COVID-19 WRAP | SA records more than 22,000 new Covid-19 cases

July 09 2021 - 20:45

Basic education sector extends vaccination rollout by a week

The vaccine rollout in SA's basic education sector has been extended to Wednesday July 14, the department said on Friday.

Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the rollout had been extended after extra vaccine doses became available.

“The sector has seen strong demand for the vaccine in recent days,” he said.

July 09 2021 - 19:00

SA records more than 22,000 new Covid-19 cases

South Africa recorded 22,443 new Covid-19 cases and 374 deaths in the past 24 hours.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases said there has been an increase of 869 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours. 

July 09 2021 - 16:51

Eastern Cape health official in court for 'forging signature' on R23m tender

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the prosecution of an Eastern Cape health department messenger on charges relating to a personal protective equipment (PPE) tender worth more than R23m.

Ayanda Matinise, a messenger in the office of the MEC, appeared in the Mthatha specialised commercial crime court on Thursday on charges of fraud, forgery and uttering.

He was released on R1,000 bail and the matter was remanded to August 31 for trial.

July 09 2021 - 16:29

Mediclinic sees high bed demand, suspends non-urgent surgeries

Mediclinic Southern Africa says it is under great pressure for hospital beds due to the increasing number of Covid-19 admissions and has suspended non-emergency surgeries.

Dr Gerrit de Villiers, Mediclinic’s chief clinical officer, said in a statement on Friday the demand could be attributed to the Delta variant.

“Mediclinic can confirm a tremendous demand for hospital beds and ICU resources in most provinces, putting the hospitals under severe pressure. The pressure is highest in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape,” he said.

July 09 2021 - 14:00

EU regulator finds link between heart inflammation and mRNA Covid vaccines

Europe's drug regulator has found a possible link between rare heart inflammation and Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, and advised people with a history of a rare blood disorder to avoid getting J&J's coronavirus shot.

Heart conditions myocarditis and pericarditis must be listed as possible side effects of the two mRNA vaccines, the safety committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday.

Such cases primarily occurred within 14 days from vaccination, more often after the second dose and in younger adult men, the EMA said. This is in line with findings from US health officials last month.

The EMA panel also recommended that people who have a history of capillary leak syndrome (CLS) must not be vaccinated with J&J's single-shot vaccine. The watchdog in June asked CLS to be added as a side effect from AstraZeneca's shot.

Both AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines use different versions of a cold virus to deliver instructions for making coronavirus proteins to produce an immune response. 

Reuters

July 09 2021 - 12:45

Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo dies of Covid-19 complications, aged 53

The mayor of the city of Johannesburg, Geoff Makhubo, has died.

MMC for finance in the city Jolidee Matongo confirmed the mayor has passed away but could not provide more details. 

On July 3, the city said Makhubo, 53, had been hospitalised with Covid-19 complications.

July 09 2021 - 12:37

You can now get the Covid-19 jabs at Sassa pay points and old age homes

Pharmaceutical group Clicks has extended its vaccination services to certain SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) pay points and old age homes.

The services began this week in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape and Newgate in Johannesburg, with plans to open many more around the country.

The vaccinations dispensed at pop-up venues are part of a pilot between the department of health, Business for SA, the Solidarity Fund and private vaccinators. It aims to reach the unvaccinated uninsured population across the country.

Julu 09 2021 - 11:59

NCCC to meet on Sunday to review level 4 lockdown measures

Acting minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the national coronavirus command council (NCCC) will meet on Sunday to review the adjusted level 4 restrictions and regulations.

“Remember the regulations are coming to an end on Sunday,” she said on Friday. 

TimesLIVE understands that the NCCC will meet at 10am on Sunday.

July 09 2021 - 11:50

‘No more lying about my age’ — 10 hilarious reactions to vaccines opening for those 35 and older

Social media is flooded with reactions to the announcement that all citizens aged 35 or older can register for the Covid-19 vaccine.

The news was shared by acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi on Friday morning.

Those eligible can register on the government’s Covid-19 vaccine registration portal from July 15 to get the jab from August 1.

July 09 2021 - 10:54

'We do have vaccine security': SA’s stock of 3.6 million doses is a record

SA’s vaccine coffers are the fullest they have ever been.

This is according to Dr Nicholas Crisp, deputy director-general in the health department,  who said on Friday: “By Thursday morning we had 3.6 million doses in fridges. That is 18 days' worth of vaccines, and excludes all the doses that have already been distributed and are on their way to or at sites.

“This is the strongest position we have been in.”

He said the stock will last until July 26 and information arrived on Friday about supplies for August, leading him to confirm: “We do have vaccine security.”

July 09 2021 - 10:30

City of Joburg has lost 76 employees to Covid-19

The City of Johannesburg has lost 76 employees to Covid-19 up to this week.

“They were not just numbers. In scores of offices around the city, there are empty desks where fallen colleagues used to sit. Some offices have gone quiet. The office joker is no more. The one who was so skilful in breaking the tension is gone, leaving the city all the poorer.

“The sad passing of our colleagues and councillors means we have lost all that institutional memory they possessed and freely shared with the rest of us. Institutional memory is not something you build overnight. It takes years to acquire and impart,” said Floyd Brink, acting manager of City of Joburg.

July 09 2021 - 09:41

Wine industry says it's 'at the edge of a cliff'

The South African wine industry is at a tipping point, with many wine businesses, especially smaller companies and those under black ownership, facing potential closures in the next three to 12 months due to the recurring and now fifth domestic wine sales restrictions.

This is according to a survey by Vinpro, which represents about 2,600 wine and grape producers.

“According to the Impact of Covid-19 on the Wine Value-Chain Survey that Vinpro conducted early in July 2021 among wine grape producers, wineries and other wine-related businesses, 58% of the 549 respondents indicated that their businesses would have to make drastic changes over the next year to be able to overcome the challenges related to Covid-19, and 22% will in all probability not be able to survive at all. Even more alarming is that 46% of black-owned brands and farms believe that their businesses won’t be able to survive the next year.

“Around two thirds of all respondents’ revenue is generated from domestic wine sales, which reiterates the importance of domestic trade for the survival of the industry. The local market is of particular importance to smaller wineries and black-owned brands, which are heavily reliant on sales channels such as their tasting rooms, hospitality offering and e-commerce,” the organisation said on Thursday.

July 09 2021 - 08:38

Coronavirus vaccine rollout to open for 35-49 age group

Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi on Friday announced that people aged 35 to 49 could register for Covid-19 vaccination from August 1.

She also said government was working towards getting people vaccinated over weekends.

People over 50 began receiving the jab from the beginning of this month, after the rollout to health workers, over-60s, teachers and police.

July 09 2021 - 08:00

Pfizer to seek FDA authorization of Covid-19 booster shot

Pfizer plans to ask US regulators to authorize a booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine within the next month, based on evidence of greater risk of reinfection six months after inoculation and the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.

July 09 2021 - 07:30

Once-beloved pandemic pets now swell dog shelters

Dogs are being returned to shelters and adoption centers in the U.S. as Covid restrictions are lifted.

For some dog owners, it’s time to go back to work, leaving no one to care for their pets, but for others it is a financial burden

July 09 2021 - 07:00

Does steaming really help fight Covid-19?

Ask around and no doubt someone will tell you that steaming will help you avoid and/or treat Covid-19. But is it true?

Inhaling steam can help open nasal passages and ease a stuffy nose, but experts are still divided on just how effective it is as a home remedy and warned about the possible dangers it brings.

July 09 2021 - 07:00

'Dreadful loss of a wonderful human being': 8 touching tributes to DA MP Cameron MacKenzie

Messages of condolence from some of SA's politicians and citizens have been pouring in after the death of DA MP Cameron MacKenzie. 

MacKenzie died of Covid-19-related complications. His death was announced on Thursday by the party's chief whip Natasha Mazzone.

July 09 2021 - 06:20

Flights carrying returning New Zealanders from Sydney called off - NZ minister

Flights carrying New Zealanders returning home from Australia's New South Wales region that were scheduled to start on Saturday have been called off after the Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney worsened, a New Zealand minister said."

Clearly there is an escalating risk in New South Wales," New Zealand's Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said at a news conference on Friday. New Zealand has suspended quarantine-free travel with New South Wales.

Australian authorities pleaded on Friday with Sydney residents to stay at home, warning a three-week lockdown may be extended as they struggle to control the Covid-19 outbreak, with the city reporting its the biggest rise in local cases for the year. 

Reuters

July 09 2021 - 06:15

Caseloads climb as Southeast Asia feels force of Delta variant

Having escaped the worst when the coronavirus pandemic erupted last year, Southeast Asia is now suffering record rises in deaths and cases, while vaccination shortfalls and highly contagious variants have derailed containment efforts.

As countries like Britain, Germany and France prepare to remove most remaining restrictions after devastating outbreaks, governments in Southeast Asia have been tightening measures, hoping targeted lockdowns will act as circuit-breakers in arresting dramatic spikes after cases started rising in May.

Indonesia, the region's hardest hit and most populous country, recorded 38,391 cases on Thursday, six times the number a month earlier, in a week when it's daily death toll as much as doubled from the start of July.

Hospitals on the most populous island Java are being pushed to the limit, oxygen supplies are low, and four of five designated Covid-19 burial grounds in the capital Jakarta are close to full.

Record deaths were reported on Thursday in Malaysia, and in Thailand, where authorities proposed internal travel curbs as the Delta variant wreaking havoc in Indonesia spread quickly in and around Bangkok.

A new terminal at the Thai capital's airport is being turned into a 5,000-bed field hospital.

Neighbouring Myanmar saw more than 4,000 new cases for the first time on Thursday and one of its deadliest days, while Cambodia has seen its highest number of cases and deaths in the past nine days.

Health experts say a low level of testing in the region's most populous countries Indonesia and the Philippines is also likely disguising the full extent of outbreaks, while Myanmar has seen a collapse in testing since February's military coup.

Reuters

July 09 2021 - 06:10

Wall Street spooked by spreading Delta variant

Wall Street lost ground, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq pulling back from record closing highs in a broad sell-off driven by uncertainties surrounding the pace of the U.S. economic recovery.

July 09 2021 - 06:05

India reports 43,393 new Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours

India on Friday reported 43,393 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to data from the health ministry, with active cases at 458,727.

Reuters

July 09 2021 - 06:00

All harm, no benefit: the only result of school closures is 750,000 dropouts

Experts say Covid-19 had no impact, yet a year of learning has been lost and the dropout rate is at a 20-year high