Daily Covid-19 update: 14,880 new cases as another 615 deaths reported

As of Friday, 15 January 2021, the cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 1,311,686 with 14,880 new cases identified, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has confirmed.

615 more Covid-19 related deaths were reported, with 100 from Eastern Cape, 41 from Free State, 99 from Gauteng, 189 from Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), 16 from Mpumalanga, 9 from Northern Cape and 161 from Western Cape.

This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 36,467.

READ MORE: SA records highest number of deaths in one week – report

“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health workers that treated the deceased,” the minister added.

Recoveries now stand at 1,062,690 with a recovery rate of 80,9%.

Meanwhile a total of 7,498,780 tests have been completed with 65,209 new tests conducted since the last report.

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

30 million in Europe

More than 30 million cases are officially recorded in Europe, whose 52 nations constitute the world’s worst affected zone in terms of the number of infections.

2 million in Germany

Europe’s most populous country records more than two million cases since the start of the pandemic, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel calling for tougher restrictions.

Mexico deadliest week

Mexico reels from its deadliest week of the pandemic yet with nearly 1,000 deaths officially recorded daily.

Biden boon

US President-elect Joe Biden presents a $1.9 trillion package to revitalise the US economy that raises stimulus checks to $2,000 and calls for increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Israel vaccinates 2 million

The number of people inoculated in Israel passes the two million threshold.

Villagers quarantined

Chinese media reports over 20,000 residents from villages around Shijiazhuang – about 294 kilometres (180 miles) southwest of Beijing – have been sent to state-run quarantine facilities.

Jab passport?

A coalition of tech and health players – including the Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, Oracle and Salesforce – is collaborating on a digital vaccination “passport”, which can be used on smart phones to show evidence of inoculation.

North Brazil curfew

Amazonas state in northern Brazil announces a 10-day curfew as cases soar and hospitals run out of beds and oxygen.

Nearly 2 million dead

The pandemic has killed more than 1,994,833 million people worldwide, according to a tally compiled by AFP using official sources and information from the WHO.

The US is the country most affected with more than 388,705 deaths, followed by Brazil (207,095), India (over 151,918), Mexico (137,916) and Britain (86,015).

The number of deaths globally is broadly under-estimated. The toll is calculated from daily figures published by national health authorities and does not include later revisions by statistics agencies.

Olympic uncertainty

A Japanese cabinet minister admits “anything can happen” with the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first senior official to concede uncertainty about the Games, which are scheduled to start in July.

UK economy shrinks

The British economy slumped 2.6 percent in November from the previous month and GDP also nosedived, figures that mean the economy was 8.5 percent smaller compared with its pre-pandemic level in February.

No goal joy

Not celebrating goals will now be part of training for Chelsea, says manager Frank Lampard, in an attempt to curb on-field contact forbidden under new Premier League guidelines.

Maskless at Mar-a-Lago

County authorities warn US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida that it could face fines if there are future violations of Covid-19 measures, after Donald Trump Jr’s tweet about a maskless New Year’s Eve party there.

Milan online

Men’s fashion week begins without its traditional audience as fashion houses go online to showcase their fall/winter 2021-22 collections or, in the case of Dolce & Gabbana, withdraw entirely.

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