The Covid-19 death toll has hit 14 389, while the number of cases now sits at 630 595.

The total number of recoveries is now 553 456 - a recovery rate of 87%.

Here’s what made the headlines on Wednesday

Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu released damning findings on Covid-19 relief funding which details the extent of the rot surrounding personal protective equipment (PPE) tender procurement processes. Makwetu briefed the media on Wednesday and detailed how contracts in the R22.4 billion PPE budget have been misappropriated. He said his office found clear signs of overpricing, unfair processes and potential fraud in government procurement.

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has vowed to dig deeper after a shocking visit to two schools and a hospital in Limpopo. She was told that pupils and workers have had to wear sub-standard personal protective equipment (PPE) supplied by the government, while there was non-existent physical distancing in classrooms because of overcrowding. Mkhwebane said a probe will be launched into which companies supplied PPEs and other essentials to the hospital.

Meanwhile, beer manufactures say they plan to stop supplying alcohol to businesses who are not keeping to lockdown Level 2 restrictions when it comes to liquor sales. In a statement, the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) said it has committed to “identifying establishments found breaking the law and cutting off their supply”.

The national health department launched the Covid Alert SA app, which informs people if they have been in contact with someone who has Covid-19. President Cyril Ramaphosa called the app a “powerful tool to support our digital contact tracing efforts”.

In other news, new mobility data says that by the end of August only the Western Cape was still really locked down. In every other province people were flocking to shops, parks, or both, in bigger numbers than before the coronavirus hit.

- Nokuthula Khanyile

Covid-19 wrap: Steroid 'reduces chances of death', 47m women and children to fall into poverty

Al Jazeera reports that the coronavirus pandemic will widen the poverty gap between women and men, pushing 47 million more women and girls into impoverished lives by next year, and undoing progress made in recent decades, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Worldwide, more women than men will be made poor by the economic fallout and significant job losses caused by Covid-19, with informal workers worst hit in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, according to new UN estimates.

"The increases in women's extreme poverty...are a stark indictment of deep flaws in the ways we have constructed our societies and economies," Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the head of UN Women, said in a statement.

During the pandemic, women have lost their jobs at a faster rate than men have, as they are more likely to be employed in the sectors hardest hit by long lockdowns such as retail, restaurants and hotels, it said.

Women are also more likely to work in the informal economy, typically in jobs as domestic workers and cleaners that often come with little or no healthcare, unemployment benefits or other protections.

How health dept's new app will assist the fight against Covid-19

The Bluetooth technology enables the Covid Alert SA app to exchange a random code with other phones that are close by.

"If you later test positive for Covid-19, you can use the app to notify all other users that you have been in contact with in the past 14 days."

All phones that have exchanged codes will receive an alert with instructions on what to do next and how to take care of themselves if they have been exposed," Mkhize explained. The app is free and does not feature in-app purchases.

The user will not have to pay for mobile data when using the app as it has been zero-rated by all of South Africa's mobile network providers.

Clear signs of overpricing, unfair processes, potential fraud in PPE tenders - AG report reveals

Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu has released damning findings on Covid-19 relief funding which details the extent of the rot surrounding PPE tender procurement processes. 

Covid-19 wrap | Rapid Covid tests, Australia recession and vaccine battle heats up

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis.

Russia reports nearly 5 000 new coronavirus cases

Russia reported 4 952 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, pushing its national tally to 1 005 000, the fourth largest in the world.

Authorities said 115 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 17 414.

- REUTERS

Coronavirus morning update: SA's Covid contact-tracing app, and latest on universities

SA now has an official government contact-tracing app for the coronavirus; and universities gear up to welcome more students on campus - but many continue with online classes.

WATCH | Tracking the pandemic: News24 launches Covid-19 dashboard

News24 has launched its Covid-19 dashboard, a single-page resource to provide readers with the most up-to-date coronavirus data and insights, on mobile and desktop.

The Covid-19 death toll has hit 14 263, while the number of cases now sits at 628 259 

 The total number of recoveries is now 549 993  - a recovery rate of 87%.

Here’s what made the headlines on Tuesday

The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has extended its condolences to to the family and friends and colleagues of two SABC employees who recently died as a result of Covid-19. On Sunday it was announced that SABC assignments editor Tumelo Matloha and a logistics manager Michael Conradie had died. In May, eNCA cameraman Lungile Tom died in hospital on after testing positive for Covid-19.

Gauteng Premier David Makhura has come out strongly against corruption . Speaking during a virtual sitting, Makhura said people who are public officials and those in business must be held accountable. He said the Covid-19 tender corruption had set the province back six years, adding that the province hadn’t experienced corruption on as large a scale as the PPE tenders.

Meanwhile,The Gauteng health department unveiled a Covid-19 screening and testing station at a clinic in Soshanguve. The screening and testing station was made possible by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the department and BMW, which was aimed at assisting the province's response to the novel coronavirus, according to acting health MEC Jacob Mamabolo.

The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) has announced the reopening of  the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway.TMACC said they will be reopening their doors on Tuesday 1 September after they had closed their operations at the beginning of the national lockdown.

In other news, South Africa has an official government tracing app for the coronavirus . COVID alert SA is a tiny app available for Android and Apple phones. It uses Bluetooth to watch for other phones with the app installed, and keeps an anonymous record of everyone you have been in contact with over two weeks.

-Compiled by Nokuthula Khanyile

       

Covid-19 wrap: India gets half a million cases in just one week, Russia hits 1 million cases

Al Jazeera reports that India reported the largest number of new Covid-19 cases of any country in the past week, its nearly half a million new infections pushing the global tally up by 1%, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.

"South-East Asia has reported the largest week-on-week increase, largely due to increased case detections in India," the WHO said.

"India has reported nearly 500 000 new cases in the past seven days, a 9% increase compared to the previous seven days and the highest numbers of new cases globally."

Overall global new deaths in the past seven days fell by 3 percent% by 1.8 million.

The respiratory disease is also spreading in the Americas, which continue to account for more than half of reported cases and deaths worldwide, although there have been slight decreases in some areas, the WHO said in its latest update.

New Covid-19 testing and screening station unveiled in Soshanguve

The screening and testing station was made possible by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the department and BMW, which was aimed at assisting the province's response to the novel coronavirus, according to acting health MEC Jacob Mamabolo.

"Today we unveil a part of the hospital project that is being undertaken through the signed MOU," Mamabolo said.

"The temporary screening facility at the Soshanguve Clinic is but yet another milestone in our journey to improve the quality of services we render to communities.

"Mamabolo said that it was important to acknowledge that the department's partnership with BMW to strengthen the province's response to the spread of the pandemic in Gauteng.

Covid-19 wrap | Mass testing in Hong Kong, Canada investigates acai berry

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis. 

UCT participating in three international Covid-19 vaccine trials

SA has been consolidating its place in the race towards a Covid-19 vaccine, with its involvement in three international clinical trials.

Germany 'can and will' avoid second coronavirus lockdown: minister

Germany can avoid imposing a second lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic, the economy minister said Tuesday, voicing confidence that measures in place to limit transmission can keep case numbers under control.

"I am convinced that we can and will prevent a second general shutdown," Peter Altmaier said.

- AFP

Spain is Europe's latest coronavirus hotspot and cases are spreading faster than in the US

Spain recorded more than 53 000 new Covid-19 cases in the last week, per The New York Times.

Adjusted for population, that figure means the virus is spreading there faster than in the US, and at more than twice the rate of neighbouring France.

Philippines confirms 3 483 more coronavirus cases, 39 deaths

The Philippines' health ministry on Tuesday reported 3 483 additional novel coronavirus infections and 39 more deaths.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed infections had reached 224 264, more than half of which were reported in the past 30 days, while deaths had increased to 3 597.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday kept partial restrictions in and around the capital for another month until end-September to stem the continuous rise in infections.

- REUTERS

Tightening of Irish Covid-19 curbs appears to be working, says health official

A significant tightening of Covid-19 restrictions in Ireland two weeks ago appears to be working, a senior health official said on Tuesday."It's early to say, but we would be optimistic.

We have had a stable daily case count now since Aug. 19," Philip Nolan, Chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, told national broadcaster RTE.

"It needs to be lower, to be honest with you. I wouldn't want to be hit with another event (outbreak) from a baseline of 100 cases per day... (But) I do think it is working."

- REUTERS

Coronavirus morning update: Pensioner allegedly steals R4.7m in Covid money, and schools latest 

Pensioner arrested for allegedly stealing R4.7m Covid-19 relief money; and the next two weeks will be used to monitor where there is a need to employ additional teachers.

South africa has 627 041 recorded cases of coronavirus and 14 149 deaths.

The recovery rate stands at 540 923 or 86%

The World Health Organization called on countries to persevere with restrictions to tackle Covid-19, director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday, saying opening up without control of the virus would be a "recipe for disaster".

Tedros recognised that many people are getting tired of restrictions and want to return to normality after eight months of the new coronavirus.

"We want to see children returning to school and people returning to work places, but we want to see it done safely," Tedros told a news conference.

"No country can just pretend the pandemic is over," he said.

"The reality is this virus spreads easily. Opening up without control is a recipe for disaster."

-Reuters

Schools reopening: Need for more teachers will be clear after two weeks, says Motshekga

The basic education department says it will use the next two weeks to monitor where there is a need to employ additional teachers, as all grades have now returned to schools. 

From Monday, grades 5 and 8, as well grades 4 and 5 at schools for pupils with severe intellectual disabilities, returned to the classroom.

Cops crash lockdown party: 44 arrested, fined R500 each in KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal police have warned residents that contravening Covid-19 regulations will land you in hot water, this after 44 people were arrested over the weekend at a gathering in Winterton - making for an expensive party as fines were handed out.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker on Monday said residents should "refrain from hosting gatherings that are in contravention of the Disaster Management Act".

You can now get a Covid-19 antibody test for R230, with results in 24 hours

Three of South Africa’s leading private pathology labs are now offering Covid-19 antibody tests - after a lengthy approval delay by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).

The recently-approved antibody tests are significantly cheaper than the gold-standard of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, which tests for active infections. 

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 25.28 million, death toll at 845 850

More than 25.28 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 845 850 have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. 

-REUTERS

Paris to make free Covid tests available in the capital

The Paris local municipality said on Monday that it would look to make free Covid-19 testing available in all of the capital's 20 districts (arrondissements), as authorities battle against signs of a re-emergence of the virus in France.

The Paris mayor's office added in a statement that from Monday onwards, there would be three permanent laboratories set up to conduct free Covid-19 tests, as well as two other mobile laboratories that would go around the capital.

- REUTERS

Covid-19: UK parents take to homeschooling as answer to coronavirus fears

As schools start making preparations to welcome back students amid the coronavirus pandemic, a growing number of parents are taking matters into their own hands and are choosing to homeschool instead.

Walmart loaned Makro, Game owner R4 billion during lockdown – report

At the height of SA’s lockdown, the US giant Walmart provided a R4bn loan to Massmart – owner of Makro, Game and Builders Warehouse - to help it survive the crisis.

Russia's coronavirus cases approach 1 million

Russia reported 4,993 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, bringing its nationwide tally to 995 319, the fourth largest caseload in the world.

Russia's coronavirus taskforce said 83 people had died over the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 17 176.

- REUTERS