Coronavirus Pandemic: Latest updates

Death toll tops 184,000

The death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 184,268 yesterday, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University yesterday at 1200GMT. More than 2,645,092 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories. Of these cases, at least 719,339 are now considered recovered. In US, the death toll stood at 47,681 with 849,092 infections. Italy is the next most-affected country with 25,085 deaths. It is followed by Spain with 22,157 fatalities, France with 21,373 deaths and Britain with 18,151 deaths.

'Long way to go'

COVID-19 will stalk the planet for a long time to come, the World Health Organization said, warning that most countries were still in the early stages of tackling the pandemic. WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said some countries that thought they had the new coronavirus under control were witnessing a resurgence in cases, while there were troubling upward trends in Africa and the Americas.

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No deaths in China

For the eighth straight day, China's National Health Commission reported no new deaths from COVID-19 in its daily figures. It said China confirmed 10 new cases, six of them imported.

'We are on thin ice'

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to show endurance and discipline to get through the coronavirus pandemic that is "still at the beginning". Merkel is worried that Germans are relaxing their social distancing efforts. "It is precisely because the figures give rise to hope that I feel obliged to say that this interim result is fragile. We are on thin ice, the thinnest ice even," Merkel told the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

US 'green card' curb

US President Donald Trump announced he had signed an order partially suspending immigration to the United States, arguing the drastic measure would protect jobs during the coronavirus crisis. The suspension hits people applying for permanent residency, or green cards. Seasonal workers, such as immigrants vital to US farm labor, are still allowed to enter.

Strokes in young adults

The new coronavirus appears to be causing sudden strokes in adults in their 30s and 40s who are not otherwise terribly ill, doctors reported Wednesday. There's growing evidence that Covid-19 infection can cause the blood to clot in unusual ways, and stroke would be an expected consequence of that.

Germany, UK start trials

The race to develop an effective vaccine against the coronavirus gathered pace this week, as clinical trials on humans were approved in Germany and launched in the UK. Though there are now around 150 development projects worldwide, the German and British plans are among only five clinical trials on humans which have been approved across the globe.

Source: AFP, reuters