COVID-19 WRAP | SA records zero Covid-19 deaths in the past 24-48 hours: NICD

March 08 2022 - 18:49

No foul play in R5.1m KZN PPE tender, says province as DA prepares to lay charges

While the DA prepares to open a criminal case over a R5.1m personal protective equipment tender, the KwaZulu-Natal arts and culture portfolio commission believes there was no foul play involved.

The DA said it would open the fraud and corruption charges against provincial arts and culture head Nontokozo Chonco at the Durban Central Police Station on Thursday.

The charges, as per a DA statement released on Monday, relates to tenders of up to R5.1m to procure PPE for eight modular libraries in KwaNzimakwe, Nibela, Kwankosi Khumalo, Kwakhetha, Mpembeni, Ntunjambili, Denny Dalton and the Mfekayo districts during the hard lockdown in 2020. The sites are still not operational.

March 08 2022 - 18:30

SA records zero Covid-19 deaths in the past 24-48 hours: NICD

No Covid-19 deaths were recorded in SA in the past 24 to 48 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Tuesday.

This was based on the latest national health department data, the institute said.

“Due to the ongoing audit exercise by the national department of health, there may be a backlog of Covid-19 mortality cases reported. Today the department reports 16 deaths and of these,  none occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours.

March 08 2022 - 12:30

City of Cape Town expands vaccination sites — Here’s where you can get your jab

The City of Cape Town announced on Monday it has opened more vaccination sites to increase vaccination and booster shot rates and make the services more accessible to residents. 

The city said high levels of vaccination will ensure Cape Town functions the same way it did before Covid-19. 

Health authorities are calling on South Africans to come out in numbers to get vaccinated.

March 08 2022 - 12:15

Hong Kong reports over 43,000 new Covid cases after new reporting system launched

Hong Kong reported more than 43,000 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, a day after the launch of an online self reporting platform which lets residents register their own rapid antigen tests results. 

Reuters

March 08 2022 - 12:00

Malaysia to reopen borders from April with quarantine waiver

Malaysia will reopen its borders from April 1 and allow entry without quarantine for visitors vaccinated against Covid-19, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday.

The Southeast Asian country will also transition to the endemic phase of Covid-19 from next month, Ismail Sabri said in a televised address.

Reuters

March 08 2022 - 11:00

SA is ready to lift regulations on wearing masks outdoors, says Prof Abdool Karim

As SA experiences a significant drop in new Covid-19 infections, we should look at moving away from wearing masks and introduce a new strategy. 

This is according to epidemiologist and former chairperson of the Covid-19 ministerial advisory committee Prof Salim Abdool Karim, who believes the worst is over and the country is ready to lift regulations on wearing masks and remove most Covid-19 measures. 

March 08 2022 - 09:30

Florida recommends against Covid vaccines for kids

Florida's top health official said the state would recommend against the Covid-19 vaccine for healthy children, breaking with guidance from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention

March 08 2022 - 09:15

New Yorkers cautiously welcome relaxed pandemic rules

New York City residents sounded cautiously optimistic on the day the removal of indoor mask mandate for public schools went into effect

March 08 2022 - 08:39

Covid-19 can cause brain shrinkage, memory loss — study

Covid-19 can cause the brain to shrink, reduce grey matter in the regions that control emotion and memory, and damage areas that control the sense of smell, an Oxford University study has found.

March 08 2022 - 07:00

How far is SA from reaching its initial 'herd immunity' goal?

Health minister Joe Phaahla says the government is still aiming for a 70% vaccination target, which would allow it to further ease restrictions. 

At the start of the vaccine rollout, the government set a target to jab 40-million people, or 67% of the population, to reach the point where enough people are immune to the coronavirus to prevent it spreading unchecked.

March 08 2022 - 06:10

Moderna names Kenya for $500 million vaccine factory

Moderna said it would set up a manufacturing facility in Kenya, its first in Africa, to produce messenger mRNA vaccines, including Covid-19 shots.

March 08 2022 - 06:00

Mexico reports 42 more Covid deaths, 1,684 new cases

Mexico reported 42 more confirmed fatalities from Covid-19 on Monday, bringing the total death toll in the country since the pandemic began to 319,901, according to health ministry data.

The country also reported 1,684 new confirmed cases of the virus, the lowest count in a 24-hour period so far this year, according to a Reuters tally, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5,566,669.

Reuters