World Health Organisation (WHO) director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus anticipates global infections will reach 20 million – with 750 000 deaths – in the next few days, but he says there are ‘green shoots of hope’.
It was never too late to suppress infections, he said.
‘This week we’ll reach 20 million registered cases of Covid-19 and 750 000 deaths,’ Tedros told a virtual press conference.
‘Behind these statistics is a great deal of pain and suffering. Every life lost matters. I know many of you are grieving and that this is a difficult moment for the world.
‘But I want to be clear: there are green shoots of hope and… it’s never too late to turn the outbreak around.’
Tedros emphasised the importance of maintaining measures to curb the spread of infection.
‘My message is crystal clear: suppress, suppress, suppress the virus. If we suppress the virus effectively, we can safely open up societies.’
In South Africa, public outrage at the scale of Covid-19-related corruption has prompted some social media users to peddle false or unverified claims.
This much emerges from a Ministry of Health statement yesterday dismissing suggestions that health minister Zweli Mkhize is involved in manufacturing medical supplies.
Referring to a ‘message that has appeared on several social media platforms’, including Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp threads, the ministry said: ‘We would like to categorically state that Minister Mkhize does not own a PPE manufacturing company nor is he involved in any way in the manufacturing of PPE. In anticipation of any further emergence of fake news, we also categorically state that nobody in Minister Mkhize’s family is in the business of manufacturing, selling or distribution of PPE.’
It urged those who created the content, and those who shared it, ‘to immediately remove the content from their platforms and issue an apology to the Minister and to the public for advancing fake news’.
The statement said creating or sending ‘fake news’ was an offence under the National State of Disaster, and warned that the department ‘will not hesitate to take action’ against perpetrators.
And Gauteng Premier David Makhura threatened to take legal action against anyone claiming on social media that he was involved in alleged PPE tender corruption.
This also followed social media posts claiming that his wife and an alleged girlfriend had been given PPE tenders.
Positive cases grew in South Africa yesterday by 3 740 to a cumulative total of 563 598 (with 417 200 recoveries). Deaths rose by 213 to 10 621.
The highest tally of cases is in Gauteng (193 561), followed by the Western Cape (100 213), KwaZulu-Natal (99 386), and the Eastern Cape (82 578).