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A woman receives a corona vaccination in the multipurpose center of Orange Farm (South Africa) (stock image)
Photo: Jerome Delay / dpa
Deaths attributed to the coronavirus are expected to fall nearly 94 percent in Africa this year compared to 2021.
This was announced by the World Health Organization (WHO).
With 350,000 deaths - or 970 deaths per day - 2021 was the deadliest year of the pandemic in Africa, mostly due to the delta variant, said WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti.
According to scientific models, around 23,000 corona-related deaths (or 60 per day) can be expected by the end of this year as long as current variants and transmission dynamics remain constant, Moeti said.
Overall, the WHO expects 166.2 million corona infections in the region this year, compared to 227.5 million last year.
This is thanks to rising vaccination rates, better prepared health systems and a surge in natural immunity, Moeti said.
However, the number of unreported cases in Africa remains high: According to the WHO, only one in 71 corona diseases is reported.
No more corona deaths in Iran
Iran is also reporting positive news: For the first time since February 2020, no new corona deaths were registered in the country in one day.
"After two years and 100 days, Iran did not have a single new corona victim on Thursday - and we take the opportunity to congratulate for this great success," said Health Minister Bahram Ejnollahi.
Nevertheless, all Iranians should continue to follow the corona rules until the pandemic finally ends, Ejnollahi said, according to the Health Ministry's online portal.
The number of newly infected people in Iran was 175 on Thursday.
Iran was severely affected by the pandemic until the middle of last year.
The daily number of victims even rose to more than 700 last August, and those infected exceeded the 50,000 mark.
The situation eased after the vaccination campaign had been accelerated.
The Ministry of Health has ordered a fourth vaccination for all age groups in order to keep the pandemic under control.
In total, more than 141,000 corona deaths and more than 7.2 million infected people have been registered in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic.
bam/dpa
