According to the data from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population (MoHSPP), 35 new officially confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported in Tajikistan yesterday, bringing a total number of the officially confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country to 13,106 as of the evening of December 24.  

The number of coronavirus-linked deaths remains the same in the country – 89, a MoHSPP says.

42 COVID-19 patients were reportedly discharged after recovery yesterday.  In all, 12,578 (95.8 percent) coronavirus patients have reportedly recovered in the country as of the evening of December 24. 

The COVID-19 pandemic in Tajikistan is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).  The virus was confirmed to have spread to Tajikistan when its index cases, in Dushanbe and Khujand, were confirmed on April 30, 2020.      

The coronavirus COVID-19 is reportedly affecting 218 countries and territories around the world and two international conveyances.

COVID-19 has now reached every continent after Antarctica recorded its first outbreak on December 20.

Meanwhile, CNN says an update from an influential coronavirus model has upped its predictions of COVID-19 deaths in the United States from 562,000 to 567,195 by April 1, 2021.

Citing the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model, CNN notes that 33,200 lives will be saved by a projected vaccine rollout and a rapid rollout would save 45,000 lives.

Mask wearing has reportedly increased to 74% in the United States, but expanding mask wearing to 95% would reduce deaths by 49,000 by April 1.  If states ease coronavirus mandates, the model reportedly projects 731,000 deaths by April 1.

According to IHME, daily deaths are expected to rise into mid-January and then begin declining if state governments impose mandates on gatherings, bar and restaurant openings, and other major locations for transmission.  Daily deaths in the absence of concerted government action can reach over 5,000 by mid-February IHME said.