Mortuary assistant Doreen Mashaba prepares a coffin, 6 July 2021, at Collinge and Co Funeral Directors in Fourways. Picture: Michel Bega
Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Uber resumes its cut-price ride-sharing service in the United States after suspending it last year because of the pandemic.
Freight giant FedEx is closing its crew base in Hong Kong — the world’s busiest international cargo hub — and relocating pilots because of the city’s strict quarantine measures.
New York City will allow crowds back into Times Square on New Year’s Eve to ring in 2022 after last year’s muted celebrations.
Ireland is asking people to work from home again and expanding its booster vaccination drive as cases and hospitalisations rise.
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,113,287 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT Wednesday.
The United States has suffered the most Covid-related deaths with 765,913, followed by Brazil with 611,478, India with 464,153, Mexico with 291,241 and Russia with 259,084.
The countries with the most new deaths were the United States with 2,475, followed by Russia with 1,247 and Ukraine with 769.
Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.
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