Coronavirus Watch

Global Statistics

More than 18, 9 million cases have been recorded so far, after 271,406 new cases were recorded yesterday. Over 12 million cases have been reported to have recovered. India recorded the highest new increases as 56,626 were recorded. Brazil recorded highest number of fatalities, as the country recorded 1,322.

The global death toll from Covid-19 surpassed 700 000 on Wednesday, with the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico leading the rise in fatalities.

The USA is still the worst hit country with nearly 5 million cases of the pandemic and 161,601 fatalities.

According to a Reuters tally, nearly 5 900 people are dying every 24 hours from Covid-19 on average, according to Reuters calculations based on data from the past two weeks. That equates to 247 people per hour, or one person every 15 seconds. The United States and Latin America are the new epicentres of the pandemic and both are struggling to curb the spread of the virus.

South Africa recorded 8 559 new coronavirus cases bringing the total to 529 877. With 414 new deaths, the number of fatalities now stand at 9 298. The number of recoveries currently stands at 377 266 which translates to a recovery rate of 71%.

During a virtual briefing on Covid-19, he Minister of Health in South Africa highlighted that real risk of experiencing a “second wave” of coronavirus cases remains, so containment measures must not be abandoned. He also pointed out that until people are completely safe, the government will keep reviewing restrictions and, if necessary, certain restrictions will still remain in place. He noted that, the progression of the outbreak in the country from April until August 2, showed that the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng had reached their peak infections and were now showing a decline.

The country is also witnessing a reduction in the mortality rate, as Covid-19 infections surge countrywide. One study shows ICU mortality has been reduced by about 25% since the introduction of dexamethasone on 16 June,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said during a virtual Covid-19 briefing on Wednesd

Zvishavane now Covid-19 hotspot

Zvishavane District has become a Covid-19 epicentre in the Midlands Province, with 151 confirmed cases, prompting the provincial taskforce to call for stiffer prevention measures More cases have since emerged, leaving the district leading in terms of infections followed by Gweru District, which has 73 cases while Gokwe South is the third highest with 17 cases followed by Kwekwe (15), Mberengwa District (11), Gokwe North (4) and Chirumhanzu (2). Statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Child Care show that the Midlands Province has 276 cases.

Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Larry Mavima said there was need for people to take Covid-19 health guidelines seriously to avoid further infection About five nurses at Gweru Provincial Hospital are in quarantine after they got in contact with the late acting Midlands Provincial deputy registrar, Mr. Andrew Mpambo, who succumbed to Covid-19 while admitted to the hospital.

Gweru Provincial Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Fabian Mashingaidze, said the medical staff were waiting for their Covid-19 test results.

COVAXIN, ZyCoV-D move to phase 2 trials; SII to begin testing for Oxford COVID-19 vaccine next week

Two indigenously developed vaccines against the novel coronavirus have completed phase 1 trial and moved into phase 2 studies, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Tuesday. COVAXIN, India’s first indigenous coronavirus vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR, and Zydus Cadila’s  ZyCoV-D, a DNA vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2, have shown satisfactory results in preclinical studies.

Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India (SII) may begin the phase 2/3 clinical trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine next week following approval by the Indian drug controller on Monday. Timesnownews

Gold surges past technical barrier

Gold jumped to a record high yesterday, pushing further past the US$2 000 mark in the face of a weak dollar, falling US Treasury yields and expectations of more stimulus measures for the pandemic-ravaged global economy.

European stocks opened higher, aided by a batch of positive earnings. US equity futures rose too, indicating a firm open for Wall Street, while MSCI’s broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside of Japan rose 0.7 percent to a 6-1/2 month peak. The global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 700 000 on yesterday, according to a Reuters tally, with the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico leading the rise in fatalities.

This backdrop has boosted expectations for more stimulus, with the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco saying on Tuesday that the US economy will need more support than initially thought.

The five-year Treasury yield hit a record low on Tuesday and the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield fell to a five-month low at around 0.51% US10YT=RR, holding near those levels on Wednesday. Reuters

Metal Prices Asia/Europe/NY market

06/08/2020

(Source: Kitco)