurant’s managers were arrested and charged with contravention of the Disaster Management Act.

January 18 2021 - 06:30

In awe: Compassionate hospital staff who come to work despite Covid risk hailed

A towel over his head at 3.35am to prevent him seeing the chaos of a Covid-ravaged hospital. But Power FM’s Denzil Taylor knew he was one of the lucky ones as he was pushed through along a corridor of Flora Clinic in a wheelchair to a vacant bed.

“The doctor said, OK, we have a bed for you,” Taylor told TimesLIVE.

He had been waiting at a ‘Covid Point’ in an emergency ward, exhausted with all the classic symptoms of Covid-19, and asked himself how a bed had suddenly become available at that time. “There’s only one answer to that,” he said. Somebody must have died.

January 18 2021 - 06:00

‘We can’t afford to disinfect our taxis without Covid-19 relief funds’ - Limpopo operators

Limpopo taxi operators say they are not able to regularly disinfect their taxis without the Covid-19 emergency relief funds promised by transport minister Fikile Mbalula last year.

Over R1-billion emergency relief funds are earmarked for the taxi industry to make up for losses suffered during the lockdown.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, spokesperson for the Limpopo National Taxi Alliance (LNTA), Frans Kgasago, said there was no way the taxi bosses could afford to disinfect their taxis because business was at its lowest point due to the pandemic.