South African Covid-19 News and Discussions 3

[Forum Reader]

9 dead now!!

Nine nuns die of Covid-19 at Port Shepstone convent - LNN - Kempton Express

Three nuns are in hospital and nine more in quarantine.

kemptonexpress.co.za

But they have the same chance of catching and dying from the flu if there were other people with the flu at the congregation.

Though they might have been spared if they prayed harder.

 

[sand_man]

But they have the same chance of catching and dying from the flu if there were other people with the flu at the congregation.

Though they might have been spared if they prayed harder.

Argh, they were probably all old and diabetic and obese and hypertensive and about to die soon anyways. Meh...

 

[Forum Reader]

We made ifls news:

A New Virus Variant Is Driving The Second Wave Of COVID-19 In South Africa

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus the causes COVID-19 and like all viruses, it mutates over time. A variant that is common in the UK has become front-page news as it

www.iflscience.com

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus the causes COVID-19 and like all viruses, it mutates over time. A variant that is common in the UK has become front-page news as it is believed to be able to spread more efficiently. South African health minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize has announced that a different variant is also spreading fast in the African country.

South Africa has seen an average of over 9,000 new cases per day over the last week and according to the South African genomics scientists from across the country, led by the Kwazulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), the new variant, 501.V2, is the most common type across the newly confirmed infections.

 

[Forum Reader]

Argh, they were probably all old and diabetic and obese and hypertensive and about to die soon anyways. Meh...

Maybe a few people die every week after going to church. We just don't hear about it.

 

[rietrot]

Garden Route beaches to remain closed, Western Cape High Court rules

The Western Cape High Court has ruled in favour of the closure of Garden Route beaches, it did however, decided to amend the beach operation times.

www.iol.co.za

This was predictable.

They should challenge the stupid rules on the constitutional legality of it not on how logical it is.

The government doesn't have to do logical and sensible things.

 

[MiW]

It’s not just the coast: New system shows second-wave trouble for Sandton, Linden | Businessinsider

Hyper-localised Covid-19 hotspots have been identified in Johannesburg’s leafy suburbs.

www.businessinsider.co.za

Sandton Ward 103, covering Sandown, River Club, Morningside, Benmore Gardens, and Bryanston is considered a certified hotspot with over 200 active cases and a combined risk index rating of 32. Nearby Atholl Gardens, Wynberg, and Alexandra Ext 24 are listed as developing hotspots displaying exponential growth with a risk rating of 33.

Ward 99, which includes Linden, Robindale, Blairgowrie, and Robin Hills, is considered a particularly high-risk area, with an index rating of 47.

Ward 20, a confirmed hotspot consisting of Bedfordview and Saint Andrews, holds the highest risk rating in Johannesburg of 55, with more than 50 active cases reported in an area less than one square kilometre.

Other areas around Johannesburg which have been identified as developing hotspots, with low levels of severity, include ward 73 (Orchards, Orange Grove, Houghton Estate), ward 87 (Greenside, Auckland Park, Westcliff, Melville, Forest Town) and ward 115 (Jukskei Park, Bloubosrand, Fourways, Witkoppen).

 

[noxibox]

Church gathering ignites 48 Covid-19 cases as virus spreads in KZN

A church gathering attended by more than 2,000 people has contributed to the increased rate of Covid-19 infections in KwaZulu-Natal.

www.timeslive.co.za

This is why we have tons of rules and regulations and lock downs of varying degrees... As I said In a pervious thread, some societies need regulating, some don't. 6 nuns died of covid caught as a result of this event attended by 2000. Organizers should be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Did those nuns catch it without attending themselves?

Let them try. If they’re deluded enough to think they can stop the progression of any variant of Covid, let alone a variant that is so potent it displaced all other genomes in the space of a few weeks, more power to them. It will be short lived.

Is it possible that measures to try to prevent infection help more infectious strains to take over?

Apparently our spike mutation has the UK mutation PLUS two additional mutations.

What I don't understand is why they're implying the virus has been static for months then suddenly mutated.

Be interesting to know what dying like flies actually means. What percentage of patients etc etc.

Flies don't die that easily either.

People who think they may have been exposed want to get tested to make sure they are not going to spread it around. Especially if they live with several other people. It is difficult for people to isolate when living with others. So if they know they have the virus for sure, they can then try and make a plan to isolate before infecting the rest.

They could be a false positive or a false negative. They pretty much have to act as though they're infected regardless of the test result if they've been exposed to someone who is definitely infected (based on having symptoms).

Garden Route beaches to remain closed, Western Cape High Court rules

The Western Cape High Court has ruled in favour of the closure of Garden Route beaches, it did however, decided to amend the beach operation times.

www.iol.co.za

It's disturbing that there are no checks on arbitrary rules. What scientific evidence did the government present proving that those beaches are a primary source of infections?

 

[MrGray]

Is it possible that measures to try to prevent infection help more infectious strains to take over?

There may be something to that - something along the lines of slowing the initial spread and effectively dragging it out for longer giving it more opportunity to mutate? This will all be the subject of much research over the upcoming years, hopefully honest research. I’m also very suspicious that masks have actually made the problem worse, but that is currently a taboo topic.

 

[Geoff.D]

Did those nuns catch it without attending themselves?


Is it possible that measures to try to prevent infection help more infectious strains to take over?


What I don't understand is why they're implying the virus has been static for months then suddenly mutated.


Flies don't that easily either.


They could be a false positive or a false negative. They pretty much have to act as though they're infected regardless of the test result if they've been exposed to someone who is definitely infected (based on having symptoms).


It's disturbing that there are no checks on arbitrary rules. What scientific evidence did the government present proving that those beaches are a primary source of infections?

Of course it did not just appear suddenly. It started showing up in August already.
And yes, the mutation response is triggered by the virus battling to infect, so it adapts.

 

[dualmeister]

Concern as 761 WC healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID-19

Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said hospital staff had been working flat out under very stressful circumstances since March.

ewn.co.za

 

[Azg]

Western Cape Premier Alan Wonder weekly conference

https://www.westerncape.gov.za/news/statement-premier-alan-winde-his-weekly-digital-press-conference

 

[The_Right_Honourable_Brit]

A light-hearted advert to end the year:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1341649048231702529

 

[noxibox]

There may be something to that - something along the lines of slowing the initial spread and effectively dragging it out for longer giving it more opportunity to mutate? This will all be the subject of much research over the upcoming years, hopefully honest research. I’m also very suspicious that masks have actually made the problem worse, but that is currently a taboo topic.

I thinking of a scenario where both variants already exist. We make transmission harder which slowly kills off the less efficient variant. In effect we create a bigger subsequent wave because we've helped select for a variant that can overcome the measures in place. Something akin to antibiotic resistance.

There are scientists researching this particular virus and the mutations trying to figure out the impact they'll have. Intent seems genuine, but that doesn't stop it being misrepresented or misused by the authorities. Like acting as though the virus has not been showing mutations since it was discovered. Recent press conferences give the impression that suddenly out of the blue the virus has 20 changes. Meanwhile there are papers from months ago talking about all the changes.

 

[MrGray]

Intent seems genuine, but that doesn't stop it being misrepresented or misused by the authorities. Like acting as though the virus has not been showing mutations since it was discovered. Recent press conferences give the impression that suddenly out of the blue the virus has 20 changes. Meanwhile there are papers from months ago talking about all the changes.

The prevailing narrative from "the authorities" globally seems to be to blame the people for the second wave and, therefore, ever more severe measures must be re-introduced yet all the information seems to point to the second waves being due to the more contagious mutations.

 

[cr@zydude]

The High Court in Pretoria has on Wednesday ruled against AfriForum and the Great Brak Business Forum in their bid to declare government’s new regulations unconstitutional.
The groups had argued that it was impossible to prove any link between the restrictions and preventing the spread of COVID-19.
However, the court has found government’s decision to close some of the country’s beaches valid.
AfriForum said it was disappointed by the ruling.

Another wave of disappointment as AfriForum loses beach ban case

The High Court in Pretoria has ruled against AfriForum and the Great Brak Business Forum in their bid to declare government’s new regulations unconstitutional.

ewn.co.za

 

[Paulsie]

Another wave of disappointment as AfriForum loses beach ban case

The High Court in Pretoria has ruled against AfriForum and the Great Brak Business Forum in their bid to declare government’s new regulations unconstitutional.

ewn.co.za

Would be interesting to hear more details on this, ie did the high court interrogate the reasons for beach closures and deemed them sufficient, or did they rule the govt has the right to make up rules willy nilly in the name of the state of disaster.

 

[Geoff.D]

We made ifls news:

A New Virus Variant Is Driving The Second Wave Of COVID-19 In South Africa

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus the causes COVID-19 and like all viruses, it mutates over time. A variant that is common in the UK has become front-page news as it

www.iflscience.com

Some cr@p out of the article includes a quote from the Chinese stooge in the WHO, plus an unsubstantiated conclusion which may or may not also be attributable to that bastion of accurate factual information on SARS-COV-2, the WHO.

“The UK has reported that this new variant transmits more easily but there is no evidence so far that it is more likely to cause severe disease or mortality. WHO is working with scientists to understand how these genetic changes affect how the virus behaves. The bottom line is that we need to suppress transmission of all SARS-CoV-2 viruses as quickly as we can. The more we allow it to spread, the more opportunity it has to change.”

I thought the WHO does not support Lockdowns????

It is paramount that health measures such as social distancing, mask usage, personal hygiene as well as lockdowns continue to be put in place to curb the spread of the disease further and reduce the chances for the virus to spread further and further, acquiring new mutations.

So now we have a new excuse to justify LDs. They are necessary to prevent this virus from mutating.

 

[noxibox]

Legally valid doesn't mean the government showed any evidence of a link. If you look at previous decisions you can see the courts refer the only requirement in the law being that the government must believe their decision is rational. They don't have to prove effectiveness or even that the decision is based on data rather than simply their own beliefs. In a previous court decision the ruling effectively said even if the government's beliefs are irrational it didn't make the regulations they came up with irrational.

The prevailing narrative from "the authorities" globally seems to be to blame the people for the second wave and, therefore, ever more severe measures must be re-introduced yet all the information seems to point to the second waves being due to the more contagious mutations.

They seem to once again want it both ways. Within a single article they'll have the same person talk about a more infectious variant and simultaneously try to blame people for the spread. If it's more infectious then it follows that measures in place will be less effective. Stricter measures could even encourage the emergence of an even more infectious variant

The scientific papers and articles I've read about the mutations they've been tracking since early on mostly avoid inflammatory language.

 

[Forum Reader]

Some cr@p out of the article includes a quote from the Chinese stooge in the WHO, plus an unsubstantiated conclusion which may or may not also be attributable to that bastion of accurate factual information on SARS-COV-2, the WHO.



I thought the WHO does not support Lockdowns????



So now we have a new excuse to justify LDs. They are necessary to prevent this virus from mutating.

Well they aren't wrong. If the virus doesn't spread, it can't mutate.

 

[Geoff.D]

I thinking of a scenario where both variants already exist. We make transmission harder which slowly kills off the less efficient variant. In effect we create a bigger subsequent wave because we've helped select for a variant that can overcome the measures in place. Something akin to antibiotic resistance.

There are scientists researching this particular virus and the mutations trying to figure out the impact they'll have. Intent seems genuine, but that doesn't stop it being misrepresented or misused by the authorities. Like acting as though the virus has not been showing mutations since it was discovered. Recent press conferences give the impression that suddenly out of the blue the virus has 20 changes. Meanwhile there are papers from months ago talking about all the changes.

Yes and this forum is full of people that tried to defend the "this virus is not mutating BS"