Covid-19 update: 83 new deaths bring SA’s total to 88,429

As of Tuesday, South Africa has recorded a total of 88,429 Covid-19 related fatalities, with 83 new deaths recorded since the last report.

The country also reported 592 new cases of Covid-19, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2.912,938.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the majority of new cases today are from KwaZulu-Natal (22%), followed by Gauteng Province and Western Cape each accounting for 17% respectively. Free State accounted for 12%; Eastern Cape and North West each accounted for 9% respectively; Northern Cape accounted for 7%; Mpumalanga accounted for 5%; and Limpopo accounted for 3% of today’s new cases.

18.016,455 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors

There has been an increase of 58 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours.

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– Darkening economic prospects –

The ongoing hit from the Covid-19 pandemic and the failure to distribute vaccines worldwide is worsening the economic divide and darkening prospects for developing nations, the IMF says.

– Britain’s botched response –

A parliamentary report says the government’s delay in locking down when Covid-19 hit last year had cost lives and was “one of the most important public health failures” in the country’s history.

– French ‘vulnerabilities’ –

President Emmanuel Macron says the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed France’s dependence on foreign countries, including its failure to produce a vaccine, when announcing a 30-billion-euro ($35 billion) plan to re-industrialise the country.

– CureVac ditches jab –

Germany’s CureVac says it is no longer seeking European regulatory approval for its coronavirus vaccine, after disappointing final trial results, and will focus instead on a more promising second-generation jab.

– London’s fireworks off –

London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks show along the River Thames has been cancelled for the second year in a row due to concerns over Covid, city authorities say.

– Anti-vax basketball star barred –

The Brooklyn Nets bars star guard Kyrie Irving from practice as well as playing in games because he is refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

– Over 4.8 million dead –

The coronavirus has killed at least 4,855,208 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data on Tuesday.

The US has suffered the most Covid-related deaths at 714,060, followed by Brazil with 601,213, India 450,963, Mexico 282,227 and Russia 218,345.

Taking into account excess mortality directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19, the World Health Organization estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher.

Additional reporting by AFP