MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Australian health officials on Monday reported no new coronavirus cases or deaths in Victoria state, which has spent months under onerous restrictions after becoming the epicentre of the country’s second wave. It was the first 24-hour period without any new Covid-19 cases reported in the state since the five million residents of Melbourne were locked down after security bungles at quarantine hotels housing returned international travellers sparked a major outbreak in […]
Tag: covid
US sees record Covid-19 numbers for second day straight
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States saw a record high number of new daily Covid-19 cases for the second day in a row on Saturday, figures from Johns Hopkins University showed, as warnings grew over its spread. The country reported 88,973 new infections between 8:30 pm Friday and 8:30 pm Saturday, the figures showed, substantially above the previous day’s 79,963. A total of 8,568,625 cases have been reported in the United States […]
Spain’s ‘real’ virus toll tops 3 million cases: PM
by Christian CHAISE Agence France Presse MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s “real number” of infections is more than three million, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Friday, as regional authorities demanded tough government action to slow the spread of the virus. Just two days after Spain officially became the first country within the European Union to pass a million cases, Sanchez said the true number was more than three times higher. With the virus showing no […]
Europe, WHO sound alarm over resurgent virus crisis
by Johannes Ledel with AFP bureaus Agence France Presse STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AFP) — The EU’s disease control agency on Friday joined frantic health workers across Europe in sounding the alarm about the surge in coronavirus infections as the World Health Organization warned of an “exponential” rise in cases. Several countries in Europe are reporting infection rates higher than during the first wave of the pandemic in March and April. Spain’s “real number” of infections […]
Millions more head into UK virus lockdowns
by Jitendra JOSHI Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Millions more people headed into coronavirus lockdowns in Britain on Friday, as the government boosted a financial support package but acknowledged failures in a hugely expensive testing programme. Central Manchester was eerily quiet after the central government imposed its most stringent measures on the city and its surrounding region, following bitter resistance from local leaders who wanted more money to help affected businesses […]
New virus curbs for northern English region to affect some 1.4 million people
by James PHEBY and Alice Ritchie Agence France Presse More than a million people in northern England will be banned from mixing with other households under new coronavirus rules announced Wednesday, sparking warnings of “months of agony” ahead. The county of South Yorkshire, which includes the city of Sheffield, will enter into “very high” alert or tier three restrictions from Saturday, the UK government announced. Many pubs, bars, casinos and other venues will be […]
Cathay Pacific to cut workforce by nearly a quarter
by Jerome TAYLOR / Su XINQI Agence France Presse Cathay Pacific announced plans Wednesday to cut its workforce by nearly a quarter and close one of its short-haul airlines in an effort to survive the “devastating” impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Across the globe, airlines have been hammered as the pandemic has slashed international travel, and they face a long, hard winter after a much-hoped-for rebound failed to materialise. Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flag […]
Asian markets lifted by stimulus optimism, vaccine hopes
HONG KONG, China (AFP) Asian markets rose Wednesday on signs US lawmakers are edging towards agreeing a new stimulus for the struggling economy, while hopes for a vaccine helped temper worries about surging virus infections around the world. After months of stuttering talks, and with a deadline approaching, Democrats and the White House said they were closing the gap on their proposals, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying legislation was being drawn up. The […]
UK researchers aim to infect volunteers to study Covid exposure
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British researchers on Tuesday said they hope to expose healthy volunteers to the virus that causes Covid-19 in a groundbreaking study to discover the amount needed for people to become infected. The Human Challenge Programme — a partnership that includes Imperial College London — hopes the work will ultimately help to “reduce the spread of the coronavirus, mitigate its impact and reduce deaths”. In what researchers called a world […]
Europe tightens virus curbs as global cases top 40 million
by Agence France Presse bureaus DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) — A number of European countries took urgent new measures on Monday to combat a second wave of coronavirus infections, as the World Health Organization blamed the surge in worldwide cases — now more than 40 million — on countries’ failure to quarantine infected people properly. Ireland and Wales became the first countries on the continent to re-enter lockdown as the number of people who have […]
China’s super rich got $1.5 trillion richer during pandemic: report
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s super wealthy have earned a record $1.5 trillion in 2020, more than the past five years combined, as e-commerce and gaming boomed during pandemic lockdowns, an annual rich list said Tuesday. An extra 257 people also joined the billionaires club in the world’s number-two economy by August, following two years of shrinking membership, according to the closely watched Hurun Report. The country now has a total of 878 billionaires. The […]
Remdesivir has ‘little or no effect’ on Covid-19 mortality: WHO study
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The antiviral drug remdesivir, considered one of the most promising Covid-19 treatments, turns out to do little to prevent deaths from the disease, according to a WHO-backed study. Remdesivir, which was part of the experimental cocktail given to US President Donald Trump when he caught the new coronavirus last month, was one of several reviewed in a large study of more than 11,000 people across 30 countries. The drug “appeared […]
