COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 3,220 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours

November 27 2021 — 21:00

SA records 3,220 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours

SA recorded 3,220 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of cases in the country to 2,958,548.

The number of Covid-19 related deaths in the country stands at 89,791 after eight daily deaths were recorded in the country on Saturday evening.

The total number of vaccines administered since the beginning of the vaccine rollout is 25,274,889 with 2,847,083 recoveries. 

November 27 2021 — 16:04

Young people bearing brunt of Covid-19 resurgence, ICU doctor warns

The speed at which the new Covid-19 variant Omicron is infecting young people has alarmed SA health professionals.

“We’re seeing a marked change in the demographic profile of patients with Covid-19,” Rudo Mathivha, head of intensive care at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, told an online media briefing on Saturday.

November 27 2021 — 14:56

Travel bans punish SA for its excellent science, says international relations

The SA government said it had noted the announcements by several countries to institute temporary travel restrictions on the country and parts of the continent.

This comes after this week's detection of the new Covid-19 Omicron variant.

The UK was the first to impose a travel ban on Southern African countries on Friday.

November 27 2021 — 14:52

Dutch find 61 Covid-19 cases among SA passengers, looking for new variant

Dutch health authorities said on Saturday they had detected 61 Covid-19 cases among people who flew from SA on Friday and were now conducting further testing to see whether any are infected with the recently discovered Omicron variant.

The cases were discovered among around 600 passengers who arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on two flights on Friday before the Dutch government halted air traffic from Southern Africa due to concerns over the variant.

November 27 2021 — 12:30

Holidays wrecked for South Africans as Mauritius and other countries impose travel bans

SA holidaymakers can forget sipping cocktails on the white sandy beaches of Mauritius this December.

The Mauritius government has joined a growing number of countries to announce bans on Southern African travellers in light of the new Covid-19 variant.

The Indian Ocean island lifted its travel ban on South Africans in September and was anticipating a bumper December season.

November 27 2021 — 12:10

No jab, no accommodation for University of the Free State students

Unvaccinated students will not be allowed on the University of the Free State’s (UFS) premises as from February.

This is according to a Covid-19 vaccination policy approved by the UFS council on Friday.

Rector and vice-chancellor Prof Francis Petersen said though the university does not compel people to vaccinate, it has the right to require vaccination if anyone wants to access its premises. The policy will be implemented from February 22.

November 27 2021 — 09:40

Hotelier accuses scientists of ‘fearmongering’ over new Covid-19 variant

A leading hotelier has hit out at scientists for announcing the new Covid-19 variant without first establishing if vaccines are effective against it.

Marc Wachsberger, MD of The Capital Hotels and Apartments which owns several luxury establishments in SA, said in a statement that variant hunters analyse  data, check vaccine efficacy and then announce if there is any concern.

“So why do our SA scientists have to take so much pride in finding variants and then announcing them so publicly, without first analysing vaccine efficacy?” he said.

November 27 2021 — 08:38

Australia bans travellers from virus-hit southern Africa

Australia imposed new restrictions on Saturday on people who have been to nine southern African countries, as the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 raises concerns about another wave of the pandemic.

The countries are South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique.

Effective immediately, the government will ban non-citizens who have been in those countries from entering and will require supervised 14-day quarantines for Australian citizens and their dependents returning from the countries, said Health Minister Greg Hunt.

November 27 2021 — 08:21

SA's Covid-19 command council meets on Saturday as Covid-19 cases spike

A crucial meeting of the national coronavirus command council has been brought forward to Saturday, the presidency announced on Friday night.

The meeting had been scheduled for Sunday amid rapidly increasing Covid-19 cases across the country, particularly in Gauteng.

The sharp rise in cases is believed to be driven by the newly identified B.1.1.529 Covid-19 variant, which was given the name Omicron by the World Health Organisation on Friday.