San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Brazil surpasses 1 million infections as toll mounts
Brazil’s government says the country has surpassed more than 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, second only to the United States.
The country’s health ministry reported that the total of cases had risen to 1,032,913, up more than 50,000 from the previous day. The ministry says the sharp increase was due to corrections from previous days.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro still downplays the risks of the virus after nearly 50,000 fatalities in three months, saying the impact of social isolation on Brazil’s economy can be more deadly.
Specialists believe that the actual number of cases could be up to seven times higher, with the coronavirus now heading into underequipped smaller cities where health professionals are also fewer.
AFGHANISTAN Outbreak at U.S. Embassy
The U.S. State Department says COVID19 infections have been reported at its embassy in the Afghan capital, affecting diplomats, contractors and locals.
An official at the embassy in Kabul told the Associated Press that up to 20 people were infected, the majority of them Nepalese Gurkhas, who provide security for the embassy.
The infected people are in isolation in the embassy while the remainder on the compound are being tested, said the embassy official.
Afghanistan has 28,424 confirmed coronavirus cases. International aid organizations monitoring the pandemic’s spread in the country say the numbers are much higher because of a lack of testing capabilities as well as access to testing.
SOUTH AFRICA Cases increase as controls ease
South Africa reported nearly 5,000 new COVID19 cases Saturday as the country continues to loosen lockdown measures under economic pressure.
Casinos, beauty salons and sitdown restaurant service are among the latest permitted activities as President Cyril Ramaphosa warned citizens that the fight against the coronavirus is a personal responsibility.
South Africa once had one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. It now makes up about 30% of the cases on the African continent, or more than 92,000. Its public laboratories are struggling to keep up with testing, with an average turnaround time of 12 days for results.
GUATEMALA Leader ousts health minister
Guatemala has replaced its health minister amid a spike in COVID19 infections and deaths in the country.
An official in the office of the presidency said Health Minister Hugo Monroy was replaced with Amelia Flores, a former viceminister of health in a previous administration.
Guatemala has reported more than 11,000 cases and 449 deaths. President Alejandro Giammattei has been under growing pressure from the business sector to loosen restrictions.