COVID-19 WRAP | Covid-19: SA records 1,635 cases and 79 deaths in 24 hours

October 01 2021 - 19:40

Covid-19: SA records 1,635 cases and 79 deaths in 24 hours

There were 1,635 new Covid-19 cases and 79 fatalities recorded across SA in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said on Friday.

This means that there have been 2,904,307 infections and 87,705 deaths since the virus outbreak in March last year.

The new infections came at a low 4.4% positivity rate.

October 01 2021 - 18:00

Thailand opens up to SA visitors

Thailand has lifted its Covid-19 travel ban on all countries, including SA, as of Friday.

Chiravadee Khunsub, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said they were happy to welcome South Africans to their shores.

“Thailand has always loved to host guests from around the world and with the lifting of travel restrictions, we can do so once again. We look forward to offering visitors the best experiences, including jet-skiing off the coast, luxurious spa days and the perfect dining spots, while still following the necessary Covid-19 safety protocols,” said Khunsub.

October 01 2021 - 16:58

Efforts to improve Gauteng residents' quality of life undone by Covid-19: survey

Lockdown, riots, mass unemployment, load-shedding — it's fair to say South Africans have been through a rough 18 months.

The latest Quality of Life Survey has revealed how Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown have negatively affected families in Gauteng.

From October 2020 to May 2021, Quality of Life Survey fieldworkers visited Gauteng's 529 provincial wards and interviewed 13,616 adults.

October 01 2021 - 16:04

Half of Gautengers who lost jobs due to Covid-19 are still unemployed: survey

The Quality of Life Survey has found the socioeconomic fallout the Covid-19 pandemic has brought on Gauteng has increased, raising the percentage of households living below the average poverty line to 36% from 25% in 2017/18.

Half of those who lost their jobs during the height of the pandemic have been unable to find work.

From October 2020 to May 2021, Quality of Life Survey fieldworkers visited Gauteng’s 529 provincial wards, where they interviewed 13,616 adults.

Half of those who lost their jobs during the height of the pandemic have been unable to find work.

From October 2020 to May 2021, Quality of Life Survey fieldworkers visited Gauteng’s 529 provincial wards, where they interviewed 13,616 adults.

October 01 2021 - 13:31

End lockdown and ‘place trust in the public to continue to be responsible’, Cape Town mayor tells Ramaphosa

Cape Town mayor Dan Plato has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to end the lockdown.

Ramaphosa moved SA to adjusted alert level 1 of the Covid-19 lockdown on Thursday, with the curfew now starting at midnight and ending at 4am.

“Non-essential establishments like restaurants, bars and fitness centres will need to close by 11pm to allow their employees and patrons to travel home before the start of the curfew,” said Ramaphosa.

October 01 2021 - 11:34

Alcohol industry welcomes lifting of ‘irrational’ restrictions

The SA Liquor Brand owners Association (Salba) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on Thursday night to lift alcohol trade restrictions, saying the government has finally shown an understanding of the industry's plight.

With the move to level 1, liquor traders are permitted to sell alcohol under their normal licensing requirements before 11pm.

Alcohol may not be sold during curfew hours and consumption is not allowed in public spaces.

October 01 2021 - 10:01

Nobel Medicine Prize for Covid-19 vaccine? It may be too soon

Scientists behind Covid-19 vaccines could be in the running to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine even though the pandemic is far from over. Some scientists say it is just a matter of time: If the work that went into developing the vaccines is not recognised when this year's prize is announced on Monday, it will win the award in years to come.

More than 4.7 million people have died from Covid-19 since the first cases of the novel coronavirus were registered in 2019, and many countries still live under severe restrictions intended to curb its spread.

October 01 2021 - 09:00

Alert level 1 is here, SA - here's how your life may change under the new restrictions

SA is officially under alert level 1 of lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday evening.

His latest national address came after the president moved SA to alert level 2 on September 12. He attributed the easing of the restrictions to a drop in daily infections, hospitalisations and deaths.

More than 17-million South Africans have been vaccinated since the launch of the vaccination drive, with more than 8.8-million people fully vaccinated. Ramaphosa said this is more than a fifth of the adult population.

October 01 2021 - 07:55

PODCAST | The national shift in vaccine thinking

Before SA had a secure and healthy stash of Covid-19 vaccines, there was a mighty push by the South African and African community to make sure that vaccines were being supplied equitably. 

However, now that we have a bountiful supply of vaccines and have hopes to vaccinate enough of the community to substantially curb transmission, a powerful “anti-vax” sentiment seems to have taken hold.

October 01 2021 - 07:30

'ANC election campaign' or false hope before a December lockdown? SA reacts to lockdown level 1

There has been mixed reactions to president Cyril Ramaphosa's national address on Thursday night in which he announced that SA will move to alert level 1 lockdown.

Ramaphosa said a drop in daily infections, hospitalisations and deaths prompted the cabinet decision to ease the regulations. He said at the peak of the third wave, SA registered 20,000 daily cases but these have since reduced to 1,800.

The president believes the vaccination drive will also help SA intensify its fight against the pandemic. 

October 01 2021 - 07:02

'We remain sceptical about vaccine certificates' - Cosatu

Cosatu has called for health authorities to take Covid-19 vaccination the people, including townships, informal areas, taxi ranks, churches, farms and villages as part of scaling up Covid-19 vaccination to the required 70% of the adult population by the end of this year.

Responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's address on Thursday night, in which he eased Covid-19 restrictions from alert level 2 to alert level 1, the trade union said the government should also extend the vaccination to adolescents over the age of 12 and provide booster shots to the elderly and healthcare workers.

October 01 2021 - 06:32

Brazil reports 27,527 new coronavirus cases, 627 deaths

Brazil recorded 27,527 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, along with 627 deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

Brazil has registered more than 21 million cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 596,749, according to ministry data.

-Reuters