Global Covid-19 cases hit 35 million – latest updates

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Global cases surpass 35M

Worldwide count of the coronavirus cases crossed the 35 million-mark, according to a tracking portal.

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

Turkey begins human trials for indigenous vaccine

Efforts in Turkey to develop an indigenous vaccine against the novel coronavirus have reached the human trials stage, the country's top health official has said.

Speaking to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the phone, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said three other vaccine efforts in Turkey would also reach this point in the next seven to 10 days.

Turkey reported 1,502 new novel coronavirus patients and 1,211 recoveries over the past 24 hours, the country's Health Ministry said.

The country's overall case count now stands at 323,014, with recoveries totaling 283,868.

Some 103,219 more coronavirus tests were conducted over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall tally to over 10.71 million.

The death toll from the virus reached 8,384, with 59 more fatalities. The figures also showed that 6.4 percent of patients suffer from pneumonia.

Trump doing 'well' say medics but insider offers worrying picture

Covid-hit President Donald Trump is "doing very well," his doctors have said although an insider with knowledge of his health voiced concern over his condition.

In the first official update on the president's condition since he was admitted Friday to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, medics were upbeat about his progress. 

"At this time, the team and I are extremely happy with the progress the president has made," White House physician Sean Conley said, adding that the president had been "fever-free for over 24 hours."

But a source familiar with the president's health painted a less rosy account. 

"The president's vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery," the source said.

Ukraine ex-president hospitalised after contracting virus

Ukraine's former President Petro Poroshenko has been hospitalised with double pneumonia, his wife has said, days after he tested positive for Covid-19.

"Petro Oleksiyovych (Poroshenko) was hospitalised" in Kiev, his wife Maryna Poroshenko said in a video posted on Facebook.

"Despite the fact that my husband has double pneumonia, he is strong-willed and is demonstrating this in the fight against the disease," Maryna Poroshenko said.

Poroshenko, 55, on Tuesday announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus and said he was receiving treatment at home.

Poroshenko, who is currently a member of the Ukrainian parliament, suffers from diabetes, which is associated with an increased risk of developing complications from the coronavirus.

Schools, mosques closed in Tehran as infections rise

Schools, libraries, mosques, and other public institutions in Tehran were closed for a week as part of measures to stem a rapid rise in Covid-19 cases, state media cited authorities in the Iranian capital as saying.

The closure plan, which will also affect universities, seminaries, libraries, museums, theatres, gyms, cafes, and hair salons in the Iranian capital, came after Alireza Zali, head of the Tehran Coronavirus Taskforce, called for the shutdown to help control the epidemic.

Zali warned in an interview on state television that if the spread of the epidemic continues at the current rate in Tehran, there would be a three- to five-fold increase in cases and a rise in the fatality rate to between 1.5 percent and 3 percent.

The lockdown which also applies to all social and cultural ceremonies and conferences will run to Friday, October 9.

Iran's death toll from the coronavirus rose by 179 on Saturday to 26,746, and identified cases by 3,523 to 468,119, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV.

Nepal PM's advisers test positive

Three advisers to Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli have said they had tested positive for Covid-19, which has claimed the lives of 528 people in the country.

Oli's press, political, and foreign affairs advisers told Reuters news agency they had been infected and were isolating themselves.

An assistant working for Oli also tested positive, they added.

Oli has previously tested negative, but had yet to take a test after his associates tested positive, press adviser Surya Thapa said.

"The prime minister has been exercising extreme caution while meeting with people," Thapa told Reuters.

Nepal's Covid–19 cases rose by 2,120 to 84,570, the country's health ministry said.

DNA from Neanderthals can make Covid more severe

Covid-19 patients with a snippet of Neanderthal DNA that crossed into the human genome some 60,000 years ago run a higher risk of severe complications from the disease, researchers have reported.

People infected with the new coronavirus, for example, who carry the genetic coding bequeathed by our early human cousins are three times more likely to need mechanical ventilation, according to a study published in Nature.

There are many reasons why some people with Covid-19 wind up in intensive care and other have only light symptoms, or none at all.

Advanced age, being a man, and pre-existing medical problems can all increase the odds of a serious outcome.

But genetic factors can also play a role, as the new findings makes clear.

"It is striking that the genetic heritage from Neanderthals has such tragic consequences during the current pandemic," said co-author Svante Paabo, director of the department of genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Hungary PM agrees on big wage hike for doctors

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has agreed with the Hungarian Medical Chamber on a substantial wage hike for doctors, as the country braces for a further rise in coronavirus cases that could strain its healthcare system.

Hungary reported 1,086 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections so far to 29,717 with 812 deaths.

Like many other east European countries, Hungary is grappling with a shortage of doctors and medical workers as local salaries pale in comparison to western Europe.

Gyula Kincses, chairman of the Hungarian Medical Chamber, said the government has accepted a proposed pay scale for doctors that would see base salaries for medical practitioners and doctors roughly double from current levels.

Depending on age and level of experience, medical practitioners will earn 700,000 to 800,000 forints, while older doctor s will receive up to 2.4 million forints, Kincses said.

Russia reports almost 10,000 daily cases

Russia reported 9,859 new cases on Saturday, the highest number of daily infections since May 15, when the outbreak was at its peak.

Russia's virus crisis centre said that 174 deaths had been confirmed in the last 24 hours, which took the official national death toll to 21,251.

Ukraine reports record 4,661 new cases

Ukraine has reported 4,661 new cases on Saturday, a daily record number of infections, which spiked in late September.

Ukraine's security council said 92 deaths were confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to 4,353.

Indonesia reports 4,007 new infections

Indonesia has reported 4,007 new infections and 83 more deaths on Saturday, bringing its total infections to 299,506 and fatalities to 11,055, health ministry data showed. 

Czech Republic sees record surge in cases

Infections in the Czech Republic have been on a steep rise, setting a new record high for the second straight day.

The country's Health Ministry said the day-to-day increase in new confirmed cases was 3,793 on Friday, 300 more than the previous day.

The country had a total of 78,051 reported cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with 699 deaths. Currently, 42,320 are ill with the virus, with 1,134 hospitalised and 221 in serious condition.

Poland reports record 2,367 daily infections

Poland has reported a new record of 2,367 daily cases on Saturday, the health ministry said on Twitter, the third day in a row that infections have hit new highs.

The country also registered a further 34 deaths related to the virus. With a population of 38 million, Poland has reported 98,140 cases overall and 2,604 deaths.

South Korea prevents protests amid virus concerns

South Korean police have mobilised hundreds of buses to head off any political rallies in the capital, Seoul, on Saturday with authorities determined to prevent another cluster of cases emerging from a protest.

South Korea has been held up as a virus mitigation success story but it saw a flare-up of more than 1,800 infections linked to a church and a big anti-government rally in August.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 75 new infections by midnight on Friday, a third day of double-digit increases, taking the national tally to 24,027 cases, with 420 deaths.

Malaysia reports 12,088 total cases

Malaysia has said it will not reimpose virus restrictions on travel despite a recent spike in infections, which a government minister said was partly caused by migrants from neighbouring countries.

Malaysia imposed a nationwide lockdown in March but has been gradually lifting the curbs, though authorities have warned that they could be reinstated if daily increases in infections reached triple-digits.

The Southeast Asian country has seen a steady climb in cases in the past week and on Saturday reported 12,088 total cases and one new death.

Philippines confirms 2,674 new cases

The Philippines' health ministry has on Saturday reported 2,674 new infections, the highest daily increase in five days, and 62 additional deaths.

In a bulletin, the ministry said total confirmed cases in the Philippines have increased to 319,330, the highest in Southeast Asia, while deaths have reached 5,678, a third of which were recorded in the past 30 days.

Bosnia-Herzegovina virus rebels grow vocal 

Bosnia’s virus rebels have grown increasingly vocal, and hostile, in recent months as the number of confirmed cases rose in the small, impoverished Balkan nation of 3.5 million.

More people around the country are bending or ignoring social distancing rules, gathering in uncomfortably close quarters, ditching face masks and starting vicious arguments on social media about the virus.

The country has a low number of confirmed virus cases compared with countries with a lot more people, but nearly 60% of its nearly 28,000 confirmed cases were reported since the end of July.

India crosses 100,000 Covid-19 deaths

India's death toll has rose past 100,000, only the third country in the world to reach that bleak milestone, after US and Brazil.

The epidemic in the Asian country shows no sign of abating.

Total deaths rose to 100,842, the health ministry said, while the tally of infections climbed to 6.47 million after a daily increase in cases of 79,476. 

India now has the highest rate of daily increase in infections in the world.

Pope makes first trip since lockdown

Pope Francis has made his first trip Saturday since the Vatican's lockdown, though it will be a solitary affair for the crowd-loving Argentine who has had to learn how to be close to the faithful from a distance.

Francis will journey to Assisi, the birthplace of his namesake saint, where he will sign his new encyclical — a document laying out the pope's views on key issues — on the importance of fraternity, particularly in these times.

The Vatican has said it will be a private visit to reduce health risks — both to Catholics who usually throng the streets on such occasions, holding aloft babies to be kissed, and for the elderly pontiff himself.

Australian state worried about mall outbreak

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews says a recent outbreak linked to southeast Melbourne’s Chadstone Shopping Centre shows why it's unsafe to ease restrictions.

A cluster of cases at the 550-store shopping centre grew to 11 and includes a family.

Victoria reported three more deaths and eight more cases taking the state toll to 805 and the national death count to 893.

Leading vaccine trial resumes in Japan but not US

Trials on the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University have resumed in Japan but not the US, where the pharmaceutical giant is working with regulators, a statement released Friday said.

The Financial Times, citing sources close to the case, reported that the US drug regulator the FDA had expanded its investigation into the serious side effects suffered by one trial participant, which had led to a brief halt in the tests.

The vaccine is one of the most advanced Western projects, having already been tested on tens of thousands of volunteers worldwide.

Germany cases increase by 2,563

The number of confirmed cases in Germany has increased by 2,563 to 296,958, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday.

The reported death toll rose by 19 to 9,527, the tally showed.

Brazil's Sao Paulo asks approval to use Sinovac vaccine

The government of Sao Paulo state in Brazil has asked health regulator Anvisa to register for use of the vaccine candidate developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

The news was announced by governor Joao Doria on Friday as a major step in what could be one of the first vaccination programs in the Americas.

Doria has said when he receives approval from Anvisa, he plans to begin inoculating the population with the Sinovac vaccine by mid-December, one of the world's most aggressive timelines outside China and Russia.

Colombia mayor expecting second, smaller outbreak

Bogota, the Colombian capital, will see a second outbreak of coronavirus cases, possibly between November and December, which will hopefully be less severe than the first wave, Bogota's mayor, Claudia Lopez, said on Friday.

"Most probably towards the end of the year, in November or December, we could have a second wave much smaller than the first," Lopez said in a meeting with foreign press.

The Andean country began more than five months of lockdown in March. It entered a much-looser "selective" quarantine phase - allowing dining at restaurants and international flights - at the start of September.

Mainland China reports 10 new cases

Mainland China reported 10 new cases on Friday, the same as a day earlier, the health authority said on Saturday.

It said there are currently 189 active cases of the disease in mainland China, including one serious case, and an additional four suspected cases.

The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China now stands at 85,434, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,634. 

South Korea daily infections in two digits for third day

South Korea’s new daily tally has remained in two digits for a third straight day as authorities called for public vigilance during one of the country’s biggest holiday s.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Saturday that the 75 virus cases added in the past 24 hours took the country’s total to 24,027 with 420 deaths.

South Korea’s caseload has recently displayed a downward trajectory following a spike in new infections between early August and mid-September. Stringent social distancing rules were credited with slowing the outbreak.

Mexico's virus cases rise to 753,090

Mexico's confirmed cases rise to 753,090, along with a total reported death toll of 78,492.

The country's health ministry reported 4,775 new cases and 414 deaths, but the true figures are likely significantly higher due to little testing. 

Canada to ease border restrictions for students, partners

Canada's border restrictions will be eased to allow in foreign students as well as non-citizens who are in an exclusive dating relationship with a Canadian.

"We recognise that travel restrictions should not keep loved ones apart," Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino told reporters.

A ban on non-essential international entries was extended this week until the end of October, as the country grapples with a surge in new cases.

But Ottawa signalled it would seek to facilitate more reunifications.

Liverpool's Sadio Mane tests positive

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has become the second player for the Premier League champions to test positive for the virus this week.

The northwest England club said Mane has “displayed minor symptoms of the virus but feels in good health overall.”

Mane, who scored in a 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Monday, is now self-isolating and will miss Sunday’s game against Aston Villa.

WHO praises Turkey's efforts to curb Covid-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Turkey's efforts to curb the novel coronavirus, stressing it tripled the daily number of tests since August.

In a statement the WHO said that testing is a critical public health measure to take action to contain Covid-19, particularly tracing contacts and isolating positive cases.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca thanked the WHO for praising its efforts and strategy.

British vaccine rollout expected in less than 3 months

A mass rollout of a virus vaccine in Britain could be finished in as little as three months. 

Scientists working on the Oxford vaccine hope regulators approve it before the beginning of 2021, the Times reported, citing government scientists.

A full virus immunisation programme, which would exclude children, could be quicker than experts predicted, The Times said, adding that health officials estimate that every adult could receive a dose of the vaccine within six months.

The European Medicines Agency said on Thursday it has started reviewing data on AstraZeneca and Oxford University's potential vaccine, in real-time, the first of such moves aimed at speeding up any approval process in the region for a vaccine.

The news of the European review also raises chances of the British vaccine, which is seen as leading the race for a successful vaccine against the virus, becoming the first to be approved in Europe for the disease.