LIVE | There are now 968 563 coronavirus cases and 25 983 deaths in SA

The number of coronavirus cases has jumped by 14 305 to 968 563.

"Regrettably, we report 326 more Covid-19 related deaths: Eastern Cape 109 , Free State 4, Gauteng 22, KwaZulu-Natal 81 and Western Cape 110. This brings the total deaths to 25 983. We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased patients," health minister Zweli Mkhize said.

Recoveries now stand at 822 978.

Covax: Who will be the first in SA to get the vaccine

Although the country's Covax vaccine rollout plan is still work in progress, Professor Barry Schoub, chairperson of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on vaccines, has outlined the categories of people who will be the first to be inoculated.

"There are roughly four groups of people who should be vaccinated first," he told News24.

Healthcare practitioners, the elderly and essential workers will be among the first to get the Covax jab, according to South Africa's top vaccines adviser. | @Adiel_Ismail https://t.co/Z5lmmv0F6k

— News24 (@News24) December 24, 2020

South Africa set to surpass Covid's first wave peak

The rate of coronavirus infections in South Africa will soon surpass the peak hit in the first wave earlier in the year, the health ministry warned on Wednesday, as the country battles a new, faster-spreading variant of the respiratory disease.

Positive cases increased by 14 046, pushing total infections to 954 258, the ministry said.

The positivity rate - or the percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that are actually positive - was at 26%, around double the average rate of infection the country had seen before December, when the virus showed signs of waning.

South Africa's health department on Friday said it identified a new virus mutation, variant 501.V2, saying it was likely behind a recent surge in infections. A number of countries have responded by barring travel to and from South Africa.

Local and World Health Organization (WHO) officials say the variant is different from one identified in Britain, though both carry mutations that make them more transmissible than previously circulating dominant strains.

In a statement announcing the latest infection rates, the Ministry of Health said South Africans would need to "review the current restrictions and consider further measures to ensure that we curb the alarming rate of spread".

"The rate of spread is much faster than the first wave and we will surpass the peak of the first wave in the coming days," the ministry said.

Early in December, President Cyril Ramaphosa tightened Covid-19 rules to curb the resurgence, but said a full lockdown similar the one implemented in March was not an option due to the economic impact.

Reuters

Covid-19 wrap | Vaccine hesitancy stirs in Singapore, UK PM Johnson mulls stricter lockdown

More than 77.57 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1 709 633 have died, according to a Reuters tally. 

As of yesterday, a cumulative total of 940 212 cases of Covid-19 have been identified, with an increase of 9 501.

339 more Covid-19 related deaths have been reported: Eastern Cape 107, Free State 8, Gauteng 30, Kwa-Zulu Natal 45, Limpopo 7 and Western Cape 142. This brings the total to 25 246 deaths.

A cumulative total of 6 215 728 tests have been conducted with 39 045 tests conducted since the last report.

Our recoveries now stand at 808 241.

Covid-19 fatalities in South Africa is nearing 25 000 as the country is in the midst of a second wave that is being driven by a new variant of the virus.

"Regrettably, today we report 216 Covid-19 related deaths have been reported: Eastern Cape 97, Free State 4, Gauteng 16, KwaZulu-Natal 15 and Western Cape 84," Health Minister Zweli Mhkize said in a statement on Monday night.

The total fatalities is now 24 907.

A cumulative total of 930 711 infections have been identified, with 8 789 cases since the last report.

Recoveries now stand at 796 346.

As of today, the total number of confirmed #COVID19 cases is 930 711, the total number of deaths is 24 907 and the total number of recoveries is 796 346. pic.twitter.com/QOgReX9SXb

— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) December 21, 2020

ICYMI | In this documentary, News24 looks back at the year that changed people's lives as Covid-19 spread its tentacles around the world. We take you behind the scenes as journalists rallied to tell the story, often in dangerous situations.

First 10 days after leaving hospital are risky for Covid-19 patients, study finds

Covid-19 patients could be readmitted to hospital, even three months after they are discharged.

DOCUMENTARY | Breaking Covid-19: How News24 covered a global pandemic

Covid-19 changed lives around the world after first being detected in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. It arrived on South Africa's shores when a man returning from holiday in Italy became our first confirmed case on 5 March 2020.

Covid-19 numbers in SA

The number of cases is now at 921 922 after 9 445 new cases.

The death toll has hit 24 691, after 152 new deaths. 

The number of recoveries stand at  793 914.

Sydney virus cluster grows, border restrictions isolate city

Australia's most populous city Sydney became further isolated from the rest of the country on Sunday after states closed borders and imposed quarantine measures on its residents as a coronavirus cluster in the city grew to around 70.

The neighbouring states of Victoria and Queensland have banned people arriving from Sydney as of Monday.

"If you are from greater Sydney now is not the time to travel to Queensland," Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told a news conference.

South Australia state imposed a 14-day quarantine for Sydney arrivals on Sunday and banned travellers from affected suburbs. The island state of Tasmania took a similar steps on Saturday.

Western Australia state imposed a hard border closure.

- Reuters

Russia reports 28 948 new coronavirus cases, 511 deaths

Russia reported 28 948 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, including 7 263 in Moscow, taking the national toll to 2 848 377.

Authorities also reported 511 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 50 858 since the pandemic began.

- Reuters

South Korea sets record Covid-19 cases as prison reports major outbreak

South Korea reported a record 1 097 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, including an outbreak in a Seoul prison that infected 188 as the country's latest wave of Covid-19 worsens.

With daily infections over 1 000 for a fifth consecutive day, some medical experts and politicians criticised the government for being too loose with social distancing rules.

South Korea's aggressive tracing and testing early in the pandemic had made the country a global success story when many nations saw soaring infections, prompting wide lockdowns.

- Reuters

Turkish hospital fire kills 10 Covid-19 patients

At least ten coronavirus patients died on Saturday after an oxygen tank explosion triggered a fire at a hospital in southeastern Turkey, the health ministry said.

The blaze in an intensive care ward of the hospital in Gaziantep broke out when a tank on an artificial respirator exploded.

"We are profoundly saddened by this tragedy," Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said before a planned visit to the hospital.

All the victims were patients who had been hospitalised with the coronavirus. Other patients affected by the fire were transferred to other hospitals.

- AFP

Republicans, Democrats reach agreement clearing way for virus relief vote - WSJ

Senate Democrats and Republicans have reached an agreement clearing way for virus relief votes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A vote on the $900 billion package is expected on Sunday, the report said.

- Reuters

CDC issues guidelines on Covid-19 vaccination after allergic reactions

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday said it was monitoring reports of allergic reactions to the Covid-19 vaccination and made recommendations on how people with histories of allergies should proceed.

Italy ordered a nationwide lockdown for the holidays amid a surge in coronavirus cases

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ordered a lockdown across the country for the upcoming holidays.

Canada surpasses 500 000 Covid-19 cases

Canada surpassed 500 000 coronavirus cases on Saturday, according to official figures, recording a 25% increase in just two weeks.

The country's death toll since the beginning of the pandemic is 14 128, according to regional figures quoted by broadcaster CBC.

As in other countries, the pandemic is spreading fast in Canada, home to 38 million people. It shot up from 400 000 cases to 500 000 in just two weeks.

By comparison, it took three months from the start of the health crisis for Canada to reach 100 000 cases, in June.

- AFP

WHO says in close contact with UK officials on new Covid-19 virus variant

The World Health Organisation said on Saturday it was in close contact with UK officials over a new Covid-19 virus variant.

"They'll (UK officials) continue to share info & results of their analysis & ongoing studies. We'll update Member States & public as we learn more about the characteristics of this virus variant & any implications", WHO said in a tweet.

A new strain of coronavirus identified in the United Kingdom is up to 70% more infectious but it is not thought to be more deadly and vaccines should still be effective, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and scientists said on Saturday.

- Reuters

FACTBOX | Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 75.06 million, death toll at 1 679 707 

More than 75.06 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1 679 707 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

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 22 771 - RKI

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 22 771 to 1 494 009, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.

The reported death toll rose by 409 to 26 049, the tally showed.

- Reuters

Global Covid-19 cases surpass 75 million

Global coronavirus infections surpassed the 75 million mark on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally, as several nations around the world begin vaccinating against the virus.

Britain this month became the first Western country to start immunizing with the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNtech, followed by the United States which has now also approved a vaccine from Moderna .

There have been 18.65 million new cases in the past month, the highest reported for a 30-day period since the pandemic started. Europe remains the region with the most cases - 21.6 million cases - followed by North America with 17.9 million, Latin America with 14.5 million and Asia with 13 million.

In Europe, a million new cases were recorded over just five days, with Russia and France reporting more than 2 million cases since the coronavirus outbreak began. The United Kingdom and Italy both have approximately 1.9 million cases each.

The United States became the first country in the world to record more than 300 000 deaths on Monday. The nation is reporting more than 2 500 deaths daily, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the previous seven days.

Hospitals across the United States have begun giving the first shots of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine. The United States remains the country with most cases - more than 17 million since the outbreak started - followed by India and Brazil respectively. With just 4% of the world's population, the United States has about 23% of all global cases.

Brazil registered a single-day record of 70 000 new cases on Wednesday, joining the United States and India as the only countries to have reported more than 7 million total infections. With almost 180 000 confirmed fatalities, the South American nation has the second-highest death toll in the world.

On Saturday, India exceeded 10 million coronavirus infections. India has prepared to deliver 600 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to the most vulnerable people in the next six to eight months.

-REUTERS

Italy reports 553 Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, 16 308 new cases -ministry

Italy reported 553 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday against 674 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections decreased to 16 308 from 17 992.

There were 176 185 swabs carried out in the past day, down from a previous 179 800 the ministry said.

The first Western country hit by the virus, Italy has seen 68 447 Covid-19 fatalities since its outbreak emerged in February, the highest toll in Europe and the fifth-highest in the world. It has also registered nearly 1.94 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with Covid-19 stood at 25 364 on Saturday, down by 405 from the day before. There were 160 new admissions to intensive care units, compared with 189 on Friday.

The number of intensive care patients decreased by 35 to 2 784 reflecting those who died or were discharged after recovery.

When Italy's second wave of the epidemic was accelerating fast in the first half of November, hospital admissions were rising by around 1 000 per day, while intensive care occupancy was increasing by about 100 per day.

-REUTERS

UK discusses action after confirmation new Covid strain spreads more quickly

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discussing with his senior ministers on Saturday what urgent action to take after it was confirmed that a new strain of the Covid-19 virus could spread more quickly and lead to a surge in cases.

England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that while there was no current evidence the variant of the novel coronavirus caused a higher mortality rate or impacted vaccines, urgent work was underway to confirm this.

"We have alerted the World Health Organisation and are continuing to analyse the available data to improve our understanding," Whitty said in a statement. The government said on Monday that a rise in infections across London and southeast England might be linked to a new, more transmissible variant of the virus.

Johnson will hold a news conference with Whitty and the government's chief scientific adviser amid suggestions that he will announce new urgent measures to try to address the rise in cases caused by the variant Covid strain.

Britain reported 28 507 new Covid-19 cases on Friday and 489 deaths, with the reproduction "R" number estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.2, meaning the number of cases is rapidly increasing.

Johnson said on Friday he hoped England would not need to go into a third lockdown after Christmas and has so far resisted calls to change plans to ease restrictions for five days over the festive period, allowing three separate households to meet indoors.

Much of the country, including London, is currently in the highest of a three-tier system of restrictions to curb the spread. The Daily Telegraph newspaper said ministers could now announce curbs on travel between southeast England, including the capital, and the rest of the country.

"Failing to act decisively now, will mean further suffering. We must keep asking ourselves 'are we doing enough, are we acting quickly enough'," Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said on Twitter.

The opposition Labour Party said the tiered system had failed to curb the virus's spread.

"It has been apparent for some days that the virus is again out of control in parts of the country," said Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's health spokesman.

-REUTERS

Macron 'stable' after virus infection: presidency

French President Emmanuel Macron, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, is in stable condition, and examinations had given reassuring results, a statement from his office said Saturday.

Macron, who is working in self-isolation from an official residence outside Paris, "is still presenting the same symptoms of the Covid-19 illness (fatigue, coughing, stiffness)", said the brief statement, signed by his doctor.

But they were not preventing him from carrying out his duties. On Friday, Macron had promised to provide a daily update and, for the time, posted on social media a short video message filmed on his own phone.

Speaking of the general situation in France, where the number of deaths passed 60 000 on Friday, he warned: "We have to be vigilant as the virus is gaining in strength again."

The French authorities are concerned that the holiday period could see a new spike in infections. On Friday, a total 15 674 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours in France, down from 18 254 the previous day.

And the so-called positivity rate - which measures the number of confirmed contaminations as a proportion of the number of tests carried out - slipped slightly to 5.9 percent from 6.1 percent on Thursday.

-AFP

India hits 10 million coronavirus cases but pace slows

India exceeded 10 million infections of the new coronavirus on Saturday, much later than predicted only a month ago as the pace of infections slows, despite many in the country giving up on masks and social distancing.

After hitting a peak of nearly 98 000 daily cases in mid-September, daily infections have averaged around 30,000 this month, helping India widen its gap with the United States, the world's worst affected country with more than 16 million cases.

India reported 25 152 new infections and 347 deaths in the past 24 hours, data from the health ministry showed. The virus has so far killed 145,136 people in the country. India took 30 days to add the last million cases, the second slowest since the start of the pandemic.

The country expects to roll out vaccines soon and is considering emergency-use request for three types, developed by Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer and local company Bharat Biotech.

But some health experts say the fall in cases suggests many Indians may have already developed virus antibodies through natural infection.

"Herd immunity is a huge part of it ... which is helping us to break the transmission," said Pradeep Awate, a senior health official in India's worst-hit state of Maharashtra, home to Mumbai.

India's richest state was in dire straits back in September when its daily cases averaged 20 000 and hospitals ran out of beds and oxygen. It is now reporting fewer than 5 000 cases.

The national capital territory of Delhi said on Saturday its third and the worst surge in cases has now ended. It reported 1,418 new infections and 37 deaths on Friday.

"If infections were surging, we would have seen the number of patients in hospitals go up, especially after the festival season. That has not happened," said Raman Gangakhedkar, who until recently headed epidemiology at the Indian Council Of Medical Research.

A government-appointed panel tasked with making projections based on a mathematical model has estimated that 60% of India's 1.35 billion people have already been infected with the virus.

"If the model is correct, it is unlikely that a second wave will happen, because once 60% have immunity, nothing can cause another wave," said Manindra Agrawal, a committee member and professor at the Indian Institute of Technology in the northern city of Kanpur.

"However, the predictions of the model need to be independently confirmed by a sero survey for us to be certain."

Reuters

Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 74.78 million, death toll at 1 674 137

More than 74.78 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1 674 137 have died, according to a Reuters tally. 

Why scientists are concerned about SA's 'unusual’ new coronavirus variant

South African scientists have discovered a new coronavirus variant that could mean more people are infected in the country's second wave than in the initial surge.

While there is as yet no proof that the new variant is more deadly, it seems to be spreading faster – and there is concern that its mutations could have an impact on vaccine efficacy, although this is also as yet unproven.

WRAP | New variant of Covid-19 has been discovered - and it appears to be spreading faster

Health minister Zweli Mkhize says a new variant of Covid-19 has been discovered by the country’s top scientists, which was driving the second wave and causing critical illness among patients who have no comorbidities.

Researchers have also said the virus appears to be spreading much faster during the second wave.

The new variant, however, will not require new measures of prevention or treatment, researches said, emphasising that physical distancing and proper hygiene remained crucial.

Mkhize was briefing the media on scientific developments on Covid-19. The briefing was co-hosted by higher education minister Blade Nzimande.

The KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (Krisp), based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, has made the discovery.

Mkhize said a particular variant of the Covid-19 has “dominated” recent virus samples, and the second wave is being driven by this variant of the virus.

He said a similar variant of the virus has been discovered in the UK. He said President Cyril Ramaphosa and some health stakeholders have been briefed on the latest developments.

Member of the government’s Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC), Professor Salim Abdool Karim, said the new developments do not spell good news, but it was important for the public to be informed about its severity.

Krisp’s Professor Tulio de Oliveira said the objective of researchers was to get a grasp of how the new strain is behaving, saying it was “very possible” that it had increased likeliness of transmissions. It is also important, he said, to increase sampling of infections in places that are taking the strain of the second wave.

Karim explained that the second wave has “well and truly overshot” the peak that was initially seen in the Western Cape. Similarly, he said, the second wave seems to be rapidly rising in KwaZulu-Natal.

He said researchers wanted to see whether there have been more deaths due to the new variant, but said the early data was inconclusive at this stage.

Karim said viruses generally evolve to become less lethal over time. Covid-19, he said, had been “relatively stable” during the first wave. He said preliminary data says the virus is spreading faster in the second wave.

He said further data showed there is a higher amount of virus - known as the viral load - in each swab that is now taken. This may translate into a higher rate of transmission.

The new variant has likely spread across SA, he said

Karim said it is, however, unclear where this new variant came from and why it ended up in Nelson Mandela Bay - which has been badly hit in the second wave.

He said it is also unclear whether it is more severe and whether people can be reinfected by it. He said the second wave was “well and truly established” in all provinces now.

“The [variant] does seem to be spreading fast, but we can deal with it,” Karim said, adding that the same prevention measures and treatment remained the same.

- Kerushun Pillay

The Health Minister says youth are not wearing masks and "throw caution to the winds" - he calls on youth to understand that they are equally at risk of dying of Covid-19. 

Mkhize says the vaccines are effective in dealing with the variant. He says they will rely on scientific evidence before any decisions are taken. 

He says the current resurgence plan will not be affected by the new variant. 

The health minister adds that they will not be proposing any new restrictions that are associated with this new variant. He says no recommendations will be made on any new restrictions. He says the discovery does not necessitate additional measures to be taken. 

Mkhize emphasises that even though it might be a variant, the situation can be handled. He says there is no evidence to suggest a need to change clinical treatment. He says they will continue to treat in the way that they have been treating before. 

"There is no need to panic...at the moment the treatment has been effective even before we knew there was a variant."

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize comments on the second wave....

"We knew it was coming, but none of us expected it to come as quickly as it did. That took us off in a bit of a challenge," he says.

Mkhize says it is coming at a time during which behaviour is likely to worsen the numbers. He says they have noticed complacency with wearing of masks and observing of health protocols.

RECAP | New strain of Covid-19 has been discovered - and it appears to be spreading faster

MAC member Professor Salim Abdool Karim explained that the second wave has “well and truly overshot” the peak that was initially seen in the Western Cape. Similarly, he said, the second wave seems to be rapidly rising in KwaZulu-Natal.

 He said researchers wanted to see whether there have been more deaths due to the new strain, but said the early data was inconclusive at this stage.

Karim said viruses generally evolve to become less lethal over time. Covid-19, he said, had been “relatively stable” during the first strain. He said preliminary data says the virus is spreading faster in the second wave.

He said further data showed there is a higher amount of virus - known as the viral load - in each swab that is now taken. This may translate into a higher rate of transmission.

The new strain has likely spread across SA, he said

Karim said it is, however, unclear where this new strain came from and why it ended up in Nelson Mandela Bay - which has been badly hit in the second wave.

He said it is also unclear whether it is more severe and whether people can be re-infected by it. He said the second wave was “well and truly established” in all provinces now.

RECAP | New strain of Covid-19 has been discovered - and it appears to be spreading faster

MAC member Professor Salim Abdool Karim explained that the second wave has “well and truly overshot” the peak that was initially seen in the Western Cape. Similarly, he said, the second wave seems to be rapidly rising in KwaZulu-Natal.

 He said researchers wanted to see whether there have been more deaths due to the new strain, but said the early data was inconclusive at this stage.

Karim said viruses generally evolve to become less lethal over time. Covid-19, he said, had been “relatively stable” during the first strain. He said preliminary data says the virus is spreading faster in the second wave.

He said further data showed there is a higher amount of virus - known as the viral load - in each swab that is now taken. This may translate into a higher rate of transmission.

The new strain has likely spread across SA, he said

Karim said it is, however, unclear where this new strain came from and why it ended up in Nelson Mandela Bay - which has been badly hit in the second wave.

He said it is also unclear whether it is more severe and whether people can be re-infected by it. He said the second wave was “well and truly established” in all provinces now.

Karim says it will still be studied whether the current vaccines will work on the new virus. He says although there is reason for concern, the variant is something that can be dealt with.

He says it is not clear where it originated from. He says it could have originated anywhere.

"What we do know is that we first found it in Nelson Mandela Bay," Karim says.

Karim says this is an unusual new variant as it contains several mutations. It has been reported in other countries including the UK.

JUST IN | Karim says further data showed there is a higher amount of virus - known as the viral load - in each swab that is now taken. This may translate into a higher rate of transmission.