COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 7,657 new Covid-19 cases

June 13 2021 — 20:19

SA recorded 7,657 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative cases in country to 1,747,082 since the start of the pandemic.

The total Covid-19 related deaths has increased by 59, bringing the national death toll to 57,765.

1,773,417 vaccines have been administered in total.

June 13 2021 — 19:18

Cyril Ramaphosa pleased with commitments made at G7, says manufacturing of J&J shots will recommence soon

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is confident the annual G7 summit will yield positive results and afford many countries the financial muscles they need to deal with the ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

He made the remarks on Sunday in the UK where he addressed members of the media after the summit.    

“We are pleased to say that the G7 countries have committed quite a lot of support and assistance in the form of making vaccines available and in some cases, allowing exports to go into African countries and indeed other parts of the world,” he said.

June 13 2021 — 15:57

Acting health minister hints tighter lockdown restrictions are on the cards

As Covid-19 cases continue to surge in the country, acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said her department will make recommendations to the national command council this week.

Kubayi-Ngubane was speaking on SABC news on Sunday, expressing concern over the increasing cases.

“We are not yet at a place where we have reached herd immunity and the increasing numbers remain a concern and the basic things that we need to do to contain the virus remain critical. The wearing of masks and sanitising of masks are still very important.

June 13 2021 — 14:05

Moscow to give away free cars to spur people to get Covid vaccine

Moscow's mayor said on Sunday the city would give away free cars in a prize draw for residents who get the Covid-19 shot in an effort to speed up the sluggish rate of vaccinations amid surging coronavirus cases.

The Russian capital reported 7,704 new infections on Sunday, the most in a single day since December 24.

Authorities reported 14,723 cases nationwide, the largest one-day total since February 13. 

Reuters

June 13 2021 — 12:41

Indonesia reports 9,868 infections, highest since February 22

Indonesia reported on Sunday 9,868 Covid-19 daily infections, the highest since February 22, the Covid-19 task force said.

Total infections are 1,911,358.

The Southeast Asian country also reported 149 Covid-19 fatalities, taking the total to 52,879.

Reuters

June 13 2021 — 12:14

Two thirds of eligible people in Dubai fully vaccinated

About two-thirds of people eligible for inoculation against Covid-19 have now received two doses of the vaccine in Dubai, the tourist and business hub of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said.

Dubai is the most populous of the seven emirates that make up the UAE and has one of the world's busiest airports.

For six months the UAE has been running one of the world's fastest vaccination campaigns against Covid-19, initially using a vaccine developed by the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and then adding the Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca shots and Russia's Sputnik V.

DHA deputy director-general Alawi Alsheikh Ali told Dubai Television late on Saturday that 83% of people aged over 16 — or about 2.3 million people — had now received at least one dose of a vaccine and that 64% had received two doses in the emirate.

Reuters

June 13 2021 - 12:02

Ramaphosa urges G7 to bridge coronavirus funding gap

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged Group of Seven leaders to help “address the substantial financing gap” for testing, treatment and vaccination against Covid-19.

G7 countries that together account for more than half of global output should contribute to close the $16.8bn (R230bn) funding gap for the World Health Organisation’s Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator for this year, Ramaphosa said, according to a copy of remarks published on the presidency website.

June 13 2021 — 11:23

Nehawu spokesperson Khaya Xaba succumbs to Covid-19 complications

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union has confirmed the death of its national spokesperson, Khaya Xaba.

Xaba died in the early hours of Sunday morning due to Covid-19 complications.

June 13 2021 — 11:09

Germany demands that J&J make up vaccine gap in July

Germany's health ministry on Sunday said Johnson & Johnson must deliver 6.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Germany in July to make up for a shortfall expected in June after the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) told the company to dispose of millions of doses because contamination concerns.

“This is regrettable because each dose counts,” said a ministry spokesperson in response to an enquiry by Reuters. “We therefore expect from J&J that this amount is delivered in July as quickly as possible.”

Reuters

June 13 2021 — 10:58

G7 provides 1 billion Covid vaccine doses, will work to give more

Group of Seven countries will provide 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses over the next year and work with the private sector, the G20 and other countries to increase the contribution over months to come, according to an almost finalised draft of the communique.

“The commitments since we last met in February 2021 including here in Carbis Bay provide for 1 billion doses over the next year,” the communique said.

“We will work together with the private sector, the G20 and other countries to increase this contribution over the months to come,” the communique said.

Two sources said the draft had been largely finalised by diplomats who worked late into Saturday night to agree the text.

Reuters

June 13 2021 — 10:43

Russia's new cases rise to highest since February 13

Russia on Sunday reported 14,723 new Covid-19 cases, including 7,704 in Moscow, the largest one-day national caseload since February 13.

The number of new infections in Moscow was the most reported in one day since December 24. The city's mayor told residents on Saturday to stay off work this coming week to curb the spread of the virus.

The coronavirus task force said on Sunday that 357 people had died of coronavirus-related causes nationwide, taking the death toll to 126,430.

The federal statistics agency has kept a separate toll and has said that Russia recorded about 270,000 deaths related to Covid-19 between April 2020 and April 2021.

Reuters

June 13 2021 — 9:20

Gauteng school sanitation saga: Probe shows suspect contractors paid Sars bills first

Soon after six Limpopo- and Johannesburg-based companies implicated in allegedly irregular contracts to decontaminate Gauteng classrooms were paid, they splurged on cattle and hunting trips. But first they did the responsible thing and settled their outstanding tax bills.

This is according to the latest tranche of affidavits by Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and Financial Intelligence Centre investigators probing how provincial education officials awarded the contracts last year.

Last week the Sunday Times reported claims by investigators that seven companies had splashed out on designer watches, jewellery, luxury cars, plastic surgery and paying off home loans after being paid R63.5m by the provincial education department to clean classrooms during lockdown, with some contracts awarded via WhatsApp. The Special Tribunal ordered that assets worth R40.7m be frozen while investigations continue.

June 13 2021 — 8:57

'This is not the time to relax': Vigilance urged as Covid-19 third wave surges

Bus tours, weddings and birthday parties are the types of events that have pushed SA into its third wave of Covid-19 infections.

Superspreader events such as Matric Rage were the face of the brutal second wave but this time around seeding is happening mainly in smaller outbreaks, which then lead to community transmission.

In one tragic case, 40 elderly people boarded a bus in Cape Town for a tour to Namibia. On their return, 37 tested positive, and eventually six died.

June 13 2021 — 8:41

63% of new Covid-19 infections are in Gauteng

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases has recorded 9,320 new Covid-19 cases in SA, it said on Saturday night.

The majority of new cases are from the Gauteng province (63%), followed by the Western Cape (11%) and North West (6%) provinces.

June 13 2021 — 8:15

Chinese, Russian vaccines for SA?

Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane will meet Johnson & Johnson executives tomorrow in an attempt to save SA's stuttering Covid-19 vaccination rollout.

The talks follow Friday's ruling by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that only two batches of the vaccine from a Baltimore factory are safe. This means 2-million doses at SA's Aspen Pharmacare in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) may have to be dumped.

Kubayi-Ngubane said the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority had been asked to fast-track assessment of the Sinovac (Chinese) and Sputnik (Russian) vaccines.

June 13 2021 — 8:06

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 1,489

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,489 to 3,714,969, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.

The reported death toll rose by 18 to 89,834 the tally showed.

Reuters

June 13 2021 — 8:04

China reports 34 new coronavirus cases

China reported 34 new Covid-19 cases on June 12, down from 35 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Sunday.

Of the new cases, six were local transmissions, compared with eight the previous day, the National Health Commission said. All of the local cases were in southern Guangdong province.

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Mainland China now stands at 91,428, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,636.

Reuters

June 13 2021 — 8:01

Eight Venezuela players test positive for Covid-19

Eight Venezuela soccer players in Brazil for the Copa America have tested positive for Covid-19, health officials said on Saturday, a day before they meet the hosts in the tournament's opening game.

The “members of the delegation include players and members of the backroom staff,” said a statement from the health secretariat in Brasilia, where Sunday's game will take place.

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) made the diagnosis on Friday and informed local health authorities.

“All are asymptomatic, isolated in individual rooms, and are being monitored by the CONMEBOL team and local health officials,” the statement added.

Reuters