The United States has registered almost 400,000 cases of COVID-19 in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University, while Italy and Spain remain the countries with the highest death toll - 16,525 and 13,055 fatalities respectively, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
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The death toll from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mexico has risen to 174, a total of 3,181 cases of the infection have been confirmed, 33 people died over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry's director of epidemiology, Jose Luis Alomia, said.
"Today, the number of confirmed cases reached 3,181... Unfortunately, the death count is increasing, it already reached 174 people," Alomia said during a regular ministry press conference.
According to published data, the overall number of citizens tested for the coronavirus has exceeded 29,000, a total of 17,209 tests were negative, 9,188 people suspected of having the disease are expecting test results.
The number of people, who have died of the coronavirus in the United States within the past 24 hours, has risen by 1,965, which is the worst number since the start of the pandemic, Johns Hopkins University said.
The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States has reached 14,768.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States stands now at 431,838, with over 23,000 people having recovered.
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Korea has risen by 39 to 10,423 over the past day, the Health Ministry's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Thursday.
The death toll has risen from 200 to 204 within the same period of time, according to the KCDC.
The largest number of new COVID-19 cases – 12 out of 39 – has been registered in the capital of Seoul, 10 more in the province of Gyeonggi. Twenty-three new cases are imported ones, the KCDC stressed.
The number of recovered people has risen by 197 to 6,973.
China has registered 61 new imported cases of COVID-19 and two cases of internal transmission within the past 24 hours, with two people having died of the disease, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.
The total number of imported COVID-19 cases in China has reached 1,103.
“The National Health Commission received information about 81,865 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by a new type of coronavirus from 31 provinces [regions and municipalities], including 1,160 currently ill people. 176 people are in critical condition, 3,335 have died, 77,370 people have been discharged from hospitals,” the commission said in a statement.
No new cases of the coronavirus have been registered in the province of Hubei, where the city of Wuhan – the epicenter of the pandemic – is located.
The Peruvian authorities extended the state of emergency in the country until April 26 amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), President Martin Vizcarra said.
"It is necessary to extend the state of emergency by two weeks, until Sunday, April 26. We can't reduce control and reduce efforts [to fight the coronavirus] exactly when the most difficult times are coming," Vizcarra said in a statement broadcast on Facebook.
The state of emergency in Peru was introduced on 16 March for 15 days, then it was extended until 12 April inclusive.
Models available to US health experts now project that mortality due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will be at around 61,000 people, significantly lower than earlier forecasts, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx told reporters.
"They have consistently decreased the mortality from over almost 90,000, down to 81,000 and now to 61,000," Birx said at a daily briefing on Wednesday evening. "That is modeled on what America is doing, that’s what is happening."
The United States is re-evaluating its financial contribution to the World Health Organization (WHO), US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press briefing.
"At this point we're re-evaluating our funding with respect to the World Health Organization," Pompeo said on Wednesday evening.
On Tuesday, Trump said WHO failed to take appropriate action to address the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and US funding to the agency would be put on hold.
The global number of new coronavirus cases rose above 1.5 million as dozens of countries around the world reported new infections, according to the latest data published by Johns Hopkins University.
The number of cases worldwide rose to 1,500,830, with the highest number of infections in the United States, while the death toll from the disease reached 87,706 as of 9:10 p.m. GMT on Wednesday.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Wednesday that his son Danilo had contracted the coronavirus disease.
"When it all started, my [son] Danilo said that giving up was not an option. My first child was infected with the coronavirus, and the clinical picture is that he was admitted to an infectious disease hospital. Son, you will win this, too. Your father loves you and everyone loves you," Vucic wrote on his Instagram account.
"Seven patients aged 46 to 90 have died in Moscow, they were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for coronavirus infection. They had associated diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, cardiosclerosis, pyelonephritis, and atrophy pancreas. Three of the patients suffered from chronic bronchitis", the city's coronavirus response centre said.
One of the deceased, a 74-year-old patient at a private medical organisation, had heart problems and suffered from diabetes, it added.
"My numbers this morning were actually 349 National Guard members", National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Joseph Lengyel told reporters.
More than 27,000 National Guard members have been deployed throughout the United States to help states combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Turkish Health Ministry reported 4,117 new cases of coronavirus infection in the country in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 38,226.
The number of deaths rose by 87 overnight to 812, according to the daily update.
Additionally, 264 people have been discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recovered COVID-19 patients to 1,846.
"Three in four Americans say they have completely (28 percent) or mostly (47 percent) isolated themselves from people outside their household. The percentage who are self-isolating rapidly increased between March 16 and 26, but has shown only modest change since then", a press release summarising the poll said.
"In the initial Gallup survey, conducted March 16-19, Americans were about equally likely to report being isolated (51 percent) versus not isolated. The percentage who reported self-isolating increased to 64 percent in the week that followed, reaching 69 percent one week later," the release said.
The upward sloping graphic curve then flattened, although the latest estimate of 75 percent was the highest recorded thus far, the release added.
Residents of urban areas (84 percent) were more likely than those living in suburbs (79 percent) and rural areas (67 percent) to say they were completely or mostly isolated from people outside their homes, according to the release.
The number of fatalities from COVID-19 in French hospitals climbed by 8% in a day to a cumulative total of 7,632, state health agency director Jerome Salomon told a news conference.
"I’ll begin with an update on the numbers of COVID-19 cases in Canada. There are now 18,447 cases, including 401 deaths", Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said.
Tam pointed out the coming days and weeks will be crucial in the fight to stem the spread of the virus given the improvement in the weather and major religious holidays on the horizon.
The province of Quebec continues to lead the country with 9,340 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The province of Ontario has recorded the most deaths related to the novel coronavirus - 174, although concerns remain that Canada’s most populous province’s low per-capita testing rate may be undermining the accuracy of the data.
"It's necessary that the lockdown remains in place for several more weeks counting from now… As for the current state of understanding, we could of course start talking about and have a strategy for what will happen after the lockdown, but an essential and crucial element is that the strict lockdown continues for several more weeks", President of the French Scientific Council Jean-Francois Delfraissy told the France Info broadcaster.
The epidemiologist added that the Scientific Council had asked the government to prolong the lockdown, which is currently in place until April 15, but that "everything will depend on the level of tolerance among the population".
Among the conditions that have to be met to end of the lockdown, Delfraissy named the reduced number of the COVID-19 cases in France and a clear operational post-lockdown strategy.
"Before we envisage the end of the lockdown, the government has to ensure that the goal of relieving the French reanimation services is met… The medical crews have to benefit from a sufficient period to recover from the enormous effort they made", he added.
"As of yesterday evening there were 175 confirmed cases among UN staff worldwide, 32 in the US and 19 here in the Secretariat", Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a briefing.
The disease has also killed two UN system staffers.
"One in the Food and Agricultural Organization and one in the World Intellectual Property Organisation", Dujarric added.
"The bad news is actually terrible: the highest single-day death toll yet - 779 people", Governor Andrew Cuomo said. "In this crisis, we lost 6,268 New Yorkers".
Cuomo noted that the COVID-19 death toll dwarfs the number of casualties in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which killed 2,753 New York residents.
According to Cuomo, the death toll in New York will likely be "high or higher for the next several days".
The condition of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was diagnosed with the coronavirus, is improving, and though remaining in the intensive care unit, he can sit up in bed and talk with medical staff, Chancellor of Exchequer Rishi Sunak said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
"The latest from the hospital is that the prime minister remains in intensive care, where his condition is improving. I can tell you that he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team", Sunak said.
The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has reduced production of its best-selling A320 narrow-body family by about a third to 40 aircraft a month.
It also cut production of larger wide-body jets, with the A350 falling by about 40% to six aircraft a month, while the A330 family is down by more than 40% to two aircraft a month.
The total number of US cases as of 12:30 p.m. EST (4:30 p.m. GMT) rose to 401,166, which is the world's highest number of infections. At least 12,936 people have died in the US from the disease, the tracker showed, while 22,563 recovered.
The total number of US cases as of 12:30 p.m. EST (4:30 p.m. GMT) rose to 401,166, which is the world's highest number of infections. At least 12,936 people have died in the US from the disease, the tracker showed, while 22,563 recovered.
"I have made this tour to have an idea about prices and to indicate that the daily bread of the Lebanese is a red line. It is forbidden to tamper with food security. Prices have increased by 70% and this is unacceptable", Prime Minister Hassan Diab said, as quoted by Lebanon's NNA news agency.
The COVID-19 pandemic has coincided with Lebanon's most serious economic crisis in 30 years, exacerbated by anti-government protests that broke out in October and deposed then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Diab’s cabinet, thus, now has to tackle both challenges. The country has so far confirmed a total of 575 COVID-19 cases, including 19 fatalities.
"The NYPD now reports that they have 276 officers, who had tested positive, who have now returned to duty", Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "The FDNY reports that 1,310 EMTs [emergency medical technicians], paramedics and firefighters, who either tested positive, or were exposed to a patient who had tested positive, or were suspected of having been affected, have returned to duty".
New York became the epicentre of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States, with at least 138,836 positive cases as of Tuesday and 5,489 deaths statewide.
The European Union is considering Minsk's request for help amid the coronavirus, the total amount has not been decided yet, but it may reach about 60 million euros ($63 million), EU Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said Wednesday.
"Belarus has requested assistance, for its health care system and to address the impact, macro-financial, macroeconomic impact of this situation. And also they have been asking for financial assistance. And we are now exploring how we can respond to this request, looking in particular at economic support for the health care system and to the civil society. The total amount of this support has not yet been decided ... it will be around 60 million euros", Borrell told a press conference.
"As of 8 April 2020, 12 pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed and verified an additional 142 cases of COVID-19 infection", the Singaporean Health Ministry said in a press release, adding only two cases were imported.
The previous record of 120 cases was reported on Sunday. The total number of infected now stands at 1,623. Twenty-nine patients are in intensive care, while 406 have been discharged to date after making a full recovery.
The European Commission has recommended that Schengen states extend non-essential travel restrictions until 15 May introduce to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
"Today the Commission invited Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States to prolong the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU until 15 May", the commission said in a press release.
"The number of cases in Sweden today is 8,419 people. The number of deaths has reached 687", chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said.
The number of new infections in Stockholm is stabilizing, he said.
"At the same time, we can state that the number of cases in other regions is on the rise", Tegnell said.
The authorities urged citizens to refrain from travelling on Easter holidays to contain further spread of the coronavirus from Stockholm to other regions. Experts see no sharp increase in the number of infected or deaths in Sweden, as the daily number of deaths remains double-digit.
"Pursuant to President Ghani’s decree of 11 March, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released 100 Taliban* prisoners today based on their health condition, age and length of remaining sentence as part of our efforts for peace and containment of COVID-19", the Afghan Security Council said.
The released prisoners were on the broader list that the Taliban's representatives shared and discussed with the government's negotiators in Kabul, it said.
All those released promised they would never return the battlefield, backed by the same assurance from the group’s leadership in Doha.
The Afghan government remains open to continuing joint work with the Taliban to advance the peace process, the council said.
*Taliban is a terrorist group banned in Russia
The European Union will provide 3.25 billion euros ($3.5 billion) worth of aid package to Africa to help it tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
According to the commission, in total, the bloc is securing 15.6 billion euros to help its partners worldwide.
"From the overall package of €15.6 billion, €3.25 billion are channelled to Africa, including €1.19 billion for the Northern African neighbourhood countries", the statement added.
The commission noted that the aid package is a part of the funding already allocated to the EU’s international partners. The allocated funding, thus, will be simply redirected to support research, health and water systems in these countries and address the socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 crisis.
"A 2021 recovery in trade is expected, but dependent on the duration of the outbreak and the effectiveness of the policy responses", the WTO said in a press release.
The WTO has suggested two scenarios for the trade recovery. A more optimistic one would bring global trade to its pre-pandemic state. Under the pessimistic scenario, the trade would slump more and recover without reaching the pre-pandemic results.
"Under both scenarios, all regions will suffer double-digit declines in exports and imports in 2020, except for "Other regions" (which is comprised of Africa, Middle East and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) including associate and former member States)", the WTO said.
"Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed a trial of middle-door only boarding in buses will begin this week, as it looks to enhance its already significant work to ensure that public transport is safe for staff and for critical workers who need to use it for absolutely essential journeys", Transport for London (TfL), the agency responsible for the city’s transportation system, said on Wednesday in a press release.
The agency added that only essential workers should be using public transport during the health crisis and noted that the number of people using buses had fallen by 85 percent recently.
In London, 14 transport workers have died reportedly after contracting COVID-19. Union leaders have criticized TfL for failing to provide protective equipment, such as face masks to employees.
"The Cabinet of Ministers decided to prolong measures taken to combat the coronavirus for two weeks until 23 April, among them the curfew, the closure of cafes and restaurants, as well as suspension of air traffic", Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said at a press conference.
According to the prime minister, the cabinet also pushed back the start of the curfew from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m,, as this would give citizens more time to return home, and also reduce crowding on public transportation.
Madbouly added that each cabinet member would donate 20 percent of their three months’ salaries to the national fund for fighting COVID-19.
The prime minister further reiterated his call for everyone to adhere to preventive measures such as social distancing and self-isolation.
On 25 March, Egypt introduced a curfew in the country between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. [17:00-06:00 GMT] for two weeks in a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
"Fifty-five percent of respondents said the federal government has not done a good job, an increase of 8 percentage points in about a week. The government’s disapproval rating on its actions during the pandemic has increased 12 percentage points in a month", the CNN network said in a report summarising the poll.
The poll also reflected the partisan split among US voters that has become endemic to nearly every public opinion survey, with 80 percent of Republicans crediting the government with doing a good job and 85 percent of Democrats who say the government has done poorly, the report said.
The number of cases of the coronavirus in the Netherlands has increased by 969 over the past 24 hours, which brings the total toll of those infected to 20,549, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment said on Wednesday.
According to the health authorities, the death toll has reached 2,248 with 147 of the fatalities being recorded over the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, more than 7,700 patients are currently receiving treatment in hospitals.
"After the termination of regular flights between Russia and Norway, the embassy received 89 appeals from Russian citizens asking for assistance in returning home. Relevant information was sent to the Crisis Management Center of the Russian Foreign Ministry", a spokesperson for the embassy said.
According to the diplomatic mission, most Russians live in families of close relatives and "there are practically no tourists".
"Unfortunately, despite the information spread by the embassy regarding the desirability of an early return of citizens due to the unpredictable development of the situation with the coronavirus, the last flights from Oslo to Moscow on 16-17 March were half-empty", the spokesperson added.
The embassy recalled that there is still the possibility of returning to Russia through the border crossing point Borisoglebsk in the Murmansk Region. Norway continues to perform domestic flights to this area.
"The figures of economic research institutes show us clearly that the measures we took to shield the economy from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic are beginning to work. They predict only a moderate rise in the jobless rate", German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told reporters.
He stressed that the figures were dynamic and depended on how well German partners in Europe and beyond were faring.
Portugal's hotel industry may face losses of up to 1.44 billion euros ($1.56 million) due to the coronavirus pandemic in the first half of 2020, while about 85 percent of employees in this area will be temporarily unemployed in April, the local Diario Economico business newspaper said on Wednesday, citing a report by the Hotel Association of Portugal.
According to the newspaper, the association estimates losses from 1.28 billion euros to 1.44 billion euros, and over 80 percent of hotels will remain shut in April and May, which will result in about 51,000 employees being temporarily laid off due to the suspension of their work.
These economic consequences were triggered by the Portuguese government's decision to suspend all public life and ban travel across the country in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. In addition, the authorities declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic on March 19.
So far, Portugal has confirmed more than 12,400 cases of the disease, including 345 fatalities and 184 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Will be immediately sending 100 Ventilators to Colorado at the request of Senator Gardner! https://t.co/Nj4EPxfZl6
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020
VIDEO: India's first drive-through testing centre has opened in New Delhi, requiring a doctor's prescription and costing roughly $60. India has so far recorded over 5,000 coronavirus cases, but experts caution the real number is likely to be far higher pic.twitter.com/8tuqlR683Z
— AFP news agency (@AFP) April 8, 2020
It’s w/a heavy heart that we share that Councilman Yun has passed away. He was a great co worker and a tireless advocate for the people of #JerseyCity - More than that he was a great father, husband, and grandfather. I can speak for the entire JC community that we are devastated
— Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) April 6, 2020
"Now is not the time to relax measures. It is the time to once again double and triple our collective efforts to drive towards suppression with the whole support of society", WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, stated.
Considering the gravity of the #COVID19, the Government of Ethiopia has enacted a State of Emergency according to Article 93 of the Constitution.
— Office of the Prime Minister - Ethiopia (@PMEthiopia) April 8, 2020
PM @AbiyAhmedAli calls upon all to follow the ensuing measures that will further define the SOE. #PMOEthiopia https://t.co/wE93q32CLq
"This is a common threat for the whole world, and it is impossible to respond on one's own. The Russian Federation has already sent its test systems to over 30 countries across the world”, Prime Minister Mishustin said at a meeting of the coronavirus response coordination council.
These mostly include countries of the Eurasian Economic Union and former Commonwealth of Independent States nations, he specified.
"These measures are necessary chiefly for minimising the threat of infection spreading into our country", Mishustin said.
"Federal hospitals in the [Russian] capital will receive 5 billion roubles for the response to the spreading of the coronavirus infection. The money will be used for repurposing hospitals, preparing buildings for receiving patients with infectious diseases, and conducting repairs, if needed. The money will also be used for purchasing medications, medical materials, personal protective equipment, and equipment for patient oxygen support", the statement read.
Extra funds will also be allocated for doctors as financial stimulus.
The aid package consisting of face masks, protective gear, sanitisers, and express test kits was delivered to North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.
COVID-19 virüsü ile mücadele için 5 ülkeye ulaştırılacak olan ve içerisinde @saglikbakanligi ‘na ait sağlık malzemeleri yer alan uçağımız Ankara Etimesgut’tan havalandı. Uçağımızın ilk durağı Sırbistan olacak.https://t.co/uBiJYElXD3 pic.twitter.com/zSo6XqWmvj
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) April 8, 2020
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has registered 1,175 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, with the total climbing to 8,672, the country's coronavirus response centre said on Wednesday as of 10:45 a.m. Moscow time.
"Over the past 24 hours, Russia has confirmed 1,175 COVID-19 cases in 56 regions", the centre said.
Of the new cases, 660 were registered in Moscow, 95 in the Moscow Region, and 34 in St. Petersburg.
The death toll has increased by five to 63 over the past 24 hours.
Eighty-six people have recovered from the coronavirus and been discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours, the centre said, adding that the total number of recoveries has reached 580.
Teleconference on knowledge & experience sharing in PLA response to COVID-19 was held between military medical experts from Chinese People's Liberation Army & Pakistani Armed Forces on 6 April 2020 #ChinaPakSolidarity @ForeignOfficePk @OfficialDGISPR @zfrmrza @MFA_China @zlj517 pic.twitter.com/INw7dBNaRe
— Chinese Emb Pakistan (@CathayPak) April 8, 2020
