COVID-19 WRAP | SA Covid-19 death toll increases to 51,634

March 17 2021 - 22:00

1,500 new Covid-19 cases and 74 deaths recorded in SA in 24 hours: Mkhize

SA recorded 1,531 new Covid-19 infections and 74 deaths in the past 24 hours, health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday.

This means that there have now been 1,532,497 cases recorded to date, along with 51,634 confirmed coronavirus-related fatalities.

The new infections come from 34,419 tests at a positivity rate of 4.45%.

March 17 2021 - 19:09

UK records 141 deaths and 5,758 new COVID cases

The United Kingdom has recorded a further 141 deaths of people who tested positive for COVID-19 within 28 days, and 5,758 new cases, official data showed on Wednesday.

The total number of deaths in the last seven days are down 30% compared with the seven days before, while the 7-day cases figure is down 1.2%.

-REUTERS

March 17 2021 - 17:59

Two plead guilty to illegally housing Brits during hard lockdown

A Durban guesthouse owner and an employee have pleaded guilty to contravening Covid-19 regulations when they housed two British nationals at the establishment during last year's hard lockdown.

In May last year the British duo, James Hackett and Erkan Bali, pleaded guilty to defeating or obstructing the administration of justice and contravening the Immigration Act when they illegally entered SA on April 11, disregarding Covid-19 regulations and directions in terms of the management of foreign nationals entering the country.

March 17 2021 - 17:43

EskomSePush app available again for download after suspension lifted for unvetted Covid content

Android users can now download the popular load-shedding app, EskomSePush, after it was reinstated on the Google Play Store.

The app was suspended from the platform this weekend. On social media, co-founder of the app Herman Maritz, shared a screenshot of an e-mail from Google, stating the app’s suspension and the reasoning behind it.

“The timing is painful because Google Ads now stopped working and when there is load-shedding it's the only time we make some money to keep the app running,” said Maritz.

March 17 2021 - 16:40

Poland announces lockdown; could toughen it if epidemic doesn't ease - minister

Poland could introduce even stricter curbs if the coronavirus epidemic not ease, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Wednesday, as he announced nationwide restrictions set to come into force on Saturday.

He added that Poland could see over 30,000 new daily coronavirus cases starting next week if the trend continues.

Poland reported 25,052 cases on Wednesday, according to health ministry data, the highest so far in 2021. 

-REUTERS

March 17 2021 - 12:31

Weekend lockdown in Paris region may not be enough, says hospital executive

The coronavirus situation is worsening in the greater Paris region where hospitals are under immense strain, the director-general of the AP-HP Paris hospitals organisation, Martin Hirsch, said on Wednesday.

Hirsch told RTL radio there were two options to contain the disease — a local weekend lockdown, already in place in other parts of the country, or a broader lockdown in the region.

“The virus is not under control. There are as many patients in intensive care units today as there were at the peak of the second wave,” he said.

March 17 2021 - 11:00

Merkel's party slides in poll as anger grows over virus management

Support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives has hit its lowest level in a year, a poll released on Wednesday showed, as frustration over her government's management of the coronavirus crisis grows.

Facing a federal election in September without Merkel, who is standing aside after four terms, the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Bavarian CSU sister party dropped 4 percentage points in a week to 29%, the Forsa poll showed.

That is the lowest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany in March 2020 and follows historic defeats in two regional votes on Sunday.

March 17 2021 - 10:59

Here is what you need to know about Western Cape’s plan to buy its own Covid-19 vaccines

The Western Cape government has mobilised a R2.17bn “war chest” to defeat Covid-19 in the province.

This is according to the province’s finance and economic opportunities MEC David Maynier who was presenting its provincial budget on Tuesday.

Maynier said the money will be allocated in different areas in the Western Cape, including procuring its own Covid-19 vaccine, the vaccine rollout and preparing for a potential third wave of Covid-19 infections in the province.

March 17 2021 - 10:58

Britain considering best way to proceed on vaccine passports

Britain is looking at the idea of vaccine passports and discussing the best way to proceed in terms of fairness, said business minister Kwarsi Kwarteng.

P&O Cruises said earlier on Wednesday that it would only accept as passengers those who have had the vaccine for trips around the UK this summer, sparking a fresh debate on the issue.

"We are discussing what the best way to proceed is," Kwarteng told the BBC when asked about the fairness of non-vaccinated people being denied access to hospitality, entertainment and travel.

March 17 2021 - 09:20

Australia to ask EU to send 1 million coronavirus vaccines for Papua New Guinea

Australia said on Wednesday it will ask the European Union to release 1 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine to help Papua New Guinea (PNG) battle a dangerous outbreak, a request that is likely to inflame tensions over vaccine supplies.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the vaccines were contracted to Australia but were badly needed to contain a surge in coronavirus cases in the Pacific island nation, parts of which are just a short boat ride from Australian territory.

“We've contracted them. We've paid for them and we want to see those vaccines come here so we can support our nearest neighbour, PNG, to deal with their urgent needs in our region,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

March 17 2021 - 09:19

Vaccines and Covid-19: Here’s who you should follow on Twitter for accurate info

Health care experts continue to be at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 as health workers receive the vaccine across the country.

SA confirmed its first case of Covid-19 in March last year and experts have helped millions sift through the medical jargon to better understand the coronavirus.

The first batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccines arrived in SA last month and are being administered through the Sisonke programme.

March 17 2021 - 06:56

SA records less than a thousand Covid-19 cases two days in a row