Widespread Covid-19 vaccinations not expected until mid-2021 - WHO

The World Health Organisation does not expect widespread vaccinations against Covid-19 until the middle of next year, a spokesperson had said.

Mining companies brace for second wave of coronavirus infections

A total of 161 mine workers had so far died from Covid-19, and health officials earlier predicted that the country might be hit by another peak around September.

Covid-19 wrap | UK coronavirus quarantine 'confusion', New Zealand mourns new death

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis.

Coronavirus morning update: WC govt calls for economy to open up further, and PPE shortage concerns

The Western Cape Premier Alan Winde wants the economy to open up even further,; and "concerns" with the availability of adequate PPE for medical personnel.

The Covid-19 death toll has hit 14 563, while the number of cases now sits at 633 015.

 The total number of recoveries is now 554 887 - a recovery rate of 88%.

 Here’s what made the headlines on Thursday

Researchers monitoring weekly deaths have reported that just a week into lockdown Level 2 and the lifting of the alcohol ban, unnatural deaths have increased sharply. The latest sharp increase has taken unnatural deaths above the predicted number for only the third time since lockdown began after a significant decline during lockdown Level 5.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has admitted there were some concerns with the availability of adequate PPE for medical personnel. He said the concerns with the availability of PPE have been found in a number of areas.

  Meanwhile, a new poll by research firm Ipos says that 64% of South Africans would agree to getting a Covid-19 vaccine should it be available soon. The poll surveyed thousands of people across the world to learn about global attitudes toward Covid-19 vaccine.

  The Western Cape government says it wants to open up the economy further after latest statistics show the epidemic is declining in the province. Provincial authorities said significant Covid-19 surveillance would remain in place for the next 18 to 24 months.

In other news, Media group Caxton said it expects the Covid-19 lockdown to weigh heavily on its earnings .The media group issued a trading statement after markets closed warning that headline earnings for the year could decrease more than 80%.

 -Compiled by Nokuthula Khanyile    

Covid-19 wrap: Virus reemerges in Thailand, WHO plans vaccine jab for 20% of Africa

AFP reports that a Thai DJ sentenced last week to two years in prison has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Thursday, ending the kingdom's 100-day run without a local transmission.

The man, sentenced on 26 August for what local media said was a drugs offence, had been in contact with at least 30 other people before testing positive on Wednesday.

Those tested so far have all been negative, officials said.

"It is a local transmission after we have passed 100 days," said Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director general of Thailand's Disease Control Department.

The man had worked as a DJ in different bars around Bangkok - including a venue in the tourist backpacker hotspot Khao San Road.

WHO aiming for 20% of Africa to get initial Covid-19 jabs from access plan Reuters reports that the World Health Organisation wants to secure an initial 230 million doses of any Covid-19 vaccine for Africa, officials said Thursday, while emphasising that any vaccine in development should also be tested on the continent.

South Korea scrambles to add hospital beds as Covid-19 resurgence strains system

South Korea has 511 critical-care beds, mostly at public hospitals in Seoul and surrounding regions, but many of those are being used by less serious cases or patients suffering from other ailments.

As of Thursday, 154 Covid-19 patients were in serious or critical condition, up from 123 on a day before.

The country had just 12 such cases before the second wave began to intensify two weeks ago, stemming from an outbreak among members of a church who attended a political rally.

South Korea was caught unprepared for the resurgence despite its relatively successful response to the initial epidemic, said Choi Jae-wook, a senior member of the Korean Medical Association. 

Covid-19 wrap | Coronavirus hits Europe, India reports record daily jump

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis.

Sharp rise in unnatural deaths a week into lockdown Level 2 and lifting of alcohol ban

Mortality statistics show a sharp increase in unnatural deaths just a week into lockdown Level 2 and the lifting of the ban on alcohol sales. A significant majority of unnatural deaths are the result of road accidents and murders.

Amid 'rampant looting' in PPE procurement, Mkhize admits 'concerns' about PPE shortages for medics

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize admitted there were some "concerns" with the availability of adequate PPE for medical personnel. 

Coronavirus morning update: Damning findings on Covid relief funding, and new rules for gyms

An auditor-general report reveals clear signs of overpricing, unfair processes, and potential fraud in PPE tenders; and there are new rules for going to the gym.

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.