Coronavirus Africa summary: cases, deaths and news - 13 June
Coronavirus live Africa: latest Covid-19 news - 13 June
Africa Covid-19 update: 02:00 WAT on Sunday 14 June (03:00 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 7,757,740 cases have been detected worldwide, with 429,632 deaths and 3,679,745 people now recovered.
Nigeria: 15,682 cases / 407 deaths
South Africa: 65,736 cases / 1,423 deaths
Ghana: 11,118 cases / 48 deaths
More than 7.72 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 426,665 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
South Africa's "trains of hope"
South African railways are delivering healthcare assistance to remote areas to ramp up testing for the coronavirus.
SA cases exceed 65,000
There are now 65,736 confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa as deaths climb to 1,423, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Saturday.
Ghana cases over 11,000
With 262 new cases of coronavirus confirmed on Saturday, Ghana's total cases have now passed the 11,000-mark.
Agyeman Manu recovering in hospital
Ghana's minister for health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, has been receiving treatment in hospital in Accra for a week now. He is said to be in a "stable condition".
Ghana has 11,118 confirmed cases of Covid-19
Teachers wait for parents to drive-through as they fetch school work and Term 1 reports for their children, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Mondeor High School, south of Johannesburg, South Africa. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
People with albinism being blamed for coronavirus
Business Insider with a report on the heightened problems faced by people with albinism in some parts of Africa. Today is International Albinism Awareness Day.
Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has said in a statement: "There are reports of persons with albinism being branded "corona" and 'Covid-19' in some countries, effectively labelling them scapegoats of the pandemic and further ostracising them in their communities"
Reports in Kenya suggest people with albinism are being forced into hiding and targeted more than usual.
152 more cases in Kenya
Kenyan Chief Administrative Secretary for Health, Dr. Rashid Abdi Aman, has confirmed a further 152 positive cases of Covid-19, from 3,503 tests. Confirmed cases in the country now stand at 3,457.
Africa's innovations overlooked
An interesting look at some of the innovative responses to the pandemic from across the continent from Guardian columnist Afua Hirsch, including a $1 Covid testing kit in Senegal and an extensive contact tracing network in Ghana, which is now being studied by the WHO.
All in all, don't ignore what Africa has to offer in the fight against the coronavirus.
Emergency declared in Nigeria over escalation in rape cases during lockdown
For CGTN, Sarah Mukabana reports on Nigeria declaring an emergency after the number of rapes in the country tripled under lockdown.
The governors of all 36 states have committed to imposing tougher measures against sex offenders. There have been several days of nationwide protest by women's rights activists under the hashtag #WeAreTired.
Latest WHO update
The case numbers in South Africa are highly worrying.
'Masks are not a decoration'
The Ugandan State House issues guidelines on wearing face-masks in public.
How COVID-19 is changing the music industry in Nigeria
One of the sectors of the economy feeling the impact of the lockdown brought about by the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria is the music industry, as it has forced the physical shows to a halt, but which may be a blessing to those who know the way out.
These are the views of a Nigerian record label owner and music entrepreneur, Ndibisi George aka Blow Money.
South Africa looks to past lessons
SA hopes the lessons learned from its long battles against HIV and TB will help the country defeat the coronavirus
India cancel tour to Zimbabwe due to coronavirus concerns
India will not travel to Zimbabwe for a one-day international series in August due to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said on Friday.
The move follows the BCCI's decision on Thursday to postpone India's limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka, which was originally scheduled for later this month.
India, who last visited Zimbabwe for a bilateral series in 2016, were due to play a three-match ODI series. The BCCI has not confirmed rescheduled dates for either of the tours.
"The BCCI is determined to take steps towards the resumption of international and domestic cricket," Shah said in a statement.
"But it will not rush into any decision that will jeopardise the efforts put in by the Central and State governments and several other respective agencies in containing the spread of the coronavirus."
Egypt registers highest daily rise in coronavirus cases in nearly two weeks
Egypt on Friday confirmed 1,577 new coronavirus cases, the health ministry said, the highest daily increase in almost two weeks.
In total, the Arab world's most populous country has registered 41,303 cases including 1,422 deaths, the ministry said in a statement.
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine appears to clear safety hurdle in mouse study
A series of studies in mice of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 lent some assurance that it may not increase the risk of more severe disease, and that one dose may provide protection against the novel coronavirus, according to preliminary data released on Friday.
Prior studies on a vaccine for SARS - a close cousin to the new virus that causes COVID-19 - suggests vaccines against this type of virus might have the unintended effect of causing more severe disease when the vaccinated person is later exposed to the pathogen, especially in individuals who do not produce an adequately strong immune response.
Scientists have seen this risk as a hurdle to clear before vaccines can be safely tested in thousands of healthy people.
While the data released by the U.S. National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and Moderna offered some assurance, the studies do not fully answer the question.
"This is the barest beginning of preliminary information," said Dr. Gregory Poland, an immunologist and vaccine researcher at the Mayo Clinic who has seen the paper, which has yet to undergo peer-review.
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
Coronavirus Africa live updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live Africa-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which has now registered over 7.5 million cases worldwide, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
We'll endeavour to keep you abreast of the latest developments and statistics as they emerge throughout Saturday.