Coronavirus Watch

Global Statistics

Global cases of the virus are now more than 97,1 million cases with more than 581,287 new cases recorded in the past 24hrs.

733 new cases were recorded in Zimbabwe to bring the total number of confirmed cases to 29,408. 54 new fatalities were registered and the cumulative deaths are now at 879.  There has been a spike in Covid-19 infections in Zimbabwe. Since Christmas Day, Zimbabwe has recorded over half its 28,675 total cases and 825 total deaths, according to data from John Hopkins University. 1143 new recoveries were registered and the national recovery rate is now at 65,5%.

China is rushing to build a massive quarantine camp that can house more than 4,000 people, after an outbreak of Covid-19 this month that has left tens of millions of people under strict lockdown. China has largely contained the spread of the virus, with much of the country returning to normal. However, a sudden rise in cases has alarmed officials and raised concerns ahead of the Lunar New Year, the county’s most important annual festival, during which hundreds of millions of people are expected to travel to visit family members.  China’s National Health Commission said on Wednesday that a total of 103 new Covid-19 cases were reported from Tuesday across the country. North-eastern Jilin province reported 46 new cases, while Hebei province surrounding Beijing reported 19 new infections. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 88,557, while the official death toll is 4,635.

The UK government said a further 1,820 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Wednesday, in a new record daily toll, bringing the UK total to 93,290. For the second day in a row a record number of deaths has been recorded in the UK, up on Tuesday’s high of 1,610. The number of new coronavirus cases within 24 hours dropped to 33,355 on Tuesday.

The French health ministry reported 26,784 new confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, up from 23,608 on Tuesday and 23,852 last Wednesday. Wednesday’s tally was the highest since the 28,383 registered on 18 November, during France’s second lockdown, Reuters reports.

Spain logged another record number of new infections on Wednesday afternoon, recording 41,576 new cases in the preceding 24 hours and bringing the country’s total caseload to 2,412,318. It also recorded 464 deaths. The new record came five days after the previous single-day high of 40,197 new cases. The number of cases per 100,000 people also rose from 714 on Tuesday to 736 on Wednesday.

South Africa has recorded 12 710 new coronavirus infections in the last 24-hour cycle, taking the total number to 1 369 426. The country has also recorded 566 new COVID-19 related fatalities on Wednesday. This brings the total number of deaths to 38 854. Recoveries currently stand at 1 160 412. The cumulative number of tests conducted to date is 7 762 073.

UK Covid-19 strain detected in at least 60 countries, WHO says

To date, 60 countries across all six World Health Organization regions have reported either imported cases or community transmission of the UK coronavirus strain — 10 more than a week ago, WHO said in a news release Wednesday. Among the countries which have reported cases of the variant first identified in the United Kingdom are the United States, Russia, Brazil, India and Spain.

US cases: On Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that at least 122 cases of the UK variant have been identified in 20 US states. This includes at least 46 cases in Florida; 40 in California; six in Colorado; five in Minnesota; four each in Indiana and New York; two each in Connecticut, Maryland, and Texas; and one each in Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

CDC said this does not represent the total number of cases circulating in the US, but rather those that have been found by analysing positive samples. The agency cautions that its numbers may not immediately match those of state and local health departments. While the variant, known as B.1.1.7, appears to spread more easily, there’s no evidence that it’s any more deadly or causes more severe disease, according to CDC.CNN

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1/21/2021

(Source: Kitco)