COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 431 Covid-19 deaths and 7,086 new cases in 24 hours

August 31 2021 - 21:59

SA records 431 Covid-19 deaths and 7,086 new cases in 24 hours

SA recorded 431 new Covid-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Tuesday.

This means that there have been 82,261 total fatalities recorded across the country to date.

The NICD also confirmed that there were 7,086 new Covid-19 cases confirmed in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 2,777,659.

August 31 2021 -  13:44

Women aged 18 and older can have Covid-19 vaccine at any stage of pregnancy

Women who are 18 years and older can be offered Covid-19 vaccinations at any stage of pregnancy and during breastfeeding. 

The health department has issued a circular confirming updated recommendations for this category of vaccine recipients.

Previously women had to wait for their age group to be eligible for vaccination, excluding those aged 18 to 35.

“Everyone 18 years and older is eligible to be vaccinated, and women 18 years and older should therefore be offered vaccination during any stage of pregnancy and during breastfeeding,” said the circular addressed to provincial health departments, hospital managers and vaccination site managers.

August 31 2021 -  12:42

Anti-vax fake news spreaders should face prosecution, says health minister Joe Phaahla

People who spread fake news about Covid-19 vaccinations should face criminal charges, health minister Joe Phaahla said on Tuesday. 

Briefing the National Council of Provinces on progress in the fight against the pandemic, Phaahla said disaster regulations contain a provision making disseminating fake news a criminal offence.

“Working with the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, the police and the National Prosecuting Authority, we’re going to have to look at that,” he said.

August 31 2021 -  12:34

A million SA policyholders died in a year, exacerbated by coronavirus

The grim toll of the Covid-19 pandemic is reflected in soaring death claims to insurers and shown in statistics released on Tuesday by the Association for Savings and Investment SA (Asisa). 

The association said 1,023,083 policyholders died between April last year and the end of March this year.

The data reflects claims made against individual life policies and group life plans offered by employers and credit life and funeral cover policies.

Hennie de Villiers, deputy chair of the Asisa Life and Risk Board Committee, said this represents an increase of 309,733 lives lost when compared to death claims statistics for the previous 12 months.

August 31 2021 -  09:41

Singapore jails Briton for not wearing face mask in public

A Singapore court sentenced a British man to six weeks in prison on Wednesday, local media reported, after he repeatedly breached coronavirus protocols by refusing to wear a face mask in public. 

Benjamin Glynn, 40, was found guilty on four charges over his failure to wear a mask on a train in May and at a subsequent court appearance in July, as well as causing a public nuisance and using threatening words towards public servants.

Glynn was earlier subjected to a psychiatric assessment ordered by the judge as a result of his conduct and remarks in court.

August 31 2021 -  07:00

If the vaccine is safe, why was it developed in such a short space of time?

The Covid-19 vaccine is safe to use and was not developed “overnight”, as is widely claimed by those hesitant to get the jab. 

Wits University professor of vaccinology Dr Shabir Madhi says researchers did not start from scratch when producing the vaccine against Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, as they had existing research on other coronaviruses that were detected years earlier. 

The SA government is rolling out the Pfizer and J&J vaccines for all adults and recently reached a milestone of 12-million people vaccinated. However, the government is still confronted with the challenge of vaccine hesitancy sparked by, among other concerns, questions about how “quickly” the vaccine was developed. 

August 31 2021 -  07:00

'We need critical thinking to curb the virus': Tim Noakes Foundation defends Covid-19 vaccine views

Emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town, Tim Noakes, has defended his views on Covid-19 vaccines that caused a stir on social media. 

Last week, Noakes and Wits University professor of vaccinology Dr Shabir Madhi lit up social media with their debate on Covid-19 vaccines.

According to Noakes, the jabs being used in the fight against Covid-19 don’t qualify as a vaccine. His comment prompted a debate, with Madhi suggesting that Noakes was wrong and should “get a refund” from his medical school.

In a statement sent to TimeLIVE, through the Noakes Foundation, Noakes said his views on the Covid-19 vaccines were based on his capacity as “a valued independent critical thinker and academic”.

August 31 2021 -  06:15

The Covid-19 pandemic has generated a flurry of letters to the Almighty

“Dear God, please end the coronavirus pandemic,” wrote a boy from Germany. “And please, make my parents buy me a new iPhone and JBL speaker.” 

Covid-19 may have caused tourism to the Holy Land to grind to a stop, but three times the average number of letters sent to God from around the world landed in Israel’s post office over the past 12 months. Many begged for Covid-19 to be brought under control, while others asked for repentance and — perhaps as the result of virus-related lockdowns — requested that new friends come into their lives, according to a statement from the post office.

August 31 2021 -  06:10

Japan health minister says Okinawa vaccine contaminants likely from needle stick

Japan's health minister said on Tuesday it was highly likely that foreign matter found in Moderna Inc Covid-19 vaccines in the southern prefecture of Okinawa were caused when needles where stuck into the vials.

Some Moderna shots were temporarily halted in Okinawa on Sunday after foreign materials were discovered in vials and syringes. The health ministry said later needles may have been incorrectly inserted into vials, breaking off bits of the rubber stopper.

"Whatever the reason (for the foreign matter) we have heard that there is no safety or other issues," health minister Norihisa Tamura told reporters, adding that it was not uncommon for foreign material to enter a vial with other vaccines.

"We will continue to gather information and report back," he added.

Japan is facing its biggest wave of Covid-19 infections so far during the pandemic, driven by the highly transmissable Delta variant.

A race to boost inoculations has been hampered by delays in imported vaccines and the discovery of the contaminants in some Moderna doses that prompted the suspension of three batches last week.

Taro Kono, the minister in charge of the inoculation campaign, said on Tuesday he wanted to speed up shipments of vaccines to municipalities that had been forced to put a halt reservations due to shortages.

The government is considering when and how to give out booster shots that may be needed to maintain immunity against the virus but is focusing for now on completing the first two shots for the public, Kono told reporters.

Reuters

August 31 2021 -  06:00

What we know so far about new Covid-19 variant C.1.2

SA's National Institute for Communicable Diseases on Monday shared information on a new Covid-19 variant — dubbed C.1.2 — which was recently detected and confirmed.