Coronavirus Watch

Global statistics

The World Health Organisation reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total rising by 292 527 as Coronavirus cases around the globe have surpassed 17.7 million. The biggest increases were from the United States, Brazil, India and South Africa, according to a daily report. Deaths rose by 6,812. The four countries have dominated global headlines with large outbreaks.

The previous WHO record for new cases was 284,196 on July 24. Deaths rose by 9,753 on July 24, the second-largest one-day increase ever. Deaths have been averaging 5,200 a day in July, up from an average of 4,600 a day in June.

More than 4.5 million cases have been recorded in the United States as 70,904 new cases were recorded yesterday. 1,462 deaths were recorded and it’s the third day in a row where more than 1 200 deaths have been recorded.  The US has seen a resurgence of high daily cases loads since the end of June, especially in the southern and western parts of the country.

Mexico surpassed the United Kingdom’s total number of coronavirus deaths, becoming the country with third highest number of Covid-19 fatalities globally.

South Africa reported 11,014 new cases to bring the total number of cases to 493,183 just less than 7, 000 short of nearing the 500,000 mark. The country reported 193 new Covid-19-related deaths, taking the toll to 8 005. Recoveries amounting to 326,171 have been reported and the recovery rate is 66% .Gauteng still leads with 175 272 cases, followed by the Western Cape with 95 223 and Eastern Cape with 77 938.

South Africa’s economy could contract by 8.2% if there is a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in October and November, according to a new report. But if a second wave can be avoided, growth in 2021 may be 2.5%.

Zimbabwe recorded 77 new cases of the virus bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,169. 14 new deaths were recorded yesterday, however the Ministry of Health announced that there were 12 previously undeclared deaths which occurred between July 13 and July 20. 11 of the 12 deaths were in Harare and 1 is from Midlands. July has been one of the deadliest months in Zimbabwe as 46 of the 53 deaths have taken place in the last 30 days.

Statistics in Botswana and Lesotho did not change.

Impact of coronavirus will be felt for decades to come, WHO says

The global coronavirus outbreak is the sort of disaster whose effects will last far into the future, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “The pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis, the effects of which will be felt for decades to come,” Tedros told a meeting of the WHO’s emergency committee, according to remarks released by the agency.

The pandemic has killed more than 670,000 people since emerging in Wuhan, China, with more than 17 million cases diagnosed. The United States, Brazil, Mexico and the UK have been particularly hard hit in recent weeks by the disease COVID-19, as their governments have struggled to come up with an effective response. Economies have been hit by lockdown restrictions introduced to restrict its spread, while many regions are fearful of a second wave. Health 24

Can you get Covid-19 through your eyes? Possibly. Should we all be wearing goggles? Probably not.

It’s certainly possible that a person could get Covid-19 through the eyes, said Dr. Thomas Steinemann, a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. There is “emerging evidence” that people are catching the virus from droplets floating in the air, the World Health Organization confirmed earlier this month. One of the ways those droplets can enter your body is through the eyes. It’s also possible to get infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching the eye, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Steinemann said that if a significant number of people were getting infected through their eyes, doctors would probably see more Covid-19 patients with conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye (though having pink eye doesn’t necessarily mean you have the virus).

So do you need to wear goggles?

Steinemann said that eye coverings were a wise move for people who can’t reliably practice social distancing or those who have to be in areas where the air may be contaminated, perhaps because they’re a health care worker or a home caregiver for an infected patient. But for the average person who is working from home or not coming into close contact with others outside the home, wearing a face mask and keeping a safe distance from others is probably enough. CNN

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01/08/2020

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