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Hard Numbers: Locusts swarm again, Americans refute death toll, vaccine race, diamond diggers die
18: There are currently 18 locust swarms ravaging northern Kenya, as part of the second wave of locusts now plaguing East Africa. Authorities warn that if the crop-devouring insects continue to multiply in the coming months, a humanitarian crisis could quickly develop in a region where millions already rely on food aid to survive.
67: Most Americans – some 67 percent – don't believe the official US coronavirus death toll. Forty-four percent of those surveyed say the current toll of 70,100 is an undercount, while 23 percent think the number is inflated. Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to think the number is too low.
4: As the global competition to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 intensifies, four Chinese companies have already started testing vaccine candidates on humans. That means China now has more companies at this advanced trial stage than the US and UK combined. However, China's vaccine industry has long been accused of poor quality standards.
25: At least 25 diamond diggers working in the Liberian town of Masakpa, near the border with Sierra Leone, are presumed dead after a mine they dug collapsed. Despite efforts to weed out Liberia's "blood diamond" trade, diamonds are still mined and sold for millions in West Africa before being traded for weapons.