Category: COVID-19 Corona Virus

Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu, is in self-quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.

In a statement, the Presidency said the Minister took the test early on Monday after displaying some symptoms.

“As per the COVID-19 regulations, Minister Mthembu as well as those who have come in contact with him will immediately self-quarantine,” read the statement.

Minister Mthembu is the fourth member of the executive who has tested positive in the past week.

Last week, Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi, as well as Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Obed Bapela, and Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo also tested positive for the virus.

Mthembu remains in high spirits and wishes all those who are also fighting the Coronavirus a speedy recovery.

“We once again urge all South Africans to play their part by continuing to regularly wash/sanitise their hands, properly wear a face mask and practice physical distancing at all times,” said Mthembu.

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, says while the fiscus will carry the burden of procuring the COVID-19 vaccine aimed at preventing the further spread of the virus and loss of life, government will reach out to medical schemes to make a contribution.

Mkhize on Thursday said they will also consider asking medical schemes to co-subsidise some members of the public, as government makes a push to raise funds to procure vaccine doses as early as next month.

He was briefing Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health in line with government’s commitment to keep the public informed of developments relating to the vaccine rollout strategy.

The meeting also took place following calls from opposition parties for a National Assembly debate on South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan.

“I think as we stand at the moment, a few points that I think are important to mention are that, for one, we have had lots of discussions with the Minister of Finance [Tito Mboweni] basically to say that the fiscus is going to carry the major burden of  procuring the vaccine.

“We have also agreed that we will look to activate other means of raising additional funds, and that the second way would be to approach the medical schemes and ask them to make a contribution, which will also be on the basis of social solidarity, wherein they could also co-subsidise some of the members of the public.

“The third one is to get business donors to make their own contributions,” he said.

Government has forged an affiliation with the COVAX facility – a global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) – through which it intends to source vaccines for 10% of the population, while the additional vaccine doses are expected to be sourced through fundraising initiatives through the private sector.

The first tranche of vaccines will be prioritised for members of the population that are higher risk.

The first phase of the roll-out will target frontline healthcare workers. Phase two will cover essential service workers, persons over the age of 60 and those 18 years or older with comorbidities. The third phase will target those that are older than 18 years.

“As a country, we have an estimated 1.25 million healthcare workers both from the public and private sectors to be prioritised.

“It is for this reason that today we announce that South Africa will be receiving one million doses in January and 500 000 doses in February from the SII [Serum Institute of India],” Mkhize said.

The Minister said teams from the National Department of Health and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) were fine-tuning and aligning all the regulations processes to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays or regulatory impediments to activate the roll-out.

“We are happy that the SII/Astra Zeneca vaccine has already been approved by various regulators and is being rolled out in other countries,” said the Minister.

Mkhize urged the public to be patient with government as it continues to engage manufacturers.

Second wave

Mkhize said was important to note that the resurgence of COVID-19 has created a lot of panic with the number of people who are getting sick, the number of hospitals that are filling up and the number of lives being lost.

“It is actually natural that we should all be anxious at this point. I would like to just say that this situation we will manage to the best of our ability. Also, we will be making sure that we bring the vaccines as quickly as possible to South Africa.

“By the time we start the vaccination programme, we won’t be very different from many countries. We would actually be in line with most of the countries.

“We would like to assure the public that we are all on course in so far as this matter is concerned.”

Limpopo Health MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, has called for a change in behaviour after the province saw its highest number of new infections since the Coronavirus pandemic began.

According to the MEC, the province recorded 1 575 positive cases in the last 24 hours, a sharp increase from 900 over the previous reporting cycle.

Capricorn is now the hardest-hit district in the province with 623 new infections, followed by Vhembe District 408 and Mopani District 253.

“Although the Waterberg District was leading at some point, their numbers are no longer increasing at an alarming rate. The district has recorded 189 new cases,” the provincial department said, adding that the Sekhukhune District only had 98 new cases.

However, the department is watching the two districts, which are mining hubs, closely as the mines will soon reopen doors after the festive season.

Meanwhile, the Polokwane, Thulamela and Greater Tzaneen municipalities remain on high alert.

“The increase in numbers is quite concerning considering that during the beginning of December, the province would only record around 20 cases per 24-hour counting cycle.”

The department believes that the escalating figures paint a “worrying picture” of community members not following COVID-19 safety protocols during the recent festive season.

“We are now paying the price of social gatherings, Christmas parties and luncheons, weddings and birthday parties which we have seen during the month of December,” Ramathuba said.

“We have advised that any kind of gathering during the festive was a bad idea also considering that we have people who came from other provinces coming home to attend those gatherings.”

The MEC is pleading with communities to act more responsibly during this difficult period.

“As the virus attacks indiscriminately during this second wave, we need to see real behaviour change from our people in order to make a real difference.”

South Africa logged over 800 daily Coronavirus deaths for the first time since the outbreak, while new cases also hit a record high after 21 832 tested positive on Wednesday.

Limpopo has 7 592 patients who are currently infected, while the cumulative cases stand at 30 840.

The MEC said the focus is now shifting to the availability of hospital beds as the numbers peak.

“Though we are seeing a huge number of people coming to our hospitals due to COVID-19, our hospitals are still having enough beds for patients who need admission due to the virus,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ramathuba is calling on everyone who was at Beitbridge border post, which connects South Africa and Zimbabwe, to quarantine for at least seven days after 104 people tested positive as authorities deal with congestion.

South Africa has logged over 800 daily Coronavirus deaths for the first time since the outbreak, while new cases also hit a record high on Wednesday.

A total of 844 people lost their lives to COVID-19, pushing the death toll 31 368.

According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, the Eastern Cape reported 452 deaths due to the respiratory disease.

However, Mkhize said the staggering number of deaths in the province was due to “data reconciliation” dating between May and November 2020.

“This includes analysis of community cases where post-mortem swabs were taken for COVID testing and analysis of clinical records where the diagnosis was unconfirmed at the time of demise. The National Department of Health is engaging the province to investigate the details of the reporting backlog,” the Minister explained.

Meanwhile, 149 fatalities were reported in the Western Cape, 96 in Gauteng, 65 in KwaZulu-Natal, 46 in the North West, 12 in the Free State, 11 in Limpopo, eight in Mpumalanga and five in the Northern Cape.

In addition, Mkhize described the latest number of daily infections as a “grim milestone” as the figure of new cases breached the 20 000 mark.

According to Mkhize, 21 832 cases have been identified since the last reporting cycle, which brings the total cumulative COVID-19 cases to 1 149 591.

The country currently has 188 984 active cases, with KwaZulu-Natal leading with 76 993 people who are currently infected, followed by the Western Cape with 41 356 and Gauteng 35 727.

Limpopo has 7 592 active cases, North West 6 958, Free State 6 565, Eastern Cape 5 610, Mpumalanga 5 441 and Northern Cape 2 742.

To date, 929 239 people have recovered from COVID-19, which translates to a recovery rate of 80.8%.

The information is based on the 6 898 207 test, 70 060 of which were performed since the last report.

According to the World Health Organisation, there have been 85 091 012 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1 861 005 global deaths.

Government has set a minimum target of 67% of the population to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in an effort to achieve herd immunity, says Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

South Africa recently made the down payment to secure the COVID-19 vaccine for 10% of the population.

In a media briefing on Sunday on the country’s COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy, the Minister said the rollout of the vaccine will be done in phases beginning with the most vulnerable in the population.

Phase one includes frontline health care workers (HCW), with a target of 1 250 000 people.

In the second phase, the following population will be targeted:

• Essential workers. Target population: 2 500 000
• Persons in congregate settings. Target population: 1 100 000
• Persons >60 years. Target population: 5 000 000
• Persons >18 years with co-morbidities. Target population: 8 000 000

Phase three will involve other persons >18 years, with a target population of 22 500 000.

“This means that by the end of phase three, 40 350 000 citizens will have been immunised, which is equivalent to approximately 67.25% of the population, as we have indicated.

“At this stage, we have secured the doses that will be acquired through COVAX, which will ensure that we immunise 10% of the population through this mechanism. In line with the President’s statement, we expect the processes will have delivered the vaccine by the beginning of the second quarter,” Mkhize said.

The Minister said the funds to pay the outstanding amount after the deposit that has been made by the Solidarity Fund, around R1.8 billion, have been allocated.

“Having secured for 10% of the population, we have embarked on other efforts to get the rest of the 57% of the population to be targeted by end 2021, but more importantly, we are making efforts to obtain vaccines much earlier, hopefully as early as February 2021.

“This will very much depend on the success of current bilateral negotiations we are in the midst of with various companies,” Mkhize said.

In addition, government has approached medical aids to be part of the co-financing.

“The process is now at a stage where the Council for Medical Schemes has engaged various medical schemes and I have signed amendments of regulations to allow for vaccines and other therapeutics to be part of the prescribed minimum benefits.

“Business has also been engaged, particularly through Business Unity South Africa (BUSA). Therefore, the total financing arrangement will include medical schemes, business and government, with an arrangement made with the Solidarity Fund to provide a platform for the collection of funds, and for expedited and controlled procurement processes,” the Minister said.

To optimise availability of stock for South Africa, government is negotiating with all the manufacturers and pursuing those who are indicating a capability of making vaccines available sooner.

“We are in sensitive discussions and at this stage are bound by Non-Disclosure Agreements but we will make announcements as soon as negotiations are concluded and the NDAs have been lifted,” said Mkhize.

Government is working closely with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for regulatory clearance.

The Department of Health has embarked on distribution and delivering structures through national government, the public sector, private sector, civil society, labour, traditional leaders and structures that will report to Provincial and District Co-ordinating Councils.

“This will ensure that we take all of society with us and get community buy-in, and a well-coordinated campaign… with a good uptake of the vaccinations offered,” the Minister said.

COVID-19 continues to spread in South Africa amid the second wave of infections, with 11 859 confirmed cases identified on Sunday.

According to the latest data, this represents a 32% positivity rate, bringing the total number of cases to 1 100 748 since the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the country has 167 492 active actives, with KwaZulu-Natal now being the hardest hit province, with 63 690 people who are currently infected.

The Western Cape has 42 388 active cases, followed by Gauteng with 31 770, Eastern Cape 6 315, Free State 6 133, North West 5 911, Limpopo 5 032, Mpumalanga 3 838 and Northern Cape 2 415.

A further 402 people died due to COVID-19 related complications, with the Eastern Cape reporting the highest number of 109 fatalities, while the Western Cape had 107 deaths.

Eighty-five fatalities were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, 73 in Gauteng, 23 in Limpopo, three in the Northern Cape and two in the Free State.

According to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, this brings the death toll to 29 577.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased,” Mkhize said.

In addition, 903 679 have beat the deadly virus, which translates to a 82.1% recovery rate.

South Africa has as of Wednesday recorded a staggering 17 710 new cases – bringing the country’s cumulative total of COVID-19 cases to 1 039 161, indicating a positivity rate of 33%.

“The positivity rate, being an indicator of the rapidity of spread, remains of major concern,” said Health Minister, Dr Zwelini Mkhize.

A further 465 people lost their lives to COVID-19. Of these deaths 88 were recorded in Eastern Cape, Free State 4, Gauteng 41, KwaZulu-Natal 144, Limpopo 16, Northern Cape 7 and Western Cape 165.

This brings the total deaths to 28 033 deaths.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased,” said the Minister.

To date Eastern Cape has recorded 169 363 COVID-19 cases, Free State 62 287, Gauteng 282 624, KwaZulu-Natal 194 629, Limpopo 24 106, Mpumalanga 36 159, North West 39 531, Northern Cape 25 164 and Western Cape 205 280.

A cumulative 6 553 761 tests have been conducted with 53 279 tests completed since the last report.

Recoveries currently stand at 867 597 representing a recovery rate of 83%.

Leading experts in South Africa’s vaccine procurement strategy say while securing a COVID-19 vaccine is top of the country’s agenda, it is not a magic bullet that will end the pandemic.

“There is a general misunderstanding and we need to clarify that once the vaccines arrive on our doorstep, that is not the end of the epidemic.

“The first branches will go to protect healthcare workers and will have no effect on the population as such.

“Then there will be immunisation of the population and that is going to take a long time,” said Professor Barry Schoub, who is the Ministerial Advisory Committee chairperson on vaccine development.

Schoub, together with the Health Department Deputy Director General, Dr Anban Pillay, and South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) extramural unit researcher, Safura Abdool Karim, engaged in a panel discussion broadcast by the SABC on the COVID-19 vaccine outlook in 2021.

The panel discussion on vaccine procurement comes as South Africa recorded its highest daily infections, with 17 710 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the country’s cumulative total to 1 039 161.

South Africa is set to receive initial vaccines from the COVAX facility to cover 10% of its population in the early part of 2021.

Priority of the vaccine roll out will begin with healthcare workers, the elderly and those with comorbidities.

“The COVAX facility has indicated that we should expect delivery of the vaccine in quarter two [of 2021].

“They are trying very hard to get us delivery before that. If they succeed with the manufacturers, then we may get delivery earlier but we do not have a specific date as yet.

“COVAX indicated to us that in early January, they will  have a firm date on when exactly that delivery will come through and we will certainly communicate that as soon as we hear what that date is,” said Pillay.

Dispelling some misconceptions that government failed to procure the vaccine on time, Karim explained the historic inequity within the procurement of medicine.

“The one thing I would want to dispute is the idea that our situation is as a result of poor planning. The reason South Africa is not able to access the vaccine is in the way the US and UK have is that we are not a wealthy country and that is a historic inequity.

“Poorer countries are always left behind when it comes to health interventions and that is not a result of our government not wanting a vaccine. That is a result of a system that prioritises profits over people’s lives,” said Karim.

Additionally, Pillay said South Africa wants to acquire a vaccine with the best efficacy, which will be easily stored for mass roll out.

“One needs to bear in mind that the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius. Many countries did not opt to go with the Pfizer vaccine as a mass vaccination programme because it is very difficult to do that, particularly in a country like South Africa and many other developing nations that do not have storage capacity for -70 degrees.

“We have commercially only two large storage facilities that will keep a -70 degrees vaccine. So we would not be able to keep the large quantities that are required to vaccinate many people,” he said.

North West Premier, Professor Job Mokgoro, has encouraged communities to adhere to level 3 regulations so as to alleviate pressure on healthcare workers.

While chairing the virtual Provincial Command Council meeting on Tuesday evening, the Premier said people should stay at home, respect all health protocols and observe the rules of the road when travelling during this holiday period.

The Command Council expressed concern about the non-adherence to health protocols, particularly at various post offices where COVID-19 social relief of distress grants are collected.

As a result, the council directed law enforcement and compliance officers to closely monitor these areas during this period, and enforce compliance.

Law enforcement was also directed to monitor social gatherings that are prohibited under level 3, community behavior and adherence to the regulations, including the number of people attending funerals and adherence to curfew hours.

“With the number of hospital cases steadily increasing in Bojanala Platinum District, which is now a hotspot, the Command Council received a report on the Department of Health’s state of readiness to respond to the surge, including the continuous monitoring of hospitals’ capacity to admit patients,” the North West provincial government said on Wednesday.

The meeting welcomed the cancellation of year-end events that were planned by the Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation in response to the restrictions imposed on all social gatherings during the adjusted alert level 3.

The provision of additional food parcels has been arranged for distribution, where needed, across the four districts of the province.

The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) on Tuesday provided detail on South Africa’s move to level 3 of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Briefing the media virtually, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said the country finds itself in a grave situation, as COVID-19 infections continue to rise.

The Minister’s comments following an address by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday night, wherein he announced that South Africa has reverted to level 3 of lockdown, up from level 1.

The briefing was on developments in relation to the country’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Last night, the President warned us of the dangers. He warned us that we have to stick to the health protocols and change our behaviour,” Dlamini-Zuma said.

The Minister said many of the regulations were “not really new”.

Under adjusted alert level 3, every person is confined to their place of residence from 9pm until 6am daily. Those flouting the curfew would be committing an offence, for which a person would be liable for a fine or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both.

The Minister said the wearing of masks is mandatory.

“Government doesn’t want to arrest anyone. Please just wear your mask. [It is] not the aim of government to take people to prison,” she said.

Meanwhile, the closing time for cinemas, theatres, casinos, museums, galleries and archives, gyms and fitness centres, restaurants, venues hosting auctions and venues hosting professional sport is now set at 8pm. This is whether indoors or outdoors.

In outdoor settings, a cap is placed at 100 persons. However, if the venue is too small to hold the prescribed number of persons observing a distance of at least 1.5 metres from each other, then not more than 50% of the capacity of the venue may be used.

Funerals

On funerals, which have the capacity to become super-spreaders, Dlamini-Zuma emphasised that the number of people allowed at funerals has been cut back to 50.

“We were at 100 before but now we have to be 50, sitting 1.5 metre apart,” she said, adding that should a venue not be able to accommodate the 1.5m distance between mourners, then only half the number of people would be allowed to attend the funeral.

In addition, funerals are not allowed to take longer than two hours, with night vigils and “after tears” gatherings still not allowed.

Beaches

The Minister said beaches in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces are now closed to the public, with the exception of beaches in the Northern Cape, which has not been designated as a hotspot area.

Northern Cape beaches will open between 6am and 7pm, and be monitored for compliance with all health protocols and social distancing measures.

The closure of beaches and restrictions does not apply to fishermen for fishing purposes, who are in possession of a permit or exemption granted in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998 (Act No. 18 of 1998).

In addition, non-compliance with the prohibitions, conditions and hours of opening of beaches will result in the closure of those beaches throughout the festive season.

Game parks, hotels

Meanwhile, all public swimming pools, including recreational facilities at such places, are closed to the public.

However, game parks, botanical gardens, aquariums and zoos, where access control measures and entry limitations are already in place, will remain open to the public.

Hotels and lodges will remain open and can be filled to capacity, but in public/common spaces, they will have to observe 1.5m social distancing.

Liquor and international travel

The sale and dispensing of liquor for off-site consumption and for on-site consumption is prohibited.

When coming to international travel, the country’s 18 land borders, which were partially operational, will be fully operational. The 34 land borders, which were closed, will remain closed, except for the Kosibay Port of Entry, which will reopen on 1 January 2021.

Travelling to and from the Republic is allowed. All international travel is permitted, subject to the traveller providing a valid certificate of a negative test obtained not more than 72 hours before the date of travel.

“In terms of South African regulations, people can still travel,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

Faith gatherings and the sale of tobacco

Dlamini-Zuma said faith-based gatherings are not allowed.

“In terms of faith gatherings, these will not be allowed for two weeks,” she said.

Meanwhile, the sale of tobacco remains permissible.

Level 3 restrictions will remain in place until 15 January 2021.