Daily Covid-19 update: 1,376 new cases, 183 more deaths confirmed in SA

As of Monday, 09 February 2021, the cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 1,477,511 with 1,376 new cases identified, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has confirmed.

183 more Covid-19 related deaths were reported, with 27 from Eastern Cape, 24 from Free State, 45 from Gauteng, 12 from Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), 3 from Limpopo, 21 from Mpumalanga, 19 from North West, 2 from Northern Cape and 30 from Western Cape.

ALSO READ: Bad news for SA’s roll-out plan

This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 46,473.

Recoveries now stand at 1,363,947 representing a recovery rate of 92%. 

Meanwhile, a total of 8,511,410 tests have been completed with 15,599 new tests conducted since the last report.

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

WHO verdict on AstraZeneca

World Health Organization (WHO) experts are deciding who the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine should best be given to, as doubts are raised about its usefulness for older people and against the South African strain.

It will deliver its verdict later this week.

But South Africa halts rollout

South Africa is suspending vaccinations with the jab after a study showed it failed to prevent mild and moderate cases of the variant that has appeared in the country.

But the Anglo-Swedish drug company insists that its shot could stop people getting severely ill and says it’s working on a version to combat the new strain.

Tanzania on a prayer

Dissent in the east African country mounts after President John Magufuli claimed the virus had been chased from the country by the power of prayer.

With more and more deaths being put down to “pneumonia”, official denial is wearing thin as politicians begin to fall ill.

Magufuli said God had eliminated the virus but the Catholic Church, to which he belongs, begs to differ. “We are not an island,” it said.

The president, who is also against vaccinations, had earlier claimed that Covid tests were not to be trusted.

He said a goat and a papaya fruit had tested positive in secret tests of the kits he ordered.

South Korea tests sneezy pets

Dogs and cats in Seoul with a cough or a fever are to be tested.

The move comes after a kitten became the country’s first animal case of the virus. Pets that test positive will be kept isolated for 14 days or sent to kennels or catteries if their owners come down with Covid.

Experts say the chances of a pet giving a human the virus are low.

More than 2.3 million dead

The virus has killed at least 2,316,812 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP Monday.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 463,470 deaths followed by Brazil with 231,534, Mexico with 166,200, India with 155,080, and the UK with 112,465.

READ MORE: Calls for alternatives as Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine rollout paused

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