BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) –Belgium’s death toll from the novel coronavirus passed the 500 mark Monday, with almost 12,000 cases detected since the start of the epidemic. Health authorities in the country of 11.4 million said 513 COVID-19 deaths had been recorded and 11,899 cases confirmed by laboratory tests. But officials said the rise in admissions to hospital and to intensive care units had slowed slightly over the previous 24 hours. “We’re not at the peak, […]
Europe
Moscow begins lockdown, as Russia regions prepare for confinement
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Moscow on Monday imposed a lockdown in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin asked regional authorities to make similar preparations. The enforcement of the tough new rules, which were suddenly announced by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin late Sunday, coincide with the beginning of a “non-working” week declared by President Vladimir Putin last week. Europe’s largest city announced the strict new isolation measures […]
France steps up coronavirus evacuations from packed hospitals
by Sebastien SAUGUES and Jean-Christophe VERHAEGEN in Nancy, and Sebastien BOZON in Mulhouse NANCY France (AFP) — France staged its largest evacuation of coronavirus patients to date from hospitals in the hard-hit east on Sunday, increasing efforts to free up intensive care units as officials warned of an influx of serious cases in the coming days. Two specially equipped high-speed trains carried 36 patients from Mulhouse and Nancy to hospitals along France’s western coast, where […]
Spain announces record 838 virus deaths in 24 hours
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain confirmed another 838 deaths in 24 hours from coronavirus on Sunday, a new daily record bringing the total number of deaths to 6,528, according to health ministry figures. The number of confirmed cases in Spain has now reached 78,797 — after the one-day increase of 9.1 percent — as the country battles the world’s second most deadly outbreak after Italy. Except for a brief lull recorded on Thursday, Spain’s death […]
UK warned to expect months of virus measures
by Alice RITCHIE LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Life in locked-down Britain may not return to normal for six months or longer as it battles the coronavirus outbreak, a top health official warned on Sunday, as the death toll reached passed 1,200. Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries said it would take two or three weeks to assess the impact of the current rules for people to stay at home wherever possible to limit the […]
Italy’s toll tops 10,000 despite long lockdown
by Dmitry ZAKS Agence France Presse ROME, Italy (AFP) — The coronavirus toll in Italy shot past 10,000 on Saturday and showed little sign of slowing despite a 16-day lockdown. The 889 new fatalities reported in the world’s worst-hit nation came a day after it registered 969 deaths on Friday — the highest single toll since the COVID-19 virus emerged late last year. Italy now looks certain to extend its economically debilitating — and […]
Italy, Spain suffer record virus deaths as British PM tests positive; Italy’s new virus deaths at 969
by Joe Jackson with Hazel Ward in Madrid and AFP bureaus Agence France Presse Italy on Friday recorded the most daily deaths of any country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and Spain had its deadliest day, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first major world leader to test positive. Italy reported 969 new deaths, Spain 769 and France 299 as Europe reeled from a crisis that led the United States […]
British PM Johnson tests positive for COVID-19
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Friday that he is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. “Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus,” he said on Twitter, posting a video message. “I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus,” he wrote. “Be in no doubt that I can […]
Switzerland virus cases top 10,000
by Robin MILLARD GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Switzerland on Thursday joined the small group of countries to declare more than 10,000 officially-recorded cases of COVID-19, as it launched plans to start tracking crowd build-ups through mobile phone data. The health ministry said 10,661 people in the Alpine country have tested positive for the new coronavirus — nearly 1,000 more than a day earlier — while 161 people have died. Switzerland, which is among the countries […]
France police turn to drones to help ensure virus confinement
by Jules BONNARD PARIS, France (AFP) — With millions locked down across France during the COVID-19 pandemic, overstretched police are struggling to ensure people stay indoors, especially with spring approaching. Authorities are increasingly turning to drones to patrol streets, parks and riverbanks, and manufacturers are more than happy to meet the demand. Authorities struggle at times to convince people to curb their instincts and spend less time outside, especially when the weather is good. The […]
France reports 365 more coronavirus deaths, including 16-year-old
PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Thursday reported that 365 people, including a 16-year-old girl, had died from the coronavirus over the last 24 hours, the country’s highest daily toll. Top French health official Jerome Salomon told reporters that a total of 1,696 people had died in hospital in France from the virus, emphasizing that the toll does not include those who died at home or at retirement homes. He said that 29,155 people had […]
Dogs being trained to sniff out COVID-19: charity
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — A British charity has teamed up with scientists to see whether dogs could help detect COVID-19 through their keen sense of smell, they said on Friday. Medical Detection Dogs will work with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham University in northeast England to determine whether canines could help diagnoses. It follows previous research into dogs’ ability to sniff out malaria and is based on a […]





