COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 17,489 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours

July 14 2021 - 19:58

Riots hit Covid-19 testing, as just 380 cases are recorded in KZN in 24 hours

There were just 387 new Covid-19 cases recorded in KwaZulu-Natal in the past 24 hours, as the consequences of the ongoing looting and violence continued.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday: "With the current disruption of some Covid-19 testing sites in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, , individuals who have Covid-19 symptoms who can’t get to testing facilities are asked to try to limit the transmission of the virus by taking precautions and to quarantine if possible."

The NICD figures from the past week show the devastating impact of the violent riots and looting on Covid-19 testing.

July 14 2021 - 16:40

Government lifts ban on large gatherings in bid to quell unrest

The government has lifted the ban on gatherings with immediate effect.

In a notice published in the government gazette on July 14, co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said regulation 21 of the state of disaster had been amended to allow gatherings related to "emergency matters".

Previously, any large gatherings — except for funerals, limited to 50 people — were forbidden under the level 4 regulations.

July 14 2021 - 15:07

Chef Jenny Morris's husband dies at 69 after battle with Covid-19

David Morris, the husband of renowned chef Jenny Morris, has passed away after a battle with Covid-19.

The Morris family announced his passing, at the age of 69, on Tuesday evening, in a public post shared on Facebook on Wednesday.

He was admitted to hospital a few weeks ago after contracting Covid-19.

July 14 2021 - 13:33

Volunteer ambulance drivers help take the strain on Indonesia's Covidfrontline

As Indonesia's health service struggles to cope with soaring coronavirus infections, volunteer ambulance drivers like Sunaryo have been working flat out to bring infected patients to and from hospitals.

Hit by the highly contagious Delta variant, the Southeast Asian country reported a record 54,517 cases on Wednesday, up nearly tenfold on the start of June.

"I definitely feel scared (about being infected)... But this is for humanity and I'm doing this from my heart," said Sunaryo.

Dressed in protective gear, the 51-year-old - who uses one name - has been a volunteer for the Human Initiative, an Indonesian-based charity, for two years in the capital Jakarta.

"My job is to pick up Covid-19 patients who are going to do isolation to the hospital and also to bring them home," he said.

Working alongside government ambulances, the volunteers are playing a vital role in supporting the creaking public healthcare service on Java, Indonesia's most densely populated island.

"The spike in cases of Covid-19 that happened here in Java island and mostly in Jakarta cannot be handled by the government alone," said Sobari, who coordinates the volunteer ambulance drivers.

The team can get up to 80 calls per day from patients desperate to get to a hospital, though it only has the resources to help 30, he said.

"Support from people and volunteers like us also is a must, and we can end the pandemic faster," Sobari added.

Reuters 

July 14 2021 - 13:25

Myanmar's Covid-19 crisis escalates at alarming speed

Myanmar is in the midst of its most serious wave of Covid-19 to date, but people are shunning the state health system fearing substandard treatment at hospitals abandoned by medics in protest of the Feb.1 military coup and wary of giving legitimacy to the junta by turning to it for help.

July 14 2021 - 12:41

Nearly 3,000 confined to cabins after Covid-19 case on Singapore cruise

A Genting Cruise Lines ship on a "cruise to nowhere" has returned to Singapore after a confirmed case of Covid-19 in a passenger, and the nearly 3,000 passengers and crew on board were confined to their cabins through most of Wednesday.

The 40-year-old passenger tested positive onboard and the result was confirmed after the person was taken to hospital once the ship docked early on Wednesday, the Singapore Tourism Board said, following the detection of the suspected case.

"The passenger was identified as a close contact of a confirmed case on land, and was immediately isolated as part of onboard health protocols," the board said in a statement.

Passengers said they found out about the suspected case in an announcement at around 1 a.m. and had been asked to stay in their rooms since.

The global cruise industry has taken a major hit from the coronavirus pandemic, with some of the earliest big outbreaks occurring on cruise ships in Asian waters.

Singapore, which has seen relatively few domestic Covid-19 cases, launched "round trips" on luxury liners in November, with no port of call during a few days of sailing.

The World Dream cruise liner had 1,646 passengers and 1,249 crew members on board and all of them were required to remain in their staterooms with contactless meals sent to them, according to Dream Cruises, a part of Genting Cruise Lines.

The guest suspected of having Covid-19 had tested negative in a mandatory, pre-departure antigen rapid test before the ship set sail for a three-night cruise on Sunday.

The infected passenger's three travelling companions tested negative and were isolated while further contact tracing was being done, the tourism board said.

Only essential service crew with personal protective equipment were being allowed limited movement within the ship, Dream Cruises said.

Reuters

July 14 2021 - 11:22

Australia extends Sydney lockdown as Covid-19 outbreak nears 900 infections

Australian authorities extended a lockdown in Sydney on Wednesday by at least 14 days, after three weeks of initial restrictions failed to stamp out the biggest outbreak of Covid-19 this year in the country's largest city.

July 14 2021 - 10:42

Nigeria expects nearly 8 million more Covid-19 vaccines by end-August: official

Nigeria expects to receive nearly 8 million additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of August, including from a US government donation, the head of its primary care agency said on Tuesday.

July 14 2021 - 09:52

SAMA calls for protection of medical staff, patients during violent protests

The SA Medical Association (SAMA) on Wednesday called for the department of health to look into effective ways of safely getting patients to medical care facilities amid unrest in some parts of the country.

July 14 2021 - 09:26

WATCH | Doctor devastated after rooms ransacked at Soweto mall

On Tuesday morning, business owners at Soweto’s Diepkloof Mall awoke to their offices and workplaces ransacked and severely damaged.  

The owner of a small medical centre in the facility, Dr Thabile Vezi, arrived to discover that her doctor's rooms had been overrun and looted.

July 14 2021 - 09:25

Police escort oxygen tankers to hospitals as violent protests continue

Staff and pharmaceutical shortages, temporary closures and treating patients for protest-related injuries are additional pressures on an already constrained healthcare system in SA. 

Netcare CEO Dr Richard Friedland said a distribution centre for a major supplier of pharmaceutical goods was looted on Tuesday and the hospital group had to fly in emergency supplies.

He said police escorts were accompanying oxygen tankers to Netcare hospitals.

Friedland confirmed that contingency plans were implemented to ensure patients could continue to benefit from healthcare services amid violent protests in some parts of the country.

July 14 2021 - 07:37

Can ginger help fight Covid-19?

There is no scientific evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of ginger in the fight against Covid-19 despite its popularity among survivors, says Dr Marlin McKay.  

His view is shared by the World Health Organization (WHO), which says while ginger, black pepper and honey do have properties beneficial to one’s health, there is no evidence these work against the coronavirus.

July 14 2021 - 07:00

Singapore says cruise ship returns after suspected Covid-19 case

Singapore's tourism board said on Wednesday a ship operated by Genting Cruise Lines on a so-called cruise to nowhere has returned to the city-state after a passenger was suspected of having contracted Covid-19 and remaining guests were asked to stay in their cabins.

"The passenger was identified as a close contact of a confirmed case on land, and was immediately isolated as part of onboard health protocols," the tourism board said in a statement.

It said the 40-year-old passenger tested positive to a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test onboard and had been conveyed to hospital for further confirmatory testing.

The guest had tested negative during the mandatory pre-departure antigen rapid test on July 11.The passenger's three travelling companions were identified and isolated, the tourism board said. They have tested negative for Covid-19 and further contact tracing was being done.

All on-board leisure activities on Dream Cruises' World Dream ship had ceased and passengers had been asked to stay in their cabins until test results are out and contact tracing was complete, the tourism board said.

Reuters

July 14 2021 - 06:30

Spread of the coronavirus

Countries across Asia, Americas and Africa are seeing a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, forcing them to bring back or extend stringent lockdowns and hampering drives to vaccinate their population.

Reuters 

July 14 2021 - 06:00

CDC says Covid boosters may risk more serious side effects

The United States is reviewing the need for a third Covid-19 booster shot among residents who have already been vaccinated but needs to see more data to know if additional shots could raise people's risk of serious side effects, a US health official said Tuesday.