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The global coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 57.7 million people and killed over 1.3 million. Here are the updates for November 21:
People wait to be tested for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Mexico City, Mexico on November 20, 2020. (Reuters)
November 21, 2020
Mexico adds 6,426 confirmed cases of coronavirus
The Mexican health ministry reported 6,426 new confirmed coronavirus infections in the country and 719 deaths, bringing the official total to 1,025,969 cases and 100,823 deaths.
Health officials said the actual number of cases is likely significantly higher than the official count.
Mainland China reports 16 new cases
Mainland China reported 16 new cases of the virus on November 20, down from 17 the previous day, with seven cases of local transmission and nine cases from overseas, the country’s health authority said.
The National Health Commission said in its daily bulletin that five of the local broadcasts took place in Tianjin and two in Shanghai.
Tianjin, which borders the capital Beijing, will launch a three-day universal screening program on Saturday that will cover nearly 3 million residents.
Local officials said Friday that a community in Tianjin was placed in solitary confinement and about 1,900 people were quarantined, according to the China Daily newspaper.
Mainland China also reported an additional 18 cases of asymptomatic cases on November 20, up from 14 the previous day.
The G20 has decided to use all tools to contain the pandemic
The G20 nations are determined to continue doing all they can to contain the pandemic, warning in a draft statement that the global economic recovery remains “patchy, highly uncertain and subject to high downside risks”.
Bringing the pandemic under control is key to supporting a global economic recovery, G20 leaders said in the draft, excerpts of which were viewed by Reuters.
A joint final statement will be released by leaders from the United States, China and other groups of 20 nations after they met via video conference on Saturday.
AstraZeneca launches new antibody cocktail Covid-19 prevention studies
AstraZeneca has initiated late stage trials of a combination of experimental long-acting monoclonal antibodies that it hopes will be used as a so-called prophylaxis to prevent Covid-19 infection in people at risk for up to 12 months.
The Phase III international clinical trial will recruit a total of 5,000 people across countries in Europe and the United States to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the antibody cocktail, known as AZD7442.
Prophylactic treatment differs from a vaccine in that it introduces antibodies, rather than prompting the body’s immune system to produce them. It can be useful in people whose immune systems are weaker or compromised and who do not respond to vaccination.
Separately, AstraZeneca is developing a Covid-19 vaccine in collaboration with researchers from the University of Oxford.
Cases of the virus in Brazil exceed 6 million
Brazil has surpassed 6 million confirmed cases of the virus, the health ministry said, as the third worst coronavirus epidemic in the world begins to grow again amid fears that a second wave is underway.
The South American nation has joined the United States and India as the only countries to have crossed the 6 million mark. With nearly 170,000 confirmed deaths, Brazil has the second highest death toll in the world.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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