Tag: health

Trump curbs immigration as UN warns of food shortages

by Chris Lefkow with AFP bureaux Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump announced partial curbs on immigration Tuesday to “protect American workers” amid the economic carnage of the coronavirus pandemic. As Trump announced a 60-day pause in the issuing of “green cards” to people seeking permanent residency in the US, the United Nations warned that the virus could trigger famine in already vulnerable countries. The bleak warning came as […]

More than 2,700 dead in US from coronavirus in last 24 hours

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The coronavirus death toll in the United States — the country with the most fatalities in the pandemic — has climbed by 2,751 in the past 24 hours, the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University showed Tuesday. The US has recorded more than 800,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Baltimore-based university, with 44,845 deaths. Nearly 40,000 new cases were reported between Monday […]

Cuomo presses Trump for more federal help in coronavirus testing

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pressed President Donald Trump Tuesday for more help from the federal government to carry out coronavirus testing during a face-to face-meeting he described as cordial and productive after weeks of sometimes nasty exchanges. As the virus death toll in the US keeps rising and now stands at nearly 45,000, widespread testing is viewed as key to states being able to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen […]

Coronavirus takes mental toll on New York’s medical staff

by Laura BONILLA Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Battling to keep intensive care patients alive at a hospital in one of New York City’s worst-affected coronavirus neighborhoods is taking a toll on nurse Debbie Sanchez’s mental health. “I have extreme anxiety,” said Sanchez, who has been working 12-hour shifts covered head-to-toe in protective clothing since New York became the epicenter of America’s COVID-19 outbreak last month. Sanchez, 57, was working in […]

Trump says immigration suspension to last 60 days

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was suspending immigration for green card seekers for 60 days, arguing the controversial move would help Americans find work again after coronavirus caused a surge in unemployment. Trump told reporters at the White House the suspension would come into force through an executive order that he would likely sign on Wednesday as he offered the first details about a vague announcement he made Monday […]

France reports 531 new coronavirus deaths, total toll 20,796

PARIS, France (AFP) — France on Tuesday reported 531 deaths from COVID-19 in 24 hours as the number of people in hospital and intensive care continued to decline. The daily tally — 387 deaths in hospital and 144 in nursing homes — brought France’s total epidemic death toll to 20,796, top health official Jerome Salomon told reporters. There were 30,106 infected people in hospital, he said — a daily decline of 478 in an encouraging […]

G20 vows ‘sufficient’ global food supplies amid virus

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — G20 agriculture ministers on Tuesday pledged to ensure “sufficient” global food supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic as the UN warned the number of people facing acute hunger globally could nearly double. “We will work together to help ensure that sufficient, safe, affordable, and nutritious food continues to be available and accessible to all people, including the poorest, the most vulnerable, and displaced people,” said the ministers from the 20 most […]

At least seven dead in Yemen flash floods

SANAA, Yemen (AFP) — At least seven people have been killed and 85 injured in flash flooding in Yemen this month, the UN said Tuesday, as the war-torn nation braces for the spread of the novel coronavirus. Yemen’s prime minister Moeen Abdulmalik Saeed declared the southern city of Aden, where the government is based, a “disaster zone”. Yemen announced its first case of COVID-19 on April 10 and aid organizations have warned that its health […]

No benefit, higher death rate for malaria drug in coronavirus study

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A malaria drug widely touted as a potential cure for COVID-19 showed no benefit against the disease over standard care — and was in fact associated with more deaths, the biggest study of its kind showed Tuesday. The US government-funded analysis of how American military veterans fared on hydroxychloroquine was posted on a medical preprint site and has not yet been peer-reviewed. The experiment had several important limitations but adds […]

Mexico raises health emergency level as virus cases mount

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico raised its health emergency level following a rapid increase in coronavirus cases and amid fears the health system could collapse, the government said Tuesday. Health Undersecretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell said the country was moving to “phase three” of its response to the deadly pandemic. “We’re in a phase of rapid increase, where we’re accumulating a large number of infections (and) hospital admissions,” he said. The government has suspended all non-essential […]

Iran records 88 new virus deaths, has freed prisoners

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran on Tuesday announced 88 new deaths from the novel coronavirus as the country said it had released more than 1,000 foreign prisoners over the outbreak. According to health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour, the latest fatalities in the past 24 hours brought the total to 5,297, in one of the world’s deadliest outbreaks. The foreign prisoners were among 100,000 inmates temporarily released in several stages since March. They included British-Iranian woman […]

Spain sees slight hike in daily toll with 430 deaths

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain saw a slight increase in the daily virus death toll on Tuesday, with 430 people dying in the past 24 hours, health ministry data showed. So far, 21,282 people have succumbed to the pandemic in Spain, which has suffered the third-highest number of deaths in the world after the United States and Italy. Officials say the numbers tend to go up slightly on Tuesdays following a slight delay in receiving […]