Web Report
Global coronavirus cases surged past 25 million on Sunday, according to media reports, revealing steady growth in the pandemic as its epicentre shifts again.
India’s daily new case numbers have surpassed those of the United States and Brazil, the two countries worst hit by the pandemic, for more than three weeks.
Around the world, there have been more than 840,000 deaths, considered a lagging indicator given the two-week incubation period of the virus.
Global coronavirus fatalities cross 840,000 mark
Global fatalities from the novel coronavirus are nearing 800,000, according to data by John Hopkins University.
Almost 23 million cases have been recorded so far, a majority of which have been reported from the United States.
WHO urges African governments to reopen schools
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged African governments to accelerate the reopening of schools, saying that the continent’s youths will suffer from prolonged closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, AP reported.
WHO officials warned that poor nutrition, stress, increased exposure to violence and exploitation, and teenage pregnancies are among the problems faced by students remaining out of school in sub-Saharan Africa.
South Africa’s Covid-19 infections breach 600,000 mark
South Africa’s confirmed Covid-19 cases have surpassed 600,000, the health ministry has said, although the number of new cases has been declining since a peak in July.
Despite imposing one of the world’s toughest lockdowns at the end of March when the country had only a few hundred cases, South Africa saw a surge in coronavirus infections that has left it the hardest hit on the continent.
The ministry said in a statement that South Africa now had a total of 603,338 cases and 12,843 deaths — accounting for more than half of the continent’s cases and around 47 per cent of its deaths, according to a Reuters tally of government and World Health Organisation data.
WHO urges African governments to reopen schools
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged African governments to accelerate the reopening of schools, saying that the continent’s youths will suffer from prolonged closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic, AP reported.
WHO officials warned that poor nutrition, stress, increased exposure to violence and exploitation, and teenage pregnancies are among the problems faced by students remaining out of school in sub-Saharan Africa.
France delays launch of Covid-19 economic reboot plan to September
The French government has said it would unveil details of its 100 billion euro ($118 billion) plan to reinvigorate the economy in the first week of September, instead of next Tuesday, as it focuses on preparing the new school term, according to Reuters.
“The recovery plan is ready, the timetable for its implementation still stands,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal said in a statement.
Schools are set to reopen on September 1, after most were closed during a two-month lockdown earlier this year to fight the coronavirus, and the government is working to ensure protective measures will be adequate, Attal said.
