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COVID-19 tracker 12 October 2020

COVID-19 tracker

Shireen Darmalingam

Global update:

  • Global cases have surpassed 37.75 million while the death toll has surpassed 1.08 million; recoveries are at 28.36 million.
  • The number of cases in the US has increased to 7.99 million, accounting for 22% of global cases; the death toll is 219,695.
  • India has 7.12 million cases and 109,184 deaths.
  • Brazil’s cases are at 5.09 million and 150,506 deaths have been reported; Russia has 1.29 million confirmed cases and 22,597 deaths.
  • UK PM Boris Johnson is expected to introduce a new tiered system of alert levels: "medium," "high" and "very high”. The highest level is expected to involve the closure of pubs and restaurants and the banning of household mixing, both indoors and outside. The rising UK caseload, tightening restrictions and increase in unemployment will likely see this economy lose momentum in Q4:20. 
  • China is participating in a World Health Organization-backed vaccine effort. The $18 billion Covax vaccine initiative seeks to give lower-income countries the same access to vaccines as wealthier nations. Further details of this initiative are unavailable.

Africa update:

  • Africa’s COVID-19 cases remain relatively low, with confirmed cases at 1.58 million; fatalities are at 38,110.
  • Morocco has 152,404 reported cases, and Nigeria has 60,266 reported cases; Ghana has 47,005.
  • Kenya has 41,546 confirmed cases of the virus.
  • COVID-19 casualties have been far fewer than initially predicted. The World Health Organisation noted that the continent has benefited from social and environmental factors and strong public health measures. Africa’s younger population has also helped to keep case numbers and deaths down.  According to the World Bank, close to 40% of the continent’s population is younger than 14.
  • The pandemic is expected to cost the African continent $18 billion in remittances, according to the UN: a 21% decline in 2020. Remittances have increased over the past few decades and have become the main financial inflow in developing countries, surpassing foreign aid, private capital flows and foreign direct investment.
  • The crisis has also increased poverty, with the African Development Bank estimating that the pandemic will push between 28.2 million and 49.2 million more Africans into extreme poverty.

South Africa update:

  • SA reached 100,000 cases on 22 June (110 days), it took a further 14 days to reach 200,000, 9 days to reach 300,000, a further 8 days to reach 400,000, 9 days more to breach 500,000 and 20 days to reach 600,000. However, the daily rate of increase is now starting to ease.
  • SA currently has the 11th-highest number of COVID-19 cases globally, at 692,471 confirmed COVID-19 cases; this is an increase of 1,575 new cases.
  • COVID-19 deaths rose by 107 yesterday, to 17,780; 623,765 people have recovered from the virus, a recovery rate of 90%.
  • Gauteng has the highest number of confirmed cases, at 223,077 (accounting for 32.2% of the total); 4,450 deaths have been reported. 
  • The Western Cape has 112,938 (accounting for 16.3% of the total) and 4,253 deaths while KwaZulu-Natal has 120,418 accounting for 17.4% of the total) and 3,004 deaths.
  • The Eastern Cape has 90,867 cases (accounting for 13.1% of the total) and 3,283 deaths.
  • 4.40 million tests were conducted since 5 March; 19,270 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.

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