Covid-19 update: Recovery rate stands at 92% as Ramaphosa calls for vigilance

As of Monday, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases is 738, 525, with 1,247 new cases identified since the last report, the health department has announced.

The country has also recorded 36 new deaths today: 8 from Eastern Cape, 20 from Free State, 1 from Gauteng, 1 from Mpumalanga and 6 from Western Cape.

This brings the total number of deaths to 19, 845.

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

Source: Health department

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– Vaccine hope –

A vaccine jointly developed by US company Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech is 90 percent effective in preventing infections in ongoing Phase 3 trials, the companies announce.

European stocks and oil prices soared 5 percent on the news.

– Russia surge –

Russia registers a record number of new infections with cases in Moscow surpassing a previous high set in May.

Despite new infections nearly doubling the country’s first-wave record, the Kremlin has so far ruled out putting back into place sweeping restrictions lifted earlier this year.

– Hungary lockdown –

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announces a partial lockdown for his country from Wednesday.

– South Africa –

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for vigilance to avoid lockdown measures that could stifle the country’s economic recovery. After months of restrictions almost all businesses have reopened though masks are still mandatory and large gatherings discouraged.

– France economy blues –

France’s central bank says it expects economic activity to decline between 9 and 10 percent this year, a bigger drop than previously forecast due to a new lockdown.

– More than 50 million cases –

The virus has claimed at least 1,255,803 lives worldwide since it first emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally on Monday at 1100 GMT based on official sources.

More than 50,376,020 cases have been registered across the globe.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 237,584 deaths from 9,972,333 cases.

After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 162,397 deaths, India with 126,611, Mexico with 95,027 and the United Kingdom with 49,044 deaths.

– India firecracker ban –

India’s environmental court orders a ban on firecrackers in cities with poor air quality during the country’s biggest festival, Diwali, citing a link between pollution and a coronavirus surge.

– Algerian leader –

The health of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who has been hospitalised in Germany with Covid-19 since late October, is “constantly improving”, the presidency says.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.