While world leaders have taken to invoke the teachings of Jesus Christ in a desperate attempt to get anti-vaxxers to move the needle in the fight against Covid, South Africa is shifting its Covid-19 mitigation strategies to stop costly contact tracing and quarantines, with authorities saying they’ll conduct contact tracing only in case of a cluster outbreak. The move comes as we’ve reached immunity levels as high as 80% and as the economy risks stalling just as it emerges from its deepest economic contraction in almost three decades, reports Bloomberg.
As omicron grounds Christmas eve flights and forces tech giants Google and others to ditch CES, the world is turning to South Africa for advice on how to ride the wave of the latest Covid variant. Scientists are also sharing promising charts that highlight how Covid cases in South Africa’s super-mutant, ground-zero Gauteng are rapidly falling just a month into its outbreak, kindling hope of short-lived waves elsewhere. This after vilifying South Africa for alerting the world to the omicron variant some four weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the US’s top infectious-disease doctor, Dr Anthony Fauci, believes that we won’t wipe out the coronavirus, but we’ll reach a point where it’s tamed, where “enough people will reach a level of immunity so that trip cancellations, wild stock-market swings, and self-tests won’t dominate our daily lives the way they do now”.
As we head into the Christmas weekend, the best thing is to take the precautions – sanitise, wear masks, keep your distance (avoid crowds) – and be merry with our kin.
In the markets, growing optimism around the lower hospitalisation and mortality rates of the omicron variant continues to see an increase in risk appetite. “The rand touched R15.61 yesterday afternoon before closing at R15.66, with importer orders slowing the local currency’s move firmer for now. The R15.50 target is well within range now as market liquidity is expected to be thin and with most markets closing early today,” reports TreasuryONE. The local unit is currently trading relatively flat at R15.62 against the US dollar.
Commodities are marginally, with gold currently trading at $1,811/oz, platinum at $974 and palladium at $1,957. Oil continues to recover on easing demand fears, and we have Brent sitting at $76.20 a barrel, writes TreasuryONE.
We at SAccess wish you a very merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Here’s a roundup of the world’s top and most interesting headlines:
SA Business
Why Ramaphosa wants a 4-month extension after receiving state capture report – News24
Local pathology groups agree to lower Covid-19 rapid antigen test price to R150 or less – Fin24
South Africa is sitting with R45 billion in unclaimed pensions – here’s how to search if you are a beneficiary – BusinessTech
Global Business
Major tech firms join Consumer Electronics Show exodus – AFP
Lawsuit shines light on gruesome life of a TikTok content moderator – Bloomberg
IMF extends emergency funding by 18 months due to Covid – AFP
Markets
Bitcoin climbs to $51,000, hits highest in more than two weeks – Bloomberg
Shares edge up, dollar set for worst week since Sept as Omicron fears ebb – Reuters
Turkey’s missing billions signal unannounced lira intervention – Bloomberg
Opinion/In-depth
From Willowvale to Antarctica: Having very little money did not stop oceanographic trailblazer Dr Mdutyana from breaking through South Africa’s barriers – Daily Maverick
ANALYSIS | 2021: A grim year for journalists and free speech in an increasingly authoritarian world – News24
Whistle-blower of the Year winner: Gauteng Department of Health’s Babita Deokaran – Daily Maverick
Video
COVID around the world: How omicron is impacting the holidays – Newsy
Intel facing China backlash after Xinjiang statement – Reuters
Is Bitcoin ‘its own asset class’? – Coindesk
Feature image: Pixabay
