COVID-19: Quick Insights 8 April

South Africa records 5 more COVID-19 deaths, bring the total to 18, with 1,845 confirmed cases; Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams put on special leave for breaching lockdown regulations and the UIF records claims of more than R300m since lockdown began.

DAY 13 OF LOCKDOWN

BY THE NUMBERS

• Thursday marks 100 days since China first notified the WHO of cases of “pneumonia with unknown cause”.

• 5 more deaths on Wednesday in South Africa, bringing to 18 the total number of known deaths due to COVID-19.

• We have now had 1,845 confirmed cases since the first case was diagnosed.

• Globally more than 1.4 million people are confirmed to have contracted the virus and more than 82,000 have died.

SPECIAL LEAVE FOR NDABENI-ABRAHAMS

• The president put his Communications Minister on special leave after she broke lockdown regulations by having lunch with former ANC MP Mduduzi Manana and his family.

• She’s had a month’s salary docked and will be on special leave for 2 months.

• Ndabeni-Abrahams posted a video apology to the president and the nation.

• The EFF laid a formal charge against her in the afternoon for contravening lockdown regulations.

THE ECONOMY

• News that the UIF has doubled its claims payouts since the beginning of the lockdown.

• 22,776 employers have applied for COVID-19 related relief since the lockdown began.

• The UIF has recorded claims to the tune of more than R300m.

• Web traffic to the UIF site spiked – rising from 49,000 hits on 21 March to well over a half a million 4 days later.

GLOBALLY

• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s condition is improving – he’s still in ICU, but he’s able to sit up in bed and engage with clinical staff.

• At the same time, the Director of the UK’s NHS says the number of coronavirus infections and hospital admissions are beginning to show signs of flattening.

• A different story in Europe – where the ECDC says there’s no sign yet that the peak of outbreak has been reached.

EWN