Coronavirus Watch

Many parts of the world, including Latin America and South Asia, are only beginning to feel the full force of the pandemic, while other regions that appeared to have vanquished the virus are being hit with second waves. China, Germany, South Korea and Japan are battling new outbreaks, with some reintroducing containment measures.

Positive cases worldwide are 9,345,569, while deaths were almost 478,949. The United States had the most cases in the world with 2,424,168, as well as the most deaths of123, 473.

Brazil recorded the highest daily infection rate as 40,131 cases were recorded to bring the total number of positive cases to 1,151,479 and the number of new deaths recorded was 1,364 to bring the total death toll to 52,771. The death toll is second to the USA.

Africa recorded 9,143 new cases to bring the total number of cases to 327,464. 282 deaths were recorded and the total death toll in the whole continent is now8, 653.

South Africa has hit the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in a 24-hour cycle since the pandemic hit the country as 111 deaths were recorded. There are now more than 2 000 confirmed deaths in SA. The cumulative number of confirmed Covid-19 cases is 106 108 with 4 518 new cases. There have been 55 045 recoveries and more than 1.38 million tests have been conducted, with 29 596 new tests.

Egypt recorded a 1,332 rise in the number of cases and the number of confirmed cases is now 58,141. 87 new deaths were recorded hence the total death toll now stands at 2,365.

An increase of 47 cases was recorded in Zambia to bring the total number of Covid-19 cases to 1,477. The death toll increased by 7 to bring the total death toll to 18.

13 new cases were recorded in Zimbabwe to bring the total number of recorded cases to 525, with 64 recoveries and 6 deaths. A cumulative 63,782 tests have been conducted country wide.

Wits announces SA’s first Covid-19 vaccine trial, first participants to be enrolled this week

The University of the Witwatersrand has announced South Africa’s first Covid-19 vaccine trial and its first participants will be enrolled this week. The trial aims to find a vaccine that will prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, which is the virus that causes Covid-19.

“This is a landmark moment for South Africa and Africa at this stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we enter winter in South Africa and pressure increases on public hospitals, now more than ever we need a vaccine to prevent infection by Covid-19,” Professor of Vaccinology at Wits University and Director of the South Africa Medical Research Council Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, Shabir Madhi, said in a virtual briefing on Tuesday.  “We began screening participants for the South African Oxford 1 Covid-19 vaccine trial last week and the first participants will be vaccinated this week,” he added.

Currently, there are more than 100 vaccines in development, but only six of these studies involve humans, said Professor Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, and director of the South Africa Medical Research Council (SAMRC) vaccines and infectious diseases analytics research unit (VIDA), during a press conference hosted by Wits today. Madhi is also leading the South African Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA-Trial. Wits is collaborating with the University of Oxford and the Oxford Jenner Institute on the South African trial for the vaccine, known as the ChAdOx1-Cov19 vaccine. News 24

Mothers with Covid-19 should continue breastfeeding, WHO says after inconclusive study

The World Health Organization is urging women who have contracted — or are suspected of contracting — coronavirus to continue breastfeeding their babies or young children. In a scientific brief released Tuesday, the WHO said the benefits of breastfeeding “substantially outweigh the potential risks for transmission” of the coronavirus. The WHO said researchers reviewed studies that included mothers with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 and their babies or young children. Researchers said other infections that breastfeeding protects against pose a much bigger risk to babies and children than the coronavirus. How WHO came to its conclusion: The WHO said researchers reviewed studies that included mothers with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 and their babies or young children. CNN

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24/06/2020

(Kitco)