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COVID-19 news update May/10
source:WTMF 2020-05-10 [Medicine]

 

 

 

Country,
Other

Total
Cases

New
Cases

Total
Deaths

World

4,098,288

+88,997

280,224

USA

1,347,309

+25,524

80,037

Spain

262,783

+2,666

26,478

Italy

218,268

+1,083

30,395

UK

215,260

+3,896

31,587

Russia

198,676

+10,817

1,827

France

176,658

+579

26,310

Germany

171,324

+736

7,549

Brazil

156,061

+10,169

10,656

Turkey

137,115

+1,546

3,739

Iran

106,220

+1,529

6,589

China

82,887

+1

4,633

Canada

67,702

+1,268

4,693

Peru

65,015

+3,168

1,814

India

62,808

+3,113

2,101

Belgium

52,596

+585

8,581

Netherlands

42,382

+289

5,422

Saudi Arabia

37,136

+1,704

239

Mexico

31,522

+1,906

3,160

Switzerland

30,251

+44

1,830

Ecuador

29,071

+253

1,717

Pakistan

28,736

+2,301

636

Portugal

27,406

+138

1,126

Chile

27,219

+1,247

304

Sweden

25,921

+656

3,220

Ireland

22,760

+219

1,446

Singapore

22,460

+753

20

Belarus

22,052

+951

126

Qatar

21,331

+1,130

13

UAE

17,417

+624

185

Israel

16,454

+18

247

Austria

15,833

+59

615

Japan

15,663

+88

607

Poland

15,651

+285

785

Romania

15,131

+320

939

Ukraine

14,710

+515

376

Bangladesh

13,770

+636

214

Indonesia

13,645

+533

959

S. Korea

10,840

+18

256

Philippines

10,610

+147

704

Colombia

10,495

+444

445

Denmark

10,319

+101

526

Serbia

10,032

+89

213

Dominican Republic

9,882

+506

385

South Africa

9,420

+525

186

Egypt

8,964

+488

514

Norway

8,099

+29

219

Czechia

8,095

+18

276

Panama

8,070

+202

231

Kuwait

7,623

+415

49

Australia

6,929

+15

97

Malaysia

6,589

+54

108

Morocco

5,910

+199

186

Finland

5,880

+142

265

Argentina

5,776

+165

300

Algeria

5,558

+189

494

Kazakhstan

4,975

+141

31

Moldova

4,867

+139

161

Bahrain

4,774

+330

8

Ghana

4,263

+251

22

Nigeria

4,151

+239

128

Afghanistan

4,033

+255

115

Luxembourg

3,877

+6

101

Oman

3,224

+112

17

Source:https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

New cluster in China highlights the challenge of controlling infections as countries open up.

 

The health authorities in northeast China have reported a new cluster of cases in a town near the Russian border, a flare-up that shows the continuing difficulties in stopping the coronavirus even for countries that have been largely successful in curbing infections.

Eleven new cases were recorded on Saturday in the town of Shulan in Jilin Province. They were traced to a 45-year-old woman who was confirmed to be infected on Thursday, but health officials were still trying to determine how she had contracted the virus.

China has begun to reopen after a widespread lockdown put in place to control the coronavirus, which first emerged in the city of Wuhan late last year. But small outbreaks have persisted. Parts of northeast China increased controls last month after a spate of new cases traced to people returning from Russia.

China reported 14 new cases in total on Saturday, including one in Wuhan, the first new case in the city since early April. It was the first double-digit increase in new cases since May 1, when 12 were recorded.

South Korea, which has also managed to all but halt its outbreak, has also ramped up controls after new cases were discovered. On Saturday, bars and nightclubs in Seoul were ordered closed after dozens of new infections were reported among people who visited nightspots and their close contacts. The country reported 34 new cases on Sunday.

The country had recently begun to implement a new phase of its coronavirus response, encouraging people to cautiously resume their daily lives while keeping guard against new cases.

 

 

Berlin Cathedral holds its first Sunday services since Germany lifted lockdown measures.

 

Eight Sundays after going into lockdown, many German churches have reopened their doors to parishioners under strict social distancing guidelines, an important sign that life is gradually returning to normal for the country’s faithful.

In Berlin, 50 selected worshipers gathered for the first Sunday services in the capital’s main cathedral, which suspended them in mid-March when the country went into lockdown.

“We are happy to be able to celebrate church services together for the first time in many weeks, even if it is in a small circle,” said Thomas C. Müller, the cathedral’s preacher.

But this service was different.

Mr. Müller directed the attendees not to sing, to prevent infection. Parishioners were seated safe distances apart, in a church with many empty seats. For those who were not assigned a place in the Neo-Renaissance cathedral, which before the pandemic had seated as many as 1,390, Bible TV broadcast a live feed.

Located in the heart of Berlin, the cathedral first opened in 1750 and was rebuilt after being damaged in World War II by aerial bombardment. The cathedral hosted an ecumenical service on Friday to observe 75 years of the country’s liberation.

While nearly 47 million German are registered as Christian, less than 10 percent attend regular church services, a number that includes a disproportionate number of older residents, who are especially vulnerable to the ravages of the virus.

Physical religious services could not be forbidden outright even during the pandemic, the country’s constitutional court ruled in April, although strict distancing and hygiene rules had to be followed. But the court’s decision did not change reality on the ground. Churches, temples, mosques and synagogues remained closed for everything other than quiet and individual prayer.

 

 

Top U.S. health officials will go into quarantine after White House staff members tested positive.

The New York Times

 

In the latest sign of worry that the coronavirus could be spreading through the senior ranks of the Trump administration, three top public health officials have begun partial or full self-quarantine for two weeks after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive.

Representatives for Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, confirmed the precautions on Saturday.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, confirmed a CNN report that he had begun a “modified quarantine” after what he called a “low risk” contact.

The actions came as Cook County, Ill., which includes Chicago and its closest suburbs, added more cases of the virus than any other county in the United States on some recent days. On Friday, Cook County added more new cases than the five boroughs of New York City combined.

In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Saturday that three young children had died of a mysterious, toxic-shock-like inflammation syndrome with links to the virus. Mr. Cuomo has asked parents to be vigilant in looking for symptoms such as prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, change in skin color, racing heart and chest pain.

In a development that promised to expand the nation’s testing capacity, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the first antigen test that can rapidly detect whether a person has been infected. Unlike commonly available coronavirus tests that use polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., antigen diagnostics work by quickly detecting fragments of the virus in a sample. The tests can provide results “in minutes,” the F.D.A. said, adding that it expected to grant emergency clearance for more antigen tests in the near future.

 

 

Pet grooming is among the services coming back in Thailand.

 

Magnum and Monica, both Pomeranians, and Honey, a schnauzer, getting trimmed at Modern Dog Grooming and School in Bangkok.Credit...Amanda Mustard for The New York Times

In this Bangkok Dispatch, our reporter Hannah Beech chronicles her dog’s trip to a pet grooming salon, one type of business allowed to reopen in Thailand with social distancing guidelines.

When the coronavirus lockdown in Bangkok eased a bit after six weeks, the first appointment my family made was not for a medical checkup or a walk in a park.

Instead, we called the pet salon. Caper, our 9-month-old miniature schnauzer, was desperate for a trim.

Thailand remains under a state of emergency through at least the end of May, with almost no international flights in or out. But because of the country’s low confirmed caseload of virus infections — about 3,000 cases and 56 deaths, as of Saturday — certain businesses have been allowed to reopen under strict social distancing and hygiene limits. Yes, that’s right, pet salons are important enough an industry in Thailand to merit their own category, alongside parks and restaurants.

Bangkok is crazy for purebred dogs. All over town, you will see Labradors and Weimaraners, Pomeranians and pugs. There are too many Yorkshire terriers. Some wear nail polish, and many wear clothes.

 

 

The U.F.C. made its return, the first major U.S. sporting event to take place in weeks.

 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned on Saturday, becoming the first major North American sport to come back from an industrywide shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic and standing alone in a landscape that would usually include the N.H.L. and N.B.A. playoffs.

U.F.C. 249 started with six preliminary fights Saturday evening in a nearly empty arena in Jacksonville, Fla., where Gov. Ron DeSantis declared pro sports an essential industry when issuing a stay-at-home order last month. Athletic regulators there agreed to permit mixed martial arts bouts when other states, like New York and California, have not during the outbreak.

 

 

In wealthy Geneva, a food line kept growing.

 

Starting before dawn, more than 1,500 people joined a food line that stretched half a mile or more through Geneva on Saturday, marking the hardship inflicted on poor workers and migrants by measures to control the coronavirus in one of the world’s richest and most expensive cities.

“They had to wait several hours to get a bag with about $20 worth of food in it, that’s a sign of the state people are in,” said Djann Jutzler, a spokesman for the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, which supported the distribution organized by a local charity.

With the number of virus cases decreasing, Switzerland will continue easing its lockdown on Monday, allowing primary schools, shops, restaurants and bars to open and public transport to restart.

More than 30,000 Swiss have contracted Covid-19 and more than 1,500 have died of it, but officials recorded only 43 new cases of infection on Friday.

Demonstrations against the lockdown in Bern, the capital, and other cities on Saturday showed mounting public frustration. Geneva’s food lines attest to the growing hardship.

The food handouts on Saturday were the second in a week organized by Geneva Caravan, a local charity that looks after the homeless and the poor, and attracted far bigger crowds than the first. A survey of several hundred people at that event found many with no legal status and more than half without medical insurance.

 

 

With live music on hold in Hong Kong, Filipino rockers are feeling the pain.

The New York Times

 

Hong Kong’s live music scene was all but silenced by the coronavirus. Some infections had been linked to what the government called a “bar and band” cluster in nightclubs. Music venues, including bars, were ordered shut as part of a broad package of restrictions. On Friday, bars were allowed to reopen, but they still can’t host live music.

That has meant unemployment for the singers, guitarists, pianists, drummers and bassists who power the live music scene — many of whom come from the Philippines.

One musician, Charles Tidal, said he typically sent about $1,300 back to the Philippines each month to support his five children. His gigs dried up in February, and a new part-time job as a clerk isn’t making up the difference.

“It’s hard,” he said. “I owe money to lots of people right now to survive and feed my kids.”

Musicians from the Philippines have been performing across Asia for decades, known for playing covers of Western pop songs. Filipino cover bands in Hong Kong have astonishingly wide repertoires, spanning rock, reggae, R&B and much else. A case in point is Icebox, the main house band at Amazonia in the Wan Chai district, which covers everything from Frank Sinatra to Iron Maiden.

“Everything’s there, and it’s cool,” said its frontman, Spike Cazcarro, 52, explaining how the band got its name.

 

Source:https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/world/coronavirus-news.html?action=click&pgtype=Article&state=default&module=styln-coronavirus-world&variant=show&region=TOP_BANNER&context=storyline_menu

 

 

Australia’s New South Wales to ease restrictions from May 15

From CNN's Sophie Jeong

 

New South Wales, Australia's largest state, will begin easing restrictions on some gatherings and allow restaurants to open with new restrictions starting May 15, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Sunday.

Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to open for up to 10 patrons at a time. Outdoor gatherings, weddings, and religious services will be limited to 10 people, while outdoor funerals will be permitted with up to 30 mourners.

“The changes will allow New South Wales (NSW) to fire up the economy, while allowing more personal freedoms,” Berejiklian said during a televised press conference early Sunday.
"We do the easing of restrictions with caution and because we've demonstrated collectively our ability to listen to the restrictions, to respect them, and that is why I'm please asking everybody to show that same vigilance as we move forward."

In a statement released Sunday by the NSW Government, Health Minister Brad Hazzard reminded citizens to remain aware of the continuing coronavirus pandemic, adding that "without a vaccine we need to be vigilant, especially when restrictions lift." 

Australia’s Prime Minister outlined on Friday a three-step plan to reopen the economy and society, but said it would be up to individual states when they put it in place. The NSW will consider steps two and three of the plan in due course, the statement on Sunday said.

 

 

Our cities may never look the same again after the pandemic

From CNN's Oscar Holland

 

For advocates of walkable, unpolluted and vehicle-free cities, the past few weeks have offered an unprecedented opportunity to test the ideas they have long lobbied for.

With Covid-19 lockdowns vastly reducing the use of roads and public transit systems, city authorities -- from Liverpool to Lima -- are taking advantage by closing streets to cars, opening others to bicycles and widening sidewalks to help residents maintain the six-foot distancing recommended by global health authorities.

Like jellyfish returning to Venice's canals or flamingos flocking to Mumbai, pedestrians and cyclists are venturing out to places they previously hadn't dared.

In Oakland, California, almost 10% of roadways have been closed to through-traffic, while Bogota, Colombia, has opened 47 miles of temporary bike lanes. New York has begun trialing seven miles of "open streets" to ease crowding in parks, with AucklandMexico City and Quito among the dozens of other cities experimenting with similar measures.

There are many purported benefits of "reclaiming" the streets during a pandemic.

 

 

Boris Johnson to ease lockdown measures, unveil Covid-19 alert system

From CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey in Atlanta

 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to ease lockdown restrictions and announce a new five-tier COVID-19 warning system during a televised national address on Sunday evening local time, the UK's PA Media reported on Saturday.

The new warning system will use local infection rates to rank the threat level on a color-coded scale from green at level one to red at level five.

During his address, Johnson is expected to announce that the country is close to moving from a level four threat to level three.

Johnson is also expected to encourage workers unable to work from home to return to their workplaces while practicing social distancing.

Restrictions limiting outdoor exercise to once per day will be lifted and garden centers will be allowed to reopen, though fines for breaking lockdown rules will be increased.

 

 

Canada's Trudeau says he's worried about peak of cases in Montreal

From CNN’s Paula Newton in Ottawa

 

The spread of the novel coronavirus has slowed down significantly in most parts of Canada but the situation in Montreal remains critical.

"Of course, I'm worried — as a Quebecer, as an MP — about the situation going on in my riding, in the province, as I am concerned about Canadians coast to coast," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Saturday in Ottawa.

There are more than 68,000 cases of the virus in Canada and about 4,800 people have died, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University. Montreal's cases account for about a quarter of the country's cases, Quebec officials say.

More background: Trudeau’s electoral district is in Montreal, where senior centers have been reporting outbreaks.

Projections released by the Quebec’s public health institute on Friday indicate the virus could lead to as many as 150 deaths per day if Montreal fully reopens and strict social distancing guidelines are loosened.

Earlier this week, authorities in Quebec, the province where Montreal is located, postponed plans to lift some restrictions in the city from mid-May to May 25.

 

Coronavirus global cases surpass 4 million

 

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 4 million people and killed more than 227,000 worldwide, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

At least 1.3 million people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the US and more than 78,000 people have died from the disease there.

 

Source:https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/coronavirus-pandemic-05-10-20-intl/index.html

 

 

Summary

 

Nazia Parveen

Global cases at over 4 million

Global coronavirus cases stand at 4,024,973, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker, with global deaths at 279,321. The US has the most fatalities, at 78,794, followed by the UK (31,662) and Italy (30,395).

UK death toll ‘could hit 100,000 if lockdown eased too fast’

The Sunday Times is reporting that the UK death toll could climb to 100,000 if lockdown restrictions ease too quickly. At 7pm BST on Sunday, British prime minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce a gradual easing of lockdown restrictions, but some scientists are worried about a second wave of the virus. According to the report the PM has been warned of having “very little room to manoeuvre” by his top scientific advisors and told Britain could suffer more than 100,000 deaths by the end of the year if ministers relax the lockdown too far and too fast, the paper reports a scientific adviser telling the government last night.

New infections on rise in Germany

New coronavirus infections are accelerating again in Germany just days after its leaders loosened social restrictions, raising concerns that the pandemic could once again slip out of control. The Robert Koch Institute for disease control said in a daily bulletin the number of people each sick person now infects – known as the reproduction rate, or R – had risen to 1.1.

France reports new cluster hours before lockdown ends

Hours before France ends its strict seven-week coronavirus lockdown on Monday, a worrying new Covid-19 cluster has been reported in the Dordogne. The outbreak has been traced back to the funeral of a 51-year-old man in the small village of L’Eglise-Neuve-de-Vergt – population 500 – south of Périgueux. The man did not die of Covid-19.

Bars closed in South Korean capital

Seoul, the South Korean capital, has closed bars and clubs over fears of a second virus wave, after more than two dozen cases were linked to a 29-year-old man who tested positive after spending time at five clubs and bars in Itaewon last weekend.

Three White House taskforce members self-quarantine

Three members of the White House coronavirus taskforce, including Dr Anthony Fauci, placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19.

Sweden apologises for failing to protect older people

“We failed to protect our elderly. That’s really serious, and a failure for society as a whole.” Sweden’s government has apologised for not protecting older people, with 90% of the country’s Covid-19 deaths occurring in the over-70s.

Japan sees rise in bullying of sick people

There has been an onslaught of bullying and discrimination against the sick, their families and health workers in Japan, with the PM labelling such behaviour “shameful”.

Musk says he may quit California

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has threatened to pull his factory and headquarters out of California, saying health authorities have gone overboard in their corona protection measures, which do not allow Tesla to open.

 

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/may/10/coronavirus-live-news-obama-trumps-covid-19--chaotic-as-global-cases-pass-4-million-mexico-russia-germany-south-korea-deaths-