As of 9 am, July 31, 2020:
World count: 17,109,335 cases, 10,000,738 recoveries, 668,801 deaths
Six months since the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency over the novel coronavirus, there is now a total of 17,109,335 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide.
The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases, with 4,562,610 infections, followed by Brazil (2,610,765) and India (1,583,792).
There have been 668,801 deaths from the coronavirus all over the globe since the pandemic began. The US has the highest number of deaths in the world, with 154,045 fatalities from Covid-19, followed by Brazil (91,263), and the United Kingdom (45,999).
10,000,738 people worldwide have recovered from Covid-19.
Singapore: 278 additional cases, 210 more discharged, 4 community cases
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on July 30 that there are 278 new Covid-19 cases in the country, of which 4 are community cases and 4 are imported cases. The other 270 cases are of Work Permit holders living in dormitories. Singapore now has a total of 51,809 confirmed cases, with an additional 210 discharged from hospital. A total of 46,308 individuals have recovered.
Of the active coronavirus cases in Singapore, 148 are in hospital, and none are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 5,236 are in community facilities. Twenty-seven people in Singapore have died of complications due to the Covid-19 infection.
US: 230,822 coronavirus deaths predicted by November
A key coronavirus model from the University of Washington has predicted that there will be 230,822 deaths from Covid-19 in the US by this November. This most recent figure is higher than older models by over 10,000 deaths because of resistance toward masking, social distancing and other public health measures.
If masking is adopted all over the country, this figure could go down by over 30,000 deaths. Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences, said, ”If 95% of Americans wore masks each time they left their homes, infection rates would drop, hospitalizations would drop, and forecast deaths would drop. Unfortunately, people let down their guard until media report the risk of increased infections.”
Italy: State of emergency extended till October 15
Italy, the second global epicenter of the pandemic after China, has extended its state of emergency, originally implemented on January 31, to October 15. According to a statement from the government, “The Council of Ministers, on the proposal of President Giuseppe Conte, approved the extension.” This allows officials access to resources to address the outbreak of the disease, as well as to impose additional restrictions as needed.
NGO: Coronavirus cases in Africa could be much higher than official reports
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said on July 30 that the confirmed cases of coronavirus in Africa may be much larger than official tallies because of a “lack of data due to a variety of factors.” In a report, the IRC added, “Confirmed COVID cases across African countries (have) risen by 500% in the past two months and more than doubled in July, amidst dire testing shortfalls and poor access to data on the actual extent of the pandemic in crisis-affected countries on the continent.”
US: First dog confirmed positive for coronavirus has died
After being sick for three months, the first dog to test positive for Covid-19 in the US died on July 11. Buddy, a 7-year-old German shepherd from New York may have either died from the coronavirus, which his owner also diagnosed with, or lymphoma. Buddy first got sick in April and was confirmed to have Covid-19 the following month. The US Department of Agriculture announced on June 2 that the dog was positive for the coronavirus. The USDA said that fewer than 25 dogs and cats have been confirmed positive for the coronavirus in the country.
Brazil: First Lady positive for Covid-19
President Jair Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle, tested positive for Covid-19 on July 30, his press office said but added that the First Lady “is in good health and will follow all established protocols. The first lady is being accompanied by the medical team of the Presidency of the Republic.” The President first tested positive on July 7, but his most recent test two weeks later showed negative results. —/TISG
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