LIVE | Covid-19 in SA: Death toll at 15 992 as cases climb to 661 936

39 more Covid-19 deaths

39 new deaths take SA's Covid-19 fatalities to 15 992. New infections are up by 725, taking the number of cases to 661 936.

The number of recoveries sits at 591 208 - a recovery rate of 89.3%.

Coronavirus morning recap: See how Covid-19 infects, repurposed vaccine, and damage to the brain

Recap of the latest coronavirus research, science, and news: Images of how Covid infects the lungs; repurposed measles vaccine trial; and how the brain is affected.

LATEST SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

The lungs are the organs most commonly affected by Covid-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, and researchers from the UNC School of Medicine have published striking images of cells infected by the virus.

The high-powered microscopic images generated by Dr Camille Ehre from UNC (done in collaboration with two other researchers), show high SARS-CoV-2 viral loads on human respiratory surfaces, ready to spread infection in infected individuals and transmit infection to others.

The images were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In a laboratory setting, the researchers inoculated the SARS-CoV-2 virus into human bronchial epithelial cells. Using scanning electron microscopy, they examined the cells 96 hours later.

UK faces 'soaring' rise in deaths, Uganda opens borders after 6 months - International Covid-19 news

Britain will face an exponentially growing death rate from Covid-19 within weeks unless urgent action is taken to halt a rapidly spreading second wave of the outbreak, the country's senior medics said.

Reuters reports on a new study that analyzed the coronavirus outbreak in Brazil has found a link between the spread of the virus and past outbreaks of dengue fever that suggests exposure to the mosquito-transmitted illness may provide some level of immunity against Covid-19. 

More than 240 asylum seekers at a new temporary camp on the Greek island of Lesbos are infected with the novel coronavirus, the public health agency said Monday. 

As in many other countries, the crisis has hit people in the pocket in Russia - some have lost jobs, others have seen their wages fall, and businesses have encountered difficulties.

Uganda has reopened to international visitors bearing a negative Covid-19 certificate, President Yoweri Museveni has said, six months after the country sealed its borders to contain the pandemic.   

Study suggests dengue may provide some immunity against Covid-19

A new study that analysed the Covid-19 outbreak in Brazil has found a link between the spread of the virus and past outbreaks of dengue fever that suggests exposure to the mosquito-transmitted illness may provide some level of immunity against Covid-19.

The not yet published study led by Miguel Nicolelis, a professor at Duke University, and shared exclusively with Reuters, compared the geographic distribution of coronavirus cases with the spread of dengue in 2019 and 2020.

Places with lower coronavirus infection rates and slower case growth were locations that had suffered intense dengue outbreaks this year or last, Nicolelis found.

"This striking finding raises the intriguing possibility of an immunological cross-reactivity between dengue's Flavivirus serotypes and SARS-CoV-2," the study said, referring to dengue virus antibodies and the novel coronavirus.

"If proven correct, this hypothesis could mean that dengue infection or immunization with an efficacious and safe dengue vaccine could produce some level of immunological protection" against the coronavirus, it added.

Nicolelis told Reuters the results are particularly interesting because previous studies have shown that people with dengue antibodies in their blood can test falsely positive for Covid-19 antibodies even if they have never been infected by the coronavirus.

"This indicates that there is an immunological interaction between two viruses that nobody could have expected, because the two viruses are from completely different families," Nicolelis said, adding that further studies are needed to prove the connection.

The study was being published ahead of peer review on the MedRxiv preprint server and will be submitted to a scientific journal.

It highlights a significant correlation between lower incidence, mortality and growth rate of Covid-19 in populations in Brazil where the levels of antibodies to dengue were higher.

Brazil has the world's third highest total of Covid-19 infections with more than 4.4 million cases - behind only the United States and India.

- Reuters 

European stocks tank on fears of second coronavirus wave

Europe's top equity markets tumbled by 3% on Monday, as investors fretted over mounting fears of a second wave of coronavirus and a lack of fresh central bank stimulus, dealers said.

The banking sector was also rocked by the findings of an international journalism investigation that claimed massive sums of allegedly dirty money have flowed for years through some of the world's largest banking institutions.

In late morning deals, London stocks dived by 3.0% after Health Minister Matt Hancock warned Britain's coronavirus crisis was at a "tipping point", fueling expectations of more restrictions aimed at curbing Covid-19.

In midday eurozone trade, Frankfurt and Paris had each shed 3.0%, Milan dropped by 3.3%, and Madrid sank by 3.5% after a partial virus lockdown began in the Spanish capital's densely-populated south.

The European single currency was pushed under $1.18 as dealers sought the traditional safety of the dollar, while oil prices shed almost 2.0 percent on weak energy demand concerns.

Travel stocks again face severe turbulence amid the rising fears over new restrictions - with British Airways owner International Airlines Group the top FTSE 100 faller.

IAG stock spiralled 14.2% lower to stand at 94.82 pence and no-frills rival EasyJet lost 9.3% to 489.70 pence.

Most Asian bourses also fell following a disappointing performance Friday on Wall Street, on growing alarm over an uptick in coronavirus infections in Europe and the United States - as well as the lack of movement in Washington on a new stimulus.

Britain's government, noting hospitalisation rates are doubling every eight days, said fresh restrictions could be put in place across England, with several cities already seeing some measures.

France has seen fatalities creep back up, and a million people in and around Madrid were under new "stay-at-home" orders.

Shares in major banks dived after Buzzfeed News and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published findings over dirty money allegedly flowing through institutions.

- AFP

Ghana's football is back, but borders still closed, says president

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on Sunday announced the return of professional football as part of a loosening of restrictions following a fall in the number of coronavirus cases.

But the West African country's land and sea borders remain closed, and its beaches, bars, cinemas and night clubs will also stay shut for the time being, he said in a televised address.

"Now more than ever, we must be even more disciplined in our adherence to the personal hygiene, mask wearing and social distancing measures that have become part of our daily routines," he warned.

The loosening of restrictions means training in contact sports can resume, while Premier League and Division One football will resume on October 30, he said. Players and support staff will be regularly tested, he added.

But the wearing of masks will remain mandatory until 14 December.

- AFP

Covid-19 wrap | Taj Mahal reopens in India, US to surpass grim milestone of 200 000 virus deaths

Here are the latest coronavirus global updates

Near normal Christmas depends on controlling Covid now, UK health minister says

Britain needs to control the coronavirus now in order for Christmas to be as normal as possible, health minister Matt Hancock said on Monday.

"The more we can control the virus now and stop the spread now, the easier it's going to be to have a Christmas that's as close to normal as possible," he said during an interview on ITV.

"I really hope we can get there."

"If this runs out of control now, we'll have to take heavier measures in the future," he said.

- Reuters

UK chief scientific adviser warns: As Covid-19 spreads, deaths will rise

There will be more hospitalisations and deaths as Covid-19 spreads, the British government's Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said on Monday.

"As it spreads across age groups we expect to see an increase in hospitalisations and unfortunately those increases in hospitalisations will lead to an increase in deaths."

- Reuters

Czech health minister resigning amid surge in Covid-19 cases

Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on Monday he had submitted his resignation following criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic as the central European country sees a surge in cases.

- Reuters

Repurposed measles vaccine trials to fight Covid-19 set to kick off in SA - report

An international trial which will test whether a measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine will protect frontline healthcare workers from Covid-19 is set to kick off in South Africa, according to a report in Business Day on Monday.

Nehawu set to protest outside Union Buildings for frontline workers

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union's (Nehawu) NECis set to protest outside the Union Buildings on Monday to get President CyrilRamaphosa to respond "adequately and positively" to their demands,detailed in a memorandum submitted earlier this month.

New Zealand to ease coronavirus restrictions in Auckland, rest of country

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the coronavirus restrictions in its biggest city Auckland will be eased, while all restrictions will be lifted in the rest of the country.

Auckland will move to alert level 2 from Thursday, Ardern said at a news conference on Monday, which will limit gatherings to 100 people.

The rest of the country will move to level 1 from midnight on Monday, she said.

- Reuters

Taj Mahal to reopen after 6 months as India Covid-19 cases soar

The Taj Mahal is set to reopen to visitors after a six-month closure, even as the pandemic has accelerated in recent weeks with India set to overtake the US to become the nation worst-hit by Covid-19.

India, home to 1.3 billion people and some of the world's most crowded cities, has recorded more than 5.4 million Covid-19 cases, with approximately 100 000 new infections and more than 1 000 deaths recorded daily in the past several weeks.

The 17th-century white marble mausoleum built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the city of Agra, about 200km from the capital, New Delhi, is India's most popular tourist site. It usually draws seven million visitors a year but has been closed since March.

- AFP

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 30.78 million, death toll at 954 843

More than 30.78 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 954 843 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

Wearing glasses may help protect you from the coronavirus

Needing glasses to go about your daily life can be a minor annoyance, but the frames may have an added bonus during the pandemic, a small study in JAMA Ophthalmology suggests.

Coronavirus research recap: Role of bacteria, substance abuse risks, and factor V

Recap of the latest coronavirus research and science: The interaction between Covid-19 and bacteria; the risk for people with substance use disorders; and what is factor V?

LATEST SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

Previous research has established that people with obesity and diabetes are more at risk for severe Covid-19 and a possibly fatal outcome.

Now, a new article published in eLife points towards the interaction of the body’s microbiota with Covid-19 in the lungs as a potential reason.

The researchers looked extensively at the mechanisms that link Covid-19, obesity and diabetes and cause those groups of people to experience more severe symptoms, often requiring hospitalisation and breathing assistance.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

England imposes up to $13 000 fine for breaking Covid-19 rules

People in England who refuse to self-isolate to stop the spread of coronavirus could face fines of up to 10 000 British pounds ($13 000) under tough new regulations announced to tackle a surge in cases.

The rules will apply from 28 September to anyone in England who tests positive for the virus or is notified by public health workers that they have been in contact with someone infectious.

"People who choose to ignore the rules will face significant fines," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement on Saturday.

Fines will start at 1 000 pounds ($1 300) for a first offence, rising to 10 000 pounds for repeat offenders or cases where employers threaten to sack staff who self-isolate rather than go to work.

Some low-income workers who suffer a loss of earnings will receive a 500-pound ($650) support payment on top of other benefits, such as sick pay, to which they may be entitled.

"While most people are doing their absolute level best to comply with the rules, I don't want to see a situation where people don't feel they are financially able to self-isolate," Johnson said.

Currently, people who have symptoms or test positive are asked to self-isolate for 10 days. Those who live with someone who either has symptoms or tests positive must self-isolate for 14 days.

Second wave 'inevitable'

Almost 42 000 people have died of coronavirus in Britain, the worst death toll from the pandemic in Europe.

After a summer lull, cases are rising rapidly again and Johnson warned on Friday of a second wave.

"We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe - it has been absolutely, I'm afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country," he said.

New rules limiting social gatherings to six people from different households came into effect this week, and local measures have been introduced across the country.

However, Johnson has expressed his reluctance to introduce another nationwide lockdown and some of his Conservative MPs are increasingly vocal in condemning current restrictions.

In London on Saturday, anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in Trafalgar Square. Police said 32 people were arrested.

- Aljazeera Europe

South Africa has recorded 83 more Covid-19-related deaths, taking the number of total fatalities to 15 940, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.

"Regrettably, we report 83 more COVID-19 related deaths: 4 from Eastern Cape 52 from KwaZulu-Natal, 5 from Gauteng, 4 from Western Cape and 18 from Limpopo," he said in a statement on Saturday night.

The cumulative number of detected cases is 659 656, with 2 029 new cases identified.

The cumulative number of tests conducted to date is 4 024 659, with 21 069 new tests conducted since the last report.

Recoveries now stand at 589 434 , which translates to a recovery rate of 89.4%

As of today, the total number of confirmed #COVID19 cases is 659 656, the total number of deaths is 15 940 and the total number of recoveries is 589 434. pic.twitter.com/AS8k0tzXvi

— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) September 19, 2020

Latest on coronavirus: Moderna on track to produce 20 million doses of experimental vaccine

Moderna Inc said it was on track to produce 20 million doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, while maintaining its goal of readying 500 million to 1 billion doses in 2021.

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 30.55 million, death toll at 951 051

More than 30.55 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 951 051 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.

Latest on the worldwide spread of coronavirus

European countries from Denmark to Greece have announced new restrictions to curb surging coronavirus infections in some of their largest cities, while Britain is considering new measures to tackle an "inevitable" second wave of Covid-19.

Britain is likely to need to reintroduce some national coronavirus lockdown measures sooner rather than later, a former senior government health advisor said on Saturday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he did not want another national lockdown but that new restrictions may be needed because the country was facing an "inevitable" second wave of Covid-19.

Russia reported 6 065 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the first time the daily tally has been higher than 6 000 in two months. The national tally of infections rose to 1 097 251.

The regional government of the Spanish capital Madrid ordered a lockdown from Monday in some of the poorer areas of the city and its outskirts that are home to about 850 000 people.

The Irish government announced strict new Covid-19 restrictions for the capital Dublin, banning indoor restaurant dining and advising against all non-essential travel.

Victoria, the Australian state at the centre of the country's coronavirus outbreak, on Saturday reported its lowest daily increase of infections in three months, putting it on course to relax a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne by the end of the month.

India's parliament session that began this week is likely to be cut short after 30 lawmakers were found infected with the coronavirus, two senior parliament officials said, as the number of cases in the country rose to 5.3 million.

The Philippines' health ministry on Saturday reported 3 962 new coronavirus infections and 100 additional deaths, with both numbers the highest in five days. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided to retain the 1 metre social distance requirement on public transport to reduce coronavirus infections, rejecting moves to reduce it to 30 centimetres, his spokesperson said.

New leader of Canada's main opposition Conservative Party, Erin O'Toole, tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, the party said in a statement.

President Donald Trump said on Friday he expects to have available enough doses of a coronavirus vaccine for every American by April.

The Trump administration reversed guidance on Covid-19 testing for a second time, urging those exposed to people with the virus to get tested even if they are not displaying symptoms.

Morocco signed a deal with Russia's R-Pharm to buy a Covid-19 vaccine produced under a licence from Britain’s AstraZeneca, the health ministry said, as its total number of cases approached 100 000.

Israel entered a second nationwide lockdown at the onset of the Jewish high-holiday season, forcing residents to stay mostly at home amid a resurgence in new coronavirus cases.

Moderna Inc said it was on track to produce 20 million doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, while maintaining its goal of readying 500 million to 1 billion doses in 2021.

Global equity markets slid as investors sought direction after this week's US Federal Reserve meeting and a jump in coronavirus cases in Europe rattled sentiment, while gold rose and safe-haven buying lifted the Japanese yen.

Hungary's economy could grow by 4% to 5% next year if a coronavirus vaccine is available in the second quarter but that was an optimistic scenario, Finance Minister Mihaly Varga said in an interview published on Saturday.

Professional rugby in Ireland could cease to exist if supporters cannot return to stadiums in large numbers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, IRFU chief Philip Browne has said.

More than 30.35 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 947 400 have died, according to a Reuters tally. 

A week in Covid-19: infections rise, notably in Europe

After stabilising, the pandemic has strongly picked up pace this week, with 286 000 new cases recorded on average per day throughout the world, an increase of eight percent over the previous seven-day period.

In line with the past few weeks, the rate of infections is increasing the most in Europe, by 16 percent compared to the previous week. The number of new daily cases has tripled in Europe since early July, with 47 300 this week, compared with 15 000.

South Africa has recorded 85 more Covid-19-related deaths, taking the number of total fatalities to 15 857, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.

"Regrettably, we report 85 more Covid-19 related deaths: 5 from Eastern Cape 9 from KwaZulu-Natal, 62 from Gauteng, 7 from Western Cape and 2 from Northern Cape," he said in a statement on Friday night.

The cumulative number of detected cases is 657 627, with 2 055 new cases identified.

The cumulative number of tests conducted to date is 4 003 590, with 20 057 new tests conducted since the last report.

Recoveries now stand at 586 844, which translates to a recovery rate of 89.2%

As of today, the total number of confirmed #COVID19 cases is 657 627, the total number of deaths is 15 857 and the total number of recoveries is 586 844. pic.twitter.com/phhiTGf212

— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) September 18, 2020

SA could return to tighter restrictions if cases rise, warns Dlamini-Zuma

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has warned that South Africa could go back to tighter lock down restrictions if Covid-19 cases rise, following the relaxation of lockdown to Level 1.

Dlamini-Zuma was briefing media on Covid-19 Level 1 regulations on Friday following president Ramaphosa's speech on Wednesday.

SA could return to tighter restrictions if cases rise, warns Dlamini-Zuma

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has warned that South Africa could go back to tighter lock down restrictions if Covid-19 cases rise, following the relaxation of lockdown to Level 1.

Dlamini-Zuma was briefing media on Covid-19 Level 1 regulations on Friday following president Ramaphosa's speech on Wednesday.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is set to resume by-elections, and plans to clear the backlog of all outstanding polls on 11 November 2020.

In a statement issued on Friday, the commission said the scheduling of by-elections follows consultations with Cogta Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as well as represented political parties via a special National Party Liaison Committee meeting held on Thursday.

"By-elections have not been held since March 2020 following the declaration of a National State of Disaster and the imposition of the lockdown restrictions intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus," it said.

Russia approves first Covid-19 prescription drug for sale in pharmacies

Russia has approved R-Pharm's Coronavir treatment for outpatients with mild to moderate Covid-19 infections and the antiviral drug could be rolled out to pharmacies in the country as soon as next week, the company said on Friday.

Coronavir's approval as a prescription drug follows the green light for another Russian Covid-19 drug, Avifavir, in May. Both are based on favipiravir, which was developed in Japan and is widely used there as the basis for viral treatments.

The briefing concludes.

Dlamini-Zuma responds on the "logic of a curfew". 

Dlamini-Zuma: "One, as I said, we still have 2 000 or more new cases a day. And we know that if people have been sitting in a tavern, or even in a restaurant, you don't want people to sit there for hours and hours and hours. People, once they start drinking, getting drunk, they forget the mask, they forget social distancing - it becomes chaos. So you don't want that chaos to continue right into the morning."

"So we want, at least, people to have a time frame where they know now they have to leave that venue and go home." 

"If there was no longer high numbers - 2 000 is actually a high number - some of the countries that we see now which have gone back to 10 000, they were down to a few hundreds. And they thought everything was okay, they opened wide, and now they are up. Some of them, they had their maximum at eight-something, now they are beyond 10 000 in the next phase."

Dlamini-Zuma emphasises that people need to understand "we are not out of the woods".

Dlamini-Zuma on the questions around liquor stores: "You'll recall that at some stage when the liquor was opened 24 hours and there were no restrictions, the numbers went up and the hospitals were under pressure."

"Now the hospitals are not so much under pressure. So, you can see that even the liquor is being opened gradually. You saw at Level 2 it was Monday to Thursday, but now it's Monday to Friday, because the government is trying to just be cautious as it moves forward."

"Before, the curfew was 10pm, which means places, restaurants and taverns and so on, could not be opened longer, because they had to be home by 10. But now, it has increased. They have to be home by midnight."

"So you can see, it's a gradual opening, so that we don't do it in a bang and find that there are unforeseen problems like we have learnt in the past."

Dlamini-Zuma says the relevant ministers have yet to meet and discuss exactly which countries will excluded from international travel. "It is not a static list, it is a list which will be changing all the time," says Dlamini-Zuma. These countries will however be determined before international travel is officially allowed again.

Questions are now being fielded. A number of the questions revolve around the restrictions on alcohol sales which still remain in place, and the question is asked whether we are ready to transition to Level 1 or not, and if so, then why do these restrictions around alcohol sales still persist? 

Currently, liquor stores are only allowed to trade during the week, and not over weekends.

Dlamini-Zuma wraps up, and now repeats everything she said about the lockdown regulations in isiZulu.

Sports spectators are still not allowed. International sport is still not allowed, says Dlamini-Zuma.

Dlamini-Zuma recalls the progress made that led the country to transition from Level 3 to Level 2 lockdown. 

Dlamini-Zuma: "As of yesterday, we were at 655 572 total cases. Now you can see that we are moving slowly, not as fast as we were before."

Dlamini-Zuma sends her condolences to those who have lost their lives as a result of Covid-19. 

Dlamini-Zuma: "We have recorded a consistent decline of infections for the past six weeks, and this means, slowly we are departing from the eye of the storm of Covid-19. As the president announced, we have to ease a lot of restrictions and increase economic activity."