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WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SA
Updating cases:
The last number of confirmed cases is 11,350.
According to the latest update, no new deaths were reported, NUMBER of deaths have been recorded in the country. So far there have been a total of deaths.
Just under 370,000 tests have been conducted, with over 13,600 new tests.
It is noteworthy that the Eastern Cape has surpassed KwaZulu-Natal with the third highest cases in the country, with 1,504.
READ MORE | All confirmed cases of coronavirus in SA
Last News:
DA leader John Steenhuisen has questioned why President Cyril Ramaphosa has not addressed the nation about the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic in nearly three weeks.
The acting leader of the opposition party has asked the president for transparency, saying the first step would be weekly national speeches, as well as question-and-answer sessions with the media.
“Since his announcement of a move to Level 4 of the blockade, he has been missing in action and left it to a handful of ministers to communicate the National’s questionable decisions [Coronavirus] Command Council
“We call on the President to address the nation regularly, at least once a week, and that these reports should include an opportunity to answer questions from the media. We also ask that he release all Covid data – 19, together with the NICD [National Institute for Communicable Diseases] modeling you are using to justify continuous blocking, “he said.
READ MORE | Come and talk to us, Mr. President – John Steenhuisen
The readiness of schools to reopen during the closure of Level 4 remains in the balance once again as teacher unions continue to bridge what they call “gaps” in an updated report received from the Department of Basic Education.
On Monday, the department held a series of meetings with various stakeholders in the sector to consider the state of readiness of the schools.
Following the announcement by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga two weeks ago, principals and school management teams (SMTs) across the country were due to resume their duties on May 11 and teachers on May 18 to prepare for the return of students on the proposed date of June 1.
However, this did not happen because some provinces, such as the Eastern Cape, were not yet ready to start the process, while Gauteng and the Western Cape indicated that they were.
READ MORE | “We cannot make each province do its own thing” – teachers unions in reopening of schools
The South African blockade has led to some interesting retail trends, such as an increase in the sale of soft drinks and pineapples, but there have been several other products that are currently in high demand in supermarkets.
Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets experienced a “significant increase” in the sale of bleach and other household cleaning products, which the group attributes to a greater interest in hygiene and also more time to clean the house in the spring. .
“Products like Albex, Jik, Domestos and Handy Andy sell exceptionally well,” says a company spokesperson.
This is a trend reflected in the Pick n Pay analysis of buying trends in the pre-closing period. According to the group’s annual results presentation, released Tuesday, bleach was one of the most commonly stored items, with sales growing 138%.
READ MORE | These are the most popular products in SA stores, including hair dyes and bleach.
Members of the Justice and Correctional Services Portfolio Committee are concerned about the delay the Covid-19 pandemic will cause in South Africa’s higher courts.
The Office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court met with the committee on Tuesday.
Several MPs asked how the pandemic would affect the administration of justice, particularly if it created delays in cases before the higher courts, which is administered by the Office of the President of the Supreme Court.
“How are they ensuring access to justice for the public?” MP MP Glynnis Breytenbach asked.
READ MORE | Covid-19 concerned parliamentarians will cause court delays
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE REST OF THE WORLD
Updating cases:
For the latest global data, follow this interactive map from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.
As of late Tuesday night, positive cases worldwide approached 4.24 million, while deaths were more than 290,000.
The United States had the most cases in the world, almost 1.36 million, as well as the highest number of deaths, about 82,000.
READ MORE | All confirmed cases worldwide.
Last News:
The city of Wuhan on Monday ordered all of its 11 million residents to be tested for the coronavirus after discovering six new cases over the weekend.
Five people from the Sanmin residential complex in the city’s East West Lake district tested positive on Sunday. They were all linked to an 89-year-old man who tested positive Saturday.
The six new cases ended a 35-day streak of zero new infections in the city. Before this, the last time Wuhan reported a new case was April 3.
Wuhan also ended his 76-day lock on April 8. Since then, the flow of people to the main city has restarted, with public transportation, restaurants, and parks operating normally.
On Monday, Wuhan’s epidemic prevention and control headquarters issued an emergency notice requiring district authorities to submit plans for mass testing on Tuesday, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.
READ MORE | Wuhan orders all 11 million residents to be screened for coronavirus after 6 new cases found
A 113-year-old woman, believed to be the oldest person living in Spain, has beaten the coronavirus in a retirement home where other residents died from the pandemic, the residence said Tuesday.
Maria Branyas, who was born in the USA In the U.S., she became infected with the virus in April at the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in the eastern city of Olot, where she has lived for the past 20 years and battled isolated infection in her room.
“He survived the disease and is doing well,” a residence spokesperson told AFP, adding that Branyas had only shown mild symptoms of the disease.
“It feels good now, it was tested last week and the result was negative,” the spokesman said, without elaborating.
Branyas, a mother of three children, was isolated in her room for weeks, and only an employee wearing protective gear was able to control her, according to Catalan regional television TV3, which broadcast images of the centenary.
READ MORE | 113-year-old Spanish woman survives the coronavirus
LATEST INVESTIGATIONS
A large study of several thousand patients may reveal why men appear more vulnerable to Covid-19 than women.
The study was published in the European Heart Journal on May 10, 2020 and appeared in a press release. It basically revealed that men have higher concentrations of an enzyme called ACE2 in their blood.
In a previous Health24 article, we explained why SARS-Cov-2 is so contagious. It boils down to the proteins in the spikes of the virus that gives it its name, coronavirus, which is derived from the Latin “corona”, which means crown.
These proteins in the spikes successfully bind to a receptor in human cells, called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Once the virus binds to cells, it begins to multiply within the host, eventually making us sick.
And because men have a higher concentration of this enzyme, it is not surprising that they are much more likely to bear the brunt of Covid-19 than women.
READ MORE | Why are men more susceptible to Covid-19? An enzyme could be to blame
A new study from the USX Keck School of Medicine suggests that temporarily suppressing the body’s immune system initially during Covid-19 could help a patient avoid the worst outcome.
According to their research published in the Journal of Medical Virology, the body’s two main lines of defense, the innate and adaptive immune response, cause the immune system to become overloaded in some patients, which can have fatal consequences.
What is the difference between the innate and adaptive immune response?
When the body is threatened by infection, there are two lines of defense. The first line of defense, the innate immune response, is activated just after the body becomes infected with pathogens such as viruses or bacteria.
The innate immune response targets the specific pathogen and attempts to kill it and the cells damaged by it.
The second line of defense, the adaptive immune response, is only activated days later if there are still signs of the virus in the body. This response uses mechanisms like T and B cells to help fight the virus.
Your immune system responds differently to various viruses and bacteria. In the case of the flu, the infection moves quickly, and the immune system kills almost all the target cells in a matter of days.
But, in the case of Covid-19, the disease progresses much more slowly. When the immune system realizes that there is imminent danger, the second line of defense, the adaptive reaction, can be activated long before diseased cells die, interfering with the ability of the innate immune response to attack properly. the intruder.
READ MORE | Can suppressing the immune system early in Covid-19 prevent serious symptoms?
As the race for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine progresses and clinical trials accelerate, scientists are also spending time to find out if existing drugs might be the next best treatment for Covid-19.
An international team of scientists argues that reuse of an existing drug is likely to offer a faster solution than the development of vaccines. Their research supporting their argument was published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, and was explained in a press release from the University of Cambridge.
A team of researchers representing the International Union of Clinical and Basic Pharmacology stated that there will be no magic cure to treat the disease. According to the researchers, a multiple approach is needed to find new and effective drugs, since a vaccine can take more than a year to develop.
As scientists decipher the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the body, we now know that some of the serious symptoms we see in other people are the result of the immune system struggling, causing damage to vital tissues and organs.
Once the virus enters our bodies, if we do not have immunity, it penetrates our cells and replicates throughout the body.
The researchers believe that there are certain areas that a successful drug should cover. Professor Anthony Davenport of Cambridge University, one of the authors, explains: “Any medication to treat Covid-19 should focus on the three key stages of infection: first, preventing the virus from entering our cells, preventing it from replicating if it enters cells and reduces the damage that occurs in our tissues, in this case, the lungs and the heart. “
READ MORE | Covid-19: a reused drug could offer faster results than a vaccine
As US health officials USA They begin to learn how the new coronavirus affects children, a new study details the cases of 48 young patients who ended up in intensive care units at 14 different hospitals after being infected with Covid-19.
What common threads did the researchers find? An overwhelming majority (83%) of these young patients suffered from an underlying health condition. Almost 40% of those children needed a fan, and two died.
No child in the study had the new coronavirus-related inflammatory syndrome that can cause life-threatening heart problems in children. Instead, the 48 patients showed the severe respiratory distress that has affected so many American adults so much.
“The idea that Covid-19 is saving young people is simply false,” said study co-author Lawrence Kleinman. He is the chair of the pediatrics department of the Division of Population Health, Quality and Implementation of Science at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
“While children are more likely to become seriously ill if they have other chronic conditions, including obesity, it is important to note that children without chronic diseases are also at risk. Parents should continue to take the virus seriously,” he said. Kleinman in a statement. Rutgers press release.
The findings seem to confirm two things: Only a small fraction of children will be affected by Covid-19, but when the prognosis happens it is very bleak.
READ MORE | Covid-19 is still rare in children, but is far from harmless
HEALTH TIPS (as recommended by the NICD and WHO)
• Keep physical distance: stay at least a meter from someone who coughs or sneezes
• Practice frequent hand washing, especially after direct contact with sick people or their surroundings.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, as your hands touch many surfaces and could transfer the virus.
• Practice respiratory hygiene: Cover your mouth with your bent elbow or handkerchief when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose of the tissue immediately after use.
