Italy surpasses China in number of deaths
Italy has just surpassed China for the most number of deaths related to COVID-19. Read More…
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US: There are now over 10,500 coronavirus cases
There are at least 10,502 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to the state and local health agencies, governments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the CDC, there are 70 cases from repatriated citizens. According to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through US public health systems, there are 10,432 cases in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and other US territories, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 10,502.
In total, 158 people have died.
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Bahrain: Nine new cases reported
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that there are 177 active Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Bahrain. Read more…
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China
For the first time since the beginning of the outbreak, there have been 0 new cases in Wuhan and in the Hubei province, and no new and no existing suspected cases in Wuhan and in Hubei
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Germany preparing to mobilize armed forces
Germany’s Defense Ministry will mobilize its armed forces and call up army reserves to support the government’s efforts to cope with the coronavirus crisis, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Thursday in Berlin.
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97 Indian passengers stranded in Singapore
Nearly 100 Indian travellers, arriving from the Philippines and Malaysia, are stranded at Singapore’s Changi Airport and are unable to get back home due to the travel restrictions imposed by India, the Indian High Commission said. They have worked with the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Civil Aviation to facilitate the return of these Indians back home, he added.
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Sri Lanka to delay elections
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Indonesia halts Islamic assembly, quarantines 9,000 people
Indonesia halted a mass congregation of nearly 9,000 Muslim pilgrims and began quarantining them to prevent further spread amid a spike in cases.
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India: Maharashtra to use Epidemics Act against people fleeing quarantine
The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, gives the government power to take special measures and prescribe regulations in the interest of preventing dangerous epidemic disease.
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Punjab to suspend public transport from Friday midnight
The Punjab government on Thursday announced suspension of public transport services from Friday midnight. It has also decided to shut marriage palaces, hotels, restaurants, banquets and dining places, except home delivery services and takeaways in the entire state.
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Northern Ireland has recorded the first death
Northern Ireland has recorded the first death of a patient who tested positive for Covid-19, the Department of Health has announced. The patient was described as elderly and as having an underlying medical condition.
It takes the UK death toll to 105.
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Costa Rica has reported its first coronavirus death
Costa Rica has reported its first coronavirus death, the Tico Times reports. An 87-year-old man became the first person with COVID-19 to die in Costa Rica, the Health Ministry said Wednesday afternoon. The man had been at San Rafael de Alajuela Hospital and in intensive care.
The agency said 69 people were known to have coronavirus — including the now-deceased man — marking a 19-person jump over Tuesday. As part of a state of emergency, Costa Rica has closing its borders to tourists.
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US preparing for pandemic that could last up to 18 months
Nearly two months after the first US coronavirus case, the federal government is now preparing for a pandemic that could last up to 18 months or longer and “include multiple waves of illness,” a report obtained by CNN shows.
The report, dated Friday, is a behind-the-scenes look at how the administration is ramping preparedness and how the whole of the federal government is being mobilized to tackle the crisis in our midst.
While not saying specifically that the administration believes the pandemic will last 18 months, the document lays out the contingency plans they are making have to assume a longer timeline to ensure preparedness.
Nearly 9,000 Americans have tested positive for the virus. At least 149 have died.
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Hong Kong facing new wave of health issues
Hong Kong is facing a resurgence of health issues related to imported coronavirus cases as it confirmed 16 new cases, bringing its total to 208.
In a news conference on Thursday, Dr. Chuang Shui-kwan of the Center for Health Protection said most of the new cases had recently arrived in Hong Kong from countries including Spain, the UK, Italy and the US. She said that the new cases included business people and students returning from overseas.
Of the 208 confirmed cases, 91 patients are still receiving treatment in hospitals including one patients who is in critical condition according to Dr. Linda Yu of the Hospital Authority.
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Russia reports its first death
A patient with coronavirus has died in Moscow in Russia’s first death of the pandemic, health authorities in the country reported today.
The patient was a 79-year-old woman who was hospitalized on March 13. She had a number of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. The patient was first hospitalized in a private clinic, before being moved to a special facility, where she tested positive for the virus.
The woman suffered respiratory failure and received treatment in an intensive care unit.
Russia now has 147 cases of coronavirus. The country has placed travel restrictions on arriving foreign nationals, and Moscow has barred large public gatherings.
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India is expecting 26,000 people to arrive from the Gulf
Mumbai is preparing for the arrival of about 26,000 passengers, mostly Indian nationals, who are expected to return from Gulf countries over the next two weeks.
More than 20 flights a day arrive in Mumbai from Gulf nations like the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. Yesterday, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs passed an order that all passengers coming from or transiting through those countries will be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival, either at government facilities or at home.
India has 169 cases in total, and three deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking cases reported by the World Health Organization and additional sources.
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Mexico reports its first coronavirus-related death
Mexico has confirmed its first coronavirus-related death, the country’s health ministry announced in a tweet on Wednesday.
The patient, who also had diabetes, began showing symptoms of the coronavirus on March 9, according to the ministry.
The ministry did not specify where in Mexico the patient died, and extended its condolences to the patient’s family in the tweet.
Mexico has 93 coronavirus cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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South Korea sees rise in new cases and clusters
South Korea confirmed 152 new coronavirus cases yesterday – a rise after a week of diminishing infection rates, and a reminder that the country is not yet out of the woods.
For the past few days, South Korea had been reporting fewer than 100 cases per day, raising hopes that the outbreak’s peak had passed.
But new clusters have been identified; of the 152 new cases, 97 are from the city of Daegu, including 75 from one nursing facility, said Yoon Tae-ho of the Central Disaster Relief Headquarters today.
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Fiji has its first coronavirus case
On Thursday, Fiji’s Prime Minister confirmed the country has its first coronavirus case.
That came as Samoa — another Pacific island nation — announced it had a suspected case. According to the Ministry of Health’s news release, it could be days before the case can be confirmed.
Other island nations have also reported cases, including French Polynesia, and the US territory Guam.
This is bad news for Pacific Island nations, which are some of the most remote and aid-dependent in the world.
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The UAE is banning incoming travelers and residency visa holders
The United Arab Emirates is extending its travel ban to deny entry to residency visa holders, according to state news agency WAM.
The new restrictions go into effect today.
Earlier this week, the UAE also suspended issuing all tourist visas and most work permits.
UAE nationals in the country are also temporarily banned from traveling abroad.
The UAE has 114 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking cases reported by the World Health Organization and additional sources.
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Turkey Urges its Citizens to Stay at Home for 3 Weeks
Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced last night that everyone should stay at home for three weeks.
He also said Turkey orders with Greece and Bulgaria will close, but this won’t apply to the refugees still camped out on the EU border, and who are still being encouraged to cross.
There were some clashes last night with Greek border police as people tried to storm a fence.
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South Korea is providing $38.8 billion in emergency funds for small businesses
South Korea today announced an emergency economic aid package of $38.8 billion (50 trillion Korean won) for small businesses slammed by the coronavirus pandemic.
At an emergency economic meeting today, President Moon Jae-in said the emergency package was “an unprecedented, comprehensive measure in scale and content.”
The package will provide emergency management funds and loan guarantees for small business owners, which will “allow (these owners) to get loans quickly and easily at low interest rates,” Moon said. “All financial sectors will postpone loan interest payments of small businesses and small business owners.”
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Saudi Arabia reports 67 new cases
Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 67 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the tally to 238.
Of these, six patients have recovered, while the remaining cases are under quarantine where they receive the necessary healthcare.
The Kingdom has taken a series of stringent precautionary measures to keep the COVID-19 at bay and safeguard the safety of its citizens and residents. Earlier today, the largest Gulf state has announced the suspension of work in the private sector, except for health and food services, for 15 days, starting today.
Other strict measures included the suspension of congregational prayers in mosques in its efforts to limit the spread of the pathogen.
On Tuesday, the Gulf country called for an extraordinary virtual G20 summit next week.
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Pakistan cracks down hard on hoarders
Pakistan has launched a crackdown on hoarding of masks and sanitisers after confirmation of 200 of coronavirus infection sparked panic buying.
In Islamabad, the administration arrested at least 4 people and confiscated 35 boxes of various masks, including the N-95 face mask. The police found masks worth Rs20 million, which would now be provided to the medical staff, according to the officials.
Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad is also actively taking action on complaints shared by customers on social media to stop people from hoarding and price-gouging.
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Iran to pardon 10,000 prisoners
Reuters is reporting that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 10,000 prisoners including political ones in honour of the Iranian new year on Friday.
“Those who will be pardoned will not return to jail … almost half of those security-related prisoners will be pardoned as well,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told state TV on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Esmaili said Iran had temporarily freed about 85,000 people from jail, including political prisoners, in response to the coronavirus epidemic.
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El Salvador reports its first case of coronavirus
El Salvador has reported its first case of the coronavirus, President Nayib Bukele said in a televised announcement on Wednesday.
The infected patient had visited Italy and entered El Salvador through an “unofficial point,” according to the announcement.
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80% of coronavirus deaths in the US are among adults 65 and above
80% of coronavirus-related deaths in the US occurred in adults aged 65 and above, according to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Wednesday.
The report examined patient deaths that occurred between February 12 and March 16. Because of missing data about underlying health issues and other key characteristics, deaths were estimated as a range.
For adults aged 85 years and older, the death rate was highest, ranging from 10% to 27%. For adults aged 65 to 84, the range was 3% to 11%.
No US deaths have occurred among people aged 19 years or younger.
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Thailand now requires health certificates from all incoming travelers
Thailand will require health certificates for all incoming travelers, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority announced today.
The order was issued Wednesday night. Airlines will need to check if passengers have recent travel histories to certain high-risk areas, a health certificate issued within 72 hours stating that the passenger is not at risk of infection, and proof of medical insurance covering at least $100,000.
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Europe surpasses China in deaths on Italy’s deadliest day
Europe surpassed China in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths as Italy reported its deadliest day.
On Wednesday, Italy reported 475 deaths from the virus. That’s the highest death toll reported in a day by any country since the virus originated in Wuhan, China, late last year. China recorded its highest single-day death toll of 150 on Feb 23.
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China just reported ZERO local cases
Beijing: China on Thursday reported no new domestic cases of the coronavirus for the first time since it started recording them in January, but recorded a spike in infections imported from abroad.
There were 34 cases that were brought in from abroad, the biggest daily increase in two weeks, according to the National Health Commission.
