LIVE | SA records 708 359 coronavirus cases and 18 741 deaths

Latest Covid-19 numbers: 18 741 deaths, 708 359 cases and a 90% recovery rate

South Africa recorded 85 more Covid-19-related deaths by Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 18 741.

The cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 708 359, with 2 055 new cases reported in the past 24 hours.

Of the 85 deaths new fatalities reported, eight occurred in the past 48 hours.

Japan researchers show masks do block coronavirus, but not perfectly

TOKYO – Japanese researchers showed that masks can offer protection from airborne coronavirus particles, but even professional-grade coverings can't eliminate contagion risk entirely.

Scientists at the University of Tokyo built a secure chamber with mannequin heads facing each other. One head, fitted with a nebulizer, simulated coughing and expelled actual coronavirus particles. The other mimicked natural breathing, with a collection chamber for viruses coming through the airway.

A cotton mask reduced viral uptake by the receiver head by up to 40% compared to no mask. An N95 mask, used by medical professionals, blocked up to 90%. However, even when the N95 was fitted to the face with tape, some virus particles still sneaked in.

When a mask was attached to the coughing head, cotton and surgical masks blocked more than 50% of the virus transmission.

"There was a synergistic effect when both the virus receiver and virus spreader wore masks," the researchers wrote in a study published on Wednesday.

There has been a growing consensus among health experts that the Covid-19 virus can be spread through the air. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its guidance this month to say the pathogen can linger in the air for hours.

A separate team of Japanese researchers used supercomputer simulations to show that humidity can have a significant effect on the airborne dispersion of virus particles.

 - REUTERS

Coronavirus morning recap: Mkhize concerned over risk of Covid resurgence; and the role of empathy

The health minister is concerned about the risk of a Covid-19 resurgence; and how to get mask and distancing rebels to conform – induce empathy.

LATEST SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

They say that empathy is at the heart of what it means to be human. In the findings of a new study, it could also save lives.

The study’s researchers, from Aarhus University, Denmark, have found that having empathy for vulnerable people at risk of Covid-19 (such as the elderly and those with comorbidities) means that we are more likely to maintain physical distancing and use face masks, ultimately helping to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

"We show that empathy for the most vulnerable is an important factor, and that it can be used actively to combat the pandemic,” said study co-author, Stefan Pfattheicher, an associate professor at the Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences at Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University.

2055 more coronavirus cases take SA's tally to 708 359.

With 85 new deaths the tally now is 18 741.

Recoveries now stand at 641 706 which translates to a recovery rate of 90%.

Covid-19 wrap | India to roll out paper test, US reports about 300 000 more deaths than expected

Nearly 300 000 more people have died in the United States in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic than would be expected based on historical trends, with at least two-thirds due to Covid-19, a government report released on Tuesday showed.

Quarantined fishermen drive New Zealand virus spike

A coronavirus outbreak among hundreds of Russian and Ukrainian fishermen flown to New Zealand to bolster its struggling deep-sea fishing industry has prompted that country's largest daily increase in infections in months, authorities said Wednesday.

Over 230 fishermen were flown in from Moscow last week, with 18 of the crew members then testing positive for Covid-19 while in quarantine, New Zealand's director-general of health Ashley Bloomfield said.

The Pacific nation has almost eliminated local transmission of the virus, but regularly records small numbers of new cases in returned travellers.

The fishing cluster pushed the daily tally of new infections to 25, the highest level since April sparking concern among officials in prime minister Jacinda Ardern's recently reelected government.

New Zealand has recorded over 1 500 cases and 25 deaths in a population of almost five million and has been widely praised for its handling of the pandemic.

Health officials said two new cases had also been linked to a port worker, who may have come into contact with a vessel now docked off Australia's east coast.

Broad travel bans remain in place in New Zealand and those granted exemptions - including the fishermen, who were classified as essential workers - are forced to quarantine for 14 days.

Bloomfield said the new cases highlighted the threat of overseas arrivals.

"We cannot afford to be complacent, we are not being complacent at the border," Bloomfield told media.

The maritime sector has also come under scrutiny in Australia, where dozens of crew members from a cattle ship docked off Australia's west coast tested positive for the virus.

"It is becoming clear that ships arriving with Covid-19 on board is one of the weakest links and the biggest risk to our way of life in Western Australia," Western Australia premier Mark McGowan said Tuesday.

Australia has recorded over 27 400 cases and 905 deaths in a population of 25 million.

AFP

New Zealand reports two new community coronavirus cases, 23 imported

New Zealand reported two new cases of COVID-19 in the community linked to a port worker who tested positive over the weekend, and 23 imported cases.

Most of the imported cases are linked to a group of Russian and Ukrainian fishermen who were staying at a managed isolation facility in Christchurch, the Director General of health, Ashley Bloomfield, said.

This takes New Zealand's total confirmed cases to 1 556, he said.

Reuters

UK researchers aim to infect volunteers to study Covid exposure 

British researchers hope to expose healthy volunteers to the virus that causes Covid-19 in a groundbreaking study to discover the amount needed for people to become infected.

British researchers on Tuesday said they hope to expose healthy volunteers to the virus that causes Covid-19 in a groundbreaking study to discover the amount needed for people to become infected.

The Human Challenge Programme - a partnership that includes Imperial College London - hopes the work will ultimately help to "reduce the spread of the coronavirus, mitigate its impact and reduce deaths".

In what researchers called a world first, the opening stage of the project will examine the possibility of exposing healthy volunteers to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

They aim to recruit volunteers between the ages of 18 and 30 with no underlying health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or obesity.

A simulation of Covid-19 spread in a classroom found kids in the back corners were safest - here's why.

 - In a classroom model of coronavirus spread, the back corners of the room were safest from aerosol particles.

 - The combination of open windows and air conditioning removed about 69% of aerosol particles from the classroom.

 - Glass shields installed at desks, when combined with distancing, also helped reduce particle transmission.

Covid-19: How to get mask and distancing rebels to conform – induce empathy

People are more likely to follow Covid-19 safety protocols if they’re confronted with the knowledge of those at risk of contracting the virus, say researchers. 

They say that empathy is at the heart of what it means to be human. In the findings of a new study, it could also save lives.

The study’s researchers, from Aarhus University, Denmark, have found that having empathy for vulnerable people at risk of Covid-19 (such as the elderly and those with comorbidities) means that we are more likely to maintain physical distancing and use face masks, ultimately helping to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

"We show that empathy for the most vulnerable is an important factor, and that it can be used actively to combat the pandemic,” said study co-author, Stefan Pfattheicher, an associate professor at the Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences at Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University.

ICYMI

SA records 164 new Covid-19-related deaths, taking the toll to 18 656

The country has recorded 164 new Covid-19-related deaths, taking the toll to 18 656.

Of the 164 deaths, 46 occurred in the Eastern Cape, 41 in the Free State and 52 in Gauteng. There was one death in Mpumalanga, two in the Northern Cape, eight in the Western Cape, nine in KwaZulu-Natal and five in Limpopo.

The number of positive Covid-19 cases across the country increased by 1 050, bringing the cumulative number to 706 304.

India's coronavirus tally climbs to 7.65 million

MUMBAI – India has recorded 54 044 new coronavirus infections, taking its tally to 7.65 million, health ministry data showed on Wednesday.

The world's second most populous nation also has the second highest caseload, after the United States, which has a total of 8.2 million.

India's death toll from the virus stood at 115 914, with 717 deaths in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.

Infections in India have been on the decline since a September peak, but experts have warned there could be a surge as the festival season approaches.

 - REUTERS

ICYMI

Covid-19 is costing hotels billions in business travel, and things might not go back to normal until 2024 

 - A new Bank of America analysis found that business trips produced $334 billion in revenue in 2019 and won't rebound until "late 2023 or in 2024".

 - Other experts like travel managers and airline executives don't expect corporate travel to recover for years either.

 - One hotelier has essentially written off the potential return of corporate travel, going as far as to modify his hotels to appeal to leisure travelers rather than business travellers.

ICYMI

Scrap Covid-19 travel 'red list', urges Western Cape

 - The Western Cape government wants the Covid-19 travel "red list" to be scrapped to save the province's tourism and hospitality industries.

 - The "red list" is a list of countries SA considers at higher risk for the coronavirus.

 - The province's Finance MEC David Maynier says the "red list" is killing international tourism.

Coronavirus morning recap: Test swab stuck in woman’s lung, and Covid corruption latest

Doctors found a snapped coronavirus test swab inside the lung of a 51-year-old patient; and Hawks to make more arrests this week amid Covid-19 corruption.

The virus has claimed 1 119 590 lives worldwide since it first emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally Tuesday, based on official sources.

At least 40 416 801 cases have been registered across the globe.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 220 134 deaths, followed by Brazil with 154 176, India with 115 197, Mexico with 86 338 and Britain with 43 726.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will impose tougher coronavirus restrictions on the northern English city of Manchester, pulling rank after a standoff with the local mayor who bitterly opposed the move without extra cash.

Johnson says the city region of around 2.8 million residents will enter the highest risk category from Friday.

Many pubs, bars, casinos and other venues will be closed for four weeks and residents will be barred from meeting anybody outside their household indoors.

Spain to receive 31.6 million doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Spain would receive 31.6 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine currently being developed by Britain's pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca between December and June if it is ready, Health Minister Salvador Illa said on Tuesday.

The supply of the potential vaccine makes part of a European Union scheme, Illa told a news conference following the weekly cabinet meeting.

Illa also said tough restrictive measures to bring a surge of coronavirus infections under control will be imposed in Madrid for three weeks after the state of emergency in the region expires on 23 October.

Reuters

London Heathrow unveils rapid pre-flight virus tests

London's Heathrow airport on Tuesday began to roll out paid-for rapid coronavirus testing, with results in one hour, as it seeks to boost demand decimated by the deadly pandemic.

The LAMP saliva test, which does not have to be processed in a laboratory, will cost 80 ($102) per passenger and is available initially for passengers flying to Italy and Hong Kong from Terminals two and five.

The Covid-19 test will provide results more quickly than those used by Britain's state-run National Health Service, according to the Heathrow test providers - aviation services company Collinson and logistics firm Swissport.

Passengers will be asked to register online for the test before travelling to Heathrow, which is based west of the British capital.

Collinson and Swissport described the tests as a "critical step" in the aviation sector's recovery, "restoring traveller confidence and reopening routes from the UK to the rest of the world".

Italy and Hong Kong require passengers to provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test prior to departure, a statement added.

However the British government last week removed Italy from its travel corridor list, meaning travellers from the country have to quarantine on entering the UK.

Passengers arriving in Britain from Italy, San Marino and the Vatican State now have to self-isolate for 14 days, under new guidance that came into force Sunday.

Italy joined other major tourist destinations on the list, including France and Spain, as a second wave of coronavirus sweeps Europe and triggers stricter curbs on public life.

New British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle on Monday urged the UK government to end the quarantining of passengers arriving from abroad in order to boost tourism and kick-start economic growth.

AFP

Russia's daily coronavirus cases hit record high of 16 319

MOSCOW – Russia recorded a record high 16 319 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, including 4 999 in the capital Moscow, to take the national total to 1 431 635.

Authorities reported 269 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking Russia's official death toll to 24 635.

 - REUTERS

Covid-19: 30 Fort Hare students test positive after nights out at tavern and bash

 - Thirty students from the University of Fort Hare tested positive for Covid-19 after they went out for a night of drinks at a tavern in Quigney, and later attended a bash.

 - Students tested positive after alleged non-compliance to alert Level 1 regulations.

 - A residence with 134 beds at the Alice campus is being used as a quarantine and isolation site.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Covid-19 wrap: Madrid hospital 'swamped' with cases, Ireland first EU country to re-enter lockdown

 - Mexico City's mayor has warned tighter coronavirus curbs could come into effect later in the week as Covid-19 hospitalisations rise.

 - Residents of the Berchtesgadener Land district of Bavaria will not be able to leave their homes without a valid reason for two weeks from Tuesday.

 - Ireland will be the first EU country to return to coronavirus lockdown, but schools will stay open.

SA's Covid-19 cases increase to 705 254

The country has recorded another 1 461 Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number to 705 254.

It has also recorded 61 more deaths, taking the toll to 18 492.

Of these, 21 were in the Eastern Cape, 19 in the Free State and three in KwaZulu-Natal.

"Of the 61 deaths reported today, 11 were reported to have occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours: three in Gauteng, one in Mpumalanga and seven in the Western Cape," Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.

US, Europe still aren't quarantining correctly, WHO says

 - Quarantining people who've been exposed to sick patients is one of the most basic ways to end the spread of an infectious disease, like Covid-19.

 - But the WHO says proper quarantining is still not being done "systematically, anywhere" during this pandemic.

 - That's a problem, especially in Europe and the US, where cases and hospitalisations are on the rise again. 

 - Effective quarantining "means not going to work. It means not going to the grocery store. It means not socialising with friends. It means not having people over at your home," the WHO said. 

Some younger people get severe Covid-19 and scientists think they are close to finding out why

Researchers from the University of Bergen and their French colleagues suggest our antibodies may have something to do with it.

One of the lingering questions of the Covid-19 pandemic is why the disease, caused by SARS-CoV-2, appears to hit older people harder than young adults and children.

A new study suggests that one of the answers may have to do with our antibodies.

"We found that persons with serious Covid-19 disease have antibodies that are blocking so-called interferons, which are an important part of the body's defence mechanism," Professor Eystein Husebye from the Department of Clinical Science at the University of Bergen (UiB) in Norway said in a news release issued by the university.

Husebye conducted the study together with his French colleagues and their findings were published in the journal Science.

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'Bad math': Airlines' Covid-19 safety analysis challenged by expert

A campaign by coronavirus-stricken aviation giants to persuade the world it's safe to fly has been questioned by one of the scientists whose research it draws upon.

Dr David Freedman, a US infectious diseases specialist, said he declined to take part in a recent presentation by global airline body IATA with plane makers Airbus, Boeing and Embraer that cited his work.

While he welcomed some industry findings as "encouraging", Freedman said a key assertion about the improbability of catching Covid-19 on planes was based on "bad math".

Airlines and plane makers are anxious to restart international travel, even as a second wave of infections and restrictions take hold in many countries.

Coronavirus morning recap: Obesity, hearing loss, and SA's red list down to 22 countries

Risk of severe Covid-19 high for obese people, regardless of other factors; sudden hearing loss occurs in some patients; and SA’s red list just went from 60 to 22 countries.

South Africa now has 705 254 coronavirus virus cases after 1 461 new cases were reported on Monday.

61 more death were recorded bringing the total number of deaths to 18 492.

The recovery rate is at 90%.

Intensive care units (ICUs) at hospitals treating Covid-19 patients should do away with air-conditioning to limit the risk of infecting doctors, a study from a top Indian research institute has said.

Frontline health workers around the world have borne the brunt of the coronavirus crisis. More than 500 doctors have died from Covid-19 in India - the world's second-worst hit nation - as infections near 8 million, straining the country's weak and underfunded public health system.

SA’s red list just went from 60 to 22 countries – but US and UK tourists are still banned

 - The list of countries South Africa considers at high risk for the coronavirus – and from which tourists are banned – dropped from 60 to 22 on Monday. 

 - The new red list still includes India, the UK, and the USA.

 - Germany and Canada are among the seven countries newly listed.

 - Visitors from the remaining high-risk countries will now be welcome as long as they stay for three months or more, the department of home affairs says.

3 billion people could struggle to get a Covid-19 vaccine due to a lack of fridge storage space

 - Three billion people may be denied a Covid-19 vaccine when it's here because a number of countries don't have sufficient cold storage facilities, the Associated Press reported.

 - Most vaccines need to kept at between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, but the vaccine candidates from Moderna and Pfizer need temperatures of minus 15 and minus 70 Celsius respectively.

 - Parts of Central Asia, India, southeast Asia, Latin America, and "all but a tiny corner of Africa" are most in need of cold storage facilities, the AP reported.

 - A vaccine is yet to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, with a number of companies nearing the end of clinical trials.

 - Other parts of the vaccine supply chain, such as a shortage of glass vials, could also hamper a global inoculation drive.

Global coronavirus cases have hit 40 million, doubling since 10 August

 - Worldwide coronavirus cases hit 40 million on Monday. 

 - Large parts of the world are entering a second wave of the virus, and governments are scrambling to institute new lockdown measures. 

 - The US, India, and Brazil remain the hardest-hit countries with a combined count of nearly 21 million cases.

International Covid-19 wrap: Tougher restrictions for Wales and Manchester, 40 million cases worldwide

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide passed 40 million on Monday, according to an AFP tally.

 - About six million people in the United Kingdom face tougher Covid-19 lockdowns in coming days.

 - India’s tally of coronavirus infections stood at 7.55 million on Monday, having risen by 55 722 cases in the last 24 hours.

 - Austria is limiting gatherings to a maximum of six people indoors and 12 outside as they battle a steady rise in infections.

The Dutch king, queen cut short holiday after facing backlash for travelling amid a partial lockdown

 - The Netherlands' King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima returned home Saturday after cutting short a vacation in Greece.

 - "We see the reactions by people to reports in the media," the Dutch king and queen said in a statement on Friday from the Royal House of the Netherlands after the trip sparked widespread backlash.

 - The Dutch government imposed a partial lockdown on Wednesday that closed bars and restaurants and discourages unnecessary travel.

 - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte wrote that he "made the wrong assessment" about letting the royal couple travel, according to the BBC.