Tag: health

German experts urge discipline as virus data sends mixed signals

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German medical experts warned the public to stay disciplined Tuesday after official data offered a mixed picture on the battle against the novel coronavirus since Europe’s biggest economy began a cautious easing of lockdown measures. “Let us continue to stay at home as much as possible, keep observing the restrictions and keep a distance of 1.5 meters from one another,” said Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for […]

South Asia faces fresh health crisis as children miss vaccinations

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — South Asia could face a further public health crisis as children miss routine vaccinations, the UN warned Tuesday, spurring fears that the fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic might reverse hard-earned gains in the region. The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said hundreds of thousands were at risk as lockdowns across South Asia halted immunization drives and parents refrained from taking their children to doctors to be inoculated. “While the COVID-19 […]

Spain reports drop in daily coronavirus death toll

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain on Tuesday recorded a slight decrease in the number of daily coronavirus deaths with the government set to unveil plans to relax stringent lockdown measures in place since mid-March. The number of fatalities rose by 301 to 23,822 in the previous 24 hours, compared with Monday’s increase of 331, the health ministry said. It is the fifth consecutive day that the number of daily fatalities in Spain — which has […]

Arab doctor leads Israeli hospital’s anti-virus fight

by Majeda El-Batsh Agence France Presse HAIFA, Israel (AFP) — Each morning since February, Israeli Arab doctor Khitam Hussein has woken up before dawn to rush to a job on the frontline of the country’s fight against the novel coronavirus. Hussein, 44, has emerged as a prominent member of Israel’s often marginalized Arab community which is now playing an essential role in confronting an unprecedented health crisis. She heads the outbreak response at the Rambam […]

Optimism, with a side of fries, as Kiwi lockdown eases

by Neil SANDS Agence France Presse WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — New Zealanders satisfied their cravings for hamburgers and coffee as a five-week lockdown eased on Tuesday, as hopes swelled that the country’s coronavirus outbreak was under control. Lines of cars snaked along drive-thru lanes at McDonald’s outlets around the country, with the fast-food chain reporting 50 vehicles queued before dawn in the North Island town of Hastings. Coffee lovers also indulged in barista-brewed beverages […]

Coronavirus calm reveals flourishing Venice Lagoon ecosystem

by Giovanna GIRARDI Agence France-Presse VENICE, Italy (AFP) — “The flora and fauna of the lagoon have not changed during lockdown. What has changed is our chance to see them,” says zoologist Andrea Mangoni, plunging his camera into Venice’s normally murky waters to observe life. A crab tries to grab the intruding lens, jellyfish propel themselves along near the surface, schools of fish swim peacefully by, crustaceans cling to the city’s famous jetties, and seaweed of […]

US records 1,303 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States recorded 1,303 more novel coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to figures reported late Monday by the Johns Hopkins University, with confirmed US cases nearing one million. The country now has an overall death toll of 56,144, with 987,022 infections, according to a tally by the Baltimore-based institution at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Tuesday). At least 111,109 people have recovered from the virus. The 24-hour […]

California governor admonishes crowds who flocked to beaches

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday admonished Californians who flocked to beaches at the weekend, warning that their behavior could reverse progress made in combating the coronavirus pandemic. “We can’t see images like we saw, particularly on Saturday, in Newport Beach and elsewhere,” Newsom said, referring to photos showing thousands of people packing several beaches in southern California amid a heatwave. “The virus doesn’t take the weekend off because it’s […]

Trump says he expects to see a ‘lot of schools’ open up

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Monday he expects to see a “lot” of US schools reopen after being shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. “Many (state governors) are thinking about their school system,” Trump said at a daily White House briefing. “Not a long way to go in the school system right now, for this season, for this year, but I think you’ll see a lot of schools open up,” he […]

‘World should have listened to WHO’ on virus: director

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization’s director-general said Monday that the agency had sounded the highest level of alarm over the novel coronavirus early on, but lamented that not all countries had heeded its advice. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed out that the WHO warned the COVID-19 outbreak constituted a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” on January 30, when there were no deaths and only 82 cases registered outside China. “The world should […]

France daily coronavirus deaths rise to 437: official

PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Monday reported 437 new deaths from COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes over the last 24 hours, marking a rise after lower daily figures in the last days. The latest deaths brought the total toll from the epidemic in the country to 23,293, the health ministry said in a statement. The day earlier, a far lower figure of 242 people was confirmed to have died. The latest figures were […]

Mysterious blood clots are COVID-19’s latest lethal surprise

by Issam Ahmed and Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — After nearly three weeks in an intensive care unit in Los Angeles, doctors treating 41-year-old Broadway actor Nick Cordero for COVID-19 were forced to amputate his right leg. The flow of blood had been impeded by a blood clot: yet another dangerous complication of the disease that has been bubbling up in frontline reports from China, Europe and the United States. […]