Coronavirus Watch.

Global Statistics

130,529 new cases were recorded worldwide to bring the total number of cases to 6,850,236. 

The number of new cases has slowed in many of the countries that were hit hard earlier including China, the US, UK, Italy, Spain and France.

 But in many countries, particularly in South America, the Middle East and Africa, the rate of transmission still appears to be accelerating. 

Brazil still recorded the highest number of new cases as 30, 136 cases were registered and they also recorded the highest number of deaths with 1,008 succumbing to the pandemic. 

The United States recorded 25, 393 new cases second highest to Brazil to bring the number of cases to just under 2 million as the number of cases is now 1,965,708.

The country recorded 975 deaths yesterday to bring the total number of deaths to 111,390.

Spain and the UK have not been providing data on the total number of recoveries and active cases. 

Africa has a total of 179,337 confirmed cases after 7,154 tested positive yesterday. 159 new deaths were recorded yesterday to bring the total number of deaths to 4,942. 

South Africa recorded 2,642 new cases to bring the total number of confirmed cases to 31,115. 60 new deaths were recorded and the death toll now stands at 908. There are 23,088 cases that have recovered. 

In Zimbabwe, 28 more cases tested positive for Covid-19 bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 265 with 33 recoveries, 202 active cases and four deaths since the onset of the outbreak on March 20. The new cases are all returnees from South Africa. 

WHO shifts guidance on masks and urges governments to encourage people to wear them.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is now calling for nations to encourage the general public to wear fabric masks in areas where there continues to be intense spread of the novel coronavirus. All health workers and caregivers are also encouraged to wear masks during their shifts.

“WHO advises that governments should encourage the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and physical distancing is difficult, such as on public transport, in shops or in other confined or crowded environments,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing in Geneva on Friday.

Here’s what the WHO’s new recommendations say:

• “In areas with community transmission, we advise that people aged 60 years or over, or those with underlying conditions, should wear a medical mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible,” Tedros said.

•  “In areas with widespread transmission, WHO advises medical masks for all people working in clinical areas of a health facility, not only workers dealing with patients with Covid-19,” WHO’s Director-General added

.•  WHO recommends that where there is widespread transmission, limited capacity to contain Covid-19 outbreaks and physical distancing of at least a meter cannotbe achieved, then governments should encourage their public to wear a fabric mask, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for coronavirus response and head of the emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, told CNN.

The new guidance recommends for these fabric masks — which can be homemade — to be at least three layers: an inner layer of an absorbent material such as cotton; a middle layer that acts like a filter or barrier, such as non-woven material polypropylene; and an outer layer of a non-absorbent material, such as polyester or polyester blend.

These updated recommendations announced on Friday, are a shift from what WHO previously advised on masks, which was to not wear them if you are not sick or not caring for someone who is sick, in an effort to keep masks available for health workers.(Source: CNN)

Metal Prices Asia/Europe/NY markets

06/06/2020

(Source: Kitco)