Coronavirus Watch

Global Statistics

More than 18.44 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 690 000 have died. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

The US has now tallied 4,862,174cases and 158,929 deaths, making it by far the hardest-hit country in the world.

Millions of Covid-19 tests able to detect the virus within 90 minutes will be rolled out to British hospitals, care homes and laboratories to boost capacity in the coming months, the country’s health minister said on Monday.

Brazil recorded 17,988 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 572 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours. Brazil has registered more than 2.75 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 94 702, according to ministry data.

Mexico’s Covid-19 death toll is now more than 47,000. Only the US and Brazil have recorded more virus-related deaths.

India reported 52 972 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 1.8 million. With 8102 new deaths, the Covid-19 disease has now claimed 38 135 lives in the world’s second-most populous country.

In South Africa, 516 862 cases have been confirmed, 173 new deaths were reported and this brings the cumulative number of deaths to 8 539.  Gauteng remains the province with the most cases, with 181 946 people having tested positive. The number of recoveries is currently at 69%, which translates to 358 037 people.

Zimbabwe recorded 154 new cases to bring the total number of cases to 4, 075.10 new deaths were recorded and the death toll now stands at 80.

Of the 154 local infections, 72 cases were in Harare, taking the city total to 1 299, with 39 deaths, almost half the total. Bulawayo saw 50 new cases, taking its total to 996 but with the death toll sitting still at 20.  Midlands, the third epicentre, saw eight new cases with its total rising to 245 with five deaths. Manicaland recorded 12 new cases, taking its total to 113, and it has now recorded six deaths.

27 new cases were recorded in Mozambique to bring the total number of cases to 1,973. The death toll increased by 1 to make them 14 fatalities.

‘No silver bullet’ for coronavirus, WHO warns

Officials exhort countries ‘do it all’ to curb the spread of COVID-19 as there might never be a lasting vaccine. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that there might never be a “silver bullet” for COVID-19, despite the “unprecedented” rush by nations across the world to find a vaccine.  “A number of vaccines are now in phase three clinical trials and we all hope to have a number of effective vaccines that can help prevent people from infection,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday, adding that the international scramble for a vaccine was also “unprecedented”.

How close are we to a COVID-19 vaccine?

“There are concerns that we may not have a vaccine that may work, or its protection could be for just a few months, not more. But until we finish the clinical trials, we will not know.” Speaking from the United Nations body’s headquarters in Geneva, the WHO head exhorted governments and citizens to rigorously enforce health measures such as mask-wearing, social distancing, hand washing and testing. France 24

Metal Prices Asia/Europe/NY market

04/08/2020

(Source: Kitco)