COVID-19 WRAP | SA records 3,699 new Covid-19 cases and 89 deaths in 24 hours

February 16 2022 - 20:17

SA records 3,699 new Covid-19 cases and 89 deaths in 24 hours

There were 3,699 new Covid-19 cases recorded in SA in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said on Wednesday.

Most were recorded in Gauteng (1,328), followed by the Western Cape (636) and KwaZulu-Natal (458). There have been 3,648,968 infections recorded to date across SA.

The NICD, using health department data, said that there were 89 Covid-19 related deaths recorded in the past day. Of these, seven were in the past 24-48 hours and the rest recorded as part of an ongoing audit.

February 16 2022 - 11:48

Short AstraZeneca shelf life complicates Covid vaccine rollout to world's poorest

The relatively short shelf life of AstraZeneca Plc's Covid-19 vaccine is complicating the rollout to the world's poorest nations, according to officials and internal World Health Organization documents reviewed by Reuters.

It is the latest headache to plague the COVAX vaccine-sharing project, co-led by the WHO and aimed at getting shots to the world's neediest people.

Initially, poorer countries and COVAX lagged richer countries in securing vaccine supplies, as wealthier nations used their financial might to acquire the first available doses.

As vaccine production ramped up and richer states began donating excess doses, some countries - particularly in Africa – are now struggling to administer the big shipments.

The need to turn down vaccines with short shelf lives, along with the initial inequality, hesitancy and other barriers, has contributed to a much lower vaccination rate in Africa where only around 10% of people have been immunised, compared with more than 70% in richer nations.

Many vaccines are arriving with only a few months, and sometimes weeks, before their use-by date, adding to the scramble to get shots in arms. Some countries have had to destroy expired doses, including Nigeria which dumped up to 1 million AstraZeneca vaccines in November.

The problem with a short shelf life largely concerns AstraZeneca, according to COVAX data and officials.

An internal WHO document reviewed by Reuters detailing vaccine stocks in several central and west African countries for the week ending Feb. 6 highlighted the problem.

Most of the 19 listed African nations had expired AstraZeneca doses, compared to a handful of countries with expired doses from other manufacturers.

Reuters

February 16 2022 - 11:17

PCR test ‘biggest inhibitor’ for foreign visitors to SA, says tourism boss

SA must remove the negative PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated incoming travellers to stimulate tourism. 

That’s the call the Tourism Business Council of SA (TBCSA) made to the government on Wednesday.

The council said several countries with a strong tourism value have already done so.

“Further delays in following suit are detrimental to the country positioning itself as travel-ready and attractive,” said TBCSA head Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa.

February 16 2022 - 09:00

State of disaster has been extended until March 15 — here’s why

SA cannot end the state of disaster until it has enough measures in place to handle future waves of Covid-19 infections, health minister Joe Phaahla said on Tuesday.

Phaahla cautioned that while SA is exiting the fourth wave and there is improved understanding of the coronavirus, the pandemic was far from over. He said government should not be pressured into ending the state of disaster. 

“As we are exiting the fourth wave of infections, everyone is eager for the pandemic to come to an end. The reality, however, is that while we have learned more about the virus, we have more weapons and the virus is seemingly getting weaker, the war is far from over,” Phaahla said during the state of the nation address (Sona) debate. 

February 16 2022 - 07:00

Regulations have been eased, how can I minimise the risk of infection when I’m in public?

It is important to adhere to health guidelines in public spaces, even after the easing of some lockdown regulations. 

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said observing non-pharmaceutical measures such as social distancing, wearing a mask and frequently washing your hands can help minimise or prevent Covid-19 infection.

“Masks may help prevent the transmission of Covid-19 by stopping the spread of respiratory droplets when people talk, sneeze and cough.”

February 16 2022 - 06:15

Eastern Chinese industrial hub reports Covid cases for 2nd day

.The Chinese industrial hub Suzhou on Wednesday reported new Covid-19 cases for a second day, and authorities further restricted highway access while ramping up testing, having already detected cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant.

The city in the eastern province of Jiangsu reported 18 domestically transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms for Tuesday, up from eight a day earlier, the data from the National Health Commission (NHC) showed.

The case number is small compared with many outbreaks overseas, but Suzhou government, in line with the national policy to contain outbreaks as quickly as possible, has quarantined thousands of people, closed various entertainment businesses and urged residents to reduce trips to outside the city.

The city authority announced it was closing 18 more highway entrances from Wednesday, after closing 15 a day earlier, state television reported. Anyone leaving by train would have to show proof of a negative test result within 48 hours.

Suzhou Industrial Park, which hosts about 100,000 companies and accommodates manufacturing facilities of many multinational firms, began a second round of mass testing on Wednesday, according to state television.

Including Suzhou cases, mainland China reported 46 locally transmitted cases with confirmed symptoms, the NHC said, compared with 40 a day earlier.

There were no new deaths, leaving the death toll unchanged at 4,636.As of February 15, mainland China had 107,196 cases with confirmed symptoms since the epidemic began in late 2019. 

Reuters

February 16 2022 - 06:10

Hong Kong to report record 4,285 new Covid cases on Wednesday- TVB

Hong Kong is expected to report at least 4,285 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, setting another record for daily infections, broadcaster TVB reported, citing an unidentified source.

Preliminary tests on another 3,000 people were returned positive and may be added to the count in the near future, TVB reported.

Reuters

February 16 2022 - 06:00

Beijing Olympics organiser says 2 new Covid cases detected among personnel on Feb 15

.The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Organizing Committee said on Wednesday that two new Covid-19 cases were detected among games-related personnel on Feb. 15.One of the cases was found among new airport arrivals, according to a notice on the Beijing 2022 official website.

Another case was among those already in the "closed loop" bubble that separates all event personnel from the public, the notice said. 

Reuters