Global Covid-19 cases cross 25M mark – latest updates

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Global cases cross 25M mark

Coronavirus cases globally have reached more than 25 million cases as deaths neared 850,000 globally, according to the Worldometer tracking website.

The United States leads the world in number of cases, followed by Brazil at over six million cases and nearly four million cases respectively. 

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

Berlin halts 'anti-corona' rally 

German police have halted a Berlin march by thousands opposed to coronavirus restrictions in the biggest of several European protests against anti-virus curbs and masks to halt the pandemic.

In Germany, around 18,000 people had massed in Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate, before the rally was forced to stop due to a police injunction because many were not respecting social distancing measures.

The mass protest against pandemic restrictions had been allowed to go ahead after a bitter legal battle.

"The minimum distancing is not being respected by most (of the demonstrators) despite repeated requests," the police said. "There is no other option than to break up the gathering."

Several thousands stayed on to protest after the announcement, chanting "resistance" and a small group clashed with police, tossing bottles and rocks.

Two people were arrested, police said.

Istanbul to limit indoor gatherings as Turkey's cases rise

Turkey has confirmed 1,549 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the nationwide tally to 267,064.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca aslo announced that the number of recoveries have reached 242,812.

Citing the ministry data, Koca said 1,003 additional patients recovered from Covid-19, while the death toll rose to 6,284 as 39 more people lost their lives to the disease.

The figures come as the country's largest city governor's office issued a statement titled "Pandemic Measures for Weddings in Istanbul", banning some indoor gatherings as of Monday.

According to the statement, some events and gatherings including engagement ceremonies, and similar activities will not be allowed in any indoor areas as part of new measures to stem the spread of the virus.

At the wedding and ceremony halls, seating arrangements should not exceed one-third of the total capacity, in accordance with social distancing measures, said the statement.

Under the new regulations, no food or drinks will be served at these events while citizens aged 65 and over as well as children under the age of 15 — unless they are first- or second-degree relatives to the bride or groom — are not allowed to attend such occasions.

France reports over 5,000 new cases 

France reported 5,453 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Saturday, down from 7,379 seen on Friday.

The health ministry said the cumulative number of Covid-19 deaths rose to 30,602 from 30,596 reported on Friday.

The number of people in hospital with the disease was at 4,530 versus 4,535 the day before and the number in intensive care rose to 400 from 387. 

Myanmar reports biggest daily rise 

Myanmar has reported 77 new coronavirus infections, the Southeast Asian nation's biggest daily rise, amid a recent resurgence of the virus after weeks without confirmed domestic transmission.

Last Wednesday, Myanmar also reported 70 new cases.

The Health Ministry did not immediately say where the 77 new cases were found. Most recent infections have been in Sittwe, the capital of conflict-torn Rakhine state, where authorities have imposed a lockdown and curfew.

Myanmar's outbreak has been relatively small compared with other countries in the region since it found its first case in March, with only six deaths and 733 infections reported so far. 

Parisians stage anti-mask protest 

Around 300 people protested peacefully in Paris to denounce the government's decision to make masks obligatory in all public places as cases rise in the French capital.

Protesters, some waving placards reading "Stop the lies", "no to the health dictatorship", and "let our children breathe" were quickly surrounded by police who handed out $160 fines to those not wearing masks. At least 73 demonstrators were fined for not wearing masks. 

France has made compulsory the wearing of masks in Paris and other cites, as the government seeks to avoid another lockdown.

Azerbaijan extends restrictions until September 31

Azerbaijan has extended some coronavirus lockdown restrictions, including the closure of its borders, until September 31 after a further rise in the number of infections, the government said.

Azerbaijan, which saw a daily increase of coronavirus cases of between 130 and 180 in the past several weeks, will reopen museums and exhibition halls from September 1, the government said.

But shopping malls will remain closed and public transport will be limited, while the ban on travelling between the regions remains in place, the government said.

Azerbaijan introduced measures to stem the coronavirus on March 24 and has extended them several times.

The South Caucasus country of about 10 million people had registered 35,986 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus and 527 deaths as of Saturday.

Philippines confirms 3,637 infections, 94 more deaths

The Philippines reported 3,637 new infections and 94 more deaths, taking its tally to 213,131 cases and a toll of 3,419, the health ministry said in a bulletin.

The nation is grappling with the highest number of virus infections in Southeast Asia, with a death toll second only to neighbouring Indonesia, since nearly a third of the Philippine deaths have been reported over the past 15 days. 

Indonesia reports record new cases for third day

Indonesia reported its biggest rise in new infections for a third successive day, the health ministry website showed.

Saturday's 3,308 cases take Indonesia's tally of infections to 169,195, while 92 new deaths carried its toll to 7,261, data on the website showed. 

Russia's death toll exceeds 17,000

Russia said 111 people had died from the new coronavirus in the last 24 hours, raising the official death toll to 17,025.

Russia's coronavirus taskforce reported 4,941 new cases, bringing its nationwide tally to 985,346, the fourth largest caseload in the world. 

Ukraine reports record daily rise in cases

Ukraine registered a record 2,481 cases of the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours, officials said on Saturday, up from 2,438 in the previous day.

The increase comes after Ukraine this week imposed a temporary ban on most foreigners from entering the country until Sept. 28 and extended lockdown measures until the end of October to contain a recent spike in cases.

The country has so far reported a total of 116,987 infections and 2,492 deaths from the virus.

Germany's confirmed cases rise by 1,479 to 240,986

The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 1,479 to 240,986, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.

The reported death toll rose by one to 9,289, the tally showed.

First batch of Beijing students resumes classes

About one-third of students returned to school in the Chinese capital in a staggered start to the new school year because of the coronavirus.

The first batch of 590,000 students in Beijing included all three years of high school, the first and third years of middle school and the first grade of primary school. Another 400,000 students are to start school on Tuesday, and the final 520,000 on September 7.

Both students and teachers are required to wear masks.

China reported nine new coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing its official total to 85,022.

India records over 76,000 cases, ramps up tests

India has recorded 76,472 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, raising its tally to over 3.4 million. A country of 1.4 billion people, India now has the fastest-growing caseload in the world.

The Health Ministry on Saturday also reported 1,021 deaths for a total of 62,550. India is reporting around 1,000 Covid-19 deaths every day.

There has been a spurt of new cases over the last few weeks. One of the reasons is testing: India now conducts more than 900,000 tests every day, compared with just 200,000 two months ago.

Even as western Maharashtra and the three southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka remain the worst-hit regions with nearly 64% of fatalities and 55% of active cases, the virus is spreading fast in the country's vast hinterlands.

Earlier this week, members of a small tribe in the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands tested positive with experts saying the virus has now entered the widespread transmission stage.

India has the third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil, and its fatalities are the fourth-highest in the world.

Malaysia extends ban on foreign tourists

Malaysia has extended its pandemic movement restrictions including a ban on foreign tourists until the end of the year.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised address late Friday that global cases have been rising and the country has seen sporadic virus clusters even though the situation was under control.

Malaysia has recorded more than 9,000 cases with 125 deaths.

Muhyiddin said the extension of restrictions will not disrupt daily activities as most businesses and schools have resumed. Only nightclubs and entertainment centers remain shut and international sporting events prohibited.

Borders will stay closed and those entering the country will be quarantined.

South Korea prepares for more restrictions in capital

South Korea has reported 323 new cases, marking its 16th consecutive day of triple-digit daily jumps, as health officials prepare to tighten social distancing restrictions in the greater capital area.

The numbers released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Saturday brought the national caseload to 19,400. Fatalities reached 321 after the country added five more deaths overnights.

The KCDC said 249 of the new cases came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of the country’s 51 million people live, where health workers have struggled to track infections linked to various places, including churches, restaurants, schools and apartment buildings.

The country has added 4,630 cases over the 16 days, raising fears about possible shortages in hospital capacities.

For eight days starting Sunday, the country will allow restaurants to provide only food deliveries and takeout meals after 9 pm, franchised coffee shops like Starbucks to provide only takeout drinks and food and to shut down gyms and after-school academies to slow the viral spread.

Brazil registers 855 new deaths 

Brazil registered 855 deaths from Covid-19 in the prior 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 119,504.

Brazil, which has the second largest outbreak behind only the United States, registered an additional 43,412 new confirmed cases of coronavirus to reach 3,804,803 total cases, according to the health ministry.

China reports 9 new mainland cases, all imported

China has reported nine new confirmed cases of coronavirus, the same number as the previous day, with all of them travelling into the country from overseas, the national health authority said on Saturday.

Friday marked the thirteenth consecutive day without any new local transmissions, equalling a previous record.

Three of the imported cases were in Shanghai, with two each in the coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong. The remaining two were in southwest China's Sichuan, the National Health Commission said.

The commission said another 10 asymptomatic carriers were found in Friday, compared to 16 a day earlier.

Total confirmed cases in China have now reached 85,022, with 4,634 deaths.

Mexico records 5,824 new cases, 552 more deaths

Mexico's health ministry has reported 5,824 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 552 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 585,738 cases and 63,146 deaths.

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

UK eases lockdown in parts of Northern England

Britain's health ministry has said that coronavirus-related restrictions on two households mixing would be lifted in parts of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire from Sept. 2.

A tight lockdown would remain in place in Leicester for a further two weeks as cases remain high, the ministry said in a statement.

Around four million people were ordered on July 30 not to mix with other households in Greater Manchester, the biggest city in northern England, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, though they could still go to the pub and to work. 

Pelosi says White House $1.3 trillion relief offer not enough

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that a White House proposal to spend $1.3 trillion in new coronavirus economic relief would not be enough to meet the needs of American workers and families.

Pelosi said in a statement she hoped Republicans would come to the negotiating table and accept the Democratic offer of $2.2 trillion in spending. 

First US Covid-19 reinfection case identified in Nevada

Researchers for the first time have identified someone in the United States who was reinfected with the novel coronavirus, according to a study that has not yet been reviewed by outside experts.

The report, published online, describes a 25-year-old man living in Reno, Nevada, who tested positive for the virus in April after showing mild illness. He got sick again in late May and developed more severe Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.

"This study likely represents a clear example of reinfection...reinfections are possible - which we already knew, because immunity is never 100%," Kristian Anderson, professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, said in an emailed comment.

Robot eases loneliness of Mexican patients

A robot at a hospital in the Mexican capital is providing a lifeline for coronavirus patients separated from their relatives and reducing the risk of infection for medical workers.

"Hi, I'm LaLuchy Robotina! What's your name?" the 1.4-meter-tall (4.6 feet) robot asks patients as it goes from room to room.

It moves around on wheels and has a camera and display screen enabling relatives and doctors to chat with patients or staff in full protective gear in the coronavirus ward.

"It allows us to have a physical presence... but with zero exposure to aerosols within the Covi d-19 area," said Lucia Ledesma, a neuropsychologist at the November 20 National Medical Center.

The hospital robot, part of a global trend aimed at reducing the risk of infection during the pandemic, was even designated as a "co-therapist" for coronavirus patients in July.

Since then, it has carried out around 160 missions with infected patients, their relatives and the mental health team.

It can even make soothing sounds to reduce the stress caused by isolation.