LIVE | Covid-19: Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine rolled out in the UK

Here's how the top 3 coronavirus vaccines compare when it comes to efficacy, cost, and more

As the race for a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine continues, three candidates have become frontrunners: one from Pfizer and BioNTech, another from Moderna, and another from AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

But each of these candidates has important differences, with widespread implications for their distribution and use. Take a look at Business Insider's chart below to compare.

Another 3 313 Covid-19 cases confirmed after fraught weekend

Another 3 313 Covid-19 cases were reported by the Department of Health on Monday after a fraught weekend when it emerged a cluster was linked to the annual post-matric Rage festival held in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal.

Forty-three more Covid-19-related deaths were also reported.

Japan announces $708bn in fresh stimulus as Covid-19 cases rise

Japan will compile a fresh economic stimulus package worth $708bn, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday, signalling his resolve to pull the country out of its coronavirus crisis-induced slump.

The new stimulus package will include fiscal spending worth around $384.2bn, Suga said in a meeting with ruling party executives.

The government is set to finalise the stimulus package later on Tuesday, which would follow a combined $2.2 trillion from two previous packages that focused on dealing with the immediate strain on households and business.

The new economic measures would help push “new economic growth,” Suga said at the meeting.

The package is likely to include subsidies and incentives to prod companies to boost green investment and spending on digitalisation, an area Suga has laid out as his key policy priorities.

- Aljazeera

JBay Rage 2020 festival cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns

The Jeffrey's Bay Rage (JBay) festival, which was due to take place next week, has been cancelled after Covid-19 infections have been linked to the Ballito festival in Durban.

According to the organisers officials have advised them to cancel or postpone the festival which was supposed to take place on 15 and 22 December.

"We're aware of the reports of increased Covid-19 related cases from students who attended Ballito Rage events as well as numerous other non-Rage events," a statement on their Facebook page read.

Proteas, England ODI series postponed after Covid-19 outbreak

The Proteas' three-match ODI series against England has been postponed without a ball being called thanks to numerous coronavirus scares over the last few days.

The news was confirmed by Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday. 

The series was initially due to begin at Newlands last Friday but, on the day of that match, it was confirmed that a member of the Proteas squad had tested positive for the coronavirus and that the start of the series would thus be pushed back to Sunday in Paarl. 

WATCH | Was it worth risking Covid? I must say yes - Matrics party hard at Ballito Rage

While pictures on Ballito Rage's Instagram page show attendees wearing face masks, others who tagged themselves at the event are seen posing without masks and disregarding social distancing directives.

Rugby unions will sink if fans aren't allowed back soon, Jurie Roux warns

A continued fan shutout will have dire consequences for several of the country's rugby unions, SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux has warned.

The Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup events have been played behind closed doors.

Covid-19 wrap | Japan to deploy military to combat virus, DRC hospitals struggle to treat cases

- Hospitals in Kinshasa are struggling to treat rising coronavirus cases because of a lack of oxygen supplies.

- The number of new Covid-19 infections per day in France is unlikely to fall to a 5 000 target by 15 December, top coronavirus experts say.

- South Korea and Japan are deploying their militaries to assist healthcare workers in combatting Covid-19.

All Rage Festival events postponed 'until further notice'

All Rage Festival events planned for 2020 and 2021 have been postponed following a Covid-19 outbreak after the Ballito Rage held from 27 November to 4 December.

The Joburg Rage had been scheduled for 12 and 13 December, the Plett Rage for 29 January to 6 February, and the event in Jeffreys Bay from 15 to 22 December.

Cyril Ramaphosa | Helping people with disabilities should be high on agenda as economy rebuilt

Persons  living with disabilities are disproportionately more likely to be unemployed or not in education or training, and may be even more vulnerable at this time due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, writes Cyril Ramaphosa.

While the coronavirus pandemic has caused great hardship for all South Africans, the impact has been particularly severe for many persons with disabilities.

The restrictions on movement and activity that were put in place at the onset of the pandemic, together with the pressure that was put on health facilities, meant that many persons with disabilities found it more difficult to access the health care and other support services they needed.

Adriaan Basson | Covid-19: Idiotic 'rage' parties will take us back to a hard lockdown

The parents of thousands of matriculants who partied the night away in Ballito last week have to ask themselves some hard questions, writes Adriaan Basson.

The South African summer yearns for dancing and having fun. Yet, we are not out of the Covid-19 woods and pretending that we are is highly irresponsible and potentially devastating to our relative success so far in keeping the impact of the virus in check.

That's why the news of a super-spreader event in Durban called Ballito Rage is so infuriating.

India reports nearly 33 000 new coronavirus cases

India reported 32 981 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, data from the federal health ministry showed on Monday.

Cumulative cases now total 9.68 million, the second-highest tally in the world after the United States.

But health officials are drawing some encouragement that daily readings have stayed below the 50,000 mark for a month, inspite of a busy festival season that saw crowded markets and busy streets. The number peaked in September when more than 97 000 cases were reported on a single day.

Deaths rose by 391, with the total now 140 573, the health ministry said.

- Reuters

Trump says his lawyer Giuliani has tested positive for Covid-19

Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani has tested positive for Covid-19, the president said Sunday, the latest member of his inner circle to contract the disease.

ANALYSIS | SA, India took a stand for Covid-19 patients. Here's why African leaders should back it

In November, South Africa and India teamed up to take a bold stance at the World Trade Organisation.

Coronavirus science | Week in review: Chicken antibodies, hand sanitisers and an antidepressant

Creativity, flexibility and plenty of teamwork are what's helping scientists all over the world to search for ways to protect against the new coronavirus.

There have been 139 new Covid-19 fatalities, taking South Africa's death toll to 22 206, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Sunday night.

Covid-19 infections increased by 4 116 bringing the total cases to 814 565.

A cumulative 5 592 663 tests have been completed, of which 26 735 have been conducted since the last report.

ICYMI: The top coronavirus story of the day:

https://t.co/By0KBr5HQV | Rage Festival: All attendees considered contacts, urged to get tested after Covid-19 cases - Mkhize https://t.co/h4W8lYaokG

— News24 (@News24) December 6, 2020

Four staff members at the Ballito Rage Festival tested positive for Covid-19, organisers said. However, a Durban doctor reported 20 positive cases in less than 48-hours, with most of the patients asymptomatic. Festival organisers declined to label the event a super-spreader, saying there were no statistics to prove this.

https://t.co/By0KBr5HQV | FULL TEXT | Mkhize warns of booze, crowds as he flags Rage a Covid-19 superspreader - 3 things you need to do https://t.co/Gnk7tqfSCi

— News24 (@News24) December 6, 2020

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

Oxygen shortage in Pakistan leaves Covid-19 patients dead

Seven patients being treated for the coronavirus have died after one of the largest hospitals in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar ran out of oxygen supplies.

Pakistan, a country of approximately 220 million people, has recorded 58 Covid-19 deaths over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths from the virus to 8 361.

Easing up in Italy

Thanks to easing pressure on hospitals, some Italian regions begin relaxing restrictions including Tuscany, Campania and Val d'Aosta.

Residents can now move freely but without leaving their region. Retail businesses - excluding restaurants and bars - reopen. Abruzzo is the only Italian region where people can only leave their homes for work, health reasons or to bring their children to school.

More than 1 520 000 dead

The new coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 1 528 919 people around the world since the end of last year, according to a tally by AFP on Sunday.

The United States is the most affected country with 281 199 deaths. Brazil follows with 176 628 dead, India is next with 140 182, Mexico with 109 456, and the United Kingdom 61 014 fatalities.

Elizabeth II to get vaccine

The Queen of England Elizabeth II, 94, and her husband Prince Philip, 99, will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine just released in the UK in the coming weeks.

With the highest number of deaths from the virus in Europe, the UK is the first Western country to approve mass injection of a vaccine. British officials see a "probable" significant regression of the pandemic "by spring".

Seoul raises alert

South Korea raises its health alert in Seoul after the detection of 631 new cases on Sunday, a record in nine months. That will mean a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, professional sports competitions being held behind closed doors and restaurants having to close at 09:00.

"We are facing the biggest crisis in our fight against Covid-19," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun says.

Indonesian arrest

Indonesia's minister of social affairs has been arrested on suspicion of accepting $1.2 million in bribes linked to food aid distributed to people affected by the coronavirus.

The Indonesian economy, the largest in Southeast Asia, has been weighed down by the pandemic and the government has stepped up aid programs, especially food, to support those in need.

Oxygen shortage in Pakistan leaves Covid-19 patients dead

Seven patients being treated for the coronavirus have died after one of the largest hospitals in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar ran out of oxygen supplies.

Farhad Khan, spokesperson at Khyber Teaching Hospital, said on Sunday that the patients died on Saturday night when the vendor who supplies the hospital with medical oxygen failed to arrive in time.

The hospital, the second-largest in the northwestern city of Peshawar, receives its oxygen cylinders from a vendor in Rawalpindi, a city about 190km away, Khan said.

Provincial Health Minister Taimur Jhagra tweeted about the incident, saying the hospital’s board of governors had been ordered to complete an investigation into the incident and take action “within 48 hours” against those responsible.

He promised that “all facts of the case will be made public”.

Pakistan, a country of approximately 220 million people, has recorded 58 Covid-19 deaths over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths from the virus to 8 361.

The total tally confirmed cases in Pakistan stands at nearly 416 500 to date. That official number, like other places around the world, is likely somewhat higher in reality due to limited testing.

Pakistan has tested about 5.8 million people for the virus, or some 2.6 percent of the population.

- Aljazeera

Here’s how rules differ between hotspots and the rest of South Africa

A previous flirtation with the idea of differentiated rules for different geographic areas went nowhere. But SA needs a local-suppression mechanism, said President Cyril Ramaphosa in an address to the nation.

Muted opposition reaction to latest Covid-19 restrictions in Nelson Mandela Bay metro

There has been little of the usual criticism from opposition parties to President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement on Thursday night that the Nelson Mandela Bay metro would be facing stricter Covid-19 regulations amid a resurgence of infections.

SA has one Covid-19 hotspot for now - here's what we know so far

- President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on Thursday night on how the country plans to stem the resurgence of Covid-19.

- The National Coronavirus Command Council agreed earlier this week that hotspots should have an earlier curfew, with pubs and shebeens closing at 21:00, and bottle stores closed on Fridays.

- Nelson Mandela Bay has been declared a hotspot.

Brazil Covid-19 death toll surpasses 175 000, with almost 6.5 million cases

BRASILIA – Brazil reported 50 434 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 755 deaths from Covid-19, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

The South American country has now registered 6 487 084 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 175 270, according to ministry data.

It is the world's third-worst outbreak outside the United States and India.

 - REUTERS

US registers record of more than 210 000 new Covid cases in 24 hours - Johns Hopkins

Washington – The United States recorded more than 210 000 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University, in an all-time high for the country since the start of the pandemic.

The number of new deaths over the same period was 2 907, the university said, one of the worst US daily tolls yet according to figures recorded by AFP at 20:30 (01:30 GMT Friday).

 - AFP

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 64.57 million, death toll at 1 499 488

More than 64.57 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1 499 488 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

SA's latest Covid-19 numbers

The number of Covid-19 cases has shot up by 4 400, reaching a total of 800 872.

The death toll is now at 21 803, after 94 more deaths.

ICYMI | President Ramaphosa announces a new curfew and alcohol restrictions to Nelson Mandela Bay

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape has been declared a hotspot, and will have a new curfew.

Ramaphosa was addressing the nation on Thursday night on the latest lockdown measures, following reports of increases in the spread of Covid-19, especially in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape.

He said other areas showing a resurgence are the Garden Route district in the Western Cape and the Sarah Baartman district in the Eastern Cape, and health minister Zweli Mkhize will be visiting both places to make an assessment soon.

The president explained Nelson Mandela Bay will be subject to curfews between 22:00 and 04:00, and alcohol sales will be allowed only between Mondays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 18:00.

He said no more than 100 people may attend indoor gatherings, and no more than 250 for outdoor. So-called “after tears” events after funerals are banned.

The national state of disaster has also been renewed, and will continue until 15 January.

Stricter curfews in coronavirus hotspots are an important tool for slowing the spread of Covid-19 and easing the pressure on strained local healthcare services. pic.twitter.com/1pBXY0xDuY

— Presidency | South Africa ???? (@PresidencyZA) December 3, 2020

"Over the past eight months, many people have lost loved ones, as a nation we have lost frontline workers... we have lost teachers."

He said: "We owe it to our friends and relatives, we owe it to our country, because a resurgence will be a big blow... We owe it to ourselves and each other. Tonight we stand in solidarity with the people of Nelson Mandela Bay as the deal with this outbreak."

He said the festive season is the time to exercise caution, and asked the public to limit unnecessary travel.

Widespread and effective screening, testing and other infection control measures are a critical part of government’s #COVID19 response. These efforts are being strengthened to prevent a second wave of the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/zHnmSXoHhF

— Presidency | South Africa ???? (@PresidencyZA) December 3, 2020

"Tonight, I'm asking you to recommit to the fight. We are in the fight of our lives," Ramaphosa says, and asks South Africans to work together as in the initial stages of the pandemic.

He has wrapped up his address.

He says we managed to bring the spread of the pandemic down over the past few months. He says, now that the infections rise again, we cannot sacrifice the gains we have made. 

"We cannot return to the darker days of June and July. You remember?" he says.

Ramaphosa says 2020 has been a difficult year. "It has severely tested our resolve and demanded great sacrifices from each of us. But, as the holidays approach, we cannot let our guard down.

"Over the past eight months, many people have lost loved ones, as a nation we have lost frontline workers... we have lost teachers."

He says: "We owe it to our friends and relatives, we owe it to our country, because a resurgence will be a big blow... We owe it to ourselves and each other. Tonight we stand in solidarity with the people of Nelson Mandela Bay as the deal with this outbreak."

Ramaphosa warns the public against complacency, saying that other countries have seen resurgences which forced them to enforce strong lockdowns.

He says now - the festive season - is the time to be cautious. 

He says travelling causes great risks, and calls on the public to limit transport. 

Ramaphosa says social gatherings can be "superspreader" events which carry a "huge risk" of the virus. He says gatherings must be small and, if possible, outdoors. 

He reminds the public to download the country's Covid-19 SA app. He says it has been downloaded by more than one million South Africans.

Ramaphosa stresses that "it is through wearing a mask in public at all times that we will keep ourself safe. It is also by observing social distancing and avoiding large gatherings... it is through washing hands."

He says he wants the message of this to sink into all South Africans' heads. 

Ramaphosa says, meanwhile, that the government is doing its utmost to ensure South Africa will get access to the vaccine. 

He says the country will be part of the COVEX vaccine initiative to ensure access.

He says the Solidarity Fund will be making the initial contribution to R327 million to vaccine procurement. 

The president says the government is encouraged by reports of the effectiveness of the vaccines being developed.

Ramaphosa says he has instructed law enforcement to ensure compliance.

He says taxi operators must ensure passengers wear masks. 

Ramaphosa says all members of the public must abide by curfew hours.

He says the government is continuing to strengthen health responses and contact tracing. 

JUST IN | The state of disaster has been renewed until 15 January

Ramaphosa says Level 1 restrictions remain in place throughout the country.

He calls on the public to respect the regulations in the name of safety for the public.

Ramaphosa says health minister Zweli Mkhize will visit the Nelson Mandela Bay Sarah Baartman District and Garden Route to assess the situation and any announcements will be made.

JUST IN | Initiation ceremonies for summer may continue in the Eastern Cape

Ramaphosa says traditional leaders in the Eastern Cape provided a risk-adjusted plan to continue initiation. But this is forbidden in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Ramaphosa says these measures are necessary to curb the spread in Nelson Mandela Bay.

BREAKING | Nelson Mandela Bay declared a hotspot

In addition to Level 1 regulations, the following is enforced from middnight.

*The hours of the curfew is between 22:00 and 04:00. This does not apply to essential workers.
*The sale of alcohol is only permitted between 10:00 to 18:00 from Mondays to Thursdays.
*Public consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden.
*No more than 100 people may attend indoor events, and 250 for outdoor.
*So-called "after tears" functions after funerals are prohibited.