A photo taken in the late hours of Aug 17, 2020 shows a sign of the World Health Organization at their headquarters in Geneva amid the COVID-19 outbreak. (PHOTO / AFP)

GENEVA / ZURICH / ADDIS ABABA - The global death toll from COVID-19 could double to 2 million before a successful vaccine is widely used and could be even higher without concerted action to curb the pandemic, an official at the World Health Organization said on Friday.

“Unless we do it all, (2 million deaths) ... is not only imaginable, but sadly very likely,” Mike Ryan, head of the UN agency’s emergencies programme, told a briefing on Friday.

The number of deaths about nine months since the novel coronavirus was discovered is nearing 1 million.

“We are not out of the woods anywhere, we are not out of the woods in Africa,” said Ryan.

He said young people should not be blamed for a recent increase in infections despite growing concerns that they are driving its spread after restrictions and lockdowns were eased around the world.

“I really hope we don’t get into finger wagging: it’s all because of the youth,” said Ryan. “The last thing a young person needs is an old person pontificating and wagging the finger.”

Rather, indoor gatherings of people of all ages were driving the epidemic, he said.

The WHO is continuing talks with China about its possible involvement in the COVAX financing scheme designed to guarantee fast and equitable access globally to COVID-19 vaccines, a week after the deadline for committing passed.

“We’re in discussions with China about the role they may play as we go forward,” said Bruce Aylward, WHO senior adviser and head of the ACT-Accelerator programme to back vaccines, treatments and diagnostics against COVID-19.

Talks with China also include discussion of the world’s second-largest economy potentially supplying vaccines to the scheme, he said.

The UN agency published on Friday draft criteria for the assessment of emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines to help guide drugmakers as vaccine trials reach advanced stages, said WHO assistant director-general, Mariangela Simao.

The document will be available for public comment until Oct 8, she said.

Earlier on Friday, a Chinese health official said the WHO had given its support for the country to start administering experimental coronavirus vaccines to people even while clinical trials were still underway.

EU

Rates of COVID-19 infections and hospital bed occupancy are rising in Europe, where authorities need to work to halt spread ahead of the influenza season, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Friday.

“Europe has a lot of work to do to stabilise the situation and bring transmission under control,” Mike Ryan, WHO’s emergency expert told a press conference. “Overall within that very large region we are seeing a worrying increase in disease.”

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, said: “We are at the end of September and we haven’t even started our flu season yet, so what we are worried about is the possibility that these trends are going in the wrong direction”.

Earlier admissions to hospital and the use of the steroid dexamethasone were saving lives, she said, adding: “We want to avoid any national lockdowns that were happening in the beginning.”

ALSO READ: Lockdown lite is Europe’s new strategy for fighting COVID-19

Brazil

New cases in Brazil declined for the third consecutive day to 31,911, according to Health Ministry data.

The country’s weekly death toll is on track for the lowest since May. Another 729 deaths related to COVID-19 were reported over the last 24 hours, raising the total 140,537 — the most in the world except for the US.

Mexico 

The hard-hit country reported 5,401 new virus cases, bringing its total to 720,858, according to the Health Ministry. The number of deaths rose by 405, to 75,844. Authorities said 28% of general hospital beds were now occupied.

US

The number of COVID-19 cases stands at 7,005,746 in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the US could face a “problematic” fall and winter in the fight against the virus.

“We’re afraid things could actually get worse,” he said in an interview with Irish public broadcaster RTE. “We’ve got to get our baseline down, we’ve got to get control of this.”

Still, he also struck an optimistic note, saying the pandemic will end, and it should be clear by the end of the year whether a safe vaccine has been developed.

Fewer than one in 10 Americans have antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19, indicating relatively low rates of immunity to the pathogen that has killed more than 200,000 people in the US.

Just 8 percent of more than 28,000 blood samples tested in July had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, according to research published in The Lancet medical journal. The samples, taken from patients undergoing blood-cleaning dialysis, correlate to about 9.3 percent of all adults nationwide, the study said.

Argentina

Argentina reported 12,969 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 691,235, according to the government’s evening report. A total of 443 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, with the fatality toll now at 15,208.

Argentine Minister of Social Development Daniel Arroyo confirmed on Friday that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), becoming the first member of the Cabinet of Ministers to be diagnosed with the disease.

"I want to tell you that I have tested positive for COVID-19. I have mild symptoms and I am in good spirits. I will continue to work remotely. It is very important that we continue to take care of each other," the minister wrote on Twitter.

Morocco

Morocco announced on Friday 2,423 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total tally in the North African country since March 2 to 112,522.

The number of recoveries from coronavirus in Morocco increased to 91,932 after 1,746 more were added, while the death toll rose by 42 to 1,998, the ministry of health said in a statement.

Poland

Poland broke its record on the daily number of new COVID-19 infections for the second day in a row on Friday, as 1,587 new cases were confirmed in a 24-hour span by the country's health ministry.

The previous record for the daily number was 1,136, which was set only a day earlier, confirming a spike in infection numbers. On Friday, over 137,000 individuals were in quarantine, according to the health ministry.

In reaction, the Polish government will announce restrictions in areas hit hardest. "There will be restrictions on social gatherings, and others," health ministry spokesman Wojciech Andrusiewicz told journalists. "Right now, there are talks going on between the (health) minister Niedzielski and the new team that has recently been formed."

As of Friday, 19 counties were designated as so-called yellow zones where restrictions apply for public events and family gatherings. Two counties are designated as red zone, where people must comply with stricter restrictions.

According to the health ministry, 84,396 cases have been confirmed in Poland since the start of the pandemic in March, with 2,392 deaths.

Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters that the coronavirus pandemic is under control in Poland and that the number of new daily infections is expected to flatten by mid-October, according to an online story of English channel Poland In run by TVP, the country's largest television network.

Libya

The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Friday reported 658 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 31,290.

The 658 new infections were confirmed after 3,506 suspected samples were tested, the Center said in a statement.

Meanwhile, 666 more patients recovered from the disease and 17 died, raising the total number of recoveries and deaths to  17,508 and 491 respectively.

After the first coronavirus case was announced in March, Libyan authorities closed the country's borders, shut down schools and mosques, banned public gatherings and imposed a curfew in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

Canda

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that his government is committing 440 million Canadian dollars (about 328 million U.S. dollars) to the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility designed to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The funding will be split equally to two parts, with half securing 15 million doses of vaccines for Canada from the COVAX Facility, and the other half going to help poorer countries get access to the vaccine as well.

The best way to end the COVID-19 pandemic and to keep Canadians healthy is through a safe and effective vaccine, Trudeau said at a news conference in Ottawa.

Algeria

Algeria on Friday reported 175 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily increase since June 29, bringing the total tally of infections to 50,754, the Ministry of Health said.

The Ministry also announced four new fatalities from coronavirus, raising the death toll in the North African country to 1,707.

Meanwhile, 110 more patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 35,654.

Algeria, which reported its first COVID-19 case on Feb. 25, has been resuming economic and commercial activities since June 7 as part of its efforts to return to normal life.

China and Algeria have offered mutual help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early February, Algeria sent medical donations to help China combat the coronavirus. China sent two batches of medical aid to Algeria on March 27 and April 15, respectively.

Greece

Mobile units of Greece's National Public Health Organization (EODY) started conducting COVID-19 testing in three central squares of Athens on Friday, as authorities implemented additional measures to contain the spread of the virus, focusing on the Attica region that encompasses the capital city.

The region where the bulk of Greece's population lives has had to cope with an increased epidemiological burden in recent weeks. About half of the new cases reported daily in Greece are diagnosed in Attica, officials said.

Out of 286 new infections confirmed on Friday, 163 were registered in Attica, Gkikas Magiorkinis, a professor of epidemiology who participates in the committee of experts advising the Greek Health Ministry on the management of the COVID-19 challenge, told a regular press briefing.

UK

The British government announced Friday that more cities will go into local lockdown as part of its efforts to curb the sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced new restriction measures will be implemented in Leeds, Blackpool, Wigan and Stockport.

"The latest data shows a sharp increase in incidence rates per 100,000 population in Leeds, Blackpool, Wigan and Stockport, which are significantly above the national average," said Hancock in a statement. 

"As a result, we are making regulations which take effect from Saturday 26 September and will impose restrictions on inter-household mixing in private dwellings and gardens in Leeds, Stockport, Wigan and Blackpool," he said.

Hancock said the restrictions are in line with measures seen elsewhere in the country, such as Leicester and the West Midlands.

"People who live in these areas will not be allowed to gather in a private dwelling or garden with any other household unless in a support bubble. People from anywhere else will also not be allowed to gather with another household in a private dwelling or garden in these areas," he said.

Meanwhile, the Welsh government confirmed that Cardiff and Swansea will go into local lockdown from 6:00 pm BST (1700 GMT) on Sunday, while the town of Llanelli will follow the suit at 6:00 pm BST (1700 GMT) on Saturday.

Also on Friday, London was placed on the national COVID-19 "watch list" as an area of high concern.  The move came after 620 new cases were confirmed in the British capital in the last 24 hours -- more than double the number at the start of the week.

Britain's Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Friday that an estimated 103,600 people within the community population in England had COVID-19 between Sept. 13 and 19, equating to around one in 500 people,

Africa

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases in Africa has reached 1,437,072 as of Friday with the death toll passing the 35,000 mark, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The continental disease control and prevention agency said in a statement that the death toll due to illnesses related to COVID-19 in Africa has reached 35,007 as of Friday.

The Africa CDC also said the number of people who have recovered from the infectious virus across the continent has reached 1,184, 645 so far.

Amid the uneven impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on African countries, the Africa CDC also disclosed that the most COVID-19 affected African countries in terms of the number of positive cases include South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

The Southern Africa region is the most COVID-19 affected region both in terms of the number of confirmed positive cases as well as the number of deaths, it was noted.

The Northern Africa region is the second most COVID-19-affected African region, it was noted.

Five countries account for 71 percent of total COVID-19 cases in the continent: South Africa at 47 percent, followed by Morocco at eight percent, with Egypt coming third at seven percent.

Ethiopia and Nigeria round up the top five most COVID-19 affected countries list with five percent and four percent each.

The continent's total COVID-19 cases represent about 4.5 percent of the global tally, according to the Africa CDC.

The Africa CDC also said 10 African countries are reporting fatality rates higher than the global case fatality rate of 3.1 percent.

Egypt 

Egypt reported late on Friday 112 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infections in the country to 102,625, said the Health Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed said 18 patients died from the novel coronavirus in the past 234 hours, taking the death toll to 5,853.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said, 887 others were cured and discharged from hospitals, raising the total recoveries to 93,531.

Total COVID-19 recoveries in Egypt have currently exceeded 90 percent of the total cases in the most populous Arab country.

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Botswana 

Botswana has reverted to stringent travel restrictions across the zonal boundaries as positive COVID-19 cases are on the rise.

Those who travel within the country ahead of the Independence Day holiday slated for next week will need to apply for permits, which will be issued at the discretion of the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force, Malaki Tshipayagae, director of Health Services, said on Friday.

"As per existing regulations under State of Emergency (SOE), movement permits across zones will no longer be automatically approved. Permits will only be approved manually after review for essential workers only," said Tshipayagae.

He said the decision was prompted by the rising number of cases and a potential surge in light of the upcoming holiday.

"The nation is urged to observe COVID-19 protocols of social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing of face masks all the time," Tshipayagae said.

Botswana's COVID-19 situation has deteriorated in recent weeks with a spike in the number of confirmed cases.

South Africa

South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize disbanded the government’s scientific advisory committee on the coronavirus, some of whose members have openly disagreed with state measures to tackle the disease.

Members of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid-19 were advised by letter this week that the group is being reconfigured, Francois Venter of the University of the Witwatersrand, and Glenda Gray, chief executive officer of the South African Medical Research Council, confirmed by text message on Saturday.

The disbanding follows Mkhize’s announcement on Sept. 14 that he would reconstitute the committee, News24 reported, citing the one-paragraph letter.

The 51-strong committee, headed by Salim Abdool Karim, was created earlier this year to advise Mkhize on how to handle the pandemic.

Some members of the council, including Gray and Venter, disagreed with the government’s decision to curb economic activity in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. Gray’s criticism of some of the measures as “unscientific” in May prompted Mkhize to accuse her of lying and led to a spat between the government and the academic community. Venter and Shabir Madhi, another MAC member who heads up the South African arm of a vaccine trial, have also been critical.

South Africa recorded 668,529 cases and 16,312 deaths as of Friday, giving it the largest number of infections in Africa. More than 4.1 million people have been tested, out of a population of 59 million. The rate of coronavirus infections has slowed markedly over the past month.

The Health Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Germany 

Germany recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 cases since late April. Still, with 2,366 new infections in one day, the number is well below the additional cases reported by some other European countries.

After the start of the new school year in Germany, around 50,000 students are currently in quarantine, Bild-Zeitung reported, citing a survery of local authorities.

Russia 

Russia registered 7,523 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its national total to 1,143,571, the country's COVID-19 response center said in a statement Saturday.

The number of coronavirus infections in Russia has started to grow after the summer holiday season, with people gathering in large groups and many restrictions lifted.

Over the past day, 169 new deaths were reported, taking the country's death toll to 20,225, the center said, adding that 940,150 patients have recovered so far across the country, including 6,004 over the past 24 hours.

More than 44.7 million tests have been conducted in Russia.

Witnessing a steady growth in daily new cases, Moscow reported 1,792 new infections over the past 24 hours, bringing the city's tally to 283,760.

Belarus 

Belarus reported 332 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking its total to 77,289, according to the country's health ministry.

There have been 121 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 74,046, the ministry added.

So far, 813 people have died of the disease in the country, including six over the past 24 hours, it said.

As of Saturday, 1,809,522 tests for the virus have been conducted across the country, including 17,096 over the past 24 hours, according to official figures.

Tunisia 

Tunisia has reported its highest daily new coronavirus cases since the outbreak in the country on March 2, by confirming 1,087 new COVID-19 infections and 11 new deaths, announced Tunisian Ministry of Health on Saturday.

According to its daily epidemiological report, the ministry said that the total number of confirmed cases in Tunisia reached 14,392, with 191 deaths.

"The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients reached 270 including 71 in intensive care units and 27 others are mechanically ventilated," it said.

According to the Tunisian Ministry of Health, 10 regions are officially qualified as "hot spot" with a cumulative incidence exceeding 250 cases per 100,000 inhabitants