COVID-19 WRAP | SA records nearly 14,000 new Covid-19 cases, 380 deaths in 24 hours

August 13 2021 - 20:57

Study finds women are neglecting important cancer screenings because of fear of contracting Covid-19

In the past 18 months, most women have neglected to have important cancer screenings due to the fear of contracting the coronavirus while visiting health facilities.

This has been the case for most South Africans since the pandemic broke out in March last year.

Transport restrictions and fear of coronavirus infection were among the reasons for a big drop in HIV/Aids and TB patients collecting medication during the first hard lockdown.

August 13 2021 - 19:58

SA records nearly 14,000 new Covid-19 cases, 380 deaths in 24 hours

SA recorded 13,921 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, again driven by infections in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Friday that of the new cases, 3,918 were in the Western Cape and 3,359 in KwaZulu-Natal. Gauteng accounted for 2,027 cases and the Eastern Cape 1,180.

The new cases take the total number of infections recorded countrywide since the outbreak of the pandemic to 2,582,427.

August 13 2021 - 15:44

Netcare distances itself from views of SA heart surgeon in anti-vaxx video

Netcare has distanced itself from the views expressed by a prominent heart surgeon who advised people in a video that has gone viral against taking Covid-19 vaccines.

Dr Susan Vosloo said “the risk of the vaccination is worse than the risk of virus” and that “the vaccination was not brought in for Covid, but that Covid was brought in for the vaccination”, reported Vrye Weekblad.

She also said the composition of the vaccine was a secret, “like the herbs for Kentucky [KFC]”, and that it could prove to be deadly.

August 13 2021 - 13:16

Pfizer, Moderna to reap billions from Covid-19 vaccine booster market

Drugmakers Pfizer Inc, BioNTech and Moderna Inc are expected to reap billions of dollars from Covid-19 booster shots in a market that could rival the $6bn (R88.8bn) in annual sales for flu vaccines for years to come, analysts and healthcare investors say.

August 13 2021 - 12:12

Retailer offers discounts for shoppers who've had Covid-19 jabs

Game stores will be offering shoppers a 10% discount once a week — if they are vaccinated against Covid-19.

Between August 18 and September 15, shoppers who produce their vaccination card and ID or passport will be eligible under the store's Vax Appreciation Wednesdays campaign. Recipients of first and second doses are eligible.

Vice-president of marketing Katherine Madley said the campaign was meant to promote the health and safety of customers.

August 13 2021 - 12:00

No need to panic and apply all at once for the R350 Covid-19 grant, says Sassa

With the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) website under severe pressure, the agency's spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi has urged R350 social relief grant applicants not to apply all at once.

This week, the agency's website saw heavy traffic as applications for the relief grant soar above 4-million, slowing down the systems.

Speaking on SAfm, Letsatsi said this year's number of applications was more than four times higher than last year, which was 800,000.

August 13 2021 - 11:49

No vaccine for children under 18 available in SA yet, but studies are being conducted

The national department of health on Friday said local Covid-19 vaccines are not registered for use in children, but studies are being conducted to make them available to the younger population.

“There are studies being done by the manufacturers and vaccines are being evaluated by the vaccine ministerial advisory committee (VMAC) and the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra),” said the departments’ deputy director-general Dr Nicholas Crisp.

“When the evidence is clear and we understand the implications, I am sure the vaccine registration age will change, and at that point we will vaccinate children below the age of 18. The evidence being looked at is the category of 12 to 18.”

August 13 2021 - 11:45

Kenyan oxygen maker to double production as Covid-19 fuels demand

Kenya's oxygen production firm Hewatele is doubling production this year to keep up with surging demand from hospitals that are treating critically ill Covid-19 patients, the company said. 

Demand for the commodity has more than doubled to 880 tonnes from 410 tonnes before the pandemic, the ministry of health said, causing a steep shortage due to lack of installed capacity.

August 13 2021 - 11:30

Philippines extends travel ban for 10 countries over Delta concerns

The Philippines will extend a ban on travellers from India and nine other countries to the end of August because of concerns posed by the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the presidential spokesperson said on Friday.

August 13 2021 - 09:39

Vaccinated people urged to report all severe side-effects

If you experience adverse effects after the Covid-19 vaccine, report them and seek treatment.

That was the plea on Friday from Prof Hannelie Meyer, the head of the SA Vaccination and Immunisation Centre (Savic) at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University in Pretoria.

“People should seek treatment when they experience symptoms of concern and they should not assume that these symptoms are reactions to the vaccines,” said Meyer.

August 13 2021 - 09:38

1976 student uprising leader Dan Sechaba Montsitsi has died

Dan Sechaba Montsitsi has died after Covid-19 complications.

Minister of health Dr Joe Phaahla announced the 1976 struggle hero's death on Friday morning.

Phaahla was speaking at a media briefing on government efforts in the fight against Covid-19 and the national vaccination rollout programme.

August 13 2021 - 08:48

Covid-19 state of disaster extended to mid-September

Co-operative governance minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has gazetted the extension of the National State of Disaster on Covid-19 until September 15.

“The extension takes into account the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state and all other roleplayers to mitigate against the impact of the disaster on lives and livelihoods,” said her office.

August 13 2021 - 08:38

Third wave ebbing but no chance of easing lockdown, says Joe Phaahla

There is no prospect of the Covid-19 lockdown being eased in the near future, health minister Joe Phaahla said on Friday.

Even though the third wave of the local outbreak is in decline, Phaahla told a media briefing that SA remains “far from comfort”.

“This is no time to release restrictions and we will not be recommending a relaxation of the restrictions at this stage,” he said.

August 13 2021 - 08:00

Moya App hits back at Sassa's R350 grant applications warning

The company behind the popular Moya App has responded to the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa) warning against using the app, saying it is trying to help with data-free access to the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant application website.

The app came under the spotlight this week when Sassa told applicants the app is not an authorised channel to apply for the grant or follow up on applications, and urged users to instead use its channels, including the Sassa website and social media pages.

Gour Lentell, CEO of Datafree Africa, which develops and operates the Moya App, told TimesLIVE the company never claimed that Moya is an official Sassa application.

August 13 2021 - 07:00

Men the focus as Gauteng worries about slow vaccine uptake

The Gauteng government says it will embark on an outreach programme focusing on men, to encourage them to vaccinate as fewer men are getting the jab than women.

“We are concerned that men are not vaccinating as we would like them to. The provincial government will have an outreach programme that targets men,” said provincial government spokesman Vuyo Mhaga.

He said the government would be using mobile clinics to assist with vaccinating old people and increase the number of sites and vaccinators.

August 13 2021 - 07:00

I have just tested positive for Covid-19, how do I self-isolate safely?

Self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 remains a highly recommended and effective measure to help prevent or minimise chances of spreading the virus to those around you.

“If you work closely with a person with Covid-19, you will need to self-quarantine for 10 days because you have had high-risk exposure. High-risk exposure means you had direct, close contact for more than 15 minutes with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 and you did not wear protective cloth masks,” said the NICD.

August 13 2021 - 06:05

US FDA authorizes Covid-19 vaccine boosters for the immunocompromised

The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc for people with compromised immune systems.

A few other countries, such as Israel and Germany, plan to or have already administered the third shot to avoid another crisis due to the contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Scientists are still divided over the broad use of Covid-19 vaccine boosters among those without underlying problems as benefits of the boosters remain undetermined.

August 13 2021 - 06:00

Biden blasts 'political dispute' over masking students

President Biden slammed the politicization of mask-wearing for children in schools, saying ‘it's about keeping our children safe,’ as Republican governors in Florida and Texas clashed with local officials who are resisting their orders banning mask mandate.