As of 8 am, July 29, 2020:
World count: 16,605,067 cases, 9,644,387 recoveries, 657,337 deaths
There are now 16,605,067 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide. The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases, with 4,426,281 infections, followed by Brazil (2,484,649) and India (1,483,156).
There have been 657,337 deaths from the coronavirus all over the globe since the pandemic began. The US has the highest number of deaths in the world, with 151,374 fatalities from Covid-19, followed by Brazil (88,634), and the United Kingdom (45,878).
9,644,387 people worldwide have recovered from Covid-19.
Singapore: 359 additional cases, 201 more discharged, 1 community case
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on July 28 that there are 359 new Covid-19 cases in the country, of which 11 are community cases and two are imported cases. The other 356 cases are of Work Permit holders living in dormitories. Singapore now has a total of 51,197 confirmed cases, with an additional 201 discharged from hospital. A total of 45,893 individuals have recovered.
Of the active coronavirus cases in Singapore, 185 are in hospital, and none are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 5,092 are in community facilities. Twenty-seven people in Singapore have died of complications due to the Covid-19 infection.
Boris Johnson: Signs of 2nd coronavirus wave in Europe
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, warned on July 28 that there are signs of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. The UK has implemented a 14-day quarantine on people coming back from Spain, which Mr Johnson referred to as “swift and decisive action where we think that the risk is starting to bubble up again.”
He added, “Let’s be absolutely clear about what’s happening in Europe, amongst some of our European friends, I’m afraid you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second wave of the pandemic. We all remember what happened last time. It’s absolutely vital therefore that we make the necessary preparations here in the UK as we are doing.”
US FDA: Coronavirus does not spread via food or food packaging
US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr Stephen Hahn said that the spread of Covid-19 is not known through food or food packaging. “What we do know is that the virus is not known to be transmitted via food or food packaging. It is much more likely to be spread through person-to-person transmission,” he said.
Russia set to release first Covid-19 vaccine before August 10
Russia is planning on releasing the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, although experts have questions about its safety and effectiveness. Officials from Russia have told CNN that they aim to release the vaccine, created by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute, on or before August 10.
“It’s a Sputnik moment. Americans were surprised when they heard Sputnik’s beeping. It’s the same with this vaccine. Russia will have got there first,” said the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund financing Russian vaccine research, Kirill Dmitriev.
However, no scientific data on its vaccine testing has been published by Russian officials, although the director of the project, Alexander Ginsburg, claims to have injected himself with the vaccine already.
Almost 7 million more children could suffer acute malnutrition because of pandemic
The Lancet medical journal published an analysis on July 27 saying that almost 7 million more children around the globe could suffer from acute malnutrition due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused disruptions in mobility and food systems because of lockdowns. The lockdowns, even the relatively short ones, may cause a decrease of nearly eight percent of gross national income (GNI) per capita, which is linked to a rise in acute malnutrition or child wasting. The projections from the study said that there could be a 14 percent increase in the number of children under the age of five with moderate or severe wasting, which means 6.7 million more children could be affected this year. This could also result in 130,000 more deaths from wasting in children under five, with over half living in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The United Nations has called for action from governments to prevent this. “We are issuing a call for action to protect children’s right to nutrition in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This requires a swift response and investments from governments, donors, the private sector, and the UN.” -/TISG