The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record increase in global coronavirus infections yesterday, with the toal rising by 212 326 in 24 hours, according to Reuters.
The WHO said the biggest increases were in the United States, Brazil and India.
The last record for new cases reported by the WHO was 189 077, on 28 June.
Recorded deaths remained steady at about 5 000 a day.
The news agency said 11.15 million were recorded as having been infected worldwide, with a total death toll of 526 088.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.
The BBC reported that US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) director Stephen Hahn said he was ‘cautiously optimistic’ that the US would have a vaccine by the end of this year or early 2021.
‘FDA has given authorisation to proceed with clinical trials for four separate vaccines and we’ve seen a number of vaccine developers come forward – double digit numbers – so we have a lot of different, if you will, shots on goal with respect to vaccines,’ he reportedly told ABC this week.
Positive cases in South Africa rose yesterday by 10 853 to a cumulative total of 187 977 (with 91 227 recoveries), and 74 deaths took the toll to 3 026.
The highest number of cases are in the Western Cape (68 376, or 36.4% of the national total), followed by Gauteng (59 373, or 31.6%) and the Eastern Cape (34 161, or 18.2%).