The South African government has warned that prosecution looms for anyone who spreads fake news about Covid-19. There’s a lot of sensational fake news about coronavirus that is contributing to panic. Anthony Ginsberg, a leading figure in South Africa’s asset management sector, has cast his eye over the many scary headlines to find seven good news stories about coronavirus. His list – fact-checked by us – is being shared widely across inboxes in South Africa. – Jackie Cameron
By Thulasizwe Sithole
Amid all the doom-and-gloom about coronavirus, a list of positive developments is being shared widely among Saffers looking for light at the end of the tunnel.
South African tax expert and fund manager Anthony Ginsberg, founder of Ginsglobal Index Funds, kicked things off in a client newsletter by summarising the key points of a Goldman Sachs synopsis of the Covid-19 crisis. Ginsberg tells his clients that the market is trying to find a bottom and a rebound looms.
Here are the key points, outlined by Ginsberg, that should give us hope that this crisis will soon reach a turning point.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___
1.    Vaccine development: Experimental vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. began human testing on 45 adults in Seattle. Regeneron Inc. plus others also developing vaccines. (See: Trial of Coronavirus Vaccine Made by Moderna Begins in Seattle)
2. China’s new cases plummet: China has closed down its last temporary hospital re Covid-19. No longer enough new cases. (See: The coronavirus pandemic began in China. Today, it reported no new local infections for the first time.)
3. 103-year-old recovery: A 103-year-old Chinese woman has made a full recovery from Covid-19 after 6 days of treatment in Wuhan, China, the oldest patient to beat the disease. (See: Coronavirus: 103-year-old woman becomes oldest person to beat disease.)
4. Stores re-opening: Apple has reopened all 42 of its Apple retail stores in China. (See: Apple’s China stores reopen after a month.)
5. Test results in 2 hours: Cleveland’s MetroHealth Medical Center has developed a Covid-19 test that can now deliver results in just two hours. (See: MetroHealth Medical Center can now test COVID-19 samples, results available in 2 hours.)
6. South Korea’s dramatic drop in new cases: After a peak of 909 Covid-19 cases on February 29, now a dramatic drop in number of new cases reported daily. (See Coronavirus: South Korea’s infection rate falls without citywide lockdowns like China, Italy.)
7. Mortality rates inflated? Italy’s ageing population means higher % of pre-existing conditions (See: Why are deaths from coronavirus so high in Italy?)
