COVID-19 WRAP | Covid-19: Just 146 cases and nine deaths recorded in South Africa in 24 hours

October 25 2021 - 20:25

Covid-19: Just 146 cases and nine deaths recorded in South Africa in 24 hours

There were just 146 new Covid-19 cases and nine deaths recorded across SA in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said on Monday.

None of the country's nine provinces recorded more than 50 new cases in the past day, the statistics showed. The worst-hit province was Gauteng, with 44 new infections, followed by KwaZulu-Natal (38) and the Western Cape (24).

It was also notable that the positivity rate — the number of confirmed cases compared against the number of tests done in the same period — was at just 1%.

October 25 2021 - 19:51

Busa considering court action to make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for all South African workers

Business lobby group Business Unity SA is considering court action in an effort to get Covid-19 vaccinations made mandatory for SA workers.

Busa CEO Cas Coovadia told TimesLIVE that a number of businesses had already acted on this as the country continues to get back to work, adding that a clear pronouncement on the validity and constitutionality of mandatory vaccinations would create certainty.

“The OHS [Occupational Health and Safety] regulations enable businesses to institute mandatory vaccination requirements in certain circumstances,” Coovadia said. “We think mandatory vaccination is critical to ensure as many of our people as possible are vaccinated, so that we can overcome the virus and get back to a semblance of a ‘new normal’,” he said.

October 25 2021 — 13:00

US to outline November 8 international travel reopening, vaccination rules

The Biden administration plans to unveil on Monday its detailed rules requiring nearly all foreign air visitors to be vaccinated against Covid-19 starting Nov. 8, sources told Reuters.

The White House first disclosed on September 20 it would remove restrictions in early November for fully vaccinated air travellers from 33 countries.

The extraordinary US travel restrictions were first imposed in early 2020 to address the spread of Covid-19. The rules bar most non-US citizens who within the last 14 days have been in the United Kingdom, the 26 Schengen countries in Europe without border controls, Ireland, China, India, SA, Iran and Brazil.

The White House plans to outline the legal framework requiring Covid-19 vaccinations for most foreign air travellers replacing the current restrictions, as well as rules for exemptions from the requirements.

The Biden administration will also detail requirements airlines must follow to confirm foreign travellers have been vaccinated before boarding US.-bound flights.

The White House announced on October 15 that the new vaccine rules would take effect on November 8. One concern among US officials and airlines is making sure foreign travellers are aware of the new vaccine rules that will take effect in just two weeks.

The US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to issue new contact tracing rules requiring airlines to collect information from international air passengers. The White House said earlier airlines will provide the information “upon request to follow up with travellers who have been exposed to Covid-19 variants or other pathogens.”

The CDC said this month it would accept any vaccine authorised for use by US regulators or the World Health Organisation and will accept mixed-dose coronavirus vaccines from travellers.

The new rules are expected to exempt minor children from the vaccine requirements, the sources said.

The Biden administration has also been discussing initially exempting citizens of a small number of countries with extremely low vaccination rates because of a lack of access to Covid-19 vaccines, the sources said, saying that would include enhanced testing requirements.

Foreign air travellers will need to provide vaccination documentation from an “official source” and airlines must confirm the last dose was at least two weeks earlier than the travel date.

International air travellers will need to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure. The White House said in September unvaccinated Americans will need to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test within 24 hours of departing.

Reuters

October 25 2021 — 12:00

South Korea plots course to scrapping Covid curbs by early 2022

South Korea unveiled on Monday a three-phase strategy to get back to normal from the coronavirus with all limits on gatherings and distancing gone by February, after it achieved a goal of vaccinating 70% of its people on the weekend.

The scheme begins next Monday and is due to run until Feb. 20, by when all distancing curbs will be scrapped except for mask-wearing mandates, a government health panel said.

South Korea has been largely successful in managing the pandemic without the lockdowns and death rates seen in many other parts of the world, largely through intensive testing, tracing, distancing and masks.

In the first phase of the plan, all operating-hour curbs on restaurants, cafes and other businesses will be dropped, though nightclubs will still have to close by midnight.

Visitors to high-risk venues, such as indoor gyms, saunas and karaoke bars will have to be fully vaccinated, while private gatherings in the capital, Seoul, and surrounding areas can include up to 10 people regardless of vaccination status.

Currently, gatherings of up to eight people are allowed if a group includes four fully vaccinated people.

Authorities will focus on weekly hospitalisation and mortality rates rather than on daily new Covid-19 cases and people with only mild symptoms will be allowed to treat themselves at home.

South Korea's latest wave of infections has brought far fewer serious infections than earlier outbreaks, with many older and more vulnerable people now vaccinated.

It reported 1,190 new cases for Sunday. Hospitals are treating about 322 critical cases.

South Korea was one of the first countries to record novel coronavirus cases after it emerged in China in late 2019. It has since had 353,089 infections, with 2,773 deaths.

Reuters

October 25 2021 — 10:00

More restrictions ease in Victoria, Children back to school  

Freedoms are being fast-tracked for Victoria with more restrictions lifting on Friday, as the state races towards its 80% double dose vaccination target. In New South Wales, all students returned to school today for the first time since the state's lockdown began. 

October 25 2021 — 07:00

Does the vaccine have an effect on growth or puberty?

As children between the ages of 12 and 17 years join the queue to get the Covid-19 vaccine, questions have been raised about its effects on growth and puberty. 

The vaccination of children began on Wednesday last week, with children receiving one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale told TimesLIVE more than 13,000 children have received a dose of the vaccine and 6,900 had registered to get vaccinated via the electronic vaccination data system (EVDS) system by Thursday.

October 25 2021 — 06:30

Fauci says vaccines for children between 5-11 likely available in November

Vaccines for children between the ages of 5 and 11 will likely be available in the first half of November, top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday, predicting a timetable that could see many children getting fully vaccinated before the end of the year.”

If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it's entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” Fauci said in an interview with ABC's This Week.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials are reviewing the Pfizer/BioNTech application seeking authorisation of its 2-dose vaccine for younger children, with its panel of outside advisers scheduled to weigh in on Oct. 26.

The FDA typically follows the advice of its panel but is not required to do so.

Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will weigh in on recommendations for the vaccine at a meeting on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, helping to inform a final decision by its director.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, speaking at Fox News Sunday, also said the agency wanted to act swiftly.

“After they (FDA) are able to review all the science and conduct the regulatory action and the CDC will meet, and if all of that goes smoothly ... we will act quickly,” she said.

“We know how many parents are interested in getting their children between 5 and 11 vaccinated and we intend to act as quickly as we can,” she added.

Once authorised, roughly 28 million more children in the US would be eligible to receive what would be the first U.S. Covid-19 vaccine for younger children.

The Pfizer/BioNTech shot is already available to those ages 12-17, and the companies are still studying it for children younger than 5. While children have a lower rate of death from Covid-19, many face illness and long-term symptoms that are still being studied.

Many adults who have been hesitant or opposed to the Covid-19 vaccine, and even some who did not oppose the vaccine for themselves, are expected to resist giving the shot to their children.

Asked if schools should mandate a vaccine for children, Walensky said: “Right now we are at authorisation. We're having discussions about authorisation. I think we need to get children vaccinated through this authorisation and get to approval before we can make a judgment there.”

Reuters 

October 25 2021 — 06:15

Hong Kong's zero-Covid-19 policy undermining financial hub status — industry group

A financial industry group warned on Monday that Hong Kong's zero-Covid-19 policy and strict quarantine requirements for international travellers threatens to undermine the city's status as a financial hub.

The Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA) said a survey of members, including some of the world's largest banks and asset managers, showed 48% were contemplating moving staff or functions away from Hong Kong due to operational challenges, which included uncertainty regarding when and how travel and quarantine restrictions will be lifted.

Hong Kong has some of the most stringent travel restrictions in the world and is virtually Covid-19 free, however unlike regional rival Singapore, which is slowly reopening its borders, the Chinese-ruled city has no public plan for opening up to international travellers.

Local leaders say their focus is removing restrictions on travel from Hong Kong to mainland China, which also has strict entry restrictions. At present travellers from Hong Kong to the mainland must still undergo quarantine.

“Hong Kong’s status as an (international financial centre) is increasingly at risk along with its long-term economic recovery and competitiveness as a premier place to do business,” Mark Austen CEO of Asifma wrote in open letter to Hong Kong's financial secretary Paul Chan.

The letter made a series of recommendations including publishing “a road map for exiting Hong Kong’s ‘zero-case’ based Covid-19 strategy beyond solely the immediate goal of opening borders with China”, as well as prioritising vaccinations.

Hong Kong has reported just over 12,300 cases since the start of the pandemic, mostly imported, and 213 deaths.

Regional rival Singapore is expanding quarantine-free travel to nearly a dozen countries, but authorities are grappling with how to do so while averting a surge of Covid-19 cases among older people and those with weak immune systems.

Reuters

October 25 2021 — 06:00

Please find a way to make transparent masks, plead hearing-disabled people

Gabriel Hoffman has a hearing impairment. For him to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues, he has to read their lips, but that has been difficult with the use of masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

Hoffman, 40, from Sandton, is one of many South Africans living with disabilities who have had challenges with the government’s Covid-19 measures, such as the wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing.

Hoffman, who spoke to Sunday Times Daily via email with the help of his sister Ansie, said the mask was the biggest communication barrier for him, especially when he was hospitalised last year for an ear operation.

“I could not understand [what people were saying] and there was no way for me to lip read. After explaining that I am deaf and communication was my biggest barrier with the mask, they allowed me one visitor per day.”