Coronavirus Africa news summary: cases and deaths - 6 June

Chinese being murdered in Africa

At midday on Sunday, May 24, three Zambian attackers with iron bars entered the grounds of a Chinese-owned textile warehouse in Lusaka. Police said they were pretending to be potential customers.

More oversights demanded

MPs said they did not want to wait until the end of the financial year before the books of departments and government entities were scrutinised by the auditors.

They wanted to investigate the books and contracts as and when procurement was done.

Wedding planning

Couples around the world had to postpone their event due to the pandemic, but as life returns to a new normal, how can weddings be safely undertaken?

Ghana breakdown

A look into the details behind Ghana's situation, where over 6,000 cases have been recorded in the Greater Accra Region. 

Remy Shittu distributing

Coronavirus

Who is Abhigya Anand, the child astrologer that predicted the coronavirus pandemic?

Indian child astrologer

Born in India, this 14-year old is believed to have alerted the world to the forthcoming Covid-19 crisis, and has made further forecasts for the months ahead.

Reuters tally over 7 million Covid-19 cases

Global cases of the novel coronavirus topped 7 million on Saturday, as case numbers surge in Brazil and India, according to a Reuters tally. About 30% of those cases, or 2 million infections, are in the United States. Latin America has the second-largest outbreak with over 15% of cases. Note that this tragic milestone has not yet been confirmed by Johns Hopkins University.

Globally, deaths from the novel coronavirus are approaching 400,000. The United States accounts for about one-quarter of all fatalities but deaths in South America are rapidly rising. The number of deaths linked to Covid-19 in just five months is now equal to the number of people who die annually from malaria, one of the world's most deadly infectious diseases. The first Covid-19 death was reported on 10 January in Wuhan, China, but it was early April before the death toll passed 100,000, according to the Reuters tally of official reports from governments.

It took 23 days to go from 300,000 to 400,000 deaths. The United States has the highest death toll in the world at almost 110,000. Fatalities in Brazil are rising rapidly and the country may overtake the United Kingdom to have the second-largest number of deaths in the world. The total number of deaths is believed to be higher than the officially reported 400,000 as many countries lack supplies to test all victims and some countries do not count deaths outside of a hospital.

Isolation in South Africa

Watch how the healthcare teams try to get a hold of new coronavirus cases.

Uganda breakdown

The new cases in Uganda have understandably seen more frontline health workers involved.

Nigeria's luxury airlines count the cost of Covid-19 crisis

Private Jets Nigeria has said the association suffered over five billion dollars financial loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Punch reports. Chief Operating Officer of the association, Omotade Lepe explained, “Covid-19 has dealt seriously with the aviation sector generally but for the private jet operators, we can say we have lost over five billion dollars while the pandemic ravaged the world,” he said.

Kenya blocks exit and entry from major cities

More on the latest extension to the coronavirus lockdown in Kenya, where the government has announced that entry and exit from Nairobi, Mombasa and Mandera will be banned for a further 30 days. Kenya reported 126 new cases of Covid-19 on 6 June. 

Kenya extends ban

Kenya has extended its ban on social and political gatherings for another 30 days, the Ministry of Health has announced. 

A man carrying a disposable prayer mat and wearing a mask as preventive measure against Covid-19 coronavirus has his temperature checked at the entrance of the Nizamiye Mosque ahead of the Friday prayer in Midrand, Johannesburg, on June 5, 2020 as faith activities have resumed in South Africa since June 1 with the introduction of the level 3 lockdown regulation aimed at curbing the spread of the Covid-19 disease. (Photo by Michele Spatari / AFP)

Africa coronavirus update

The number of cases on the continent has surpassed 170,000 with over 4,700 deaths, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins and the WHO. 

G20 pledges more than $21 billion to fight coronavirus

(Reuters) The Group of 20 rich and emerging economies has pledged more than $21 billion to fight the coronavirus, the group said early on Saturday.

"The G20, with invited countries, has coordinated the global efforts to support the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. To date, G20 members and invited countries have pledged over US$21 billion to support funding in global health," the group said in a statement.

The pledges will be directed towards diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and research and development, the statement added. In April the group called on all countries, non-governmental organizations, philanthropies and the private sector to help close a financing gap estimated at over $8 billion to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Liberians more concerned about food than face masks

Citing a poll by the National Public Health Institute in Liberia, the BBC has reported that only 10% to 15% of people in overcrowded slums in the country can afford to buy a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. With a large proportion of the Liberian population forced to survive on less than $1 a day, many are more worried about how they are going to put food on the table, the report adds.

Covid-19

Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic

Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic

All the information you need to understand the coronavirus and ways to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic:

Coronavirus live Africa updates: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live, Africa-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which has now registered just over 6.7 million cases and nearly 400,000 deaths worldwide. We'll endeavour to keep you updated with the latest developments as they come in throughout today.