Tag: Virus

DOH: Health system nearly overwhelmed; NCR hits “danger zone,” whole PHL in “warning zone” for COVID bed occupancy

(Eagle News) – The Department of Health reported “danger zone” levels for COVID-19 bed occupancy in Metro Manila and the CALABARZON region or Region 4-A, as more than half of hospital beds reserved for COVID-19 patients nationwide are being occupied. The department aired the warning call as nationwide the 52.3 percent occupancy for all COVID beds was reached as of July 26, which means the whole country entered the “warning zone” level for COVID-19 bed […]

No indication new coronavirus is seasonal: WHO

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The spread of the novel coronavirus does not appear to be impacted by seasonality, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, warning against false beliefs that summer is safer. “Season does not seem to be affecting the transmission of this virus,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in a virtual briefing. She pointed out that some of the hardest-hit countries are currently in the midst of different season. While it is summer […]

Madrid toughens safety rules as Spain virus cases rise

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Madrid moved to make mask-wearing obligatory at all times in public Tuesday as Spain grappled with the fallout from a spike in virus cases that has triggered several international travel warnings. Wearing masks in public has been obligatory in Spain since May 21 where social distancing was not possible, but in recent weeks almost all of its 17 regions have made it compulsory at all times, with Madrid one of the […]

Virus curbs tightened over fears of a second wave

by Barney Spender with AFP bureaus PARIS, France (AFP) — Governments across the world imposed new restrictions Tuesday in a bid to cool coronavirus hotspots as new infections shot up in some countries, sparking fears of a second wave. The World Health Organization warned that the virus does not appear to be affected by seasonality and the global death toll from the pandemic passed 654,000 Tuesday, nearly a third of that number in Europe, according […]

New virus cluster spreads to five Chinese regions

BEIJING, China (AFP) — A new coronavirus cluster in a port city in northeast China has spread to other provinces and prompted fresh restrictions, authorities said Tuesday, as Beijing scrambles to prevent a second wave of infections. China had largely brought the virus under control since it first emerged in the country late last year, through a series of strict lockdowns and travel restrictions. But in recent months a number of small outbreaks have given […]

IMF approves $4.3 billion to help South Africa fight COVID-19

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The International Monetary Fund on Monday said it had approved $4.3 billion in aid to South Africa to help it fight the coronavirus pandemic. “The IMF approved $4.3 billion in emergency financial assistance under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to support the authorities’ efforts in addressing the challenging health situation and severe economic impact of the COVID-19 shock,” the Washington-based crisis lender said in a statement. South Africa is the […]

Global virus deaths pass 650,000 as new surges prompt fresh curbs

  by Agence France Presse bureaus Officials around the world reintroduced a raft of restrictions Monday — from beach closures to quarantine measures — to try to damp down coronavirus hotspots as the official death toll passed 650,000. European countries trying to repair the economic damage caused by the earlier lockdowns, struggled to balance keeping the lifeline of tourism open while guarding against fresh flare-ups of infection. Spain’s tourism industry faced fresh misery after British […]

Hong Kong orders mandatory mask wearing to combat new virus wave

by Su Xinqi HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Everyone in Hong Kong will have to wear masks in public from this week, authorities said Monday, as they unveiled the city’s toughest social distancing measures yet to combat a new wave of coronavirus infections. The ramped-up rules came as authorities revealed China would help officials build an emergency field hospital to help deal with a surge in patients. “The epidemic situation in Hong Kong is remarkably […]

Trump national security advisor tests positive for COVID-19

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, Robert O’Brien, has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said Monday. O’Brien, who holds a key role in the administration, “has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site,” the White House said in a statement. “There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president,” it added. © Agence France-Presse

Pres. Duterte: vaccine for COVID-19 “around the corner”; thanks frontliners, all who helped gov’t in virus fight

Duterte bares talk with China’s President Xi Jinping on COVID-19 vaccine (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte started his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27, saying that there is now hope for a COVID-19 vaccine as the virus pandemic wreaked havoc around the world. “We live in a troubled time,” he said as he opened his SONA, and talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic had spared no one “neither rich […]

China records highest surge in virus cases since April

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — China recorded 61 new coronavirus cases on Monday — the highest daily figure since April — propelled by clusters in three separate regions that have sparked fears of a fresh wave. The bulk of 57 new domestic cases were found in the far northwestern Xinjiang region, according to the National Health Commission, where a sudden outbreak in the regional capital of Urumqi occurred in mid-July. Fourteen domestic cases were also […]

Latin America, Caribbean briefly overtakes N. America in virus cases

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Coronavirus cases in Latin America and the Caribbean surged on Sunday, briefly overtaking the total in North America, an AFP tally showed. As the worldwide case count passed 16 million, Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the highest number of infections, taking its total caseload to more than 4.34 million, according to an AFP tally at 2100 GMT, based on official sources. It was the first time the total number […]