SOUTH AFRICA, NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA : South Africa has recorded zero COVID-19 deaths in the last two days, for the first time since May 2020, health authorities said today.
COVID has hit South Africa harder than any other country on the continent, making the drop in deaths all the more remarkable.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases made the announcement in its daily tally of coronavirus cases, sparking cautious optimism among health authorities.
The last time the country reported no deaths over a 48-hour timescale was on May 12, 2020. South Africa has suffered nearly 100,000 COVID deaths, and more than 3.6 million cases.
Meanwhile, Riot police clashed with anti-vaccination demonstrators outside New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington on Wednesday, using pepper spray and making dozens of arrests as they moved to end a long-running protest.
Hundreds of Police took to the streets of the capital before dawn in a bid to clear a camp that has clogged roads around Parliament for more than three weeks.
The Wellington protest began as a movement against coronavirus vaccine mandates — inspired by similar protests in the Canadian capital Ottawa. It has grown to encompass a range of grievances, with some far-right messaging among the anti-government and anti-media slogans on display. At its peak, about 3,000 people were camped outside Parliament, but numbers have dwindled to a hardcore of about 300 in the past week.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday but will continue his official duties while isolating.
“I am experiencing flu-like symptoms and will be recovering over the next week,” Morrison said in a statement. – THE MALAY MAIL, JAPAN TODAY