COVID-19 WRAP | SA to retain level 1 curbs in Omicron fight

December 16 2021 - 14:09

ANALYSIS | Health in 2021: Another tumultuous year in under 1000 words

On the one hand, vaccinating over 15-million people is a remarkable achievement that many officials and healthcare workers deserve credit for.

On the other, many lives lost in the country’s catastrophic third wave may have been saved had the mass vaccination programme started earlier and had the government taken a firmer stance on vaccine mandates.

The Medical Research Council estimates there has been over 190,000 excess natural deaths in SA in 2021 — most of which will be Covid-19 deaths. As the year comes to an end, SA has entered a fourth wave of infections — this time driven by the Omicron variant.

December 16 2021 - 12:00

Valneva says its booster works as a follow-up to its own Covid-19 shot

French biotech firm Valneva said on Thursday its Covid-19 vaccine candidate was efficient as a booster for people who had received the same shot as an initial vaccination.

“Initial results confirm that VLA2001 significantly boosted immunity in participants who received VLA2001 as a primary vaccination,” it said in a statement.

The news comes almost two weeks after a British study showed VLA2001 was the only shot out of seven that offered no immunity boost when given to people previously immunised with Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine. – Reuters

December 16 2021 - 11:27

SA to stay at lockdown level 1 – for now, says command council

SA's lockdown restrictions will stay at level 1 even as the country heads into the holidays season, the health department said on Thursday.

The national coronavirus command council has decided to maintain the existing restrictions despite a surge of confirmed Covid-19 cases as the Omicron variant of the virus continues to spread.

SA recorded its highest ever daily number of Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, with 26,976 new cases confirmed from 83,864 tests, giving a positivity rate of 32.2%.

December 16 2021 - 10:06

SA to retain level 1 curbs in Omicron fight

The national coronavirus command council has retained the lockdown at adjusted level 1 in the battle against the Omicron variant, health authorities said on Thursday.

In the past few days, SA has reported more than 20,000 new daily Covid-19 infections, but scientists see no sign yet that the variant causes more severe illness.

“The council has directed the department to closely monitor the rising Covid-19 infections,” the health department said in a statement, adding that it would also track hospital admissions, mortality and recovery rates.

December 16 2021 - 10:03

Wanted: Woman who 'scammed PPE business investors out of R10m'

The police and the Hawks are appealing to the public to help them locate a woman who allegedly persuaded people to invest in her personal protective equipment business, scamming investors out of R10m.

Swereen Govender had allegedly convinced family and friends to invest in the business since June 2019 by promising lucrative dividends in return, said national police spokesperson Brig Vish Naidoo.

“Further investigation revealed that Govender initially paid minimum dividends to investors and then completely stopped at a later stage and she has allegedly been lying to her investors that she cannot be contacted as she has been placed in a witness protection programme,” Naidoo said in a statement. – Reuters

December 16 2021 - 09:24

WATCH LIVE | Justice cluster briefing on festive season safety

Members of the government's justice cluster are briefing the media on Thursday morning regarding safety measures during the festive season.

December 16 2021 - 08:21

Facebook, Google veteran Hugo Barra to lead Covid-19 testing start-up

Hugo Barra, a one-time executive at social media leader Facebook and web-search giant Google, was named CEO of Detect, a Covid-19 testing start-up.

The company makes a $50 (R800) at-home test that looks for the virus’ genetic material, similar to some laboratory assays, and produces results in about an hour. The Guilford, Connecticut-based start-up is launching its product on Wednesday.

Barra, 45, earlier served as vice-president of Android product management for Alphabet's Google and most recently was vice-president of virtual reality at Facebook, now known as Meta. He said he aims to bring his background in consumer technology to make diagnostics simpler and more user-friendly.

December 16 2021 - 08:05

Malaysia imposes stricter rules, booster requirements over Omicron threat

Malaysia on Thursday announced new Covid-19 restrictions, including banning mass gatherings and requiring booster doses for high-risk groups, as it reported its second case of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said authorities were also verifying 18 more suspected cases of the variant, believed by experts to be the most transmissible yet, with results expected by Friday.

The second case was an eight-year-old travelling with family from Nigeria, where the family resided, via Qatar, Khairy told reporters. – Reuters

December 16 2021 - 07:50

Japan approves Moderna Covid-19 vaccine as booster, Novavax files for first approval

Japan on Thursday officially approved Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for its booster programme, while Novavax filed for first approval of its shot in the country.

Moderna's mRNA-type vaccine, used mostly in Japan to date at workplace inoculation sites, was approved for use as a third booster shot for those aged 18 or older, following a recommendation from health ministry experts on Wednesday.

That's the same age range applied to the shot developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been given about 93,000 times as a booster, taking in about 0.1% of the population. – Reuters

December 16 2021 - 07:30

Oil prices rise as US fuel demand jumps despite virus surge

Oil prices rose on Thursday as US implied consumer petroleum demand surged to a record high in the world's top oil consumer even as the Omicron variant of coronavirus threatens to dent oil consumption globally.

A signal by the US Federal Reserve to tackle inflation before it derails the US economy also boosted prices.

Brent crude oil futures rose by 65c, or 0.9%, to $74.53 a barrel by 0436 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures increased by 74c, or 1%, to $71.61. – Reuters

December 16 2021 - 07:21

Indonesia reports first case of Omicron variant

Indonesia has identified its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the country’s health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Thursday.

The variant was detected on Wednesday evening in an employee at the Wisma Atlet hospital in Jakarta, who had no history of overseas travel.

The health minister said so far there was no community transmission, but there were five more suspected Omicron cases, including two Indonesians who had recently returned from the US and from Britain, and three Chinese nationals currently in quarantine in Manado, North Sulawesi. - Reuters

December 15 2021 - 13:36

Experiencing mild side effects after being vaccinated against Covid-19 is normal: WHO

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