COVID-19 WRAP | Pandemic here for a long time, SA death toll climbs and Ramaphosa asked to halt funerals

April 13 2020 - 20:09

SA's slowing of Covid infections 'most likely due to some genuine effect'

Prominent epidemiologist Prof Salim Abdool Karim, said on Monday night that there were three reasons why SA's Covid-19 cases were not following the upward curve that most nations were. 

The first was that SA was not doing enough tests, the second was that the tests were in the private sector so "we're not getting a sense of what it's [the pandemic] doing in poorer communities that don't have medical aid", and the third was that it was "genuine" and due to "the interventions that we have implemented". 

However, he said that the first two could be largely ruled out because figures showed that the slowing of SA's infections happened at the same time that there was an increase in the number of tests, in general, and also in the public sector. 

"So it's most likely to be due to some genuine effect. It's not something we can say definitively, but we can say that that's the likely situation," he said.

April 13 2020 - 19:52

57-year-old with 'no record of underlying diseases' dies of Covid-19

A 57-year-old man from Gauteng died in the intensive care unit at the weekend, becoming SA's 27th Covid-19 death. But health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said it was worrying that the man had no record of any underlying diseases".

Mkhize said there had been two additional deaths, including this man, since the statistics were released on Sunday night. There were 99 new cases of Covid-19 across SA, taking the national total to 2,272.

April 13 2020 - 19:34

Covid-19 is 10 times more deadly than swine flu: WHO

The novel coronavirus is 10 times more deadly than swine flu, which caused a global pandemic in 2009, the World Health Organisation said Monday, stressing a vaccine would be necessary to fully halt transmission.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva that the organisation was constantly learning about the new virus sweeping the globe, which has now killed nearly 115,000 people and infected over 1.8 million.

April 13 2020 - 18:50

WATCH LIVE | Mkhize speaks on SA's response to Covid-19

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize was on Monday set to discuss the “technical aspects” of the country's fight against the coronavirus.

Mkhize's briefing comes after a meeting of the national command council on Monday, after which President Cyril Ramaphosa mandated Mkhize to host the “engagement”.

According to the most recently published figures, SA has had 25 confirmed Covid-19 deaths, and 2,173 confirmed cases.

April 13 2020 - 17:06

Call for Ramaphosa to suspend funerals

A proposal has been made to President Cyril Ramaphosa to suspend all funerals in the country as a means to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In a statement addressed to Ramaphosa on Sunday, the  SA Pentecostal Bishops Council, in partnership with the Church Leaders Council of SA, SANERELA and Christian scholars, recommended that funerals be suspended “in the interim or until further notice”.

April 13 2020 - 16:23

More than 500 Covid-19 cases in Cape Town, says WC premier

Western Cape premier Alan Winde said on Monday that, by midnight, there were 628 Covid-19 cases in the province — more than 500 of them in Cape Town.

Winde said that of the 512 cases in the metro, 192 were in the west, 139 in the south, 30 in the north, 49 in Tygerberg, 39 in the east, 34 in Klipfontein, 15 in Mitchells Plain and 14 in Khayelitsha.

April 13 2020 - 15:30

Don't cut off water during lockdown: Sisulu

Water and sanitation minister Lindiwe Sisulu on Monday pleaded with municipalities to stop cutting off water to residents during the lockdown.

In a statement, she also repeated her call for municipalities to halt evictions - particularly in the Western Cape, where evictions have been reported in Makhaza.

“Apart from the suspensions in evictions, there should be no cutting off of water for any citizen of this country during this period. Instead, all efforts should be focused on fighting the spread of the virus” said Sisulu.

April 13 2020 - 15:19

Caught on camera: Dog walker tries to 'walk away' from cops in CT suburb

It's a picture that has captured many South Africans' attention.

A police office runs in the road between two law enforcement vehicles while a blonde woman — with her fluffy white dog on a lead — appears to try to run away.

April 13 2020 - 14:21

Motshegka fuming as lockdown looters hit nearly 200 SA schools

A “state of the art” primary school in KwaMashu, north of Durban, was burgled on Sunday — yet another school hit by robbers during the nationwide lockdown.

This incident brought to 183 the number of schools vandalised, burgled or set alight across SA since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown — something that has left basic education minister Angie Motshekga horrified.

April 13 2020 - 13:09

Load-shedding-type lockdown phases and rapid aid for small businesses: DA suggests

Under a hard lockdown, SA is heading towards an economic depression, says DA leader John Steenhuisen, who on Monday presented an alternative plan to supplement government’s coronavirus response effort.

Realistically, he said, SA may have to contain the coronavirus right up until a vaccine is widely available in 18-24 months’ time.

April 13 2020 - 11:22

62 patients in Gauteng hospitals with Covid-10, says MEC Bandile Masuku

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Gauteng is 865, health MEC Dr Badile Masuku said on Monday.

Of this, 62 patients are hospitalised in various facilities across the province.

April 13 2020 - 10:48

Wits medical grad gets R95k student debt paid, lands job to help fight Covid-19

Retshidisitswe Kotane, a medical graduate, could have been an unemployment statistic, having missed three graduation ceremonies due to unpaid fees, but thanks to a crowdfunding initiative, she is now at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19.

Kotane, 25, recently registered with the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) after having her R95,000 debt paid off by the Feenix crowdfunding platform.

April 13 2020 - 10:32

Company develops Covid-19 'isolation podz' for hospitals, health care facilities

A company that manufactures 3D 'podz' has developed a Covid-19 isolation facility that it says can be used in hospitals and other health care facilities.

Warren Bosman, the CEO at Oracle 3D, said the company had previously developed smoking and baby-changing podz which were well received at shopping malls and other public spaces.

April 13 2020 - 09:29

Lockdown will end but golden rules will live on, say epidemiologists

Even if the lockdown ends on April 30, no-one knows when normal life will resume.

Dr Kerrin Begg, a public health expert at Stellenbosch University, told TimesLIVE: “There is a range of options available, with lockdown on the one end and returning to the normal way of doing things on the other.”

April 13 2020 - 09:15

Health department sees increase in number of Covid-19 tests done in public hospitals: Minister

Health minister Zweli Mkhize says his department has seen an increase in the number of screenings and tests done in public health care facilities.

“The total number of tests conducted to date is 80,085. We are also seeing an increase in tests conducted at public laboratories. Of the 5,032 tests conducted in the past day, 3,192 were done in public sector sites,” the health department said on its Twitter page.

April 13 2020 - 09:05

'Despicable': Cyril Ramaphosa as schools are plundered, families abused

President Cyril Ramaphosa disclosed on Monday that 148 suspects have been arrested for crimes of gender-based violence since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown on March 27.

“It is disturbing that during a time of such immense difficulty for our country, women and girls are being terrorised inside their own homes, forcing them to make desperate calls for help,” he said.

April 13 2020 - 08:33

Redi Tlhabi, husband mourn Soweto relative's Covid-19 death

Soweto barista Somi Vilakazi died in hospital at the weekend of Covid-19, broadcaster and author Redi Tlhabi has disclosed.

He was a cousin of her husband, doctor Brian Tlhabi.