COVID-19 WRAP | 203 deaths and 3,169 new cases recorded in SA

February 10 2022 - 21:20

Relief as R350 Covid-19 distress grant extended for another year

Millions of South Africans who benefited from the R350 Covid-19 social relief of distress (SRD) grant can breathe a sigh of relief, as the government has decided to keep it going for another year.

“Mindful of the proven benefits of the grant, we will extend the R350 SRD grant for one further year to the end of March 2023,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday evening.

Delivering his state of the nation address, Ramaphosa said the relief should not come at the expense of basic services, given the already under pressure fiscus.

February 10 2022 - 19:55

State of disaster to end ‘soon’: Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday announced the government’s intentions to end the national state of disaster.

“We are ready to enter new phase in our management of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is our intention, and my intention, to end the national state of disaster as soon as we have finalised other measures under the national health act and other legislation to manage and contain the pandemic,” said Ramaphosa.

February 10 2022 - 19:20

203 deaths and 3,169 new cases recorded in 24 hours

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported 3,169 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours.

This brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3,634,811 since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

The new cases, the NICD said, came at an 8.8% positivity rate.

February 10 2022 - 14:21

Bill Gates writes book on how to make Covid-19 the last pandemic

Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist whose foundation has focused on efforts to fight the coronavirus, is planning a May 3 release for a book on how to ensure that the Covid-19 pandemic is the last great global plague.

“Whenever I see the suffering that Covid-19 has created — every time I read about the latest death toll or hear about someone who lost their job or drive by a school that is closed — I can’t help but think: We don’t have to do this again,” he wrote in a blog post announcing the publication of “How to Prevent the Next Pandemic.”

The book will cover lessons learned from the pandemic, as well as tools and innovations needed to save lives and stop pathogens early. It will discuss his views on vaccines and on what it has felt like to become the target of conspiracy theories.

February 10 2022 - 13:56

Omicron BA.2 sub-variant close to 100% dominant in SA

The Omicron BA.2 sub-variant makes up almost 100% of new coronavirus infections in SA, Tulio de Oliveira, a bioinformatics professor who runs gene-sequencing institutions and advises the government on the pandemic, said.

“As expected, Omicron BA.2 takes over in SA, close to 100% of the new genomes,” De Oliveira, who announced the discovery of the original Omicron variant on November 25, said on Twitter. “What does it mean?”

While BA.2 appears to be more transmissible than the original Omicron variant there is no indication that it causes more severe disease. De Oliveira has previously said that it could cause a second surge of infections within the Omicron-driven wave.

February 10 2022 - 09:20

GSK-Vir therapy retains neutralising activity against Omicron sub-variant, data shows

An antibody-based Covid-19 therapy developed by GSK and Vir Biotechnology retains neutralising activity against the emerging BA.2 form of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Vir said on Thursday, citing pre-clinical data.

The monoclonal antibody therapy, sotrovimab, is currently authorized for emergency use in the United States. The companies are sharing the latest data with global regulatory authorities, Vir said. – Reuters

February 10 2022 - 09:00

Omicron BA.2 sub-variant Close to 100% dominant in South Africa

The omicron BA.2 sub-variant makes up almost 100% of new coronavirus infections in South Africa, Tulio de Oliveira, a bio-informatics professor who runs gene-sequencing institutions and advises the government on the pandemic, said on Twitter.

BA.2 appears to be more transmissible than the original omicron variant. There is no indication that it causes more severe disease. – Bloomberg

February 10 2022 - 08:14

OPINION | Covid-19 infection of three lions and a puma in private SA zoo points to need for wider surveillance

SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of the disease we know as Covid-19. While this disease has wreaked havoc on every human population worldwide, what isn’t as well appreciated is that the virus can also infect a range of animals.

The World Organisation for Animal Health has reported outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 in cats, dogs, ferrets, minks, otters, lions, tigers, pumas, snow leopards, gorillas, white-tailed deer, fishing cat, Binturong, South American coati, spotted hyena, Eurasian lynx and Canada lynx. Recently the virus was identified in pet hamsters after reverse zoonotic transmission from humans.

In our paper we report infection of an exotic puma (July 2020) and three African lions (July 2021) in a private zoo in Johannesburg. Transmission of a Delta variant — similar to those circulating in humans in SA at the time — from a zookeeper to the three lions was identified. One lion developed pneumonia while the other cases had mild infection. Both the puma and lions remained positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA for up to seven weeks but cleared the infection completely.

February 10 2022 - 08:09

Hong Kong vaccine rates spike as outbreak shatters Covid-19-free dreams

Vaccination rates are rising sharply among the elderly in Hong Kong, lifting from a relatively low base as an Omicron-fuelled spike in new Covid-19 cases and looming vaccine passes pierce long-standing inoculation complacency among the demographic.

The global financial hub had been able to keep the coronavirus pandemic from disrupting activities for most of the past two years, using stringent border restrictions.

That success had the effect of downplaying the need for widespread vaccination, especially among older people, many of whom are poor, not very mobile, and less interested in lifting travel restrictions.

“Getting the elderly vaccinated has been difficult,” said Lau Chak Sing, head of the medicine department at the University of Hong Kong, who blames, among other factors, the “lack of a sense of urgency because Hong Kong was doing very well.”

February 10 2022 - 07:18

Explainer: How has the 'freedom convoy' spread?

Truck drivers demanding an end to Covid-19 vaccine mandates have disrupted major Canadian cities and clogged key US-Canada border crossings. Now, copycat protests are spreading around the world. How did this all start and spread?

February 10 2022 - 07:01

Alcohol is prohibited in my religion, can I still use alcohol-based sanitisers?

The World Health Organisation says alcohol-based sanitisers can be used in religions where alcohol is prohibited. 

Several religions around the world prohibit the consumption of alcohol, with the exception for medical use.

The WHO said “any manufactured substance developed to alleviate illness or contribute to better health is permitted by the Qur'an, including alcohol used as a medical agent”. 

“Alcohols in the sanitisers have not been shown to create any relevant health issues. Little alcohol is absorbed into the skin, and most products contain an emollient to reduce skin dryness.

February 10 2022 - 06:30

New Yorkers react to mask mandate being lifted

New Yorkers react to Governor Kathy Hochul announcing she would end the state's mask mandate for most indoor public places except schools, healthcare and correctional facilities.

February 10 2022 - 06:15

Investigation reveals how BioNTech undermined SA-based WHO vaccine hub for Africa

BioNTech has become a household name in SA because of its partnership with Pfizer and the resulting vaccine that has been administered almost 23-million times in the country in the fight against Covid-19.

Now, however, its name is being dragged through the mud.

An investigation by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and German newspaper Die Welt shows that it does not have vaccine equity at heart and is instead hoping to exploit regulations to ship vaccines made in Africa back to Europe.

February 10 2022 - 06:00

Mom pleads with Canada's truckers after son's Covid death

Dave Mitchell, a Canadian trucker who was not vaccinated, died of Covid-19 in October. As truckers protest vaccine mandates in Ottawa, Mitchell's mom wants you to know her son's story. 

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