The fear is looming that President Cyril Ramaphosa will be forced to implement a second economically crippling set of measures to contain a South African variety of COVID that some medical experts say is more infectious, particularly to younger victims.

Britain has closed its borders to travelers from South Africa to avoid further infections by this variety.

South Africa  has recorded more than one million ifections, making it by far Africa’s worst hit nation.

The death toll exceeds 26,000 confirming this unenviable continental status.

There have been more than 42,000 new cases of COVID 19 recoded in the past three days.

Healthcare facilities, particularly in the Western Cape, are stretched to breaking point with both public and private hospitals running short of oxygen and beds.

The National Coronavirus Command Council is in emergency meeting today.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has criticized Britain locking out travelers from South Africa and disputes the assertion that the South African variety of COVID is more deadly that the British variety.

He says his government will decide on whether to slap further containment measures and restrictions on South Africans after assessing the whole country.

“We must warn South Africans that we will need to review the current restrictions and consider further measures to ensure that we curb this alarming rate of spread.

“Therefore, it will be important for us to evaluate the situation in these provinces, identify hot spots in these areas and in other provinces where they may be identified and make recommendations based on these findings and the outcomes of what has been implemented in the hot spots that have been identified so far,”

Acting general secretary of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa Cassim Lekhoathi says the second wave is very disturbing because the country is not prepared for it. 

“The strain is causing trauma and stress with our health workers.

“It is crucial that we impose stringent measures to curb the outbreak. Our nurses are severely overworked and we cannot afford to have our health system in a critical state. We must not put profit above the lives of people,” he says.

Glenda Grey, the chief executive of the South African says: “We have a very fragile health system and in December hospitals have had to deal with drinking and trauma cases.

“The objective approach to the situation is to stick to the curfew and monitor alcohol consumption. The second approach would be to stop large gatherings such as parties, churches, pubs. The rest of the world is struggling to contain the spread and we cannot expect South Africa to get it right.”

Liquor traders are worried about the possibility of stringent lockdown restrictions.

They are pleading with the government to be allowed to continue the off-premises sale of alcohol as the country navigates the second wave.

Liquor Traders Formations convener Lucky Ntimane said: “We do not think that a total ban on alcohol sales will be a solution either in the short or long term in arresting the resurgence and up-tick in the number of positive cases for Covid-19.”

He says  total shut-down of liquor sales would mean an end to the informal market and the 250, 000 direct jobs linked to the sector.

South African Breweries says it “does not believe that an outright ban / total shut down of alcohol sales is a sustainable approach, as seen with the last two bans. The unintended consequences of such actions are dire, from job losses, tax losses, illicit trading and looting of alcohol stores.”

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Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the mutation, called SARS-COVID-501v2 is similar to the variation discovered in Britain that has been officially described as out of control.

It has been found in 200 samples in 50 different hospitals.

The mutation was first identified in the Eastern Cape province but has since moved along the coast to the Western Cape and upward to KwaZulu Natal.

COVID is growing exponentially in these three provinces, says Mkhize and added restrictions will probably be necessary.

The minister has been visiting the more seriously infected regions since President Cyril Ramaphosa last week announced that the second wave of COVID has officially hit South Africa.

He restricted the hours that restaurants would-be allowed to open and cut from six to four the number of days that retail liquor outlets could open.

The nighttime curfew has been extended by two hours.

Beaches in the Eastern Cape have been closed and those in the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal are officially shut on the peak holidays.

This has not stopped holiday makers traveling to these leisure spots during their peak summer vacation.

The death toll on SouthAfrican roads this month approaches 700.

Mkhize deplored secondary school leavers celebrating the end of their examination in massive, drink-fueled parties along the coast that have become super-spreader events.

“These young peopled not wear masks and are clearly intoxicated,” he said.

“They throw caution to the wind and don’t care about the rules of the disaster.”

South Africa’s latest COVID 19 figures show 216 deaths in the past 24 hours and 8769 new cases.

This brings the total death toll to 24 907 with 913 000.infections. Officials record that 796 000 of these have recovered

The Health Ministry says having missed the December 15 deadline,  South Africa has now paid the deposit for COVID vaccinations expected to arrive early next year.

Dr Anban Pillay of the National Health Department says as a member of COVAX South Africa expects to be part of the first allocation of vaccines.

It is clear whether existing vaccines are effective against  501v2.

The bulk of the vaccinations in South Africa will be in the third and fourth quarters of 2021.

In the COVID hotspots, hospitals are reporting that beds are full in the intensive care units where seriously ill patients receive oxygen and sometime ventillation.

In the Western Cape, doctors say they are having to make life and death decisions as COVID cases soar.

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In journalism 101 we were taught never to give the oxygen of publicity to quack remedies for dreaded diseases.

That’s why you don’t read, hear or see about cures for cancer in anything approaching responsible media.

Believe me, these emerge daily from the crazies and the con-artists seeking attention or a fast buck.

So it was to be expected that miracle antidotes to COVID 19 would be flung at editors very early on in the pandemic.

They could safely ignore almost all them –  until heads of state got involved.

Madagascar’s deejay turned President Andry Rajoelina seeks international endorsement of a remedy for COVID 19 made from the leaves of the artemisia which has provided relief to some malaria sufferers.

He could have saved his blushes had he sat in on my journalism cadet course all those years ago.

And the bench next to him could usefully have been occupied by the United States television game show star turned President  Donald Trump who advocated another outdated malaria remedy, the outdated chloroquine,  for curing COVID 19.

That was before he  threw the medical reins between the horses last month and urged COVID 19 patients to inject disinfectant and shine ultra violet light into their bodies.

Time magazine reports the American Association of Poison Control Centres finding a 121% increase in poisoning from bleach and other disinfectants in April 2020 over the same month the previous year. 

Rajoelina cannot match Trump’s lethal milestone. However his angry assertion that the African Union has rejected the herbal remedy known as COVID ORGANICS only because it was not developed by a European company shows he has a sense of the ridiculous every bit as well-developed as his Washington counterpart.

And he evidently shares the Donald’s penchant. for disregarding the media that does not reflect his  views.

How else could he have overlooked the storm last month when two French doctors suggested that the COVID 19 vaccine be tested on poor Africans because they have not taken protected measures?

Doctors Camille Locht and Jean-Paul Mira have had the good sense to apologize for hurt and offense they caused.

The Africa’s continental body was furiously adamant that it citizens would not be used as guinea pigs.

So has the World Health Organisation,  Like the AU the WHO give the thumbs down to COVID ORGANICS  which has reportedly been tested on 20 people for two weeks. Hardly decisive.

Rajoelina can draw some comfort from the favorable attention his peers have given the Malgash remedy.

Tanzania’s President John Magafuli,  who evidently believes that his chemistry qualification  entitles him to be a COVID 19 maverick, sent a plane to collect a load of the remedy  in Antananarivo.

Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Niger  have also bought consignments.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize is quoted as saying South Africa will help test and analyse COVID ORGANICS.

I fully support African solutions to African problems. But this is surely a classical case for caution. 

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The post The hard truth that miracle remedies simply don’t exist appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

In the latest incident a young woman auditor was shot in the legs by assailants who broke into her hotel room and stole her laptop computer containing crucial information about her investigation.

Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Zweli Mkhize has strongly condemned the attack and acts of intimidation against government auditors.

In Vanderbijlpark south of Johannesburg assailants broke into the hotel where  a member of the Auditor General’s front line staff was being accommodated while she performed her investigation.

They shot her in both legs and left unscathed

a colleague who was sharing the room.

The attack follows threats in recent weeks against  Auditor General’s staff in the east coast port city of Durban and in Pietermaritzburg,  the capital of KwaZulu/Natal.

The victims were all deployed  to undertake audits of financial statements and performance information.

Mkhize says municipalities are at the centre of the economic revival  being championed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

They have to show prudence in how they spend public finances and the Auditor General’s office is busy checking on this.

The minister calls on law enforcement agencies to follow up on the attacks and threats and ensure the perpetrators are brought to book.

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