Inside Covid-19: Beating mental health challenges; Boris loses a stone; Santam CEO explains R1bn BIC “relief”. Ep 64

In Episode 64 of Inside Covid-19, mental health is in focus as the pandemic sends societal stress levels surging – we have some tips on how to know you need help and how to get it; Santam’s CEO unpacks the company’s R1bn relief package for lockdown affected clients; we’ll get insights into why home-bound workers have turned to day trading shares, which now accounts for a stunning 20% of US trading activity; and also from America, companies are now insisting on testing before allowing workers back into the building. – Alec Hogg

In today’s Covid-19 headlines:

• South Africa remains solidly in the global Top Five although active cases have stabilised around 170,000 for the past week with new coronavirus infections offset by recoveries. A record of just under 14,000 new cases were registered on Friday, but after the last Wednesday’s new peak of 572 deaths, since then lower daily mortalities have been coming through, with 114 reported for Sunday. Globally, a total of 16.5m people are now recorded as having been infected, with just over 10m recovered, 5.7m active cases and 654,000 deaths, just on 4% of the recorded infections. Mortalities in the US passed 150,000 on Monday, almost double those of Brazil at 87,000 which is more than twice the third most affected nation, India, at 33 500. As at Sunday night, the South African death toll was 6,769.
• Hong Kong, Japan and Australia, which had appeared to have the coronavirus under control after early and decisive action, and now all reporting record infections. While the number of infections in the three places are small relative to the hardest hit nations, the surge is showing how tough it is to stamp out Covid-19. Australia, for instance, had just 2 infections on June 9 recorded a new record 532 yesterday.
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging his compatriots to go on diet to protect themselves against Covid-19. Johnston, who needed a couple of nights in ICU before overcoming the virus, today released a video launching the UK’s obesity strategy admitting the scare has given him a new approach to his health.