South Africa has half of continent’s cases

SOUTH Africa is poised to join the top five countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, while infection numbers around the world remain a reminder that a return to normal life is still far from sight.

The 337,000 cases in South Africa make up roughly half of all confirmed infections on the African continent and its struggles are a sign of trouble to come for nations with fewer healthcare resources.

Confirmed virus cases worldwide have topped 14 million and deaths have surpassed 600,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Infections are soaring in US states like Florida, Texas and Arizona, fuelled by the haphazard lifting of coronavirus lockdowns and the resistance of some Americans to wearing masks.

In the US, teams of military medics have been deployed in Texas and California to help hospitals deluged by patients. The two most populous states each reported roughly 10,000 new cases a day and some of their highest death counts. The surge means that millions of American children are unlikely to return to classrooms full time in the autumn.

In India, a surge of 34,884 new cases was reported as local governments continue to re-impose focused lockdowns in several parts of the country.

In Iran, the president yesterday made the startling announcement that as many as 25 million Iranians could have been infected. President Hassan Rouhani cited a new health ministry study that has not been made public. Iran has the Middle East’s worst outbreak with more than 270,000 confirmed cases and at least 13,979 deaths.

Iran’s death toll remains based on cases where people died in coronavirus wards in hospitals. However, it’s believed many more died at home. Some families have reportedly asked doctors not to mention their loved ones died of the virus to avoid the stigma associated with Covid-19.

In Bangladesh, confirmed cases surpassed 200,000 but experts say the number is much higher as the country lacks adequate labs for testing. To add to that, most people in rural areas have stopped wearing masks and are thronging shopping centres ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha later this month.