LIVE | 2 237 new Covid-19 cases brings SA's total to 749 182. The country's total death toll is now 20 206

Covid-19 Wrap: Virus curbs tighten in Europe as global deaths top 1.3 million

- New restrictions to curtail a second wave of coronavirus infections have been announced around the world.

- The pandemic cast a shadow over Diwali celebrations for hundreds of millions in India.

- Elon Musk has said he "most likely" has a moderate case of Covid-19.

On the 9 November, pharmaceutical developer Pfizer announced the most promising results from a Covid-19 vaccine trial to date, claiming that their vaccine appears to be over 90% effective in preventing viral infection.

This release is based on the preliminary results of trials taking place in over 40 000 people across six countries, including in South Africa.

With many countries across the world currently experiencing their second waves of Covid-19 cases, and governments cracking down with tighter restrictions amid growing resistance, this milestone breakthrough appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

However, access to vaccines is not a panacea.

In a country where only 82% of people believe vaccines are safe, government needs to work harder in the coming months to help citizens overcome any fears they have around vaccines, writes @crumpledboats.https://t.co/y22UwvlXDH

— News24 (@News24) November 14, 2020

Trust in vaccines vital to halting pandemic - WHO

As the world celebrates advances in vaccines against the novel coronavirus, a top WHO expert warned in an interview with AFP that public distrust risked rendering even the most effective treatments useless against the pandemic.

"A vaccine that sits in a freezer or in a refrigerator or on a shelf and doesn't get used is doing nothing to help shorten this pandemic," said Kate O'Brien, director of the World Health Organization's immunisation department.

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced Monday that their prospective vaccine had proven 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 infections in ongoing final phase trials involving more than 40 000 people.

O'Brien hailed the interim results as "extremely important", and voiced hope that preliminary data from a handful of other candidate vaccines in similarly advanced trials would come through soon.

Coronavirus global update | New York shuts schools, Lebanon locks down

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1 305 039 people since emerging in China late last year, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources at 11:00 GMT Saturday.

At least 53 438 640 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 34 324 500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases.

New York shuts schools

The US city worst hit by the first wave of the pandemic is closing schools from Monday after the infection rate spiked.

Bars and restaurants in "the city that never sleeps" have also been forced to close at 22:00. More than 23 000 New Yorkers died in the first wave.

Recently, Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu said, the "Cabinet is concerned that some South Africans are behaving recklessly as if Covid-19 no longer exists". I have absolutely no doubt of the truthfulness of this statement. However, we need to consider the reasons for this.

In my opinion, South Africans have bigger concerns plaguing them. Two of those that are uppermost on the minds of South Africans are crime and unemployment.

There may be other more pressing reasons why South Africans aren't that concerned about Covid-19, writes @wainwright_alan.https://t.co/HnjTaZBUtT

— News24 (@News24) November 14, 2020

Greece shuts down all schools as hospitals are overwhelmed

Greece announced on Saturday the closure of its primary schools, kindergartens and daycare centres amid a surge in coronavirus cases that has saturated the national health system.

"The Greek government decided the suspension of the functioning of schools until November 30," said a statement from Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias.

"Closing elementary schools was the last thing we wanted to do. This is a measure of how serious the situation is," he added.

- AFP

Covid-19-positive matrics in Gauteng to write exams under quarantine at Nasrec

Gauteng matrics who have tested positive for Covid-19 will now write their exams at Nasrec.

Czech Republic reports 7 357 new coronavirus cases, deaths rise by 171

The Czech Republic reported 7 357 new coronavirus cases for 13 November as daily infections continued to hold below recent peaks after weeks of tightened measures to combat the spread, Health Ministry data showed on Saturday.

The country of 10.7 million has faced one of Europe's highest infection rates of Covid-19.

Hospitals have been under heavy strain.

The ministry on Saturday reported 171 new deaths, including 104 on Friday and revisions to previous days, to bring the total to 5 926 - a 25% increase in the last week and a tenfold rise since 25 September.

- Reuters

South Africa has reported 2 213 new coronavirus cases bringing the total to 746 945.

With 77 more deaths the number of fatalities is now 20 153.

There are 692 177 which translates to a recovery rate of 92,7%.

Cold truth: South Africa won't be able to store Pfizer's Covid vaccine. Here's why

Making sure a potential Covid-19 vaccine gets to people who need it – and is effective once they get it - is a feat for which South Africa is ill-equipped, experts say.

Coronavirus morning recap: 'Hidden gene', SA's tracing app, and black market for Covid tests

"Hidden" gene discovered in Covid-19 virus; legal and ethical aspects of SA’s Covid-19 tracing app; and there's a global black market for negative Covid test results.

A total of 2 338 new coronavirus cases have been reported bringing the total infections to 744 732.

The total number of deaths are 20 076 after 65 fatalities have been reported.

"Our recoveries now stand at 690 903 which translates to a recovery rate of 92,7%" Zweli Mkize said in statement.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Covid-19 wrap: WHO chief says virus is 'not tired' and urges alert, Chinese vaccine trial to resume

 - The general public may be tired of the new coronavirus but should remain on high alert, the chief of the World Health Organisation said.

 - Brazil health regulator Anvisa on Wednesday allowed resumption of late-stage Brazilian clinical trials for China's Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine.

 - Delhi residents celebrate their biggest festival, Deepavali or Diwali, this weekend as capital reports 8 593 new Covid-19 infections.

Meet the married billionaire couple who helped create the Pfizer vaccine

 - A German couple is one of the driving forces behind Pfizer's historic coronavirus vaccine.

 - Dr. Ugur Sahin is the CEO and Dr. Özlem Türeci the chief medical officer of BioNTech, the company that created the vaccine in partnership with Pfizer.

 - The couple crossed the billionaire threshold in June, when BioNTech shares surged on news of its pact with Pfizer, and a recent surge off the positive vaccine news has made them worth nearly $4 billion.

 - The duo met while working at a university hospital in southwest Germany; they cofounded their first pharmaceutical company a year before getting married.

OPINION | Unpacking the legal and ethical aspects of South Africa’s Covid-19 track and trace app

Research models have found that the more people use these apps, the more transmission of the disease can be reduced and the more scope there is to ease quarantine measures.

The most effective way to stop the spread of a virus is to prevent contact with everyone who is infected. Those who are infected can be isolated and treated if necessary. To determine who they are, it’s necessary to actively look for and manage cases.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, emerging technologies are being repurposed to help trace whoever has been in contact with an infected person.

Some of these technologies, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, are not new. GPS has been used to find accident victims at precise geographic locations. Some of the uses of Wi-Fi are oxygen monitoring devices, smart beds, access to electronic medical records and real-time access to X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging scans.

Now, these tools can also help do one of the most important jobs in the pandemic: track and trace. They allow people some movement and economic activity, with the ability to manage their own risk of being exposed to possible infection or spreading any infection.

SA's Covid-19 death toll surpasses 20 000, with 60 new fatalities reported

South Africa recorded 60 more Covid-19-related deaths by Wednesday, bringing the total death toll to 20 011.

The latest fatalities have been reported in the following provinces: 24 in the Eastern Cape, 19 in the Free State, two in Gauteng, one in KwaZulu-Natal, two in Mpumalanga, two in North West, six in the Northern Cape and four in the Western Cape.

The cumulative number of tests conducted to date is 5 037 782, with 27 432 new tests conducted since the last report.

Covid-19: Signs of a resurgence in the Eastern Cape should be a wake-up call to all of us - Ramaphosa

 - President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned the Eastern Cape should be a wake-up call to South Africans.

 - This as the province showed signs of a Covid-19 resurgence.

 - It now had the second highest number of active cases in the country, according to the national health department.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS

'Hidden' gene discovered in Covid-19 virus could give more insight into its ability to spread

A significant discovery may offer key insights into why the new coronavirus is so infectious, researchers say.

Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History have identified a new "hidden" gene in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, and say this may explain why it is so highly infectious.

The discovery of the "overlapping gene", named ORF3d, could have a significant impact on how we combat the virus, the research team wrote. Overlapping genes (OLGs) are a type of 'gene within a gene', effectively concealed in a string of nucleotides, ScienceAlert explains.

"Overlapping genes may be one of an arsenal of ways in which coronaviruses have evolved to replicate efficiently, thwart host immunity, or get themselves transmitted," said lead author Chase Nelson, a postdoctoral researcher at Academia Sinica in Taiwan and a visiting scientist at the American Museum of Natural History.

Coronavirus morning recap: President warns Covid will remain for some time - as some rules relaxed

The president has warned that "Covid-19 will remain with us for some time"; but the country will see a relaxation of at least two Alert Level 1 lockdown rules.

Here's what you need to know about President Cyril Ramaphosa's address to the nation on Wednesday:

1. The state of disaster has been extended to 15 December

2. Five days of mourning will be observed from 25 to 29 November

3. No new lockdown restrictions have been announced

4. Trading hours for alcohol will be normalised

5. South Africa is dropping its travel red list, allowing tourists from all countries

6. A "resurgence plan" will focus on contact tracing, community mobilisation and health system readiness after the rapid spread of the virus in the Eastern Cape

7. A strong call has been made to always wear masks, stick to social distancing and avoid gatherings

Meanwhile health minister Zweli Mkhize announced an increase of 2 140 coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 742 394.

"Regrettably, 60 new deaths have been reported: Eastern Cape 24, Free State 19, Gauteng 2, Kwa-Zulu Natal 1, Mpumalanga 2, North West 2, Northern Cape 6 and Western Cape 4 which brings the total to 20 011 deaths," Mkhize said in a statement on Wednesday.

There are 686 458 recoveries which translates to 92%.

FULL SPEECH | Ramaphosa warns of Covid-19 super spreader events, ends alcohol sales ban, drops travel red list

South Africa is dropping its travel red list, so that tourists from all countries will be allowed entry, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced.

Rapid testing and close monitoring will be implemented instead.

Ramaphosa said the government is worried about the Eastern Cape, and Christmas, but had its perspective changed by vaccine news.

Here's what you need to know about President Cyril Ramaphosa's address to the nation on Wednesday.

No more travel red list and longer booze sales: What you need to know about Ramaphosa’s speech

South Africa will see a relaxation of at least two Alert Level 1 lockdown rules, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday – after officials had privately suggested stricter rules may be on the cards.

Ramaphosa expressed the government's concern about rapid spread of the coronavirus in the Eastern Cape, and flagged the upcoming festive season as worrying too, with a strong call for South Africans to wear masks and take other common-sense measures long advised to help fight the pandemic.

Here’s what could change if SA goes back to Level 2

South Africa's lockdown rules are structured in Alert Levels, and the idea was always that they could go both down and up, if necessary.

Apparently, the government is considering going up one level for the first time, taking SA from Alert Level 1 to Alert Level 2.

The rules for lockdown can be changed at any time, without any notice. But if Level 2 stays as it is on the books, this is what would change in South Africa if a harder lockdown is imposed in December.

Ramaphosa to address SA

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to address the nation tonight at 8pm on the latest lockdown developments with regards to Covid-19 in the country.

The address follows a special sitting of Cabinet that considered recommendations of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) meeting. Both meetings took place on Tuesday. 

Follow all the latest news on News24.

Latest Covid-19 numbers: More than 5 million tests conducted as death toll edges closer to 20 000

South Africa recorded 106 more Covid-19-related deaths by Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 19 951.

The fatalities have been reported in the following provinces: 12 in KwaZulu-Natal, 24 in the Eastern Cape, 15 in the Free State, 33 in North West, seven in Gauteng and 15 in the Western Cape.

Of the 106 deaths reported by Tuesday, 15 were reported to have occurred in the past 24 to 48 hours.

Coronavirus morning recap: 2021 could see multiple vaccines, what could change if Level 2 returns

An Oxford professor expects several vaccines to be approved by early 2021; and what could change if SA goes back to Level 2 again.

LATEST SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

There have been more than 50 million Covid-19 cases recorded worldwide, but Monday saw some positive news on the vaccine front.

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said its experimental Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective, as the drugmaker and German partner BioNTech SE were the first to release successful data from a large-scale clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine.

The companies said they have so far found no serious safety concerns, Reuters reported.

"Today is a great day for science and humanity," Albert Bourla, Pfizer's chairperson and chief executive, said.

"We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen."

The latest news on a leading Covid vaccine candidate is promising, but how optimistic should we be?

The company announced a breakthrough with their phase 3 trials this week. Although the results are promising, how excited should we really be?

Drug maker Pfizer said on Monday data from their Phase 3 experimental Covid-19 vaccine, BNT162b2, showed it was 90% effective in preventing infections in volunteers.

The company and its collaborator, BioNTech, stated no serious safety concerns were found during their large-scale global clinical trials, and they expected to seek US authorisation this month for emergency use of the vaccine.

The data released was based on global data that included the trial site in South Africa, a Pfizer spokesperson told Health24.

"We are pleased to share that the trial in South Africa is going as planned, having already completed recruitment of participants across four sites in Gauteng, Limpopo and the Western Cape," the company said.

SA death toll at 19 951, while the number of cases now sits at 740 254

South Africa has recorded 106 more Covid-19-related deaths, of which 15 was reported in the past 24-48 hours, taking the number of total fatalities to 19 951, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.

"Regrettably, we report 106 Covid-19 related deaths today: 12 from KwaZulu-Natal, 24 from Eastern Cape, 15 from the Free State, 33 from North West, 7 from Gauteng, and 15 from Western Cape. This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 19 951. Of the 106 deaths reported today, 15 were reported to have occurred in the past 24-48 hours: 2 in Eastern Cape, 2 in the Free State, 2 in Gauteng, 1 in KwaZulu Natal, and 8 in Western Cape,” he said in a statement on Tuesday night.

The cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 740 254.

The cumulative number of tests conducted to date is 5 010 350, with 17 269 new tests conducted since the last report. Recoveries now stand at 683 194, which translates to a recovery rate of 92%.

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 50.74 million, death toll at 1 260 738

More than 50.74 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1 260 738 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

Global experts cautiously welcome news of top Covid-19 vaccine candidate's effectiveness

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says its experimental Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective - news which has been cautiously welcomed by global experts.

There have been more than 50 million Covid-19 cases recorded worldwide, but Monday saw some positive news on the vaccine front.

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said its experimental Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective, as the drugmaker and German partner BioNTech SE were the first to release successful data from a large-scale clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine.

The companies said they have so far found no serious safety concerns, Reuters reported.

"Today is a great day for science and humanity," Albert Bourla, Pfizer's chairperson and chief executive, said.

"We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen."

The United States has surpassed 10 million confirmed coronavirus cases

 - There are at least 10 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. 

 - With this new milestone, the country makes up about one-fifth of the world's total cases, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

 - At least 50 million people have been infected with the virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus a pandemic on 11 March.

Two new cases of Covid-19 in the White House - reports

Washington – Two more people close to US President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, media reports said on Monday.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. 69, has contracted the virus, his deputy chief of staff Coalter Baker told NPR.

"He is in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery," Baker said in a statement.

According to ABC television, Carson was briefly treated at Walter Reid military hospital outside Washington DC, where Trump himself was treated for the virus.

Carson had spent Tuesday evening at the White House watching the election results come in.

Another top aide to the president, David Bossie, was also at the White House event and tested positive on Sunday and has been self-isolating at home, NBC news said.

Bossie, 55, was tapped a few days ago to lead the president's legal challenges to the election results.

On Friday, media reported that Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows had tested positive for the disease after the election. It was not clear when he contracted the virus.

 - AFP