Category: COVID-19 Corona Virus

A total of 23 583 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, with 1 913 new cases identified on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, 145 more succumbed to COVID-19 related illnesses, bringing the total number of deaths to 17 248 since the outbreak.

Of the latest fatalities, 42 are from KwaZulu-Natal, 41 from Gauteng, 24 from Limpopo, 11 from Mpumalanga and Free State, eight from the Western Cape, seven from the Northern Cape and one from the Eastern Cape.

Also, the cumulative number of detected COVID-19 cases is 685 155, while the recovery rate stands at 90% after 618 127 patients recuperated.

Gauteng remains the epicentre with 221 719 cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal 119 930, Western Cape 111 826 and Eastern Cape 90 165.

Free State has 49 270 cases, North West 30 288, Mpumalanga 27 800, Northern Cape 18 207 and Limpopo 15 950.

Globally, there have been 35 659 007 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1 044 269 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation.

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has once against warned against the risk of resurgence.

“The message is there shouldn’t be complacency,” he said during a political lecture in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday.

He has asked people to focus on the “new normal” of wearing masks, sanitising, social distancing, and cough etiquette especially now that international travel has been opened.

“This has assisted us and therefore it is something we should continue with,” Mkhize added.

He also encouraged people to download the COVID Alert SA app so people can be notified if they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus.

He also thanked Cuban doctors and the WHO surge team for their support in fighting the Coronavirus in the country.

“The tenets of the National Health Insurance could be recognised during COVID-19. There was the pooling of resources and a public-private partnership,” Mkhize added.

“There was also infrastructure development, refurbishment, investment in health and a strong and capable workforce was built.”

Mkhize said the fight against the pandemic is a non-partisan campaign, but one that involves everyone in society.

“Behavioural change is the new normal. We must fight stigma and ensure vigilance,” he added.

South Africa now has 683 242 COVID-19 cases after 1 027 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the death toll has increased by 87 pushing the tally to 17 103.

Of the latest fatalities, 35 are from KwaZulu-Natal, 28 from Gauteng, 15 from the Western Cape, five from the North West and four from the Eastern Cape.

Gauteng remains the epicentre with 221 320 confirmed cases since the outbreak, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 119 769, Western Cape 111 596 and the Eastern Cape with 89 991.

Free State has 48 865 cases, North West 30 103, Mpumalanga 27 718, Northern Cape 18 000 and Limpopo 15 880.

The data is based on the 4 294 931 tests of which 14 591 were performed in the last 24 hours.

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, once again expressed his gratitude towards health professionals for the work they have done throughout the pandemic. The Minister said this during a South African Medical Association webinar.

“Thank you for patiently going out there to give the services to our people. We salute you all for the good work that has been done,” he said.

Mkhize reiterated that the numbers of deaths have slowed down.

Second wave

“We moved to level 1 with less explosion. It’s possible the second surge can still come. You have played an important part in us achieving a recovery rate of 90%.”

He warned that the issue of the second wave of infections cannot be ruled out.

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) surge team is still working in the different provinces.

It will continue to assist in surveillance for government to respond much quicker should the number of increased infections strike again.

“About vaccines, we should work together as a global effort to make vaccines more accessible and affordable to everyone. There is a whole global awareness for the need to work together for a vaccine,” said the Minister.

Globally, there have been 35 347 404 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1 039 406 deaths reported to the WHO.

South Africa has recorded over 17 000 COVID-19 deaths after 40 more people succumbed to the respiratory disease on Monday.

Of the latest fatalities, 14 are from the Free State, 12 from the Eastern Cape, five each from Gauteng and Mpumalanga, and four from the Western Cape – bringing the toll to 17 016.

Meanwhile, the cumulative number of detected COVID-19 cases is 682 215 after 926 people contracted the virus since the last report.

Gauteng remains the epicentre with 221 061 cases since the outbreak, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 119 694, the Western Cape 111 517 and the Eastern Cape 89 964.

The Free State has 48 662 cases, the North West 29 979, Mpumalanga 27 625, the Northern Cape 17 876 and Limpopo 15 837.

“Our recoveries now stand at 615 684, which translates to a recovery rate of 90%,” said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

The information is based on 4 280 340 tests conducted, 10 714 of which were performed in the last 24 hours.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of new cases per week has remained stable at two million for the past three weeks.

Meanwhile, over one million deaths have now been reported globally, the of which majority were reported in the region of the Americas (55%), followed by Europe (23%).

“In the past week, the regions of the Americas, South-East Asia and Europe account for 91% of new cases,” the latest WHO report stated.

The highest percentage of cases has been reported in the 25 – 39 age group, with about 50% of cases in the 25 – 64 age group.

“However, the percentage of deaths increases with age, and approximately 75% of deaths are in those aged 65 years and above.”

South Africa and Ethiopia continue to report the highest numbers of new cases in Africa, followed by Mozambique, Uganda and Nigeria.

“Africa has seen a continuous decline in case incidence since mid-July; however, this trend is now slowing,” said WHO.

For the first week since early August, the number of new deaths has risen – led by South Africa with a 29% increase in deaths in the past week.

South Africa also has the second-highest mortality rate on the continent with 11 461 deaths per one million population.

“Gauteng and the Western Cape have reported the most cases and deaths to date. However, these regions, as well as the country itself, have maintained sustained declines in the daily incidence since the end of July.

“Despite this, weekly case numbers have continued to rise in less populated provinces,” WHO said.

A WHO surge team of experts, including infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists, will continue to work with the Department of Health.

Globally, there have been 35 109 317 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1 035 341 deaths reported.

South Africa has recorded 1 772 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total to 674 339 cases since the outbreak.

Sixty-seven more people succumbed to the respiratory disease on Wednesday.

Of the latest fatalities, 37 are from KwaZulu-Natal, 11 from Gauteng, nine from the Western Cape, seven from the Free State and three from the Eastern Cape.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 16 734.

“We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased patients,” said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

A reported 608 112 patients have recuperated, which translates to a recovery rate of 90%.

The information is based on the 4 187 917 tests conducted, with 23 426 having been performed since the last report.

Globally, there have been 33 502 430 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1 004 421 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) will from Thursday begin processing COVID-19 TERS applications for the period covering 16 August to 15 September 2020.

The payments are part of government’s basket of services aimed at acting as a safety net for workers detrimentally affected by the pandemic’s halting of the economy during the lockdown.

In a statement, the Department of Employment and Labour said the disbursements have shielded many families from falling into the poverty trap.

“To apply for the September period, employers are required to upload similar documentation which includes signed approval or acceptance letter, bank confirmation letter, proof of payment to employees, and refund to the UIF – if applicable,” said the Acting UIF Commissioner, Marsha Bronkhorst.

The department said applications will be subjected to a stringent vetting process with external partners to ascertain the validity of claims before the funds are paid and to ensure that the new controls weed out fraudulent claims.

“Early signs of the new vetting process with external partners show that we are on the right track, as we have been able to pick up potentially fraudulent claims,” she said.

Payments of claims was last month stopped and referred to the UIF’s Risk Management Unit for further investigation.

“We are also subjecting claims applications by foreign nationals to the Department of Home Affairs to ensure that we pay to authentic and deserving beneficiaries, and we shall immediately start paying these claims upon the completion of the vetting process by Home Affairs,” Bronkhorst said.

COVID-19 TERS claim applications from April to May closed on 25 September 2020.

Claims for the June period will close on 15 October 2020, while claims for July and August will close on 30 October 2020.

The extension of the payments widened the net of the scheme until the end of the National State of Disaster.

The Direction allows employers or employees to claim the COVID-19 TERS benefits for the extension period starting from 16 August until 15 September 2020. The new directives cover the following categories of employees whose employers are:

(a)       not permitted to commence operations under the Disaster Management Regulations;

(b)       unable to make alternative arrangements for vulnerable workers, such as working from home or taking special measures under the OHS Direction to protect them;

(c)        unable to make use of their services because of operational requirements caused by compliance with the Regulations and Directions such as rostering, staggering working hours, short time and the introduction of shift systems.

The application process remains the same for the extension period and all claims must be lodged via the online portal (https://uifecc.labour.gov.za/covid19/ OR www.labour.gov.za).

The Gauteng Department of Health is concerned about the 6% increase in the number of COVID-19 active cases since the country moved to level 1 of the lockdown.

South Africa moved to level 1 of the lockdown on 21 September 2020.

Gauteng remains the epicentre of the virus with 219 373 cases to date followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 118 889, the Western Cape 110 541 and Eastern Cape 89 076.

“The rise in infections has been attributed to among other factors to non-adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions by some members of the public,” the provincial department said.

The areas of concerns include Johannesburg’s Inner City, Soweto, Sedibeng and Tshwane.

“It is important that we emphasise to the public that the fight against COVID-19 is far from over. We want to caution communities that we need to continue adhering to non-pharmaceutical interventions,” said Gauteng acting MEC of Health, Jacob Mamabolo.

The MEC called on everyone to play their part by wearing facemasks, social distancing, sanitising and washing hands.

According to the provincial department, 1 200 people are currently hospitalised in public and private health facilities.

Meanwhile, South Africa recorded 903 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours bringing the cumulative number of detected infections to 672 572.

In addition, 81 more people succumbed to the respiratory disease pushing the death toll to 16 667.

Of the latest deaths, 28 are from Gauteng, 11 from KwaZulu-Natal, 10 from the Northern Cape, eight from the Eastern Cape and the North West, six from the Western Cape, and five from Limpopo and Free State.

“We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers that treated the deceased patients,” said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

Meanwhile, recoveries now stand at 605 520 which translates to 90%.

The data is based on the 4 164 491 tests conducted of which 12 011 were performed since the last report.

Globally, there have been 33 249 563 confirmed cases of COVID-19, while the death toll has now surpassed 1 million, the World Health Organization reported.

The Embassy of Portugal has donated 25 laptops and 2 000 masks to support the phased-in reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 essentials donation and ICT devices come from the people of Portugal. We warmly accept this act of solidarity amid the devastation caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“This occasion today indeed reaffirms the importance of our bilateral relations, informed by the Memorandum of Consultations, signed in 2002,” said Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga during the handover on Monday.

Motshekga said the donation comes at a time when the sector is tasked with ensuring that every school child has sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, to keep the virus at bay.

“These are key in promoting the COVID-19 pandemic compliance and protecting lives, while allowing schooling to continue.  As we know, PPEs are a key arsenal in an all-out war against the pandemic.

“This donation of masks will go a long way to help to meet the moving target of providing PPE to learners,” she said.

Despite the news that South Africa has reached the COVID-19 pandemic peak, Motshekga said the country remains at risk.

“The virus isn’t on level two or planning to go on level one. It is significant to note that our measures have yielded positive results, as we have enough hospital bed capacity, ventilators and oxygen tanks for the foreseeable long period of the pandemic.”

South Africa has a case facility rate of 2.1% – lower than the global rate, while Egypt has a 5.4% case fatality rate, higher than the global average of 3.5%.

“Our mammoth task now is the mobilisation of society for the behavioural change needed as we ramp up non-pharmaceutical interventions as a new way to coexist with the virus.

“Yet, we remain steadfast in our belief that there is a need to balance saving lives versus livelihoods. We remain committed to our moral and constitutional obligation to save lives, first and foremost,” said Motshekga.

Portugal was hailed for its early and effective response to COVID-19, as it managed to avoid a devastating peak like the one seen in neighbouring Spain. It is now dealing firmly with the remnants of the virus through various measures.

“I would like to reiterate my sincere gratitude to the people and the government of Portugal for their generous support to the phased-in reopening of schools in our country.

“These are challenging times, of fighting an invisible enemy that seeks to decimate lives and livelihoods. Thankfully, our response, together with the international community, has been marked by solidarity and cooperation,” said the Minister.

A total of 188 COVID-19 related deaths were reported on Monday, bringing the toll to 16 586 since the outbreak.

Of the additional fatalities, 178 were reported in the Free State, four in the Western Cape, three in the Eastern Cape, two in Gauteng and one in KwaZulu-Natal.

However, according to Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, there has been a “two-week delay” in the reporting of Free State deaths, as the province collated data from the various districts and verified this against Home Affairs data.

“This is part of efforts to improve the quality of data by aligning information from facilities with Home Affairs statistics. Data from post-mortem swabs also had to be collated and verified. This is in line with the recommendations of the Medical Research Council,” Mkhize explained, adding that the data are now up to date.

Also, the cumulative number of detected COVID-19 cases is 671 669 after 903 cases were identified.

Meanwhile, there are now 604 478 patients who have recuperated, which translates to a recovery rate of 90%.

This is information is based on the 4 152 480 test performed, 9 014 of which were conducted since the last report.

To date, over 32.7 million COVID-19 cases and 991 000 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

There were more than two million new cases and 36 000 new deaths reported between and 21 and 27 September 2020.

According to the agency, the cumulative deaths are expected to exceed one million in the coming week.

“The region of the Americas continues to carry the highest incidence of COVID-19 globally, reporting similar numbers of new cases and deaths as the previous week. The region accounts for 38% of all new cases and 52% of all new deaths reported in the past seven days.”

The Eastern Mediterranean region showed the greatest increase (9%) in cases in the past week, while the European region reported a substantial rise in deaths, with a 9% increase compared to the previous week.

Meanwhile, WHO African, Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions recorded decreases in the new cases and deaths.

South Africa continues to report the highest number of new cases and new deaths, followed by Ethiopia, Uganda, Algeria and Mozambique.

South Africa also has the highest number of cumulative cases and deaths per one million population in the region, followed by Cabo Verde, which has reported increasing numbers of cases, and deaths over the past month.

South Africa has recorded 1 268 new COVID-19 cases bringing the cumulative number of detected cases to 670 766 on Sunday.

The Eastern Cape has recorded 88 892, Free State 46 128, Gauteng 219 039, KwaZulu-Natal 118 731, Limpopo 15 270, Mpumalanga 27 021, North West 29 012, Northern Cape 16 243 and Western Cape 110 430.

The cumulative number of tests conducted to date is 4 143 466 with 15 028 new tests conducted.

Twenty two more people have succumbed to COVID-19 related deaths, seven from Eastern Cape, five from KwaZulu-Natal, two from Gauteng, five from North West, and three from Western Cape.

“This brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 16 398. We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health- care workers that treated the deceased patients. Our recoveries now stand at 603 721 which translates to a recovery rate of 90%,” Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said.

South Africa recorded 1 861 new COVID-19 cases, while 77 more people succumbed to the disease on Thursday.

This brings the cumulative number of detected COVID-19 cases to 667 049 since the outbreak, while the death toll now stands at 16 283.

Of the latest fatalities recorded, 58 are from Gauteng, eight from KwaZulu-Natal, seven from the Eastern Cape and four from the Western Cape.

“Our recoveries now stand at 595 916, which translates to a recovery rate of 89.3%,” said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

The information is based on the 4 102 162 tests conducted, 18 405 of which were performed in the last 24 hours.

The Minister once again pleaded with people to be vigilant and take precautions against the spread of the virus, even though the country is under lockdown level 1.

Globally, there have been 31 798 308 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 973 653 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation.