North America

In California, early coronavirus action ‘makes a difference’

by Laurent BANGUET Agence France-Presse Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — Swift and strict containment measures in California appear to have succeeded in reducing hospital overcrowding and mass deaths from coronavirus, according to health experts in the country’s most populous state. California, one of the first states struck by the deadly disease, has been under lockdown for nearly four weeks. During that time its confirmed case and death tolls have been rapidly overtaken by various eastern […]

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California governor eyes lockdown end but refuses to set date

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday set out conditions for lifting California’s coronavirus lockdown, but warned it would be at least two weeks before any timeline for reopening the state could be announced. Newsom said stay-at-home orders had “bent the curve” in the nation’s most populous state, but warned against moving too quickly and insisted decisions should be based on science not politics. Hospital cases would need to decline over […]

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‘Not the time to reduce the resources’ of WHO: UN chief

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — It is “not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday. “It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to win the war against COVID-19,” he said, after US President Donald […]

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US hits record 2,228 deaths in past 24 hours: Johns Hopkins tally

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded 2,228 deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic over the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University as of 8:30 pm Tuesday (0030 GMT Wednesday). The number of fatalities was a sharp increase after two days in decline, and beat the previous high of 2,108 on April 10. The outbreak has now claimed the lives of at least 25,757 people in the US, […]

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On-off social distancing may be needed until 2022: Harvard study

by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A one-time lockdown won’t halt the novel coronavirus and repeated periods of social distancing may be required into 2022 to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, Harvard scientists who modeled the pandemic’s trajectory said Tuesday. Their study comes as the US enters the peak of its COVID-19 caseload and states eye an eventual easing of tough lockdown measures. The Harvard team’s computer simulation, which was […]

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Trump announces funding halt to World Health Organization

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a suspension of US funding to the World Health Organization because he said it had covered up the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak in China before it spread around the world. Trump told a press conference he was instructing his administration to halt funding while “a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of […]

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New York City coronavirus deaths suspected to be more than 10,000

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The number of coronavirus-linked deaths in New York City soared past 10,000 on Tuesday after officials said almost 4,000 people who never tested positive were presumed to have died from COVID-19. The city’s health department announced that 3,778 people had probably succumbed to the illness — on top of the 6,589 confirmed fatalities. The new figures, released at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT), saw the total number of deaths in […]

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Pandemic causing deep recession, and it could get worse: IMF

by Heather SCOTT Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The coronavirus pandemic is pushing the global economy into its deepest recession in a century, cutting world output by three percent this year, and the crisis could get worse, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. The downturn will slash $9 trillion from the world economy, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath told reporters as she presented the latest forecasts in the World Economic Outlook. If […]

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99-year-old WWII vet beats coronavirus in Brazil

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — A 99-year-old World War II veteran in Brazil was released from the hospital with military honors Tuesday after recovering from COVID-19. Second Lieutenant Ermando Piveta, who served in the Brazilian artillery in Africa during World War II, was brought out of the Armed Forces Hospital in Brasilia to a burst of trumpet music and applause. Wearing an army-green side cap, he raised his arms in the air as he left the […]

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Virus is snarling supply chains across US, survey says

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Almost all US companies surveyed in the last half of March said the coronavirus pandemic would or already had hit their supply chains, and industry association said Tuesday. The survey from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) also showed half of the firms cutting their revenue targets, hiring plans and investments in the face of the pandemic. “The data suggests that even as companies adjust to supply disruptions — […]

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Pandemic recovery will require more, coordinated stimulus: IMF

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — After the pandemic ends, governments will have to provide even more cash infusions to help the global economy rebound from the coronavirus’s deep recession, the IMF’s chief economist said Tuesday. “Once the recovery happens, and we are past the pandemic phase for advanced economies, it would be essential to undertake a broad-based fiscal stimulus,” International Monetary Fund research chief Gita Gopinath told reporters. The spending “would be even more effective […]

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Tornadoes bring death, destruction in southern US

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Tornadoes ripped through the southern United States, killing at least 32 people and leaving behind splintered buildings and downed powerlines, officials and US media said Monday. Twisters caused catastrophic damage Easter Sunday and early Monday morning as storms moved through a region stretching from Texas to Georgia, prompting the National Weather Service to issue its highest level of tornado alert. Images showed lines of smashed, roofless houses where tornadoes had […]

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