India Second Country After US To Report 7 Million Cases

 Health ministry data showed a rise of almost 75,000 new cases, as experts warn of complacency.

India has now reported more than seven million coronavirus cases as it gets a step closer to overtaking the United States as the world’s most-infected country.

Health ministry data showed on Sunday that infections have risen by almost 75,000 to 7.05 million, second only to the US, which has recorded 7.67 million cases.

With the number of new cases dipping in recent weeks, health experts warn of mask and distancing fatigue setting in.

Experts say that the true number of infections may be much higher, as testing rates in the vast country of 1.3 billion people – home to some of the world’s most crowded cities – are much lower than in many other countries.

This is borne out by a string of studies measuring antibodies to the virus among the Indian population that have indicated infection rates could be several times higher than officially recorded.

As of the Health Ministry’s latest bulletin, India’s death toll stands at 108,334, a lower number compared with the US – which has so far recorded more than 214,000 deaths – or other countries in Europe with high caseloads.

“We have been able to keep the curve rise slow, but I do agree that we have not been able to get it to move aggressively down. That’s related to our population density, diversity of our country and socioeconomic challenges in our country,” health expert Randeep Guleria told The Associated Press, referring to India’s burgeoning population.

However, some experts argue that India’s death toll may not be reliable because of poor reporting and health infrastructure and inadequate testing.

The rise in infections in India comes as the government continues to lift restrictions to boost an economy battered by a severe lockdown imposed in March.

On Thursday, cinemas are set to reopen – albeit at 50 percent capacity – and experts fear the upcoming festival season when large crowds gathering for public celebrations will exacerbate the situation.

Anticipating a fresh surge in cases, the government has issued strict guidelines and capped the number of revellers for the two main Hindu festivals of Dussehra on October 25 and Diwali next month.

The virus initially hit major metropolises such as Mumbai and New Delhi but has since spread across the country, including to the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Recently, the daily number of new cases has fallen from a peak of almost 100,000 in mid-September to about 60,000 to 70,000.

But Preeti Kumar of the Delhi-based Public Health Foundation of India said it was too early to assume India has passed the peak.

“What the epidemic has taught us is caution. These declines are real but depend on many factors such as testing, type of testing, intervention efficacy etcetera,” Kumar told AFP news agency.

Many Indians are worried too.

Jayprakash Shukla, 66, a retired government official, said he was worried about cases going up “hugely and beyond control”.“When I go out, I see many people without masks,” he told AFP. “Maybe they are fed up of wearing masks but if people don’t change their ways, it is going to be calamitous for our country.”

Lack of Covid-19 tests cancels friendly with Guinea-Bissau

 The friendly match set this Sunday between the National Teams of Angola and Guinea-Bissau was called off as the adversary team did not present the covid-19 test, hampering Angola's plans that prepare the CAN'2021 qualifiers.

ANGOLA X GUINEA-BISSAU FRIENDLY MATCH (FILE)

Covid-19: Angola reports 120 new infections, 27 recoveries

 At least 120 new infections with Covid-19 and 27 patients recovered is the record of the last 24 hours in Angola, the Secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda said Sunday in Luanda.

According to Mr. Mufinda, who was updating on Covid-19 pandemic in the country, 99 positive cases were diagnosed in Luanda province, 18 in Zaire and three in Cabinda.

Among the new patients, whose ages range from one to 82 years, 76 are male.

Of those recovered, 21 are from Huambo, five from Luanda and one from Benguela.

Angola has 6,366 positive cases, with 218 deaths, 2,743 recovered and 3,405 active people.

Among the active patients, 12 are in critical condition with invasive mechanical ventilation, 20 severe, 87 moderate, 429 with mild symptoms and 2,857 asymptomatic.

Treatment centres follow 589 patients.

Angolan State loses almost USD 24 billion - President

 The Angolan State may have lost in recent years, with the policy of squandering the treasury, "nearly 24 billion US dollars (USD)," as the President of the Republic, João Lourenço noted.

According to the Angolan head of state, who was speaking in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, to which Angop had access today, Sunday, this is the constant value of the asset investigation processes underway at the National Asset Recovery Service of the Attorney General's Office (PGR).

João Lourenço, whose first part of the interview for the US newspaper has just been published, said that of that sum 13.515 million had been illegally withdrawn through fraudulent contracts with the oil company Sonangol (Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola), 5 billion through Sociedade de Comercialização de Diamantes de Angola (Sodiam) and Empresa Nacional de Diamantes de Angola (Endiama) and the remaining 5 billion through other sectors and public companies.

In relation to specific figures on the fight against corruption and its results, the President said in his extensive interview that USD 4.2 billion was the amount to date, of properties seized or confiscated in the country.

This includes assets such as factories, supermarkets, buildings, residential real estate, hotels, holdings in financial institutions and various profitable companies, as well as electricity supplies and other assets.

The President of the Republic also revealed that the National Asset Recovery Service of the PGR had asked its counterparts outside the country to seize or confiscate assets and money worth USD 5.4 billion, namely in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Monaco and the United Kingdom, "a list that is tending to expand".

In the interview, the head of state said that the Angolan state had recovered USD 2.7 billion in cash and USD 2.1 billion in real estate, factories, port terminals, TV and radio stations, in Angola, Portugal and Brazil.

Also on the economic front, the main focus of this major interview with journalist Benoit Faucon, Joao Lourenço said he expected Sonangol to be listed on stock exchanges such as New York, London or China soon after its restructuring.

In another area of the interview, the President of the Republic admitted that Covid-19 had even imposed, in Angola, a reduction of up to 50% in the presence of workers in factory units, and had limited the mobility of people and goods between different points of Angolan territory, for a period of more than half a year.

This fact, the Angolan head of state said, had a negative impact on the diversification of the economy, as, "in fact, happened with most countries.

Meanwhile, the interview also addressed several other issues, such as the challenge of improving the business environment in Angola and the interest of major oil operators in Angola's off shore.

These and many other issues will be addressed by the Wall Street Journal in future issues.