Europe tops 6 million confirmed coronavirus cases – latest updates

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Europe passes 6 million confirmed cases

Europe has registered more than six million confirmed cases of novel coronavirus since it first appeared in the region in January, an AFP tally showed.

So far the continent has seen 6,000,940 infections and 237,716 deaths, with the most in Russia (1,248,619 infections and 21,865 deaths), Spain (825,410 infections, 32,486 deaths), France (669,235 infections, 32,365 deaths) and Britain (530,113 infection, 42,445 deaths).

Turkey reports 1,581 new patients

Turkey has reported 1,581 more patients of the novel coronavirus and 1,355 new recoveries over the past 24 hours, the country's Health Ministry said.

The overall patient count now stands at 329,138, with recoveries totalling 288,954, according to ministry data.

Some 116,608 more Covid-19 tests were conducted over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall tally to over 11.16 million.

The death toll from the virus reached 8,609, with 56 more fatalities.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Twitter said there was a downward trend in the number of patients in critical condition, adding that this number could be reduced with early treatment.

The figures also showed that the number of patients in critical condition currently stands at 1,411, while 6.2 percent suffer from pneumonia this week.

Italy tops 3,000 daily cases for first time since April

Italy has registered 3,678 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said, the first time the country has exceeded 3,000 cases in a single day since April.

There were also 31 virus-related deaths against 28 the day before, far fewer than at the height of the pandemic in Italy in March and April.

Italy was the first country in Europe to be slammed by Covid-19 and has the second-highest death toll after Britain in the continent, with 36,061 dying since the outbreak flared in February, according to official figures.
It has also registered 333,940 cases.

Switzerland reports more than 1,000 new cases 

The number of new coronavirus infections have risen by 1,077 in a day, data from Switzerland's public health agency showed, the first daily increase of more than 1,000 since early April.

The agency reported a total of 57,709 confirmed cases, up from 56,632 on Tuesday. The death toll rose by two to 1,789.

The country reported its first confirmed case in late February.

New daily cases peaked at 1,456 on March 23 and had dwindled to as few as three on June 1.

UK records 14,162 new cases

The United Kingdom has recorded 14,162 new daily cases of Covid-19, slightly down from the 14,542 it reported the day before, government data showed.

A further 70 people died after testing positive for the virus within 28 days.

Gilead to supply 20,000 more doses of remdesivir to EU

The European Commission has said that it had agreed with US company Gilead to supply more than 20,000 additional doses of its Covid-19 drug remdesivir, in a bid to tackle shortages of the medication in European countries.

A spokesperson for the EU executive said Brussels had agreed with Gilead last Friday to supply the additional doses for the treatment of about 3,400 patients.

It said it had paid $8.2 million for the new supply, which is in addition to 30,000 courses of treatment it had bought at the end of July.

WHO  worried about virus spikes in Cuba, other Caribbean states

The World Health Organization is concerned about spikes in virus cases in countries that had managed outbreaks effectively, such as Cuba, and Jamaica, and 11 Caribbean states that have moved from moderate to intense transmission, its regional director, Carissa Etienne, said.
The good news is that rates of severe Covid-19 cases have fallen across the Americas and fewer people are being hospitalised needing intensive care, she said in a virtual briefing from Washington with other Pan American Health Organization directors.

Italy U21 football team isolating after two cases

Two Italy Under-21 players have tested positive for the virus, sending the team into isolation before their European Championship qualifier against Iceland this week, the Italian football federation (FIGC) announced.

The two "totally asymptomatic" players had tested negative on Sunday when they joined the squad, but a second test on Tuesday came back positive.

The players were not named but Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that they were Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni and Atalanta substitute goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.

Sri Lanka bans public gatherings amid sharp rise

Sri Lankan authorities have banned all public gatherings as a new cluster of Covid-19 expands in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Health authorities said the outbreak centred at a garment factory has risen to 1,022 confirmed infections while 1,500 people have been asked to quarantine at their homes.

The Health Ministry ordered the public not to conduct public gatherings such as exhibitions, parties, conferences, indoor or outdoor events, carnivals, musical shows and processions.

The majority of the infected people are co-workers at a garment factory.

Rising numbers show UK has a serious problem

Britain's rising numbers of infections and an increase in people being hospitalised with the disease demonstrate that there is a serious problem, Health Minister Matt Hancock has said.

"It is a challenge, and everybody will have seen, from the rising case rates and unfortunately the rising hospitalisation rates, which have risen really quite sharply in the last week or so, that we have got a very serious problem on our hands," Hancock said at a Confederation of British Industry webinar.

"The challenge is how to deal with this second peak in a way that has as little damage as possible. Thankfully, we know far more about it than first time around."

Poland reports new daily record of cases, deaths

Poland has reported a daily record of 3,003 new cases as well as a record of 75 deaths, as the country grapples with a rapid surge in cases and imposes new restrictions while trying to dodge a full lockdown.

Poland now has a total of 107,319 confirmed cases and 2,792 deaths. 

Indonesia reports 4,538 new cases, 98 deaths

Indonesia reported 4,538 new cases, bringing its infections total to 315,714, data from the country's health ministry showed.

There were also 98 new deaths in Indonesia, taking the total number to 11,472, the highest death toll in Southeast Asia.

Philippines confirms 2,825 new cases, 60 deaths

The Philippines' health ministry has recorded 2,825 new infections and 60 additional deaths.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases in the Philippines had risen to 329,637, the highest number in Southeast Asia, while deaths had increased to 5,925.

Russia reports 11,115 new cases, 202 deaths

Russia has reported 11,115 new cases in the last 24 hours, pushing its nationwide tally to 1,248,619.

Russia's coronavirus crisis centre said 202 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to 21,865.

Bulgaria's daily cases hit record high of 436

Bulgaria has registered a record high 436 cases in the past 24 hours, data from the national information platform on the disease showed.

A total of 22,306 cases have been registered in the Balkan country of 7 million people, including 862 deaths. Eight people have died in the past 24 hours.

Daily coronavirus infections started to increase in late September.

Bulgarians have to wear protective face masks in closed public spaces and keep social distance and the government has said it does not plan to introduce any new restrictive measures for the time being.

India's coronavirus infections rise to 6.76 mln

India's tally of coronavirus infections stood at 6.76 million, rising by 72,049 cases during the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed, while the death toll was up 986 at 104,555.

India's death toll from the virus rose past 100,000 on Saturday, making it the third country to reach that bleak milestone after the United States and Brazil, and its epidemic shows no sign of abating.

Last week, India eased curbs further, permitting its states to open schools and movie theatres.

Czech Republic's daily cases climb above 4,000 for first time

The Czech Republic reported 4,457 new coronavirus cases, its highest one-day tally since the pandemic started, Health Ministry data showed.

The rise surpassed a previous record of 3,794 as the country has had one of Europe's fastest per-capita spikes in cases in the past month. In total, it has recorded 90,022 cases since March, along with 794 deaths.

Ukraine sees record daily high of 4,753 new cases

Ukraine registered a record 4,753 Covid-19 cases during the past 24 hours, the national security council said, up from a previous record of 4,661 new cases reported on October 3.

The council said a total of 239,337 cases had been registered in Ukraine as of October 7, with 4,597 deaths, including 77 during the past 24 hours.

The daily tally of coronavirus infections spiked in late September and early October above 4,000, prompting the government to extend lockdown measures until the end of October.

Sri Lanka bans gatherings amid virus cluster

Authorities in Sri Lanka have banned all public gatherings as a new cluster of infections expands in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Health authorities said that the outbreak centered at a garment factory has risen to 830 confirmed cases while more than 1,000 people have been asked to quarantine at their homes.

The health ministry ordered a halt to gatherings such as exhibitions, parties, conferences, indoor or outdoor events, carnivals, musical shows and processions. 

The cluster emerged on Monday, a day after Sri Lanka reported its first community infection in two months. The country has reported 3,733 cases during the pandemic, with 13 deaths.

Germany's cases rise to 306,086

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 2,828 to 306,086, data from the department of infectious diseases at the Robert Koch Institute showed.

The reported death toll rose by 16 to 9,562, the tally showed.

South Korea has biggest case jump in a week

South Korea has reported 114 new cases of the coronavirus, its first daily jump of more than 100 infections in a week.

Health officials had raised concerns that infections will rise because of increased travel during the five-day Chuseok harvest holiday that ended on Sunday.

The figures released by health officials on Wednesday brought South Korea’s case total to 24,353 for the pandemic, including 425 deaths.

Health officials have been struggling to track transmissions linked to various places, including hospitals, churches, restaurants and an army unit in Pocheon, north of Seoul, where 37 soldiers so far have tested positive.

NY to resume restrictions in virus hot spots

New York’s governor says the state will reinstate restrictions on businesses, houses of worship and schools in and around areas where cases are spiking.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the severity of shutdowns would vary by proximity to hot spots.

The rules will take effect no later than Friday in parts of New York City’s Brooklyn and Queens boroughs, sections of Orange and Rockland counties north of the city, and an area within the upstate city of Binghamton near the Pennsylvania border.

The planned restrictions include shutdowns of schools and nonessential businesses in some areas.

Others would set limits on gatherings and in restaurants.

Worldwide cases surpass 36M mark

Global count of coronavirus cases has crossed the 36 million mark, according to a tracking portal.

The United States tops the list of countries with most infections followed by India and Brazil.

China reports seven more imported cases

Mainland China reported seven new Covid-19 cases on Oct. 6, down from 12 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority has said. 

The National Health Commission said in a statement on Wednesday that all new cases were imported infections involving travellers from overseas. The number of new asymptmatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to 24 from 31 a day earlier. 

The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 85,489, while the total death toll remained unchanged at 4 ,634.

Mexico's death toll tops 82,000

Mexico's health ministry has reported 4,828 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 471 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 794,608 cases and 82,348 deaths. 

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

Brazil sees cases in almost a month

Brazil on Tuesday registered 41,906 new cases of coronavirus, the highest number for a single day since September 11, the Health Ministry said.

Deaths rose by 819 to 147,494.

White House adviser Stephen Miller tests positive

White House adviser Stephen Miller tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday, the latest case of coronavirus reported among President Donald Trump's inner circle since the Republican president announced he had the virus last week. 

Miller's wife, Katie Miller, who is a spokeswoman for Vice President Mike Pence, tested positive for the virus in May.

Biden against Oct 15 debate if Trump still has Covid-19

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said he and President Donald Trump should not have their scheduled debate on Oct. 15 if Trump still had the coronavirus infection at that time. 

"If he still has Covid we shouldn’t have a debate," Biden told reporters on Tuesday traveling with him.