Covid-19: Alcohol Under the Spotlight as Infections Continue to Rise
- Acting Health Minister Mmaloko Kubayi-Ngubane is concerned over the role of alcohol and public gatherings in the spread of Covid-19
- Gauteng is leading the country in new infections with 63% of new cases being reported in the province
- The rise in infections also brings with it the chance of new mutations and varients emerging that could jeopardise the effectiveness of vaccines
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The South African government is looking into the tole of alcohol and social gatherings as the rate of new infections of Covid-19 continue to soar.
Acting Health Minister Mmaloko Kubayi-Ngubane is concerned and the government is looking into the impact that alcohol and public gatherings are having in the province of Gauteng.
Source: Facebook
One of the strategies that the government will implement is mass screening in hard-hit areas. Gauteng is far ahead as infections rise as South Africa faces a third wave of Covid-19 according to eNCA.
63% of new cases in Gauteng
SABC News reported that the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has stated that 63% of the 9 320 new cases are in Gauteng.
Over 5 000 new infections were reported in Gauteng, the Western Cape follows with 987 new cases.
Variants and mutations: Worse is still to come
Experts have warned that South African could have as many as 30 mutations of the coronavirus and that patients with advanced HIV might become breeding grounds for new variants and mutations.
IOL reported that a woman had carried Covid-19 for 216 days and had more than 30 mutations of the virus. It is not clear of these mutations were passed on to others.
Ramaphosa asks rich countries for help
President Cyril Ramaphosa met with leaders of the G7 and reminded them of their commitments to provide financial support to countries to help fight Covid-19.
Rich countries can afford to help fund the development of tools to fight the virus. If the rich countries honoured their promises, the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator will have two-thirds of its funding. Ramaphosa said that if the G20 paid their share then 90% of ACT's funding would be secure.
Schools hit hard
Briefly News earlier reported that Gauteng Education Department has reported a startling statistic, over 1 000 learners have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last week.
The provincial health department will issue advice to schools on whether they should close in the face of the spike in infections.
An average of 3 500 new infections is being reported each day in the province according to the SABC.
Gauteng Education Spokesperson Steve Mabona revealed that they are watching the situation closely and that currently schools are being closed for three days. He did say that the numbers of new infections are concerning.
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Source: Briefly News
