Tag: Virus

Global coronavirus cases surpass 4.9 million, as COVID-19 deaths reach at least 323,333

US still the country with the most cases, deaths Screensgrab of Johns Hopkins University virus dashboard on COVID-19 cases worldwide as of 12:32 p.m., May 20, 2020. (Courtesy Johns Hopkins University) (Eagle News) – Global coronavirus cases have surpassed 4.9 million with the United States still the country with the most confirmed cases at more than 1.5 million, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University virus dashboard. The number of COVID-19 related deaths […]

Guterres warns virus could send millions in Africa into ‘extreme poverty’

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that millions of people could be pushed into extreme poverty in Africa due to the coronavirus pandemic and called for “global solidarity” with the continent. “The pandemic threatens African progress. It will aggravate long-standing inequalities and heighten hunger, malnutrition and vulnerability to disease,” Guterres said in a statement accompanying a UN study with recommendations for the African continent. While he congratulated Africa for responding […]

Schools reopen in South Korea as virus fears ease

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Hundreds of thousands of South Korean students returned to school on Wednesday as educational establishments started reopening after a coronavirus delay of more than two months. Students lined up for temperature checks and were given sanitizers to wash their hands as they entered school premises while teachers greeted them with smiles and occasional elbow bumps. “It’s really exciting to meet my friends and teachers face to face, but we have […]

Brazil surpasses 1,000 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil registered 1,179 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said Tuesday, as the pandemic exacted its worst daily toll yet in the hardest-hit Latin American country. The overall death toll in Brazil now stands at 17,971, the ministry said. This was the first time the daily toll exceeded 1,000. New infections in the past 24 hours totaled 17,408, bringing the total to 271,628, the third-highest […]

Canada stores start reopening after COVID-19 lockdown

by Michel COMTE Agence France Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — In Ottawa’s ByWard Market neighborhood, shopkeepers were busy readying for an influx of shoppers, dusting off wares and adjusting to new rules. “I’m smiling behind the mask,” declares the owner of a clothing store in the popular outdoor market, which was permitted to reopen Tuesday along with many shops across Canada as authorities began easing a two-month lockdown. Ontario — Canada’s most populous province — […]

WHO faces virus probe after Trump threat

by Nina LARSON with Michael MATHES in Washington and AFP bureaus Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — World Health Organization member states agreed Tuesday to launch an investigation into its coronavirus response, after US President Donald Trump threatened to quit the UN agency and branded it a “puppet of China”. Trump has been locked in a bitter spat with Beijing, alleging it covered up the initial COVID-19 outbreak in central China late last year […]

UK unemployment jumps on virus fallout

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British unemployment jumped in the first quarter on the back of coronavirus, despite a lockdown being imposed only near the end of the period, official data showed Tuesday. The total number of unemployed people rose 50,000 to 1.3 million in three months to March from a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement. The ONS also revealed that jobless claims, made under the Universal Credit welfare […]

Hong Kong extends gathering ban to Tiananmen anniversary

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong on Tuesday extended anti-virus measures limiting public gatherings until June 4, a move that means an annual vigil marking the Tiananmen crackdown will likely not take place for the first time in 30 years. The candlelight vigil usually attracts huge crowds and is the only place on Chinese soil where such a major commemoration of the anniversary is still allowed. Last year’s gathering was especially large and came […]

Singapore apologises for virus text message error

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Singapore has apologized to more than 350 people who contracted COVID-19 for accidentally sending them a text message saying they had tested positive again, the health ministry said. A technical glitch led to the message being sent out at the weekend, the ministry said late Monday, adding that no confidential information was revealed. A follow-up message was sent to the 357 people affected pointing out the mistake and “to apologize for […]

Russia coronavirus cases edge towards 300,000

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The number of coronavirus cases in Russia hit nearly 300,000 on Tuesday as authorities registered more than 9,000 new infections after saying the virus situation had stabilised. Health officials reported 9,263 new infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 299,941, the second-highest in the world after the United States. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who along with several other senior officials has tested positive for the virus, said […]

Scientists in China believe new drug can stop pandemic ‘without vaccine’

  by Qian Ye and Matthew Knight Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — A Chinese laboratory has been developing a drug it believes has the power to bring the coronavirus pandemic to a halt. The outbreak first emerged in China late last year before spreading across the world, prompting an international race to find treatments and vaccines. A drug being tested by scientists at China’s prestigious Peking University could not only shorten the recovery […]

Palace seeks OWWA inventory amid OFWs’ complaints on long wait for COVID-19 results in quarantine centers

Roque says President Duterte concerned with plight of OFWs under quarantine   (Eagle News) – Malacanang said that it would already take action on concerns by repatriated overseas Filipinos who had complained of how they had been staying for almost a month in some quarantine facilities without knowing their COVID-19 test results. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that he had been hearing reports on the plight of these OFWs who had been under quarantine for […]