Since 31 December 2019 and as of 10 November 2020, 50 994 215 cases of COVID-19 (in accordance with the applied case definitions and testing strategies in the affected countries) have been reported, including 1 264 077 deaths.
Cases have been reported from:
Africa: 1 892 140 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are South Africa (738 525), Morocco (259 951), Egypt (109 422), Ethiopia (99 982) and Tunisia (71 569).
Asia: 14 326 602 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are India (8 591 730), Iran (692 949), Iraq (501 733), Indonesia (440 569) and Bangladesh (421 921).
America: 22 112 744 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are United States (10 110 552), Brazil (5 653 561), Argentina (1 250 486), Colombia (1 149 063) and Mexico (972 785).
Europe: 12 616 729 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are France (1 807 479), Russia (1 796 132), Spain (1 381 218), United Kingdom (1 213 363) and Italy (960 373).
Oceania: 45 304 cases; the five countries reporting most cases are Australia (27 668), French Polynesia (9 995), Guam (5 233), New Zealand (1 631) and Papua New Guinea (599).
Other: 696 cases have been reported from an international conveyance in Japan.
Deaths have been reported from:
Africa: 45 605 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are South Africa (19 845), Egypt (6 380), Morocco (4 356), Algeria (2 062) and Tunisia (1 920).
Asia: 254 390 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are India (127 059), Iran (38 749), Indonesia (14 689), Iraq (11 380) and Turkey (10 972).
America: 663 252 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are United States (238 251), Brazil (162 269), Mexico (95 225), Peru (34 943) and Argentina (33 907).
Europe: 299 750 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are United Kingdom (49 238), Italy (41 750), France (40 987), Spain (39 345) and Russia (30 793).
Oceania: 1 073 deaths; the five countries reporting most deaths are Australia (907), Guam (91), French Polynesia (39), New Zealand (25) and Papua New Guinea (7).
A potential breakthrough in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine has left governments scrambling to meet the logistical challenge of distributing hundreds of millions of doses once it becomes available in coming months.
EUROPE
The COVID-19 death toll in Europe passed the 300,000 and authorities feared that despite hopes for a new vaccine, fatalities and infections would continue to rise.
The European Commission will discuss the adoption of a contract for the supply of the vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
A criminal investigation into whether the public officials who orchestrated France’s response to the COVID-19 crisis committed offences including manslaughter and endangering lives will be split into four inquiries.
Spain will get the first vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech in early 2021, while Italy expects to receive an initial 3.4 mln shots in January.
Poland will conduct coronavirus tests among its farmed minks and check whether farm workers and their families have been infected, following the findings of a mutated virus among the animals in Denmark.
Ireland will ease travel curbs for arrivals from “red” regions of Britain and the European Union hardest hit by COVID-19 from Nov. 29.
AMERICAS
If Pfizer Inc submits the positive initial data from its COVID-19 vaccine trial to health regulators as quickly as expected, the U.S. government plans to begin vaccinating Americans in December, Health Secretary Alex Azar said.
Several U.S. states imposed restrictions to curb the spread of the new coronavirus as hospitalizations soared.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged premiers of the country’s 10 provinces to take stricter measures to fight a second wave of the new coronavirus.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Australia is considering opening its borders to Asian countries, including parts of China.
Nepal will provide free COVID-19 tests and treatment, an aide to the prime minister said.
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA
Lebanon ordered a full lockdown for around two weeks to stem rising infections and allow a badly strained health sector to bolster capacity.
Botswana signed an agreement with the global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the WHO, giving it the option to buy coronavirus vaccines for 20% of its population.
Iran plans to more than double the number of tests it carries out daily to 100,000.
MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS
The severe adverse event which caused the Brazilian health regulator to suspend trials of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac was a suicide, broadcaster TV Cultura reported.
The World Health Organization’s chief said it hopes to have a COVID-19 vaccine by year-end and that Pfizer’s experimental remedy is “a very promising one”, with more expected.
BioNTech is planning to price the two-shot vaccination regimen below “typical market rates” and would differentiate pricing between countries or regions.
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit has received the green light to carry out late stage trials for its coronavirus vaccine in Mexico.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The S&P 500 posted a modest loss and the Nasdaq closed sharply lower as news of an effective COVID-19 vaccine led investors away from market leaders and toward cyclical stocks associated with economic recovery.
An apparent breakthrough in a coronavirus vaccine weakens the case for another large U.S. fiscal stimulus bill, but relief is still needed for struggling businesses to create a bridge for the economy, investors said.
Hong Kong, Singapore plan quarantine-free travel bubble
A travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore will begin on Nov. 22, the two cities said on Wednesday, as they moved to re-establish overseas travel links and lift the hurdle of quarantine for visiting foreigners.
The scheme will start with one flight a day into each city, with a quota of 200 travellers per flight, officials said. This would be increased to two flights a day from Dec. 7.
Travellers from both cities must arrive on designated flights and must undertake COVID-19 tests. No quarantine will be required and there will be no restrictions on the reasons for travel. The travel bubble will be suspended if the COVID-19 situation deteriorates, they added.
California, U.S. Midwest states clamp down again
California and several states across the U.S. Midwest tightened restrictions on residents on Tuesday as the nation’s top infectious disease specialist called on Americans to remain vigilant until a vaccine can be approved and distributed.
The new clampdowns were announced as the number of COVID-19 infections surged again in the United States with the onset of colder weather, straining hospitals and medical resources in some cities.
“There’s a real thing called COVID-19 fatigue, that’s understandable,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told CNN in an interview. “But hang in there a bit longer, do the things you need to do and we’ll be OK.”
Coronavirus kills 15,000 U.S. mink since August
More than 15,000 mink in the United States have died of the coronavirus since August, and authorities are keeping about a dozen farms under quarantine while they investigate the cases, state agriculture officials said.
The U.S. states of Utah, Wisconsin and Michigan – where the coronavirus has killed mink – said they do not plan to cull animals and are monitoring the situation in Denmark, which last week embarked on a plan to eliminate all of its 17 million mink.
U.S. authorities are urging farmers to wear protective gear like masks and gloves when handling mink to avoid infecting the animals. The coronavirus has also infected cats, dogs, a lion and a tiger, according to the USDA. Experts say mink appear to be the most susceptible animal so far.
