COVID-19 is currently battering the Americas, as well as India and South Africa, which all show a considerable daily increase in the numbers of infected and deaths from the virus. The US remains the worst-hit country with around 3.8 million cases, while Brazil is next with 2.1 million infected, and India occupies third place with 1.15 million.
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The Institute of Public Health in Podgorica said on Tuesday that 98 cases of coronavirus were registered in the country over the past 24 hours. There have been no new fatalities, and a total of 26 people died of the disease since the start of the epidemic. There are currently 1,920 active cases of cOVID-19 in Montenegro.
"The National Coordination Body for Communicable Diseases decided today, at the suggestion of the Public Health Institute of Montenegro, to re-declare an epidemic of infectious coronavirus in the entire country", the government said.
The government also introduced new temporary measures to prevent the further spread of the infection starting from Wednesday.
"Wearing protective masks outdoors and indoors is mandatory throughout Montenegro ... The gathering of persons is limited in the entire country to a maximum of 40 persons in outdoor public places, and to 20 persons in closed public places, with the obligation to maintain a physical distance of at least two meters ... Work of discos/bars and nightclubs/bars is prohibited ... Weddings, prom nights, birthdays and other private celebrations are prohibited", the government said.
On 2 June, the authorities of Montenegro officially declared that the epidemic of COVID-19 in the country was over. On 25 May, President Milo Dukanovic said that Montenegro had successfully defeated the COVID-19 outbreak and the government opened borders for tourists from a range of countries.
MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - The number of people, who have died of COVID-19 in Mexico, has risen by 915 to 40,400 within the past 24 hours, the country's Health Ministry said.
According to the data, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has increased by 6,859 to 356,255 within the same period of time.
Mexico is currently at the fourth place in the world in terms of the count of coronavirus-related deaths after the United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
The Mexican authorities attribute high coronavirus mortality rates to a big number of people who are at risk group. Mexico, in particular, is the second largest state after the United States in terms of the number of obese people and it is one of the leaders in terms of the number of citizens with diabetes.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said during a press briefing that he tests for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at least every two or three days on average.
"I do test, probably on average I test every two days, three days", Trump said on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters during a briefing that Trump tests for novel coronavirus multiple times a day.
Trump said he carries his face mask all the time and uses it whenever social distancing is not possible.
Trump also urged the US public to use face masks whenever it is necessary and to practice other mitigation measures to slow the spread of the virus.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Brazil has increased by 41,008 to 2,159,654 within the past 24 hours, the national Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
The death toll has risen by 1,367 to 81,487 people within the same period of time.
A day earlier, Brazil reported about 20,200 new cases of the coronavirus disease and 632 new fatalities.
WHO Executive Director Michael Ryan said on 17 July that the coronavirus curve had plateaued in Brazil and that the country, which is only surpassed by the US in terms of total cases and deaths, could now push the disease down.
"Another 19 patients, who were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for the coronavirus infection, died in Moscow", the centre said.
In the previous day, 17 people infected with the coronavirus died in Moscow.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The global cumulative toll of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 14.5 million, with 213,637 cases recorded over the past day, the World Health Organisation said in its daily situation report on Tuesday.
Over the past 24 hours, 4,083 people died from COVID-19 worldwide, taking the death toll to 607,781 people, according to the report.
The cumulative global toll of confirmed cases has now reached 14,562,550, as stated in the report.
Most cases and deaths — 7.7 million and over 311,000, respectively — remain concentrated in the Americas. The United States continues being the country with the highest single count of cases and fatalities — 3.7 million and nearly 140,000, respectively.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – About 65 percent of French people expect the principles on which the health professionals work in the country to adjust to a new reality after the coronavirus crisis, the Odoxa-nehs survey revealed on Tuesday.
The survey, compiled for Franceinfo and Le Figaro Sante, was conducted among 2,010 people aged 18 and older between June 24 and July 3.
Another point the survey considered was the relationships between health workers and patients due to the COVID-19 crisis. It states that 51 percent of those surveyed saw improvement in interactions between patients and medical workers, while 10 percent spoke about the deterioration in this matter. 38 percent of the French said nothing has changed.
As of Tuesday, France has reported over 214,000 COVID-19 cases, with a death toll at 30,180.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A seroprevalence study conducted by India’s National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) revealed on Tuesday that 23.48 percent of New Delhi residents have COVID-19 antibodies, the Information Ministry said.
The research was commissioned by the Health Ministry and conducted in cooperation with the Delhi government.
"The results of the sero-prevalence study show that on an average, across Delhi, the prevalence of IgG antibodies is 23.48 %. The study also indicates that a large number of infected persons remain asymptomatic", the information ministry said in a press release.
According to the health authorities, the NCDC’s study shows that a significant proportion of the Indian population is still vulnerable to the disease, and calls for keeping coronavirus restrictions in force.
The research was conducted from June 27 to July 10, and 21,387 people were tested for antibodies.
India, the third worst-hit country by the pandemic, has so far confirmed over 1.1 million COVID-19 cases, including more than 123,000 cases in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and 28,084 related deaths. The infection rate has been rising recently, as the average number of new confirmed cases went from less than 20,000 in late June to more than 35,000 in mid-July. At the same time, 62.7 percent of cases have resulted in recoveries.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Public health officials in Japan have approved the use of the steroid drug dexamethasone for treating COVID-19 patients, making it the second treatment after the antiviral drug remdesivir to receive government approval, according to domestic media reports on Tuesday.
A Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare handbook for treating COVID-19 patients was revised and now mentions the drug, the Kyodo News agency reports. New guidance will see dexamethasone recommended for patients who require the use of ventilators or oxygen injections, the agency said.
The UK government approved the use of the steroid drug in mid-June following research conducted by scientists at the University of Oxford. After administering the drug to 2,100 patients for 10 days, researchers found that dexamethasone reduced deaths by one-third among ventilated patients, and by one-fifth in patients that were receiving oxygen.
The World Health Organisation has urged pharmaceutical companies to ramp up production of the inexpensive steroid drug, although Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged health care workers to ensure that the treatment is only administered to patients who are under close supervision.
VIENNA, July 21 (Sputnik) - Face covering will once again become mandatory in supermarkets, as well as banks and post offices across Austria starting at the end of this week, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday.
The decision comes amid the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country.
"We decided to reintroduce the mandatory wearing of masks in supermarkets, banking and post offices, in all areas of daily life", Kurz said at a press conference, adding that the measure would be effective from Friday onward.
Meanwhile, Hans-Peter Hutter, a deputy head of the department for environmental hygiene and environmental medicine at the Medical University of Vienna, told Sputnik that it would be safe to cancel the mask requirement in supermarkets only after all restrictions are lifted, including the freedom of movement, and provided that the return to normal life does not induce a new surge of infections.
Starting 14 April, Austria began to weaken its restrictive measures imposed due to the coronavirus in two-week increments. Since June 15, wearing masks was only mandatory in public transport, pharmacies, and in service industries where a minimum distance could not be observed.
Austria has so far confirmed 19,805 cases, including 17,704 recoveries and 710 deaths.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Nearly one-third of US citizens do not believe that the country's death toll from the coronavirus is as high as the official count, according to a fresh survey by Axios/Ipsos published on Tuesday.
"Almost a third (31%) of Americans believe the real death toll of the pandemic is less than the 135,000 officially reported as of mid-July. A similarly worded question in April found that a quarter (23%) said the official count inflated the actual toll", Ipsos said in a press release.
According to the findings, among those who believe that the real number of COVID-19 fatalities is lower are mainly Republicans (59 percent, up from 40 percent in May) and people who receive most of their political information from Fox News (61 percent, up from 44 percent in May).
"Democrats (61% from 63%) continue to mostly believe the real toll of the pandemic is greater than what has been officially reported", the press release added.
In addition, the survey found that trust in the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and state governments has decreased by 15 percentage points since early April and amounts to 70 percent and 57 percent, respectively. The federal government and the White House are among the least trusted by public authorities — 35 and 31 percent, respectively.
The Axios/Ipsos poll was conducted from 17-20 July among 1,037 adults aged 18 years or older.
BANGKOK (Sputnik) - Malaysia has reinstated a requirement for people arriving from abroad to quarantine in state-run isolation centres and specially-equipped hotels for two weeks, Malaysian media reported on Tuesday, citing health authorities.
On 10 June, the Malaysian government lifted the mandatory 14-day quarantine in monitored centres for foreign arrivals and let them self-isolate at home instead.
According to the newspaper The Star, citing Malaysian Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the growing number of imported cases has prompted the government to reimpose the mandatory 14-day quarantine in state centres and hotels beginning this Friday, 24 July.
Iran has confirmed a total of 14,634 deaths from COVID-19, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari stated on TV. The total number of those infected in the Islamic Republic has reached 278,827, according to official data.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - An asylum seeker from Eritrea is filing a lawsuit against the UK Home Office after being infected with the coronavirus due to an outbreak in his accommodation facility, Urban House in the city of Wakefield, while the authority had assured him that there was no risk to his health, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.
According to the newspaper, the asylum seeker's lawyer in April told the Home Office about concerns that his client and other asylum seekers were at risk of contracting the virus in the accommodation, since it was impossible to maintain social distancing in the overcrowded house. In response, the authority said that there was no threat to the asylum seeker's health.
Speaking to the news outlet from a hotel, which the asylum seeker had been moved to by the Home Office after he started developing COVID-19 symptoms, the man said that he had been in Urban House for about four months, although asylum seekers are supposed to spend only a few weeks there.
"Many of us in Urban House have been asking for transfers. It is too crowded there. Covid has really weakened us and we fear we could pick up another infection if we are sent back there", he said.
Earlier in July, the country's health authorities confirmed an outbreak of the coronavirus at Urban House, with more than 20 people being known to have been infected with the virus.
Assessing the spread of the pandemic in the national capital, a Delhi serological survey has revealed that nearly six months into the epidemic, only 23.48% of people are affected in the city, which has several densely-populated pockets. A total of 21,387 samples were collected as per lab standards and were tested.
For a city that has registered more than 100,000 cases so far, the data comes as a major development. The national capital is in the news for effectively containing the spread of the infection with less than 1,000 cases being registered yesterday.
"The end of the year target for getting vaccine rollout, it's a possibility but there's absolutely no certainty about that because we need three things to happen", Oxford Professor Sarah Gilbert told BBC Radio.
According to her, the vaccine needs to demonstrate its sufficiency in late-stage trials, to be produced in large quantities, and be greenlighted for emergency use by British regulators.
NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - India's COVID-19 tally has grown by over 37,100 in the past 24 hours (down from the record 40,400 on the previous day) taking the total to 1,155,191, according to fresh data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
As many as 587 coronavirus patients died in India in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 28,084. Over the same period, the number of cured patients reached 724,577 after growing by 24,491.
The central state of Maharashtra still remains the worst-affected area, with 318,695 confirmed infections, followed by the southern state of Tamil Nadu with 175,678 cases, and the national capital territory of Delhi with 123,747 cases.
TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japan's capital Tokyo has registered about 230 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, the highest number this week, media reported on Tuesday.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said the exact numbers were still being checked but it is expected to surpass 200 and reach about 230, the broadcaster NHK reported.
India's first international flight is set to take off from Delhi International Airport for Washington on Wednesday at 1:00 am.
Announcing the formation of air bubbles - bilateral arrangement for limited international flights – the Indian cabinet had mentioned that negotiations are at an advanced stage with three countries - France, the United States, and Germany.
The policy highlights that India is focusing on opening up bilateral channels to gradually resume international operations, instead of opening up completely.
