COVID-19 claims 3 more lives, as NCDC announces 281 new cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 281 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday.

In a Twitter update via its verified handle, the government agency said there are now 67,838 confirmed cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in Nigeria.

A total number of 63,430 people it said, have so far been discharged from hospital, while the number of deaths so far is 1,176.

As of Tuesday, more than 63.7 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, with more than 40.7 million of those cases listed as recovered or resolved in a tracking tool maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll stood at more than 1.4 million.

In Africa, according to a CBC report, deaths from malaria due to disruptions during the pandemic to services designed to tackle the mosquito-borne disease will far exceed those from COVID-19 on the continent, the World Health Organisation warned. South Africa remained the hardest-hit country in Africa, with more than 790,000 recorded cases of COVID-19 and more than 21,500 deaths.

In the Americas, the United States entered the final month of the year hoping that promising vaccine candidates will soon be approved to halt the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus after 4.2 million new cases were reported in November.

The new COVID-19 cases were more than double the previous monthly record set in October, as large numbers of Americans still refuse to wear masks and continue to gather in holiday crowds, against the recommendation of experts.

Brazil reported 50,909 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours — the highest daily case number since early September — and 697 new deaths from COVID-19, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Vietnam reported two more coronavirus cases on Tuesday linked to a rare domestic infection in its commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City, while the government urged public vigilance and tighter enforcement of health measures.

The Southeast Asian nation is back on high alert after confirming on Monday the country’s first community infection in 89 days, prompting the closure of several places in the densely populated southern city.

In Europe, France recorded 4,005 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, the smallest rise since August, even as hospitalizations remained high.

In the Middle East, Iran remained the hardest hit country in the region, with more than 975,000 recorded cases of COVID-19 and more than 48,600 deaths.

Exit mobile version