Lockdown diaries - COVID-19 matters!
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CPUT opens COVID-19 vaccine centre
https://www.capetownetc.com/news/cput-opens-covid-19-vaccine-centre
14 June 2021
"Staff and students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) will also receive the COVID-19 vaccine as the university opened a vaccination centre on Monday, June 7.
Becoming the country’s first tertiary institution to initiate something like this, the COVID-19 vaccines will be administered at the university’s Bellville campus.
As reported by EWN, spokesperson Lauren Kansley, indicated that the vaccination centre has been approved by the Western Cape Department of Health. According to Kansley, the centre will cater for up to 40,000 staff and students and they will be able to vaccinate roughly 500 people per day..."
[Kudos to CPUT for this initiative!]
https://www.capetownetc.com/news/cput-opens-covid-19-vaccine-centre
14 June 2021
"Staff and students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) will also receive the COVID-19 vaccine as the university opened a vaccination centre on Monday, June 7.
Becoming the country’s first tertiary institution to initiate something like this, the COVID-19 vaccines will be administered at the university’s Bellville campus.
As reported by EWN, spokesperson Lauren Kansley, indicated that the vaccination centre has been approved by the Western Cape Department of Health. According to Kansley, the centre will cater for up to 40,000 staff and students and they will be able to vaccinate roughly 500 people per day..."
[Kudos to CPUT for this initiative!]
Stellenbosch University closes, moves to online classes after 36 Covid-19 cases
https://www.news24.com/news24/south...line-classes-after-36-covid-19-cases-20210611
11 June 2021
"Stellenbosch University (SU) is moving all classes online after the detection of 36 cases of Covid-19 at the institution.
In a statement to students and staff, the university said they will stay online until the end of term on 18 June.
Venues where students gather on campus will also be closed immediately..."
https://www.news24.com/news24/south...line-classes-after-36-covid-19-cases-20210611
11 June 2021
"Stellenbosch University (SU) is moving all classes online after the detection of 36 cases of Covid-19 at the institution.
In a statement to students and staff, the university said they will stay online until the end of term on 18 June.
Venues where students gather on campus will also be closed immediately..."
I was talking to some "kids" who are here on study leave and they said COVID is bad at Tuks and that many of their friends have/had it. The youngsters aren't usually concerned about COVID, so for them to mention it, it must be bad.
Alcohol has been banned at all sporting events – even though spectators aren’t allowed yet
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/a...-industry-fears-long-term-restrictions-2021-6
14 June 2021
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/a...-industry-fears-long-term-restrictions-2021-6
14 June 2021
- New coronavirus rules for sport in South Africa explicitly allows for international matches, as long as the other country is doing reasonably well in terms of infections.
- But booze has also been explicitly banned, at all sporting events – even though spectators are not yet allowed.
- The alcohol industry fears that limitations on some kinds of social drinking could remain in place, or be strengthened, even if no outright prohibition returns during the third wave.
I spoke to a client today who’s 50 ish and he said he doesn’t believe Covid is real…
How does he explain all the deaths, does he have an alternative explanation ?
I didn’t even go there because I do not have the patience nor the time for that level of stupidity. I just nodded and tried to smile.
were mourning in our office for my one yard manager, his sister passed away from Covid over the weekend.
Sorry to hear. I sometimes try to have a little understanding of why these guys think like they do. Peer pressure ? Lack of education, conspiracy theory, political influence ?. There has to be some reason. Notwithstanding, it could also be downright stupidity.
It’s this option
The delta variant should make everyone wake up a little more, estimated 30% protection with a single jab. It acts very different to the initial strains.
Also read that covid survivors have a 59% chance of dying within six months post recovery compared to people who avoid infection, would explain some of the excess deaths.
Up to a few months ago, my dear wife, yes my dear wife also believed COVID isn’t real and the vaccine was God know what (some 5G slash micro chip sh@t). Her sources of information was the group of brilliant young ladies she goes to the Gym and has coffee with… needless to say none of them has set foot in a hospital (neither did something notable for the society BTW) since the beginning of the pandemic… these people know their Facebook
I’d rather stop here… the wife is always right!
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30% isn't much!
And this is the first time that I've ever liked Arnold!
One may consider this solution to treat stupidity
Covid lockdown: Scientists warn of 40,000 summer wave deaths as Boris Johnson confirms four-week delay to lifting restrictions
Andrew Woodcock and Shaun Lintern
Mon, 14 June 2021, 8:49 pm·6-min read
Covid lockdown: Scientists warn of 40,000 summer wave deaths as Boris Johnson confirms four-week delay to lifting restrictions
(PA)
More than 40,000 people could die this summer as the Delta variant of coronavirus sweeps through the UK, even after Boris Johnson’s decision to delay the lifting of lockdown restrictions by four weeks to 19 July, scientists have warned.
A paper submitted to the government’s Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) said that a summer wave of infections, hospitalisations and deaths is “likely” whether or not restrictions are lifted because of the highly virulent nature of the variant, but the potential peak death rate could be reduced from 700 to 500 a day by delaying step four of Mr Johnson’s roadmap from the planned date of 21 June.
The prime minister said he was “confident” that the so-called Freedom Day – when most remaining social distancing rules will be lifted and crowds return to sports fixtures and cultural events – will not have to be deferred again beyond 19 July and that it will not be necessary to reimpose any of the curbs on shops and hospitality which have been removed over the past few months.
But the worst-case scenario figures drawn up by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) are certain to revive controversy over Mr Johnson’s delay in imposing travel restrictions from India, where the Delta variant was first identified, at a time when he was planning a crucial trade visit to the country.
European countries which barred travellers from the south Asian country earlier than the UK have suffered less from the Delta variant, which is believed to be 40-80 per cent more transmissible than the original Covid-19 strain and now makes up around nine in 10 British cases.
With Downing Street seeing the coming weeks as a race between the virus and the vaccine, the target for offering a first jab to all adults in England is being brought forward from the end of July to 19 July.
And the delay between first and second jabs is being cut from 12 to eight weeks for over-40s, as scientists said promoting high vaccine uptake is critical to suppressing the worst effects of the third wave.
The authorities believe that by stepping up inoculations, around two-thirds of adults will have been offered a second dose by 19 July, significantly reducing the risk of hospitalisation and cutting deaths by thousands.
But the LSHTM study, presented to Sage on 8 June, said that a five-week delay to the start of the summer holidays would only reduce the projected worst-case scenario number of deaths to a central estimate of 43,500 – within a range stretching from 31,200-62,900. Going ahead with relaxations on 21 June under this scenario would see a central estimate of 49,700 deaths over the summer wave – within a range of 35,600-67,200.
Mr Johnson said: “Now is the time to ease off the accelerator because by being cautious now, we have the chance in the next four weeks to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more people.”
The extra delay will allow medics to build “a very considerable wall of immunity around the whole population” by vaccinating millions more people, he told a Downing Street press conference.
A two-week review will be carried out on 28 June, but No 10 made clear it was thought unlikely that the situation will have improved enough by then to allow reopening to be brought forward to 5 July. The result of a second review, announced on 12 July, is expected to lead to the lifting of remaining restrictions a week later.
Chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty warned the NHS could “run into trouble” if the number of people being admitted to hospital with Covid continues on an “exponential path”.
Speaking at the press conference, Prof Whitty said numbers of cases are “still relatively modest compared to the capacity of the NHS”. But he added that it only took “a relatively small number of doubling times and you start getting to really quite large numbers.”
The PM held out some consolation to couples planning to get married or enter civil partnerships over the coming weeks, announcing that the cap of 30 attending ceremonies and receptions is to be lifted.
Care home residents will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days after trips outside the premises. And trials of mass attendance events with audiences of various sizes will continue, meaning there is no change to numbers of fans expected to be allowed to attend Euro 2020 football matches.
But he said there would be no additional financial support for businesses hit by extended closure, despite warnings that the delay will cost the nightlife and hospitality sector alone as much as £3bn.
The moratorium on commercial evictions will end as scheduled on 1 July, despite many businesses now not being able to reopen until after that date.
Many Tory backbenchers responded with horror to the prospect of extended restrictions, but Labour support Mr Johnson who is certain to get parliamentary backing for the move in a vote on Wednesday.
The UK is now recording around 8,000 positive Covid cases a day, the highest level since February. Numbers are growing by 70 per cent nationally week-on-week and are doubling weekly in areas with higher levels of infection, focused in the northwest of England but now covering one-third of the country.
Average numbers of people admitted to hospital are increasing by 15 per cent each week – but by 66 per cent in the northwest. But deaths remain low, with just three recorded nationwide on Monday.
Minutes of a Sage meeting on 9 June showed that the SPI-M expert modelling group estimates that there are between 7,000 and 13,000 new infections per day in England. The proportion of cases that result in hospitalisation has decreased significantly due to vaccination and that older people – who are more likely to have had both jabs – are making up a decreasing share of those needing hospital treatment.
But crucially, the number of infections and hospitalisations are still linked and there is “considerable uncertainty” about the scale of the expected resurgence in infections and hospital admissions.
SPI-M modelling found that going ahead with relaxation of curbs could result in hospitalisations hitting the peak seen in the first wave of the pandemic in March last year, when 2,500-3,000 patients were being admitted by the NHS every day.
In any scenario, Sage found that delaying step four of Mr Johnson’s roadmap would avoid admissions and deaths, by giving extra time for people to get vaccinated. Most of the benefit comes in the first four weeks of delay – in part because it pushes Freedom Day closer to the school holidays, when infections are expected to be reduced – and peak admissions could be cut by a third to a half during this time.
“Reducing uncertainty about whether there may be unsustainable pressure on the NHS also reduces the risk of needing to consider reimposing measures,” said the Sage minutes. “Although there is a risk of unsustainable pressures even with a delay, it is much lower.”
The LSHTM study submitted to Sage on 8 June said that a summer wave of infections comparable to those seen in spring and autumn 2020 could be expected, with a peak in August or September.
Andrew Woodcock and Shaun Lintern
Mon, 14 June 2021, 8:49 pm·6-min read
Covid lockdown: Scientists warn of 40,000 summer wave deaths as Boris Johnson confirms four-week delay to lifting restrictions
(PA)
More than 40,000 people could die this summer as the Delta variant of coronavirus sweeps through the UK, even after Boris Johnson’s decision to delay the lifting of lockdown restrictions by four weeks to 19 July, scientists have warned.
A paper submitted to the government’s Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (Sage) said that a summer wave of infections, hospitalisations and deaths is “likely” whether or not restrictions are lifted because of the highly virulent nature of the variant, but the potential peak death rate could be reduced from 700 to 500 a day by delaying step four of Mr Johnson’s roadmap from the planned date of 21 June.
The prime minister said he was “confident” that the so-called Freedom Day – when most remaining social distancing rules will be lifted and crowds return to sports fixtures and cultural events – will not have to be deferred again beyond 19 July and that it will not be necessary to reimpose any of the curbs on shops and hospitality which have been removed over the past few months.
But the worst-case scenario figures drawn up by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) are certain to revive controversy over Mr Johnson’s delay in imposing travel restrictions from India, where the Delta variant was first identified, at a time when he was planning a crucial trade visit to the country.
European countries which barred travellers from the south Asian country earlier than the UK have suffered less from the Delta variant, which is believed to be 40-80 per cent more transmissible than the original Covid-19 strain and now makes up around nine in 10 British cases.
With Downing Street seeing the coming weeks as a race between the virus and the vaccine, the target for offering a first jab to all adults in England is being brought forward from the end of July to 19 July.
And the delay between first and second jabs is being cut from 12 to eight weeks for over-40s, as scientists said promoting high vaccine uptake is critical to suppressing the worst effects of the third wave.
The authorities believe that by stepping up inoculations, around two-thirds of adults will have been offered a second dose by 19 July, significantly reducing the risk of hospitalisation and cutting deaths by thousands.
But the LSHTM study, presented to Sage on 8 June, said that a five-week delay to the start of the summer holidays would only reduce the projected worst-case scenario number of deaths to a central estimate of 43,500 – within a range stretching from 31,200-62,900. Going ahead with relaxations on 21 June under this scenario would see a central estimate of 49,700 deaths over the summer wave – within a range of 35,600-67,200.
Mr Johnson said: “Now is the time to ease off the accelerator because by being cautious now, we have the chance in the next four weeks to save many thousands of lives by vaccinating millions more people.”
The extra delay will allow medics to build “a very considerable wall of immunity around the whole population” by vaccinating millions more people, he told a Downing Street press conference.
A two-week review will be carried out on 28 June, but No 10 made clear it was thought unlikely that the situation will have improved enough by then to allow reopening to be brought forward to 5 July. The result of a second review, announced on 12 July, is expected to lead to the lifting of remaining restrictions a week later.
Chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty warned the NHS could “run into trouble” if the number of people being admitted to hospital with Covid continues on an “exponential path”.
Speaking at the press conference, Prof Whitty said numbers of cases are “still relatively modest compared to the capacity of the NHS”. But he added that it only took “a relatively small number of doubling times and you start getting to really quite large numbers.”
The PM held out some consolation to couples planning to get married or enter civil partnerships over the coming weeks, announcing that the cap of 30 attending ceremonies and receptions is to be lifted.
Care home residents will no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days after trips outside the premises. And trials of mass attendance events with audiences of various sizes will continue, meaning there is no change to numbers of fans expected to be allowed to attend Euro 2020 football matches.
But he said there would be no additional financial support for businesses hit by extended closure, despite warnings that the delay will cost the nightlife and hospitality sector alone as much as £3bn.
The moratorium on commercial evictions will end as scheduled on 1 July, despite many businesses now not being able to reopen until after that date.
Many Tory backbenchers responded with horror to the prospect of extended restrictions, but Labour support Mr Johnson who is certain to get parliamentary backing for the move in a vote on Wednesday.
The UK is now recording around 8,000 positive Covid cases a day, the highest level since February. Numbers are growing by 70 per cent nationally week-on-week and are doubling weekly in areas with higher levels of infection, focused in the northwest of England but now covering one-third of the country.
Average numbers of people admitted to hospital are increasing by 15 per cent each week – but by 66 per cent in the northwest. But deaths remain low, with just three recorded nationwide on Monday.
Minutes of a Sage meeting on 9 June showed that the SPI-M expert modelling group estimates that there are between 7,000 and 13,000 new infections per day in England. The proportion of cases that result in hospitalisation has decreased significantly due to vaccination and that older people – who are more likely to have had both jabs – are making up a decreasing share of those needing hospital treatment.
But crucially, the number of infections and hospitalisations are still linked and there is “considerable uncertainty” about the scale of the expected resurgence in infections and hospital admissions.
SPI-M modelling found that going ahead with relaxation of curbs could result in hospitalisations hitting the peak seen in the first wave of the pandemic in March last year, when 2,500-3,000 patients were being admitted by the NHS every day.
In any scenario, Sage found that delaying step four of Mr Johnson’s roadmap would avoid admissions and deaths, by giving extra time for people to get vaccinated. Most of the benefit comes in the first four weeks of delay – in part because it pushes Freedom Day closer to the school holidays, when infections are expected to be reduced – and peak admissions could be cut by a third to a half during this time.
“Reducing uncertainty about whether there may be unsustainable pressure on the NHS also reduces the risk of needing to consider reimposing measures,” said the Sage minutes. “Although there is a risk of unsustainable pressures even with a delay, it is much lower.”
The LSHTM study submitted to Sage on 8 June said that a summer wave of infections comparable to those seen in spring and autumn 2020 could be expected, with a peak in August or September.
SA workers with vaccine side effects to get paid sick leave – no medical certificate required
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/can-i-take-sick-leave-to-get-the-covid-19-vaccine-2021-6
15 June 2021
... Those are some of the provisions of occupational health and safety measures in South African workplaces, which have now been updated to include specific protocols around Covid-19 vaccinations.
The amendments also require employers to undertake risk assessments which limit Covid-19 exposure in the workplace.
These assessments, which need to include input from trade unions and safety committees, must be made available to health inspectors. Earlier versions of these workplace directives issued by the department of employment and labour have required employers to define a phased approach for the return of workers while ensuring that the personal protective equipment provided meets the minimum requirements.
The regulations also detail necessary responses to Covid-19 outbreaks, symptom screening and social distancing in the workplace. The most recent amendments, signed off by minister Thulas Nxesi at the end of May and officially gazetted on Friday, deal extensively with the vaccine rollout and the responsibility that employers have to ensure fair treatment of their workers.
Employers planning to enforce a mandatory vaccine policy need to substantiate the decision by identifying workers who are at higher risk of severe Covid-19 disease due to age and comorbidities. The right to bodily integrity contained within the Constitution, which can be cited as a refusal to be vaccinated, must also be taken into account by the employer..."
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/can-i-take-sick-leave-to-get-the-covid-19-vaccine-2021-6
15 June 2021
- Employers must give their workers paid time off to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
- Employees who can’t work due to the jab’s side effects will also be booked off work, under new rules.
- But a vaccination certificate obtained from the official site can be used “in lieu of a medical certificate” as a sick note.
... Those are some of the provisions of occupational health and safety measures in South African workplaces, which have now been updated to include specific protocols around Covid-19 vaccinations.
The amendments also require employers to undertake risk assessments which limit Covid-19 exposure in the workplace.
These assessments, which need to include input from trade unions and safety committees, must be made available to health inspectors. Earlier versions of these workplace directives issued by the department of employment and labour have required employers to define a phased approach for the return of workers while ensuring that the personal protective equipment provided meets the minimum requirements.
The regulations also detail necessary responses to Covid-19 outbreaks, symptom screening and social distancing in the workplace. The most recent amendments, signed off by minister Thulas Nxesi at the end of May and officially gazetted on Friday, deal extensively with the vaccine rollout and the responsibility that employers have to ensure fair treatment of their workers.
Employers planning to enforce a mandatory vaccine policy need to substantiate the decision by identifying workers who are at higher risk of severe Covid-19 disease due to age and comorbidities. The right to bodily integrity contained within the Constitution, which can be cited as a refusal to be vaccinated, must also be taken into account by the employer..."
Saudi Arabia bans foreigners from this year’s Hajj pilgrimage due to Covid-19
https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/new...covid-19-3d880f1b-0080-4c56-b422-f6210c9c1acc
15 June 2021
"Saudi Arabia has announced that it will only allow 60 000 residents and citizens from within the kingdom, to take part in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
The decision to limit the number of pilgrims was due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with several Covid-19 variants making its way across the globe. The announcement was made on Saturday for the pilgrimage to take place mid-July..."
https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/new...covid-19-3d880f1b-0080-4c56-b422-f6210c9c1acc
15 June 2021
"Saudi Arabia has announced that it will only allow 60 000 residents and citizens from within the kingdom, to take part in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
The decision to limit the number of pilgrims was due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with several Covid-19 variants making its way across the globe. The announcement was made on Saturday for the pilgrimage to take place mid-July..."
COVID-19 Vaccine: 300,000 doses for teachers have arrived
https://www.enca.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-300000-doses-teachers-have-arrived
15 June 2021
"300,000 Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are ready to be released ... those are the first 300,000, the next couple of million, including the Aspen product, the Aspen products will probably arrive within a week but there is another million plus coming which will come out of the J&J supply system which will come by the end of next week so they could start coming in the next two days as well," said Aspen CEO Stephen Saad.
"I think we are in a position where we will have sufficient vaccines, millions of vaccines over the next couple of weeks."
t comes after an Aspen Pharmaceuticals factory in the Eastern Cape was forced to destroy two million doses. This after the US FDA ordered millions of vaccines be destroyed over possible contamination from a Baltimore factory..."
https://www.enca.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-300000-doses-teachers-have-arrived
15 June 2021
"300,000 Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are ready to be released ... those are the first 300,000, the next couple of million, including the Aspen product, the Aspen products will probably arrive within a week but there is another million plus coming which will come out of the J&J supply system which will come by the end of next week so they could start coming in the next two days as well," said Aspen CEO Stephen Saad.
"I think we are in a position where we will have sufficient vaccines, millions of vaccines over the next couple of weeks."
t comes after an Aspen Pharmaceuticals factory in the Eastern Cape was forced to destroy two million doses. This after the US FDA ordered millions of vaccines be destroyed over possible contamination from a Baltimore factory..."
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