Global Statistics
| Country | Total Cases | New Cases | Total Deaths | New Deaths | Total Recovered | Active Cases | Total Tests |
| World | 83,791,906 | +736,704 | 1,824,766 | +13,411 | 59,312,687 | 22,654,453 | |
| USA | 20,445,654 | +228,413 | 354,215 | +3,438 | 12,125,806 | 7,965,633 | 253,542,640 |
| India | 10,286,329 | +19,046 | 149,018 | +244 | 9,881,786 | 255,525 | 172,049,274 |
| Brazil | 7,675,973 | +56,003 | 194,976 | +1,036 | 6,747,065 | 733,932 | 28,600,000 |
| Russia | 3,159,297 | +27,747 | 57,019 | +593 | 2,554,340 | 547,938 | 90,648,889 |
| France | 2,620,425 | +19,927 | 64,632 | +251 | 194,221 | 2,361,572 | 35,025,374 |
| Africa | 2,773,166 | +29,547 | 65,566 | +699 | 2,309,250 | 398,350 | |
| South Africa | 1,057,161 | +18,000 | 28,469 | +436 | 879,671 | 149,021 | 6,609,208 |
| Morocco | 439,193 | +1,861 | 7,388 | +33 | 407,504 | 24,301 | 4,457,349 |
| Tunisia | 139,140 | +1,924 | 4,676 | +56 | 105,364 | 29,100 | 615,770 |
| Egypt | 138,062 | +1,418 | 7,631 | +55 | 112,105 | 18,326 | 1,000,000 |
| Ethiopia | 124,264 | +408 | 1,923 | +5 | 112,096 | 10,245 | 1,800,236 |
| Namibia | 23,941 | +608 | 205 | +9 | 20,076 | 3,660 | 209,155 |
| Zambia | 20,725 | +263 | 388 | +2 | 18,660 | 1,677 | 601,003 |
| Mozambique | 18,642 | +157 | 166 | +1 | 16,663 | 1,813 | 271,947 |
| Botswana | 14,805 | +105 | 42 | +2 | 12,136 | 2,627 | 544,167 |
| Zimbabwe | 13,867 | +242 | 363 | +3 | 11,250 | 2,254 | 202,722 |
| Eswatini | 9,358 | +212 | 205 | +21 | 7,073 | 2,080 | 76,703 |
| Malawi | 6,583 | +112 | 189 | 5,705 | 689 | 85,449 | |
| Lesotho | 3,094 | 51 | 1,480 | 1,563 | 33,109 |
There are now more than 83,7 million cases of the virus globally. The death toll is currently at over 1,8 million. A record 736,704 new cases were recorded yesterday.
Zimbabwe recorded 242 new cases of the virus to bring the total number to 13,867.3 new deaths were also recorded and the death toll is now at 363. 11,250 recoveries have been registered and the national recovery rate is now at 81.1%.
The US reported a record Covid-19 death toll for a second straight day. The CDC’s ensemble forecast now projects there will be up to 424,000 US deaths by Jan. 23. Covid-19 hospitalizations have soared in December. The US set a record Thursday for the number of patients in hospitals on a given day, at 125,379, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
As the number of hospital patients rose more than 25% this month, the average number of deaths reported each day has also climbed significantly. More than 3,740 coronavirus deaths were reported Wednesday, the most tallied in a single day during the pandemic and the second straight day that record was set, Johns Hopkins University data show.
The United Kingdom has reported a further 55,892 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases recorded across the country to 2,488,780, the latest government data shows. A further 964 coronavirus-related deaths were also registered on Thursday, bringing the total national death toll to 73,512. According to the government’s latest health care data — as reported on Monday — there are currently 23,813 coronavirus patients in hospitals across the country, of which 1,847 have required mechanical ventilation beds.
Italy reported 555 coronavirus-related deaths on Thursday against 575 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 23 477 from 16 202. Italy has seen an official total of 74 159 COVID-19 deaths since its outbreak came to light on February 21, the highest toll in Europe and the fifth highest in the world. When Italy’s second wave of the epidemic was accelerating fast in the first half of November, hospital admissions were rising by about 1 000 per day, while intensive care occupancy was increasing by about 100 per day.
South Africa reported another record number of cases in the last 24-hour cycle. 18 000 new coronavirus infections have been recorded, taking the total number to 1 057 161. The country also recorded 436 new COVID-19 related fatalities on Thursday. 436 more COVID-19 related deaths, most of the new deaths were recorded in the Western Cape. This brings the total number of deaths to 28 469. Recoveries currently stand at 879 671.
WHO lists Pfizer vaccine for emergency use
The World Health Organization on Thursday listed Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the organization announced in a statement. This designation “opens the door for countries to expedite their own regulatory approval processes to import and administer the vaccine,” WHO said. “It also enables UNICEF and the Pan-American Health Organization to procure the vaccine for distribution to countries in need.” WHO conducted its own assessment of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. The emergency use listing means that Pfizer will continue to generate data on the vaccine and share it with WHO. A WHO advisory board will meet on Jan. 5 to outline recommendations for the distribution of the vaccine to populations. CNN
China approves Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, promises free shots for all citizens.
China approved its first homegrown coronavirus vaccine for general public use on Thursday, with officials promising to provide the general public with free inoculations. The approval comes a day after its manufacturer, state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, said the vaccine is 79.34% effective, citing interim analysis of Phase 3 clinical trials. Though no detailed efficacy data for the vaccine has been released, the decision to grant approval underscores claims made by Chinese officials in recent weeks over the safety and effectiveness of the country’s domestically produced vaccine candidates. CNN
Metal Prices Asia/Europe/NY markets
31/12/2020
| METAL | BID | ASK | CHANGE | LOW | HIGH |
| GOLD | 1898.00 | 1899.00 | +3.70 | 1884.70 | 1901.00 |
| SILVER | 26.36 | 26.47 | -0.29 | 26.17 | 26.65 |
| PLATINUM | 1061.00 | 1071.00 | -1.00 | 1051.00 | 1082.00 |
| PALLADIUM | 2336.00 | 2486.00 | +91.00 | 2244.00 | 2494.00 |
| RHODIUM | 14500.00 | 16500.00 | 0.00 | – | – |
(Source: Kitco)
