COVID-19 WRAP | Total Covid-19 cases near 2 million in SA

July 01 2021 - 19:30

Fourth highest daily new infections as SA records 21,584 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours

SA recorded 21,584 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the fourth highest single day increase in new infections since the outbreak of the coronavirus in March last year.

There were also 382 deaths related to Covid-19 reported in the past day, bringing the confirmed death toll to 61,029.

Figures released by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Thursday showed Gauteng continued to be the country’s Covid-19 epicentre with 12,806 cases recorded in the province in 24 hours. There were 2,447 cases recorded in the Western Cape, and more than 1,000 cases recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, the North West and Limpopo.

July 01 2021 - 18:52

Court case looming as wine industry challenges government’s ‘blanket’ booze ban

The wine industry’s court challenge against government’s 14-day lockdown level 4 booze ban has been postponed.

Vinpro, which is leading the case, said this was to allow the state to file answering affidavits. The case was due to be heard in the Western Cape high court on Friday.

Vinpro, an organisation which represents about 2,600 wine and grape producers, has listed President Cyril Ramaphosa as the first respondent, traditional affairs and co-operative governance minister Nkosazana-Dlamini Zuma as the second respondent and Western Cape premier Alan Winde as the third respondent in their court papers.

July 01 2021 - 16:10

Intern doctor ultimatum: Place all medical interns or prepare for court battle, Sama tells government

The South African Medical Association (Sama) has given the government a deadline of the end of Thursday to place all junior doctors as interns. If this deadline is not met, the association will be heading to court on the doctors' behalf.

Sama on Thursday expressed its outrage at the “mismanagement of the internship programme by the government”.

According to the association, 288 medical interns who graduated in March and April are still awaiting compulsory and constitutionally-mandated placement at public health facilities.

July 01 2021 - 15:23

Health products regulator at advanced stage evaluating Sinovac vaccine

The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said on Thursday that it was at an advanced stage of evaluating the CoronaVac vaccine, manufactured by Sinovac.

Sahpra CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela said the process of assessing and approving vaccines was rigorous and “intricate”.

Sahpra is evaluating CoronaVac and reviewing applications for one of the Sinopharm vaccines and for the Sputnik V vaccine, manufactured by the Gamaleya Research Institute.

July 01 2021 - 15:20

Reinfection with Delta variant possible if you've had Covid-19 before: health ministry

The health ministry said on Wednesday that people who have been infected with the Beta variant of Covid-19 can still get infected with the now dominant Delta variant, regardless of whether they have received the vaccine.

Acting minister Mmamoloko Kubayi and health department deputy director-general Dr Anban Pillay addressed questions concerning the acquisition of vaccines, vaccine rollout and an update on the new Delta variant before the parliament portfolio committee on health this week.

Pillay said the Delta variant, which has been detected in 85 countries, is highly transmissible and is rapidly becoming dominant in SA.

July 01 2021 - 14:39

AU member states worried about access to vaccines as third wave grips continent

There have been 5.2 million cases and more than 135,000 deaths from Covid-19 in African Union member states, the AU said on Thursday.

“A third wave of the disease is under way on the continent, with the large majority of cases occurring in the southern region,” it said in a statement. 

The latest statistics come after AU chairperson, Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, convened a teleconference meeting of the AU bureau of heads of state and government on June 24 to discuss the African response to the pandemic.

July 01 2021 - 14:21

POLL | Should lockdown regulations be amended to allow wine sales online?

Western Cape MEC for agriculture Ivan Meyer has appealed to the national government to ease restrictions around the transporting and sale of alcohol, arguing that doing so will help save the liquor industry.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced a ban on the sale of alcohol and restrictions around the transportation of liquor for 14 days under adjusted level 4, after a surge in Covid-19 cases.

In his letter to the minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development, Thoko Didiza, Meyer requests that the regulations be amended to allow for the transport of wine samples, the transport of wine by tourists, and the transport of wine to bottling plants and storage.

July 01 2021 - 13:21

Western Cape wants level 4 lockdown rules changed for wine industry

With alcohol sales prohibited under level 4 lockdown, the Western Cape has asked the government to ease some of the lockdown restrictions to assist the wine industry.

SA was moved to an adjusted level 4 on Sunday for 14 days, after a surge in Covid-19 cases.

In his address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the sale of alcohol and all gatherings, whether indoors or outdoors, were prohibited.

July 01 2021 - 13:15

Runny nose could be Delta variant of Covid-19, warns UCT expert

People with the fast-spreading Delta variant of Covid-19, which is driving SA's third wave of infections, may think they just have a cold.

This was the warning on Thursday from Prof Mary-Ann Davies, director of the University of Cape Town Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research. 

Speaking at the weekly Western Cape government Covid-19 briefing, she said the Delta variant’s symptom profile is different from previous variants.

July 01 2021 - 12:02

'Government phase 4 Covid-19 relief grant' is a scam, warns Sassa

The SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) has again warned about a fake poster doing the rounds on social media, misleading people about a "government phase 4 Covid-19 relief fund grant".

The poster urges members to “hurry up” and apply so that they don't miss the “opportunity”.

“Apply for the government Phase 4 Covid-19 relief fund grant provided by the government. Hurry up, it only takes a few seconds to apply. Don't miss this opportunity,” reads the post.

July 01 2021 - 11:19

Mobile voting stations & proxy voting: 5 things Maimane proposes to ensure safe elections amid Covid-19

One SA Movement leader Mmusi Maimane has made submissions to the Moseneke inquiry, calling for the October elections to go ahead. 

On Wednesday, the inquiry heard oral submissions on whether it was possible to hold free and fair elections on October 27. 

The hearing comes after the Electoral Commission (IEC) postponed by-elections in wards in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. 

July 01 2021 - 09:29

Gauteng gets new head of health as third wave numbers rocket

The Gauteng health department has appointed Dr Sibongile Zungu as its acting head from Thursday in a bid to bring about stability as the province battles a rampant third wave of Covid-19.

“I have signed a concurrence with the premier, David Makhura. We are taking Dr Sibongile Zungu. She will come and act as head of department in Gauteng until they can do the recruitments and stabilise the system,” said acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi in a recent interview with TimesLIVE.

Provincial government spokesperson Thabo Masebe confirmed the appointment. “Dr Zungu starts after the secondment by national government to bring about stability in the province.”

July 01 2021 - 09:27

Registration for Covid-19 vaccination for those aged 50 and older kicks off

Online registration for people aged 50 years and older wanting to get the Covid-19 vaccine starts on Thursday.

The health department said it plans to start vaccinating this group from July 15.

This next phase comes as the department on Wednesday said it had administered more than 3 million vaccinations, with just over 120,000 shots being administered on Wednesday alone.

July 01 2021 - 08:09

'Doctors still can’t believe I made it': Grandpa considers himself lucky to be alive after 106 days in ICU

When Sarawat Ajam woke up from a coma after spending 106 days in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town after Covid-19 infection, the only part of his body that he could move was his eyes.

The 62-year-old grandfather from Mitchells Plain in Cape Town considers himself one of the lucky few to have survived the respiratory disease, and he surprised himself and his medical team when he pulled through after six months of hospitalisation.

“It was not an easy time being in ICU for so long. I am one of the lucky ones. Doctors still can’t believe I made it. I believe there is a higher power that was with me and helped me to survive. I also had God’s angels — the nurses, and doctors at Groote Schuur Hospital that were there to look after me.”

July 01 2021 - 07:40

CureVac Covid-19 vaccine records only 48% efficacy in final trial readout

CureVac said its Covid-19 vaccine was 48% effective in the final analysis of its pivotal mass trial, only marginally better than the 47% reported after an initial read-out two weeks ago.

The German biotech firm said that efficacy, measured by preventing symptomatic disease, was slightly better at 53% when excluding trial participants older than 60 years, an age group that is by far the most severely affected.

CureVac said on June 16 its Covid-19 vaccine, known as CVnCoV, proved only 47% effective in an initial trial read-out and that new variants had proved a headwind, denting investor confidence in its ability to take on rival shots.

That wiped billions of euros from its market value.

Wednesday's news sent U.S.-listed shares of the company 10.2% lower to $66 after the bell.

Late-stage trials of BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which like CureVac's are based on mRNA technology, had efficacy rates of well above 90% across all age groups but took place when the original version of the coronavirus was dominant.

Data on their products have, however, so far suggested only somewhat weaker protection against new variants.

The CureVac study, which involved about 40,000 adult volunteers in Europe and Latin America, showed that efficacy was 77% in the age group below 60 years of age when considering only moderate to severe symptoms and excluding mild cases.

CureVac said it had sent the data to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as part of an ongoing dialogue with the EU drugs regulator.

Reuters 

July 01 2021 - 07:36

Aspen to partner with finance institutions to boost vaccine know-how

A group of global finance institutions led by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) said on Wednesday they would help to facilitate an increase in vaccine manufacturing know-how in Africa by partnering with SA pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare. 

As a first step, the IFC, French development institution Proparco, German development finance institution DEG and the US International Development Finance Corporation jointly loaned 600m euros (R10.2bn) to the company.

July 01 2021 - 07:15

India reports 48,786 new Covid-19 cases

India reported on Thursday 48,786 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, data from the health ministry showed, with the active caseload at 523,257.

Reuters

July 01 2021 - 07:00

World Bank passes $4 bn milestone in funding for Covid-19 vaccines

The World Bank on Wednesday said it had provided more than $4 billion for the purchase and deployment of Covid-19 vaccines to 51 developing countries, half of which are in Africa, where vaccination rates are among the world's lowest.

In a statement, the global development bank urged countries anticipating excess vaccine supplies in coming months to release surplus doses and options to developing countries with adequate distribution plans in place.

The World Bank's vaccine financing package can be used by countries to buy vaccine doses through COVAX, the new African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) or other sources.

Reuters

July 01 2021 - 06:45

Thai resort island of Phuket reopens for tourists

Vaccinated foreign tourists are due to fly into the Thai resort island of Phuket on Thursday, the first to return to its beaches and golf courses under a pilot programme to revive a tourism industry devastated by the novel coronavirus.

Under the "Phuket sandbox" plan, foreign tourists vaccinated against Covid-19 will not have to spend any time in quarantine and can move around the island freely.

After 14 days, provided three coronavirus tests they must take are negative, they can travel elsewhere in the country.

Millions of people visited Phuket every year before the pandemic and the government and tourism industry hope the reopening will help save its battered economy.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has flown to Phuket to oversee the reopening, with 249 tourists due to arrive on flights from Israel, Abu Dhabi and Qatar."

Most Israelis have been vaccinated and they will be the main group of tourists entering Thailand this time around,” said Taweesin Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Covid-19 taskforce.

Reuters 

July 01 2021 - 06:30

Australia's NSW state says Delta outbreak grows despite lockdown

Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state on Thursday warned that significant numbers of new Covid-19 cases were being found in the community, raising fears of fresh clusters as it reported a rise in new infections for a third straight day.

With state capital Sydney in the middle of a two-week lockdown to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant, authorities said half of Thursday's total of 24 new cases had spent time in the community when infectious."(This) is a cause of concern.

That is what we will be looking at in the next few days and beyond as a measure of our success," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.

Berejiklian said many people with flu-like symptoms were ignoring lockdown orders and "going about their business".

"We can't allow that to happen ... assume that you have the virus or that people you come into contact with have the virus and act accordingly," she said.

Australia is battling simultaneous flare-ups of infections in several states and nearly half of all Australians are under stay-at-home orders to prevent any major outbreak of the Delta strain.

Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Darwin imposed lockdowns in the past few days, following months in which Australia had nearly eliminated the virus.

The remote outback town of Alice Springs, gateway to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Uluru, was also locked down on Wednesday after an infected traveller spent hours in the city's airport.

Reuters

July 01 2021 - 06:10

Being male and obese are not risk factors for Covid-19 death, new study suggests

Research has in the past linked being male and obese as high risk factors for Covid-19 complications and death, but a new study by the University of Cape Town has now found that the two factors are not necessarily associated with increased mortality in patients admitted into intensive care. 

It was initially found that being male and obese were risk factors due the impairment that weight gain has to the immune function and difficulties with ventilation, for instance.

But researchers have instead found that being a smoker, being hypertensive, diabetic and having a cardiovascular disease were more likely to lead to death than an increasing body mass index (BMI).

July 01 2021 - 06:00

SA moms face high food prices and the nutritional cost that follows

Struggling SA mothers say high food prices have hollowed out proper nutrition on the family plate. 

This has removed an important line of defence against Covid-19, states the latest Household Affordability Index report released by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD) on Wednesday.

High food prices have prompted another call from the group to reinstate social grant top-ups and the Covid-19 social relief of distress (SRD) grant.

The report shows the cost of the average household food basket increased by 7.1% from R3,856.34 in September 2020 to R4,128.23 in June 2021.

It tracks food price data from 44 supermarkets and 30 butcheries in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Springbok in the Northern Cape.