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Olympic host Tokyo hits record 2,848 COVID-19 cases, seeks more hospital beds

Olympic host Tokyo hits record 2,848 COVID-19 cases, seeks more hospital beds

ANTONI SLODKOWSKI and SAM NUSSEY TOKYO’S 2,848 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday were the Olympic host city's highest since the pandemic began, officials said, as media reported that authorities had asked hospitals to prepare more beds for patients as the Delta variant drives the surge. The rise in cases threatens to further erode support for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, whose ratings have slid to their lowest level since he took office last September, in large part because of his haphazard handling of the pandemic. It also spells trouble for the Olympics, as many Japanese fear the influx of athletes and officials…
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FACTBOX-COVID-19 outbreaks at the Olympics

FACTBOX-COVID-19 outbreaks at the Olympics

THE Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be held under unprecedented conditions including tight quarantine rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections. Nevertheless, a number of cases have emerged among athletes and other people involved with the Games. Following is a list of cases, in chronological order. JUNE 20 - A coach with Uganda's squad tests positive on arrival at Narita airport and is quarantined at a government-designated facility. The rest of the team heads by bus for their host city, Izumisano, near Osaka in western Japan. JUNE 23 - A Ugandan…
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Delay to SA local govt elections advised

Delay to SA local govt elections advised

AN inquiry has recommended delaying local government elections planned in South Africa on October 27, saying it doubted they could be free or fair during the coronavirus pandemic. It was not immediately clear what impact a delay would have on the outcome of the elections. The governing African National Congress (ANC) is widely expected to win them though recent unrest has highlighted frustration with its achievements. Voters are due to choose local, district and metropolitan councillors in the elections. South Africa is in the grip of a severe "third wave" of COVID-19 infections and has fully vaccinated only around 3%…
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Nigeria puts six states on COVID-19 red alert

Nigeria puts six states on COVID-19 red alert

NIGERIA has put six states on red alert after seeing a "worrisome" rise in COVID-19 infections, a government official said, urging people to curb gatherings and hold prayers outside mosques during this week's Muslim festival Eid-el-Kabir. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, is like most parts of the continent now facing a COVID-19 third wave after detecting the more transmissible Delta variant. The head of the presidential steering committee on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said Lagos, Oyo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory had been placed on red alert as part of preventive measures against the pandemic. A red…
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Senegal sees ‘unprecedented’ surge in coronavirus cases

Senegal sees ‘unprecedented’ surge in coronavirus cases

SENEGAL is experiencing an "unprecedented" surge in COVID-19 infections, the health ministry has revealed, after reporting a new daily record of 733 cases. The previous record was 529 cases recorded on Sunday. Senegal has seen relatively few coronavirus-related cases and deaths so far. But like many African countries, it does not have enough doses to vaccinate widely, leaving it vulnerable to fresh surges. "The situation is unprecedented. We have never seen such an increase in cases," said health ministry spokesman Mamadou Ndiaye. "Measures must be taken urgently to reverse the trend... We hope that more energetic measures will be taken…
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‘Euro 2020 crowds drive rise in infections’

‘Euro 2020 crowds drive rise in infections’

NIKOLAJ SKYDSGAARD and JACOB GRONHOLT-PEDERSEN CROWDS at Euro 2020 football stadiums and in pubs and bars in host cities are driving the current rise in coronavirus infections in Europe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. A 10-week decline in new coronavirus infections across the region has come to an end and a new wave of infections is inevitable if football fans and others drop their guard, according to WHO. Last week, the number of new cases rose by 10%, driven by mixing of crowds in Euro 2020 host cities, travel and easing of social restrictions, WHO said. "We need…
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Lions to arrive in South Africa in grip of third wave of COVID-19 infections

Lions to arrive in South Africa in grip of third wave of COVID-19 infections

MARK GLEESON  THE touring British and Irish Lions will arrive in South Africa today to a country wracked by a new wave of COVID-19 infections, facing harsher lockdown restrictions and opponents who have reported their first cases of the coronavirus. SA Rugby, however, on Sunday moved to allay fears of any threat to the tour, which already bears no resemblance to the festive atmosphere which has been a hallmark of the four-yearly Lions experience. The first tour to South Africa since 2009 is condemned to being played in empty stadiums, without any spectators never mind the red-clad touring hordes the…
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Delta variant starting to dominate in S.Africa, scientists say

Delta variant starting to dominate in S.Africa, scientists say

THE Delta coronavirus variant, first identified in India, appears to be dominating new infections in South Africa, local scientists told a news conference yesterday. South Africa is the worst-hit country on the African continent in terms of confirmed COVID-19 infections and deaths. It is in the middle of a "third wave" of infections, recording more than 18,000 new cases on Friday. Acting health minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane (pictured left) told the same news conference that it was now likely that the peak of the third wave would surpass the peak of the second wave in January.
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African universities ramp up COVID-19 vaccine development

African universities ramp up COVID-19 vaccine development

COVIDHQ and bird AS a new wave of COVID-19 infections sweeps Africa, health authorities across the continent are hurrying to get populations vaccinated. The vaccines have all been imported from India, China, Europe or the United States. African academics and academic institutions are looking to ensure that this changes, now and in the future. An African Covid vaccine? Pillared and imposing, the neo-classical great hall of the University of the Witwatersrand, situated on a ridge overlooking what was, at the time of construction, the richest gold seam the world had ever seen, is nothing if not a bold statement on…
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‘We cannot postpone again,’ Tokyo 2020 boss says of COVID gloom

‘We cannot postpone again,’ Tokyo 2020 boss says of COVID gloom

ROCKY SWIFT  THE head of Japan's Olympics organising committee ruled out on Thursday another suspension of the Games, despite deep disquiet at the prospect of thousands of athletes and officials arriving during a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. Already postponed from last year at the cost of an extra $3.5 billion, a scaled-down version of the Games, with no foreign spectators, is set to start on July 23. But with a slow vaccine rollout, Tokyo and nine other regions under a state of emergency, and rising numbers of severe coronavirus cases, most Japanese oppose hosting the Olympics. Most of the…
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