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The Department of Employment and Labour in Free State has temporarily closed its doors following water leaks into Laboria House building caused by recent heavy rains.

The closure of the building follows structural assessment conducted by the department’s Occupational Health and Safety inspectors on Monday, which revealed that the water leaking into the building is affecting electrical cables which poses structural damage, fire and electrocution risk.

The Department’s provincial spokesperson Cebisa Siyobi said they were engaging with the Free State Department of Public Works to devise a plan of alternative accommodation for the employees.

“In the meantime, provincial office employees will continue to work remotely until the building has been rendered safe for occupation,” Siyobi said.

However, Siyobi said that the development does not affect the service delivery to clients because the Bloemfontein Labour Centre is operating from a separate building and will continue fulfilling its mandate to citizens while the provincial office employees work remotely.

The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) has warned Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and Co-operatives against sending proposals and paying administration fees for the preapproval of funds to agencies.

“The DSBD warns SMMEs and Co-operatives against such fraudulent agencies purporting to be entities or representatives of the department,” the department said on Wednesday.

The department said cyber criminals use national crises and emergencies such as the current COVID-19 pandemic to prey on unsuspecting victims.

“Their modus operandi includes identity theft and pretending, through fake emails, to be representatives of government departments and agencies. The department wishes to remind the public that all funding application processes are on its official websites,” the department said.

The department has advised the small business sector not to utilise social media platforms to accept any applications.

Access to services for SMMEs and Co-operatives is free. Any SMME or Co-operative who receives such a request must immediately report the incident to our DSBD Hotline 086 677 7867 or send an e-mail to info@dsbd.gov.za.

Valid information on the sector can be found on www.dsbd.gov.za; www.sefa.org.za; www.seda.org.za; or www.mybindu.org.za.

SMMEs and Co-operatives are encouraged to register their businesses on www.smmesa.gov.za and funding applications can be done at www.eservices.gov.za.

South Africa is showing signs of declining COVID-19 cases, with 9 010 new cases reported in the last 24 hours.

This brings the total number of infections to 1 346 936 since the outbreak.

“Regrettably, we report a further 344 COVID-19 related deaths,” said Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, on Monday.

Of the recent deaths, 91 are in KwaZulu-Natal, 88 from the Western Cape, 66 in the Eastern Cape and 63 in Gauteng.

Meanwhile, 13 are in the Northern Cape, 12 in Mpumalanga and 11 in Free State, which brings the tally to 37 449.

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers who treated these patients,” he expressed his condolences.

In addition, the recovery rate is sitting at 83% after 1 117 452 patients were healed from the respiratory disease.

The information is based on the 7 653 371 with 39 901 new tests conducted since the last report.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are 93 611 355 confirmed global cases of COVID-19, including 2 022 405 deaths, to date.

It is important to note that there is a difference between being fully recovered and being ready to come out of isolation.

The following criteria are specified for de-isolation of a person who tests positive for COVID-19:

• Symptomatic patients with mild disease (not requiring hospitalisation for Covid-19) can be de-isolated 10 days after the onset of their symptoms, provided their fever has resolved and their other symptoms are improving.
• Hospitalised patients with moderate-severe disease (who require hospitalisation due to COVID-19) can be de-isolated 10 days after achievement of clinical stability (i.e. from when they are not requiring supplemental oxygen and are otherwise clinically stable).
• Asymptomatic patients can be de-isolated 10 days after their test.
• Repeat PCR testing is NOT required in order to de-isolate a patient and is not recommended.

It is common for patients to continue to have symptoms for longer than the 10 days. Full recovery may take several weeks for some patients, especially for symptoms such as fatigue, cough and anosmia (loss of sense of smell).

Patients who are still symptomatic at the end of their isolation period can be de-isolated provided that their fever has resolved and their other symptoms have shown improvement. Patients admitted to hospital can continue their isolation period at home or at an isolation facility once clinical stability has been achieved.

Employees can return to work:
1. 10 days after symptom onset for cases of mild disease
2. 10 days after clinical stability (e.g. after oxygen stopped) for cases of severe disease

Note: PCR testing is not required for return to work (exception: if a person remains asymptomatic in quarantine after a high-risk exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case, a PCR test should be done when assessing the employee for early return to work on day 8 post-exposure).

The distinction between the isolation period and returning to work
The recommended isolation time is the period during which a patient is still considered infectious. This should be distinguished from the point at which a patient is medically well enough to return to work. Some patients, especially those who have had severe disease, may require to be booked off sick for longer than the above isolation periods.

The Department of Health has warned that high-dose blood thinners may harm critically ill COVID-19 patients.

This comes after recent evidence from a large randomised controlled clinical trial – a collaboration of three international groups – revealed that high-dose compared to low-dose blood thinners did not help critically ill ICU patients.

“This new evidence also suggests that high-dose blood thinners may harm critically ill patients. Because of these findings, the trial oversight committees have recommended stopping further enrolment of critically ill patients to the trial,” said the department in a statement.

However, no data is available yet to review these findings.

“The clinical trial design is strong and the National Essential Medicines List sub-committee on COVID-19 recommends against the use of high-dose blood thinners in critically ill patients with COVID-19,” said the department.

Patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms may develop extensive blood clotting, which can cause serious health problems and death. “For this reason, many guidelines, including the South African guidelines have recommended the use of blood thinners (usually low-molecular weight heparin) for all hospitalised patients with COVID-19,” reads the statement.

Blood thinners can be given in two different doses: low-dose to reduce the risk of blood clots developing and high-dose to treat blood clots that have already developed.

“The risk of bleeding is a lot higher with high-dose blood thinners. High-dose blood thinners have been recommended for the most severely ill COVID-19 patients, even if there is no proof that blood clots have formed, because it is difficult to exclude small blood clots,” the department said.

In the absence of contraindications, low-dose blood thinners are still recommended for all hospitalised patients, as recommended in the rapid review3 and Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines List.

Eskom has suspended loadshedding as the generation capacity has improved following the return of some generators to service.

“Over the past 24 hours, Eskom teams have successfully returned two generation units each at Kusile, Kriel, and one at Tutuka Power Stations to service,” Eskom said on Monday.

The loadshedding was suspended on Monday evening at 11pm.

“Another two generation units are expected to return to service [on Tuesday], while emergency generation reserves have also adequately recovered.

“Eskom would like to thank the people of South Africa for their patience and understanding during the loadshedding.”

While the supply situation has improved, Eskom has requested the public to continue using electricity sparingly, as the system is vulnerable and unpredictable.

“As Eskom has regularly stated, the risk of loadshedding remains elevated while we conduct increased reliability maintenance.

“We currently have 4 920MW on planned maintenance, while another 13 897MW of capacity is unavailable due to unplanned maintenance, breakdowns and outage delays,” Eskom said.

Eskom teams are working on returning as much of this capacity to service as soon as possible.

While the country has seen some promising signs of declining new COVID-19 cases compared to the previous week, the second wave continues to put a massive burden on the healthcare system.

This is according to the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, who was speaking during the opening address on the update on COVID-19 and the new variant 501.V2 on Monday.

The Minister said the decrease in infections could be credited to many factors, including enhanced physical distancing facilitated by lockdown regulations.

Meanwhile, he found it encouraging that despite the new Coronavirus variant that carries mutations, citizens are still able to protect themselves with the “armour” that government has established.

“We must thank South Africans for adhering to the regulations, difficult and frustrating as it may be. Every sacrifice made has saved lives and we appreciate the patriotism South Africans are displaying to protect the sanctity of life,” he said.

However, Mkhize raised concerns about the healthcare system that continues to see an uptick in COVID-19 patients.

The recent data shows that there has been an 18.3% upward trend on 16 January compared to the last seven days, with close to 18 000 who were admitted, while 2 472 were in the intensive care unit.

Meanwhile, 1 117 of these were on ventilators and 5 850 requiring oxygen.

“This is a significant additional burden to the system.”

He has saluted healthcare workers for their stamina and courage as they continue to battle it out in the forefront.

“We understand the significant risks that you take every day, yet we have witnessed sheer commitment by the professions in health care and a willingness to engage in the pursuit of excellence in health care delivery. We thank you and appreciate you during this extraordinary time.”

Mkhize believes that as the nation that carries 85% of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region burden, it is incumbent to take leadership in strategies for COVID-19 combat.

He has thanked the local scientists positioning the country as a world leader in genomic surveillance and emergency response.

New variant

COVID-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee Chairperson, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, said one of three tests are coming positive as the country battles the second wave, higher than the first wave.

“This drastic change is largely driven by the virus that certainly biologically looks like it can attach to human cells more efficiently,” he explained.

Meanwhile, according to Karim, the numbers of additional infections are coming down, with the Western Cape and Eastern Cape showing indications of easing off.

“But we’re still in the throes of the second wave,” he added.

The Professor said the daily admissions during the resurgence was more than double than any level during the first wave owing to the new variant.

“We know subjectively, we know it anecdotally, from what we find in our own families and neighbourhoods and now we can see the impact it has overall within the provinces.”

Meanwhile, he said the virus also spreads much faster.

Karim also cited a study that shows that 501.V2 is 50% more transmissible than the previous variants found in South Africa.

Also, in the Western Cape, it travelled 50% faster, taking 54 days to reach 100 000 people compared to 107 days in the first wave.

“In KwaZulu-Natal, it’s 39% faster, it took 54 days in the first wave and 33 days in the second wave,” he explained.

The current studies also indicate that while the virus may be putting pressure in hospitals, it does not cause severe disease, the Professor said.

Is there evidence where the COVID-19 vaccines are effective against this variant?

“I’m so sorry to tell you, not yet,” the Professor said during his presentation.

However, many scientists across the world are working on this, he added.

“We don’t yet have an answer but we’re expecting an answer very soon.

“There’s much to speculate on this, but we want to see actual data but it’s not yet available.”

He is predicting that the vaccine rollout is not going to be easy or quick, but a mammoth logistical task that will need all hands on deck.

“To vaccinate our healthcare workers, elderly, our patients with comorbidities amongst others as soon as we can. That’s our challenge, to make a difference.”

In addition, Karim has assured citizens that the country is looking at vaccines that have a high efficacy rate.

The Health Minister has assured the essential workers that government will provide vaccines.

“The programme will prioritise you, as our frontline workers, from this first quarter of the year. We will then continue to rollout inoculation to all parts of our country during the second quarter onwards. I give you this undertaking – we will not renege on this commitment,” Mkhize vowed.

The Minister has pleaded with citizens as the country gears up for massive inoculation to continue to adhere to the regulations.

“This will be crucial to ensure we can maintain the decline we are observing, which will be threatened by the increased movement of people across provinces and into places of congregation,” he stressed, adding that everyone should play their part and protect one another.

South Africa’s death toll due to Coronavirus has now surpassed the 37 000 mark after 254 people passed away on Sunday.

According to the latest data, 72 deaths were recorded in the Western Cape, 59 in Gauteng, 40 in KwaZulu-Natal, 26 in the North West, 22 in the Eastern Cape, 16 in Mpumalanga, 13 in Free State and six in the Northern Cape.

This brings the total to 37 105 deaths since the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the number of infections has risen to a cumulative 1 337 926 with 12 267 new cases identified since the last report.

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, said there are 202 380 COVID-19 cases.

A bulk of active cases can be found in KwaZulu-Natal sitting at 64 016, followed by Gauteng with 45 363, while 40 437 can be found in the Western Cape. Meanwhile, the North West has 13 652 people who are currently infected, 10 064 in Free State, 8 528 in Mpumalanga, 8 461 in Limpopo, 7 390 in Eastern Cape and 4 469 in the Northern Cape.

In addition, the recovery rate stands at 82.1% after 1 098 441 patients beat COVID-19.

“The cumulative total tests conducted to date is 7 613 470 with 54 696 new tests conducted since the last report.”

According to the World Health Organisation, there have been 93 194 922 confirmed global cases of COVID-19, including 2 014 729 deaths.

KwaZulu-Natal cases surge

Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said the province recorded 29 147 new infections in the last seven days.

“The infection rate continues to increase particularly in the following districts eThekwini, UMgungundlovu, UThukela, Amajuba, Zululand, UMkhanyakude, UMzinyathi.”

However, he said the numbers came down slightly by 3 000 on Wednesday last week.

“We are not treating this a trend as yet, due to the fact that the new variant is bringing surprises. As they say, one swallow does not make a summer.”

He raised concern that the province continues to rank number one in the country in terms of the number of active cases, while it has the second-highest total number of laboratory-confirmed cases countrywide after Gauteng.

“We are ranked the fourth highest countrywide in terms of fatalities with a total of 6 318 deaths.”

According to the Premier, eThekwini has contributed 44% of the reported deaths, which stand at 2 769.

The median age for the deaths was 62, while more than half of the deceased were female at 54%.

He said of these deaths, 4 826 (77%) had comorbidities, with the most commonly recorded comorbidities include hypertension (25%), diabetes mellitus (22%), cardiac diseases (5%) and retroviral infection (5%).

Meanwhile, the number of deaths with no recorded comorbidities is rising.

“Worryingly, these statistics are telling us that a whole 33% of the deceased patients had no underlying illnesses.”

Meanwhile, 11 419 healthcare workers have been infected with COVID-19 in the public sector since the beginning of the pandemic in KwaZulu-Natal, while 107 did not make it.

The majority of the infected are nurses (55%), with doctors accounting for 6%, and the rest are attributed to other categories of staff.

As of 15 January 2021, the province had 4 975 patients admitted hospitals, of which 2 869 were in private hospitals. Of those admitted, 524 patients (11%) required intensive care services.

Zikalala said private hospitals had more patients in the intensive care unit.

While the number of cases and deaths are increasing, Zikalala said hospitals are not yet full.

“We have increased our bed capacity and oxygen supply,” he said on Sunday.

He said out 2 905 available COVID-19 isolation beds, 2 082 or 72% were occupied.

“And from a total of 115 ICU beds allocated in the public sector, 53% were occupied. We have 823 beds available in our health facilities within the province and additional beds in our field hospitals and private facilities such as lodges and hotels.”