COVID-19 WRAP | SA recorded 1,569 new Covid-19 infections in past 24 hours

April 21 2021 - 22:27

SA recorded 1,569 new Covid-19 infections in past 24 hours

April 21 2021 - 17:42

Oxygen leak kills 22 in Indian hospital as coronavirus infections mount

At least 22 patients died on Wednesday in a hospital in western India after a disruption to their oxygen supply caused by a leaking tank, the health minister said, as a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases soaks up supplies of the crucial gas.

The incident in the city of Nashik, one of India's worst-hit areas, happened after the tank of gas leaked, said Rajesh Tope, the health minister of Maharashtra, the richest state, where the city is located.

"Patients who were on ventilators at the hospital in Nashik have died," Tope said in televised remarks.

April 21 2021 - 17:40

US FDA finds peeling paint, debris at US plant making J&J's Covid-19 vaccine

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it had completed its inspection of a US plant that makes Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine and asked for remediation of issues including peeling paint and loose debris at the site.

Emergent Biosolutions, which owns the plant, earlier this week said it would stop production of new drug material at the plant, while the FDA conducted an inspection of the facility.

The FDA's inspection closeout report, also known as "FDA Form 483", cited observations including failure to train personnel to avoid cross contamination of Covid-19 vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. ​ The FDA also said on Wednesday the building used for manufacturing the components of the two vaccines was not of suitable size and design to facilitate cleaning and maintenance.

April 21 2021 - 12:01

UK and Ireland travel restrictions on SA necessitate big changes to Rainbow Cup

Continued travel restrictions have necessitated a significant change of plan in the Rainbow Cup.

PRO14 Rugby and SA Rugby will now operate dual Rainbow Cup tournaments with no cross-hemisphere fixtures.

In the absence of formal approvals to allow the South African teams to enter the United Kingdom and Ireland organisers were left with little alternative to make the changes before the competition kicks off on Friday.

April 21 2021 - 12:00

Oxygen supplies run low as India grapples with coronavirus 'storm'

Indian authorities scrambled to shore up supplies of medical oxygen to hospitals in the capital, Delhi, on Wednesday as a fast-spreading second wave of coronavirus stretched medical infrastructure to breaking point, officials and doctors said.

India, the world's second most populous country, is reporting the world's highest number of new daily cases and approaching a peak of about 297,000 cases in one day that the US hit in January.

The latest date released by the health ministry showed there had been 295,041 new infections nationwide overnight and 2,023 deaths, India's highest in the pandemic.

April 21 2021 - 11:48

Germany to distribute J&J Covid vaccine to federal states

Germany's health ministry will soon start delivering Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine to federal states for use in vaccination centres, after Europe's drug regulator backed its overall benefits against any risks. Family doctors should start receiving the vaccine week after next, it added.

-REUTERS

April 21 2021 - 10:05

Warm latex gloves mimic human touch for Covid-19 patients in Brazil

The fight against Covid-19 is a lonely one with patients forced into isolation in intensive care wards, removed from family and friends. But two nurses in the small city of Sao Carlos, in Sao Paulo state, have discovered a way to help with a millimeter of latex and some warm water that mimics a human touch.

April 21 2021 - 09:47

Covid-19 on the rise in 3 provinces, caution advised as school holidays loom

An upsurge in Covid-19 cases in the Northern Cape, North West and Free State has been flagged by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

“The team is working with the respective provinces to ascertain whether the rise in cases can be attributed to cluster outbreaks, and recommend increased testing and contact tracing to contain the situation and limit further spread,” said Dr Harry Moultrie, senior epidemiologist at the NICD.

“With the April school holiday season rapidly approaching and many making plans for travel and social gatherings, complying with non-pharmaceutical measures to minimise transmission of the coronavirus remains vital,” said the NICD.

April 21 2021 - 07:00

Covid-19 school closures pose a big threat to learning gains

Last year’s school closures are likely to adversely affect young learners in their foundational phase, especially in reading and mathematics. SA already faces a literacy crisis, with some grade 4 learners unable to read for comprehension.

In many schools, pupils in the foundation phase learnt very little of the school curriculum in 2020, says Lynn Bowie, the national coordinator at OLICO mathematics education, a non-governmental organisation that provides support to learners in maths.

April 21 2021 - 06:50

Your trash was their ‘treasure’, but lockdown has pushed them to near-starvation

Hundreds of thousands of waste pickers and their families have been pushed to the brink of starvation under SA’s Covid-19 lockdown.

A report by the World Wide Fund for Nature SA, International Union for Conservation of Nature and the department of environment, forestry and fisheries shows how the lockdown, which saw recycling facilities across the country shut in levels four and five, placed “unprecedented” and “devastating” pressure on SA’s 215,000 waste pickers.

April 21 2021 - 06:20

Oxygen supplies run low as India grapples with coronavirus "storm"

 Indian authorities scrambled to shore up supplies of medical oxygen to hospitals in the capital, Delhi, on Wednesday as a fast-spreading second wave of coronavirus stretched medical infrastructure to breaking point, officials and doctors said.

India, the world's second most populous country, is reporting the world's highest number of new daily cases and approaching a peak of about 297,000 cases in one day that the United States hit in January.

Delhi's government issued a call for help on social media saying major government hospitals only had enough oxygen to last another eight to 24 hours while some private ones had enough for just four or five hours.

One hospital, the GTB hospital, got some oxygen supplies just before it was going to run out of stocks for its 500 patients, media reported.

"We had almost lost hope. All of us were in tears when we saw the oxygen tanker arrive," one relieved doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, told India Today.

The city of 20 million recorded 28,395 new cases and 277 deaths on Tuesday, its highest since the pandemic began.

Reuters

April 21 2021 - 06:10

Senses dulled by Covid-19, French wine tasters fear for livelihood

The French wine-tasting industry is calling on the government to prioritize wine tasters on the vaccine list to protect their livelihoods as many fear their senses were dulled by the coronavirus.

April 21 2021 - 06:05

J&J to cooperate in study of rare clots linked to Covid-19 vaccine, German scientist says

A German scientist studying extremely rare blood clots linked to AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine said on Tuesday Johnson & Johnson has agreed to work with him on the research after similar serious side effects emerged in recipients of its shot.

Andreas Greinacher, a transfusion medicine expert at Greifswald University, announced the collaboration after the European Medicines Agency said it would add a label to J&J's vaccine warning of unusual blood clots with low platelet counts. 

Reuters

April 21 2021 - 06:00

US CDC expands vaccine eligibility to 16 and up

US health authorities said that people 16 years and older are now eligible for a Covid-19 vaccination.