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Coronavirus pandemic - World News

Spain's health ministry says the number of COVID-19 deaths has risen to 8,189 up from 7,340 yesterday and the number of confirmed cases has risen to 94,417 up from 85,195
 
A recent survey has found that 75% of Canadians returning from abroad aren't following the rules of quarantine.

For weeks the federal government has asked Canadians entering the country from abroad to quarantine for 14 days - no visitors, no leaving the house, even to get groceries.

But a survey conducted by Innovate Research Group suggests that few are obeying these rules. Their survey of 2,000 Canadians found that, of the 140 who had recently returned from abroad, 75% had left the house to get groceries. About 40% hosted guests in their own home and 40% had visited their friends' or relatives' homes.

The survey was conducted between 23-26 March. During that time, the government made quarantine mandatory for Canadians returning from abroad. Those caught breaking the rules could face fines or jail time.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of Canadians are taking Covid-19 seriously, the survey found. More than 90% reported washing their hands more often, and keeping a social distance of more than 2m (6ft) most of the time.
 
Italy has confirmed 837 more deaths from coronavirus, taking the country’s total to 12,428 - the highest toll in the world.

There are 2,107 new infections compared with Monday's figure of 1,648. The official total now is 77,635 cases. But the rate of new infections was higher four days ago.

Italy's government says 15,729 people have recovered from the virus. But among the dead were 66 doctors.
 
American Airlines, one of the world's richest carriers, says it will apply for $12bn (£9.7bn) in government aid

British Airways is suspending all flights from London's Gatwick airport, the UK's second busiest

There have been more than 800,000 cases worldwide, with 38,000 dead; 170,000 have recovered

In the US, three out of four people face some form of restriction

Spain records highest number of fatalities in a single day - 849

The World Bank says "significant economic pain seems unavoidable" in the Asia Pacific region
 
JAKARTA: Indonesian leader Joko Widodo declared a state of emergency Tuesday as coronavirus deaths in the world's fourth most populous country jumped again, but he resisted calls for a nationwide lockdown.

Widodo's administration has been heavily criticised for not imposing lockdowns in major cities, including the capital Jakarta, a vast megalopolis home to about 30 million people where most of the country's virus deaths have been reported.

Indonesia's leader offered few details of the state of emergency beyond calling for stricter social distancing, but announced $1.5 billion in beefed-up social assistance and subsidies for low-income workers.Tens of millions eke out a living on poorly-paid jobs in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

"To overcome the impact of COVID-19, we've chosen the option of large-scale social distancing," Widodo told reporters.

"We must learn from the experience in other countries, but we cannot copy them because every country has its own characteristics," he added.

On Tuesday, authorities said 136 people had died after contracting the virus, with 1,528 confirmed cases of infection.

But the latter figure is widely thought to be well below the real number in the archipelago of more than 260 million.The Indonesian Doctors'Association has warned that the coronavirus crisis is far worse than has been officially reported and that the government's response is "in tatters".

Jakarta's governor has said nearly 300 suspected or confirmed victims of the virus have been wrapped in plastic and quickly buried in the city since the start of March.

The capital's top politician has been pushing for a total lockdown of the city.

Also Tuesday, Indonesia's corrections agency said it is set to offer early release to about 30,000 inmates to help stem the spread of the virus in over-crowded prisons. The number amounts to more than 10 percent of Indonesia's 272,000 inmate population.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/280159-indonesia-declares-state-of-emergency-as-virus-toll-jumps
 
BREAKING: Italy reports 4,053 new cases of coronavirus and 837 new deaths.

Total of 105,792 cases and 12,428 deaths.
 
Australia has reported a drop in the number of new coronavirus cases. Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters that the rate of growth in new infections had fallen from 25 to 30% last week, to 9% on average over the past three days, according to news agency Reuters. He said it was an "early promising sign"

Myanmar has recorded its first coronavirus death. The man was 69, and was suffering from cancer, health officials said. The country, formerly known as Burma, has 14 cases so far

The World Health Organization says it expects the Philippines to ramp up testing after the number of coronavirus-related deaths reached 78. The country has recorded just 1,546 infections so far, with the high death rate appearing to suggest many cases are going undiagnosed

New at-home blood collection services are being launched in Pakistan after the numbers donating fell due to the coronavirus outbreak. An official at the Fatimid Foundation, which will collect blood at the doorstep, told BBC Urdu it was meant to allow people to donate without leaving home. Pakistan has about 100,000 patients, most of them children, with thalassemia who need blood transfusions every 10 to 15 days
 
France has recorded 499 new hospital deaths from coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 3,523, its director of health has said. This is the highest daily rise in such deaths since the outbreak began.

Health agency director Jérôme Salomon told a news conference that the number of cases had risen to 52,128 from 44,550 in the same period.

He said a total of 5,565 patients had been placed in intensive case, a rise of 588 in 24 hours.

France is one of five countries, including the US, China, Italy and Spain, to have surpassed the threshold of 3,000 deaths.

France is not yet counting deaths outside hospitals, so the total number of deaths could potentially be higher.
 
An asylum seeker living in a migrant camp in Greece has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first known refugee in the country to do so.

The woman was diagnosed with Covid-19 after giving birth at a hospital in the Greek capital, Athens.

Greek authorities are tracing her recent contacts but believe she may have contracted the virus in hospital.

The woman's baby has been tested, with results pending.

She had been living among around 2,500 people at a migrant camp on the Greek mainland.

There have been no cases of coronavirus at the camp, where an isolation area is available, a Greek migration ministry official told Reuters news agency.

Greece has reported 1,314 cases and 49 deaths from coronavirus so far.

Human rights groups and medical charities have raised concerns about the risk of the coronavirus spreading rapidly in overcrowded and often squalid migrant camps in Greece.

Medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has called on the Greek government to evacuate all its migrant camps immediately.
 
Dutch PM Rutte says schools, restaurants to stay shut till April 28

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday all schools, restaurants, and gyms would remain closed until at least April 28, and he urged the nation to continue to respect all measures introduced to help counter the coronavirus outbreak.

Rutte’s government on March 15 had ordered schools closed until April 6. A ban on public gatherings was strengthened last week and extended until June.

“Even after April 28 it will be a while before we get back to normal, don’t make plans for the May holidays,” Rutte told a news conference in The Hague, at which he also urged people to adhere to social distancing rules.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ants-to-stay-shut-till-april-28-idUSKBN21I2YN
 
US President Donald Trump urges Americans to follow guidelines, calling it "a matter of life and death"
The US death toll surpasses 4,000 and there are fears as many as 200,000 people could die there
A British national is among four people to have died on the virus-hit Zaandam cruise ship
India officials are trying to trace participants from a religious festival that has become a virus cluster
More than 800 people died in both Spain and France on Tuesday
The UK government has said a rapid increase in virus deaths there is "deeply shocking"
There are now more than 800,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 around the world
 
The current coronavirus outbreak is the biggest challenge for the world since World War Two, UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned.

He said it could bring a recession "that probably has no parallel in the recent past".

Mr Guterres was speaking at the launch of a UN report on the potential socioeconomic impact of the outbreak.

The number of confirmed cases around the world is now nearing 860,000, with more than 42,000 deaths.

The death toll in the US is now more than 4,000 - higher than the declared number of fatalities in China, where the outbreak began late last year.

More than 189,000 people in America have been infected, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

About three out of four Americans are now, or about to be, under some form of lockdown, as more US states tighten measures to fight the coronavirus, which causes the Covid-19 disease.

Meanwhile, Spain, second only to Italy in the number of recorded fatalities, has seen 849 deaths in the last 24 hours - the highest number it has had in a single day.

In the UK, a total of 1,789 people have died - a rise of 381, officials say. Among the victims was a 13-year-old boy, King's College Hospital Trust in London said.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52114829
 
Globally there are now more than 860,000 confirmed cases and more than 42,000 deaths

President Trump has told Americans they are in the midst of a great national trial unlike any the US has faced before. More than 4,000 people have died due to the Covid-19 disease in the US, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University,with officials predicting that as many as 200,000 people could die in the country

China’s President Xi Jinping has urged his country to return to work carefully while maintaining social distancing

Burundi and Sierra Leone have become the latest African countries to record their first positive results

A 13-year-old boy is thought to be the youngest person to die with the disease in the UK. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton in south London, died in King's College Hospital on Monday.

The UK is aiming to increase the number of tests for coronavirus to 25,000 a day by the middle of April, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has said

A British national is among four passengers to have died on board a cruise ship that is struggling to contain an outbreak of Covid-19
 
Philippines reports 227 new coronavirus cases, eight more deaths
The Philippines recorded 227 new coronavirus cases and eight more deaths on Wednesday, the health ministry said.
 
Spain has seen 864 deaths related to the coronavirus in a day, a new record in a 24-hour period for the country, the health ministry says.

The national death toll is at 9,053. There have been 102,136 confirmed cases.

French and Spanish authorities reported record-high numbers of daily deaths on Tuesday – 499 in France and 849 in Spain. French officials plan to shuttle critically ill patients out of Paris to less affected regions, with similar plans under consideration in Spain

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a meeting with leaders of the country’s 16 states about how long restrictions will last – with a focus on the upcoming Easter weekend. Germany has recorded 67,366 confirmed cases and 732 deaths

Italy remains the worst-affected nation worldwide in terms of deaths, with 12,428 now reported. There is some hope that the number of infections is plateauing, but also fears that the poorer south of the country remains at serious risk. Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri told newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano on Wednesday that a 6% drop in GDP this year is “realistic”

And in Slovenia, the director of a hospital has apologised after tweeting that he wouldn’t treat a journalist and an opposition politician who had criticised the government if they fell ill. Dr Janez Lavre has since said the comments were “completely inappropriate and seriously offensive
 
Cracking down on April Fools' jokes
Some countries are not messing around when it comes to April Fools' Day this year.

A few countries have gone as far as threaten jail time for those attempting any pranks today, deeming them inappropriate and dangerous.

India's Maharashtra state said "strong action" would be taken against "miscreants", who use the day to spread fake news.

The state's police also took to Twitter, asking residents to "not be a fool" and maintain social distancing.

Thai authorities have warned that those spreading misinformation on Covid-19 could be penalised under its strict Computer Crime Act and face up to five years in prison.

And the no-joke rule has been adopted by certain corporations too. Earlier in the week, Google cancelled its infamous April Fools' tradition.

According to an internal email obtained by Business Insider, Google will “take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the Covid-19 pandemic."

But none of this has stopped people on social media from wondering whether all of 2020 so far has been some sort of extended April Fools' prank.
 
Spain has recorded another 864 deaths related to coronavirus, the highest in one day, as the total number of deaths across Europe has gone beyond 30,000.

More than 9,000 people have died in Spain, which is second only to Italy in fatalities caused by the virus.

Confirmed cases in the country have passed 100,000, but numbers show the infection rate continues to fall.

UN Secretary General António Guterres said the pandemic was the world's biggest challenge since World War Two.

The warning comes amid dire predictions about the possible economic impact of measures imposed to fight the virus. A UN report estimates that up to 25 million jobs could be lost around the world as the result of the outbreak.

The number of confirmed cases around the world is now over 870,000, with more than 43,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Wednesday's number of deaths in Spain was marginally higher than the 849 announced the day before, and the country has now seen more than 800 deaths for five days in a row. But health officials believe the latest 12% increase in daily infections is further evidence that the rate has stabilised.

Spain has been in lockdown for over two weeks, with further restrictions on movement introduced two days ago. But health services in the hardest-hit areas, including Madrid and Catalonia, are still struggling, with shortages of medical equipment a particular problem.

The number of fatalities in the US has now topped 4,000, and Iran says Covid-19 - the disease caused by coronavirus - has claimed 3,000 lives. Belgium said more than half its intensive care beds were occupied as it reported a rise of 123 deaths, bringing the country's death toll to 828.

Meanwhile the Nato military alliance said it remained in "a state of operational readiness" to defend the borders of its members despite the pandemic, although it had cancelled a number of exercises to prevent the spread of infection.
 
The Australian government says the coronavirus infection curve is flattening and the country should be thinking about the long haul

About 40,000 retired medics are to be called back to work

And there is a developing stand-off over a cruise ship in Fremantle – the crew of the Artania are refusing to leave port after being ordered to do so. The ship has had dozens of coronavirus cases. Authorities fear some 450 people on board might still have the virus. None of them is Australian
 
Rise in one-day death toll in Spain of 864 as Europe passes another grim milestone in the pandemic

Wimbledon cancelled for first time since World War Two

The number to have died in the UK also rises, by 563 to 2,352

US President Donald Trump urges Americans to follow guidelines, calling it "a matter of life and death"

The US death toll surpasses 4,000 and there are fears as many as 200,000 people could die there

The official death toll in Iran is now more than 3,000

A British national is among four people to have died on the virus-hit Zaandam cruise ship

There are now more than 800,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 around the world
 
After speaking to state leaders in a conference call, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that the country's anti-virus restrictions will stay in place until at least 19 April.

Ms Merkel advised against people visiting relatives or taking trips over the Easter break. "A pandemic knows no holidays," she said.

So far Germany has reported more than 67,000 confirmed cases and 732 deaths
 
Cuba's communist government has suspended the annual Day of the Worker parade to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The event, scheduled for 1 May, is a key date in the island's political calendar.

BBC Cuba correspondent Will Grant said the move was "the last thing Cuba’s government would have wanted to do".

President Miguel Diaz-Canel has suggested that organisers might hold an alternative in keeping with social distancing, such as hanging Cuban flags outside homes or some form of “virtual parade”.

It comes after Cuba suspended all commercial aviation in and out of the island and an entire community was placed into isolation in the province of Pinar del Rio.

There are about 200 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Cuba and six people have died.
 
The death toll in Italy rose to 13,155, up by 727 - about 100 fewer than the day before. The rate of infection rose slightly compared to Tuesday, but the broad trend over the last ten days suggests the spread of the virus may finally be slowing

Spain however became the third country to confirm more than 100,000 cases, and reported 864 deaths -another record for a 24-hour period. It is the fifth day in a row in which more than 800 people have died

Following talks with state leaders, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has extended the national anti-virus restrictions until at least 19 April, including over the Easter break. “A pandemic knows no holidays,” Ms Merkel said, as she warned people not to take trips or visit relatives

And although Sweden’s schools, bars and restaurants remain open, the government is now ramping up its social distancing advice. People have been told to avoid large social gatherings and public transport at busy times. New rules are in place limiting the amount of prescription medicines people can get from pharmacies, to limit hoarding.
 
Healthy-looking people spread coronavirus, more studies say

More evidence is emerging that coronavirus infections are being spread by people who have no clear symptoms, complicating efforts to gain control of the pandemic, AP reports.

A study conducted by researchers in Singapore and published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday is the latest to estimate that around 10 per cent of new coronavirus infections may be sparked by people who were infected with the virus but not experiencing symptoms.

https://www.dawn.com/live-blog/
 
France says that 509 people with coronavirus have died over the last 24 hours.

That takes the total number of deaths in hospitals in the country to 4,032.

The latest daily figure is the highest so far - nine more than the previous 24 hours.
 
People in Mauritius will from now on shop for essentials on allocated days depending on the first letter of their surname as a measure to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Prime Minster Pravind Jugnauth said the measure would avoid overcrowding, adding that shoppers will only have 30 minutes to finish their shopping.

This means that, those whose surnames begin with A-F will shop on Monday and Thursday, G-N on Tuesday and Friday and O-Z on Wednesday and Saturday. The shops will be closed on Sunday.

That means, I - Mohabuth - will only have to wait two more days to top up on basic food items.

On Tuesday, the island nation reported its fifth death following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the island nation. The latest victim, a 71-year-old man, had been admitted to hospital on Sunday.

The authorities say 161 people with Covid-19 are being treated in hospitals across the country. Some 1,709 people are in quarantine in government facilities and private hotels.

The prime minster also announced the extension of a nationwide lockdown, due to end on Thursday, to at least 15 April.
 
Saj said:
People in Mauritius will from now on shop for essentials on allocated days depending on the first letter of their surname as a measure to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Prime Minster Pravind Jugnauth said the measure would avoid overcrowding, adding that shoppers will only have 30 minutes to finish their shopping.

This means that, those whose surnames begin with A-F will shop on Monday and Thursday, G-N on Tuesday and Friday and O-Z on Wednesday and Saturday. The shops will be closed on Sunday.

That means, I - Mohabuth - will only have to wait two more days to top up on basic food items.

On Tuesday, the island nation reported its fifth death following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the island nation. The latest victim, a 71-year-old man, had been admitted to hospital on Sunday.

The authorities say 161 people with Covid-19 are being treated in hospitals across the country. Some 1,709 people are in quarantine in government facilities and private hotels.

The prime minster also announced the extension of a nationwide lockdown, due to end on Thursday, to at least 15 April.
Click to expand...

LOL I'd LOVE to see that implemented in UK. That would be interesting to say the least, especially in desi areas :))
 
COVID-19 cases and deaths rising, debt relief needed for poorest nations: WHO

The head of the World Health Organization voiced deep concern on Wednesday about the rapid escalation and global spread of COVID-19 cases from the new coronavirus, which has now reached 205 countries and territories.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that his agency, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund backed debt relief to help developing countries cope with the pandemic’s social and economic consequences.

“In the past five weeks there has been a near-exponential growth in the number of new cases and the number of deaths has more than doubled in the past week,” Tedros told a virtual news conference at the organisation’s Geneva headquarters.

“In the next few days we will reach 1 million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths worldwide,” he said.

China, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged in December, reported dwindling new infections on Wednesday and disclosed for the first time the number of asymptomatic cases, which could complicate how trends in the outbreak are read.

Asked about the distinction, Dr. Maria ver Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist who was part of an international team that went to China in February, said the WHO’s definition included laboratory-confirmed cases “regardless of the development of symptoms”.

“From data that we have seen from China in particular, we know that individuals who are identified, who are listed as asymptomatic, about 75 percent of those actually go on to develop symptoms,” she said, describing them as having been in a “pre-symptomatic phase”. The new coronavirus causes the respiratory disease COVID-19.

The outbreak continues to be driven by people who show signs of disease including fever and cough, but it is important for the WHO to capture that “full spectrum of illness”, she added.

Tedros praised India’s $22.6 billion economic stimulus plan - announced after a 21-day lockdown imposed last week - to provide free food rations for 800 million disadvantaged people, cash transfers to 204 million poor women and free cooking gas for 80 million households for the next 3 months.

“Many developing countries will struggle to implement social welfare programmes of this nature,” he said.

“For those countries, debt relief is essential to enable them to take care of their people and avoid economic collapse. This is a call from the WHO, the World Bank and IMF - debt relief for developing countries,” he said.

But debt relief processes are lengthy, Tedros said.

“What we are proposing together with the World Bank and IMF is an expedited process to support countries so their economies will not be getting into crisis and their communities will not be really getting into crisis,” he said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-needed-for-poorest-nations-who-idUSKBN21J6IL
 
Summary

WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the number infected globally will reach a million within days

The WHO is to discuss whether to change its advice and promote wider use of face masks

The number of confirmed cases stands at 932,605 and more than 46,800 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins UniversityHalf of humanity is now subject to some form of restriction on daily lives

There is growing concern in several countries about supplies of protection equipment for medical workers

In the US, the governor of Connecticut has confirmed a six-week-old baby has died of Covid-19

British Airways is to suspend 36,000 staff after grounding most of its fleet
 
As the death toll from the coronavirus in the USpasses the 5,000 mark, reports say the federal government’s reserve of protective equipment and medical supplies is almost exhausted

Global oil prices have risen after US President Donald Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia and Russia to reach a deal soon to end their price war

Australian authorities say foreign cruise liners must sail for home, so as not to flood local hospitals with patients

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on all citizens to wear face masks when out in public. He added that religious festivals should only be celebrated with immediate family members

Women's organisations in Latin America say they are bracing for increased gender violence amid widespread lockdowns. One Mexican NGO said women were struggling to stay safe from their violent partners

Millions of Syrians living in refugee campsacross the Middle East are bracing themselves for the pandemic. Social distancing is proving very difficult in over-crowded living conditions
 
Tokyo sees biggest jump in cases in a single day - report

Reports in Japan citing Kyodo News say Tokyo has seen more than 90 new cases of infections, making it the biggest jump in cases in the city in a single day.

There are more than 2000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, and about a quarter of them are in Tokyo.
 
Latest from Europe

Health officials in Italy and Spain both say there is evidence the outbreak is slowing. The two countries are the worst affected worldwide in terms of deaths, with Italy reporting 13,155 and Spain recording 9,053

Authorities in France say 570 people have died in nursing homes in the Grand-Est region alone. The official national death toll only includes those who die in hospitals, and there are growing concerns that many more have died in care homes.

BBC Paris correspondent Lucy Williamson has covered the crisis
The number of confirmed cases in Russia has jumped by 771 cases in 24 hours, to a total of 3,548

And the tiny principality of Andorra reportedly has plans to test its entire population. According to the news site ARA, health minister Joan Martínez Benazet says all 77,000 citizens of the state will get antibody tests.
 
Indonesia's coronavirus infection rises to 1,790: official

Indonesia confirmed 113 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 1,790, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

==

Philippines reports 11 new coronavirus deaths, 322 more infections

The Philippines' health ministry on Thursday recorded 11 new deaths and 322 additional cases from the coronavirus outbreak.
 
Fears of coronavirus catastrophe as Myanmar reports first death

Yangon, Myanmar - Myanmar is braced for a "major outbreak" after one of the thousands of migrants returning from Thailand tested positive for the new coronavirus, and the country recorded its first COVID-19 death on Tuesday.

Myanmar confirmed its first two cases on March 23, in two people who had travelled to the United States and the United Kingdom, but that number has now climbed to 14.

Andrew Tatem, an epidemiologist at the University of Southampton, said it was "quite likely" the virus arrived in Myanmar earlier.

"The countries surrounding Myanmar reported cases ... much earlier, and there is usually substantial mobility in the region," he said via email, adding that more widespread testing would be expected to find more cases.

Myanmar shares a 2,000-kilometre-long (1,243 miles) border with China, crossed by an estimated 10,000 workers on a daily basis. Before they were stopped, the country also had direct flights to Wuhan, the city where the pandemic first began.

Slow off the mark

Myanmar has also been slow to institute widespread testing, with only 517 people tested as of the end of March. Even this low number is a marked increase, given that Myanmar had tested less than 150 people by March 18. It was only on March 20 that the health minister announced a new policy to test for anybody with symptoms, not just recent travellers.

"To find 10 cases from 300 tests suggests that there are many more cases out there and scaling up testing should be a priority to get on top of the virus spread and guide response," Tatem said.

The United Nations has announced a plan to donate 50,000 testing kits to Myanmar, supplementing previous donations of 3,000 from Singapore and 5,000 from South Korea.

Khin Khin Gyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, admitted it was possible the virus arrived in Myanmar earlier, but said a certain percentage of those cases would presumably have been "severe" and therefore would have come to the government's attention.

Joshua Poole, country director for Catholic Relief Services Myanmar, agreed that if there were widespread cases across the country, the news would be circulating on social media. Poole also chairs the Steering Committee of the International NGO Forum in Myanmar and has sat in on virtual meetings between the WHO, UN, and Ministry of Health.

"We're having some challenges in terms of getting more tests out there. In my perspective, it seems like the government is doing everything they can. Obviously, there are some challenges, and there certainly seems to be some delays, but I'm actually quite impressed with what the ministry is able to do," he said in a recent interview.

Others, like independent analyst David Mathieson, are less impressed.

"The public health system in Myanmar is woefully unsuited to responding to a pandemic on this scale, so it will be hard to assess how long COVID-19 has been in the country and how many people have perished but had deaths recorded under other causes," he said.

Mathieson said the government was slow to respond due to a "toxic mixture of incompetence, a culture of denial, and ultra-nationalist bluster."

Health Minister Myint Htwe set the unrealistic goal of zero cases and zero deaths, while government spokesman Zaw Htay said Myanmar was protected by its lifestyle, diet, and lack of credit cards.

While Myanmar did begin to take action once cases were confirmed, Mathieson is worried the government lost more than a month's worth of time.

Return from Thailand

Tens of thousands of migrant workers returned from Thailand last week as the borders were closed, which Tatem said has "the potential to seed outbreaks across the country if there are not local outbreaks occurring already".

The migrants crowded across the border before boarding buses with the general population and dispersing throughout the country.

Khin Khin Gyi said the government had "planned a lot" for the return of migrants from Thailand.

"We had social distancing at the immigration counter, a medical declaration form, we took their names and residences in the country," she said.

She added that local authorities were informed of their whereabouts so they can "watch" returnees, and soon the government will implement community quarantine measures and violators will face legal action. "Some people do not follow the home quarantine," she said.

But locals and activists working with migrants said the government response had been unsatisfactory.

Alexa Bay, director of anti-trafficking group Daughters Rising, said migrant workers belatedly heard about self-isolation policies from local news.

"They have not heard anything from the government," she said.

Wahkushee Tenner, a Karen activist, said the chaotic return had put the migrants and local population at risk.

"These people are at the most risk of being infected if anyone among this big crowd is infected. It's really putting the local community at high risk where there is no test available, and most of these workers came from poor and remote areas," she said in a message.

Tenner said the government does not have the capacity to contain the virus, and criticised the military for being too "busy bombing and killing in Rakhine State and other ethnic areas."

"In a global epidemic situation it would be good to see the end of offensives against ethnic people," she said.

Those living in Myanmar's makeshift camps for people displaced by civil conflict are also bracing for a possible crisis. Human Rights Watch called the camps, which are home to an estimated 350,000 people, "COVID-19 tinderboxes".

"Years of conflict, neglect, and abusive policies by Myanmar's government and military have left hundreds of thousands of displaced people sitting in the path of a public health catastrophe," said HRW's Asia Director Brad Adams in a statement.

'Knife's edge'

Myanmar's poor also face the difficult choice between potentially exposing themselves to the virus, or taking an income hit they simply cannot afford.

"Many Myanmar people live on a knife's edge of livelihoods and food security," said Mathieson. "Myanmar's poor will be the ones who suffer the most from any pandemic, and any extended shutdown without significant government and private food supplies and sustainability will drive many communities to desperation."

Even as restaurants and bars across Yangon shut down over the weekend, taxi drivers continued calling out to the rare pedestrians on the street, offering rides.

They said they knew the risk, but felt they had no other choice. "If I don't drive, I don't eat," said one.

Bay works with domestic workers who feel the same way.

"Some of the girls who are domestic workers think that their job is risky now, and they are worried that they come in contact with people that have the virus ... but they don't feel they can refuse because they are afraid they will be fired," she said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...he-myanmar-reports-death-200401073723812.html
 
Spain tops 100,000 COVID-19 infections, with record death toll

Spain topped 100,000 coronavirus infections and registered its highest daily death toll on Wednesday (1 April) as health authorities raced to deploy hospital beds to deal with the pressure of the pandemic. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.

The latest figures place Spain third in the grisly global rankings of coronavirus cases, behind Italy and the United States, and second in terms of fatalities, behind Italy.

“The total number of cases soared to 102,136, with an increase of 7,719 in the past 24 hours,” María José Sierra, spokesperson of the Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies, told a press conference.

Of those infections, 22,646 have recovered and 9,053 have died.

There are 5,872 people in intensive care, the expert added, and in the last 24 hours, there were 864 deaths in Spain, the highest death toll in the country to date.

Bad but “expected figures”

Sierra pointed out that the situation today is a reflection of what happened two to three weeks ago, as there is a delay period from the point of infection until symptoms show.

“These are the figures we expected,” Sierra said.

Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska echoed Sierra’s views on Wednesday saying it was important to remember that “today’s fatalities were people who were infected before the confinement measures came into place.”

Health authorities said it was reassuring that 22% of reported infections had been discharged.

Fernando Simón, head of Spain’s centre for Health Emergencies, said: “the evolution of hospitalized cases and new ICU admissions is decreasing. It seems that we are already descending.

“Now the battle is to ensure our health system can offer treatment to everyone.”

The number of incoming patients needs to drop drastically, and the data seems to indicate things are moving in the right direction, although there will be no certainty until the end of next week, Simón added.

Spain now in a “stabilisation phase”

Health Minister Salvador Illa said in a press conference on Monday that Spain “has entered a stabilisation phase, and the objective this next week is to slow down.”

The minister added that the government had acquired several types of rapid testing kits which were being examined by experts.

Spain is now under pressure to increase its hospital bed capacity, particularly in ICUs, in order to face an expected surge in the number of patients requiring hospitalisation in the coming days.

In the capital region of Madrid, 10 new ICUs came into operation at the makeshift field hospital set up in the massive Ifema convention centre on the outskirts of the city, providing 5,500 beds, including 500 in ICU.

When fully operational, the makeshift emergency centre will become the largest hospital in Spain.

Shortage of ventilators and masks

There continues to be a great demand for material amid a shortage of respirators and personal protective equipment, such as suits and masks, according to reports from health officials.

In response to complaints about depleted resources, Illa insisted there was a regular supply of products. A shipment of seven million personal protective equipment suits and 1,900 ventilators are expected to arrive in the coming weeks, he said.

Miguel Ángel Villarroya, Chief of the Defence Staff, said the armed forces had received a Turkish armed forces plane in response to a request to NATO.

The army is also working to support a field hospital in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, which is facing a desperate situation in its hospitals and ICUs and is the second-worst hit region after Madrid.

Health officials are racing to deploy thousands of hospital beds to deal with the pandemic, as numerous field hospitals, sports venues, libraries, warehouses and navy vessels are being repurposed to deal with the growing number of sick persons.

Urgent measures to mitigate the economic slowdown

With almost 50,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19, the objective is to increase the number of beds with around 23,000 new units.

But the pandemic has also slowed down productivity after stricter confinement measures came into force on Tuesday when the government suspended all non-essential activities until 9 April.

In an attempt to mitigate the effects of the temporary economic slowdown, a set of 50 measures approved by the cabinet came into force on Wednesday.

The aid package targets vulnerable groups who have been affected by temporary layoffs and small and medium-sized businesses that have taken a blow since the lockdown.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/co...0-covid-19-infections-with-record-death-toll/
 
New weekly US unemployment claims hit a record high of 6.6m as the effects of the pandemic bite

Earlier there was record jump in the number of people applying for unemployment benefit in Spain

The sudden increase in those signing up is powerful evidence that the coronavirus crisis is an economic emergency

A total of 2,921 people have now died from coronavirus in the UK, according to the Department of Health and Social Care

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is expected to outline how the government hopes to achieve “a significant increase” in testing

The number of infections globally will reach a million within days, the head of the World Health Organization says

There is growing concern in several countries about supplies of protection equipment for medical workers
 
WHO has mismanaged the outbreak. Whether it's due to lack of authority or incompetence, WHO has been found wanting. No conviction whatsoever and continue changing the recommendations every week.
Developed countries have their own medical bodies to establish clinical practice guidelines. About time developing and under-developed countries start doing the same.
 
Latin America prepares for more cases

Across Latin America, the number of coronavirus cases has risen above 20,000 - doubling in five days.

In Mexico, authorities launched a smartphone application - Covid-19MX - which will help users self-diagnose. However, the ministry of health said some 1,500 ventilators were faulty and in need of repair. The country has had 37 deaths and 1,378 confirmed cases.

Ecuadorean authorities say they have managed to collect bodies of people from homes where they had been left for days, an issue which has caused outrage in the country and shock around the region. They say 150 bodies were recovered in the port city of Guayaquil.

In Cuba, some 30,000 medical students have been knocking on doors asking people whether they have been in contact with any virus-carrying foreigners and making them aware of rules to follow. Cuba has just over 200 confirmed Covid-19 cases.

Authorities in Panama have concluded that the virus arrived from eight different places in the world - four from the US, three from Europe and one from China.

Nicaragua says all Covid-19 cases so far are imported, there's has been no community transmission. There is unease, however, about the economic impact Covid-19 will have on a country of 6.6 million people where 2.4 million work in the grey economy, according to local media.

LATAM Airlines, South America's largest carrier, has announced it will only operate 5% of its scheduled passenger flights in April.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-52130552
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended the country's lockdown measures, lengthening the so-called "non-working" regime until 30 April.

All essential workers will continue in their jobs, but everyone else must stay at home. Salaries will still be paid in this period.

Mr Putin also said that the situation in Russia varies from region to region, with the outbreak far more serious in the capital Moscow than elsewhere. "Despite the efforts by city hall we have not reversed the trend," he said. He called for coordination at federal, regional and municipal levels to fight the virus.

Latest data from Russia show the number of infections jumped by 771 in just 24 hours, to a total of 3,548. Some, however, fear that the problem is far worse than those official figures suggest.
 
India's three-week lockdown - due to finish on 14 April - will end in phases, the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi says. The "staggered re-emergence" was announced amid fears that a second wave of infections could sweep through the country of 1.3bn people

Hong Kong has announced a two-week shut down of the region's bars and pubs. Secretary for Food and Health, Sophia Chan Siu-chee, announced the move after revealing 69 of the 132 locally transmitted cases since 19 March involved a visit to a bar or a pub, according to The South China Morning Post

Thailand is the latest country to announce a nationwide curfew. It will run from 22:00 to 04:00 local time (15:00 to 21:00 GMT) each night from Friday. No end date was given. It means more than half the world is now under some form of curfew
 
Nearly one out of 10 restaurants have closed permanently and some 800,000 jobs have been lost in the food service sector in Canada since 1 March, according to a survey by Restaurant Canada.

Restaurants across the country have been hard hit by the economic impact of the virus and measures put in place to stop its spread, says the industry association.

It estimates C$4bn ($2.8bn; £2.3) in lost sales nationwide in March.

Some restaurants are only open for delivery or take-out orders and have cut back on staff. Just over half have closed temporarily, according to the survey.

”In our 75 years of existence as Canada’s national foodservice association, these are by far the worst numbers we have ever seen," said the organisation's president, Shanna Munro.
 
Data from Johns Hopkins University suggests the global number of COVID-19 deaths has risen passed 50,000
 
BREAKING: Number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reached 1,000,000 worldwide.
 
5 countries -- USA, Italy, Spain, Germany and China -- have over 62% of the total worldwide coronavirus cases
 
UK lockdown looks like it’s working

Hopefully it is eased after 6 weeks
 
Ronaldo7 said:
and the rest of the world hasn't tested yet.

US has tested over a MILLION people.
Click to expand...

Correct.

There are many poor countries where not enough tests were done yet. It is very likely that there are millions of infections worldwide.
 
The speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, has become the most senior Iranian government official to test positive for coronavirus.

Mr Larijani has held the position for more than 12 years, heading up Iran's legislative body and chairing all its meetings. He is also a member of Iran's national security council, and a former aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

He did not contest this year's parliamentary elections and is expected to be replaced as speaker. But as Iran battles one of the worst outbreaks in the world, his successor has yet to be appointed.

More than 50,000 cases and 3,160 deaths have been reported in the country.
 
It first became known to the world as a mysterious type of pneumonia that had infected a few dozen people in a central Chinese city.
Now, three months later, more than a million people worldwide have been infected according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University in the US.

So how did we get here?

At the end of December, 34-year-old ophthalmologist Dr Li Wenliang tried to send a message to other medics warning them about a new virus in Wuhan, in China’s Hubei Province. He was later visited by the police.

On 3 January we wrote our first news report about a “mystery virus” in Wuhan. At the time, 44 cases had been confirmed, 11 of which were considered severe. There had been no deaths yet, but many feared we would see a repeat of the 2003 Sars outbreak that killed 774 people. By 18 January the confirmed number of cases had risen to around 60 - but experts estimated the real figure was closer to 1,700.

Just two days later, as millions of people prepared to travel for the lunar new year, the number of cases more than tripled to more than 200 and the virus was detected in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

On 23 January, Wuhan went into lockdown. At this point, 18 people had died - 17 in Hubei, and one in Beijing - and 570 others had been infected, including in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, South Korea and the United States.
10 days later, a 44-year-old man in the Philippines died of the virus - the first death reported outside of China.

Dr Li Wenliang died on 6 February.

A week later, an 80-year-old tourist died in France - Europe’s first coronavirus death. The virus appeared in Iran five days later, with two people who died within hours of their diagnosis being announced. Iran would later become a hotspot for the virus.

Italy saw a major surge in cases on 23 February, and 10 towns in Lombardy went into lockdown. On 10 March the lockdown was extended to the whole of Italy.

On 23 March, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a three-week lockdown in the UK.

Three days later, on 26 March, the US officially overtook China as the country hardest-hit by the coronavirus outbreak, with more than 86,000 confirmed cases. By 2 April, this had risen to more than 217,000 - almost double the number of cases in Italy.

In total, more than one million people worldwide have been infected with the coronavirus. Of these, more than 200,000 have recovered. But more than 50,000 people have died.
 
Canada now has more than 10,000 coronavirus cases and the death toll has jumped to 127.

There is particular concern about the spread in seniors' residences, which have become hotspots in some regions.

Quebec has been especially hard hit with over 5,500 cases in that province. On Friday, officials announced an increase of over 900 cases from the day before.

Canadian health officials and politicians have been under increasing pressure to release modelling numbers as provincial and municipal governments put in place increasingly strict self-isolation measures.

On Thursday, the premier of Ontario, Canada's most populous province, said he would be releasing that information on Friday.

But Premier Doug Ford had a warning: "People are going to see some really stark figures".
 
The World Bank says it has launched a $1.9bn (£1.5bn) emergency fund to help 25 countries with their response to the coronavirus pandemic. It said it was moving quickly on projects in 40 other nations.

India will receive the largest amount of funding - $1bn - to improve screening, tracing and laboratory diagnostics. The money will also go towards procuring personal protective equipment and to setting up isolation wards.

The bank said funding would go to countries on nearly every continent. Other beneficiaries include Pakistan, which will receive $200m, and Afghanistan which will get over $100m.

In addition, the World Bank said it was working to redeploy $1.7bn of existing funds and was prepared to spend up to $160bn over the next 15 months to help fight the pandemic.
 
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 1 million on Thursday with more than 51,000 deaths as the pandemic further exploded in the United States and the death toll climbed in Spain and Italy, according to a tally by a U.S. university.
 
Australia grapples with coronavirus case tracing as state border controls bolstered

The leader of Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, said on Friday that authorities did not plan to impose further lockdown restrictions, despite concerns more coronavirus cases were emerging without a known source.

New South Wales (NSW) remains the epicentre of the disease in Australia, although the rate of infection has fallen steeply in recent days.

“If all of us stick to the rules, don’t leave the house unless we absolutely have to, we will be able to some extent control and contain the spread,” said NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who added that there were no plans to bolster current measures.

NSW residents are subject to a public order that allows for fines of up to A$11,000 ($6,667) and prison time for those who breach strict social distancing rules. The order is due to run for 90 days.

Berejiklian said in Sydney on Friday that while infection rates were stabilising, health authorities were grappling with an increased number of cases without a known source.

“If we can’t identify the source it means we can’t deal with the spread - that is something we’re worried about.”

NSW accounts for just under half of the nation’s confirmed cases, which now exceed 5,200. There have been 25 deaths across the country.

State border controls were bolstered on Friday, with water barriers and checkpoints preventing all non-essential travel into Queensland, which shares a border with NSW.

Several states have introduced border controls in recent days for the first time since the Spanish flu epidemic 100 years ago.

Tasmania, an island off the mainland’s south-east coast, is all but isolated, while the iron ore-rich state of Western Australia is enforcing a “hard border close” from Monday.

Australia also has to decide what to do with more than a dozen cruise ships it has banned from docking at its ports. The issue has been a source of public angst in the country after hundreds of infections were traced to cruise ship passengers and returning travellers.

NSW Police commissioner Mick Fuller said on Friday that five Royal Caribbean ships off the country’s east coast will depart for their port of origin after refuelling and restocking on the weekend.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...state-border-controls-bolstered-idUSKBN21K3JK
 
Growth COVID cases worldwide

0 - 100k ~ 110 days
100k - 200k ~ 12 days
200k - 300k ~ 4 days
300k - 400k ~ 3 days
400k - 500k ~ 2 days
500k - 600k~ 39 hours
600k - 700k ~ 34 hours
700k - 800k ~ 38 hours
800k - 900k ~ 29 hours
900k -1000k ~ 24 hours
 
Raiwind in Pakistan is under total lockdown with a ban on all commercial activities and transport after some 40 preachers tested positive.
They belong to the Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat, whose members have also been in the news in India and Malaysia as prime suspects among potential coronavirus carriers.
Here's more news from the rest of South Asia:

After Sri Lanka saw its biggest jump in daily infections (21), there have been calls for more testing. The World Bank has just approved $128.6 in emergency funding to the country, which has 146 cases so far

Bangladesh to convert all its stadiums to quarantine facilities or field hospitals. The country has one of the lowest testing rates worldwide

A sixth person has tested positive in Nepal, which earlier this week extended its lockdown to 7 April
 
President Joko Widodo has made a plea for Indonesians to cancel their annual mass exodus, typically occurring at the end of the Muslim fasting month, Ramadan (which this year ends 23 May).

He has also proposed to push back the national holiday, "to bring calm to the public".

Tens of millions of people in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, each year flock to their hometown to celebrate Eid.

But this year the routine is deemed risky amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The government said it decided not to ban the mass exodus as it was unlikely that people would obey it.

They might be right. Despite declaring a public health emergency, urging public distancing and working from home, some roads in Jakarta are still very busy.

Not all people can afford to work from home, particularly informal workers who rely on daily income to live. The government is reluctant to implement a full lockdown, and people can still move in and out of the capital.

As of Thursday, Indonesia has 1,790 positive cases and 170 deaths, the highest death toll in Asia outside of China.
 
Peru is to stop people from leaving their homes according to their gender, in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Men will be allowed to go out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays but only to buy essential items, President Martín Vizcarra announced in a national address.

Women will be free to leave their homes on the other days of the week, with the exception of Sundays, when no one will be allowed out.

The measures will be in place until at least 12 April. Panama announced similar gender-based restrictions last week.

Peru was one of the first countries in South America to introduce lockdown measures.

It has reported more than 1,400 cases of Covid-19 so far, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the US.
 
Singapore to close schools, most workplaces

All schools and most workplaces will be closed for a month, starting next week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced.

All businesses except food establishments, markets, supermarkets, clinics, hospitals, utilities, transport and key banking services will have to shut.

The government is also changing its advice on masks and will no longer discourage citizens from wearing them, given growing research that people with no symptoms could transmit the virus. The government will give out reusable masks to every household.

Friday's announcement is a drastic move for Singapore, which has mostly managed to successfully control its outbreak. The country of about six million people has recorded five deaths and 1,049 infections. Schools, workplaces, malls and restaurants have up to now remained open, with some social distancing restrictions.

But in recent weeks, the city-state has faced a second wave caused by imported cases. In the last few days the number of local infections grew again, indicating community transmission was on the rise.

"Looking at the trend, I am worried that unless we take further steps, things will gradually get worse, or another big cluster may push things over the edge," said Mr Lee.
 
Cautious optimism as Italy shows initial signs of crisis slowing

Turin, Italy - Initial signs of a slowdown in Italy's coronavirus epidemic, the world's deadliest, have started appearing across the country in recent days, say officials, providing a beacon of cautious hope to other Western nations where authorities are implementing similar containment strategies - but where the infection rate is still growing fast.

Following a national lockdown that began on March 10, Italy has become an international litmus test to understand the dynamics of the virus's spread, and the relative success of strict measures to stem the contagion. Though statistics vary, many hard-hit countries could be around three weeks behind Italy in their domestic infection spread.

On Thursday, Italy announced that the number of deaths here had risen by 760 in 24 hours, to 13,915, as new cases grew at a steady rate by 4,668, against the previous day's 4,782, to a total of 115,242.

Similar rates of growth in total cases have been recorded in Italy over the past five days, shifting between a maximum of 5.6 percent and a minimum of four percent, showing a tentative steadying of the contagion curve.

Silvio Brusaferro, president of the National Institute of Health, told a press conference on Tuesday that the country seemed to be arriving at a plateau, showing that the movement restrictions were working. He also hinted at the possibility of having reached a peak in the contagion.

Although experts mostly agree there are some initial signs of improvement, they still warn that official numbers could be failing to provide a clear picture of the overall situation.

"Technically, the peak is the day when the highest number of daily infections is reached," Nino Cartabellotta, a leading Italian public health expert, told Al Jazeera.

"After March 21, when Italy had a high of 6,500 cases, we witnessed a decrease. We are now in a sort of a plateau, where numbers still go up and down, since they also depend on the number of tests conducted on a daily basis. This might last up to three weeks, when a [decrease] should begin."

But based on the different virus transmission rates seen across Italy's varied regions, and with discrepancies in testing policies, Cartabellotta says discussing a contagion peak in Italy was like talking about a fabled phoenix.

"The number of infected patients [announced] depends on the daily changes in the number of tests, meaning this figure cannot be taken as an objective measure. [It is like] looking through a keyhole that keeps constantly changing in size," he says.

Experts say the number of infected people in the country is certainly higher than has been announced, as the vast majority of tests have only been conducted on people who have been hospitalised, leaving infected citizens with no or few symptoms uncounted.

Meanwhile, officials said on Tuesday the number of deaths could have also been underestimated, since their data did not include the deaths of people who died at home or in nursing homes. In Bergamo, the city in Italy most badly affected by the infection, fatalities in the first three weeks of March increased more than four times compared with the same period in 2019.

But more positive signs have also emerged this week, with the rate of hospital admissions starting to slow, alongside a decline in the number of patients in need of intensive care in some of the country's worst-hit areas.

A doctor working in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in Cremona, one of the provinces most affected by the crisis, told Al Jazeera that the number of patients who were hospitalised with serious infections had slightly decreased since the weekend, along with the number of ambulance service interventions.

Virologist and University of Florida Professor Ilaria Capua, a former Italian MP, told Al Jazeera she felt "cautiously optimistic", although she also acknowledged that an overall statement about the course of the epidemic was difficult to issue in light of the different sampling procedures carried out in different Italian regions.

"I am beginning to feel optimistic because recent data are showing that there is no significant increase in the number of deaths or in severe clinical forms that require hospitalisation," she told Al Jazeera. "The biggest problem of this pandemic is the overload of the healthcare services. The number of hospitalisations is not significantly increasing, meaning that the restriction measures that were put in place are actually working. Therefore, we are hopefully stabilising before the epidemic curve starts decreasing."

Capua said the epidemic curve might also be impacted by the growing presence of antibodies across society. Those people who have been affected by an asymptomatic or mild form of COVID-19 should have in fact produced antibodies, which are one of the likely barriers to the transmission of the virus, contributing to the effects of the restriction measures.

But if Italy relaxed now, it could still witness new peaks.

Officials say a full lockdown will continue until at least Easter (April 12), while many are already expecting further extensions.

Cartabellotta warns that it could be potentially very dangerous if politicians start discussing what to do next and ways to reopen the country while basing their assumptions on the way their numbers are currently being recorded.

He also urged more clarity concerning the category of people authorities define as "recovered/discharged". As of Thursday, 18,278 individuals fall into this category.

It was not specified whether all those in this category underwent the double testing the World Health Organization requires for a case to be declared closed. The Italian health agency considers a case closed when someone heals and ceases to be contagious. Often, people who were discharged were not tested twice, meaning they could still be potentially contagious, or active cases.

"We are at risk here of letting people out who shouldn't go around," Cartabellotta says.

At the same time, more guidelines from European officials are needed to standardise metrics in measuring the contagion, thus helping scientists research and plan for the next steps to be rooted in scientific analysis.

"In order to study it we need to be speaking the same language," Capua says. "But we need to do it now. We cannot go back in time and generate data that we didn't collect in the right way. Because everything that we didn't collect is then gone, we don't have it anymore."

Male individuals also appear more likely to develop severe clinical cases of COVID-19 in Italy, and preliminary data suggest a similar scenario in other countries, though that requires more data and standardised methods to confirm.

Researchers aren't sure what's behind this apparent trend, but Capua says this preliminary evidence could represent a stepping stone as we head towards "the new normal", knowing it could represent a criterion to enact measures for the next phase of the emergency.

"If these data are confirmed, it would seem wise to start repopulating the workforce with a higher number of women than men initially," she said. "Because if women are more resistant, they'll have a tendency to get less seriously affected, and therefore they won't be another burden on the healthcare system."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ial-signs-crisis-slowing-200402172613243.html
 
The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Spain has risen by 932 over the past 24 hours, official figures show.

It brings the total there to 10,935, the second highest in the world behind Italy.
 
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish town with one of the highest rates of coronavirus cases in Israel has been placed under effective lockdown.

Residents of Bnei Brak, which is just outside Tel Aviv, will only be allowed out in exceptional circumstances. Only some key workers will be allowed in.

A senior health official said almost 40% of the town's 200,000 inhabitants probably had the virus.

Overall, more than 7,000 Israelis have been infected and at least 37 have died.
 
US Navy ship in New York with 1,000 bed capacity has only 20 patients

New York sees highest increase in deaths in a single day

Prince Charles opens a rapidly built field hospital in London

UK faces questions on how it will meet targets for testing

White House is expected to advise Americans to wear masks

The Queen will address the nation in a broadcast on Sunday night

Nearly 53,000 people have died and more than 210,000 have recovered
 
Peru has followed Panama in imposing new quarantine measures based on gender that mean men and women are allowed out of their homes on alternate days. Men can leave home on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; women can do so on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No-one is allowed out on Sundays.
Peru has seen more than 1,400 cases of Covid-19 and 55 related deaths.
Elsewhere:

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said a lockdown of two or three months would cause "massive unemployment". He's been widely criticised for urging Brazilians to ignore quarantine measures imposed by most state governors. Meanwhile, the health ministry believes the country's first coronavirus case was in January - nearly a month earlier than previously thought. Brazil has had just over 8,000 cases and 327 deaths

Argentina's beef exports to the EU have plunged to almost zero during the Covid-19 outbreak, officials told Reuters.

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno says he believes the coronavirus is far more widespread in his country than stated in a recent government report. Officially, Ecuador has had more than 3,000 infections and 120 deaths. It comes as residents of Guayaquil, Ecuador's second city, shared images of abandoned bodies in the streets
 
For the second day in a row, there have been more than 900 deaths in Spain;10,935 people have died of Covid-19 since the outbreak began. With 117,710 cases It has had some 2,000 fewer cases than Italy

In France, the government has revealed that a total of 884 care home residents have died of Covid-19, as care homes across Europe struggleunder the pandemic. Separately, two French doctors have sparked outrage after calling for coronavirus vaccines to be trialled in Africa

In Norway, the unemployment rate has risen to its highest ever level, with 14.7% of the population classed as either partially or fully unemployed

Slovakia is due to begin widespread testing among the Roma (Gypsy) community. The government says 1,500 Roma have recently returned from abroad

Germany has said it will allow 40,000 seasonal workers to enter the country to harvest asparagus, despite a travel ban
 
UN chief Antonio Guterres renewed his call for a global ceasefire, urging all parties to conflict to lay down arms and allow war-torn countries to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

"The worst is yet to come," Guterres said on Friday, referring to countries such as Syria, Libya and Yemen. "The COVID-19 storm is now coming to all these theatres of conflict."

His comments came after Spain announced another 932 coronavirus deaths as its total toll nears 11,000 and continued to suffer the second-most fatalities in the world behind Italy.

The United States reported the highest daily death toll of any country so far at nearly 1,200. It now has more than 6,000 fatalities as the contagion rapidly spreads.

More than 1,041,000 people have been diagnosed with the virus globally, according to the data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 221,000 people have recovered from the disease, including more than 9,000 in the US.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-top-240000-live-updates-200402230546497.html
 
A further 588 people in France have died from coronavirus, bringing the country's total to 6,507.

It's an increase on Thursday's figure of 471 deaths in a 24-hour period.

The number of cases nationally has increased to 64,338, a rise of more than 5,000.

France's death toll from the virus is the third highest in Europe, behind Italy (14,681) and Spain (10, 935).

We reported today that a high number of people have been dying in care homes in Europe - 884 in France since the epidemic began.

France's baccalaureat - the high-school leaving exam - will not take place this summer. This is the first time they have not been held since being introduced in 1808 under Napoleon Bonaparte.
 
New restrictions to control the spread of coronavirus in Turkey will ban all vehicles entering Istanbul and 30 other cities. Only essential traffic, including goods and medical products, will be allowed in.

A curfew will also apply to those under-20 from midnight on Friday, and wearing a mask will be mandatory in crowded public places, grocery stores and workpaces.

The number of deaths from the virus rose to 425 on Friday, and the number of confirmed cases reached more than 20,000.
 
Google has shared their data on change in public mobility due to policies by the government to stop the spread of the virus. Pretty interesting

https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility/

Info:
These Community Mobility Reports aim to provide insights into what has changed in response to policies aimed at combating COVID-19. The reports chart movement trends over time by geography, across different categories of places such as retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential.
 
Turkey imposes curfew on youth, shuts borders of 31 cities: Erdogan

Turkey imposed a partial curfew on citizens under the age of 20 effective from midnight on Friday as part of measures against the coronavirus outbreak, President Tayyip Erdogan said.

Turkey also decided to shut down the borders of 31 cities, including Istanbul, for all vehicles, excluding transit passage and essential supplies such as food, medical and sanitary products, to contain the disease, Erdogan said.

Turkey’s death toll from the outbreak rose to 425 on Friday, while the number of confirmed cases from the disease rose to over 20,000, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

“We have decided to bring partial curfew into effect for people under the age of 20 as of midnight Friday,” Erdogan said.

“The shutdown of city borders will be in effect for 15 days initially, however this period can be extended if necessary,” Erdogan told a news conference.

Mask usage in crowded public places, in public transport, grocery stores and workplaces will be obligatory, he also said.

Ankara has halted all international flights, limited domestic travel, closed schools, bars and cafes and suspended mass prayers to counter the outbreak. But people are still going to work, as Erdogan seeks to sustain economic production and exports.

In late March, Turkey ordered elderly citizens over 65, and those with chronic diseases to stay at home.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ts-borders-of-31-cities-erdogan-idUSKBN21L2SC
 
Saj said:
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish town with one of the highest rates of coronavirus cases in Israel has been placed under effective lockdown.

Residents of Bnei Brak, which is just outside Tel Aviv, will only be allowed out in exceptional circumstances. Only some key workers will be allowed in.

A senior health official said almost 40% of the town's 200,000 inhabitants probably had the virus.

Overall, more than 7,000 Israelis have been infected and at least 37 have died.
Click to expand...

I find this interesting, the ultra-orthodox Jews are hated by most Zionist Jews. Hope they get the help they need.
 
The US has been accused of redirecting 200,000 Germany-bound masks for its own use, in a move condemned as "modern piracy".

The local government in Berlin said the shipment of US-made masks was "confiscated" in Bangkok.

The FFP2 masks, which were ordered by Berlin's police force, did not reach their destination, it said.

Andreas Geisel, Berlin's interior minister, said the masks were presumably diverted to the US.

The US company that makes the masks, 3M, has been prohibited from exporting its medical products to other countries under a Korean-War-era law invoked by President Donald Trump.

On Friday, Mr Trump said he was using the Defence Production Act to demand that US firms provide more medical supplies to meet domestic demand.

"We need these items immediately for domestic use. We have to have them," Mr Trump said at the daily Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the White House.

He said US authorities had taken custody of nearly 200,000 N95 respirators, 130,000 surgical masks and 600,000 gloves. He did not say where they were taken into US hands.

Mr Geisel said the diversion of masks from Berlin amounted to an "act of modern piracy", urging the Trump administration to adhere to international trading rules.

"This is not how you deal with transatlantic partners," the minister said. "Even in times of global crisis, there should be no wild-west methods."

A 'treasure hunt' for masks

Mr Geisel's comments echo the sentiments of other European officials, who have complained about the buying and diversion practices of the US.

In France, for example, regional leaders say they are struggling to secure medical supplies as American buyers outbid them.

The president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, compared the scramble for masks to a "treasure hunt".

"I found a stock of masks that was available and Americans - I'm not talking about the American government - but Americans, outbid us," Ms Pécresse said. "They offered three times the price and they proposed to pay up-front."

As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, demand for crucial medical supplies, such as masks and respirators, has surged worldwide.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was considering changing its guidance on whether people should wear face masks in public.

At present, the WHO advises that masks do not provide sufficient protection from infection to justify mass usage. But some countries have taken a different view, including the US.

On Friday, Mr Trump announced that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will now recommend that Americans use non-medical, cloth face coverings to help prevent the spread of the virus.

The US has 273,880 recorded cases of Covid-19, the highest number in the world by a large margin.

Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has affected more than one million people and killed almost 60,000 globally, the latest figures show.

'Significant humanitarian implications'

In a separate development, 3M said the Trump administration had asked it to stop exporting US-made N95 respirator masks to Canada and Latin America.

The request had "significant humanitarian implications", the company warned, and could prompt other countries to act in kind.

The company says it manufactures about 100 million N95 masks per month - about a third are made in the US, and the rest produced overseas.

President Trump said he had used the Defence Production Act to "hit 3M hard", without providing additional details. The law dates back to 1950 and allows a president to force companies to make products for national defence.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Friday that "it would be a mistake to create blockages or reduce trade".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-52161995
 
Australia sees more signs of coronavirus spread stabilising

Australia reported more signs that the spread of the novel coronavirus has been stabilising, as New South Wales (NSW) health authorities defended the disembarking in mid-March of a virus-hit cruise ship, Reuters reported.

According to the federal health ministry data, there were 230 new cases of the coronavirus in the 24-hour period to early Saturday in Australia, bringing the total to 5,454 cases.

This suggests the daily increase rate has continued to stay at around 5 per cent in recent days, significantly lower than the 30pc jumps seen two weeks ago.
 
Thailand suspends incoming passenger flights to fight coronavirus

Thailand will temporarily ban all passenger flights from landing in the country to curb the outbreak of the new coronavirus, the country’s aviation agency said.

The ban on incoming flights will come into effect on Saturday morning and run until the end of Monday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said in an order published.
 
Brazilians scorn Bolsonaro's coronavirus efforts, back health officials

Brazilians increasingly disapprove of President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, and overwhelmingly support governors and health officials he has attacked for advocating social-distancing measures, two polls showed, Reuters reported.

The surveys suggest Bolsonaro’s attacks on governors and even his own health minister may have backfired.

Bolsonaro’s coronavirus performance has been “bad” or “awful” according to 39 per cent of respondents surveyed this week, up from 33pc last month, according to pollster Datafolha. Those who consider his response to the health crisis “good” or “great” slipped to 33pc from 35pc previously.
 
France's coronavirus death toll has risen by more than 1,000 to around 6,500 - as another 160,000 police officers were deployed to enforce the country's strict confinement laws.

The head of the country's national health agency said the steep rise in fatalities was because the figures included deaths from around 3,000 care homes for the elderly.

Worldwide, confirmed infections surged past one million and deaths topped 54,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Experts say both numbers are seriously under-counted because of the lack of testing, mild cases that were missed and governments that are underplaying the extent of the crisis.

Europe's three worst-hit countries - Italy, Spain and France - surpassed 30,000 dead, or over half of the global toll.

However, there was a glimmer of hope in Italy, which has seen nearly 14,000 deaths, after a flattening of the number of new infections.

Spain on Friday reported 932 new COVID-19 deaths, down slightly from the record it hit a day earlier.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavi...ld-faces-critical-equipment-shortage-11968346
 
A day of remembrance is held in China to honour those who died of Covid-19

UK public urged to stay at home as weather turns warm this weekend

UK government scientific adviser says he hopes restrictions may be relaxed in a few week’s time

US President Trump rejects his own experts' advice on wearing a face mask

The US has been accused of redirecting masks for its own use, in a move condemned as "piracy"

The IMF says the pandemic has stalled the global economy, causing a recession worse than 2008
 
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has now recommended that people in the US wear face masks when going out in public.

In the new guidelines, the CDC says: "Everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.

"The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected... Continue to keep about six feet between yourself and others, the cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing."

But it stresses that people shouldn't wear face masks that are meant for healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) says people only need to wear face masks if they're taking care of someone with the coronavirus, or if they are coughing or sneezing.

"Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water," the WHO adds.

England's deputy chief medical officer has said there are no plans to change UK guidance on the public wearing face masks, because he says it is not recommended as a way of stopping the spread of Covid-19.
 
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