Coronavirus pandemic - World News

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Belgians travelling to Spain need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test

All Belgians wanting to travel to Spain will need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test, from Monday 23 November, according to Belgium’s federal public foreign affairs service.

The coronavirus test must be carried out a maximum of 72 hours in advance.

Anyone arriving to Spain from a so called ‘high-risk’ area, regardless of nationality, must be able to show a recent negative coronavirus result, whether through the port or an airport.

At the moment, Spain considers Belgium to be a high-risk area. Belgians wanting to travel there will need to register online via a form where they will have to upload the proof of the negative test. Travellers will then receive a QR code which is required upon arrival.

If, the online form has not been carried out electronically, physical proof of the negative test, written in Spanish or English, will however also be accepted.

It is the responsibility of the airline companies to verify that their passengers have filled in the required form before boarding.

Belgium’s Foreign Affairs have Spain as a red zone, and that it is therefore strongly advised not to travel to this country.

All travellers returning from a red zone need to complete a self-assessment questionnaire. On the basis of the answers, the traveller will be informed whether or not they need to quarantine for 10 days.

Source: https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgi...to-show-proof-of-a-negative-coronavirus-test/.

 

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Turkey reports 6,713 new COVID-19 cases, 453,535 in total

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Turkey's COVID-19 patients increased by 6,713 to 453,535 on Monday, the Turkish Health Ministry announced, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Meanwhile, 153 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 12,511.

A total of 3,254 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, raising the total recoveries to 377,891 in Turkey since the outbreak.

The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients is 3.4 percent and the number of seriously ill patients is 4,409.

A total of 161,125 tests were conducted over the past day, bringing the overall number of tests to 17,406,742.

Turkey has reintroduced several restrictions to curb the surge of coronavirus cases, including a nationwide curfew from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. on weekends. Schools will remain closed until the end of the year, with students switching to online education.

Turkey reported the first COVID-19 case on March 11.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101174306/Turkey-reports-6713-new-COVID-19-cases-453535-in-total&source=22.

 

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Thailand extends Covid-19 emergency rule until mid-Jan

(MENAFN - IANS)

Bangkok, Nov 23 (IANS) Thailand on Monday announced the extension of the emergency rule imposed against the Covid-19 pandemic from December until mid-January 2021 aimed at the curbing the further spread of the virus.

The Cabinet of Ministers earlier on Monday approved a proposal from the government-run Center for the Covid-19 Situation Administration for the extension of the emergency decree to be enforced nationwide for a one-month-and-a-half period, beginning from December 1 until January 15, 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.

This will be the eighth time Thailand's emergency rule has been extended on monthly basis to contain the pandemic throughout the country.

Thailand has so far reported a total of 3,920 coronavirus cases and 60 deaths.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101169385/Thailand-extends-Covid-19-emergency-rule-until-mid-Jan&source=30.

 

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South Korea Faces New, Challenging Rise In Coronavirus Infections

After beating back two waves of coronavirus infections — and garnering international praise for its competent handling of the pandemic — South Korea now finds itself fighting a trickier, stealthier uptick in cases, which has forced it to ramp up social distancing quickly.

The first wave in February was tied to a megachurch and centered on the fourth-largest city of Daegu. The second wave in August was tied to a fundamentalist church and anti-government rallies in Seoul. The government moved quickly to isolate and test these clusters.

But the current crop of cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) says, appears to have no links to any major groups or events. Instead, the virus appears to be spreading quietly through community infection, involving small gatherings of family and friends and making the virus's path harder to trace.

"Contact between people increased through travels, events and gatherings after the social distancing regulations eased in October," KDCA Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong explained to reporters Monday, "while infected patients with no symptoms or mild symptoms have been piling up."

Patients in their 20s accounted for the largest increase last week, prompting the government to take extra preventive measures at schools, academies and cafes frequented by students.

The government has decided to raise the alert level twice in the Seoul area recently. The first went into effect last week, and the second is scheduled to start Tuesday, ultimately reaching the third level of a five-tier system.

Once that takes effect, gatherings of 100 people or more will be banned, nightclubs must suspend business, and restaurants will be limited to delivery and takeout business only after 9 p.m.

Local governments have some latitude to tailor social distancing to their situations. Seoul, which has the most cases, will reduce public transportation after 10 p.m. and ban political rallies of 10 people or more. The measures will remain in effect until year's end.

South Korea has had about 31,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 500 deaths. While these numbers remain low by international standards, South Korean authorities are worried because new cases are increasing at a rate similar to the first wave.

"If we fail to break the chain of infections, antivirus measures and medical efforts would not be sustainable," Second Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae told senior health officials Monday, according to Yonhap News Agency.

NPR's Se Eun Gong in Seoul contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.npr.org/sections/corona...ew-challenging-rise-in-coronavirus-infections.

 

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Brazil reports 302 COVID-19 deaths, toll at 169,485 - health ministry

BRASILIA — Brazil reported 16,207 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 302 deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry said on Monday.

The South American country has now registered 6,087,608 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 169,485, according to ministry data, in the world’s third worst outbreak outside the United States and India. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle)

Source: https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health...ovid-19-deaths-toll-at-169485-health-ministry.

 

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Spain's King Felipe in quarantine after close contact with coronavirus case

MADRID — Spain’s King Felipe VI started 10 days of quarantine on Monday after coming into close contact with someone who later tested positive for the new coronavirus, a Royal House source said.

The king, 52, has canceled his public appearances during the quarantine period after the person tested positive on Monday, one day after they were in close contact, the source added.

Felipe VI had chaired a scientific meeting in Madrid earlier on Monday.

Queen Letizia and their two daughters will continue their royal activities, the source said.

Spain has registered more than 1.58 million COVID-19 cases – western Europe’s second highest tally after France – and 43,131 deaths.

The overall number of infections has grown by almost 26,000 since Friday and the number of deaths has increased by 512, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

New infections measured over the past 14 days fell to 374 per 100,000 people as of Monday, from 530 in the first week of November. (Reporting by Joan Faus, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

Source: https://nationalpost.com/pmn/entert...ine-after-close-contact-with-coronavirus-case.

 

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France set to continue coronavirus lockdown while easing some restrictions

French President Emmanuel Macron could announce a slight easing of lockdown measures on Tuesday when he addresses the nation in a primetime speech to update on the country's COVID-19 situation.

The president is expected to announce an adaptation of restrictions which have been in place since the end of October.

Many expect that non-essential commerces may be able to reopen in the month of December. The government has pushed Black Friday back to December 4, the economy minister announced, in order to allow shops to "reopen in the near future", for instance.

"To be clear: the lockdown will continue and so there will continue to be limits on travel," said French government spokesman Gabriel Attal in an interview with the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

There will be three steps of relaxing restrictions, starting in the beginning of December, then before the Christmas holidays, and finally in January 2021, Attal specified.

The comments marked a change in discourse about the period of time after lockdown - with the government emphasising that instead of coming out of lockdown, restrictions will likely remain in place this time.

"[After the first lockdown] everyone was eager to get back to normal as soon as possible...Did we hope, including in the government, not to have to return to lockdown? Of course. Did we do enough to prevent any risk? Obviously not. But no country has found the solution to date," Attal told the Sunday paper.

Macron had hailed a "first victory" against the virus in a June 14 address to the nation after bringing cases down significantly following a brutal first wave of COVID-19.

"We will be able to rediscover the pleasure of being together, of fully returning to work but also of having fun, of cultivating ourselves. We will partly rediscover our art of living, our taste for freedom," the French president said in June.

He's unlikely to have the same message after the second wave of COVID-19, which he said in October was "circulating at a speed that even the most pessimistic forecasts had not anticipated."

It remains to be seen if the government will continue to encourage people to work from home and limit their movements to within one kilometre of their homes.

Macron will likely look towards the future as well. Since his last address, three vaccine candidates have delivered promising efficacy results, providing some hope that there could be a return to normal in 2021.

French officials say that the second lockdown has helped to reduce transmission, with new infections going down. Many hope that the epidemic peak has also passed, after nearly the entirety of the country saw rising cases.

Some 88% of the patients in intensive care units are COVID-19 patients, according to the government's TousAntiCovid application. That percentage is down from 95% on November 12.

The number of daily cases has fallen from roughly 30,000 new daily cases last week to 14,000 new cases from the government's latest update.

The country has so far recorded over 2.1 million COVID-19 cases and 48,732 deaths due to the virus.

Source: https://www.euronews.com/2020/11/23...virus-lockdown-while-easing-some-restrictions.

 

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Covid-19 situation remains stable but tense, say Swiss officials

(MENAFN - Swissinfo) Health officials in Switzerland report that while overall figures are improving, some intensive care units are still under pressure. A vaccine will not arrive before 2021, they say.



This content was published on November 24, 2020 - 17:23 November 24, 2020 - 17:23 Keystone-SDA/dos
Virginie Masserey of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) told journalists in Bern on Tuesday that a vaccine would likely not be available before the first half of next year.

Authorities are discussing plans as to how to distribute and rollout a vaccine – which would first need to be approved – but that no further details were currently available, she said.

Switzerland recorded 4,241 new positive Covid-19 cases on Tuesday – a clear downward trend compared to a fortnight ago, when the country was recording cases numbers above 8,000 per day.

Some 142 new deaths were also recorded. Masserey said that the death rate compared to the number of cases in Switzerland was rather low in comparison with other nations – which she said testifies to the quality of care in the country.

However, although the situation in intensive care units is starting to stabilise, things remain tense in some regions, she added. Coronavirus patients occupy 60% of ICU beds, with 260 places still free across the country.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101179387/Covid-19-situation-remains-stable-but-tense-say-Swiss-officials.

 

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Kazakhstan reports 678 new coronavirus cases, total at 126,860

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Over the last 24 hours Kazakhstan detected 678 new coronavirus-positive cases, Trend reports citing Kazinform .

25 cases were recorded in Nur-Sultan, 46 in Almaty, 1 in Shymkent, 68 in Akmola region, 8 in Aktobe region, 20 in Almaty region, 11 in Atyrau region, 154 in East Kazakhstan, 14 in Zhambyl region, 33 in West Kazakhstan, 15 in Karaganda region, 70 in Kostanay region, 108 in Pavlodar region, 105 in North Kazakhstan bringing the country's tally to 126,860.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101175285/Kazakhstan-reports-678-new-coronavirus-cases-total-at-126860&source=30.

 

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EXPLAINED: Why is Italy's Covid-19 death toll so high?

All available data shows that Italy is currently suffering a particularly high number of Covid-related deaths. But why? And how accurate are the figures? Here's what the experts say.
After data compiled by Johns Hopkins University appeared to show Italy has the third-highest Covid lethality rate in the world, calculated at 3.8 percent, some Italian media reports have suggested this may mean the virus is somehow “worse”, or more lethal, in Italy than elsewhere.

But some Italian health experts questioned the study’s findings, warning that the apparent lethality rate figure “means nothing” because of the way it is calculated.

While Italy is no doubt recording a high number of Covid-related deaths at the moment, does it really have one of the world's highest lethality rates?

Data expert Matteo Villa, a researcher at the Italian Institute for Political Studies in Milan, slammed suggestions by the Italian press that the virus is more lethal in Italy as “terrible”.

“They are using the apparent mortality rate, which as we know means nothing, to argue that in Italy the virus is worse than elsewhere,” he wrote on Twitter.

So what is the “apparent lethality rate”, and what’s the problem with it?

“The index is calculated on the basis of the ratio between deaths and number of positives, and everyone knows that during the so-called first wave, the number of people traced as positive in Italy, the first Western country hit, was dramatically underestimated,” Alberto Zangrillo, Vice Rector of the San Raffaele University Hospital in Milan, said in an interview with Italian news agency Adnkronos.

Italy’s apparent lethality rate (tasso di letalità apparente) in April was estimated at around 12 percent, a figure which researchers said was “almost impossible”. Limited testing at the time was thought to be skewing the figures.

While patients in a serious condition were being tested, it's thought that milder cases often went undetected until testing was later expanded.

Because this “assumed” lethality rate has been viewed as unreliable from the beginning, it has been little-used by researchers in Italy and is not usually mentioned at the health ministry’s press conferences about the coronavirus situation.

Instead of the assumed lethality rate, Italian researchers often look at the “excess” mortality rate to get an idea of what a more plausible number of Covid deaths is likely to be.

A recent report from the Italian Health Ministry showed the total number of all deaths in the country (not only those from Covid) is far higher than the usual figure recorded at this time of year.

The number of “excess” deaths is derived by comparing the number of deaths in Italy in a recent period to the statistical average for that period over the preceding five years.

At the moment, Italy is recording the highest death toll in Europe.

Last week, when a Covid-19 death was recorded in Europe every 17 seconds according to the World Health Organization, Italy had the highest toll on the continent with 753 victims in one day.

The worst-ever daily toll in Italy was 969 deaths, on March 27th.

On Monday Italy joined the United States, Brazil, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom in passing the symbolic 50,000-death mark.

More than 12.000 of those were within the previous 30 days alone.

Why is Italy seeing so many Covid-related deaths?

Health experts say the country’s aged population is one of the main factors.

“In Italy, the percentage of over-70s is 17%, compared to about 10% in the rest of Europe,” Zangrillo said. “And it is known that Sars-CoV-2 affects especially the elderly population in a lethal way.”

According to the latest data from Italy's Higher Health Institute, the average Covid-19 victim is 80 years old. Nearly all have some kind of preexisting condition, and often more than one. Only 1.1 percent of the dead have been under the age of 50.



Villa explained that, in a way, this does mean that in Italy the virus “is worse than elsewhere”.

“We are second in the world for risk of death, just after Japan and just above Greece, Portugal and Germany.”

“But it is because we are old.”

“Obviously the number of Covid-19 deaths is an interaction between the risk of death and the frequency of contagion of the people most at risk,” he added.

“And it also depends on the saturation of the hospital system.”

Instead of comparing Italy’s data with that from the US, UK, or most other European countries, Villa says we should be comparing Italy with “Japan and Germany; countries with almost identical risks.”

Source: https://www.thelocal.it/20201124/explained-why-is-italys-covid-19-death-toll-so-high.

 

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Turkey announces asymptomatic coronavirus case numbers for first time since July

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) ISTANBUL - Turkey recorded 28,351 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 6,814 with symptoms, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Wednesday, the first time since July Ankara has included asymptomatic cases in the total.

The total was by far the highest reported by the government since the outbreak began. The previous daily high, which only included symptomatic cases, was 7,381, recorded on Tuesday.

Ankara had only been reporting symptomatic cases since the summer, which critics said masked the true scale of the outbreak.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Koca unexpectedly said Ankara would begin announcing the total numbers.

"In line with requests from our people, we plan on including positive cases that do not show symptoms in the daily table," he said, adding that around 80% of people who test positive were asymptomatic or lightly symptomatic.

Health Ministry data on Wednesday showed 168 people had died due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the most since the beginning of the outbreak, raising the death toll to 12,840.

Symptomatic patients totaled 467,730 as of Wednesday, data at the ministry's website showed. While the case total was not announced, Koca said it would be included in the table in coming days.

Separately, he said Turkey had signed a contract to buy 50 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

"The important thing here for us to start using vaccines which are known to be effective and reliable. ... I think the vaccination calendar could start on Dec. 11," Koca said.

Sinovac's experimental COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac triggered a quick immune response, but the level of antibodies produced was lower than in people who had recovered, preliminary trial results showed.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101185924/Turke...e-numbers-for-first-time-since-July&source=27.

 

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Georgia reports 3,071 new coronavirus cases, 3,366 recoveries

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.25

By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:

Georgia has reported 3,071 new coronavirus cases, 3,366 recoveries, and 34 deaths in the past 24 hours, Trend reports via Georgian media.

In total, Georgia's coronavirus cases increased to 114,889, of those, 95,581 recovered and 1,085 died.

Currently, 2,071 people are quarantined, 3,723 remain at COVID-Hotels, and 6,145 more under medical observation.

The new 3,071 cases were recorded in: Tbilisi - 1,314 cases, Adjara - 523 cases, Imereti - 264 cases, Kvemo Kartli - 104 cases, Shida Kartli - 44 cases, Guria - 106 cases, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti - 232 cases, Kakheti - 214 cases, Mtskheta-Mtianeti - 165 cases, Samtskhe-Javakheti - 84 cases, Racha-Lechkhumi, Kvemo Svaneti - 21 cases.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101182695/Georgia-reports-3071-new-coronavirus-cases-3366-recoveries.

 

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Sicily asks Cuba to send medics as Italy fights second Covid wave

Request made to embassy in Cuba as island struggles with shortage of doctors and nurses

Authorities in Sicily have asked Cuba’s government to send about 60 healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, to the region as hospitals in the Italian island struggle with a shortage of medical personnel during the second coronavirus wave.

The request was filed this week to the Italian embassy in Cuba and refers to intensive care specialists, nurses, anaesthetists, resuscitators, virologists and pneumologists, the Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported.

Between March and April this year, Cuban medical teams landed in some of Italy’s worst-hit regions, including Lombardy and Piedmont, to replace overworked Italian professionals.

Other medical brigades have fanned out across the world to fight Covid-19 in 20 other countries, from South Africa to Suriname.

“The Cuban government has teams of doctors and nurses who are willing to travel to other countries to work, and we asked for their help’’, Renato Costa, Sicily’s Covid-19 emergency commissioner, told la Repubblica. “We know that in recent weeks other regions in Italy have asked Cuba for help, too. We just hope they will come to us first. I am in contact with the embassy, which has welcomed our request.”

On 4 November, Rome designated Sicily as an “orange zone”, at high risk, mainly because of the lack of health facilities and beds in intensive care units.

On Monday, Italy’s government asked health inspectors to investigate whether Sicily attempted to avoid going into the high-contagion-risk red zone by inflating ICU bed numbers – the most important parameter to determine in which zone to place a region.

There were a further 48 deaths in Sicily on Tuesday; the highest daily toll since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Covid second wave has exposed Italy’s shortage of intensive care staff. Many medics have chosen to leave the profession or take early retirement after the trauma experienced in the spring. Italy’s doctors’ federation said that 27 medics had lost their lives within the last 10 days, while 27,000 health workers had become infected over the past month.

There were a further 722 coronavirus-related deaths in Italy on Wednesday and 25,853 new infections.

The Italian health minister, Roberto Speranza, said he would present the Italian government’s Covid vaccine plan on 2 December.

“The purchase of the vaccine will be centralised’’, said Speranza. “I have very great faith in the regulatory agencies set up to ensure its safety, but we’ll still have to resist a few months, then a new phase will be opened; we can’t afford a third wave.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...send-medics-as-italy-fights-second-covid-wave.

 

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Coronavirus pandemic: France's Macron announces three-step reopening amid 'glimmer of hope'

France will start easing its Covid-19 lockdown this weekend so that by Christmas, shops, theatres and cinemas will reopen and people will be able to spend the holiday with their families, President Macron said on Tuesday.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/video/2...ces-three-step-reopening-amid-glimmer-of-hope.

 

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Germany to impose tighter Covid rules after highest daily death rate

Five-person limit on groups will come in on 1 December with rules easing over Christmas

Angela Merkel has agreed with the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states to extend and tighten measures against coronavirus until at least 20 December – and they are likely to extend them into January, she said late on Wednesday.

“This is absolutely not the time to sound the all-clear,” she told journalists, after the number of deaths from the virus reached a daily record.

However, rules will be eased over the Christmas holidays to let families and friends celebrate together.

Germany imposed a month-long “lockdown lite” on 2 November to rein in a second wave that is sweeping much of Europe. Bars and restaurants are closed but schools and shops remain open.

From 1 December, private gatherings will be limited to five people. Over Christmas, that number will rise to 10, not counting children, though Wednesday’s decisions included an appeal to avoid social contact for a week before family visits.

“This must not be a lonely Christmas for people in vulnerable groups,” she said.

People will be actively encouraged to do their Christmas shopping midweek to avoid crowding. Masks are now also expected to be worn outside shops where long queues are expected to form in the run-up to Christmas and the new year, as well as in car parks. In schools, obligatory mask wearing is to be introduced for school pupils from the seventh grade (12-13 years) upwards.

The detonation of fireworks, a mainstay of German new year celebrations, is to be banned in public places, in order to reduce mass gatherings and in the hope of lessening the burden on hospitals, which typically have to deal with a large number of burn wounds in connection with the festivities. A major fireworks display at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is to be cancelled. Individual town and city councils will be responsible for deciding precisely where the ban will apply.

Merkel and the state leaders also agreed to try to introduce a Europe-wide ban on skiing holidays until 10 January, despite resistance from tourism industry figureheads.

“I will say this openly that it won’t be easy, but we will try,” Merkel said.

Last winter, skiers in Austria and Italy in particular are believed to have been largely responsible for the initial spread of the virus across the continent.

The meeting took place as Germany recorded its highest daily death rate, which rose by 410 in 24 hours. Almost 14,800 people have died from the virus. The registered infection rate appears to be stabilising, with 18,633 new infections since Tuesday.

But it is still too high if the health system is going to cope at least into next spring, by which time the effects of a vaccination programme are expected to have made an impact on the spread of the virus.

“The exponential growth of infection numbers has been stopped, the steep curve has been turned into a flattened curve,” Merkel said. “But we cannot be content with this partial success.”

An appeal is expected to be made to employers to allow employees, where possible, to work from home in the run-up to Christmas and into the start of the new year.

But if schools were forced to close early there is still a lack of clarity over the legal rights of employees who cannot work from home but would have to take time off for childcare.

According to a survey by the polling institute Civey, a majority of Germans support the proposals to reduce private gatherings to a maximum of 10 people. A total of 57% were in favour of the government setting a limit, while 36.5% said it was inappropriate for the state to meddle in private gatherings.

From 1 December, private gatherings will be limited to five people from two households – down from 10 people currently, though children are exempted from the new rule.

Trains will also expand their seating capacity, in order to better ensure distancing between passengers.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/25/germany-to-decide-next-round-of-covid-restrictions.

 

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Belarus reports 1,563 fresh Covid-19 cases

(MENAFN - IANS)

Minsk, Nov 26 (IANS) Belarus reported 1,563 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, taking the tally to 130,012, the country's health ministry said.

There have been 1,317 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing its total to 108,769, the ministry added.

So far, 1,128 people have died of the disease in the country, including nine over the past 24 hours, Xinhua reported.

As of Thursday, 3,158,352 tests for the virus have been conducted across the country, including 35,174 over the past 24 hours, according to official figures.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101191116/Belarus-reports-1563-fresh-Covid-19-cases.

 

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Swiss company launches rapid test to determine Covid-19 severity

(MENAFN - Swissinfo) Lausanne-based medical technology firm Abionic has created the first rapid blood test to help doctors decide whether Covid-19 patients require treatment in intensive care units.



This content was published on November 26, 2020 - 14:59 November 26, 2020 - 14:59 Keystone-SDA/jdp
According to a presentation by Abionic, the Covid-19 Severity Score test uses a small blood sample from the fingertip to determine how serious the disease is and how likely it is to worsen. Physicians receive the test results within five minutes and could then decide whether a patient should be admitted to intensive care, transferred to a general hospital ward or discharged from the hospital.

The test is intended to ease the burden on healthcare workers and intensive care units that are reaching capacity in some countries with high numbers of Covid-19 patients.

Abionic adapted the diagnostics process it developed for the detection of sepsis, a life-threatening complication of bacterial and viral infections, for use in Covid-19 in order to provide faster results. The Covid-19 severity test is based on the 'sequential organ failure assessment score' (SOFA score), which is tracked by hospitals to determine a patient's status in intensive care units based on organ functioning.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101191840/Swiss...test-to-determine-Covid-19-severity&source=30.

 

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The number of confirmed coronavirus cases for November 26 in Uzbekistan increased to 72,227, Trend reports with reference to the statistics of the Uzbek Ministry of Health.

To date, 69,447 patients have fully recovered in the country, while 606 have died.

At the moment, 2,144 patients are treated in medical institutions in Uzbekistan in accordance with the standards.

According to the Ministry of Health, all new cases were identified among those who were in contact with patients.

According to the Ministry of Health, all new cases were identified among those who were in contact with patients. In particular, 86 cases were revealed in Tashkent, 43 cases in Tashkent region, 14 cases in Samarkand region, 12 cases in Syrdarya region, nine cases in Fergana region, six cases in Namangan region, five cases each in Kashkadarya, Jizzakh, Bukhara regions, and three cases were revealed in Andijan region.

From October 1, all border crossing points in Uzbekistan are opened for road, rail, and air transport.

Under the instructions of the President of Uzbekistan, unlimited movement of vehicles, as well as local air and rail travel in Uzbekistan, was resumed since August 15, 2020. Also, from August 17, 2020, Tashkent resumed public transportation.

The activities of preschool educational organizations and general education schools in a traditional and remote form is allowed from September 2020 in accordance with the opinions of parents and proposals of local councils of deputies.

Citizens are required to wear masks when entering public transportation.

The first case of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15 in the laboratory of the Research Institute of Virology; it was an Uzbek woman who returned from France. The Ministry of Health later announced that her son, daughter, husband, and grandson also tested positive for coronavirus.

The outbreak in the Chinese Wuhan city - which is an international transport hub - began at a fishing market in late December 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.

Uzbekistan as an active member of the WHO European Regional Office has joined the Coronavirus vaccination program.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101188651/Uzbekistan-reveals-its-COVID-19-data-for-November-26.

 

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Turkey steps up inspections as coronavirus pandemic figures climb

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Turkey's Interior Ministry ordered the governorates of all 81 provinces to increase inspections of coronavirus-related safety measures as the country sees another surge in infections, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah .

The ministry called for better enforcement of social distancing and mask-wearing, especially in crowded places like marketplaces, shopping malls and mass transit vehicles from Thursday for the next three days.

Police and other officials assigned to carry out the inspections by the governorates hit the streets Thursday to monitor compliance with the measures. All mass transit vehicles were stopped in order to check the number of people on board and whether proper hygiene was being practiced. Officers issued warnings and fines to those failing to wear masks on the street, and shopping malls were inspected for the number of people they allowed in and for their ventilation.

Turkey refrained from sharing the total number of COVID-19 cases for a while, focusing on active, serious cases – a decision Health Minister Fahrettin Koca reversed Wednesday following a meeting with the Health Ministry's Coronavirus Scientific Advisory Board. Koca announced that the daily number of positive cases stood at 28,351 as of Wednesday and warned that several Turkish metropolises included Istanbul and Izmir were 'going through a third wave of the pandemic.' He reiterated his warning to the public to abide by hygiene and social distancing rules after the meeting in the capital Ankara. "The number of cases has increased by 50% in 15 provinces in the past week," Koca said. With the latest figures, the total number of symptomatic patients in Turkey reached 467,730. He pointed out that the situation with the virus has been getting worse as of the second week of October and that sticter restrictions would be implemented if the number of patients continues to climb.

Last week, the country imposed its first weekend curfew in months, though it was limited from the evening until the early morning. The curfews between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday will continue until the government says otherwise. Strict measures, restrictions and public compliance helped the country decrease the daily number of fatalities to only 14 on June 13, but a steady rise began again in September, just when people started to return to big cities from their hometowns and vacation resorts. Along with the weekend curfew, Turkey barred senior citizens aged 65 and older and people aged 20 and younger from going out, except for between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. Other measures include a ban on restaurants and cafes from hosting customers, the closure of coffeehouses and cinemas until the end of the year and all sports events are barred from hosting spectators. Schools were also shut down except for preschoolers for the remainder of the first semester.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101192351/Turkey-steps-up-inspections-as-coronavirus-pandemic-figures-climb.

 

[sweep_shot]

Japan reports 2,502 new COVID-19 cases, 140,288 in total

(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 2,502 to reach 140,288 as of Thursday night, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.

The figure excludes the 712 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo earlier in the year.

The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at 2,066, with 17 new fatalities announced Thursday. The death toll includes 13 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

The health ministry also said there are currently 410 patients considered severely ill with ventilators or in intensive care units.

In Tokyo, the epicenter of Japan's outbreak, 481 new cases were reported on Thursday, with the capital's cumulative total reaching 39,079, the highest among the country's 47 prefectures.

Meanwhile, the number of seriously ill in the capital rose to 60, a record-high since a state of emergency declared over the pandemic was lifted in late May.

As the new daily coronavirus infections remained high, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike expressed concern and requested restaurants serving alcohol to shorten their operating hours from Saturday through Dec. 17.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101190845/Japan-reports-2502-new-COVID-19-cases-140288-in-total.

 

[sweep_shot]

Sweden to reach COVID-19 peak in two weeks: forecast

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) The second wave of Sweden's COVID-19 epidemic will peak in mid-December, according to a new forecast from the country's Public Health Agency Thursday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The forecast, presented at a news conference, was based on a mathematic model using data of COVID-19 cases reported between Aug. 24 and Nov. 6. It showed projections of the development of the epidemic up until March 2021 and suggested that a peak infection rate has already been reached in the 0-19 age group.

Johan Carlson, director general of the Public Health Agency, said at the news conference that even if the curve may start to go down two weeks from now, "there is still a long way to go." Swedes, he said, must stick to the current restrictions and recommendations.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to impact the development, but I want to emphasize that this is a mathematical model which requires full compliance with the measures taken in order to be borne out," Carlson said.

At a separate news conference on Thursday, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said the current eight-person limit for public gatherings will probably remain in place for a couple of months but that a general travel ban is not likely. Instead, trips to Swedish ski resorts can go ahead during the winter season, but one has to travel "responsibly", Tegnell said, adding that the Public Health Agency is currently in talks with ski resorts regarding safety measures.

The Agency also announced new guidelines for using rapid COVID-19 tests in health care and elderly care settings. The tests can generate a result within 15 minutes, but Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of the Agency's department of microbiology, warned that they should be used "with caution" as a negative result is not a guarantee for virus-free. A second test is needed to establish that, she added.

So far, Sweden has recorded 236,355 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 6,622 deaths.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101193510/Sweden-to-reach-COVID-19-peak-in-two-weeks-forecast&source=27.

 

[sweep_shot]

Turkey registers nearly 30,000 new coronavirus cases as recoveries surpass 390,000

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Coronavirus rates in Turkey continued their steady rise on Friday as the country registered nearly 30,000 new infections including 6,592 symptomatic patients, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah .

Over 3,800 patients recovered in a single day, resulting in a total of 392,616 people having survived the disease.

Surpassing 170,000 daily tests, the country's death toll increased by 177 as the total number of fatalities hit 13,191.

The number of critically ill patients stands at 4,816.

Turkey's bed occupancy rate is at 54.7% and 39.2% of all ventilators remain in use.

The pandemic has claimed more than 1.4 million lives in 191 countries and regions since last December, according to the U.S.' Johns Hopkins University.

While the U.S., India, and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of the number of cases, Europe is in the grip of a devastating second wave of infections.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101197788/Turke...-cases-as-recoveries-surpass-390000&source=30.

 

[sweep_shot]

Russia reports record-high daily Covid-19 cases

(MENAFN - IANS)

Moscow, Nov 27 (IANS) Russia reported 27,543 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a record surge in the number of single-day infections since the onset of the pandemic, the country's coronavirus response centre said on Friday.

The new cases has increased the overall infection tally to 2,215,533, TASS News Agency quoted the centre as saying.

The previous record high of 25,487 daily cases was documented on Thursday.

According to the crisis centre, the relative growth increased from 1.2 per cent to 1.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, 496 new fatalities were registered, down from the single-day record of 524 the previous day, raising the nationwide death toll to 38,558, said the centre.

A total of 1,712,174 patients have recovered so far, including 26,682 over the past day, it added.

Confirmed cases in Moscow, Russia's worst-hit region, increased by a record of 7,918 to 585,095.

Russia remains the fifth in the world and the second in Europe in terms of confirmed cases.

The country aims to start voluntary mass vaccinations against the virus before the new year, which will be carried out stage by stage, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101195181/Russia-reports-record-high-daily-Covid-19-cases&source=30.

 

[sweep_shot]

France's coronavirus situation improves

(MENAFN - IANS)

Paris, Nov 27 (IANS) The overall coronavirus situation in France, both in terms of new cases and hospital admissions, has improved as the government was unwinding restrictions and planning avaccination campaign, according to authorities.

On Thursday, the country reported 13,563 new cases, which increased the overall infection tally to to 2,183,660, reports Xinhua news agency.

The daily tally was down by 2,719 from a day before.

Another 339 people died from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 50,957.

As of Thursday, some 29,310 people were hospitalized, 662 fewer than the previous day, while some 4,018 required life support, down by 130.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Jean Castex told reporters that pressure from the pandemic was further weakening in France than in other European nations.

The virus reproduction rate, the "R" rate, is now at 0.65 countrywide, the same level France had reached when it emerged from a three-month confinement in mid-May, he added.

Starting from Saturday, non-essential shops in France will reopen under strict health protocol.

Stores must respect the rule of one client for every 8 square metres of floor space, put in place one-way circulation and ventilate their premises.

Indoor religious services with 30 worshippers would be allowed.

People would be allowed to go outdoors for three hours instead of one hour now and within a 20-km radius of their homes. However, people should continue to sign a document to go out.

If the situation improves further and the number of new cases remain below 5,000 per day, the lockdown could be lifted by December 15, but a night-time ban on movement would remain in place from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., except on December 24 (Christmas Eve) and December 31 (New Year's Eve).

Restaurants, bars, cafes and gyms will stay shut until January 20, 2021, in an effort to avoid a third wave.

"The situation is improving but remains fragile... We cannot lower our guard. Our objective is to allow a gradual return to a more normal life, to allow you to spend the holiday season with your loved ones while minimizing the risk of a resurgence of the virus," Castex said.

Meanwhile, the country's the vaccination campaign would start at the end of December or early January, provided its efficacy and safety are approved by regulators, said Health Minister Olivier Veran.

The government will detail its vaccination program next week, he added.

According to Arnaud Fontanet, a government scientific adviser, up to 90 per cent of the 67 million population should be vaccinated to enable the return to normal life by next autumn.

"This is an extremely ambitious objective given the scepticism towards vaccines," Fontanet told BFMTV news channel.

An Elabe survey released on Thursday found that 48 per cent of 1,003 respondents refused to get a Covid-19 vaccine if it became available, up by two points from the poll last week.

According to the pollster, six out of 10 French citizens opposed to making vaccination mandatory.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101194284/Frances-coronavirus-situation-improves.

 

[sweep_shot]

Azerbaijan detects 3,712 new COVID-19 cases, 1,359 recoveries

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 27

Trend:

Azerbaijan has detected 3,712 new COVID-19 cases, 1,359 patients have recovered and 35 patients have died, Trend reports citing the Operational Headquarters under Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers.

Up until now, 109,813 people have been infected with coronavirus in the country, 69,931 of them have recovered, and 1,291 people have died. Currently, 38,591 people are under treatment in special hospitals.

To reveal the COVID-19 cases, 16,402 tests have been carried out in Azerbaijan over the past day, and a total of 1,682,234 tests have been conducted so far.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101195656/Azerbaijan-detects-3712-new-COVID-19-cases-1359-recoveries&source=30.

 

[sweep_shot]

Canadians aged 85 and above account for majority Covid-19 deaths

(MENAFN - IANS)

Ottawa, Nov 27 (IANS) Canadians aged 85 and over account for more than half of the excess deaths reported amid the Covid-19 first wave between March and June this year, according to Statistics Canada.

In an update on Thursday, Statistics Canada said that the country saw an estimated 7,576 excess deaths between March and June this year as Covid-19 spread across the country, Xinhua news agency reported.

The figure refers to deaths that exceed the number that would normally be expected during any given period of time.

Of the 7,576 excess deaths, 52 perc ent were individuals aged 85 and older, 36 per cent were aged 65-84, and 12 per cent were younger than 65.

"This reflects the fact that deaths caused directly by Covid-19 disproportionately affected the elderly. Over the same period of time, 8,345 people died due to Covid-19 and 4,615 (55 per cent) of those individuals were aged 85 and older," Statistics Canada said.

From March until June, 4,515 females died due to Covid-19 compared to 3,830 males.

"The difference between the two sexes comes from deaths among people over the age of 85, where more women than men have died of the disease. In the younger age groups, more men than women have died of Covid-19," Statistics Canada said.

It added that measuring Canada's excess mortality provides an important benchmark for understanding the potential impacts of the resurgence of Covid-19 on certain communities.

While these excess deaths skyrocketed in the early months of the pandemic, Statistics Canada found that there was a brief dip in July, when these figures returned to a "normal, pre-pandemic range", which according to the agency falls around 21,000 deaths per month.

At the national level, no excess mortality was recorded in the country between July and the end of September.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101194290/Canadians-aged-85-and-above-account-for-majority-Covid-19-deaths.

 

[sweep_shot]

Tokyo reports record high 570 new coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 2,524

TOKYO
The Tokyo metropolitan government on Friday reported a record high 570 new cases of the coronavirus, up 89 from Thursday. The number is the result of 9,792 tests conducted on Nov 24.

The tally brought Tokyo's cumulative total to 39,649.

By age group, the highest number of cases were people in their 20s (147), followed by 120 in their 30s and 76 in their 40s.

The number of infected people in Tokyo with severe symptoms is 61, up one from Thursday, health officials said.

Nationwide, the number of reported cases as of 7:30 p.m. was 2,524. After Tokyo, the prefectures with the most cases were Osaka (383), Hokkaido (252), Aichi (234), Kanagawa (219), Chiba (107), Hyogo (103), Saitama (103), Shizuoka (58), Fukuoka (58), Ibaraki (45) and Okinawa (38).

Twenty-four coronavirus-related deaths were reported nationwide.

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/national/Tokyo-reports-record-high-570-new-coronavirus-cases.

 

[sweep_shot]

Austria records nearly 1,000 COVID-19 deaths over past 10 days

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Nearly 1,000 COVID-19 patients died in Austria from Nov. 18 to Nov. 28, according to data published by the Austrian Interior Ministry on Saturday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The coronavirus death toll of Austria has risen from 2,054 to 3,018 over the past 10 days, with 132 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours, said the ministry.

Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 cases has increased to 275,661, with 4,669 confirmed in the past day. A total of 210,697 patients have recovered from the disease so far.

The country started its second lockdown earlier in November.

The Austrian government has announced a plan of mass COVID-19 testing in December. According to a draft federal framework, teachers and police officers will be tested first.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101200926/Austria-records-nearly-1000-COVID-19-deaths-over-past-10-days.

 

[sweep_shot]

Ireland to ease Covid-19 curbs from Dec 1

(MENAFN - IANS)

Dublin, Nov 28 (IANS) The Irish government has announced night that the current Level-5 or the highest Covid-19 restrictions will be lowered to Level-3 on December 1, with some special adjustments made for the upcoming Christmas holiday.

Under the Level-3 restrictions, all the non-essential retail outlets and personal services such as salons can resume business, people can move freely so long as they do not travel outside their own county, and gatherings of no more than 15 people may take place outdoors, according to a statement released by the Irish government on its website on Friday.

Special arrangements "designed to support people to have a meaningful Christmas" will be conducted in separate stages, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

On December 1, museums, galleries, libraries and cinemas as well as places of worship will reopen.

From December 4, restaurants and pubs serving food will also be allowed to provide dine-in services with additional restrictions including limited service time for each group of customers, but wet pubs or pubs not serving food will remain closed with only takeaway service being permitted, said the statement.

From December 18 to January 6, people will be allowed to travel outside their county to meet their families for Christmas and mix with up to two other households.

Cross-border travel will also be permitted during this period.

The Level-3 restrictions will remain in place for an indefinite period of time depending on how the pandemic will play out in the country, said the statement.

Ireland adopted a level-5 restrictive approach in dealing with the pandemic last month following a second wave of the pandemic.

Under the Level-5 restrictions, the entire country was virtually locked down with minimum movement of people and economic activities being allowed.

People are not allowed to travel more than 5 km away from their home unless for work, education and other essential purposes.

According to the Department of Health, a total of 71,699 people have been infected with Covid-19 in Ireland and 2,043 others died from the disease.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101199055/Ireland-to-ease-Covid-19-curbs-from-Dec-1.

 

[sweep_shot]

Ukraine reports 16,294 new coronavirus cases

(MENAFN - UkrinForm) As of November 28, Ukraine has reported 709,701 COVID-19 cases, including 16,294 new coronavirus cases confirmed in past 24 hours.

"Some 16,294 new COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Ukraine as of November 28, 2020. In particular, among them are 689 children and 631 health workers," Health Minister of Ukraine Maksym Stepanov wrote on his Facebook page.

According to him, 184 deaths, 1,639 hospitalizations and 8,897 recoveries were recorded in Ukraine over the past day.

For the entire period of the pandemic, 335,135 recoveries and 12,093 deaths have been registered in Ukraine.

The highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was registered in Kyiv city (1,739), Dnipropetrovsk region (1,599), Odesa region (1,350), Zaporizhzhia region (1,067), and Sumy region (1,013).

Source: https://menafn.com/1101201195/Ukraine-reports-16294-new-coronavirus-cases&source=30.

 

[sweep_shot]

France reports 957 new COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations down

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) As of Friday, 51,914 people have died of coronavirus in France, with 957 new fatalities registered in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, COVID-19-associated hospitalizations continued their week-long decline, the country's health authorities said, Trend reports citing Xinhua .

France's hospitals reported 393 deaths, and the remaining 564 fatalities occurred in nursing homes.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 2,196,119. Friday's reported increase was 12,459, against Thursday's 13,563, but above the 5,000 threshold which the government has set for lifting the lockdown on Dec. 15.

Of all those infected, 28,648 patients are hospitalized with symptoms, down by 662. The number of patients in intensive care decreased by 135 to 3,883, maintaining the downward trend for nearly two weeks.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101198929/France-reports-957-new-COVID-19-deaths-hospitalizations-down&source=27.

 

[sweep_shot]

Turkey reports 6,714 new COVID-19 cases, 487,912 in total

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Coronavirus rates in Turkey continued their steady rise on Friday as the country registered nearly 30,100 new infections including 6,714 symptomatic patients, Trend reports citing Hurriyet.

Over 3,611 patients recovered in a single day, resulting in a total of 396,227 people having survived the disease.

Surpassing 174,400 daily tests, the country's death toll increased by 182 as the total number of fatalities hit 13,373.

The number of critically ill patients stands at 4,903.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101201752/Turkey-reports-6714-new-COVID-19-cases-487912-in-total.

 

[sweep_shot]

Coronavirus requires tougher measures to counter it in Georgia

(MENAFN) Georgia's tighter national constraints came into force on Saturday to tackle the pervasiveness of coronavirus throughout the state.

The measures put in place include a curfew, take-away services for all restaurants and the suspension of all intercity public transport services from 28 Nov. 2020 to 31 Jan. 2021.

In addition, major cities, as well as Tbilisi, will witness further restraints over the same duration, including suspension of metropolitan transit, shutdown of retail shops apart from food shops, drug stores, and online courses for students.

Some restrictive measures will be relaxed during the coming Christmas and New Year holidays. Municipal and intercity transport will be available, for example, and shops and markets will be open across the country between Dec. 24, 2020 and Jan. 2, 2021.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101201029/Coron...r-measures-to-counter-it-in-Georgia&source=30.

 

[sweep_shot]

Panama- Covid-19 cases surge

(MENAFN - Newsroom Panama) The Ministry of Health (Minsa) reported Saturday, November 28, that in the last 24 hours 1,709 new positive cases of Covid-19 and 9 new deaths.

These figures increase the number of accumulated cases to 163,453 and deaths from to 3,039.

Last Thursday, November 26, 1,755 new infections were registered, a record number.

There are 1,095 hospitalized patients: 950 are in the ward and 145 are in the intensive care unit.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101205182/Panama-Covid-19-cases-surge.

 

[sweep_shot]

Researchers develop AI to detect Covid on chest x-rays

(MENAFN - IANS)

New York, Nov 29 (IANS) In a fight against the novel coronavirus, researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) platform that detects Covid-19 by analysing X-ray images of the lungs.

Called DeepCOVID-XR, the machine-learning algorithm outperformed a team of specialized thoracic radiologists -- spotting Covid-19 in X-rays about 10 times faster and more accurate.

According to the study, published in the journal Radiology, the research team believe physicians could use the AI system to rapidly screen patients who are admitted to hospitals for reasons other than Covid-19.

Faster, earlier detection of the highly contagious virus could potentially protect health care workers and other patients by triggering the positive patient to isolate sooner.

The study's authors also believe the algorithm could potentially flag patients for isolation and testing who are not otherwise under investigation for Covid-19.

"We are not aiming to replace actual testing. X-rays are routine, safe and inexpensive. It would take seconds for our system to screen a patient and determine if that patient needs to be isolated," said study author Aggelos Katsaggelos from Northwestern University in the US.

To develop, train and test the new algorithm, the researchers used 17,002 chest X-ray images -- the largest published clinical dataset of chest X-rays from the Covid-19 era used to train an AI system.

Of those images, 5,445 came from Covid-19-positive patients from sites across the Northwestern Memorial Healthcare System.

The team then tested DeepCOVID-XR against five experienced cardiothoracic fellowship-trained radiologists on 300 random test images from Lake Forest Hospital.

Each radiologist took approximately two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours to examine this set of images, whereas the AI system took about 18 minutes.

The radiologists' accuracy ranged from 76-81 per cent. DeepCOVID-XR performed slightly better at 82 per cent accuracy.

"Radiologists are expensive and not always available," Katsaggelos said.

"X-rays are inexpensive and already a common element of routine care. This could potentially save money and time -- especially because timing is so critical when working with Covid-19," the author noted.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101204368/Researchers-develop-AI-to-detect-Covid-on-chest-x-rays.

 

[sweep_shot]

Death toll from COVID-19 tops 172,000 in Brazil

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Brazil registered 587 more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the national count to 172,561, the Health Ministry said Saturday, http://trend.az Trend reports citing http://www.xinhuanet.com/ Xinhua.

Meanwhile, 51,922 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, taking the nationwide tally to 6,290,272, it said.

In November, an increase in hospitalizations was observed in at least nine states, including Sao Paulo, the most affected state in the country, which has registered 42,048 deaths from the disease so far.

Eduardo Leite, governor of the state of Rio Grande do Sul bordering Uruguay and Argentina, said on Friday that the region is experiencing "the worst moment of the pandemic" and a "second wave," with the lowest number of available hospital beds since May.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101204185/Death-toll-from-COVID-19-tops-172000-in-Brazil.

 

[sweep_shot]

Turkey reports record high single-day Covid-19 cases

(MENAFN - IANS)

Ankara, Nov 29 (IANS) Turkey reported 30,103 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since the onset of the pandemic in the country earlier this year, the Health Ministry said.

Saturday's cases increased the overall infection tally to 578,347, reports Xinhua news agency.

The death toll rose by 182 to 13,373, while the total recoveries climbed to 396,227 in the last 24 hours, said the Ministry.

The rate of pneumonia in Covid-19 patients is 3.4 per cent and the number of seriously ill patients is 4,903 in Turkey.

A total of 174,443 tests were conducted over the past day, it added.

Turkey has reintroduced several restrictions to curb the rapid rise of coronavirus cases, including a partial curfew from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m. imposed nationwide on weekends. S

chools will remain closed till the end of the year, with students switching to online education.

Turkey reported its first confirmed Covid-19 case on March 11.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101203053/Turkey-reports-record-high-single-day-Covid-19-cases&source=30.

 

[sweep_shot]

Croatian PM in self-quarantine after wife contracts COVID-19

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has begun a 10-day self-quarantine after his wife tested positive for COVID-19, Trend reports citing Xinhua .

After having a mild fever, Ms. Ana Maslac Plenkovic tested positive on Saturday, the government said in a press release.

The prime minister tested negative afterward, the statement said, adding that he will work from home during the 10-day quarantine.

Croatia registered 3,987 new COVID-19 cases and 55 related deaths in the last 24 hours, the Croatian Institute of Public Health announced on Saturday morning.

Since Feb. 25 when the first case was confirmed in the southeastern European country with a population of four million, over 120,000 people have been infected, while 1,655 have died.

As the world is struggling to control the pandemic, countries across the globe -- among them Germany, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- are racing to find a vaccine.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101202876/Croatian-PM-in-self-quarantine-after-wife-contracts-COVID-19&source=30.

 

[sweep_shot]

NKorea Hardens Rules of Entry to Avoid Coronavirus Outbreak

(MENAFN - Khaama Press) PYONGYANG – North Korea is further hardening restrictions on entering its maritime boundary as part of elevated steps to avoid the coronavirus outbreak, state media said on Sunday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the country is mobilising more anti-virus units and establishing strong steps to 'completely remove uncivilised and unhygienic elements that could help make room for the spread of an epidemic' at winter, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ns-rules-of-entry-to-sea-to-fight-coronavirus as Aljazeera reported.

The measures came a time North peninsula fears a possible outbreak amid freezing whether that has just started to set people home for safety.

KCNA said officials were building firm anti-epidemic measures along border areas to prevent the coronavirus from entering the country.

North Korea maintains no single virus case found on its territory, though outside experts have widely questioned such a claim, swiftly sealing its borders.

• https://www.khaama.com/kim-jong-un-apologizes-for-killing-of-south-korean-official-report-9676/ Kim Jong-un 'Apologizes for Killing of South Korean Official': Report
  Since the beginning of coronavirus outbreak, the North police in between the Korean border comply with a 'shoot-to-kill' order to prevent the virus from entering the country.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101204343/NKorea-Hardens-Rules-of-Entry-to-Avoid-Coronavirus-Outbreak.

 

[sweep_shot]

Georgian Finance Minister tests positive for COVID-19

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) As a result of the testing, Minister of Finance of Georgia, Ivane Machavariani has diagnosed with COVID-19. The press service of the Ministry released this information, http://trend.az Trend reports citing http://1tv.ge 1tv.ge.

Machavariani feels well and continues to work from home, remotely.

At the same time, according to the Ministry, as a result of testing, COVID-19 was confirmed to the Deputy Minister Giorgi Kakauridze.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101211515/Georgian-Finance-Minister-tests-positive-for-COVID-19&source=27.

 

[sweep_shot]

Canada prolongs int'l travel constraints to contain coronavirus spread

(MENAFN) On Sunday, Nov. 29, the lengthening of constraints on international traveling was proclaimed by Canada in order to avert the spread of coronavirus.

Travel constraints on U.S. citizens to come to Canada will be prolonged until the month of Dec. 21, and constraints on travelers coming from other states will be prolonged until Jan. 21, Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair stated in a news announcement released on Sunday.

The majority of foreign nationals are prohibited from coming to the country for unimportant travel with the constraints that were imposed on Mar. 16. There are a number of exemptions for direct family members of Canadian people, important workers, seasonal workers, caregivers and foreign students, to name a few.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101210087/Canad...aints-to-contain-coronavirus-spread&source=27.

 

[sweep_shot]

Singapore studies Covid-19 pregnancy puzzle after baby born with antibodies

(MENAFN - Gulf Times) Doctors are studying the impact of Covid-19 on pregnant women and their unborn babies in Singapore, where an infant delivered by an infected mother earlier this month had antibodies against the virus but did not carry the disease.

The ongoing study among the city-state's public hospitals adds to international efforts to better understand whether the infection or antibodies can be transferred during pregnancy, and if the latter offers an effective shield against the virus.

The World Health Organisation says while some pregnant women have an increased risk of developing severe Covid-19, it is not yet known whether an infected pregnant woman can pass the virus to her foetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery.

A Singaporean woman, infected with the coronavirus in March when she was pregnant, told local newspaper the Straits Times that doctors said her infant son had antibodies against the virus but was born without the infection.

‘It is still unknown whether the presence of these antibodies in a newborn baby confers a degree of protection against Covid-19 infection, much less the duration of protection,' said Tan Hak Koon, chairman of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology division at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

KK is one of the hospitals involved in the study of infected pregnant women in Singapore, details of which surfaced after the case of the baby born with antibodies was made public.

The National University Hospital, another hospital involved, said the study looks at the effects of Covid-19 on pregnant women, their foetus and outcomes after delivery.

Doctors in China reported the detection and decline over time of Covid-19 antibodies in babies born to women with the coronavirus disease, according to an article published in October in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

While there is evidence that transmission during pregnancy is rare, a small study in Italy suggested that it is possible, according to research published in the Nature journal in October. https://bit.ly/2Vu22vH

Other studies have shown Covid-19 antibodies can be passed to a child via breastfeeding, while KK's Tan said there was evidence they could pass during pregnancy through the placenta to the baby.

Paul Tambyah, one of city-state's leading disease experts, said it was encouraging that antibodies were present in the Singapore baby months after the mother's infection, adding to broader evidence that they offer some protection from the virus.

‘Worldwide there have been millions of people infected, including probably thousands of pregnant women, with very few reports of infections in very young babies. This suggests that there might be some protection from maternal antibodies and breast feeding,' said Tambyah, President of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101208468/Singa...gnancy-puzzle-after-baby-born-with-antibodies.

 

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Turkey adopts tougher measures to counter Coronavirus

(MENAFN) Making moves against the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkey introduced new restrictions on Monday, including a week-night curfew and a full week-end curfew.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the public following a Cabinet meeting at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara "A general curfew will be applied every weeknight from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m."


There will be a weekend-long curfew as well from 9 p.m. on Friday. Towards 5 a.m. He added Monday.

A few industries will be excluded from the curfews, such as production, supply, health and agriculture, Erdogan told reporters.

He provided that some stores, such as markets and butchers, that provide home delivery services will also be exempted from the weekend constraints.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101211604/Turkey-adopts-tougher-measures-to-counter-Coronavirus&source=22.

 

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Ukraine- Kyiv reports 1,739 new COVID-19 cases

(MENAFN - UkrinForm) Kyiv city reported 1,739 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. Fifteen people died, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

"The dynamics of morbidity rate in the capital is not decreasing. Over the past day, 1,739 new coronavirus cases were recorded. Fifteen people died. In total, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 1,268 Kyiv residents. As of today, Kyiv city has reported 67,278 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases, Klitschko posted on Telegram.

Some 112 patients were hospitalized in the past 24 hours.

Since the start of the pandemic, 22,663 Kyiv residents have overcome the disease, including 346 people over the past day.

As of November 28, Ukraine reported 709,701 COVID-19 cases, including 16,294 new coronavirus cases recorded in past 24 hours.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101201193/Ukraine-Kyiv-reports-1739-new-COVID-19-cases.

 

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43 Catholic priests have died in Italy’s 2nd wave of coronavirus

Rome Newsroom, Nov 30, 2020 / 04:00 am MT (CNA).- Forty-three Italian priests died in November after contracting the coronavirus, as Italy experiences a second wave of the epidemic.

According to L’Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, 167 priests have lost their lives due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic in February.

One Italian bishop also died in November. A retired auxiliary bishop of Milan, Marco Virgilio Ferrari, 87, died Nov. 23 from the coronavirus.

At the beginning of October, Bishop Giovanni D’Alise of the Diocese of Caserta died at age 72.

Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, was critically ill with COVID-19 earlier this month. He is continuing to recover after testing negative last week.

Bassetti, the archbishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve, spent 11 days in intensive care in a hospital in Perugia, before being transferred to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital to continue his convalescence.

“In these days that have seen me go through the suffering of the contagion from COVID-19, I have been able to experience the humanity, the competence, the care put in place every day, with tireless concern, by all the personnel,” Bassetti said in a message to his diocese Nov. 19.

“They will be in my prayers. I also carry with me in memory and in prayer all the patients who are still in the moment of trial. I leave you with an exhortation of comfort: let us remain united in the hope and love of God, the Lord never abandons us and, in suffering, he holds us in His arms.”

Italy is currently experiencing a second wave of the virus, with more than 795,000 positive cases, according to the Italian health ministry. Almost 55,000 people have died from the virus in the country since February.

New containment measures were introduced at the beginning of the month, including regional lockdowns and restrictions such as curfews, shop closures, and no dining-in at restaurants and bars after 6 p.m.

According to national data, the curve of the second wave is on the decline, though experts report that in some regions of Italy infections numbers have not yet peaked.

In April, bishops across Italy visited cemeteries to pray and offer Mass for the souls of those who had died from COVID-19, including priests.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...-died-in-italys-2nd-wave-of-coronavirus-47560.

 

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More than one-third Covid kids show no symptoms: Study

(MENAFN - IANS)

Toronto, Dec 1 (IANS) More than one-third of kids who have Covid-19 are asymptomatic, say researchers, adding that youngsters diagnosed with the disease may represent just a fraction of those infected.

"The concern from a public health perspective is that there is probably a lot of Covid-19 circulating in the community that people don't even realize," said study author Finlay McAlister from the University of Alberta in Canada.

For the study, published in the journal CMAJ, the research team analysed results for 2,463 children who were tested during the first wave of the pandemic--March to September--for Covid-19 infection.

All told, 1,987 children had a positive test result for Covid-19 and 476 had a negative result. Of children who tested positive, 35.9 per cent--reported being asymptomatic.

"As far as we know, kids are less likely to spread disease than adults, but the risk is not zero," McAlister said.

"Presumably asymptomatic spreaders are less contagious than the person sitting nearby who is sneezing all over you, but we don't know that for sure," he added.

The researchers also found that although cough, runny nose and sore throat were three of the most common symptoms among children with Covid-19 infection--showing up in 25, 19 and 16 per cent of cases respectively.

They were actually slightly more common among those with negative Covid-19 test results, and therefore not predictive of a positive test.

"Of course, kids are at risk of contracting many different viruses, so the Covid-specific symptoms are actually more things like loss of taste and smell, headache, fever, and nausea and vomiting, not runny nose, a cough and sore throat," McAlister said.

He added that if people have any symptoms at all, they should stay home and get tested, while even those who feel well should still be doing everything, they can to stay safe--wearing a protective mask, frequent handwashing, keeping distance, and avoiding meeting indoors.

"Some people with Covid feel well and don't realize they have it so they socialize with friends and unintentionally spread the virus, and I think that's the big issue," the author noted.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101213902/More-than-one-third-Covid-kids-show-no-symptoms-Study.

 

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Brazil: Stricter procedures to continue on rise of coronavirus infections

(MENAFN) Cases of coronavirus have been increasing over again in Brazil, driving the country's most crowded state, Sao Paulo State, to start again stricter procedures.

The Health Ministry stated on Monday that, the country recorded 21,138 new cases and 287 new deceases from coronavirus in the last 24 hours, augmenting its nationwide caseload to 6,335,878 and death toll to 173,120.

Statistics increased once more after curfew procedures were alleviated although Brazil was able to level the curve between September and November.

The country is one of the states strongest hit by the novel COVID-19, with the second-highest death toll in the world after the United States, and the third-biggest caseload, only next to the United States and India.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101215207/Brazi...e-on-rise-of-coronavirus-infections&source=30.

 

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Uzbekistan reveals its COVID-19 data for December 1

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 1

By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases for December 1 in Uzbekistan increased to 73,094, http://trend.az/ Trend reports with reference to the statistics of the Uzbek Ministry of Health.

To date, 70,337 patients have fully recovered in the country, 610 have died.

At the moment, 2,147 patients are treated in medical institutions in Uzbekistan in accordance with the standards.

According to the Ministry of Health, all new cases were identified among those who were in contact with patients.

According to the Ministry of Health, all new cases were identified among those who were in contact with patients. In particular, 122 cases were revealed in Tashkent, 38 cases in Tashkent region, seven cases in Navoi region, six cases in Andijan region and one case was revealed in Jizzakh regions.

From October 1, all border crossing points in Uzbekistan are opened for road, rail, and air transport.

Under the instructions of president of Uzbekistan, unlimited movement of vehicles, as well as local air and rail travel in Uzbekistan, was resumed since August 15, 2020. Also, from August 17, 2020, Tashkent resumed public transportation.

The activities of preschool educational organizations and general education schools in a traditional and remote form is allowed from September 2020 in accordance with the opinions of parents and proposals of local councils of deputies.

Citizens are required to wear masks when entering public transport.

The first case of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15 in the laboratory of the Research Institute of Virology; it was an Uzbek woman who returned from France. The Ministry of Health later announced that her son, daughter, husband, and grandson also tested positive for coronavirus.

The outbreak in the Chinese Wuhan city - which is an international transport hub - began at a fishing market in late December 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.

Uzbekistan as an active member of the WHO European Regional Office has joined the Coronavirus vaccination program.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101213413/Uzbekistan-reveals-its-COVID-19-data-for-December-1.

 

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Italy reports drop in active Covid-19 cases

(MENAFN - IANS)

Rome, Dec 1 (IANS) Active coronavirus infections in Italy has decreased by 7,300 on a daily average, as the incumbent restrictions in the country have led to the slowing down of the second wave of the pandemic, according to health officials.

On Monday, the country reported 16,377 new cases, taking the overall infection tally to 1,601,554, Xinhua news agency quoted the Health Ministry as saying.

However, active coronavirus infections were 788,471 on Monday, down from 795,771 on Sunday, the latest statistics revealed.

The large majority of all those actively infected were isolated at home with mild symptoms, the Ministry said.

Another 33,187 are currently hospitalized (up from 32,879 on Sunday), and 3,744 are in intensive care (down from 3,753 on Sunday).

The daily drop in active cases came after a slowdown in the contagion rate across the country over the last two weeks.

Data also showed 23,004 new recoveries and 672 new fatalities were recorded on Monday.

The number of people recovered since the pandemic officially broke out here in late February rose to 757,507, while the country's death toll grew to 55,576.

Earlier this month, the government had introduced a three-tiered system that split the country into three zones (red for the highest risk, orange for medium risk, and yellow for low risk) according to the level of virus transmission and the situation of the public health system in each region.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101213463/Italy-reports-drop-in-active-Covid-19-cases&source=30.

 

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Serious coronavirus cases hit record high in Japan

The number of seriously ill patients with COVID-19 across Japan hit 472 on Monday. That's a new record high, and the health minister says it's another sign the situation is growing more serious.

Health Minister Tamura Norihisa said, "The number of people in serious condition tends to lag behind new cases. So the fact that serious ones have increased to nearly 500 means we're facing a sense of crisis."

Tamura is also urging local governments to secure enough hospital beds.

He says COVID19 patients who don't require hospitalization should be quarantined in designated facilities, including hotels to free up resources.

The biggest hot spot is Tokyo. More than a quarter of total cases nationwide have been confirmed in the capital. Officials reported over 370 cases on Tuesday in the city of 14 million.

Metropolitan government officials want local hospitals to increase the number of beds for seriously ill patients from 150 to 200 to meet the growing demand.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20201201_36/.

 

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Face masks now officially mandatory in the Netherlands

The government’s controversial and temporary coronavirus law comes into effect on December 1, meaning that face masks are now mandatory in all indoor public spaces in the Netherlands.

The Temporary COVID-19 Measures Act
The Temporary COVID-19 Measures Act will be in place for three months, and allows the Dutch government more power over implementing national coronavirus measures. Under the new law, the government is able to implement a national mandatory face rule.

On top of the face mask rule, the law also turns the ban on singing and shouting in groups into urgent advice, and removes the advice for keeping 1,5-metre distance from other members of your household.

Lastly, the law changes the way in which Prime Minister Mark Rutte introduces new measures. Up until now, any new measures have been implemented as emergency regulation on the instruction of the Minister of Health, Welfare, and Sport (Hugo de Jonge). Now, coronavirus measures proposed by the cabinet must be submitted to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) and Senate (Eerste Kamer) for approval. If the Tweede Kamer doesn’t approve a measure, it cannot be implemented.

Mandatory face mask rule in the Netherlands
While the government has introduced a 95-euro fine for anyone who fails to wear a mask (and who can’t provide evidence of exemption from the rule), the responsibility of enforcing the face mask rule will fall to retailers and business owners. They will not be able to issue fines, but could deny access to their shop or business.

Many shops, including Albert Heijn, HEMA, and Kruidvat, have already announced that they will not deny entry to any customer who refuses to wear a mask. A spokesperson for HEMA said it was up to their members of staff to assess the situation and decide for themselves what action should be taken: “It is mandatory for our staff and we request it from the customers. The staff may talk to the people, refuse them or call someone in like a BOA (Community Service Officer). We don't want it to end in a brawl, that benefits nobody."

Herbert Bruls, chairman of the Security Council, said on Monday that he was disappointed by these announcements: “You cannot say that if a customer enters your store or theatre and does not want to wear a mask that you won’t take action. You are responsible and have to obey the law." Any shop that repeatedly fails to enforce the rule will risk a fine of up to 4.000 euros, or even forced closure.

According to the Dutch government, not wearing a mask will result in police officers or BOAs issuing you a fine, however the chairman of the BOA association, Ruud Kuin, said it will take at least a week or two before any fines will be handed out. There are back-end administration issues that have to be handled before any fines can be issued, he says.

Source: https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/face-masks-now-officially-mandatory-netherlands.

 

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Belarus reports 1,689 new COVID-19 cases, 139,908 in total

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Belarus reported 1,689 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking its total to 139,908, the Health Ministry said, http://Trend.az Trend reports citing Xinhua.

There have been 1,608 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 117,195, the ministry added.

So far, 1,174 people have died of the disease in the country, including eight over the past 24 hours.

As of Wednesday, 3,306,693 tests have been conducted across the country, including 27,556 over the past 24 hours, according to official figures.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101223885/Belarus-reports-1689-new-COVID-19-cases-139908-in-total&source=30.

 

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Germany reports record 487 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) The number of daily COVID-19 deaths in Germany increased by 487 in 24 hours and reached a new record on Wednesday, bringing the total death toll in the country to 17,123, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said, http://Trend.az Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The number of new daily COVID-19 infections also remained high and increased by 17,270, now totaling over 1.08 million cases, according to the RKI. Germany is currently in an extended lockdown until Dec. 20, which includes strict contact restrictions and the closure of all restaurants and bars.

COVID-19 outbreaks in Germany were being recorded "particularly in households and increasingly in nursing and long-term care homes," but also in schools and daycare facilities for children, according to the RKI's latest daily situation report.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of a third COVID-19 wave on Monday. "We will still have to be very, very careful in the winter," she stressed.

Meanwhile, the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech SE and the U.S. company Pfizer Inc. announced on Wednesday that they had received the world's first approval for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom granted temporary authorization for emergency use for the COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2, BioNTech and Pfizer announced in a joint statement.

"All levels are working hard to prepare for these future vaccinations," said German Minister of Health Jens Spahn on Tuesday during his visit to the future COVID-19 vaccination center in the city of Duesseldorf, which can administer up to 2,400 vaccinations per day.

Germany is aiming to have COVID-19 vaccination centers up and running by mid-December. "We are preparing to supply several tens of millions of citizens with a vaccine within a very short time," promised Spahn.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, countries including Germany, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are racing to find a vaccine.

According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of Nov. 26, there were 213 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 49 of them were in clinical trials.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101223884/Germany-reports-record-487-COVID-19-deaths-in-24-hours.

 

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Afghanistan Reports 263 New COVID-19 Cases in 24 Hours

(MENAFN - Khaama Press)

Ministry of Public Health reported Wednesday, that out of 1,358 samples, 263 cases have turned positive in the last 24 hours.

At least 152,108 people have so far been tested in the governmental labs, and there still are 7,748 known active cases in the country.

According to the ministry, within 24 hours, 119 individuals have Recovered from COVID-19, and 22 individuals are reported dead.

The new cases recorded in Kabul are 75, Herat 28, Kandahar 21, Balkh 24, Nangarhar 25, Baghlan Seven, Parwan 14, Dykundi Five, Nimroz Seven, Logar Three, Ghazni Five, Kapisa 34, Panjsher One, Zabul Six, Faryab Six, and Nuristan Two.

The total number of cases in Afghanistan is 46,980, Total deaths are 1,822 and the total recoveries are recorded 37,026.

COVID-19 global toll has increased to 63,876,767 and the dead are reported to more than 1,480,516 according to Johns Hopkins' global dashboard.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101224170/Afghanistan-Reports-263-New-COVID-19-Cases-in-24-Hours.

 

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About 3% of Ukraine's population have already had COVID-19

(MENAFN - UkrinForm) According to the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, about 3% of the population of Ukraine have already had COVID-19.

"According to the operative data of the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health, about 3% of the population of Ukraine have already had COVID-19," Deputy Health Minister Iryna Mykychak said in an interview with the Telegraf media outlet.

She added that about 20% of patients admitted to hospitals have complications and, therefore, their treatment lasts a long time, the course of the disease becomes difficult to predict. Patients need not only special conditions and post-syndrome drug treatment but also oxygen therapy and special long-term care.

To date, according to the deputy minister, progressive growth is seen, compounded by increasing seasonal incidence of respiratory infections.

As of November 27, 35,707 Ukrainian healthcare workers contracted COVID-19, 327 of them died.

As of December 1, Ukraine has reported 758,264 coronavirus cases, including 13,141 cases registered in the past 24 hours.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101223220/About-3-of-Ukraines-population-have-already-had-COVID-19.

 

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Cambodia offers 1m masks, medical equipment to fight coronavirus

(MENAFN) Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen stated that Cambodia offers more than 1 million face masks and other medical supplies to Timor-Leste on Wednesday, December 2, to aid combat against the coronavirus.

Hun Sen wrote on his official Facebook page that Ouch Borith, minister joined the prime minister and foreign ministry's standing secretary of state, brought the payment to Timor-Leste by an individual flight on Wednesday, December 2.

The donation included 1 million face masks, 10,000 N-95 masks, 10,000 goggles, 10,000 sets of individual protective equipment, 250 hand-held temperature scanners, and 10 sets of ventilator machines for Intensive Care Units, he added.

Speaking to journalists at the Phnom Penh international airport before the departure, Borith stated that Timor-Leste was the third country that had got the contribution from Cambodia after Laos and Myanmar.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101220259/Cambodia-offers-1m-masks-medical-equipment-to-fight-coronavirus.

 

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Vietnam reports 7 fresh Covid cases, tally at 1,358

(MENAFN - IANS)

Hanoi, Dec 2 (IANS) Vietnam on Wednesday reported seven new Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally to 1,358, even as 35 fresh deaths were reported in the country, health officials said.

The new infections, including an Indian and six Vietnamese citizens, recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, said the officials, adding that one Vietnamese patient is only 10 months old, Xinhua reported.

The health ministry has announced that six more patients have recovered, raising the total cured cases in the country to 1,201 as of Wednesday.

Meanwhile, over 15,500 people are being quarantined and monitored, the ministry said.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101222332/Vietnam-reports-7-fresh-Covid-cases-tally-at-1358&source=19.

 

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Ukraine reports 14,496 new COVID-19 cases

(MENAFN - UkrinForm) As many as 14,496 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 772,760, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said.

"Some 14,496 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been recorded in Ukraine as of December 3, 2020. In particular, among them are 745 children and 614 health workers," he wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.

He said that 243 patients died from COVID-19, 15,372 recovered and 1,739 were hospitalized in Ukraine on December 2.

Stepanov noted that 72,678 coronavirus tests, including 47,172 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 25,506 ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) tests, had been performed in Ukraine in the past 24 hours.

Some 13,141 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Ukraine on December 1.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101226889/Ukraine-reports-14496-new-COVID-19-cases&source=30.

 

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Pets played lifesaving role during Covid pandemic: Study

(MENAFN - IANS)

Sydney, Dec 3 (IANS) In the absence of human-to-human contact, in millions of households worldwide, animals or pets have provided much-needed comfort via cuddles, pats and a constant physical presence, say researchers.

The study, published in the Journal of Behavioural Economics for Policy (JBEP) outlined how pets have a crucial role to play in an era where human-human contact can be life endangering.

According to the researchers, physical touch is a sense that has been taken for granted - even overlooked - until Covid-19 visited our door earlier this year.

"To fill the void of loneliness and provide a buffer against stress, there has been a global upsurge in people adopting dogs and cats from animal shelters during lockdowns," said study author Janette Young from the University of South Australia.

"Breeders have also been inundated, with demands for puppies quadrupling some waiting lists," Young added.

Spending on pets was already hitting record levels, topping $13 billion in Australia and in the region of US $260 billion globally in 2020, but this is bound to be surpassed.

It is estimated that more than half the global population share their lives with one or more pets. The health benefits have been widely reported, but little data exists regarding the specific benefits that pets bring to humans in terms of touch.

"Pets seem to be particularly important when people are socially isolated or excluded, providing comfort, companionship and a sense of self-worth," Young said.

Touch is an understudied sense, but existing evidence indicates it is crucial for growth, development and health, as well as reducing the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.

It is also thought that touch may be particularly important for older people as other senses decline.

In interviews with 32 people, more than 90 per cent said touching their pets both comforted and relaxed them - and the pets seemed to need it as well.

Examples of dogs and cats touching their owners when the latter were distressed, sad, or traumatised were cited.

"The feedback we received was that pets themselves seem to get just as much pleasure from the tactile interaction as humans," Young said.

Not just dogs and cats either. Interviewees mentioned birds, sheep, horses and even reptiles who reciprocate touch.

"In the era of Covid-19, social distancing, sudden lockdowns and societal upheaval, our pets may be the only living beings that many people are able to touch and draw comfort from," the authors wrote.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101227861/Pets-played-lifesaving-role-during-Covid-pandemic-Study&source=27.

 

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Kazakhstan reports 769 COVID-19 cases over past day

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Kazakhstan has added 769 more COVID-19 cases over the past day, increasing its caseload to 133,887, http://Trend.az Trend reports citing https://www.inform.kz/en Kazinform.

With 140 fresh daily cases of COVID-19, East Kazakhstan region is the only region to report a triple-digit number.

The highest double-digit cases of COVID-19 cases have been reported in Pavlodar and North Kazakhstan regions – 99 and 97, respectively.

Akmola region has reported 89 fresh cases of COVID-19, Kostanay region – 82, Almaty city – 72, Nur-Sultan city – 41, West Kazakhstan region – 34, Atyrau region – 31, Almaty region – 24, Karaganda region – 21, Zhambyl region – 15, Turkestan region – 7, Shymkent city, Aktobe and Mangistau regions each have reported 5 COVID-19 cases, and Kyzylorda region – 2.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101225840/Kazakhstan-reports-769-COVID-19-cases-over-past-day.

 

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Tokyo reports 533 new COVID-19 cases

Tokyo confirmed 533 new cases of coronavirus infections on Thursday, the metropolitan government said, with the figure topping 500 for the second straight day.

The number of serious cases fell by five to 54. The latest tally is based on 9,074 tests conducted.

Tokyo’s new cases included 114 in their 20s, 93 in their 30s, 89 in their 40s and 81 in their 50s. There were 89 new cases among people age 65 or above.

On Wednesday, Japan confirmed 2,434 new coronavirus cases, the second straight day above 2,000. There were 32 new deaths linked to the virus, including seven in Osaka Prefecture and five each in Hokkaido and Tokyo.

In Osaka, 427 new cases were reported Wednesday after three straight days below 400.

Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/12/03/national/tokyo-533-coronavirus-cases/.

 

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Machu Picchu to allow more daily visitors, easing COVID-19 restrictions

LIMA, PERU -- The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the crown jewel of Peru's tourist sites, will increase its daily visitor limit to more than 1,000, the Culture Ministry said Tuesday.

Machu Picchu reopened on November 1 after a nearly eight-month lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, but for safety reasons, only 675 tourists were allowed to access the site per day, just 30 per cent of the number of visitors pre-pandemic.

From Wednesday, the capacity will increase by 40 percent to 1,116 daily visitors, the ministry said.

The ministry said it decided to increase daily capacity after the rate of COVID-19 infections in Peru began to decline.

Before the pandemic, between 2,000 and 3,000 people per day entered the citadel, and as many as 5,000 during high season.

In March, on the last day of visits before shutting down, 2,500 people visited Machu Picchu.

The Culture Ministry said all visitors must comply with health and safety measures for the coronavirus, including wearing a mask.

Machu Picchu, which means old mountain in Quechua, is the most enduring legacy of the Inca empire that ruled a large swathe of western South America for 100 years before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

The ruins of the Inca settlement, abandoned and overgrown by vegetation, were rediscovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham. In 1983, UNESCO declared Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site.

Source: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coron...sitors-easing-covid-19-restrictions-1.5212995.

 

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Germany extends pandemic restrictions until January 10

‘We have a very high death toll every day,’ Merkel says.

Germany will extend its restrictions on daily life aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus through to January 10, Chancellor Angela Merkel said following talks with regional leaders.

"The incidence is falling in some federal states, but unfortunately it is still rising in a few," Merkel said late Wednesday. "We have a very high death toll every day."

A decision had already been taken to extend the closure of bars, restaurants and gyms until December 20, while meetings with friends and relatives are limited to one other household, and up to a maximum of five people.

Despite a slight loosening of the measures during the Christmas period which will allow more people to meet, Merkel had already said restrictions would run into 2021.

On Thursday, the Robert Koch Institute, the country's disease control center, reported 22,046 new cases nationwide in the preceding 24 hours. Germany has now recorded more than 1.1 million coronavirus cases in total, with deaths standing at 17,602.

While vaccines will shortly be available, Merkel indicated caution was still needed. "In the first quarter [of 2021], we must not have exuberant hopes, so to speak, with regard to the quantities of the vaccine," she said, adding that Germany would get around 7 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines once regulatory approval had been granted.

Merkel said she will discuss the measures again with Germany's 16 regional premiers on January 4 at the latest.

Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-coronavirus-extends-pandemic-restrictions-january-10/.

 

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Ukraine reports 15,131 new COVID-19 cases

(MENAFN - UkrinForm) As many as 15,131 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's total to 787,891, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said.

"Some 15,131 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been recorded in Ukraine as of December 3, 2020. In particular, among them are 649 children and 681 health workers," he wrote on his Facebook page on Friday.

He said that 235 patients died from COVID-19, 13,383 recovered and 1,776 were hospitalized in Ukraine on December 3.

Stepanov noted that 74,880 coronavirus tests, including 48,028 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 26,852 ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) tests, had been performed in Ukraine in the past 24 hours.

Some 14,496 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Ukraine on December 2.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101232735/Ukraine-reports-15131-new-COVID-19-cases.

 

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First case of a Covid-infected cat reported in Switzerland

(MENAFN - Swissinfo) For the first time in Switzerland a cat has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Cats, like dogs, are however not believed to play a major role in the spread of the virus.



This content was published on December 3, 2020 - 15:32 December 3, 2020 - 15:32 Keystone-SDA/jdp
According to the https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/de/home/dokumentation/nsb-news-list.msg-id-81442.html Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (BLV), the case was reported by the veterinary medicine laboratory at the University of Zurich. The cat had been tested in the context of a research project and came from a household with a person who had also tested positive.

Other isolated cases of coronavirus infections in pets have been reported in other countries. Almost all the infected pets came from households with individuals who tested positive for Covid-19.

In a press release, the BLV said that it believes transmission from humans to cats is rare but cannot be ruled out. It doesn't believe regular testing for cats is necessary. Infected cats do not show any symptoms or if they do, they are usually mild.

There is also no evidence that cats and dogs pose a risk of infection for humans, the office said.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101231278/First-case-of-a-Covid-infected-cat-reported-in-Switzerland&source=30.

 

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Russia adds 27,403 new Covid-19 cases

(MENAFN - IANS)

Moscow, Dec 4 (IANS) Russia on Friday reported 27,403 new coronavirus cases, down from the all-time high of 28,145 a day earlier, according to health authorities.

The country's Covid-19 response centre said that the new cases increased the overall infection tally to 2,402,949, while the death toll and recoveries stood at 42,176 and 1,888,752, respectively, Xinhua news agency reported.

Moscow, the country's worst-hit region, reported 6,868 new cases in this period, bringing the captial city's total to 632,057.

Russia currently ranks fourth globally in terms of the overall caseload.

So far, over 78.2 million Covid-19 tests have been conducted across the country.

Russia plans to begin large-scale vaccinations against the coronavirus next week on a voluntary basis and free of charge.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101233608/Russia-adds-27403-new-Covid-19-cases&source=27.

 

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Turkey reports over 32,000 new COVID-19 cases

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Turkey registered 32,381 more coronavirus infections, including 6,511 symptomatic cases, over the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry data released Thursday, http://trend.az Trend reports citing https://www.dailysabah.com/ Daily Sabah.

The new symptomatic cases raised the overall patient count to 520,167.

As many as 4,190 patients recovered over the past day, bringing the tally to 418,331, while the death toll rose to 14,316, with 187 new casualties.

More than 187,518 COVID-19 tests were conducted across the country, pushing the total to over 19.14 million.

The number of patients in critical condition now stands at 5,611.

"Closed and crowded areas are the environments where the virus is most easily transmitted. We should spend the winter months avoiding crowded and closed areas," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, urging the public to follow COVID-19 measures and stay home.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 1.49 million lives in 191 countries and regions since last December.

Over 64.72 million cases have been reported worldwide, with more than 41.64 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.

While the US, India, and Brazil remain the worst-hit countries in terms of the number of cases, Europe is in the grip of a devastating second wave of infections.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101231557/Turkey-reports-over-32000-new-COVID-19-cases&source=30.

 

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Brazil's COVID-19 death toll tops 175,000

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) Brazil Thursday recorded 755 more deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of fatalities to 175,270, http://trend.az Trend reports citing http://www.xinhuanet.com/ Xinhua.

According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the country averaged 544 daily deaths in the past seven days.

Tests also detected 50,434 cases of infection in the past 24 hours, bringing Brazil's total caseload to 6,487,084 since February.

The country now has the world's second-highest COVID-19 death toll, after the United States, and the third-largest outbreak, after the United States and India.

Brazil's economy rebounded by 7.7 percent in the third quarter compared with the second, the state-run Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics said earlier.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101231561/Brazils-COVID-19-death-toll-tops-175000&source=30.

 

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Georgia hits record high COVID-19 daily cases

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec.4

By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:

Georgia reported 5,068 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, a record-high figure since the country confirmed its first case of the virus on February 26, 2020, http://trend.az Trend reports via Georgian media.

The new 5,068 cases were recorded in: Tbilisi - 1,959 cases, Adjara - 483 cases, Imereti - 980 cases, Kvemo Kartli - 296 cases, Shida Kartli - 222 cases, Guria - 122 cases, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti - 408 cases, Kakheti - 335 cases, Mtskheta-Mtianeti - 130 cases, Samtskhe-Javakheti - 114 cases, Racha-Lechkhumi, Kvemo Svaneti - 19 cases.

Some 2,336 individuals have recovered and 38 others have died of COVID-19 in the country in the past 24 hours.

Earlier this week the government announced large-scale testing of the public, about 20,000 individuals on a daily basis, to reveal new infections in a timely fashion and prevent the further spread of the virus.

The process will continue until February 1, 2021.

Georgia has had 152,704 cases of coronavirus since February. Some 126,304 of the 152,704 individuals have recovered, while 1,425 others have died.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101233257/Georgia-hits-record-high-COVID-19-daily-cases&source=21.

 

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WHO reports over 645,000 new daily cases of COVID-19

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) More than 645,000 new confirmed cases of novel coronavirus have been recorded globally in the past day, pushing a total number of infections to 65.25 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its daily bulletin on Saturday, [To enable links contact MENAFN] Trend reports citing [To enable links contact MENAFN] TASS.

According to the WHO updates, the coronavirus-related deaths increased by over 12,000 to exceed 1.51 million.

As of 17.02 Moscow time on December 5, as many as 65,257,767 coronavirus cases and 1,513,179 coronavirus-related deaths were registered across the globe. The number of confirmed cases grew by 645,231 in the past 24 hours and the number of fatalities increased by 12,242.

The WHO statistics are based only on officially confirmed data provided by countries.

South and North America account for more than 49% of single-day COVID-19 cases submitted to the WHO in the past 24 hours (315,772). Europe goes second (232,575 cases) followed by South East Asia (48,082).

Most COVID-19 cases are recorded in the United States (13,978,171), followed by India (9,608,211), Brazil (6,487,084), Russia (2,431,731), France (2,228,980), the UK (1,690,436), Italy (1,688,939), Spain (1,684,647), Argentina (1,447,732), Colombia (1,343,322), Germany (1,153,555) and Mexico (1,144,643).

Source: https://menafn.com/1101239132/WHO-reports-over-645000-new-daily-cases-of-COVID-19&source=27.

 

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Canada's Covid-19 cases surpass 400,000

(MENAFN - IANS)

Ottawa, Dec 5 (IANS) Amid a raging second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Canada reported 3,763 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the overall infection tally to 400,031, according health authorities.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said on Friday that the country's death toll has also increased to 12,470, reports Xinhua news agency.

The spread of the pandemic across Canada has been accelerating.

The national average case count is now close to 6,200 cases reported daily over the last seven days, and 87 deaths each day, according to Public Health Agency of Canada.

The country recorded its 300,000th case on November 16.

It took six months for Canada to record its first 100,000 confirmed cases, four months to reach the 200,000 threshold and less than a month to hit 300,000.

The government has reiterated its call to remain vigilant in stopping the spread of the virus, despite promising vaccine news.

Canada expects the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to be administered in January, which will go to the country's most vulnerable populations.

"The latest longer range modelling forecasts that if we stay on the same trajectory we could reach 10,000 cases daily by January," Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said in a statement on Friday.

"The progression of the COVID-19 pandemic has been filled with difficult news as rapid epidemic growth continues and high infection rates are affecting more and more health regions," she said, adding "the impacts of ongoing community spread are increasingly being felt in high-risk populations and settings, including long term care homes and hospitals".

Source: https://menafn.com/1101236998/Canadas-Covid-19-cases-surpass-400000.

 

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Afghanistan Reports 253 New COVID-19 Cases in 24 Hours

(MENAFN - Khaama Press)

Ministry of Public Health reported Saturday, that out of 1,400 samples, 253 cases have turned positive in the last 24 hours.

At least 157,316 people have so far been tested in the governmental labs, and there still are 8,291 known active cases in the country.

According to the ministry, within 24 hours, 138 individuals have Recovered from COVID-19, and 18 individuals are reported dead.

The new cases recorded in Kabul are 73, Kandahar 17, Balkh 27, Nangarhar 22, Paktya 17, Bamyan Two, Baghlan One, Parwan 20, Nimroz Two, Ghazni 17, Logar One, Helmand Five, Wardak One, Laghman Four, Khost 16, Paktika 12, Urozgan One, Jawzjan 11, and Sar-e-pul Four,

The total number of cases in Afghanistan is 47,641, Total deaths are 1,865 and the total recoveries are recorded 37,485.

COVID-19 global toll has increased to 65,967,222 and the dead are reported to more than 1,519,883 according to Johns Hopkins' global dashboard.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101238057/Afghanistan-Reports-253-New-COVID-19-Cases-in-24-Hours&source=30.

 

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Ukraine- Kyiv confirms 1,541 new COVID-19 cases

(MENAFN - UkrinForm) Kyiv city reported 1,541 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. Fifteen people died, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

"Over the past day, 1,541 new coronavirus cases were recorded. Fifteen people died. In total, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 1,410 Kyiv residents. As of today, Kyiv city has reported 78,291 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases, Klitschko posted on Facebook.

Some 113 patients were hospitalized in the past 24 hours.

Since the start of the pandemic, 25,108 Kyiv residents have overcome the disease, including 523 people over the past day.

As of December 5, Ukraine reported 801,716 COVID-19 cases, including 13,825 new coronavirus cases confirmed in past 24 hours.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101238689/Ukraine-Kyiv-confirms-1541-new-COVID-19-cases.

 

[sweep_shot]

Russia confirms single-day record of 28,782 new Covid cases

(MENAFN - IANS) p>Moscow, Dec 6 (IANS) Russia registered 28,782 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the highest number of daily infections to date, the country's COVID-19 response center said.

The country has registered 2,431,731 coronavirus infections over the course of the pandemic, making its caseload the fourth highest in the world, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

Meanwhile, 508 new deaths were reported, taking the nationwide count to 42,684.

Moscow, the country's worst-hit region, reported 7,993 new cases, taking its tally of infections to 640,050, the response center said.

According to the center, 1,916,396 people have recovered, including 27,644 over the past day.

So far, over 78.7 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101239306/Russia-confirms-single-day-record-of-28782-new-Covid-cases&source=27.

 

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France's daily COVID-19 infections continue to fall

(MENAFN - Trend News Agency) With 11,221 people testing positive for coronavirus in a 24-hour span and the national caseload nearing 2.27 million, France on Friday continued to see a downward trend in infections, data from the health authorities showed, http://Trend.az Trend reports citing http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-12/05/c_139565195.htm Xinhua.

The daily figure was lower than Thursday's 12,696 and well below the record 60,486 reported on Nov. 6, suggesting the country, which had introduced a second confinement in late October, is gaining control over the virus resurgence.

A total of 627 new deaths were reported Friday, taking the overall death toll to 54,767. Among them, 282 COVID-19 patients had died in hospitals from the respiratory disease, down from 324 registered a day before. Another 345 new deaths were reported in retirement homes over a three-day period.

A total of 26,311 COVID patients remain in hospitals for treatment, representing a daily fall of 392. Of those hospitalized, 132 left resuscitation units in the past 24 hours, reducing the total number of serious cases to 3,293.

France is planning a three-stage vaccination campaign that will initially target 1 million older people in nursing homes and their staff early next year.

Starting from February, the government aims to inoculate 14 million people with age-related risk factors or chronic diseases. A broader vaccination of the general public is scheduled for spring.

Source: https://menafn.com/1101237040/Frances-daily-COVID-19-infections-continue-to-fall&source=27.

 

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Covid: Argentina passes tax on wealthy to pay for virus measures

Argentina has passed a new tax on its wealthiest people to pay for medical supplies and relief measures amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Senators passed the one-off levy - dubbed the "millionaire's tax" - by 42 votes to 26 on Friday.

Those with assets worth more than 200 million pesos ($2.5m; £1.8m) - some 12,000 people - will have to pay.

Argentina has recorded close to 1.5 million infections and almost 40,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

It has been hit hard by the pandemic, becoming the fifth country worldwide to report one million confirmed cases in October despite only having a population of about 45 million people - making it the smallest nation at the time to surpass that figure.

Lockdown measures have further dented an economy struggling with unemployment, high poverty levels and massive government debt. Argentina has been in recession since 2018.

One of the law's authors said it would only affect about 0.8% of taxpayers. Those affected will pay a progressive rate of up to 3.5% on wealth in Argentina and up to 5.25% on that outside the country.

AFP news agency reports that of the money raised, 20% will go to medical supplies, 20% to relief for small and medium-sized businesses, 20% to scholarships for students, 15% to social developments, and the remaining 25% to natural gas ventures.

Centre-left President Alberto Fernandez's government hopes to raise 300 billion pesos.

But opposition groups fear it will discourage foreign investors, and that it will not be a one-time tax.

Centre-right party Juntos por el Cambio reportedly described it as "confiscatory".

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55199058.

 

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Global caseload of coronavirus crosses 66.9 million

LONDON — As many as 66.9 million (66,972,138) people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,536,693 have died, according to a worldodometer tally. It reported that there have been 46,353,167 cases of global recoveries.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

The US has recorded more than 14 million cases and nearly 270,000 deaths from coronavirus, the highest figures in the world. Daily cases have been at record levels since early November and there are now almost 100,000 people in hospital, more than in either of the two previous peaks of the pandemic.

The United States reported 1 million COVID-19 cases in the first five days of December, and more than 200,000 daily cases for the fourth consecutive day. Experts say these coming months will be a "worst-case scenario" in the US before we reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

Canada reported an additional 6,346 new infections of the novel coronavirus Saturday as several provinces broke new case and fatality records amid the second wave of the pandemic.

The new data, which includes another 93 fatalities from the virus, pushes the country’s total cases to 408,569 and its death toll to 12,589. A total of 324,800 patients have since recovered while over 15,283,000 tests have been administered.

Saturday’s numbers provide a limited snapshot of the virus in Canada. Provinces like P.E.I. and British Columbia as well as both the Yukon and Northwest Territories do not report new case data over the weekend. As the number of COVID-19 cases surges, hospitalizations and deaths also continue to grip communities across the country.

In Moscow, Russia reported a record high of 29,039 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, taking the national total to 2,460,770 since the pandemic began, according to Reuters. Authorities confirmed 457 deaths related to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, pushing the official national death toll to 43,141.

In Paris, French health authorities reported a further fall in daily hospital deaths from COVID-19 today, on Saturday and said the total number of hospital admissions due to the disease had also declined over the past 24 hours, Reuters reported.

There were 12,923 new confirmed cases on Saturday, higher than Friday's total and bucking a general month-long downward trend. There were 216 deaths in hospital in the past day, taking the total number of lives lost to COVID-19 in France to 54,981. A little over 26,000 COVID-19 patients are now in hospital.

In Berlin, Germany announced on Sunday that COVID-19 killed 255 people and infected 17,767 others in the past 24 hours. According to Robert Koch Institute for infectious disease, deaths rose up to 18,772 while total infections reached 1,171,322 cases.

In Rome, Italy reported 662 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday against 814 the day before, the Health Ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 21,052 from 24,099, Reuters reported.

The first Western country hit by the virus, Italy has seen 59,514 COVID-19 fatalities since its outbreak emerged in February, the second highest toll in Europe after Britain. It has also registered 1.71 million cases to date. There were 194,984 swabs carried out in the past day, down from a previous 212,741, the ministry said.

In Brussels, total infections of coronavirus cases in Belgium on Sunday increased to 589,942 with 2,485 new infections reported by Belgian health authorities. Up to 112 more deaths from COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours raising the total death toll to 17,254.

In New Delhi, Indian health authorities said on Sunday that 482 people died due to COVID-19 as 36,011 positive cases were registered from across the country in a span od 24 hours.

The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the deaths due to the coronavirus rose to 140,182 as the total number of positive cases amounted to 9,644,222, According to the ministry, 9,100,792 people recuperated from the pandemic as it spread to 35 Indian states.

In Tunis, Tunisia’s Ministry of Health said Saturday, that 1,091 people contracted the coronavirus over the past 24 hours bringing the overall infections to 102,992. Forty-five more patients succumbed to the illness, raising the country’s death toll to 3,526. The recoveries went up to 76,441, it added.

In Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population said on Saturday that 431 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus and 18 patients died over the past 24 hours. The figures took the country’s tally to 118,014 infections and 6,750 deaths the ministry said. Another 133 patients have been discharged from the hospitals, bringing the overall recoveries to 103,324. — Agencies

Source: https://saudigazette.com.sa/article...l-caseload-of-coronavirus-crosses-669-million.

 

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Tokyo reports 327 new coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 2,025

TOKYO
The Tokyo metropolitan government on Sunday reported 327 new cases of the coronavirus, down 257 from Saturday. The number is the result of 7,399 tests conducted on Dec 3.

The tally brought Tokyo's cumulative total to 43,704.

By age group, the highest number of cases were people in their 20s (86), followed by 69 in their 40s and 64 in their 30s.

The number of infected people hospitalized with severe symptoms in Tokyo is 54, one down from Saturday, health officials said.

Nationwide, the number of reported cases was 2,025. After Tokyo, the prefectures with the most cases were Osaka (310), Hokkaido (187), Aichi (170), Saitama (162), Kanagawa (134), Hyogo (120), Chiba (78), Hiroshima (52), Kyoto (43), Fukuoka (41), Shizuoka (40) and Okinawa (39).

Thirty-one deaths were reported.

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/nat...-new-coronavirus-cases-nationwide-tally-2-025.

 

[sweep_shot]

Covid: South Korea raises alert level amid spike in cases

South Korea is raising its Covid-19 alert levels, as it battles a rise in infections.

Gatherings of more than 50 will be banned in the capital Seoul and surrounding areas from Tuesday, while gyms and karaoke bars will be closed.

On Sunday 631 new infections were reported in one day, the highest number in nine months.

The country was widely praised for its virus response earlier this year, with aggressive testing and contact tracing.

But the authorities have struggled in recent weeks. The number of active cases in South Korea now stands at 7,873, and there are concerns about rising numbers in hospitals.

There have now been 37,546 cases in total, and 545 deaths.

Health minister Park Neung-hoo said there was a risk of the virus spreading if nothing was done.

"We concluded that this is a dangerous situation on the verge of expanding into a nationwide pandemic," he told Reuters news agency.

Restrictions would also be tightened in other parts of the country, Mr Park said, but at a lower level. They will last at least three weeks.

On Saturday, Seoul's municipal government introduced a curfew, with most businesses including restaurants, bars and cafes being forced to close at 9pm.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55206419.

 

[sweep_shot]

Brazil's coronavirus cases top 6.6 million, health ministry says

BRASILIA — Brazil reported 26,363 additional confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, and 313 deaths from COVID-19, its health ministry said on Sunday.

The South American country has now registered 6,603,540 cases since the pandemic began, while its official death toll has risen to 176,941, according to ministry data. Brazil has the world’s third worst outbreak after the United States and India. (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Jamie McGeever Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: https://nationalpost.com/pmn/health...us-cases-top-6-6-million-health-ministry-says.