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As of Saturday, December 19, the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases detected is 912,477 with 10,939 new cases identified, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed.
A further 254 deaths related to Covid-19 were reported, with 85 from the Eastern Cape, 12 from the Free State, 18 from Gauteng, 61 from Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), 4 from Limpopo and 74 from the Western Cape.
This brings the total number of Covid-19-related deaths to 24,539.
READ MORE: There’s no reason to panic about the virus variant, but Mkhize has a stern message for young people
“We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the deceased and we thank the health workers who cared for the deceased,” added the minister.
Recoveries now stand at 787 782, while a A total of 6,100,373 tests have been completed with 48,387 new tests performed since the last report.
Source: Department of Health
These are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
Italy tightens virus restrictions
Italy, one of the countries most affected by the new coronavirus, will be classified as a “red” zone during the Christmas and New Year periods, which means that between December 21 and January 6, people will only be able to leave their homes once a day. to visit friends or family, and travel between regions will be prohibited.
And as of December 24, bars and restaurants will also be closed.
“Our experts fear that the infection curve will increase during the Christmas period,” says Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
However, the rules will be relaxed on December 28, 29 and 30, as well as January 4, when stores will be able to stay open until 9:00 p.m. and people will be able to move freely.
Switzerland approves Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
Swiss regulators give the green light to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and immunization will begin in a few days as the country battles rising coronavirus cases and deaths.
It is the first Covid-19 vaccine approved in the wealthy Alpine nation, but others are being evaluated.
“After a meticulous review of the available information, Swissmedic concluded that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is safe and that its benefits outweigh the risks,” says the regulatory authority.
Health Minister Alain Berset says vaccination will begin “in the next few days.”
“Those who are particularly vulnerable will take priority,” he says in a video tweet, namely the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.
US Approves Modern Vaccine
The United States authorizes Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, as the country faces a surge that is killing more than 2,500 people a day.
The United States is the first nation to approve the two-dose regimen, which is now the second vaccine to be implemented in a Western country after the one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.
Turkish virus patients die in hospital fire
At least nine coronavirus patients die in a fire at a hospital in southeastern Turkey, the Health Ministry says.
The fire in an intensive care ward of the Gaziantep hospital broke out when a tank of an artificial respirator exploded.
All the victims were patients who had been hospitalized for the coronavirus. Other patients affected by the fire were transferred to other hospitals.
Turkey has recorded more than 1.9 million Covid-19 cases and more than 17,600 deaths since the pandemic began a year ago.
Sydney to Hobart yacht race canceled
Australia’s grueling yacht race from Sydney to Hobart was canceled for the first time in its 76-year history due to a growing coronavirus outbreak, organizers say.
The often brutal 628-nautical-mile (1,163-kilometer) blue water classic was supposed to start on Boxing Day, but with parts of Sydney blocked after a new cluster of Covid-19 cases, it was canceled.
“We are deeply disappointed to cancel this year’s race, especially considering the plans and preparations we had put in place to have a safe Covid run,” says Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) Commodore Noel Cornish.
1.67 million dead
At least 1,675,362 people have died since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a count from official sources compiled by AFP.
The United States is the most affected country with 313,660 deaths, followed by Brazil with 185,650 deaths, India with 145,136, Mexico with 117,249 and Italy with 67,894.
READ NEXT: The new variant of the virus and how we will treat it – explains Mkhize
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