BREAKING | Four new cases of coronavirus confirmed in SA, bringing total to 17

Inside the US’s ‘classified’ mid-January coronavirus discussions

The White House has ordered federal health officials to treat top-level coronavirus meetings as classified, an unusual step that has restricted information and hampered the US government’s response to the contagion, according to four Trump administration officials.

One official told Reuters: “We had some very critical people who did not have security clearance who could not go in”.

IPL could go ‘TV-only’ over coronavirus: official

The Indian Premier League (IPL) could be played behind closed doors because of the new coronavirus, an official told AFP on Thursday, as calls grew to cancel or delay the world’s richest tournament.

EU reacts to Trump’s travel gag

The EU will on Thursday assess the travel ban on Europe imposed by US President Donald Trump, European Council President Charles Michel said, adding: “Economic disruption must be avoided.”

AFP reports that Trump’s order is to be implemented from late Friday. The White House said it would apply to non-US citizens and residents and would not be applied to goods.

“Following the travel ban President Trump announced, we will assess the situation today,” Michel said, as quoted by AFP news agency.

Last victim pulled from rubble of China virus quarantine hotel

The death toll from the collapse of a coronavirus quarantine facility in east China rose to 29 on Thursday as the final victim was recovered from the rubble, authorities said.

(Photo by STR / AFP)

China shuts down Everest expeditions over coronavirus

China has cancelled permits for Mount Everest because of the coronavirus, expedition organisers said on Thursday, ahead of the spring climbing season on the world’s highest peak.

Last year’s traffic-clogged spring window saw a record 885 people summit Everest, 644 of them from Nepal and 241 from the northern flank in Tibet.

Coronavirus: Why the 14-day quarantine period?

Folks who contract the new coronavirus will develop symptoms between five and 12 days after their exposure to the new virus, Johns Hopkins researchers report.

Based on data from 181 confirmed cases, the researchers estimate the average incubation period of Covid-19 is about five days. More than 97% of infected people who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days, the researchers concluded.

That’s good news, because it means the 14-day quarantine period established by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “appropriate” and will cover 99% of all infectious cases of the Covid-19 virus, said study co-author Kyra Grantz, a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore.

Shop owner arrested for selling ‘sanitiser’ that burned 4 children

The owner of a 7-Eleven in River Vale, New Jersey, was arrested and accused of selling a home-made “spray sanitiser” that burned four boys.

Police took on the case after receiving information from social media that three 10-year-olds and one 11-year-old had been injured after using the product, according to a statement from the state attorney general and Bergen County prosecutor.

Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson test positive for coronavirus

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, 63, and his actress wife Rita Wilson, 63, are the first A-listers to publicly reveal that they’ve tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to Deadline, Tom and Rita are both currently in Australia where Tom is doing pre-production for his new project by Baz Luhrmann – a yet untitled film about the life of Elvis Presley.

Zimbabwe coronavirus suspect tests negative after hospital escape

A suspected coronavirus case who escaped from hospital in Zimbabwe tested negative on Wednesday, authorities said, after causing panic by eluding medical staff and running loose in the capital.

The 26-year-old Thai national, whose name was not given, escaped the Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare after he was admitted for coronavirus testing on Monday.

The man escaped with the help of his relatives and was later spotted buying medicine at a pharmacy, prompting police to launch a search party.

What you need to know if you’re living with HIV, diabetes or TB

If cases of the new coronavirus spread in South Africa, the country may be heading into uncharted territory – becoming the first country in the world to grapple with the new virus and a high burden of HIV and TB.

Here are the other new confirmed cases in SA

KwaZulu-Natal: A 38 year male from Durban who lives in Turkey and was visiting his family in South Africa has tested positive. He travelled to the UK and returned to SA on the 7 March.

Mpumalanga: A 27 year old female from Mpumalanga who had travelled to the United States. She returned to South Africa on 7 March.

Gauteng: A 43 year old male from Johannesburg who had travelled to New York via Dubai and returned to South Africa on the 8th March 2020.

First case of local transmission

The first case in the Free State is of a 32 year old man who came into contact with an overseas businessman. This is the first case of local transmission as all others have been by patients who had travelled abroad.

Cases increase to 17

The Health ministry has confirmed that the number of positive Covid-19 cases in the country has risen to 17, with four more cases confirmed on Thursday.This was announced by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Thursday.

The cases were identified in KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Free State.

HEALTH TIPS (as recommended by the NICD and WHO)

• Avoid contact with people who have respiratory infections 

• Maintain social distancing – stay at least one metre away from somebody who is coughing or sneezing

• Practise frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, as your hands touch many surfaces and could potentially transfer the virus

• Practise respiratory hygiene – cover your mouth with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Remember to dispose the tissue immediately after use.

CORONAVIRUS LIES | Debunking the hoaxes around Covid-19

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread around the globe, so does misinformation, fear, fake cures, fake news and malicious hoaxes. 

Two fake ‘News24’ articles are being circulated on social media. The first claimed there was a second confirmed case of the coronavirus in Mooi Rivier, Potchefstroom.A second fake ‘News24’ article screenshot claimed that two Dainfern College students in Fourways, Johannesburg have tested positive. In the fake photo-shopped screengrab, students and families are advised to ‘stay in self-quarantine for 14 days’.

These are both completely fake.

Trump cancels flights

President Donald Trump on Wednesday suspended travel from Europe to the United States for 30 days in an “aggressive” effort to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has sparked a run on the stock market and is rapidly multiplying.

The ban will not include travellers from the United Kingdom, which recently left the European Union, Trump said.

WHO declares a pandemic

The head of the WHO has warned that the organisation expects the number of coronavirus cases, deaths and number of affected countries to climb even higher, after declaring the virus a pandemic.

“We are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction,” said Tedros Ghebreyesus, adding pandemic was not a word to use lightly or carelessly.

“It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.”

However, he warned the WHO had not seen a pandemic before that could be controlled.

“We cannot say this loudly enough, or clearly enough, or often enough: All countries can still change the course of this pandemic.”

Western Cape

Despite the first confirmed case in the Western Cape, Western Cape Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said there is no need to panic.

She said the province had already coped successfully with measles outbreaks and H1N1, and South Africa had established a good protocol in tracking down people who were in contact with an infected patient through its vast experience in managing tuberculosis cases.

Critical

One of the 13 South Africans who tested positive for the coronavirus has an existing chronic disease, and is in a critical condition, according the Gauteng health department. The 57-year-old patient suffered from renal disease which the department was worried about, Health MEC Bandile Masuku said.

Your latest coronavirus news roundup

South Africa now has 13 confirmed cases, with one patient critical in Gauteng; the WHO has declared the spread of the virus a pandemic, and US President Trump has temporarily suspended all travel to the US from Europe – except from the UK.