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As of Thursday, South Africa has registered a total of 644,438 Covid-19 cases, with 2,007 new cases identified.
The country has also recorded 97 more deaths: 17 from KwaZulu-Natal, 21 from Gauteng, 7 from Eastern Cape, 4 from Free State, 1 from Limpopo, 26 from Mpumalanga, 15 from North West, 6 from Western Cape. This brings the total number of Covid-19-related deaths to 15,265.
“We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the deceased and we thank the healthcare workers who treated the deceased patients. Our recoveries now stand at 573,003, which translates to a recovery rate of 88.9%, ”said Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.
Below is the provincial breakdown:
Source: Department of Health.
Source: Department of Health.
Covid-19 vaccine trial stopped after unexplained illness
Clinical trials on one of the most advanced Covid-19 experimental vaccines, which is being developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, were “paused” on Tuesday after a volunteer developed an unexplained illness.
With billions of people around the world still suffering from the consequences of the pandemic and the global death toll approaching 900,000, a global race for a vaccine is underway, with nine companies already in the loop. final phase of phase 3 trials.
To date, infections worldwide number more than 27 million, and more than 890,000 people have died from the disease.
Russia has already approved a vaccine, and research published in the medical journal The Lancet last week said that patients involved in the first tests developed antibodies without “serious adverse events,” although the scientists cautioned the trials were too small.
A spokesperson for the AstraZeneca vaccine said in a statement that “we voluntarily stopped vaccination to allow review of safety data by an independent committee.”
“This is a routine action that has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials, while it is being investigated, ensuring that we maintain the integrity of the trials.”
The company said that in large-scale trials, illnesses sometimes occur by chance, but they need to be reviewed independently.
AstraZeneca did not offer further details, but David Lo, a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside, told AFP that the hiatus would not necessarily be a setback.
“It’s probably just being cautious right now, it’s a pause, it’s not the same as saying, ‘We can’t move forward,’” Lo said.
“Somehow I’m pretty relieved, it means they’re really paying attention.”
The volunteer may have experienced an adverse reaction already seen in previous patients, such as fever and pain, but in a more severe way, Lo added.
– ‘Standard process’ –
British Health Minister Matt Hancock said it was not the first hiatus in trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“It is a standard process in clinical trials. There was a hiatus in early summer and that was resolved without a problem, “he told Sky News.
Meanwhile, China exhibited its homegrown vaccines for the first time at a Beijing trade fair this week, and authorities expect their use to be approved by the end of the year.
The economic fallout of the virus continues to wreak havoc on economies around the world and governments are desperate to get back to normal.
South Africa announced that its economy had contracted more than half in the second quarter, as the epidemic took its toll on the most industrialized state in Africa.
Latin America and the Caribbean exceeded 300,000 deaths from viruses. Argentina’s number of cases surpassed the half million mark, while in Peru, which has the highest per capita coronavirus death rate in the world, deaths exceeded 30,000.
– Berlusconi signs ‘favorable’ –
European countries were grappling with the high-profile political and sporting consequences of the pandemic on Tuesday.
Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme tested positive for the virus, prompting French Prime Minister Jean Castex to take a test, authorities said, after the couple shared the same car to follow a stage of the cycling event.
Meanwhile, France’s soccer team was forced to take the field against Croatia on Tuesday without star forward Kylian Mbappé after he tested positive.
The French Open tennis tournament took a hit after world number one and defending champion Ashleigh Barty announced that she would not participate.
And in the world of politics, the former prime minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, was still in hospital from the virus.
His doctor, however, was optimistic.
“All the monitored parameters … are reassuring,” said Alberto Zangrillo, adding that Berlusconi’s medical condition was “constantly evolving favorably.”
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