Europe

Italy’s intensive care virus cases drop for first time

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy saw its first drop Saturday in the number of patients receiving intensive care treatment for the coronavirus that had stretched the Mediterranean country’s world-class healthcare system to breaking point. Civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli called the drop from 4,068 on Friday to 3,994 on Saturday in the number of critical patients an important moment in Italy’s battle against COVID-19. “This is a very important data point because the figure […]

Spain now has more COVID-19 cases than Italy as total hits more than 124,000

Becomes 2nd country with most number of virus cases after US (Eagle News) – Spain has overtaken Italy in terms of number of coronavirus cases as its total reached 124,736 – which is about 5,000 more than Italy’s number of 119,827. Based on the latest data from the Johns Hopkins University, Italy still had the most deaths at 14,681 while Spain had a toll of 11,744. Spain is now the second country with the most […]

Spain to extend lockdown until April 25

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Saturday the extension of the country’s lockdown until April 25 in order to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. “The cabinet on Tuesday will again ask for authorization from parliament to extend for a second time the state of alert until Saturday April 25 at midnight,’ Sanchez said in a televised speech. “With the utmost caution, we believe that this is the time that […]

Queen Elizabeth II to make special broadcast on coronavirus

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II will make a rare special broadcast this weekend to Britain and the Commonwealth on the coronavirus pandemic, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. “The televised address will be broadcast at 8pm (1900 GMT) on Sunday 5th April, 2020. The address was recorded at Windsor Castle,” a statement said. The queen, 93, has made only three other special addresses during national crises in her 68-year reign and comes […]

New 4,000-bed coronavirus field hospital opens in London

  by Alice RITCHIE / Phil HAZLEWOOD Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Friday opened a new 4,000-bed temporary hospital to treat the most seriously ill coronavirus patients, as day-on-day deaths surged to a new record and royal officials said Queen Elizabeth II would make a rare crisis address to the nation. Heir to the throne Prince Charles opened the state-run National Health Service (NHS) Nightingale Hospital, which has been built […]

France reports 471 more coronavirus hospital deaths, toll tops 4,500

PARIS, France (AFP) — France reported 471 more deaths in hospital from COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the country’s official toll from the coronavirus epidemic to 4,503. The French figures include only those who died in the hospital and not those who died at home or in old people’s homes. However, top health official, Jerome Salomon told reporters for the first time that an initial count had shown 884 people had died in old people’s homes […]

First prisoner dies of virus in Italy – watchdog group

ROME, Italy (AFP) — A first prisoner in Italy has died of coronavirus, a prison watchdog group said on Thursday, calling for more early releases of inmates from the country’s overcrowded system. Two prison guards have died of the virus, and 19 inmates out of a total inmate population of 58,000 have tested positive, according to Italy’s justice ministry. “The first prisoner death from COVID-19 confirms all our worries about the tragic consequences of contagion […]

Spain virus death toll tops 10,000: govt

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — The coronavirus death toll in Spain surged past 10,000 on Thursday after a record 950 deaths in 24 hours, with the number of confirmed cases passing the 110,000 marks, the government said. Spain has the world’s second-highest death toll after Italy, with the virus so far claiming 10,003 lives although the rate of new infections and deaths continued its downward trend, the health ministry figures showed. The number of new infections […]

Spanish jobless claims jump by over 300,000 in March

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain registered a leap of 302,265 jobless claims in March due to the “extraordinary impact” of the coronavirus pandemic, the labor ministry said Thursday. It is reportedly the biggest monthly increase on record in the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, which has been locked down since March 14 to try to curb the spread of the virus. The pandemic “changed the trend” in unemployment figures for March, after only 2,857 workers filled jobless […]

Under-fire Johnson says, UK will ‘massively increase testing’

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain would “massively increase testing” amid a growing wave of criticism on Thursday about his government’s failure to provide widespread coronavirus screening. In a video message posted online on Wednesday night from Downing Street, where he has been in self-isolation since announcing on March 27 that he had contracted the virus, Johnson said testing was the “way through”. “We’re also massively increasing testing. As I […]

Italy extends lockdown as toll passes 13,000

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy on Wednesday extended its economically-crippling lockdown until April 13 to help stem coronavirus infections that have claimed 13,115 lives. “If we start loosening our measures now, all our efforts will have been in vain,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told the nation in a nationally televised address. The extension had been expected. Italy’s health minister said on Monday that businesses across the nation of 60 million would remain shuttered and public […]

France reports record 509 more coronavirus deaths, toll tops 4,000

PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Wednesday reported its highest daily number of deaths from COVID-19 since the coronavirus epidemic began, saying 509 more people had died in the hospital to bring the toll to 4,032. There are now 24,639 people hospitalized in France with COVID-19, with 6,017 of them in intensive care, health official Jerome Salomon told reporters in his daily update. The death toll on Tuesday had risen by 499. The French figures […]