Daily Covid-19 update: New cases up to 3,159 with 276 more deaths
Recoveries now stand at 1,374,368 representing a recovery rate of 92,7%.
Covid-19 patients being treated at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital on 11 January 2020 in Pretoria. Picture: Jacques Nelles
As of Wednesday, 10 February 2021, the cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 1,482,412 with 3,159 new cases identified, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has confirmed.
276 more Covid-19 related deaths were reported, with 33 from Eastern Cape, 20 from Free State, 126 from Gauteng, 34 from Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), 3 from Limpopo, 21 from Mpumalanga, 8 from Northern Cape and 31 from Western Cape.
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This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 47,145.
Recoveries now stand at 1,374,368 representing a recovery rate of 92,7%.
Meanwhile, a total of 8,573,464 tests have been completed with 35,195 new tests conducted since the last report.
Source: Department of Health
Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Charles gets jab
Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son and heir Prince Charles, 72, who contracted Covid-19 last year, receives a first vaccine dose.
EU admits missteps
Ursula von der Leyen admits her Commission made missteps in procuring vaccines on behalf of all EU countries, saying: “We were late to authorise. We were too optimistic when it came to massive production.”
BioNTech gets new plant
Vaccine maker BioNTech starts production at its new facility in German town Marburg. The launch was fast-tracked by authorities and is expected to significantly boost the EU’s vaccine supply.
WHO vs US
A member of the World Health Organization’s mission to China investigating the pandemic’s origins hits back after the US State Department cast doubt on the probe’s transparency.
WHO team member Peter Daszak tweets: “Please don’t rely too much on US intel: increasingly disengaged under Trump & frankly wrong on many aspects.”
Russia cases pass 4 million
Russia registers over four million infections, days after the country dramatically revised its fatality rate upwards.
J&J for South Africa
South Africa will begin its vaccination campaign with Johnson & Johnson vaccines after withholding the Oxford/AstraZeneca formula over doubts about effectiveness.
Sputnik V for Venezuela
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says the first 100,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine will arrive next week, with health workers slated to receive shots.
Ghana government hit
Ghana’s parliament shuts down for at least three weeks for cleaning after at least 17 MPs and 151 supporting staff test positive.
Bolivia doctors strike
Health workers in Bolivia’s worst-hit region begin a 48-hour strike, with hundreds taking to the streets to demand a lockdown to battle the rise in infections.
No V-day weddings
Bangkok city officials ban the Thai capital’s 50 districts from issuing marriage licences on Valentine’s Day, typically considered an auspicious day for couples to tie the knot.
Air Canada trouble
Canada’s flagship airline suspends 17 US and international routes until the end of April and announces layoffs of 1,500 workers.
Drowning sorrows
The world’s number two brewer Dutch giant Heineken will cut around 8,000 jobs worldwide, with the pandemic-hit hospitality sector contributing to a 17 percent drop in sales.
Japan seeks syringes
Japan will start vaccinations next week, but with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab likely to become the first approved, the country is scrambling to secure enough special syringes that can extract the full six doses from each vial.
Bitter defeat
Tennis stars exiting the Australian Open, including three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber, say that being forced into a hard hotel quarantine hurt their preparations.
More than 2.3 million dead
The virus has killed at least 2,341,496 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Wednesday.
The US is the worst-affected country with 468,203 deaths followed by Brazil with 233,520, Mexico with 168,432, India with 155,252, and the UK with 113,850.
READ MORE: ‘We’ll buy the real stuff’ – Mkhize allays fears over fake Covid-19 vaccines
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