Covid-19 update: 132 new deaths confirmed in SA, latest global developments

As of Thursday, 01 October, the cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 676,084 with 1,745 new cases identified, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has confirmed.

132 more Covid-19 related deaths were reported: 41 from Mpumalanga, 49 from KwaZulu-Natal, 8 from Gauteng, 7 from North West, 7 from Northern Cape, 6 from Western Cape and 14 from the Free State.

Thus bringing the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 16,866.

“We extend our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the healthcare workers that treated the deceased patients,” the Minister added.

Recoveries now stand at 609,854 which translates to a recovery rate of 90%.

4,209,049 tests have been conducted with 21,132 new tests confirmed since the last report.

Source: Health Department

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

More than one million dead

By 1100 GMT Thursday the coronavirus pandemic had killed at least 1,018,634 people around the world since emerging in China in late 2019, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.

More than 34 million cases have been officially diagnosed.

The United States has suffered the most deaths, with 206,959, followed by Brazil with 143,952, India with 98,678, Mexico with 77,646 and Britain with 42,143.

Paris faces maximum alert

French authorities may place Paris on maximum virus alert as soon as Monday, potentially requiring all bars to close as the number of Covid-19 cases surges, Health Minister Olivier Veran says.

The capital and its closest suburbs, comprising nearly seven million people, have already breached the maximum alert thresholds, Veran tells a news conference.

Football fans allowed back

European football’s governing body UEFA says it will allow spectators back into matches in the Champions League and its other club and international competitions “at a maximum of 30 percent” of capacity.

Up until now, all matches in the Champions League, Europa League and Nations League have been played behind closed doors because of Covid-19.

UK tightens more

The British government extends lockdowns to Liverpool and several other towns in northern England, effectively putting more than a quarter of the country of 66.8 million under tighter coronavirus restrictions.

And it imposes quarantine for travellers from Turkey and Poland due to the increasing risk from coronavirus in both countries.

Canada extends ban on non-US entries

Canada extends a ban on non-essential non-US international entries until the end of October, amid a second wave of infections.

The US has a separate relationship with Canada under which non-essential travellers are not allowed into Canada but essential workers can get across the border. That arrangement expires on October 21.

International flights in South Africa, Peru

The first regional and international flights land in South Africa, as its borders reopen after a more than six-month shutdown to limit the spread of coronavirus.

And Peru will reopen its international airspace after three months of closure on Monday, restoring links with seven Latin American countries.

US airlines start new layoffs

American Airlines and United Airlines say they are going to begin furloughing or laying off 19,000 and 13,000 workers respectively, from Thursday, the deadline they had set for a deal on fresh aid to the pandemic-hit air travel sector.

US carriers that received billions in aid from Congress had promised to refrain from laying off workers until the end of September, setting the stage for potentially thousands of job cuts in October.

Athens marathon cancelled

The Athens marathon, scheduled to take place in November is cancelled, after the Greek athletic federation SEGAS says it could not “secure the absolute safety of runners’ health.”

The Athens marathon, which starts at Marathon — the town which gave its name to the distance — and ends at the 1896 Olympic stadium in Athens, has grown over the last decade and now attracts tens of thousands of runners

Additional reporting from AFP

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