The US remains the country hardest hit by the pandemic, with over 5.8 million confirmed cases and almost 180,000 deaths. Brazil is next with more than 3.7 million infected and a death toll of 117,000. India is third in terms of those infected (over 3.2 million), while Mexico is third in the number of lives claimed by the virus (over 62,000).
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BUENOS AIRES (Sputnik) – Argentina has confirmed 10,104 new cases of the coronavirus across the country within the past 24 hours, with the total number of people infected with COVID-19 having reached 380,292, the national Ministry of Health said.
A day earlier, Argentina recorded 10,550 new COVID-19 cases and 276 fatalities.
"Today, 10,104 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, bringing the total number of [COVID-19] positive tests in the country to 380,292," the ministry said in a daily bulletin on late Thursday.
The death toll from the coronavirus has risen by 209 to 8,050 people within the same period of time.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil has increased by 44,235 to 3,761,391 within the past 24 hours, the national Ministry of Health said on late Thursday.
The death toll has risen by 984 to 118,649 people within the same period of time.
A day earlier, Brazil reported 47,161 new cases of the coronavirus disease and 1,085 new fatalities.
Brazil comes second in terms of coronavirus cases after the United States, which has recorded more than 5.8 million COVID-19 patients.
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March. To date, more than 24.2 million people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 828,000 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Trump administration has purchased 150 million novel coronavirus (COVID-19) test kits that will soon be distributed across the United States, the White House said in a press release.
"Today, the Trump Administration is pleased to announce the purchase and production of 150 million rapid tests to be distributed across the country," the release said on Thursday.
The release said the US administration is working with Abbott Laboratories to provide these "inexpensive and easy-to-use" test kits to the public.
The United States has reported more than 5.8 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 180,400 deaths caused by the disease as of Thursday afternoon, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
BERLIN (Sputnik) - The German authorities decided to introduce an obligatory five-day quarantine for people entering the country from the regions with high COVID-19 risks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.
"If possible, starting from October 1, those returning to Germany from the risk regions should be placed on a two-week quarantine, which can be completed no earlier than five days provided that a test for the infection is negative," Merkel said at a meeting with the heads of the German regions.
The chancellor explained that, as the incubation period of the virus is long, many potentially infected people might not be taking into account. According to Merkel, among the people returning to Germany, about 2 percent test positive for coronavirus.
"We note a large number of positive tests among those returning from the risk regions, so targeted testing is necessary. At the same time, we note that among those who return from the non-risk regions, the percentage of positive tests is very low. Therefore, the possibility to take a free test when returning from non-risk regions will end starting from September 15, because this is non-targeted testing," the chancellor added.
According to Merkel, quarantine violation after a not urgent trip to a risk region will be punishable by a fine. It is also planned to create an electronic registration system for returnees.
France reported 6,111 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, a post-lockdown record rise and the second-highest level since the pandemic started, the French Public Health Agency (DGS) said in a press release on Thursday.
France’s record daily rise in COVID-19 cases was registered on March 31, when the country reported 7,578 new cases.
"New confirmed COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours — 6,111 cases", the DGS said.
According to the DGS, over 4,500 coronavirus-positive patients are currently being treated in hospitals, and 381 of them are in the ICUs.
"This distribution of almost $2.5 billion in additional funding to over 15,000 nursing homes nationwide supplements the $4.9 billion that was previously distributed to skilled nursing facilities", the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a press release.
The HHS said it plans to distribute another $2 billion to nursing homes later this fall based on certain performance indicators that will be shared in the future.
Nursing homes are considered high-risk environments that have been disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus because of residents’ advanced ages and increased vulnerability of underlying medical conditions common among the elderly, the release said.
HHS also announced a new partnership with more than 15,000 nursing homes to train staff on how to keep facilities free of the novel coronavirus and how to cope with an infestation.
A further 1,522 new cases of the novel coronavirus were recorded over the last 24 hours in the United Kingdom, taking the total number of laboratory-confirmed infections to 330,368, the Department of Health and Social Care reported on Thursday.
The daily official figures also showed that the country´s death toll now stands at 41,477, after another 12 people died within 28 days of their first positive test result for the COVID-19.
In separate reports issued by each of the four local health authorities, England recorded seven fatalities, with Northern Ireland and Wales reporting one death each, and Scotland none.
Thursday's number of daily new cases is the highest recorded in the United Kingdom since June 12, when 1,541 people tested positive for the virus.
Data also shows we can now add Cuba to those countries INCLUDED in Travel Corridors. As with all air bridge countries, please be aware that things can (and do sometimes) change quickly. Only travel if you are content to unexpectedly 14-day quarantine on return.
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 27, 2020
"In his briefing to you last month, Under-Secretary-General [Mark] Lowcock warned that the very limited COVID-19 testing in Syria masks the real extent of the outbreak", UN Assistant-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Ramesh Rajasingham said during a UN Security Council meeting. "Reports of healthcare facilities filling up, of rising numbers of death notices and burials, all seem to indicate that actual cases far exceed official figures".
Rajasingham pointed out that the official numbers rather show that community transmission of the novel coronavirus in Syria is widespread. Of the total of 2,440 confirmed cases across the country, the majority cannot be traced to a known source, he said.
Moreover, the rising number of patients puts additional stress on the already weak health system, and health workers still lack personal protective equipment supplies. Unable to cope with capacity pressure and infections among staff, several health facilities have suspended their operations.
In the Al-Hawl refugee camp, where eight children died at the beginning of August, 12 health centres had to shut down due to workers contracting the novel coronavirus and the lack of protective items, Rajasingham said.
"The Committee will make technical recommendations on the functioning of the IHR as well as regarding possible amendments", Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told Geneva diplomats hours ahead of a press conference.
"Following the Peruvian government's request for humanitarian assistance, the Russian side has delivered 500 test kits and reagents to Lima on August 19 on a Nordwind charter flight", Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.
According to the diplomat, the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry is actively working on additional supplies to Peru.
"This testifies to a true partnership between our countries", Zakharova noted.
Peru has so far confirmed over 600,000 COVID-19 cases and about 28,000 related deaths.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has recorded 4,711 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total to 975,576, the coronavirus response centre said Thursday.
Some23.6 percent of latest cases involved patients with no symptoms.
Russia recorded 121 coronavirus fatalities during the same period, taking the total to 16,804.
KUBINKA, Russia (Sputnik) – The Moscow Region's Krasnogorsky Zavod (KMZ) has presented Russia's first device for detecting viruses, including COVID-19, in the air, at the Army 2020 forum, Alexander Novikov, the plant's general director, told Sputnik.
"KMZ has presented a completely new product — a bio-medical device dubbed 'Detector-BIO’, which detects bacteria, toxins, and viruses, including COVID-19, in a room. This is our joint project with the [Russian] Health Ministry's N.F. Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. With the help of such a device, the automatic analysis of an air sample takes from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the concentration of pathogens and other factors", Novikov said.
According to the plant's general director, the state tests of this device were completed in June, but the official paperwork for registration is still being prepared, so it is too soon to talk about distribution.
"However, we are completely ready, and if necessary, we can produce as many [devices] as a client needs. It is important that this device can detect various pathogens in the air, so it can be used both for civilian purposes and for ensuring biological safety", he noted.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – India has confirmed 75,760 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, marking the largest daily increase since the start of the outbreak, with the total number of those infected having reached 3,310,234, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday.
The death toll from the disease has reached 60,472 people, with 1,023 new fatalities recorded over the past day. More than 2.5 million people have recovered in India since the start of the outbreak.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Germany has confirmed 1,507 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, with the total count reaching 237,936, the Robert Koch Institute said on Thursday.
The death toll grew by five to 9,285 people within the same period of time. About 212,000 people have recovered since the start of the outbreak.
A day earlier, the country confirmed 1,576 new coronavirus cases and three fatalities.
