Coronavirus Watch

Global Statistics

There were 240,403 new Covid-19 cases reported to the World Health Organization in the last 24 hours, according to a new situation report published on Friday.  The total number of cases that have been reported to the WHO from around the globe is now 14,194,140. The rise in newly reported cases sets another record for cases reported to the WHO within a 24-hour period. The previous record was set on Sunday with 270,370 new cases of Covid-19.

Friday’s report also noted there were 5,555 additional Covid-19 deaths reported to the WHO in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths worldwide to 599,416.

Brazil’s health ministry reported 33,959 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the country’s total to 2,048,697. The health ministry also reported 1,110 new Covid-19 deaths, raising the country’s death toll to 77,932. The infection rate of Covid-19 in Brazil has stabilized, the World Health Organization said on Friday, a day after Brazil surpassed 2 million cases of the disease.

South Africa has recorded record high deaths in the past 24 hours as 135 fatalities were recorded to bring the total death toll to 4, 804. The latest number of confirmed cases is 337 594 and there have been 178 183 recoveries.

Patients who test positive for Covid-19 will now be isolated for a period of 10 days. Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize announced the revised isolation period during a briefing on Friday evening. Mkhize said the decision to revise the isolation period was based on evidence that most patients with a mild Covid-19 infection continue to shed the virus from their upper airways for approximately 7-12 days.

190 new cases were recorded in Zambia after the statistics had not changed for the past 4 days. The total number of cases is now 2,810. There were 24 deaths recorded and the death toll is now at 109. Malawi is five cases less than Zambia which recorded 98 cases to bring the total number of cases in the country to 2,805.

There were 58 new cases in Zimbabwe and the total confirmed cases is now at 1,402. 1 new death was recorded and deaths are now at 24, with 438 recovered cases and 958 active cases.

Lesotho which has been witnessing a rapid increase in the number of cases, recorded 55 new cases to bring the total confirmed cases to 311. 3 new deaths were recorded and the death toll now stands at 6.

UN makes record $10.3bn appeal for pandemic fight

The United Nations is making an appeal for $10.3 billion (£8.2 billion) to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, its largest ever fundraising call.

The UN says up to 265 million people could face starvation by the end of the year because of the impact of Covid-19.

The money will be for used for low income and fragile countries.

The UN warned that failure to act could undo decades of development. It initially asked for $2 billion in its first coronavirus appeal in March.

The coronavirus pandemic is having a huge impact on the world’s poorest, the BBC’s Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva.BBC

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18/07/2020