Italy sees record over 31,000 Covid-19 cases in one day – latest updates

The global coronavirus pandemic has infected over 45.2 million people and claimed more than 1.1 million lives. Here are the updates for October 30:

Medical staffers tend to patient in the intensive care unit of the Circolo Hospital and Macchi Foundation of Varese, Italy, October 30, 2020.
AP

Medical staffers tend to patient in the intensive care unit of the Circolo Hospital and Macchi Foundation of Varese, Italy, October 30, 2020.

Friday, October 30, 2020

Italy posts daily record of over 31,000 new cases

Italy has registered 31,084 new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said, its highest daily tally since the start of the health crisis and up from the previous record of 26,831 posted on Thursday.

The ministry also reported 199 deaths, compared with 217 the day before.

UK reports 24,405 new cases 

The United Kingdom has reported 24,405 new cases and a further 274 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to government data. 

The country currently has a total of 989,745 confirmed cases and 46,229 deaths.

Turkey registers over 2,300 patients

Turkey has registered 2,322 new patients over the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data, bringing the country’s overall tally to 373,154.

Some 1,703 more patients recovered over the past day, raising the count to 322,465, while the death toll rose by 78 to reach 10,177.

A total of 136,525 more tests were carried out across the country, bringing the total to over 13.87 million.

Movement ban in force in Portugal as cases hit record

Checkpoints have been set up across Portugal to stop unauthorised travel during a five-day movement ban to contain the spread as the number of cases reached a record high.

Portugal, with just over 10 million people, has recorded a comparatively low 137,272 cases and 2,468 deaths but it reached 4,656 cases on Friday, the highest daily figure since the pandemic started. 

A total of 1,927 people are in hospital, with 275 in intensive care units (ICUs) - more than the April peak of 271.

Montenegro's top Orthodox Christian cleric dies from infection

Metropolitan Amfilohije Radovic, the top cleric of the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, has died from the virus, his office said.

Radovic, 82, a fervent Serb nationalist who also wielded major political influence, was diagnosed with the virus on October 6 and had been hospitalised in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica since then.

So far, Montenegro has reported 290 deaths and 17,746 infections.

Iran's cases cross 600,000
Iran's confirmed cases have crossed the 600,000 threshold, with 8,011 infections identified in the past 24 hours, a Health Ministry spokesperson told state TV, as the country's death toll rose to 34,478.

Sima Sadat Lari said 365 people had died in the past 24 hours and the total number of infections reached 604,952,

Malaysia reports 799 new cases with 3 new deaths

Malaysia's health authorities have reported 799 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 30,889 infections.

The Southeast Asian country recorded three new deaths, increasing the total number of fatalities at 249.

Poland reports record daily increase in cases

Poland has reported a record 21,629 new coronavirus infections, the health ministry said, with the country facing hospitals being overloaded and the prospect of mass protests in Warsaw against an abortion ban.

The ministry also said that 202 people died of Covid-19 on Friday, bringing the overall death toll to 5,351 people.

Montenegro's top Orthodox Christian cleric dies from Covid-19

Metropolitan Amfilohije Radovic, the top cleric of the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, has died from a Covid-19 infection, his office said.

Radovic, 82, a fervent Serb nationalist who also wielded major political influence, was diagnosed with the coronavirus on October 6 and had been hospitalised in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica since then.

Hungary's first vaccine shipment could arrive by early January

Hungary's first shipment of coronavirus vaccine is expected to arrive in late December or early January, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio.

Orban said Hungary was talking to China and Russia about vaccines and by the spring it could have access to two or three different vaccines. From April the country was likely to be able to "declare victory over the pandemic."

There is as yet no clinically proven vaccine against the coronavirus, though nearly 200 candidates are in development worldwide, and late-stage trial results are expected for the first of them by the end of 2020.

Russia's daily virus cases surge above 18,000 to record high

Russia's daily tally of virus cases has surged to a record high of 18,283, including 5,268 in Moscow, taking the national total to 1,599,976 since the pandemic began.

Authorities also reported 355 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 27,656.

El Paso prepares for two-week lockdown 

Officials in Texas' El Paso County have ordered a two-week shutdown of non-essential activities after the area’s medical resources were overwhelmed by the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

The order took effect 0600 GMT on Friday (midnight local time), the weekend before US election.

County Judge Ricardo Samaniego announced the measure during a virtual news conference.

Among the non-essential services ordered to be closed were tattoo, hair and nail salons, as well as gyms and in-person dining.

Japan crosses 100,000 cases

Japan’s coronavirus cases have topped 100,000, nine months after the first case was found in mid-January, the health ministry said.

The country confirmed 808 new cases on Thursday, bringing the cumulative Covid-19 cases to 100,334, including 712 people who were on a cruise ship that was docked off a Japanese port earlier this year.

About one-third of the cases come from Tokyo, where 221 cases were confirmed on Thursday, bringing a prefectural total to 30,677, with 453 deaths. Nationwide, Japan has more than 1,700 deaths.

Ukraine reports record daily high of new cases, deaths

Ukraine registered a record 8,312 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the national security council said, up from the October 23 high of 7,517.

The council added that deaths had also jumped by a record173, for a toll of 7,041.

Total infections stood at 378,729 by Friday.

Czech Republic reports 13,051 new cases

Czech Republic has reported 13,051 new coronavirus cases for October 29, health ministry data showed.

The total number of cases now stands at 310,068 in the country of 10.7 million, while deaths are at 2,862. 

West Yorkshire to move to tier-3 virus restrictions from Monday

West Yorkshire will be placed under tier 3 Covid-19 restrictions from Monday, Britain's highest alert level, the government said.

"Following close discussions with local leaders, all of West Yorkshire, comprising the 5 districts of Calderdale, City of Bradford, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield will move from Local Covid Alert Level High to Very High from 00:01 on Monday 2 November," the UK Department of Health and Social Care said. 

Sri Lanka's state employees go back to working from home

Sri Lankan authorities have asked state employees to resume working from home in major townships as virus infections continue to surge. 

The president’s office says government offices in Western province, where the recent outbreak has been concentrated, have been asked to switch to remote work as well.

Sri Lanka had lifted work-from-home measures when community infections subsided. But clusters emerging from a garment factory earlier this month and later from the country’s main wholesale fish market have resulted in a surge in infections and subsequent restrictions. 

So far, 9,791 virus patients have been reported in the island nation including 19 deaths.

Australia's active Covid-19 cases hit 4-month low

Australian officials have said there were just under 200 active cases of Covid-19 in the country, the lowest number in more than four months and well down from a peak of just over 8,000 in mid-August.

Officials reported just 11 new infections in the past 24 hours, the bulk of which were people already in hotel quarantine after arriving from overseas.

Australian states and territories have begun further relaxing domestic travel bans, although some restrictions remain.

In Victoria state, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the country's 905 Covid-19 deaths, a weeks-long stringent lockdown in the city of Melbourne was eased earlier this week.

India records 48,648 new virus cases

India has seen a daily spurt of 48,648 virus infections, taking its tally to 8.09 million, health ministry data showed.

India is the world's second-worst affected country, after the United States, which has nearly 9 million infections and hit a daily record of more than 91,000 cases on Thursday.

Cases in India have been dipping since a peak hit in September, but experts have warned of a possible spike during the festival season, which runs until mid-November.

Japan eases travel curbs for China, eight others

Japan has eased travel curbs for China, Australia, South Korea and six other countries and regions, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said, as Tokyo steps up efforts to revive its economy while preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Japan lowered its infection risk advisory level for Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, New Zealand, Brunei and Vietnam, besides China, South Korea and Australia, to 2 from 3, telling its citizens to avoid non-urgent, non-essential trips.

Under the infection risk advisory level of 3, the public are instructed not to take any trips. 

Germany's confirmed virus cases rise by 18,681

The number of confirmed virus cases in Germany has increased by 18,681 to 499,694, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.

The reported death toll rose by 77 to 10,349, the tally showed.

EU agrees on distribution process for vaccines

The distribution of Covid-19 vaccines among European Union member states will be fair, EU officials said.  

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel held a meeting via videoconference following an EU Leaders' Summit.

Von der Leyen shared the latest developments regarding the vaccine saying the EU had already signed purchase contracts with three different companies and negotiations with four other companies are continuing.

Mexico reports 5,948 new cases, 464 more deaths

Mexico's health ministry reported on Thursday 5,948 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and 464 more deaths in the country, bringing the official number of cases to 912,811 and the death toll to 90,773.

Health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. On Sunday, the ministry said the true death toll from Covid-19 may be around 50,000 higher. 

US tops 90,000 cases in 24 hours for first time

The United States notched a record number of new coronavirus cases on Thursday, topping the grim milestone of more than 90,000 diagnoses in 24 hours, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

The country, which has seen a resurgence of its Covid-19 outbreak since mid-October, saw 91,295 new cases in the 24 hours up to 0030GMT Friday, according to a real-time count by the Baltimore-based school.

The US has tallied 8.94 million cases of the novel coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, the most of any country in the world.

Mainland China reports 25 new cases vs 47 a day earlier

Mainland China reported 25 new Covid-19 cases on October 29, down from 47 a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Friday.

Of the new cases, 24 were imported infections originating from overseas. The National Health Commission said in a statement that one local infection was reported in the eastern province of Shandong.

The commission also reported 53 new asymptomatic cases, up from 16 a day earlier. China does not count symptomless patients as confirmed Covid-19 cases.

Total confirmed Covid-19 cases to date in mainland China now stand at 85,940. The death toll remains at 4,634.

Apple temporarily closes 17 out of 20 French stores amid fresh lockdown measures

Apple Inc will temporarily close 17 out of 20 stores in France starting October 30 as the country goes into a fresh one-month lockdown amid resurgence of coronavirus cases, the company's website showed.

Apple's Opera store in Paris, Les Quatre Temps store in Puteaux and Rosny 2 store in Rosny-Sous-Bois, will remain open, the company's website showed.

The company's 15 stores in Germany will remain open, according to its website.

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Chargers cancel practice after positive test for Covid-19

The Los Angeles Chargers placed guard Ryan Groy on the league's Covid-19 reserve list on Thursday and cancelled practice.

The Chargers said they were notified of a positive test on Wednesday night and that an unidentified player immediately went into quarantine. The team also identified the player’s close contacts, and they remained away from the complex.

All team meetings were held virtually in preparation for Sunday's game at the Denver Broncos before coach Anthony Lynn canceled practice, which was supposed to be just a walkthrough.

EU to fund transfer of patients across borders to prevent hospitals collapse

The European Union will finance the transfer of patients across borders within the bloc to prevent hospitals from getting overwhelmed as Covid-19 infections and hospitalisation spike in the continent.

After a video conference of EU leaders to discuss the health crisis on Thursday, the head of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the EU executive had made available $260 million (220 million euros) to move Covid-19 patients across borders.

"The spread of the virus will overwhelm our healthcare systems if we do not act urgently," she said.

At the meeting, leaders agreed to better coordinate efforts to battle the virus as infections in Europe exceeded 10 million, making the continent again the epicentre of the pandemic.

EU countries want to avoid divisions which dogged the 27-nation bloc at the beginning of the pandemic, when nations vied with each other to buy scarce medical equipment.

To better trace infections, von der Leyen said the EU would work for the quick validation at EU level of rapid antigen tests, which allow quicker results than the standard PCR ( polymerase chain reaction) molecular kits.

The commission is also intensifying its efforts to get potential vaccines against the new coronavirus.

The EU was in talks with four companies, and had already sealed supply deals with another three, she said.

The chair of the meeting, Charles Michel, said EU leaders committed to a fair distribution of vaccines once available. That would be done in proportion to population, von der Leyen said.

Two Women's Six Nations matches fall victim to Covid-19

Two Women's Six Nations matches have been postponed following positive tests for the coronavirus, officials announced on Thursday.

Fifth-round ties between Ireland and France and Wales and Scotland scheduled for Sunday will no longer take place as planned.

France's trip to Dublin was called off after several players tested positive for Covid-19.

The match had already been moved from France to help Irish players cope with national quarantine restrictions.

Meanwhile, Scotland's game away to Wales fell by the wayside after one of their players tested positive.

Four others were earlier withdrawn, having been identified as close contacts of French players who tested positive following the 13-13 draw between the teams in Glasgow last weekend.

Brazil sees 513 new deaths, 26,106 cases, health ministry says

Brazil recorded 513 new Covid-19 deaths and 26,106 new cases of the novel coronavirus, the health ministry said on Thursday.

Brazil has recorded nearly 5.5 million cases of the virus and 158,969 deaths, the ministry data show. 

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