Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize visits the Vaccine Center in the Assembly hall at Charlotte Maxeke hospital in Johanneburg, 8 April 2021. Picture: Neil McCartney
As of Tuesday, 1 June, the cumulative number of detected Covid-19 cases is 1,669,231 with 3,614 new cases identified, the Department of Health has confirmed.
95 more Covid-19 related deaths were reported, with 3 from Eastern Cape, 27 from Free State, 44 from Gauteng, 5 from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), 0 from Limpopo, 0 from Mpumalanga, 0 from North West, 7 from Northern Cape and 9 from Western Cape.
This brings the total number of Covid-19 related deaths to 56,601.
Recoveries now stand at 1,563,719 representing a recovery rate of 93,7%.
A total of 11,667,916 tests have been completed with 36,677 new tests conducted since the last report.
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The total number of healthcare workers vaccinated under the Sisonke programme is 479,768, while 565,336 people were vaccinated under phase two.
“These vaccinations were with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Total individuals vaccinated; Sisonke and Pfizer first dose is 1,045,104.”
Four of world’s most important global bodies call on rich countries to dig deep to ensure poorer nations are vaccinated.
The heads of the World Bank, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization say that lack of wider coverage is fuelling virus variants.
Malaysia goes into a tough nationwide lockdown as it battles a fresh surge. Neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam are also hammered by new outbreaks, with Hanoi worried by a new hybrid variant of the highly infectious Indian and British strains.
The country that has led the vaccination race from the start lifts restrictions on restaurants and entertainment venues with only four new cases Tuesday.
Yemen’s Huthi rebels, who control most of the country’s north, including the capital Sanaa, have been blocking international efforts to supply vaccines, says Human Rights Watch.
Members of Australia’s fully-vaccinated softball team are the first athletes to arrive for the Tokyo Olympics, with polls showing the fearful host nation wants the Games — which start in July — postponed again.
OPEC looks set to agree to keep boosting oil production as pandemic-hit demand for crude recovers.
The pandemic has killed at least 3,551,488 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.
The US is the worst-affected country with 594,568 deaths, followed by Brazil with 462,791, India with 331,895, Mexico with 223,568 and Britain with 127,782.
The figures are based on reports by health authorities in each country, but do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical bodies.
The WHO says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic than official figures suggest.
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