Coronavirus: Covid-19 deaths shoot up as confidential government document reveals a likely longer booze and cigarettes ban

While government recorded a total of 5,940 deaths to Covid-19 by 22 July, a Medical Research Council report has found that “In the period 6 May – 14 July 2020, there has been an excess of 17,090 deaths from natural causes”.

It is extraordinarily high as the world meter of Covid-19 also shows that in confirmed cases, South Africa has the fifth highest tally in the world. There are, of course, many caveats to this statistic, butAt the same time, a GCIS briefing leaked by FITA, the independent tobacco manufacturer associations, has revealed that government is considering a lengthened alcohol and tobacco ban.

Until now, South Africa’s case fatality rate has suggested that while our numbers of infections are high, deaths had been perceived to be low because we are a country of largely young people. Prof Debbie Bradshaw, who co-authored the report, said the timing and geographic patterns of the report leaves no room to question whether this is associated with Covid-19.

Back home, the tracking by the MRC and Bradshaw’s team was more complex as our system of death registration is different and less current.

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

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