Europe

13-year-old UK boy dies after contracting COVID-19

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A 13-year-old British boy has died days after testing positive for COVID-19, hospital officials and his family said on Tuesday, with relatives saying he had no underlying illnesses. The boy, who died Monday at King’s College Hospital in London, is believed to be Britain’s youngest confirmed death in the coronavirus pandemic. A 12-year-old girl, whose death was confirmed earlier on Tuesday in Belgium, is thought to be Europe’s youngest victim. […]

Lockdowns may have saved 59,000 lives in Europe: study

  PARIS, France (AFP) — Strict containment measures might have already saved up to 59,000 lives across 11 European countries battling the spread of the new coronavirus, experts in Britain say. Basing their modelling on the numbers of recorded deaths from COVID-19, researchers from Imperial College London said most countries it looked at had likely dramatically reduced the rate at which the virus spreads. Using the experiences of countries with the most advanced epidemics like […]

Woman at Greek camp virus positive after giving birth

ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Greece’s migration ministry on Tuesday said an asylum-seeker from a camp near Athens had tested positive for the coronavirus after giving birth at an Athens hospital. The unidentified woman lives at Ritsona, a camp on the island of Evia, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Athens. It was not immediately clear if the infection had taken place inside the maternity hospital. The ministry said another person living with the new […]

Italy mourns its virus dead at end of fateful month

by Dmitry ZAKS ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy marked a minute of silence and flew flags at half mast Tuesday to mourn the 11,591 people who have died from the coronavirus pandemic that has drastically altered life in the Mediterranean country. The nation of 60 million people has recorded nearly a third of all fatalities caused by the disease around the world. The day of mourning marks a month in which Italy saw more deaths […]

Spain sees record death toll with 849 fatalities in 24 hours: govt

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Once again, Spain hit a new record with 849 people dying of COVID-19 in 24 hours, hiking the overall death toll to 8,189, the government said on Tuesday. The increase came after a day in which the number of deaths had fallen slightly, raising hopes the epidemic could be reaching a peak in Spain, which has logged the world’s second-highest number of deaths from the virus, after Italy. Another 9,222 people […]

12-year-old infected with coronavirus dies in Belgium

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) –A 12-year-old girl confirmed infected with COVID-19 has died in Belgium, health officials said Tuesday. Fatality from the virus at such a young age “is a very rare occurrence,” said government spokesman Dr Emmanuel Andre, adding that her death “shook us”. The girl had a fever for three days before her death, and tested positive for COVID-19, said another spokesman, Steven Van Gucht. The government gave no other details, notably not saying […]

Italy extends lockdown until ‘at least’ April 12

by Dmitry ZAKS ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy on Monday extended an economically crippling lockdown until “at least” mid-April to stem coronavirus infections that have claimed a world-leading 11,591 lives. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said any easing of containment measures would be done incrementally to ensure Italy does not give up gains it has made against the extraordinary disease. The near three-week shutdown “had been very tough economically,” Conte told Spain’s El Pais newspaper. “It […]

France reports record 418 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours

PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Monday reported its highest daily number of deaths from COVID-19 since the coronavirus epidemic began, saying 418 more people had died in the hospital to bring the toll to 3,024. There are now 20,946 people hospitalized in France with COVID-19, with 5,056 of them in intensive care, the government said in its daily update. The French death toll includes only those who died in the hospital and not those […]

Prince Charles out of virus isolation: royal officials

by Phil HAZLEWOOD LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince Charles, the eldest son, and heir of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, is no longer in quarantine after showing mild coronavirus symptoms, his office said on Monday, as scientists said strict measures put in place across Britain to limit close-contact transmission could be having an effect. “Clarence House has confirmed today that, having consulted with his doctor, the Prince of Wales is now out of self-isolation,” it […]

Thirty ‘fearless’ Albanian doctors help virus-hit Italy

BRESCIA, Italy (AFP) — About 30 doctors from Albania, one of Europe’s poorest countries, was at work in northern Italy on Monday helping overwhelmed hospitals at the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the doctors said he was simply following the Hippocratic Oath that medics have taken through the ages vowing to help their colleagues in need. “In difficult situations, if our fellow (healthcare workers) need help, they must be helped,” Ermal Pashaj, a […]

JUST IN: Van Gogh painting stolen from Dutch museum

by Jan HENNOP THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Thieves stole a painting by Dutch master Vincent van Gogh early Monday in a daring heist from a museum that was closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic. The 1884 painting, titled the “Parsonage Garden at Neunen in Spring”, was taken during a pre-dawn break-in at the Singer Laren Museum near Amsterdam. The criminals smashed through a glass door and then took the painting, which […]

Dutch apply stricter distancing rules with more than 10,000 infected and 700 dead

by Emily Manuel Contributor, Eagle News TILBURG, The Netherlands (Eagle News) — Traveling on a public bus in Rotterdam, Susan Vermeule sits on one side and her friend on the other. On March 24, companies have been advised to implement a 1.5 meter distance rule or face fines. Since then, buses and trains have posted signs advising everyone to keep their distance from other passengers. NS trains even goes as far as advising everyone not […]