September 1 2020 – 21: 50
SA records 1,218 new Covid-19 cases as nearly 550,000 recoveries confirmed
South Africa has recorded 1,218 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the national total to 628,259 infections.
The latest figures, released by health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on Tuesday night, mean that there have been 15,530 confirmed cases in the past seven days. This is just 1,586 cases more than the country’s biggest single-day increase in cases – 13,944 on July 24.
September 1 2020 – 18: 33
Taxpayers will have to fork out billions for Covid-19, SOEs tell parliament
State entities, including the SABC, Denel, Airports Company SA (Acsa) and the Post Office, have requested billions of rand in funding from the taxpayer to help them weather the coronavirus storm, says the National Treasury.
In a presentation to parliament’s standing committee on appropriations, the Treasury said the SABC “has indicated” a revenue loss of R1.5bn for the 2020/21 financial year as a result of the pandemic’s affect on revenue and the displacement costs of public service announcements.
September 1 2020 – 17: 49
New York schools to delay class start under safety deal with unions
New York City public schools, the largest US school system, will delay the start of classes by 11 days to September 21 under an agreement with education unions that had pushed for additional coronavirus safety measures, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday.
Unions, led by the United Federation of Teachers, had expressed concern that the city was rushing into its September 10 scheduled start of the school year without taking adequate steps to protect teachers, students and staff from infections.
But in announcing the agreement, de Blasio was joined by union leaders who said their health and safety concerns had been met.
“What we’ve agreed to is to make sure that the health measures are in place, to make sure there is time for the appropriate preparation for our educators,” de Blasio said at a briefing.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew last month threatened to strike, which would be illegal under state law, unless schools implemented a rigorous Covid-19 testing plan and other safety measures.
Joining de Blasio, however, Mulgrew hailed the agreement. “Our medical experts have stamped this plan, and we now can say that the New York City public school system has the most aggressive policies and greatest safeguards of any school system in America,” said Mulgrew.
– Reuters
September 1 2020 – 17: 13
Portugal’s Covid-19 cases raise UK quarantine fears
As coronavirus cases in Portugal go up and down, fears are growing that Britain will reimpose a quarantine for people travelling from the country.
It has been less than two weeks since Britain, Portugal’s leading source of tourism, lifted a 14-day self-isolation rule for travellers arriving from Portugal.
The announcement was a relief for the tourism sector, which struggled as restrictions kept visitors away over the summer. The number of passengers arriving from Britain has grown by a whopping 190% since Portugal was removed from Britain’s quarantine list. But a steady count of several hundred new cases per day over the last week raised fears Britain would put Portugal back on the list.
Last Thursday, health authorities reported 401 new infections, the highest since early July. Cases have since dropped, with 231 on Tuesday, bringing the total to 58,243.
British ambassador Chris Sainty said on Monday the embassy has been working closely with Portuguese authorities to understand the situation but “things can change quickly”.
– Reuters
September 1 2020 – 11: 37
Pain and shortness of breath: The long-term effects of Covid-19
On the morning of July 21 2020, Vusi Sidindi felt like he was coming down with flu. He immediately went to be tested for Covid-19.
Later that day, his condition worsened. Struggling to breathe, he rushed himself to Life Kingsbury Hospital in Cape Town, where he was told the following day he had tested positive for Covid-19. This was the beginning of a lengthy battle to regain his health.
After being discharged, Sidindi started experiencing unusual complications beyond the common Covid-19 symptoms of fever, a dry cough and tiredness, among other things.
This article was first published by New Frame.
September 1 2020 – 10: 25
India’s coronavirus surge eases slightly as millions take exams, pubs reopen
India’s tally of coronavirus infections surged to nearly 3.7 million on Tuesday, as millions of masked students sat for college admission exams after the government refused to defer them.
India, the world’s third most affected country by the pandemic after the United States and Brazil, reported 69,921 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, the lowest in six days.
It took the overall number of cases to 3.69 million, while the death toll from Covid-19 rose by 819 to 65,288. On Sunday, India reported 78,761 new cases, the world’s biggest, single-day tally.
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