Tag: Virus

Global virus cases top 18 million as Australian city imposes curfew

by AFP Bureaus MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — The number of coronavirus cases recorded worldwide topped 18 million on Monday with the illness continuing its march, after Australia’s second-largest city imposed a curfew to halt the spread. Six months after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency, the virus has killed more than 687,000 people since it first emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources. Fresh clusters […]

Pandemic an ‘apocalypse’ for restaurants in US

by Jocelyne ZABLIT Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — For Gabriel Gordon and his wife Lena, the small restaurant they opened 14 years ago in the coastal California town of Seal Beach was a dream project and the cornerstone of their future success. But this weekend, Beachwood BBQ, which had become a staple in the community, permanently shut down — yet another casualty of the carnage the coronavirus pandemic has unleashed on […]

South Africa coronavirus cases top 500,000: government

  by Susan NJANJI Agence France Presse JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — South Africa has now registered more than 500,000 cases of coronavirus, the health ministry announced Saturday, making it by far the hardest-hit country in Africa. The country has become the epicentre of the deadly pandemic on the continent, accounting for more than half of Africa’s diagnosed infections. “Today South Africa has exceeded the half-a-million mark with a cumulative total of 503,290 confirmed COVID-19 […]

US counts 61,262 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours: Johns Hopkins

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States counted 61,262 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours leading up to 8:30 pm Saturday (0030 GMT Sunday), according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. It was the fifth consecutive day with more than 60,000 infections recorded, according to the Baltimore-based university. There were also 1,051 deaths in the 24-hour period. The US has now tallied more than 4.6 million cases and 154,319 deaths, making it […]

Virus wreaks economic havoc as global cases top 17 million

by Heather Scott with AFP Bureaus WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The scale of economic devastation from the pandemic was laid bare on Thursday as Western economies recorded historic slumps, just as resurgent caseloads forced many countries into agonising new trade-offs between health and financial stability. Six months after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency, the novel coronavirus has infected more than 17 million people worldwide. The WHO warned Thursday that young people […]

Recovered from virus, Bolsonaro says nothing to fear

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Fresh off a bout of COVID-19, President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday nearly everyone will probably end up catching the new coronavirus, urging Brazilians to “face up to it” and saying there was nothing to fear. The far-right leader’s latest bid to downplay the pandemic came as Brazil closed in on the grim milestone of 100,000 people killed by the virus, the second-highest death toll in the world, after the […]

PHL COVID cases spike to over 98k, with all-time high single-day jump of 4,963 new cases

(Eagle News) — The country’s COVID-19 cases spiked to 98,232 on Saturday, August 1, with the addition of a new record-high of 4,963 new cases, the latest data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed. Cases continued to rise fast. On Thursday, July 31, additional cases were 4,063, and the previous day, new cases were 3,954. The health care system is increasingly compromised as COVID-19 beds, particularly in Metro Manila, are almost occupied with patients. […]

33 crew test positive for virus on Norwegian cruise ship

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — At least 33 crew members confined on a Norwegian cruise ship have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the company Hurtigruten said on Saturday. Arriving at the northern Norwegian port of Tromso from the archipelago of Svalbard, the crew of the MS Roald Amundsen was quarantined on board the ship on Friday after four staff members tested positive for the virus and were hospitalized. Of the 158 crew members on board, […]

Japan’s Okinawa declares state of emergency as virus cases soar

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Okinawa region has declared a state of emergency and asked people to stay home for two weeks as the popular tourist destination sees an “explosive spread” of coronavirus cases. Governor Denny Tamaki on Friday asked residents to avoid non-essential outings following a record new daily addition to the southern island’s total cases, the majority of which have been detected among US forces based there. “We’re seeing an explosive spread of […]

Japan secures 120 million doses of potential corona-vaccine: pharma group

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Japan has signed a deal to secure 120 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine, German pharmaceutical group BioNTech, which is developing the drug with US pharma giant Pfizer, said Friday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, with BioNTech saying the terms were based on the timing of the delivery and volume of doses. But an agreement announced recently between the labs and the United States put the price […]

Vietnam records first virus death as pandemic rebounds

  HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam recorded its first coronavirus death on Friday as the pandemic rebounds in a country that had previously been praised for stubbing out the contagion. The patient, a 70-year-old man, died in the central city of Hoi An nearly three weeks after being admitted to hospital with serious underlying conditions, according to state media. The communist nation was applauded earlier this year for controlling COVID-19 with strict restrictions on movement, […]

Vietnam counts record number of cases as virus creeps back

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam has recorded 45 new cases of COVID-19 — its highest single daily tally since the pandemic began — as an outbreak in the resort city of Danang erodes the country’s efforts to stay virus-free. The Communist state won praise for stubbing out the virus early with strict restrictions on movement, extensive quarantine measures and a robust track and trace regime. It had not recorded a locally transmitted infection for nearly […]