US coronavirus cases surge past two million mark – latest updates

Wednesday, June 10

ICU cases in France stay below 1,000 mark

The number of fatalities and infections from the novel coronavirus in France remained low, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

At least 34 deaths in hospital were registered on Wednesday, a drop of 19 over those reported on Tuesday. The total number of fatalities to date in hospital is 18,935 and that in nursing homes stands at 10,350.

Since the start of the outbreak, the death toll in France stands at 29,319 with cases of infection rising substantially, to 155,136, an increase of 545 cases over the previous day.

Turkey to reopen tourism facilities - minister

As of July, Turkey will resume all those tourism facilities planned to be reopened as part of normalisation process, said the country’s culture and tourism minister.

Speaking to CNN Turk, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy commented on the revival of tourism in the country.

"In tourism, there is no other country that has done certification better and more reliable than Turkey," the minister said.

The country's main priority in this process is to resume air traffic to all countries, he added.

US cases surge past two million mark

The number of Covid-19 infections in the United States surpassed two million, according to a tracker.

The country's total number of deaths from the virus now stands at 114,669.

Prosecutors to question Italy PM over virus response

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he will be questioned by prosecutors on Friday over the way the coronavirus outbreak was handled in the northern Italian city of Bergamo, one of the areas most badly affected by the epidemic. 

"I am not at all worried," Conte told reporters outside the prime minister's office in Rome. "We will speak on Friday and I will pass on all the facts I am aware of," he said, adding that he was not under investigation himself.

The prosecutors are looking into why badly hit areas around Bergamo were not closed down early in the outbreak, and have already questioned the regional governor of Lombardy, which includes Bergamo, and Lombardy's health chief.

France reports 23 more deaths, raising total to 29,319

France's coronavirus death toll rose by only 23, versus an average daily increase of 53 over the last two weeks, to 29,319, the fifth-highest total in the world.

On Tuesday, 87 Covid-19 deaths were reported.

But the number of new confirmed cases was up 545, at 155,136, after that figure stayed below the 500 threshold during the last three days.

Turkey reports over 145,000 recoveries from virus

Turkey confirmed 2,241 daily recoveries from the novel coronavirus, as the country continues easing measures against the pandemic, according to its health minister.

The total number of recoveries from the disease hit 146,839, as 2,241 more patients were discharged from hospitals over the past day, Fahrettin Koca said at a news conference after the Science Board meeting, citing Health Ministry data.

"Following stay-home orders for those over the age of 65 years, rate of Covid-19 infection in this age group declined by 50 percent," the minister said.

Koca said that guideline in the process of normalisation is the fact that the risk continues, adding it will be possible to reach the very last case only by following the measures.

The country's death toll from the virus rose to 4,746, as it reported 17 new fatalities over the last 24 hours.

Healthcare professionals performed 36,521 tests for the disease in the past 24 hours, raising the total number to more than 2.45 million.

According to test results, the total number of Covid-19 cases nationwide reached 173,036, with 922 new infections.

One positive in latest Premier League Covid-19 tests

There was one positive result from the Premier League's latest round of tests for the novel coronavirus, the league said on Wednesday.

A total of 1,213 tests were carried out among players and club staff on Monday and Tuesday, the seventh round of tests since players from England's 20 top-flight clubs returned to training.

The previous rounds of testing produced 13 positives in total.

Italy reports 71 deaths, 202 new cases

Deaths from the Covid-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 71, against 79 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily tally of new cases fell to 202 from 283 on Tuesday.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 now stands at 34,114, the agency said, the fourth highest in the world after those of the United States, Britain and Brazil.

The number of confirmed cases amounts to 235,763, the seventh-highest global tally behind those of the United States, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Britain and India.

People registered as currently carrying the illness fell to 31,710 from 32,872 the day before.

Impact of seasons on coronavirus unclear, WHO's Ryan

It is unclear how the arrival of winter in the southern hemisphere will impact the novel coronavirus, the head of the WHO's emergencies programme Mike Ryan said.

"We don't know how the coronavirus is going to be," Ryan said during a virtual press conference. "Right now, we have no data to suggest that the virus will behave more aggressively or transmit more efficiently or not," Ryan said, adding that the impact of summer's arrival in the northern hemisphere was also unclear.

"We cannot rely on an expectation that the season or the temperature will be the answer to (the disease's spread)," he said.

UK death toll rises by 245 to 41,128

The United Kingdom's death toll from confirmed cases of Covid-19 rose by 245 to 41,128 as of 1600 GMT on June 9, according to government data released on Wednesday.

Flights between Turkey, UK to resume as of June 11 

Daily scheduled flights between Turkey and the UK will resume as of June 11, the British Embassy in Ankara announced on Twitter. 

"Turkish Airlines will operate 1 daily flight from Istanbul Airport to London Heathrow. Anadolu Jet will be operating 1 daily flight from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport to London Stansted," the embassy said. 

It noted that there is no confirmation of whether non-citizens or non-residents are allowed to travel to Turkey. 

"All passengers arriving into Turkey will be subject to temperature checks using thermal cameras or remote thermometers, on exit from the aircraft and/or inside the airport terminal," it added. 

Anyone showing symptoms will be directed to the medical units. 

All arrivals are also required to self-isolate at home for a period of 14 days.

Iraq reports highest daily deaths since February

Iraq confirmed 34 fatalities from the novel coronavirus pandemic, bringing the death toll to 426, which is the highest number of daily fatalities in the country since February.

The Health Ministry said 1,146 more cases have been recorded, taking the total infections to 15,414, while the number of recoveries reached 6,214.

Last May, the Iraqi government reimposed a nationwide curfew to be valid until June 14, due to the recent spike in the infection rate.

Saudi Arabia records 36 new deaths

Saudi Arabia confirmed 36 additional deaths from the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry.

A ministry statement said 3,717 new infections and 1,615 recoveries were registered over the past 24 hours.

The kingdom's confirmed cases from coronavirus now stand at 112,288, including 819 deaths, and 77,954 recoveries.

Poland to open EU borders on Saturday

Poland will open its borders with fellow European Union countries on Saturday and allow international flights from next Tuesday, the prime minister said on Wednesday, as the country unfreezes its economy despite an increase in coronavirus cases.

Poland has seen a recent rise in infections, mostly centred around coal mines in the south. On Monday 599 new cases were reported, a record.

As of Wednesday morning Poland, a country of around 38 million people, had reported 27,668 cases of the coronavirus and 1,191 deaths.

EU eyes reopening borders

The European Union said on Wednesday it is hoping to reopen its external borders to foreigners in July as leaders look to loosen the economic strangulation of virus lockdowns that are triggering a steep global downturn.

Europe has suffered devastating human losses from the pandemic, accounting for just under half of the 411,000 lives claimed by Covid-19's deadly rampage across the world.

Moscow raises May death toll by 3,365

Moscow's health department said 5,260 people died from the novel coronavirus in the city in May, far higher than the 1,895 deaths reported by Russia's coronavirus crisis response centre over the course of that month.

"Covid-19 as a main or an accompanying cause of death was registered in 5,260 cases," the Moscow health department said in a statement on its website.

It said the difference of 3,365 between the previous death toll and the new one was down to changes made by Russia's Health Ministry in its approach to counting coronavirus deaths.

Cases in Africa pass 202,000

The number of Covid-19 cases in Africa has reached 202,782, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said in an update.

According to the latest data, 5,516 fatalities have been recorded in 54 countries so far, while recoveries have increased to 90,779.

The total number of active cases on the continent now stands at 106,487, Africa CDC said.

'Late' cases among 740 more infections in Philippines

The number of coronavirus cases in the Philippines moved close to 24,000, with authorities reporting over 700 more infections.

According to the country’s Department of Health, 740 additional cases moved the total up to 23,732, while 10 more fatalities raised the death toll to 1,027.

It said 452 of the cases were new ones and described the remaining 288 as “late” cases, or those confirmed four days or later after initial tests.

Total recoveries in the country stand at 4,895, the authority said in a statement.

France lifts pandemic response to $154.6 billion

France raised its coronavirus response measures to nearly $154.6 billion (136 billion euros), bringing the cost to 5.6 percent of GDP in its third budget revision so far this year.

The government had put the cost at 110 billion euros in April but has since had to make upward revisions to take account of falling tax revenue and extra spending, it said in its budget update.

Turkey sends truckload of medical supplies to Serbia

Turkey on Wednesday sent a truckload of medical supplies to Serbia to assist its fight against the novel coronavirus.

The truck which set off from Istanbul is expected to reach a hospital in Novi Pazar, one of the largest cities of Serbia, on Monday.

The supplies were sent by Turkey's Health Ministry and Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) upon directives by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

They include protective masks, beds, sanitisers, ventilators, and various medicinal products.

Germany to ease restrictions on seasonal workers

Germany will from next week lift entry restrictions for seasonal workers from European Union and Schengen countries introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner said on Wednesday.

Death toll tops 1,000 in Bangladesh

The death toll from coronavirus in Bangladesh crossed the 1,000 mark, the Health Ministry said.

With 37 new fatalities over the past day, the death toll stands at 1,012, said Nasima Sultana, a senior health official, at an online news conference.

The South Asian nation has reported 3,190 positive cases of the novel virus, the highest single-day figure so far, taking the tally to 74,865.

Cases hit record high in Indonesia

Indonesia reported 1,241 new coronavirus infections, the highest single-day rise since the country’s first cases were detected in early March.

The total case count is now at 34,316, while 36 more fatalities have raised the death toll to 1,959, according to Achmad Yurianto, spokesperson for Indonesia’s Covid-19 task force.

He said recoveries have risen to 12,129 after 715 more patients were discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours.

Germany extends non-EU travel warning to August 31

The German government extended a travel ban for countries outside the European Union until August 31 over ongoing concerns linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Germany introduced an unprecedented warning against all foreign travel in mid-March at the height of the coronavirus outbreak.

But from Monday, Germans will be able to travel freely again to EU member states as well Britain, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Nineteen cases in Azerbaijan president's office

Nineteen staff in the office of Azerbaijan's president have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said, as authorities in the repressive Caucasus nation struggle to contain an escalating crisis.

A further 13 infections were also confirmed among employees of the Emergency Situations Ministry and the Ministry of Labour, anti-virus task force spokesman Ramin Bairamly said late Tuesday.

Azerbaijan has registered 98 deaths and a total of 8,191 coronavirus cases after a 23 percent increase in new infections from last week.

South Korea mulls measures 

New coronavirus cases spiked again in South Korea on Wednesday, reaching the highest point seen in recent weeks and pushing authorities to consider enforcing more stringent safety measures.

A total of 50 new Covid-19 cases, including 43 local infections and two fatalities, were reported by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raising the country’s overall count to 11,902 with 276 deaths.

Iran's death toll exceeds 8,500

Iran confirmed 81 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 8,506.

A further 2,011 people tested positive for Covid-19, raising the overall count to 177,938, Health Ministry spokesman Sima Sadat Lari said.

According to the spokesman, 140,590 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far.

Austria to lift checks at Italian border

Austria is lifting checks at its border with Italy and ending quarantine requirements for arrivals from 30 other European countries as of June 16, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said.

Officials had told Reuters on Tuesday that Austria would lift coronavirus-related restrictions on arrivals from more than 20 European countries, including Italy, from June 16, but details were ironed out at a ministerial meeting on Wednesday morning.

The lifting of restrictions will not apply to Britain, Sweden, Spain and Portugal, Schallenberg said. Austria will continue to advise against travel to Lombardy, Italy's hardest-hit region, with a partial travel warning, he added

Russia's case tally approaches 500,000

Russia reported 8,404 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally of infections to 493,657.

The country's coronavirus crisis response centre said 216 people had died from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 6,358.

Bulgaria extends epidemic emergency until end of June

Bulgaria will extend the epidemic emergency until the end of June to fight the spread of the coronavirus after an increase in new registered cases, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said. 

The Balkan country has eased most of the restrictive measures it imposed in the middle of March, allowing restaurants and shopping malls to reopen. Borissov said the government did not plan to introduce new restrictions for the time being but appealed to people to keep social distancing.

Bulgaria has so far recorded 2,889 coronavirus cases and 167 deaths. It has recorded 79 new cases over the past 24 hours.

India reports nearly 10,000 new virus cases

India reported a new rise of nearly 10,000 infections, with a total caseload of 276,583, the fifth highest in the world.

The health ministry confirmed 9,985 new cases and 274 deaths in the last 24 hours. A total of 7,745 people have died from the virus.

Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and New Delhi are the worst-hit states.

The spike comes as the government reopened restaurants, shopping malls and places of worship in most of India after a more than two-month lockdown. Subways, hotels and schools remain closed.

India has so far tested more than 4 .9 million people, with a daily capacity of more than 140,000.

The number of new cases has soared since the government began relaxing restrictions. There has also been a surge in infections in rural India following the return of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who lost their jobs during the lockdown.

Malaysia reopens after three-month lockdown

Malaysia reopened nearly all economic and social activities Wednesday after a nearly three-month lockdown successfully brought down viral infections.

Malaysians can now travel for domestic holidays, get haircuts and shop at street markets. Schools and religious activities also will gradually resume.

Malaysia has entered a “recovery” phase until the end of August with certain prohibitions still in place, but officials warn restrictions will be reinstated if infections soar again.

Night clubs, pubs, karaoke bars, theme parks and reflexology centers will stay shut during this period. Contact sports or those that involve many spectators such as football, and activities involving mass groups, are still banned.

Malaysia has had 8,336 confirmed infections and 117 deaths. Daily cases have dropped to only seven since Monday, the lowest since the lockdown started March 18.

Pakistan's cases surge as WHO urges lockdown

Pakistan’s infections soared past 5,000 as the WHO urged the government to impose a two-week lockdown to stem the relentless spike in new cases.

Pakistan has recorded 113,702 confirmed cases and 2,255 deaths.

Until now, Pakistan’s daily testing rate has hovered around 25,000, but the WHO says it should be double that.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has come under criticism from political opponents and health professionals for easing lockdowns despite soaring numbers and no progress in tracking Covid-19 outbreaks.

Khan, who has gone on national television to reprimand Pakistanis for not wearing masks and keeping social distance, says the economy cannot survive a total lockdown and the poorest in Pakistan would be the hardest hit.

Japan MPs pass record coronavirus budget

Japan's powerful lower house of parliament approved an emergency budget worth nearly $300 billion, doubling the scale of measures to pep up the world's third-biggest economy after the coronavirus tipped it into recession.

Consumer spending has slowed to a crawl despite Japan's relatively low infection numbers and death toll from the pandemic, prompting the first economic downturn since 2015.

In response, lawmakers approved a second exceptional budget of $297 billion, including subsidies for smaller businesses and cash handouts for medical workers.

The budget bill will be sent to the upper house and is widely expected to be enacted as early as Friday.

Emirates to lay off more pilots, cabin crew, sources say

Emirates, one of the world's biggest long-haul airlines, will lay off more pilots and cabin crew, sources said, in what would be a second day of redundancies.

An Emirates spokeswoman declined to comment beyond the airline's statement on Tuesday that some employees had been laid off. No further details were provided.

The Dubai state airline laid off hundreds of pilots and thousands of cabin crew on Tuesday in a bid to stave off a cash crunch caused by the coronavirus pandemic, sources told Reuters.

More redundancies were expected this week, including both Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 pilots, the sources said on Tuesday.

Thailand reports 4 new cases, no new deaths

Thailand reported four new cases and no new deaths, bringing its total to 3,125 confirmed infections, of which 58 were fatalities.

The new cases were quarantined Thai nationals returning from Madagascar, Pakistan and India, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

Thailand has recorded no new local transmissions for 16 days in a row. 

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 318 

The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 318 and deaths by 18, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed on.

The reported confirmed cases has reached 186,834 and death toll to 8,849, according to Worldometer. 

Peru's cases surpass 200,000

Peru's health ministry on Tuesday said confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have risen above 200,000, with 5,738 deaths.

A spokesman for the ministry said a total of 203,736 cases were now confirmed. The country registered its first case on March 6 and has seen a surge amid a rigorous testing regime, but also high levels of poverty and informal labour complicating self-isolation efforts.

The number of infections in the country is the second highest in Latin America, after Brazil, and eighth globally.

Argentina's cases surge

Argentina confirmed more than 1,000 new cases as the rate of new infections continued to rise just days after extending lockdown measures in the capital Buenos Aires, the country's largest city and the virus' epicentre.

Argentina's health ministry logged 1,141 new cases in the past 24 hours, as well 24 deaths, pushing its total to 24,761 cases and 717 deaths since the outbreak began in early March. 

Brazil reports 1,272 deaths

Brazil reported 32,091 new cases of coronavirus and 1,272 new deaths for the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The South American country has so far recorded 739,503 confirmed cases of the virus, the second highest level of contagion after the US and 38,406 people have died, the third highest death toll worldwide.

Mexico confirms nearly 600 new deaths

Mexico's health ministry reported 4,199 new confirmed coronavirus infections and 596 additional fatalities on Tuesday, bringing the total in the country to 124,301 cases and 14,649 deaths.

The government has said the real number of infected people is significantly higher than the official count.

Morocco to ease lockdown measures

The Moroccan government has said it will start easing restrictive measures imposed to curb coronavirus infections but delay a full lifting of the state of emergency until July 10.

Morocco has been on lockdown since March 20. The gradual relaxation will take into account disparities in the infection rate between Moroccan regions, the government said in a statement.

Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani is expected to brief the parliament on Wednesday on the next steps.

Morocco had confirmed 8,437 coronavirus cases, including 210 deaths, by Tuesday evening, as the rise of hot spots within factories and families complicates efforts to curb contagion.

Coronavirus nears peak in Mexico – WHO

The coronavirus pandemic in Mexico is advancing toward its peak level of infections but social distancing should continue until a vaccine is made available, WHO officials have said.

The officials, from both the WHO and its Americas' arm, PAHO, stressed during a webcast conference that more testing is needed in Mexico before further economic re-opening and that street protests could cause a spike of new cases.

Mexico, where total confirmed cases exceed 120,000 and the death toll stands at about 14,000, began a gradual reopening of the economy at the start of June.