Italy's coronavirus deaths now over 29,300 – latest updates

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Italy's daily coronavirus death toll rises

Deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 236 against 195 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new infections came in at 1,075 against 1,221 on Monday.

It was the lowest number of new cases for two months.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 29,315 the agency said, one of the highest in the world. The number of confirmed cases amounts to 213,013.

Peru's cases now over 50,000

Peru's President Martin Vizcarra confirmed on Tuesday that confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have now exceeded 50,000.

Vizcarra said a total of 51,189 cases had been detected, in a press conference in the capital Lima, and confirmed 1,444 deaths.

Copper-rich Peru was one of the first Latin American countries to shut down to prevent the virus spread yet nonetheless within ten days saw a doubling of its confirmed cases to become the region's second worst-hit nation afterBrazil.

France report more than 25,500 virus deaths

The number of people who have died from the virus infection in France increased by 330 to 25,531, the sharpest rate of increase in six days, government data showed.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said the number of people in intensive care units fell to 3,430 from 3,696 on Monday, down for a 27th consecutive day.

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus also fell again to 25,775 from 25,548 also continuing a now uninterrupted three-week fall.

Turkey's coronavirus death toll rises by 59 to 3,520

Turkey's number of ICU and ventilator patients drop, and a total of 73,285 people have recovered so far from the Covid-19 in Turkey, including 5,119 registered, the country's health minister said.

The death toll from the pandemic rose to 3,520 as Turkey saw 59 more deaths in the past 24 hours, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

The country recorded 1,832 new cases, bringing the tally to 129,491, he added.

Dutch coronavirus cases rise by 317 to 41,087

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 317 to 41,087, with 86 new deaths, health authorities said.

The country's death toll stands at 5,168, the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in its daily update. The RIVM cautioned that it only reports confirmed cases, and actual numbers are higher.

Record jump in coronavirus cases, deaths in India

India reported its highest single-day surge in Covid-19 cases and fatalities, with 3,900 new cases and 195 deaths recorded over the past 24 hours.

According to the Health Ministry, the record jump raised India’s overall case count to 46,433 and the death toll to 1,568.

The spike came a day after the country of 1.3 billion eased some lockdown restrictions, including allowing liquor shops to reopen after over a month.

Lebanon to extend virus shutdown

Lebanon extended its coronavirus lockdown by two weeks with the prime minister warning that failure to comply with a gradual easing of curbs risked a second wave of infections.

Lebanon has recorded 741 cases of the novel coronavirus and 25 deaths. The government started to ease some restrictions this week, allowing restaurants to open but at only 30% of capacity.

Economic activity would still be allowed to resume gradually under a previously defined time frame.

Germany's Bavaria plans end-May tourism revival

 The southern German state of Bavaria will partially reopen for tourism at the end of this month, the state's premier Markus Soeder said, with hotels opening their doors for the Pentecost weekend on May 30, albeit with restrictions.

Soeder said that restaurants would also open from mid-May in the wealthy Alpine state, though with distancing requirements to minimise the risk of the coronavirus passing between guests, and they would need to close at 10 p.m.

UK death toll rises above 30,000, highest in Europe

More than 30,000 people in the United Kingdom have died with suspected Covid-19, the highest official toll yet reported in Europe, according to data published.

The Office for National Statistics said 29,648 deaths had taken place as of April 24 in England and Wales with Covid-19 mentioned in death certificates.

Including deaths for Scotland and Northern Ireland, the toll on this measure now exceeds 30,000. That is more than Italy, though the recording of deaths there has differed. 

Palestinians renew West Bank virus emergency

President Mahmoud Abbas renewed a coronavirus lockdown in Palestinian-ruled areas of the West Bank for a further month late Monday, though some measures will be eased.

The state of emergency in place since March 22 will now last until at least June 5, Abbas announced.

Libya starts evacuating citizens from abroad 

Libya has decided to evacuate its citizens in Turkey and other countries as a result of flight suspensions due to the pandemic.

According to a statement by Deputy Transportation Minister Hisham Abushkiwat, the first plane will depart on May 5 at 7 am local time.

Abushkiwat said the evacuation process will also begin in Tunisia and Egypt, where most Libyan citizens remain.

UK to test tracing app on the Isle of Wight 

Britain will start testing its own Covid-19 tracing app on the Isle of Wight from Tuesday, hoping that the technology in combination with more testing and tracking will help limit transmission of the virus.

It has taken a different approach from other European countries by processing data centrally rather than solely on the devices themselves, where a higher level of privacy can be guaranteed.

Anyone who has symptoms of Covid-19 or a positive test enters their details on the app to start the tracing process.

Czechs ease more travel bans

The Czech Republic will lift a ban on the international bus and train travel from May 11 as the government on Monday rolled back more of its measures to combat the outbreak and added aid to hard-hit companies.

A virtual lockdown of the central European country in March has taken a harsh economic toll, with shuttered shops only now just getting back to business while manufacturing activity is at its weakest since the 2009 global financial crisis.

India embarks on 'massive' repatriation

India has embarked on a "massive" operation calling up passenger jets and naval ships to bring back some of the hundreds of thousands of nationals stuck abroad due to restrictions, the government said.

A defence spokesman said two ships were steaming towards the Maldives and another to the United Arab Emirates, home to a 3.3-million-strong Indian community that makes up around 30 percent of the Gulf state's population.

Iran death toll rises by 63 to 6,340

The death toll from the virus outbreak in Iran rose by 63 in the past 24 hours to 6,340, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV.

The total number of diagnosed cases in the country has reached 99,970, he said.

Spain reports daily death toll of 185

The daily number of Covid-19 deaths registered in Spain remained below 200 for a third consecutive day, the country's health ministry said, as it reported 185 deaths in 24 hours.

The overall death toll in the country rose to 25,613 up from 25,428, the ministry said, while the overall number of diagnosed cases rose to 219,329 up from 218,011 the day before. 

Indonesia reports biggest daily rise in infections

Indonesia reported its biggest daily rise in virus infections with 484 new cases, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 12,071, said health ministry official Achmad Yurianto.

Yurianto reported eight new deaths, taking the total to 872, while 2,197 have recovered.

More than 88,900 people have been tested, he said.

Russia reports 10,102 new cases

The number of cases in Russia has risen by 10,102 over the past 24 hours, compared with 10,581 the previous day. This brought Russia's nationwide tally to 155,370, the country's coronavirus crisis response centre said.

It also reported 95 new deaths from Covid-19, bringing the total death toll in Russia to 1,451. 

Philippines reports 14 deaths, 199 more infections

The Philippines' health ministry reported 14 new coronavirus deaths and 199 additional infections.

In a bulletin, the health ministry said total deaths from the outbreak have reached 637, while confirmed cases have increased to 9,684. But 93 more patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,408. 

Lebanon to extend virus shutdown, fears second wave

Lebanon's supreme defence council will advise the government to extend a shutdown to curb the spread of the virus by two weeks until May 24, a security source said after the council convened.

A decision is expected at a cabinet meeting later on Tuesday.

Lebanon has recorded 740 cases of the viral disease and 25 deaths. The government has started to ease some restrictions, this week allowing restaurants to open but at only 30 percent of their capacity.

Thailand reports one new case, no new deaths

Thailand reported one new coronavirus case and no new deaths, the lowest number of new infections since March 9.

The new case is a 45-year-old Thai man from the southern province of Narathiwat, authorities said.

Since Thailand's outbreak began in January, the country has seen a total of 2,988 Covid-19 cases and 54 deaths.

Germany's cases rise by 685 to 163,860

The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 685 to 163,860, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.

The reported death toll rose by 139 to 6,831, the tally showed.

California to ease restrictions from Friday

Some retailers in California, including bookstores, flower shops and clothing stores, will be allowed to reopen for business at the end of the week, the state's governor announced.

His announcement came following protests across the state last week to demand the lifting of restrictions that have kept the majority of Californians at home and crippled the state's economy, one of the largest in the world.

California as of Monday had recorded nearly 55,000 cases of the virus and 2,211 deaths.

Los Angeles County alone has recorded nearly 26,000 cases and 1,229 deaths.

US deaths rise by 1,015, lowest in a month

Novel coronavirus deaths in the United States rose by 1,015 in the past 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Monday, the lowest one-day figure in a month.

The Baltimore-based university had recorded more than 1.17 million cases in the country as of 0030GMT Tuesday, with 68,689 deaths.

President Donald Trump now says his worst-case scenario would be 100,000 deaths, but that milestone may be hit as soon as next month, according to several scientific models.

Trump's own White House says 100,000 to 240,000 Americans will die from Covid-19.

New Zealand records no new cases for a second day

New Zealand recorded no new cases for the second day in a row on Tuesday, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the outcome of her discussions with Australia on a travel bubble between the two countries would be announced later in the day.

Ardern joined Australia's coronavirus cabinet meeting as the neighbouring countries discuss reopening their borders to travel following their successes in containing the disease. 

China reports one new case in mainland

China reported one new coronavirus case, down from three the day before, data from the national health authority showed.

The new case was imported, the National Health Commission said.

The commission also reported 15 new asymptomatic cases, an increase of two from the previous day.

The number of confirmed cases in China has reached 82,881. With no new deaths reported, the death toll remained at 4,633. 

Ecuador exceeds 30,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases

Ecuador exceeded 30,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, while the government launched a plan to start gradually relaxing quarantine measures that have been in place since mid-March.

The South American country has confirmed 31,881 cases of Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, with 1,569 reported deaths and a further 1,336 deaths likely a result of the virus. 

Authorities have carried out 80,171 tests, which includes both rapid tests and molecular biological (polymerase chain reaction or PCR) testing.

The government has warned the actual death toll is much higher than reports indicate, particularly in the largest city of Guayaquil, where corpses were left in homes or on streets for hours.

Mexico registers 1,434 new coronavirus cases, 117 deaths

Mexico registered 1,434 new cases of the virus on Monday and 117 new deaths, a health official said, bringing the total in the country to 24,905 confirmed cases and 2,271 deaths.

However, health officials have previously said that the real number of cases is much higher.