Coronavirus Pandemic: Latest updates

Death toll crosses 170,000

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 171,249 yesterday, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University at 1130 GMT yesterday. More than 2,494,915 declared cases have been registered. In US, the death toll stood at 42,364 with 787,960 infections. Italy is the next most-affected country with 24,114 deaths and 181,228 confirmed infections. It is followed by Spain with 21,282 fatalities, France with 20,294 deaths and Britain with 16,550 deaths.

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Global hunger could double

The number of people facing acute food insecurity could nearly double this year to 265 million due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) said. The impact of lost tourism revenues, falling remittances and travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic are expected to leave some 130 million people acutely hungry this year, adding to around 135 million already in that category.

New cases in Northwest China

A northwestern province on the frontline of China's coronavirus battle yesterday reported its first cases in nearly three weeks, all involving travellers from overseas, as imported infections started to level off elsewhere. The province of Shaanxi reported 21 new infections from abroad, as well as seven cases with no clinical symptoms, all travellers on a commercial flight from Moscow bound for the Chinese capital of Beijing.

Australia eases restrictions

Declaring Australia was on the road to recovery with new coronavirus infections almost stamped out, Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday said hospitals will resume many elective surgeries and schools will be re-opened for more children. As part of broad social distancing restrictions, Australia in March banned all non-emergency surgeries to free-up hospital beds amid expectations of a surge in coronavirus cases. Schools were also closed.

Italy eases lockdown

Italy has announced its plans for the gradual reopening from a lockdown imposed to fight the coronavirus emergency that will be applied starting from May 4. After the government shuttered businesses not deemed essential to the supply chain on March 22, calls have recently been growing from industry lobbies to reopen some activities to prevent an economic catastrophe.

WHO gradual lifting of lockdown

The World Health Organization yesterday warned that any lifting of lockdowns to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus must be gradual, and if restrictions were to be relaxed too soon, there would be a resurgence of infections. Lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for a new way of living to allow society to function, it said.

Coronavirus 'map'

Researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University in the US unveil a coronavirus "heat map" powered by Facebook and Google data which is aimed at helping track the spread of the disease and plan for reopening society.

Source: AFP