Category: COVID-19 Corona Virus

The COVID-19 death toll now stands at over 16 000 after 126 new fatalities were recorded on Tuesday.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most deaths after 54 people lost the battle to the respiratory disease.

Meanwhile, 45 deaths were recorded in Gauteng, 17 in the Western Cape, and five each in the Eastern Cape and the North West.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 16 118.

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

The cumulative number of detected COVID-19 cases is now 663 282 after 1 346 new cases were identified.

The recovery rate now stands at 89.4%, after 592 904 patients recuperated.

The data is based on the 4 064 117 tests performed, with 16 394 having been done in the last 24 hours.

Globally, there have been 31 174 627 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 962 613 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to the WHO’s latest data, from 14 – 20 September, there were almost two million new cases of COVID-19, which represents a 6% increase compared to the previous week.

This is the highest number of reported cases in a single week since the beginning of the epidemic, WHO said.

“During the same period, there was a 10% decrease in the number of deaths, with 36 764 deaths reported in the past seven days,” the organisation said.

Except for the African region, an increase in the weekly case incidence was reported across all WHO regions in the last seven days.

“For the last six weeks, the African region has continued to report a decrease in both COVID-19 cases and deaths. During the past week, 33 of the 49 affected countries reported either a decrease in deaths or no deaths.”

South Africa remains the African country with the highest number of new cases and new deaths, followed by Ethiopia, Algeria and Mozambique.

The region of the Americas continues to carry the highest burden of COVID-19 globally, accounting for over 38% of all new cases reported in the past seven days, although the region reported a 22% decrease in new deaths.

WHO has noted the greatest rise in deaths in the past week, with a 27% increase compared to the previous week in the European region.

Africa has laid down good economic fundamentals that will enable the continent to rapidly rebuild economies after the losses suffered due to COVID-19, believes Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize.

Speaking on Monday during the Centre for Global Development virtual conference, the Minister said African countries had already made incredible progress across the indicators of poverty, health outcomes, educational enrolments and life expectancy.

“Countries have invested the dividends of growth into health, education, and building the physical and telecommunications infrastructure to connect our countries and our economies. We had also been on track to launch the African Continental Free Trade Agreement this year, creating a single African market and the largest free trade area in the world.

“This pandemic has presented a once-in-a-century emergency and no country is unscathed from its economic impacts. As a continent we recognise the magnitude of the challenge and we will continue to confront it head on,” said Mkhize.

What began as a health crisis has become an economic crisis – COVID-19 has tipped Africa into its first recession in 25 years, threatening to undo 25 consecutive years of positive economic growth.

“The impact of COVID-19 is expected to see an economic contraction of 3.2% in the sub-Saharan Africa region in 2020, reducing per capita GDP to levels last seen in 2010.

“For the first time in decades extreme poverty will increase. Indeed we have already seen that 26-39 million Africans have been pushed into extreme poverty in just the last 6 months alone- raising poverty by between 6 and 9%,” said the Minister.

Reflecting on the economic situation in South Africa, the impact of COVID-19 will see GDP contract 7.5% this year.

“To mitigate this, we have implemented rescue and stimulus packages amounting to 10% of our GDP. For the first time in the history of our democracy, we turned to the International Monetary Fund for relief.

“We, along with 80 countries globally and 35 countries on the African continent, have applied for and received COVID-19-related emergency funding from the IMF.”

Mkhize said it was therefore crucial to have relevant discussions on effective ways to mitigate the economic and health impact of the pandemic across Africa as well as steer the ship back towards the objectives of Agenda 2063 – a safe, healthy, socially integrated and prosperous Africa, free from preventable conditions and premature deaths.

“That is what we had committed to achieve and our people deserve no less,” he said.

Africa needs USD 100 billion to effectively respond to the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mkhize said he appreciated the current support the continent was getting from its partners, the multilateral agencies and the private sector.

“I can confirm that about 40 billion USD has been committed towards the fight against COVID-19 in the continent of Africa and about 15.3 billion USD has already been paid out at bilateral levels to different member states. We are truly grateful for the support.”

He urged all participants in the session to work together to ensure that the economic and the health challenges the globe is facing.

In South Africa the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases is 661 936 with 725 new cases identified. There have been 39 more Coronavirus-related deaths bringing the total number of deaths to 15 992. Number of recoveries is 591 208.

Sixty-four more people died of COVID-19 in South Africa on Wednesday.

Of the latest fatalities, 24 are from KwaZulu-Natal, 14 from Gauteng, 11 from Mpumalanga, nine from the Western Cape and six from the Northern Cape, pushing the death toll to 15 705.

Meanwhile, there are now 653 444 confirmed COVID-19 cases after 1 923 new cases were recorded, Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, said.

In addition, the country has a recovery rate of 89.4% after 584 195 patients beat the disease.

Gauteng remains the hardest hit province with 215 898 cases, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 116 910, the Western Cape 108 767 and the Eastern Cape 87 663.

The information is based on the 3 961 179 tests conducted of which 20 962 were performed in the last 24 hours.

Addressing the nation on Wednesday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa applauded South Africans for their resilient fight against COVID-19.

President Ramaphosa confirmed that the number of new Coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalisations are dropping. This as he announced that the country was moving to level 1 of the lockdown at midnight on Sunday.

“Two months ago, at the height of the storm, we were recording around 12 000 new cases a day. Now we are on average recording less than 2 000 cases a day,” he told the nation.

In addition, the demand for hospital beds, ventilators, oxygen and other essential medical requirements has also reduced steadily, he added.

“We have succeeded in overcoming the worst phase of this epidemic while protecting the capacity of our health system. I wish to applaud you, the people of South Africa, for this achievement and for the thousands of lives that have been saved through your collective actions,” the President said.

President Ramaphosa also warned against a second wave of infections while urging citizens to continue to wash or sanitise their hands and to keep practising social distancing. He urged South Africans to continue wearing their masks.

Globally, there are now 29 444 198 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 931 321 deaths reported to the World Health Organization.

Gauteng Acting Health MEC Jacob Mamabolo has called on the department to ensure that where possible, temporary infrastructure, including fever tents that have been put up as part of the response to COVID-19 are strategically deployed beyond the pandemic.

Mamabolo said this on Wednesday as he completed his preliminary audit of COVID-19 temporary structures, as part of his province-wide visit to health facilities, since his appointment as acting MEC for Health over a month ago.

The department currently only has the NASREC Expo Centre as a field hospital. The Gauteng Disaster Management Provincial Command Council resolved a while back that there would be no expansion of field hospitals.

This was informed by, among other factors, the burden of disease, feedback by clinicians on the ground and how well the province has done in its response to the pandemic, reducing the need for field hospitals.

Mamabolo said the NASREC Expo field hospital remains operational.

The MEC said the equipment invested in this facility largely belongs to the department and will be repurposed to be used in Gauteng health facilities after the pandemic.

As part of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Mamabolo said the department made use of 26 fever tents, 13 of which are owned by the department.  The tents were set up in July 2020, mostly at the entrances of the various facilities and have been used to assist with the screening of patients.

He said that a request for services was sent through to the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure and Property Management (GDID), for suppliers to provide the tents on behalf of the department.

This was done at a cost of R7 552 465.15 for rentals contracts, which were concluded through GDID, while R7 186 650 was for the total number of tents purchased to be owned by the department.

“The strategy of Gauteng province has always been to invest in legacy projects through major refurbishments and additional beds at existing hospitals such as Jubilee Hospital, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and others.

“The projects continue to be implemented and are at various stages. They are an investment in the health system, even post the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mamabolo said.

Funeral undertakers strike

Meanwhile, Mamabolo on Wednesday assured the public that the three-day funeral undertakers’ strike had not led to services at hospital mortuaries being hindered.

Undertakers demonstrated outside provincial health facilities in strike action that began on Monday and was expected to conclude on Wednesday.

Mamabolo said the department had put measures in place to assist communities with the collection and storage of bodies of loved ones during the strike.

He visited the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital to assess the impact of the funeral undertakers’ strike at the hospital.

“The department’s Forensic Pathology Services team has been directed to work together with the Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team to assist with the collection of bodies of people who died at home. We are satisfied with how Chris Baragwanath Hospital is handling the management of bodies during this period,” Mamabolo said.

The department had also enlisted the help of the South African National Defence Force personnel to assist at facilities for the duration of the strike and after to ensure that bodies are processed quickly and handed over to families.

A total of 7 199 claims have been lodged with the Compensation Fund for COVID-19 sickness contracted while at work.

Of the total claims, 4 595 have been submitted directly to the Compensation Fund (CF) and a further 2 385 to Rand Mutual, while Federated Employees has received 219 claims.

“Rand Mutual, which operates under licence as granted by the Minister of Employment and Labour, covers mostly workers in the mining and iron and steel industries. It has seen a sharp rise in claims.

“This is due to a number of claims that were originally repudiated due to incomplete information, but the outstanding information has been furnished. The cases have since been enrolled and are awaiting adjudication,” CF Commissioner Vuyo Mafata said.

The Compensation Fund has paid R462 612 in medical aid claims, and Federated Employees has paid out R11 356.56.

Over R500 000 paid for Temporary Total Disablement

A combined R514 963.22 has been paid by for Temporary Total Disablement, while R3.25 million in dependent benefits has been paid out.

A total of R51 477.53 has been paid out as permanent disablement lump sum, while Rand Mutual has disbursed R18 251 for a burial costs.

Of the 4 595 claims received by the CF, 2 358 come from the Western Cape, followed by Eastern Cape with 1 107, KwaZulu-Natal 491, Gauteng 481, Mpumalanga 91, Northern Cape 35, North West 29 and Limpopo three.

The CF has also accepted liability for 3 109 claims, which represents 67.7% of the claims received. It repudiated 544 claims (which is 11.8% of claims), while 942 await adjudication, which represents 20.5% of the claims received directly.

“Of the 2 385 claims received by Rand Mutual, Gauteng has received 1 870 claims, Eastern Cape 160, KwaZulu-Natal 91, Western Cape 72, Free State 58, North West 38, Limpopo 20, while 64 are unknown.

“Of the 2 385 claims received so far, 2 156 (90.4%) are pending adjudication,” Mafata said.

Federated Employers, which represents workers mostly in the construction sector, has received a total of 219 claims, mostly from Gauteng (120), Western Cape (32), KZN (19), Northern Cape (11), North West (9), Free State (5) and (3) in Mpumalanga.

Mafata said in cases where claims have been repudiated, with better information, the claim “could still be approved and the Fund will accept liability”.

South Africa has recorded 772 new COVID-19 cases, which pushes the overall number to 651 521.

Meanwhile, 142 more COVID-19 related deaths were reported on Tuesday.

Of the additional fatalities, 67 are from Limpopo, 19 from Mpumalanga, 16 from KwaZulu-Natal, 13 from the Western Cape, 12 from Gauteng, 11 from the Northern Cape and four from the Eastern Cape.

This brings the death toll to 15 641 since the outbreak.

“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.

The recovery rate stands at 89.5% after 583 126 patients recovered.

Gauteng now has 215 481 cases since the outbreak, KwaZulu-Natal 116 674, Western Cape 108 537 and Eastern Cape 87 514.

The Free State has 42 255 cases, North West 27 321, Mpumalanga 25 860, Limpopo 14 263 and Northern Cape 13 616.

The information is based on the almost four million tests conducted, 11 603 of which were performed in the last 24 hours.

Globally, the World Health Organisation has reported 29 155 581 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 926 544 deaths.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture says applicants for the second wave of the COVID-19 Relief Fund must be registered as taxpayers.

“Despite the opening of the second wave, the department has observed the challenges experienced by potential applicants in terms of their tax registration status, however, this is a mandatory requirement, which the department cannot eliminate,” the department said on Tuesday.

The department has consulted with the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

“SARS has indicated that potential applicants can register as taxpayers in order to secure the documents required to submit their application.

“Furthermore, the turn-around time to process these applications is 24 hours and upon registering, applicants are then able to provide proof of tax registration, enabling them to submit their applications,” the department said.

The department said it can only disburse funds to arts practitioners who make a living from the arts industry and therefore, a certified bank letter is an acceptable recommendation.

The department has agreed to a recommendation by sector organisations to accept referrals.

All arts practitioners are eligible, except those already receiving government funding, including grants, or pensioners between the ages of 60 and 69.

The department’s Living Legends Legacy Programme (LLLP) caters to those who have contributed to the sector and are 70-years-old and above.

With regards to relief for theatres and arts organisations, the Stimulus Package “ObjectiveTwo” will be made available to all formations, NPO’s, NGO’s, theatres, independent and semi-independent theatres, theatre makers and community theatre organisations, to ensure the sustained visibility of the arts industry.

The arts sector will be informed through public calls in due course.

“In light of the two extensions for applications in the second wave of relief funding, the department continues to interact with those who have applied but whose applications have been stalled due to missing or incomplete documents,” the department said.

Safe re-opening of the arts sector

The department has presented the sector’s proposals on reopening to government.

“Government is favourably looking at the reopening of the economy, including the creative economy. In due course, government is going to pronounce on this matter. The safe re-opening of the arts sector, including theatres and arts venues, has always been at the top of the agenda,” the department said.

With the recent published Directions, the department reopened venues, under strict health protocols, and further created live streaming opportunities

“The emphasis on adherence to strict health and safety protocols remains a critical priority while opening up the economy; and ensuring that the country does not get second wave COVID-19 resurgence; as has happened in other countries.

“The department remains committed to creating an enabling environment and developing sustainable livelihoods for sector practitioners, whilst ensuring that we safe guard against the spread of the Coronavirus.”

Public Service Commission (PSC) Commissioner Michael Seloane says during the Commission’s service delivery inspections conducted in June at selected schools, they found that information about COVID-19 was well disseminated at school level and there was a high level of awareness about the pandemic.

“COVID-19 and its manifestation has created uncertainty, especially for families with school-going children, who also live with vulnerable persons,” Seloane said.

Addressing a media briefing in Pretoria virtually, Seloane said they found a few instances where learners were not wearing masks, but the schools were able to provide for them.

“However, the PSC noted with serious concern that generally, the supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs) was not sufficient, which required urgent attention. Equally, some of the equipment, such as thermometers, were dysfunctional, as they provided inaccurate readings,” Seloane said.

Seloane said to observe social distancing, the Department of Basic Education ensured that an average of 20 learners were accommodated per class.

“This is indicative of the historical infrastructure challenge. Provision for isolation rooms was also not made in the majority of schools.”

Seloane said the Commission observed with great concern the use of pit-latrines in some schools, which is a grave health and safety risk that requires urgent attention.

“COVID-19 has created an environment where government has to work together. In this instance, the Department of Basic Education is reliant on the local municipalities, as well as the National Departments of Water and Sanitation and Public Works and Infrastructure to provide a conducive environment for learning, in line with general health standards and COVID-19 requirements,” Seloane said.

In the contemporary context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commissioner said the partial transition to home and online learning has exposed the depth of the digital divide in the education system.

“It has had social and pedagogical implications, while raising important political debates about government’s response.

“It has also thrown into stark [view] the pervasive inequalities in South Africa’s education system, and the differentiation of public and private schools,” Seloane said.

The Commission has provided feedback to the Department of Basic Education on the improvement of conditions, in anticipation of the other grades returning to school as the COVID-19 regulations are eased.

South Africa’s recovery rate has now jumped to 88.9% after 573 003 patients recuperated from COVID-19.

Meanwhile, novel Coronavirus cases have hit 644 438 after 2 007 infections were identified on Thursday, while the death toll stands at 15 265.

Of the latest 97 fatalities, 26 are from Mpumalanga, 21 from Gauteng, 17 from KwaZulu-Natal, 15 from the North West, seven from the Eastern Cape, six from the Western Cape, four from Free State and one from Limpopo.

According to Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, 3 863 453 tests have been conducted to date, 20 555 of which were performed in the last 24 hours.

A Johannesburg-based General Practitioner (GP), Dr Karin van der Merwe, said it was a great relief to them that the COVID-19 case numbers were decreasing.

“It is also comforting that lockdown restrictions are being eased. One of the toughest parts of lockdown has been the prohibition on visiting family members,” said van der Merwe.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has given citizens the green light to visit family and friends under lockdown level 2, although only 10 people may gather.

“The reality is that many South Africans have already been visiting their families and this will become more common as restrictions are rolled back. Keeping elderly parents completely isolated from their adult children could be perceived as cruel and could lead to mental health issues,” Van der Merwe said.

The GP took part in the Health Department’s #ListenToTheDoctor segment this week.

Van der Merwe said while it may be tempting to go back to completely relaxed socialising, she has urged people to remain cautious to avoid the second wave of infections.

“So when you see your family, it’s still not advised that you hug and kiss.

“If children are involved, warn them in advance that they will not be allowed to hug their grandparents. We are hopeful that this will eventually change but for now, we must keep our distance.”

Ideally, a distance of at least one metre should be maintained at all times.

“Make sanitising hands upon entering your house a routine for all visitors. Try to visit in a well-ventilated area – outside areas are ideal. A picnic is a fairly safe option, especially if each family stays on their own picnic blanket.”

She urged those preparing food to practice good hygiene and for everyone to wash their hands before a meal.

Van der Merwe said there should be a sanitiser on the table for spraying hands when using communal items such as condiments and serving utensils.

“Keep visits relatively short,” she said.

She encouraged people to not drop their guard and keep the number of guests to a minimum.

“This all seems rather extreme but the safer we can make our level 2 meetings, the less likely a second surge of COVID-19 will be.”

Globally, there have been 27 738 179 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 899 916 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation.

The African Development Bank board has approved $27.33 million in grants to boost the African Union’s efforts to mobilise a continental response to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the AfDB said the approval follows a meeting of the extended Bureau of the Conference of Heads of State and Government with Africa’s private sector on 22 April 2020, chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, chairperson of the AU, at which the Bank’s President Akinwumi Adesina pledged strong support for the AU’s COVID-19 initiative.

The AU Bureau meeting called for contributions to the African Union’s COVID-19 Response Fund established in March by the AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat.

Speaking after the board approval of the operation, Adesina said the Bank will strongly support the continent to get through the pandemic and build back – strongly and smartly.

“The Bank’s financial support to the Africa Centres for Disease Control, reaffirms our strong commitment to regional efforts to tackle the pandemic being coordinated by the African Union. Africa needs a well-financed Africa Centres  for Disease Control, today and for the future,” he said.

The Bank’s grant financing will support the Africa Centres  for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in providing technical assistance and building capacity for 37 African Development Fund (ADF) eligible countries, particularly the Transition States, to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its impact. The ADF is the Bank’s concessional window.

Sourced from the ADF’s Regional Operations/Regional Public Goods envelope and the Transition Support Facility, the two grants are expected to support the implementation of Africa CDC’s COVID-19 Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan through strengthening surveillance at various points of entry (air, sea, and land) in African countries; building sub-regional and national capacity for epidemiological surveillance, and ensuring the availability of testing materials and personal protective equipment for frontline workers deployed in hotspots.

The operation will also facilitate collection of gender-disaggregated data and adequate staffing for Africa CDC’s emergency operations centre.

At the beginning of February 2020, only two reference laboratories – in Senegal and in South Africa – could run tests for COVID-19 on the continent.

The Africa CDC, working with governments, the World Health Organisation, and several development partners and public health institutes, have increased this capacity to 44 countries currently. Despite this progress, Africa’s testing capacity remains low, with the 37 ADF-eligible countries accounting for only 40% of completed COVID-19 tests to date.

“Our response today and support to the African Union is timely and will play a crucial role in helping Africa look inward for solutions to build resilience to this pandemic and future outbreaks,” said Wambui Gichuri, Ag. Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development.

The Bank said the support will complement various national and sub-regional operations financed by the African Development Bank under its COVID-19 Response Facility to support African countries to contain and mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.