Global coronavirus death toll hits 200,000 – latest updates

Saturday, April 25

Thailand reports 15 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

Thailand reported 15 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, bringing the total number of cases since its outbreak in January to 2,922 cases and 51 deaths.

Of the new cases, four were linked to previous cases, another four had no known links, while five new patients are arrivals from overseas who have been under state quarantine.

Two other new cases were reported from the southern province of Yala, where the authorities are aggressively testing the population because of high infection rates there, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

Since the outbreak in Thailand, 2,594 patients have recovered and gone home. 

British PM Johnson will be back at work on Monday

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be back at work on Monday, a spokeswoman for his Downing Street office confirmed.

Johnson has been recovering from coronavirus at his country residence after spending three nights in intensive care earlier in April.

Spain to allow exercise, walks from next weekend

Spaniards will be allowed out for exercise and to take walks from next weekend, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.

The government will on Tuesday unveil its broader lockdown exit plan that will likely be put into action in the second half of May, he said.

"If the pandemic keeps evolving positively as it has been doing until now, from May 2, individual physical activity will be permitted and walks with the people you live with," he said.

Unlike most other countries in the world, since imposing a lockdown on March 14, Spain has not allowed anyone out for walks, jogs or bike rides, allowing them to leave home only to buy food or medicine or to briefly walk the dog, other than for a medical emergency.

Global deaths linked to virus pass 200,000 

As the worldwide death toll hits 200,00, confirmed cases of the virus are expected to hit three million in coming days, according to a Reuters tally.

More than half of the fatalities have been reported by the United States, Spain and Italy.

The first death linked to the disease was reported on January 10 in Wuhan, China. 

It took 91 days for the death toll to pass 100,000 and a further 16 days to reach 200,000, according to the Reuters tally of official reports from governments.

France's death toll rises by 369 to 22,614

The death toll in France from the coronavirus has risen by 369 to stand at 22,614, the Health Ministry said, as the government scrutinises data to see how it might ease a lockdown in place since mid-March.

The ministry said 124 patients were admitted to intensive care units over the last 24 hours although the daily death toll from Covid-19 has fallen steadily over the past two weeks.

President Emmanuel Macron is aiming to ease some lockdown measures on May 11 with schools reopening first, although the government has yet to finalise how it might work in practice.

Canada's death toll rises to 2,350

Canada's death toll from Covid-19 rose 7 percent to 2,350 from a day earlier. Cases reached more than 44,000 from 42,750.

Some 80 percent of Canada's cases are in Quebec and Ontario, where there are numerous outbreaks in nursing homes.

Turkey's fatalities rises by 106, with 2,861 new cases

Turkey recorded 2,861 infections in the past 24 hours, and 106 more people died, taking the death toll to 2,706, Health Ministry data showed.

The total number of cases stood at 107,773, the highest total in any country outside western Europe or the United States.

A total of 25,582 people have so far recovered from the new coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease Covid-19. 

The number of tests carried out in the past 24 hours was 38,308. 

Italy's daily death toll lowest since March 17

Deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 415, the smallest daily tally since March 17, the Civil Protection Agency said.

The number of new infections was also the lowest in five days at 2,357 from 3,021 on Friday.

Saturday's death toll was slightly down from 420 on Friday.

The total of fatalities since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 26,384, the agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States.

The number of confirmed cases was 195,351, the third highest global tally behind those of the United States and Spain.

UK death toll in hospital rises to 20,319

The death toll from the new coronavirus in hospitals across the United Kingdom has risen to 20,319, an increase of 813 in 24 hours, the latest data from the Health Ministry showed.

The deaths figures are as of 5 pm (1600 GMT) on Friday. 

Spain records 378 new deaths

Spain's daily virus toll rose slightly with 378 people dying, the government said a day after the country registered its lowest number of fatalities in four weeks.

The number was slightly higher than Friday's figure of 367, hiking the overall death toll in Spain to 22,902, the third-highest figure in the world after the United States and Italy.

The overall number of infections has now passed 223,759, a figure that includes those shown to have developed antibodies against the virus.

Netherlands sees 120 fatalities

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 655 to 37,190, health authorities said on Saturday, with 120 new deaths.

The country's death toll stands at 4,409, the Netherlands Institute for Public Health (RIVM) said in its daily update. The actual numbers are likely higher, as not all suspected cases are tested, the RIVM said.

WHO issues new Covid-19 warning 

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Saturday that there is no evidence that people who test positive for the new coronavirus are immunised and protected against reinfection.

The warning suggests that the issuance of "immune passports" may promote the continued spread of the pandemic.

"There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from #Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection," WHO said in a statement.

Russia reports 5,966 new coronavirus cases 

The number of new coronavirus cases in Russia has risen by 5,966 over the past 24 hours, bringing its nationwide tally to 74,588, the country's coronavirus crisis response centre said on Saturday.

It also reported 66 new deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, bringing the total death toll inRussia to 681.

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia began rising sharply this month, although it had reported far fewer infections than many western European countries in the early stages of the outbreak.

Iran's death toll rises 

Iran's death toll has risen by 76 to reach a total of 5,650, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV.

The total number of people diagnosed with the disease is 89,328, of whom 3,096 are in a critical condition, he added.

Indonesia reports 396 new coronavirus cases

Indonesia reported on Saturday 396 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to 8,607, data provided by health ministry official Achmad Yurianto showed.

Thirty one more people who had tested positive for the virus died, taking the total number of deaths to 720, according to the data.

The world's fourth most populous country has been hit hard by the virus, with the highest numbers of deaths in Asia outside of China.

Tokyo confirms 103 new cases

Tokyo reported 103 new infections, Kyodo news reported, amid concerns that the start of a holiday season could lead to an increase in infections.

The latest figures bring total infections in Japan's capital city to 3,836 cases, Kyodo reported. 

Saturday's daily increase was less than 161 new infections on Friday, and was the lowest since April 20.

The total number of infections inJapan had reached nearly 13,000 cases, with 345 deaths, NHK said. 

The government has encouraged residents to stay indoors as much as possible during the Golden Week holiday period, which begins next week.

Philippines records 17 deaths

The Philippines' health ministry reported 17 new coronavirus deaths and 102 additional infections.

In a bulletin, the health ministry said total infections have risen to 7,294 while deaths have increased to 494. 

Thirty more patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 792.

Anzac Day events cancelled in Australia and NZ

Thousands across Australia and New Zealand honoured their countries' military personnel in private ceremonies held in driveways and on balconies, as the outbreak forced most traditional Anzac Day memorials to be cancelled for the first time in decades.

Crowds typically gather at dawn services on April 25 to commemorate the bloody battle on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during World War One, which in recent decades has become one of the most important national occasions in both countries.

But with public gatherings banned to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, people were asked to remember the day privately.

Vanuatu defies global sport shutdown with women's final

The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu is defying the shutdown of global sport by scheduling their Women's Super League cricket final and streaming it on social media.

Most sport around the world, including all international cricket, has been brought to a halt because of the social distancing measures put in place to control the pandemic.

Vanuatu, some 2,000 kilometres off the east coast of Australia, has a population of 300,000 but has not yet recorded a single case of Covid-19.

Singapore reports total of 12,693 cases

Singapore has registered 618 new infections, its health ministry said, taking the city-state's total number of Covid-19 cases to 12,693.

The vast majority of the new cases are migrant workers living in dormitories, the health ministry said in a statement. 

Seven are permanent residents.

The island of 5.7 million people now has one of the highest infection rates in Asia, according to official figures.

Germany's Covid-19 cases passes 157,000

Germany's confirmed virus cases increased by 2,055 to 157,054 data from tracker Worldometre showed.

The reported death toll rose by 179 to 5,939, the tally showed.

Thailand reports 53 new cases, one new death

Thailand reported 53 new virus cases and the death of a 48-year-old Thai man who was infected with the virus along with four other family members.

Of the new cases, three were linked to previous cases, one had no known links, and 42 are migrant workers who have been under quarantine at an immigration detention centre in the southern province of Songkhla.

Seven other new cases were reported from the southern province of Yala, where authorities are aggressively testing the population because of high infection rates there, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

Since the outbreak escalated in January, Thailand has reported a total of 2,907 cases and 51 deaths, while 2,547 patients have recovered and gone home.

Panama reports 5,338 cases

Panama's Health Ministry says the country has registered 172 new cases.

The total is now sits at 5,338 with 154 deaths.

1,221 deaths in Mexico

Mexico has reported a total of 12,872 confirmed virus cases.

In its daily briefing, the country's Health Ministry said 1,221 people have also died of the disease.

US records lowest daily figures in three weeks

The United States recorded 1,258 coronavirus deaths, the lowest daily toll in the country in nearly three weeks, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

The fatalities, recorded in the 24 hours up to 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Saturday), bring the overall US death toll to 51,017, according to the Baltimore-based university.

China reports 12 new cases

China reported 12 new cases on April 24 compared with six new cases on the previous day, National Health Commission data showed.

Of the new cases, 11 were imported, compared with two cases reported previously.

The commission also reported 29 new asymptomatic cases, slightly down from the previous day's tally of 34. Four of these cases were imported.

The total number of confirmed cases in China is now 82,816. The death toll remained the same at 4,632, with no new deaths reported on April 24.

Riot in Argentine prison after virus case confirmed

Dozens of prisoners at a jail in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires rioted demanding urgent health measures after confirmation of a coronavirus case inside the facility.

Authorities have yet to comment on the riot or whether there are any injuries.

Several other riots broke out in prisons last week, including in Florencio Varela in Buenos Aires province where one inmate died and 20 were injured.

Argentina has been in lockdown since March 20 and has recorded more than 3,400 coronavirus cases and 167 deaths.

Brazil becoming virus hotspot as testing falters

Cases are overwhelming hospitals, morgues and cemeteries across Brazil as Latin America’s largest nation veers closer to becoming one of the world's pandemic hot spots.

Medical officials in Rio de Janeiro and at least four other major cities have warned that their hospital systems are on the verge of collapse, or already too overwhelmed to take any more patients.

Health experts expect the number of infections in the country of 211 million people will be much higher than what has been reported because of insufficient, delayed testing.