As vaccines begin to be administered, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect countries around the globe, with the number of confirmed cases worldwide now surpassing 80 million, with over 1,766,000 deaths worldwide, and the United States continuing to have the most confirmed cases and deaths in the world.
A CNN story said, “December has been the nation’s deadliest month since the Covid-19 pandemic’s start — with more than 63,000 Americans lost to the virus in the past 26 days.
“In comparison, the entire month of November saw about 36,964 deaths.
“The death toll comes on the heels of several brutal months, with Covid-19 ravaging communities from coast to coast, crippling hospital systems and prompting new widespread restrictions.
“The authorization of two Covid-19 vaccines earlier in December offered some hope of a light at the end of the tunnel. But experts continue to warn that while the end is in sight, the pandemic is not over and another surge stemming from the Christmas holiday could be on its way.|
A BBC story said, “South Africa has become the first country on the continent to register more than one million Covid-19 cases.
“The country’s president is expected to announce tougher restrictions as some hospitals and medical centres struggle under a huge rise in admissions.
“A new coronavirus variant – known as 501.V2 – is believed to be driving the surge in infections. It was identified by a network of South African scientists in the Eastern Cape province and then rapidly spread to other parts of the country.
“The new form of the virus appears unrelated to the new variant identified in the UK, although both have a mutation in a crucial part of the virus used to infect the body’s cells.
“South Africa has now confirmed 1,004,413 infections and 26,735 deaths since the outbreak began in March.”
