COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES | SA's latest Covid-19 figures, as positivity rate climbs

July 04 2021 - 21:58

U.S. administers 330.6 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 330,604,253 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Sunday morning and distributed 383,068,740 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Those figures are up from the 329,970,551 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by July 3 out of 383,067,560 doses delivered. The agency said 182,412,776 people had received at least one dose while 157,323,738 people are fully vaccinated as of Sunday.

The CDC tally includes two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech , as well as Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 21:25

French health minister warns of fourth COVID wave

Health Minister Olivier Veran on Sunday urged as many French people as possible to get a Covid-19 vaccine, warning that France could be heading for a fourth wave of the epidemic by the end of the month due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

"For five days, (the infection rate) hasn't come down - it's rising again. Because of the Delta variant, which is very contagious. The British example shows that a fourth wave is possible from the end of July," Veran said on Twitter.

"We must move even faster (on vaccination). Our country is in a race against time." 

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 20:30

Myanmar reports daily record 2,318 COVID-19 cases

Myanmar's health ministry reported a daily record of 2,318 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, as well as 35 deaths.

A new outbreak has grown rapidly in the Southeast Asian country, where the health system and anti-coronavirus measures have foundered since a Feb. 1 military coup.

The rate of positive tests, at more than 22%, was also higher than during the previous peak in case numbers late last year. Reuters was unable to reach the junta-controlled health ministry for additional comment

.The elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi had brought two waves of the new coronavirus under control with a programme of testing and quarantine. It had just begun a vaccination campaign before it was overthrown.

After the army took power, doctors and other healthworkers have been at the forefront of a Civil Disobedience Movement in which they have stopped work in official positions to show their opposition to the junta

Some people have refused to go to military hospitals for treatment or to get vaccinations as a way to show they regard the military authorities as illegitimate.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 19:12

SA records 16,585 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours as positivity rate climbs above 30%

SA recorded 333 new Covid-19 deaths and 16,585 infections in the past 24 hours.

While this is significantly lower than the 26,485 new infections announced on Saturday, the figures on Sunday came at a worrying positivity rate - the number of positive results against the number of tests taken in the same period - of 30.2%.

The NICD figures show there have now been 61,840 fatalities and 2,062,896 cumulative infections recorded to date.

July 04 2021 - 18:30

Americans celebrate July Fourth with a bang after pandemic cancellations

Americans marked their nation’s 245th birthday on Sunday with fireworks that may look brighter, hotdogs that may taste juicier and marching bands that may sound jauntier after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of nearly all celebrations last year.

Some classic July Fourth events such as Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Brooklyn's Coney Island remained scaled back to allow for social distancing in recognition of the continued threat of the COVID-19, which has killed more than 600,000 Americans.

The more aggressive Delta variant has raised alarms about the potential for another surge among the unvaccinated. Even so, this holiday was a time for Americans to show their patriotism and to celebrate a fresh sense of freedom in a personal sense by mingling with friends once again and enjoying summer's simple pleasures.

But this year's July Fourth was not entirely carefree. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned state and local police last week of a heightened threat of violence by domestic extremist groups amid relaxed COVID-19 restrictions and the July Fourth holiday.

It was expected to be the busiest July Fourth road travel holiday on record - with an estimated 43.6 million Americans behind the wheel, or 5% more than a previous record set in 2019, the American Automobile Association said.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 17:45

UK reports 24,248 new coronavirus cases and 15 deaths

Britain reported 24,248 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, down from 24,885 on Saturday, and 15 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, down from 18, according to government data.

A total of 45,274,497 people have received a first dose of vaccine and 33,614,952 have received two doses, the government said.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 17:00

Greek economy won't close again because of COVID-19, PM says

Greece's economy would not close again because of the coronavirus pandemic if it was just to protect an unvaccinated minority, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a newspaper interview released on Sunday.

Greece fared well in the first wave of Covid-19 infections last year. But a resurgence has forced the country to impose lockdown restrictions since November which have cost many billions of euros to an economy slowly emerging from a decade-long crisis.

Greece has been easing restrictions as infections fall, but concerns are rising about the spread of the more contagious Delta variant. With about 35% of its 11 million population fully inoculated, the government last week offered young people cash and phone data to boost vaccination rates.

"When we imposed across-the-board measures, there were no vaccines," Mitsotakis told Kathimerini newspaper. "We do have vaccines now."

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 16:30

Wimbledon to have maximum capacity crowds from quarter-finals onwards

Wimbledon will have capacity crowds from the singles quarter-finals onwards as Covid-19 restrictions on attendances are relaxed, the All England Club announced on Sunday.

Attendances have been capped at 50% since the start of the tournament last Monday although next weekend's finals were to rise to 100% on the 15,000-capacity Centre Court.

After a successful opening week, the Championships have now been given permission to operate at full capacity from Tuesday's women's quarter-finals onwards on Centre Court and No.1 Court.

Wimbledon is being used as a pilot event for the safe return of crowds as part of the Government's Events Research Programme. It will mark the first time outdoor stadiums will be at full capacity at a sporting event in Britain since the Covid-19 pandemic shut down sports in the country in March 2020.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 16:15

Israel negotiating Pfizer surplus with other countries, official says

Israel is in talks with other countries about a deal to unload its surplus of Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccines, doses of which are due to expire by the end of the month, a health ministry official said on Sunday.

Hezi Levi, the ministry's director-general, did not provide details about the number of doses Israel was looking to hand over in an apparent swap arrangement. Israel's Haaretz newspaper put the amount of doses at about 1 million. 

Levi said the doses expire on July 31 and that any deal would have to win Pfizer's approval. A Pfizer spokesperson said the company "is happy to discuss potential donations requests of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine between governments on a case-by-case basis, particularly if this helps ensure the vaccine is used to protect people from this disease".

Last month the Palestinians rejected about a million doses from Israel, saying they were too close to their expiry date.

Israel launched in December one of the world's fastest vaccine drives and has since vaccinated nearly 90% of people over the age of 50, a group considered to be at the highest risk from the coronavirus. Overall, however, around a fifth of all eligible Israelis have not yet had the vaccine, according to health ministry data.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 15:35

Italian police bar 52 fans from Euro 2020 match due to COVID rules

Italian police prevented 52 fans from attending the quarter-final Euro 2020 match between England and Ukraine in Rome on Saturday as they did not comply with Covid-19 restrictions, a statement said on Sunday.

In an effort to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant, Rome last month introduced a five-day quarantine for anyone coming to Italy who had been to Britain in the previous two weeks.

By cross-checking names of travellers of flights from England and Ukraine with those who had bought tickets, the Italian police identified 52 fans who had not complied with the required quarantine time. These fans also had their tickets cancelled, the Italian police said in a statement.

Last week Italy told fans from England not to try to use loopholes in Covid-19 travel restrictions to sneak into the quarter-finals Euro 2020 clash between England and Ukraine in Rome, even if they had a ticket.

England defeated Ukraine 4-0 on Saturday, placing the team on course for its first European Championship semi-final in 25 years

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 15:00

UAE approves Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

The United Arab Emirates has approved Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, the fifth vaccine to receive such approval by the Gulf Arab state, the health ministry said in a statement on state news agency WAM on Sunday.

The UAE, the region's tourism, trade and business hub, has had one of the world's fastest vaccination campaigns but daily coronavirus cases have remained close to 2,000, though below a peak near 4,000 in February.

The UAE, a federation of seven emirates, has reported the spread of the Beta, Delta and Alpha variants in the country of some 9.2 million people.

Around 73.8% of the UAE's population has received one vaccine dose while 63.7% are fully vaccinated, the health ministry said in a Twitter post on Saturday.

Neighbouring Saudi Arabia on Saturday banned travel to and entry from four countries, including the UAE. The restriction applies to anyone who has been there within the last 14 days.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 14:10 

Bulgaria considers incentives to boost COVID-19 vaccinations

Bulgaria is considering offering incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, interim Prime Minister Stefan Yanev said on Sunday.

Bulgaria is one of the few countries where people can choose between four different anti-coronavirus shots approved in the European Union.  Still, only 14.5% of Bulgarian adults are fully vaccinated, putting the country far behind its EU peers.

On top of a general mistrust of authorities in the former communist country, Bulgarians often cite a fear of new medical products as their reason for refusing the vaccination. Another reason is that about 400,000 people have already been infected and developed resistance.

"We do not plan to force anyone. But we are considering the possibility to offer people who are getting the second shot some vouchers," Yanev said.

Sofia has opened special vaccination units in parks to make it easier for busy people to get a shot and is planning campaigns in Roma neighbourhoods to try to convince those communities of the benefits of the vaccines.

Failure to boost vaccine uptake may force the country to destroy shots that are nearing their expiration dates. Yanev said Bulgaria may face such a risk at the end of August and was working with Brussels to see how it may also donate some 150,000 shots to western Balkan countries.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 12:50

Face masks to become a personal choice in England, minister say

The wearing of face coverings in England will become a personal choice and the data that will determine if lockdown restrictions can be lifted this month was looking "very positive", Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said on Sunday.

"It will be a different period where we as private citizens make these judgments rather than the government telling you what to do," Jenrick told Sky News.

Legal lockdown restrictions are due to be removed on July 19 under the government's roadmap and Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out details about the final stage of easing in England in the coming days, Jenrick said.

Asked if he would stop wearing a face mask if permitted, he said: "I will. I don't particularly want to wear a mask, I don't think a lot of people enjoy doing it, we will be moving into a phase though where these will be matters of personal choice.

"Johnson had hoped to remove final restrictions in June but his plan was scuppered by rising coronavirus cases, driven largely by the more transmissible Delta variant.

He said last week that although Britain's vaccination programme had broken the link between infection and deaths, some precautions might have to remain beyond July 19.Jenrick on Sunday said the data was looking "very positive".

"It does seem as if we can now move forward and move to a much more permissive regime where we move away from many of those restrictions that have been so difficult for us," he said.

"We're going to have to ensure that every adult gets double vaccinated, because that is the key to keeping the virus under control as we move into the autumn and the winter."

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 11:08

Indonesia ramps up oxygen output after dozens die amid scarcity

Indonesia has ordered oxygen makers to prioritise medical needs amid growing demand from Covid-19 patients, the government said on Sunday, following more than 60 deaths in a hospital where supply of the life-saving gas was almost exhausted.

The world's fourth most populous nation is battling one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks, with Saturday's 27,913 infections becoming the newest of many peaks during the last two weeks.

In a statement, the Sardjito hospital on the island of Java said 63 patients died after it nearly ran out of oxygen over the period from Saturday until early on Sunday, when fresh supplies arrived.

A hospital spokesman could not confirm if all the dead had suffered from Covid-19, however.

In response, the government was asking the gas industry to increase production of medical oxygen, said health ministry official Siti Nadia Tarmizi."We also hope people don't stock up on oxygen," she added, referring to stockpiles that could have the effect of denying the gas to many.

The hospital said that for days before the incident it had sought more supplies of oxygen, but virus patients streaming in since Friday had pushed it beyond its capacity, consuming supply sooner than expected.

The crisis eased when it began to receive more supplies just before dawn on Sunday.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 10:00

UK Covid-19 data looks 'very positive' for lifting lockdown, minister says

The data that will decide if final lockdown restrictions in England can be lifted on July 19 is looking "very positive", thanks to the success of the vaccination programme, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said on Sunday.

"The data that we're seeing that the Prime Minister is reviewing at the moment ahead of his decision point on the roadmap looks very positive," he told Sky News.

"It does seem as if we can now move forward and move to a much more permissive regime where we move away from many of those restrictions that have been so difficult for us."

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 08:00

Madrid's gay pride returns after Covid cancellation

Thousands of people danced, beat drums and waved flags through the streets of Madrid on Saturday as the Spanish capital's gay pride parade returned after being canceled in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many wore rainbow face masks at the parade, usually one of the world's largest LGBT pride events, which this year under Covid-19 restrictions did not feature the usual floats and had a limit of 25,000 attendees.

"I feel really happy because we have the space to protest to come out and demand respect for ourselves as human beings," said Catherine Lopez, 36.Local media reported it was the biggest public event in the city since before Spain imposed its first Covid-19 lockdown in mid-March 2020.

An LGBT police association cheered "the police are also proud".

A major theme of this year's parade was transgender rights. It had the slogan "Human rights are not negotiated, they are legislated: Integral Trans Law Now.

On Tuesday, parliament approved a draft bill that will pave the way for gender self-identification, the largest European country so far to consider the law.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 07:15

UK doctors want some Covid-19 measures retained after July 19

 England should retain some coronavirus measures beyond July 19, when most remaining restrictions are due to be lifted, to help limit the spread of the disease, a doctors' union warned on Saturday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed last Monday that most restrictions in England will end on July 19, on what has been dubbed "Freedom Day".

However, on Thursday he said British people may have to continue taking some precautions, without giving details.

The British Medical Association wants people to continue using face masks and called for a renewed focus on ventilating properties after a sharp recent rise in Covid-19 cases, with 27,125 reported on Friday.

"This data coupled with some increases in hospitalisation suggests that it would be quite wrong from a public health interest to on July 19 remove all restrictions ... or to give the public the expectation that we will have a pre-Covid society where no one has to take any measures to prevent spread," Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chair, told Sky News on Saturday.

Fully vaccinated people who have been in contact with a coronavirus sufferer will be free within weeks to carry on life as normal with no need to quarantine, The Times reported on Saturday. 

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 07:00

Italy breaks up fake EU Covid pass schemes

Italian police said on Saturday they had broken up a number of online schemes offering to sell fake European Union digital Covid-19 status certificates or purported coronavirus vaccines.

The investigation, coordinated by the cybercrime prosecutor’s office in Milan, showed that thousands of people were ready to pay for false certificates, a police statement said.

The EU on Thursday launched a digital Covid-19 certificate designed to help citizens travel across the 27-nation bloc and open up summer tourism.

The certificate features a "QR" code, which indicates if a traveller has been fully vaccinated or has recently recovered from a Covid-19 infection or tested negative.

The police said they had seized control of 10 channels on the encrypted messaging service Telegram linked to anonymous accounts on marketplaces in the so-called dark web, through which it was possible to contact the sellers, who required payment in cryptocurrency.

Prices ranged from 110 to 130 euros ($130-155) for an "all inclusive" package of fake pass and purported vial of vaccine. Some buyers came from outside the EU.

"About 250,000 users had registered, and a hundred tried to interact with the sellers," said Gian Luca Berruti, head of the Milan tax police's cyber-fraud unit.

It is unclear whether any actual vaccine was handed over, but police said they had found several counterfeit Covid-19 certificates.

These contained false identification data, the specially generated QR code and the batch number of a first and second dose of vaccine.

Berruti said police had identified a number of suspects, but declined to disclose further details.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 06:45

US administers nearly 330 m doses of Covid-19 vaccines - CDC

The United States has administered 329,970,551 doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 383,067,560 doses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday.

Those figures are up from the 328,809,470 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by July 2 out of 382,636,520 doses delivered.

The agency said 182,109,860 people had received at least one dose while 156,982,549 people are fully vaccinated as of Saturday.

The CDC tally includes two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech , as well as Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine as of 6:00 a.m. ET on Saturday.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 06:30

Australian state reports drop in new Covid-19 cases; lockdowns ease in some areas

Australia's New South Wales state reported a fall in new daily coronavirus cases on Sunday, following two days of record 2021 infections, as officials implored Sydney residents to follow rules so they could end a lockdown next week.

Australia's most populous state recorded 16 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday, data showed on Sunday, of which 13 were already in isolation. That was down from 35 new cases on Friday - the highest number of daily cases so far this year for that state - and 31 on Thursday.

"Whilst the numbers overnight are very encouraging, we know they have potential to bounce around.

The next few days are absolutely critical," NSW state premier Gladys Berejiklian told a press conference.

Australia has managed the coronavirus pandemic better than many other nations due to strict lockdowns, swift contact tracing and tough social distancing rules.

But an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant over the past few weeks has alarmed authorities amid a sluggish nationwide vaccination drive, and sent three state capitals into lockdown last week.

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales state and home to a fifth of Australia's 25 million population, has been particularly hard hit by the latest outbreaks of the Delta variant. Residents are half way through a two week lockdown.

"If people do the right thing, we have a greater chance of getting out of this in a timely manner," she said.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 06:15

Portugal to vaccinate 1.7 m in two weeks as Covid infections rise

Portugal said on Saturday it hoped to vaccinate a further 1.7 million people against Covid-19 over the next two weeks as authorities scramble to contain a surge in infections caused by the more contagious Delta variant.

Cases in Portugal, a nation of just over 10 million, jumped by 2,605 on Saturday, the biggest increase since February 13., taking the total cases since the pandemic began to 887,047.

New cases are being reported mostly among unvaccinated younger people so daily coronavirus deaths, currently in single digits, remain well below levels in February, when the country was still under lockdown after January's second wave.

Portugal has fully vaccinated around 35% of its population, and those aged 18 to 29 can start booking vaccination appointments on Sunday.

In a statement, the vaccination taskforce said it would use all installed capacity to vaccinate 850,000 people per week over the next 14 days to "protect the population as fast as possible" due to the "rapid spread" of the Delta variant.

Around 70% of cases in Portugal are of the Delta variant, which was first identified in India but has led to a wave of new infections worldwide.

Reuters

July 04 2021 - 06:00

'The govt has blood on its hands': State blamed for 'ineptitude' on Covid-19

Professor Shabir Madhi, who was dumped from the ministerial advisory committee in a purge of those whose advice was unpalatable to the government, said the slow rollout was the latest example of its preference for dogma over science.

His comments, in an interview with the Sunday Times, were echoed by other leading health scientists and coincided with a record daily rise in Covid-19 infections on Friday.

About 58% of the 24,270 new cases were in Gauteng. Scientists say a similar infection rate is imminent in other provinces.