COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 1,867 Covid-19 cases and 13 deaths in 24 hours: NICD

March 09 2022 - 20:12

SA records 1,867 Covid-19 cases and 13 deaths in 24 hours: NICD

SA recorded 1,867 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday.

There were also 13 deaths recorded in the same period, with 10 of them occurring in the past 24-48 hours. The rest were recorded as part of an ongoing health department audit.

Of the new cases, 683 were in Gauteng, 483 in the Western Cape and 280 in KwaZulu-Natal.

March 09 2022 - 15:35

POLL | Will you still wear a mask in public if government scraps the regulation?

As South Africans eagerly await an announcement on amended Covid-19 regulations, conversations have turned to whether South Africans will continue to wear masks in public if not compelled to do so by law.

This week DA and UDM leaders John Steenhuisen and Bantu Holomisa were vocal about the need to scrap mask-wearing.

March 09 2022 - 15:16

Hong Kong indefinitely postpones mass testing plan: virus update

Hong Kong’s plan to test the entire population for the coronavirus this month has been indefinitely postponed as the city prioritises vaccinating the elderly.

The city is making plans for the mandatory citywide test, including the timing, chief executive Carrie Lam said Wednesday in her first major briefing in two weeks. 

March 09 2022 - 15:03

Increase in mental health patients at Helen Joseph as some are unwilling to welcome discharged family members

Gauteng MEC for health Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi says the increase in admissions of mental health patients at Helen Joseph Hospital (HJH) can, among other causes, be attributed to poor socioeconomic circumstances aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Responding to a legislature question, Mokgethi said the hospital has recorded an increase in the number of mental health patients, with some coming from outside the hospital’s feeder area.

She said the increase is due to large-scale use of illegal substances and the unwillingness of some families to take back members with mental health illnesses upon discharge.

March 09 2022 - 09:00

Vaccine laggard Philippines may give away shots as take-up slows

The Philippines, among the region’s least-vaccinated nations, may give away shots to other countries as declining Covid-19 infections dampen inoculation efforts.

The Southeast Asian nation has accumulated vaccines that will expire almost all at the same time due to successive deliveries, according to Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje.

There are initial talks to donate these shots, or extend their expiry dates, she said. Myanmar and African nations are among those being considered for donations, the Inquirer reported.

“There’s low vaccine take-up. People don’t see the urgency, especially to get boosters, because Covid-19 cases are on a downtrend,” Cabotaje said in a mobile-phone message Wednesday. Daily infections have fallen below 1,000 in the past days, after hitting a record high of nearly 39,000 in January due to the omicron variant.

With 58% of its population fully vaccinated, the Philippines lags neighbors like Indonesia and Thailand in rolling out first doses as misinformation and logistics pose challenges. Improving vaccine coverage is a key step that economic managers say will boost the economy’s nascent recovery.

The Philippines is “experiencing a saturation point” in its inoculation drive, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said in a separate statement, as he laid out plans to bring shots to houses and call centers to widen the rollout. The government will also hold a national vaccine drive in the next three days, targeting to inoculate 1.8 million people.

Bloomberg

March 09 2022 - 08:00

The death rate is low and the recovery rate is up so is why should I still get vaccinated?

While the death rate may be low and the recovery rate from Covid-19 high, experts continue to advocate for getting the vaccine, saying it can help prevent death and severe illness from the coronavirus.

The national health department reported 1,436 new cases and 16 deaths on Tuesday.

“The cumulative number of recoveries stands at 3,569,441 with a recovery rate of 96.8%,” it said.

March 09 2022 - 06:30

Brazil registers 68,893 new cases of coronavirus, 488 deaths -health ministry

Brazil has had 68,893 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the past 24 hours, and 488 deaths from Covid-19, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The South American country has now registered 29,138,362 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 652,829, according to ministry data. 

Reuters

March 09 2022 - 06:20

South Korea reports record high 342,446 new daily Covid-19 cases

South Korea reported a new record daily high 342,446 Covid-19 cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Wednesday, amid a surge of Omicron infections.

The country also reported an additional 158 deaths from the virus, KDCA said. 

Reuters

March 09 2022 - 06:10

Mexico reports 8,939 new Covid cases, 265 more deaths

Mexico reported 265 more fatalities from Covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll in the country to 320,166, according to health ministry data.

The country also reported 8,939 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic began to 5,575,608. 

Reuters

March 09 2022 - 06:00

Hong Kong leader urges suitable timing for mass testing effort

Compulsory mass testing for coronavirus would be useful but needs to be done at a suitable time, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Wednesday, following anxiety among the 7.4 million residents of the financial hub bracing for a citywide lockdown.

Reuters