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China’s COVID spike not due to lifting of restrictions, WHO director says

China’s COVID spike not due to lifting of restrictions, WHO director says

EMMA FARGE COVID-19 infections were exploding in China well before the government's decision to abandon its strict "zero-COVID" policy, a World Health Organization director said, quashing suggestions that the sudden reversal caused a spike in cases. The comments by the WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan came as he warned of the need to ramp up vaccinations in the world's No. 2 economy. Speaking at a briefing with media, he said the virus was spreading "intensively" in the nation long before the lifting of restrictions. "There's a narrative at the moment that China lifted the restrictions and all of a sudden the disease…
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Africa seeing uptick of Covd-19 cases – WHO

Africa seeing uptick of Covd-19 cases – WHO

AFRICA is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 infections, largely driven by a doubling in cases reported in South Africa, the World Health Organization said, urging people across the continent to continue to get vaccinated. Africa had been experiencing a lull in COVID cases, with the WHO earlier this month pointing to the longest-running decline in weekly infections on the continent since the start of the pandemic. But last week cases started to pick up in South Africa -- the country that has recorded the most infections and deaths in Africa to date -- and health authorities there are monitoring for…
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Africa COVID cases on longest run of declines since pandemic’s start

Africa COVID cases on longest run of declines since pandemic’s start

AFRICA is experiencing its longest-running decline in weekly COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. Recorded weekly cases have fallen for the past 16 weeks and deaths for the last eight, the latter dropping to 239 in the past week, it said in a statement. The upcoming cold season in the southern hemisphere could prompt a new spike in cases, it said. "With the virus still circulating, the risk of new and potentially more deadly variants emerging remains, and the pandemic control measures are pivotal to an effective response to a surge…
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SA lifts Covid-19 state of disaster restrictions

SA lifts Covid-19 state of disaster restrictions

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER LOW Covid-19 infections, few deaths and admissions to hospitals were some of the reasons behind the South African government’s decision to end the state of disaster of 750 days. The government imposed it on March 15, 2020 in response to the outbreak of Covid-19 which has killed close to 100 000 South Africans and infected millions. SA President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the state of disaster will be replaced by soon-to-be-promulgated health regulations. He said: “The end of the National State of Disaster also means that the Coronavirus Alert Levels will no longer apply. The few transitional…
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South African regulator approves Sinopharm COVID vaccine

South African regulator approves Sinopharm COVID vaccine

SOUTH Africa's health regulator said on Monday it had approved a COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinopharm, although a senior health official said the government was not planning to procure doses for now. South Africa, the country worst hit by the pandemic in Africa in terms of reported COVID-19 infections and deaths, has used the Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) shots in its vaccination campaign. The government delayed some vaccine deliveries late last year because of oversupply as hesitancy slowed the uptake. Drugs regulator SAHPRA said in a statement the Sinopharm approval was based on "acceptable safety, quality and efficacy data…
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S.African official says number of children sick with COVID-19 is not cause for panic

S.African official says number of children sick with COVID-19 is not cause for panic

HIGHER hospital admissions among children during a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa that is driven by the Omicron variant should prompt vigilance but not panic as infections have been mild, a health official said on Saturday. A large number of infants admitted with COVID-19 last month in Tshwane, the metropolitan area that includes the capital Pretoria, raised concerns that the Omicron variant could pose greater risks for young children than other coronavirus variants. Scientists have yet to confirm any link and have cautioned that other factors could be at play. Ntsakisi Maluleke, a public health specialist in…
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South Africa hit by fourth COVID wave driven by Omicron

South Africa hit by fourth COVID wave driven by Omicron

WENDELL ROELF SOUTH Africa is being hit by a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant which has been detected in seven of the country's nine provinces, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said has revealed. Omicron, which has raised global fears of a surge in infections, was first detected in southern Africa last month and has prompted governments across continents to impose travel curbs and take other measures to contain it. Phaahla told a media briefing that he hoped that the variant could be managed without causing too many deaths. He urged South Africans to get fully vaccinated,…
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South African health minister says C.1.2 variant not a threat for now

South African health minister says C.1.2 variant not a threat for now

SOUTH Africa's Health Minister Joe Phaahla said on Friday that scientists had told the government that at this stage the C.1.2 coronavirus variant detected locally was not a threat. The C.1.2 variant was first identified in May and has now been seen in all of the country's nine provinces. Health Minister Joe Phaahla It contains some mutations associated in other variants with increased transmissibility and reduced sensitivity to neutralising antibodies, leading researchers to flag its detection to the government and the World Health Organization (WHO). "At this stage, they (scientists) have assured us it's not really a threat, they are…
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Delta variant spreads ‘like wildfire’

Delta variant spreads ‘like wildfire’

DEENA BEASLEY WITH a new wave of COVID-19 infections fueled by the Delta variant striking countries worldwide, disease experts are scrambling to learn whether the latest version of coronavirus is making people - mainly the unvaccinated - sicker than before. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that Delta, first identified in India and now dominant worldwide, is "likely more severe" than earlier versions of the virus, according to an internal report made public on Friday. The agency cited research in Canada, Singapore and Scotland showing that people infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be…
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Delta variant rampant in Asia; Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia post record COVID infections

Delta variant rampant in Asia; Tokyo, Thailand, Malaysia post record COVID infections

THE Olympics host city Tokyo, as well as Thailand and Malaysia, has announced record COVID-19 infections, mostly driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant of the disease. Cases surged in Sydney as well, where police cordoned off the central business district to prevent a protest against a strict lockdown that will last until the end of August. Police in Sydney closed train stations, banned taxis from dropping passengers off downtown and deployed 1,000 officers to set up checkpoints and to disperse groups. The government of New South Wales reported 210 new infections in Sydney and surrounding areas from the Delta…
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