Global Statistics
At least 30,003,378 cases of Covid-19 have now been recorded globally. The United States leads with the most Covid-19 infections and deaths worldwide. There are at least 6, 8 cases and 202,000 deaths from the disease in the country. The US, India and Brazil together account for over 50% of the world’s coronavirus cases.
India on Wednesday became only the second country in the world, after the United States, to record more than 5 million cases. The south Asian nation, the world’s second most populous country, has been reporting more new daily cases than the United States since mid-August and accounts for just over 16% of global known cases.
The World Health Organization’s European director warned national governments against reducing the quarantine period for people potentially exposed to the coronavirus, even as he acknowledged that COVID-19 “fatigue” was setting in with growing public resistance to the measures needed to control the pandemic.
WHO Europe’s 53-country region recorded more than 300,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the last week, and more than half of the countries reported a rise of more than 10% in cases over the last two weeks, he said. Of those countries, seven had their cases jump by more than two-fold.
Weekly cases are now exceeding those reported in March — when the pandemic first peaked, WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge said during a news conference.
It should be noted that, the global rate of new daily cases is slowing, reflecting progress in constraining the disease in many countries, despite a few big surges.
South Africa recorded 2 128 new coronavirus cases. This brings the total number of cases to 655 572. The country also recorded 67 new COVID-19 related fatalities, bringing the total number of deaths to 15 772. The number of recoveries now stands at 585 303, this translates to a recovery rate of 89,3%.
The WHO Africa Region has commended the South African government for its determined efforts in combating the spread of the infection. However, she has warned that people must remain vigilant and be prepared to effectively tackle any resurgence as seen in so many countries around the globe.
The WHO African Region has commended the South African government for its determined efforts in combating the spread of the infection as the country still accounts for nearly half of all cases in Africa.
Namibia has said it will allow international travel from September 18 as it ends a six-month-long state of emergency with the average number of daily cases decreasing. Contact sports will be allowed to resume, gambling houses and casinos can reopen and gatherings will be allowed up to either 50 percent of a venue’s capacity or a maximum of 50 people.
Zimbabwe recorded 35 new cases to bring the total cases to 7,633. The death remains unchanged at 224. Recoveries that have been recorded are now at 5,841 to bring the national recovery rate to 77.
WHO says more than 170 countries have joined COVAX vaccine facility
More than 170 countries have joined the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) COVAX global vaccine plan to help buy and distribute immunisation shots for COVID-19 fairly around the world. WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the countries will gain guaranteed access to the world’s largest portfolio of vaccine candidates. The WHO previously said 92 lower-income nations were seeking assistance via the facility and some 80 higher-income nations had expressed interest.
Africa CDC urges all nations to join WHO’s COVAX vaccine initiative
All nations should join hands in a global effort to procure and distribute potential vaccines against the coronavirus across the globe, the head of Africa’s disease control body urged this month.
“We are in this together. No country will be safe if any other country in the world still has cases of COVID,” John Nkengasong, the head of the Addis Ababa-based Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa-CDC), told an online news conference.
COVAX is designed to discourage national governments from hoarding COVID-19 vaccines and to focus on first vaccinating the most high-risk people in every country. SABC News
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