Italy Covid-19 new cases lowest since March 10 – latest updates

Monday, April 27

Cases in Italy at almost 200,000

The total number of coronavirus cases in Italy has increased by 1,739 bringing the total to 199,414 with 333 new cases, the  lowest reading since March 10.

At least 105,000 victims are currently infected with some 2,000 in critical condition.

PM Giuseppe Conte plans to gradually ease lockdown restrictions.

Majority of UK deaths in England

With the lowest daily death toll since the end of March, England’s hospital death toll rose to 18,749 with an additional 329 deaths.

Overall the official UK death toll exceeds 21,092, but that excludes figures from nursing homes, which are not reported.

Switzerland’s positive cases decrease

Switzerland has reported a downward trend in their daily cases; the total number of cases is currently 29,164.

So far 1,604 people have died from the virus and over 21,000 have recovered in the country.

Netherlands on a plateau?

The Netherlands saw Covid-19 cases rise to 38,245 with 400 new infections today, which is somewhat of a decrease from weekend numbers.

Over 900 people in the country are currently critically ill.

Pace of Canada's coronavirus deaths slows further

Canada's death toll grew by less than 10 percent for the eighth day in a row, data showed on Monday, and Canada's most populous province prepared to explain how it intends to restart its economy.

The total number of people killed by the virus in Canada rose by 5 percent to 2,617 in a day, figures posted by the public health agency showed on Monday.

The figure for those diagnosed with the coronavirus had climbed to 47,327, according to a statement. 

Iran death toll rises

The death toll from the outbreak of new coronavirus in Iran rose by 96 in the past 24 hours to 5,806, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV on Monday.

The total number of diagnosed cases of new coronavirus in Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak in the Middle East, has reached 91,472, he said. 

Spain's daily death toll picks up slightly

The number of daily fatalities reported in Spain rose to 331, up from 288 the previous day, the health ministry said.

The overall death toll caused by the disease rose to 23,521 from 23,190 the day before. 

The total number of diagnosed cases rose to 209,465 from 207,634 the day before.

Indonesia reports 214 new infections

Indonesia's number of reported cases has risen by 214 to 9,096, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

Death rose by 22 to 765 while 1,151 people have recovered, Yurianto said.

More than 59,000 people have been tested in Indonesia. 

Malaysia continues with decline in figures

Malaysia reported 40 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, taking the cumulative total to 5,820 infections.

The health ministry also reported one new death, raising the total number of fatalities from the outbreak to 99.

The country is on a two-week low trend as figures continue decreasing.

Philippines figures continues to decline

The Philippines reported 198 new cases and 10 deaths, bringing the country's tally to 7,777 cases and 511 fatalities.

The Department of Health also said 70 individuals have recovered from the infection, bringing the total number of recoveries to 932. 

The country is on a weeks-long low trend as figures continue decreasing.

Indonesia sees rate of virus infections lower by June

Indonesia expects the rate of virus infections to fall by June, its Covid-19 task force chief Doni Monardo said on Monday.

"The President has asked that we work harder, for the people to obey and be more disciplined, and for the authorities to be more stern so that by June, we're hoping we can lower the infections in Indonesia. In July, we're hoping to resume our normal lives," Monardo said after a cabinet meeting.

Monardo pledged to increase tests between April and May"massively".

Over 3 million people now have Covid-19

Global infections from Covid-19 has now reached a new record by infecting over three million people, according to the Worldometre tracker.

The tracking service uses the latest data from health ministries around the world in real time.

It took just three months for the virus to infect three million people and 12 days for it to reach from two million to three million people.

Russia's cases rise to 87,147, surpass China's

Russia reported 6,198 new confirmed cases versus 6,361 on the previous day, which took the national tally of infections to 87,147.

The Russian crisis response centre said that 50 more deaths were confirmed in the last 24 hours.

In the number of confirmed cases, Russia surpassed mainland China, which reported the total of 82,830 cases on Monday.

Singapore confirms 799 new cases

Singapore has confirmed 799 more infections, its health ministry said, taking the city-state's tally of cases to 14,423.

Most of the new cases are among migrant workers living in dormitories in the city-state, which has among the highest number of coronavirus infections in Asia. 

New Zealand has won a battle against virus transmission – PM

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern claimed New Zealand had scored a significant victory against the spread of the virus, as the country began a phased exit from lockdown.

"There is no widespread, undetected community transmission in New Zealand," Ardern declared. "We have won that battle."

After nearly five weeks at the maximum Level Four restrictions ––with only essential services operating –– the country will move to Level Three late on Monday.

That will allow some businesses, takeaway food outlets and schools to reopen.

But Ardern warned there was no certainty about when all transmission can be eliminated, allowing a return to normal life.

Everyone wants to "bring back the social contact that we all miss", she said, "but to do it confidently we need to move slowly and we need to move cautiously."

"I will not risk the gains we've made in the health of New Zealanders. So if we need to remain at Level Three, we will."

Mosque’s makeshift morgue shows virus toll on UK minorities

The holy month of Ramadan is underway, and the Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif in Birmingham should be full of worshippers. But this year, the main arrivals are the dead.

While the mosque in the central England city has been closed in response to the pandemic, its parking lot has been transformed into a temporary morgue with room for 150 bodies.

The volunteer-run mortuary, with its white tents, industrial refrigerators and neat stacks of coffins, is evidence of the toll the virus is taking on Britain’s Muslim and ethnic-minority communities.
The two most diverse regions of the UK — London and the Midlands area centred in Birmingham — have seen the largest number of deaths in the outbreak.

Students return to class in Shanghai and Beijing

Tens of thousands of students returned to school in Shanghai and Beijing Monday after months of closures intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as China's major cities gradually return to normality.

Shanghai students in their final year of middle and high school returned to classrooms, while only high-school seniors in Beijing were allowed back on campus to prepare for the all-important "gaokao" university entrance exam.

China has largely curbed the spread of the deadly disease, but is still on high alert with growing fears of imported cases and a second wave of domestic infections in the northeast.

Kids return to school in Norway

Norway, which says it has the epidemic under control, reopened primary schools to the youngest students, in another step toward a gradual normalisation, though some parents expressed concern.

One week after nursery schools, pupils aged six to 10 started returning to their school desks after six weeks of remote learning from home in the Nordic country.

Classes were however reduced to a maximum of 15 students.

Kazakhstan starts easing restrictions

Kazakhstan will ease some restrictions in the coming days despite extending its state of emergency until May 11, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

The Central Asian nation will, in particular, renew flights between its two major cities from May 1, he said in a statement.

The state of emergency declared was due to end on April 30.

Thailand continues with decline in figures

Thailand reported nine new virus cases and one death, bringing the country's totals to 2,931 cases and 52 fatalities.

It is the first time since the outbreak started in January that there have been no new local transmissions reported in Bangkok, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

Of the new cases, three were linked to previous cases, two are arrivals from overseas that have been under state quarantined, and four others were reported from the southern province of Yala, where the authorities are aggressively testing the population due to high infection rates.

The latest death was of a 64-year-old Thai woman.

Since the outbreak escalated in January 2,609 patients have recovered and gone home.

New Zealand begins to ease lockdown restrictions

New Zealanders will be allowed to go fishing, surfing, hunting and hiking this week for the first time in more than a month as the country begins to ease its way out of a strict lockdown that successfully stopped the spread of the virus.

Around 400,000 people will return to work after the country shifts its alert level down a notch at midnight on Monday, but shops and restaurants will remain closed as several social restrictions remain in place.

New Zealand's 5 million residents were subjected to one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in response to the pandemic, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern closing offices, schools, bars and restaurants, including take away and delivery services, on March 26.

Germany sees decrease in daily Covid-19 figures

Germany has seen a slight decrease in its daily figures.

New virus cases rose by 1,018 to a total of 158,788 data from tracker Worldometre showed.

The reported death toll rose by 110 to 6,086.

This in comparison to yesterday's rise of over 1,200.

US records 1,330 deaths in past 24 hours

The United States recorded 1,330 more virus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to figures reported by the Johns Hopkins University.

The country now has an overall death toll of 54,841, with 964,937 confirmed infections, according to a tally by the Baltimore-based institution at 20:30 (00:30 GMT).

China reports three cases in mainland

China reported three new confirmed coronavirus cases on April 26, down from 11 a day earlier, with no new deaths, the country's health authority said.

Of the new cases, two were imported, down from five imported cases on the previous day, the National Health Commission said in its daily bulletin.

There was one case of local infection in the northeastern border province of Heilongjiang.

China also reported 25 new asymptomatic cases on the mainland on April 26, compared to 30 a day earlier.

Italy's PM delays Serie A restart decision

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte delayed a decision on restarting Serie A football but gave the green light for top athletes to resume training in a week's time.

He said individual athletes would be allowed to resume training on May 4.

Teams could start to train together again on May 18.

But Conte did not say when Serie A might resume a season interrupted on March 9 with Juventus leading Lazio by a point.

Italian football chiefs agreed on Thursday to push back the end of the Serie A season from June 30 to August 2.

Mexico coronavirus infections rise to 14,677

Mexico's health ministry reported 835 new confirmed cases and 46 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 14,677 cases and 1,351 deaths.