COVID-19 WRAP | SA records nearly 23,000 new Covid-19 cases as death toll rises to 63,499

08 July 2021 - 06:00 By TimesLIVE

July 08 2021 - 19:28

More than 1,300 Covid-19 deaths in three days as 460 fatalities recorded in SA in the past 24 hours

There were 460 Covid-19 related deaths recorded across SA in the past 24 hours, the third day in a row that the 400 mark has been breached.

On Wednesday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases announced that there were 411 Covid-19 related deaths recorded in the preceding 24 hours, after 457 deaths were recorded in the 24 hours before that.

This means that there have been 1,328 fatalities recorded across SA in the just the past three days. In total since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year, 63,499 deaths have been recorded.

July 08 2021 - 18:39

Zimbabwe gets 2 million Sinovac doses to boost Covid-19 vaccination

Zimbabwe received 2 million Covid-19 vaccines from China's Sinovac on Thursday, its single largest shipment that it hopes will boost a vaccination campaign that had been slowed by shortages while infections and deaths rise.

The southern African nation imposed a dusk to dawn curfew and curbed the movement of people on June 29 in a bid to contain infections, which have since increased by 24% to 60,227.

Zimbabwe has only registered vaccines from China, India and Russia and not from Western countries. The three countries have made donations to Zimbabwe.

July 08 2021 - 16:24

Vaccine acceptance rises from 71% to 76%, national survey finds

South Africans’ willingness to have a Covid-19 vaccine increased from 71% in February-March to 76% in April-May.

This is according to data released on Thursday by the National Income Dynamics Study — Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (Nids-Cram).

Seven-thousand South Africans taking part in the survey are contacted every few months to answer questions about income and employment, household welfare, grants, and knowledge and behaviour related to Covid-19.

July 08 2021 - 14:12

'A day off work means a day with no income': DA MP calls for weekend vaccinations for business owners

DA finance spokesperson Geordin Hill-Lewis has called for the extension of the vaccine rollout programme to weekends to accommodate business owners who can't afford to take a day off to get vaccinated.

“I am thinking mainly of small business owners — hairdressers, nail and beauty technicians, informal traders, tradesmen, and many others for whom a day off work means a day with no income,” he told TimeLIVE on Wednesday.

Under the amended Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in the Workplace Direction employees are entitled to paid time off to get the Covid-19 vaccine, but employers may require proof of the vaccination appointment.

July 08 2021 - 13:16

Angie Motshekga slams myths around vaccines after teachers refuse the jab

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga says some teachers were hesitant to get vaccinated against Covid-19 because of myths about the jab affecting women's fertility.

Motshekga was briefing the media on Wednesday at the Gallagher Convention Centre vaccination site in Midrand, Gauteng, about the progress of the education sector's vaccination programme.

“I was told that in Soweto a health worker had said if you are vaccinated you won't bear children. Young people withdrew their names because they didn't want to be childless adults.

July 08 2021 - 13:15

Covid-19: Gauteng’s excess natural deaths surge 31% in a week

Excess weekly deaths from natural causes in Gauteng have risen to a record high, as a third wave of coronavirus infections continues to exact a grim toll on the country’s most populous province, according to the latest report from the Medical Research Council (MRC).

It shows the weekly number of excess natural deaths in Gauteng has rapidly accelerated since mid-May, rising to 3,224 in the week to July 3, a 31% increase on the previous week’s tally of 2,459.

This figure is significantly worse than the peaks recorded during Gauteng’s first and second waves of infection, and markedly higher than the province’s weekly Aids deaths when the country’s HIV epidemic was at its worst.

July 08 2021 - 12:44

‘Living is the new winning’: Pastors share emotional pain of pandemic

As the third wave of Covid-19 continues to rage across the country, many pastors are drawing on reserves to cope under the strains and weariness felt in recent months.

The emotional strain of the epidemic is taking a toll on not only congregants but also church leaders.

“I can say we are praying up a storm [to keep on going], but I will be lying. I have lost aunts, uncles, friends and my best friend died last week from Covid-19. We have households who are in poverty. I had to watch a person who was like a mother to me die in a Covid-19 ward at Milpark Hospital this week. To be honest, we are taking it one day at a time,” Johannesburg Catholic priest Father Lawrence Mduduzi said.

July 08 2021 - 12:20

Gauteng will have bed shortage even after Covid-19 peak, says Makhura

Gauteng premier David Makhura said on Wednesday that hospital CEOs in the province were working around the clock to ensure there are enough beds in hospitals, as the province sees a surge in Covid-19 infections.

The premier was speaking during a vaccination drive in Riverside, Diepsloot, where he warned that the shortage of beds could persist even after the peak of infections.

“Even if we reach the peak in terms of infections, the hospitalisations are going to continue to be a very big problem, because more people who have been infected so far are going to continue to get into our hospitals, so we're doing everything there.

July 08 2021 - 12:18

Sydney sees worst pandemic day of 2021 two weeks into lockdown

Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state on Thursday reported its biggest daily rise in locally acquired cases of Covid-19 this year as officials struggle to stamp out a growing cluster of the highly infectious Delta variant.

The spike in cases after two weeks of a hard lockdown in Sydney, Australia's largest city, raised the prospect of a further extension in restrictions, with officials blaming illegal family visits for a continuing rise in infections.

NSW reported 38 new local cases, up from 27 a day earlier, with 11 of those having spent time in the community while infectious.

July 08 2021 - 12:17

Vaccine hesitancy among elderly will affect the youth, doctors warn

The SA Medical Association (Sama) has warned that vaccine hesitancy among senior citizens will lead to a rise in Covid-19 infections in the younger population.

The association's warning comes after 9,113 teachers and school staff, some with comorbidities, in Gauteng refused to take the vaccination jab.

Speaking on SABC News, the association's vice chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa urged the older population and officials in sectors such as education and the police to help curb the spread of Covid-19 by taking a jab.

July 08 2021 - 12:02

Significant downturn in e-hailing as pandemic hits gig economy: report

Unpaid labour-time for SA gig economy workers has worsened as they face an uncertain and risky work environment, amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is according to a report that evaluates the working conditions in 12 of the most popular digital labour platforms in SA, including Uber, Bolt, SweepSouth and Mr D.

“A vast majority of gig workers faced financial precarity during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the report.

July 08 2021 - 10:48

Vaccinations lag while children drop out of school and millions go hungry: survey

More than a million extra vaccine doses could have been administered between May and June if vaccination sites had been open at weekends.

This is one of the shock findings in the latest National Income Dynamics Study — Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (Nids-Cram) report, a joint, wide-ranging survey that analyses the vaccine rollout, child hunger and education dropout rates, employment, mental health and the ongoing plight of shack dwellers.

While vaccine supply had initially been one of the major bottlenecks at the beginning of the rollout, this was no longer the case, said Nicholas Spaull, associate professor in the economics department at Stellenbosch University and the survey's co-principal investigator.

July 08 2021 - 10:04

UN warns excluding women from top jobs threatens Covid-19 recovery

Global efforts to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic are under threat because women are being excluded from critical decision-making roles, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Only 6% of coronavirus task forces, which are responsible for co-ordinating government responses to the deadly virus, have equal numbers of men and women, while 11% have no women at all, found the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

“The pivotal decisions being made today will affect the wellbeing of people and planet for generations to come,” Achim Steiner, UNDP's administrator, said in a statement.

July 08 2021 - 09:38

Zuma is in isolation in prison 'as per Covid-19 protocol'

Former president Jacob Zuma is in isolation at Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal, correctional services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo confirmed on Thursday morning.

“As per all new admissions due to Covid-19, he is in isolation.”

Nxumalo said he had not checked on Zuma on Thursday morning, therefore he could not give details on how the former president was faring during his first few hours behind bars.

Minister of justice and correctional services Ronald Lamola is expected to outline correctional services processes at a media briefing at the prison on Thursday afternoon.

July 08 2021 - 09:28

Lesufi apologises for promoting unapproved Chinese traditional medicine to treat Covid-19

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi on Wednesday apologised for endorsing an unapproved Chinese traditional medicine to treat Covid-19.

In a viral video, shared on all social media platforms, Lesufi is seen promoting the medication by saying that it helped his family fight the deadly virus.

In a statement, Lesufi said after interactions with the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra), he realised that he had participated “in an unauthorised medical process”.

July 08 2021 - 09:27

Russia detains medical worker for selling fake Covid-19 vaccine certificates

Russian police said on Wednesday they had detained a health worker in the Kaliningrad region for allegedly selling fake coronavirus vaccination certificates

Moscow and several Russian regions have resorted to tough measures to encourage people to get inoculated, including by making vaccination mandatory to hold certain jobs.

The measures have driven some people towards an online black market to purchase vaccination certificates, a development authorities in Moscow say they are following closely.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the suspect, an administrator at a clinic in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave wedged between Poland and Lithuania, had allegedly issued fake vaccination certificates to more than 20 people.

July 08 2021 - 09:25

US will not immediately lift travel restrictions - White House official

The Biden administration will not immediately lift any international travel restrictions, even as it faces growing pressure from US business groups and lawmakers, a White House official said.

In June, the administration launched interagency working groups with the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico to look at how to lift restrictions and eventually resume travel.

"While these groups have met a number of times, there are further discussions to be had before we can announce any next steps on travel reopening with any country," the White House official told Reuters.

July 08 2021 - 06:40

Organisers to ban Olympic spectators as Tokyo declares coronavirus emergency-report

Olympic organisers are set to ban all spectators from the Games, the Asahi daily said on Thursday, as Japan prepared to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo that will run through its hosting of the event to curb a new wave of coronavirus infections.

Organisers were set to formally reach the decision on the spectators during five-way talks between key parties to be held on Thursday evening, the newspaper said, citing people involved in the Games.

The move is the latest blow to the troubled Olympics, already delayed by a year because of the pandemic and plagued by a series of setbacks, including massive budget overruns.

Medical experts have said for weeks that having no spectators at the Games would be the least risky option amid widespread public concern that the influx of thousands of athletes and officials will fuel a fresh wave of infections.

Organisers have already banned overseas spectators and have for now set a cap on domestic viewers at 50% of capacity, up to 10,000 people.

Anyone wanting to support athletes has been told to do so by clapping rather than cheering or singing.

Public viewing sites have been cancelled and companies, wary of public opposition, have been hesitant about advertising related to the Games, adding to a subdued mood in the Japanese capital.

The evening talks are to be chaired by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, who arrives in Tokyo on Thursday.

Other participants include the Tokyo and national governments and Paralympic officials.

Reuters

July 08 2021 - 06:30

US industry groups, lawmakers press White House to lift travel restrictions

A coalition of 24 industry organizations urged the White House to lift coronavirus restrictions that bar much of the world from traveling to the United States but a White House official told Reuters late on Wednesday reopening will need more discussion.

The group, led by the U.S. Travel Association and representing airlines, casinos, hotels, airports, airplane manufacturers and others, urged the administration to ease by July 15 entry restrictions imposed last year as the coronavirus was spreading around the world.

Separately, 75 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are also seeking the easing of travel bans, in particular entry restrictions on travelers from Canada and Britain.

In early June, the White House launched interagency working groups with the European Union, Britain, Canada, and Mexico to look at how to eventually to lift restrictions. Those meetings have generally been occurring every two weeks.

"We want to ensure that we move deliberately and are in a position to sustainably reopen international travel when it is safe to do so.

"The 75 members of the U.S. House of Representatives called on Biden to reopen the U.S. border with Canada to non-essential travelers.

The lawmakers in a letter cited projections that if the restrictions are not lifted, the United States could "lose 1.1 million jobs and an additional $175 billion by the end of this year.

"The industry groups also called for quickly lifting restrictions on European travelers and others, calling as a first step for allowing fully vaccinated travelers from non-high-risk areas like the European Union to enter the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has raised concerns about the Delta variant of Covid-19 in U.S. government meetings, sources said.

Industry and U.S. officials told Reuters they do not expect the administration to lift restrictions soon.

Reuters

July 08 2021 - 06:00

LISTEN | 'I did it for humanity': SA doctor says she hoped viral FB post would expose what's happening

A frustrated medical doctor has caused a stir on social media after an open letter she wrote on social media went viral.

Dr Lara Norris, a community service doctor based at George Hospital in the Western Cape, said that, like many others, she is tired, battered and struggling against the Covid-19 third wave.

And in a moment of deep emotion and frustration, she opened her heart on social media.

“I did not have a political agenda. I did it for humanitarian reasons. As I sit here, I am watching them wheel a ventilated Covid-19 patient into ICU, and I am wishing the people out there could just see this,” she said during an interview with TimesLIVE on Wednesday.

The angry vent, posted on her private Facebook page, has attracted hundreds of comments and been shared more than 1,700 times. And, “of course there have been your usual trolls”.

In the post, she describes increasing numbers of once-optimistic doctors turning to therapy, drugs and alcohol as they try to deal with the unfolding crisis.