Coronavirus global death toll rises to 826,512
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 826,512 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Thursday.
At least 24,229,710 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 15,578,100 are now considered recovered.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation, probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 826,512 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Thursday.
At least 24,229,710 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 15,578,100 are now considered recovered.
The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organisation, probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.
Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases.
On Wednesday, 6,344 new deaths and 268,230 new cases were recorded worldwide. Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the United States with 1,249 new deaths, followed by Brazil with 1,085 and India with 1,023.
The United States is the worst-hit country with 179,743 deaths from 5,823,685 cases. At least 2,084,465 people have been declared recovered.
Ten members of India’s dwindling Great Andamanese tribe have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Thursday, fuelling concerns about the safety of the group and other indigenous people in the remote archipelago.
Six of the 10 have recovered and are in home quarantine, officials said, while the rest are undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
Just over 50 Great Andamanese people survive and live on the tiny Strait Island where the Indian government looks after their food and shelter.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a chain in the Indian Ocean with a population of some 400,000, has reported 2,268 coronavirus cases so far with 37 deaths.
Germany plans to keep fans out of stadiums until at least the end of the year and get tougher on mask-wearing to combat a worrying rise in coronavirus infections, under a draft seen by AFP on Thursday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is holding talks with the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states to officially agree a package of new measures, which will apply nationwide.
The talks are aimed at creating a more coherent approach to the pandemic after daily infection numbers in recent weeks soared to highs not seen since April.
France’s prime minister announced Thursday that face masks will become compulsory throughout Paris as he detailed a national trend of expanding coronavirus infections.
Jean Castex said 19 departments have been added to a map with ‘red’ zones of active virus circulation, meaning 21 of France’s 94 departments are now classified as such.
Official figures released Wednesday showed more than 5,400 confirmed new cases in just 24 hours, with admissions to hospital and intensive care units on the rise.
South Korea’s parliament was shut down on Thursday and a group of lawmakers were in self-quarantine as the country recorded more than 400 new coronavirus infections.
The country endured one of the worst early outbreaks of COVID-19 outside mainland China before bringing it broadly under control with extensive tracing and testing, but is now battling several clusters mostly linked to Protestant churches.
Thursday’s 441 new cases were mostly in the greater Seoul area and are the latest in a series of near-six-month highs after several weeks with numbers generally in the 30s and 40s.
AFP
