COVID-19 WRAP | SA records more than 4,000 new cases in 24 hours

May 22 2021 - 20:16

SA records more than 4,000 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours

SA recorded more than 4,000 new confirmed Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total number of cases in the country to 1,623,572.

53 Covid-19 related deaths were recorded, making the total national death toll since the start of the pandemic to 55,772.

The total number of vaccinated health-workers under the Sisonke Programme is 480,665 with 162,281 vaccinated under the Phase II vaccine rollout.

May 22 2021 - 17:20

Blood Clots Aren't the Only Vaccine Side Effects Worth Studying

One can hardly blame people for being worried about the new Covid-19 vaccines when there are so many anecdotal reports of weird side effects — including women experiencing disturbing changes in their menstrual cycles. 

May 22 2021 - 14:30

Scientists find new human coronavirus that originated in dogs

Scientists have reportedly discovered a new kind of coronavirus that is believed to have originated in dogs – in what may be the eighth unique form of the bug known to cause disease in humans. Researchers in a study published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal said their findings from patients hospitalized with pneumonia in 2017-2018 underscored the public health threat of animal coronaviruses, Reuters reported.

May 22 2021 - 13:30

Remove "Indian Variant" References, Centre To Social Media Firms: Report

The information technology (IT) ministry has written to all social media companies asking them to take down any content that refers to an "Indian variant" of the coronavirus, according to a letter issued on Friday which was seen by Reuters.

May 22 2021 - 12:30

SA's Covid-19 mortality rate among top five in world, say excess death boffins

The number of deaths due to Covid-19 in 2020 was nearly three times the official toll, and SA's Covid-19 mortality rate for the year was probably among the top five in the world. 

These are some of the key findings from the team at the SA Medical Research Council and University of Cape Town which has provided weekly updates on the number of deaths nationwide since the start of the local Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020.

May 22 2021 - 11:21

Sweat-sniffer dogs make Thai debut as coronavirus detectors

Thailand on Friday deployed dogs trained to detect coronavirus infections by sniffing samples of human sweat, as the country deals with a spike in infections, including many without symptoms of the virus.

May 22 2021 - 10:09

Vaccination rollout for SA’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes begins on Monday

The Covid-19 vaccination programme for SA’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes will begin in earnest on Monday, the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) said in a statement on Friday night.

May 22 2021 - 09:50

WATCH | Pastors of millions-strong ZCC get vaccinated in Limpopo

Leaders of the millions-strong Zion Christian Church (ZCC), which has not opened its doors since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, were vaccinated in Limpopo on Friday, the provincial health department said.

May 22 2021 - 09:40

Fear of going maskless 'not irrational', says Fauci

When asked whether vaccinated people, afraid to go maskless in crowds, are being irrational, top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said the fear was ‘not irrational’.

May 22 2021 - 09:20

White House enlists dating apps to encourage Covid vaccinations

The White House announced a partnership with popular dating apps to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, after reports showed people who display their vaccination status were more likely to get a match.

May 22 2021 - 09:10

Rich countries aim to end Covid-19 vaccine inequities

Rich nation leaders and big drugmakers promised to do more to bridge the startling divide in fighting Covid-19, with an increased flow of badly needed vaccines to poorer regions

May 22 2021 - 09:00

Taiwan presses the US for Covid-19 vaccine help

Taiwan is pressing the US for help with Covid-19 vaccines as it struggles to contain a worrying new outbreak