COVID-19 WRAP | 1,273 more cases recorded in SA

April 02 2021 - 22:35

1,273 more cases recorded in SA

There were 1,273 more cases of Covid-19 recorded in SA, according to the latest statistics released by the health department on Friday. 

The total confirmed cases in the country is 1,550,724.

A further 49 deaths were also recorded, bringing the total number of deaths to 52,946. 

April 02 2021 - 19:18

Turkey records 42,308 new coronavirus cases, highest level yet

Turkey recorded 42,308 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed on Friday, the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic.

Cases have surged since the government eased measures to curb the pandemic in early March.

On Monday, President Tayyip Erdogan announced a tightening of measures, including the return of full nationwide weekend lockdowns for the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on April 13.

The total number of cases stands just above 3.4 million, the data showed. The latest daily death toll was 179, bringing the cumulative toll to 31,892.

Reuters

April 02 2021 - 18:26

Italy reports 481 coronavirus deaths on Friday, 21,932 new cases

Italy reported 481 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 501 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections decreased to 21,932 from 23,649.

Italy has registered 110,328 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world.

The country has reported 3.6 million cases to date.

Reuters

April 02 2021 - 18:23

Netherlands halts use of AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 60

The Netherlands on Friday temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people under 60 following the death of a woman who had received a shot, the health ministry said.

About 10,000 scheduled appointments for vaccinations were to be scrapped as a result of the decision, news agency ANP reported.

April 02 2021 - 17:27

Fundraising campaign for popular Joburg doctor Sindi van Zyl in hospital with Covid-19

The husband of popular Johannesburg physician and radio DJ Dr Sindisiwe van Zyl, who is on a ventilator with Covid-19, has made an impassioned plea for contributions to a  fundraising campaign to help with mounting medical bills.

Van Zyl, who amassed a large Twitter following for providing both medical and non-medical advice, was admitted to hospital in February with breathing problems after she contracted the virus a month earlier.

April 02 2021 - 16:31

'Prayer and video calls saw me through fight against Covid-19': health-care worker

Health-care worker Jaco Versfeld says it's a miracle he made it home to celebrate his 20th wedding anniversary after a long struggle to overcome Covid-19.

Versfeld spent seven weeks in hospital — three of them in a coma on oxygen support.

The ammunition that saw him through the fight with the novel virus included prayer, video calls and a desire to see loved ones again.

April 02 2021 - 15:35

Austria to give Czech Republic 30,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine

Austria will provide the Czech Republic with 30,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's office said on Friday in what it called a display of solidarity after it felt the EU did not do enough to help its neighbour.

After days of negotiations, EU ambassadors on Thursday agreed to change the bloc's vaccine distribution system for 10 million BioNTech-Pfizer doses due to be delivered in the second quarter, so needier countries could receive more.

Of those 10 million doses, 2.85 million so-called "solidarity vaccines" will be shared between five countries - Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia.

Austria said on Thursday night it was "incomprehensible" that its neighbour the Czech Republic, which has been hit hard by the more dangerous British variant of virus, was not given more doses.

Reuters

April 02 2021 - 14:58

Four suspects bust for creating 'fake Covid-19 travel certificates'

The Hawks have arrested four people in Gauteng for creating fake Covid-19 travel certificates.

The suspects, aged 32 to 42, were arrested in Windsor East, Randburg.

Hawks spokesperson Capt Ndivhuwo Mulamu said the suspects allegedly created the fraudulent certificates at “an internet cafe and laundry shop in Windsor East”.

April 02 2021 - 14:00

Vietnam to vaccinate 20% of population against Covid-19 by end of year

Vietnam aims to have 20% of its 98 million people vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of the year, its health ministry said on Friday.

It said the country would receive 4.1 million vaccine doses under the Covax-sharing facility by the end of May.

Reuters

April 02 2021 - 12:40

Pope makes surprise visit to homeless getting Covid-19 vaccine in Vatican

Pope Francis paid a surprise visit on Friday to homeless and poor people from Rome getting free Covid-19 vaccinations in the Vatican.

Pictures released by the Vatican showed the 84-year-old pontiff greeting doctors, nurses, charity workers and vaccine recipients in a make-shift clinic in the Vatican's audience hall, largely disused because of the pandemic.

About 800 homeless or needy people have received the free vaccine so far and at least 400 more will get it, the Vatican said.

Francis, who has been vaccinated, as has former Pope Benedict, 93, has said getting a jab is the ethnical choice unless there are serious medical reasons not to.

Under Francis, the Vatican has set up a number of structures to help Rome's homeless population, including a clinic, bathing facilities, barber and hair cutting services.

Reuters

April 02 2021 - 11:49

Blade Nzimande warns Covid-19 outbreaks among students could 'fire up' third wave

Higher education minister Blade Nzimande said on Friday he was concerned about pockets of Covid-19 outbreaks at some universities and TVET colleges which had the potential to trigger a third wave of infections.

Earlier this week 55 students tested positive at the University of Pretoria (UP).

Apart from the outbreak at UP, the department had received other reports of Covid-19 infections within the post school education and training sector.

April 02 2021 - 10:41

First batch of SA's Astra Zeneca vaccines sent to AU

The first batch of SA's unwanted Astra Zeneca vaccine doses have been dispatched to the AU, the health ministry said on Friday.

SA sold its supply of the vaccine, totalling 1 million doses, to the AU after tests showed it offered scant protection against the 501Y.V2 variant of the coronavirus that was discovered in SA at the end of last year.

April 02 2021 - 08:00

Africa edging towards third wave as 10 million get Covid-19 vaccines

Africa has secured 400 million doses of J&J Covid-19 vaccines — enough to vaccinate more than half its target of 750m people — as it edges towards the third wave of infections, said Africa CDC director, Dr John Nkengasong, at his weekly coronavirus update on Thursday.

More than 4.2 million cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Africa and more than 1,120,000 deaths, accounting for 4% of deaths reported globally. Africa has reported 3% of the world’s Covid-19 cases.

Overall death rates have decreased by 13% in Africa in March, but 21 countries have case fatality rates higher than the global average of 2.2%.

April 02 2021 - 07:30

UK regulator found total of 30 cases of blood clot events after AstraZeneca vaccine use

British regulators on Thursday said they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events after the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, 25 more than the agency previously reported.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it had received no such reports of clotting events following use of the vaccine made by BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc.

Reuters