COVID-19 WRAP | Covid-19: 331 cases, 53 deaths recorded in South Africa in 24 hours

October 26 2021 - 22:19

Covid-19: 331 cases, 53 deaths recorded in South Africa in 24 hours

There were 331 new Covid-19 cases recorded across the country in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Tuesday.

There were 53 coronavirus deaths recorded in the same period.

This means that there have been 2,920,109 confirmed cases and 88,987 deaths recorded across the country since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March last year.

October 26 2021 — 13:55

France says it has ordered 50,000 doses of Merck's Covid-19 antiviral pill

France has ordered 50,000 doses of Merck & Co's experimental Covid-19 antiviral drug for adults, the country's health minister Olivier Veran told a hearing at the French Senate on Tuesday."

France positioned itself very early in pre-ordering. France ordered 50,000 doses of the drug," Veran told lawmakers about molnupiravir, which is Merck & Co's experimental antiviral pills to treat Covid-19 ailments.

Governments around the world are preparing to ensure they can cope any pick-up in the Covid virus as the winter season approaches in the northern hemisphere.

Merck & Co said on Monday that the European Union's drug regulator had initiated a real-time review of its experimental Covidantiviral drug for adults.

While vaccines are the main weapons against Covid-19, Merck's experimental pill molnupiravir could be a game-changer after studies showed it could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalised for those most at risk of contracting severe illness.

Reuters

October 26 2021 — 13:45

Switzerland recommends Covid-19 booster shots for over 65s, but not general population

Switzerland said on Tuesday it was recommending Covid-19 booster shots for people over 65 but not for the general population.

The vaccinations would start from mid-November and should be done at least six months after the patients received their second dose, Switzerland's health ministry and vaccination commission (EKIF) said in a statement.

The recommendation is based on the Swiss medicine regulator's decision to approve booster vaccinations with mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna for high-risk patients, the ministry and EKIF said.

For the general population, it is currently not possible and not recommended to get a third vaccination dose based on currently available data, authorities said.

They added Switzerland had enough vaccines to offer shots to all patients eligible for booster vaccinations and to all those who have not yet been vaccinated over 2021-2022. 

Reuters

October 26 2021 — 13:00

Cuba to welcome tourists as home-grown vaccine drive takes hold

Cuba will open its borders and ease entry requirements next month after vaccinating most of its people with home-grown Covid-19 drugs, allowing it to welcome back overseas visitors and giving a shot in the arm to its ailing tourist industry.

Tough restrictions due to the pandemic, a drastic reduction in flights to Cuba, and a US ban on most travel to the Communist-run island under former US President Donald Trump have hobbled the business and left it trailing behind regional competitors such as the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and Cancun.

But as November 15, Cuba will only require visitors to carry proof of vaccination or a recent PCR to enter the country, replacing what were previously among the strictest protocols in the Caribbean, involving a quarantine period and multiple PCR tests.

A fully vaccinated population will prove a key selling point for an island already well-regarded for its safety, beaches and turquoise waters, said Francisco Camps, who supervises Spanish firm Sol Melia’s 32 hotels in Cuba.”

Cuba will be one of the safest sanitary destinations and we believe that we can reach visitations similar to 2019 by the end of next year,” he said.

Cuba's home-grown vaccines are currently under review by the World Health Organisation and most trial data has yet to be peer reviewed.

But among countries with more than 1 million people, Cuba is vaccinating faster than any other, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

The government says the pace is paying dividends, with Covid-19 cases and deaths falling off at least 80% since their peak midsummer. At least 90% of the population has received at least one dose of one of the country's three-dose home-grown vaccines.

“We are in a favourable moment as we begin to recover our customs, to be able to visit relatives and go on vacation, as well as improve economic activity,” Tourism Minister Juan Carlos Garcia said this month.

The pandemic closed schools, entertainment venues and restaurants as it reduced to near zero the all-important tourism industry — freezing foreign trips by Cubans and visits to the country from Cubans living overseas — exacerbating an economic crisis that has left residents short of food and medicine.

Cuba received more than four million tourists in 2019, contributing 10.6 percent to GDP (GDP), and much more through supply chains and informal economic activity.

But this year just 200,000 guests have arrived and only another 100,000 are expected, Minister Garcia said.

Cuban economist Ricardo Torres said those numbers meant a “devastating” 92% drop in tourism this year, compared to 2019.“So we are talking about next year for any real tourism recovery...which generates a knock-on effect and so is decisive to economic recovery,” said Torres, a visiting professor at American University in Washington.

The US embargo sharply limits trade with Cuba, so the country depends heavily on flows of foreign currency and basic goods that travellers and the Cuban diaspora bring to the island.

Despite mounting optimism as tourism resumes, officials have cautioned economic recovery will be more gradual than initially thought following a sharp drop of 10.9% last year and another 2% through June.

The Varadero beach resort is already partially open, including for the domestic market, for which it is the favourite destination.

And life is slowly returning to the colonial district of Havana as it prepares to once more welcome visitors after a 19-month hiatus.”

Old Havana has been sad all this time because there have been no tourists,” said Ernesto Alejandro Labrada, owner of the Antojos restaurant, now packed with Cubans enjoying a meal before the visitors return. 

Reuters

October 26 2021 — 12:26

Unvaccinated Gold Coast teenager contracts Covid-19 

Queensland has recorded two new community cases of Covid-19, sparking fears the state may be faced with an outbreak.  

October 26 2021 — 09:00

Thousands of Nicaraguans go to Honduras border for vaccines

Nearly 8,000 Nicaraguans received Covid-19 vaccines at two customs border crossings with neighbouring Honduras in recent days, Honduran health authorities said on Monday, as supplies of the inoculations in Nicaragua have run low.

Promoting the vaccines for Nicaraguans, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez wrote in a post on Twitter that “the solidarity and brotherhood of Hondurans crosses borders.” He added that up to 500 doses were being given out daily to Nicaraguans.

Honduran health authorities also pitched the cross-border assistance as a way to help beat back the risk of more infections at home.

“They don't have access to vaccines in Nicaragua and that becomes a risk for us due to the significant movement of people along the border,” said Honduran regional health official Jose Maria Paguada.

Officials in Nicaragua did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The border vaccines doled out in Honduras' southwestern Choluteca department use donated inoculations made by Moderna and Pfizer, and will go through Nov. 6 for first doses, with second doses to follow, Honduran officials said.

To date, Honduras has confirmed more than 370,000 coronavirus infections and nearly 10,200 deaths as a result of the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the virus. 

Reuters

October 26 2021 — 08:30

US TSA issues just 10 passenger fines for mask-related penalties

 Two US lawmakers said Monday the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued just $2,350 in total fines to 10 passengers for failing to wear masks since February, despite thousands of reports of airport passengers failing to comply.

House Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson and Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, who chairs the transportation subcommittee, said in a letter that even though 4,102 reports of mask-related incidents were reported through mid-September, TSA has issued few fines and warnings to more than 2,000 passengers.

“We urge you to implement these enhanced penalties to curb the rising number of mask-related disruptive passenger incidents that threaten the safety and wellbeing of Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), airport and airline workers, flight crews, and other travellers,” the lawmakers wrote, asking for answers to questions by November 15.A TSA spokesperson said TSA Administrator David Pekoske “will respond directly to the members of Congress.”

Pekoske in July told lawmakers that since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic there have been over 85 physical assaults on TSA officers.

In August, the Biden administration extended requirements for travellers to wear masks on aeroplanes, trains and buses and at airports and train stations through January 18 to address Covid-19 risks.

The current CDC order in place since soon after President Joe Biden took office in January, requires the use of face masks on nearly all forms of transportation with the primary exception of private cars.

The requirements have been the source of some friction, especially aboard US airlines, where some travellers have refused to wear masks.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has instituted a “zero tolerance” enforcement effort on unruly passengers, through Oct. 19 has received 4,837 unruly passenger reports — including 3,511 mask-related incidents.

The lawmakers noted the FAA “has issued over $1 million in proposed fines against disruptive passengers generally. TSA must likewise hold offenders accountable to reinforce passenger confidence in air travel safety,” the lawmakers said.

In some US states, transportation hubs are among the only places where masks are still required.

Reuters

October 26 2021 — 08:00

Ukraine reports record daily high of 734 coronavirus-related deaths

Ukraine registered a record daily high of 734 coronavirus-related deaths over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The previous high of 614 deaths was on Oct. 22. The ministry's data showed 19,120 new infections were reported over the past 24 hours. Ukraine has reported a total of 2.8 million coronavirus cases and 64,936 deaths. 

Reuters

October 26 2021 — 07:27

Ebb and flow of Covid-19 tides puzzles top scientists

SA scientists are puzzled about why high rates of Covid-19 transmission occur in waves three months apart, with apparently risky behaviour between them having little effect on case numbers.

“We have seen that the Sars-CoV-2 epidemic occurs in waves, even when high-risk events occur during low transmission,” said infectious diseases expert Prof Salim Abdool Karim, who noted that the period between waves in SA ranged from 94 to 99 days.

However, Covid-19 transmission between waves remained “very low”, regardless of viral variants or immunity levels in communities.

“Community immunity levels differed markedly at the end of the first, second and third waves, but all have led to interwave quiescent [inactive] periods,” Abdool Karim said.

October 26 2021 — 07:00

Should I take the second jab of the vaccine if I’ve had a severe allergic reaction to the first?

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) advised people who experience allergic reactions to the first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine not to go for their second jab, and instead consult their healthcare providers for further advice. 

The institute said it's normal to get symptoms after vaccination. This response means the immune system is responding to the vaccine in a way that will protect against the virus.

It added that some people have shown no side-effects to the vaccine, but this does not mean they are less protected.

According to the CDC in the US, causes of a severe allergic reaction can include a rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat, or a generalised rash or hives. A person with a severe allergic reaction requires treatment with epinephrine or hospital admission.

October 26 2021 — 06:31

South Korea approves Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine produced by Samsung Biologics

South Korea granted emergency use approval for Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine produced by South Korean drugmaker Samsung BioLogics, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Moderna has agreed to distribute 2.44 million doses of the shots produced by Samsung to South Korea after Samsung's Covid-19 vaccine facility on Monday obtained Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification from the drug safety ministry.

Samsung entered into a “fill and finish” deal with Moderna in May. This type of contract involves putting vaccines into vials or syringes, sealing them and packaging them up for shipping, but not making the vaccine itself.

The plant has yet to win approval from the US and European regulators to have the shots shipped outside the country, Samsung said.

In May, the US President Joe Biden said he and South Korean President Moon Jae-in had agreed on a comprehensive partnership on Covid-19 vaccines.

South Korea said the Moderna shots produced by Samsung will be widely used in the current quarter, including as booster shots for high-risk people.

Reuters

October 26 2021 — 06:00

Freelancing professionals 'the way of the future' as Covid-19 changes the way we operate

Market research conducted by outsourcing company Outsize suggested that up to 30% of future staff complements in SA businesses may be hired hands.

The company, which specialises in connecting freelance professionals with companies, said its research backed up research done by McKinsey in 2020 which found that 70% of global executives expected to use more freelancers in the future and a 2020 Forbes survey which suggested 49% of hiring managers rated access to highly skilled talent as the main reason for adopting a “blended workforce”.

Outsize SA MD Johann van Niekerk said the Covid-19 pandemic rocked the way companies and staff interacted with each other.

October 26 2021 — 06:00

146 new cases, which represents a 1.0% positivity rate. A further 9 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported