Turkish plane with second batch of virus aid lands in the US USA

Friday May 1, 2020

Turkish plane with second batch of medical aid lands in the US USA

A Turkish military cargo plane carrying the second batch of medical supplies landed in the United States on Friday to deliver aid to its NATO ally fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

The cargo plane landed at Andrews Joint Base on the outskirts of Washington, DC.

Wednesday’s first shipment brought in 500,000 surgical masks, 40,000 overalls, 2,000 liters of disinfectant, 1,500 goggles, 400 N-95 masks, and 500 masks.

Turkey has helped at least 57 countries, including Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, and remains the world’s third largest provider of humanitarian aid during the pandemic.

The death toll in France increases by 218 to 24,594

The number of people who died from coronavirus infection in France increased by 218 to 24,594, while hospitalizations for the disease and people in ICU units continued to decline, the French chief of public health said.

Jerome Salomon said the death toll increased 0.9 percent compared to Thursday, a lower rate of increase than in the past 24 hours.

The number of people in the hospital with Covid-19 infection fell more to 25,887 from 26,283 on Thursday, and the number of people in intensive care fell to 3,878 from 4,019.

Both numbers have been on a downward trend for more than two weeks.

Russian construction minister hospitalized

The Russian construction minister was hospitalized due to Covid-19, a day after the country’s prime minister tested positive for the virus.

In a statement, the Ministry of Construction and Housing said that Vladimir Yakushev, 51, and his deputy Dmitry Volkov, 50, were diagnosed with the disease and underwent a severe medical examination at a Moscow hospital.

Nikita Stasishin, one of Yakushev’s deputies, was appointed acting minister, the statement added.

Ireland takes a small first step in virus escape plan

Ireland announced the first small steps to ease restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus and established a roadmap for a gradual reopening of the economy starting May 18 if the virus can be kept under control.

Ireland introduced measures to stay home almost six weeks ago, closing all but the essential operations.
By making two minor initial changes, “cocooning” over the age of 70 can leave their homes for a walk or drive since Tuesday, when the travel limit for exercise will be extended to 2 miles.

A return to something approaching economic normality will begin on May 18 with a plan to reopen the economy in five three-week stages, with the final stage set for August 18. If the virus worsens, the economy could go back one phase, Varadkar said.

Death toll in Turkey rises to 3,258, new cases 2,188

The number of people who died from Covid-19 in Turkey increased by 84 in the last 24 hours to 3,258, with 2,188 new cases of the virus, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

The total number of cases increased to 122,392, according to the data, the highest total outside of Western Europe or the United States.

So far, a total of 53,808 people have recovered from the new coronavirus, which causes Covid-19 respiratory disease.

The number of tests performed in the last 24 hours was 41,431, bringing the total number of tests during the outbreak to 1,075 million.

Britain reaches test target as death toll jumps again

Britain has reached its goal of conducting 100,000 Covid-19 tests per day, Health Minister Matt Hancock said, stressing that the program was crucial in helping to alleviate a national shutdown.

Hancock also announced that the number of British deaths had risen from 739 to 27,510 deaths, just below Italy, which was one of the first and most affected European states.

Hancock set the target of 100,000 tests by the end of April after being criticized for advancing too slowly in the massive tests compared to other countries like Germany.

At Friday’s press conference, Hancock said 122,347 tests were conducted in the 24 hours at 0800 GMT.

New York will keep schools closed for the rest of the academic year

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said all state schools, including universities, would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic and ordered schools to come up with a plan to safely reopen.

The Democratic governor said 289 people died from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, on Thursday, up from 306 the day before. It was the lowest death toll since March 29.

Hospitalizations also fell to their lowest level in more than a month.

Zimbabwe Extends Blockade, Announces $ 720 Million Stimulus

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended the coronavirus blockade for two more weeks and announced a $ 720 million stimulus for struggling companies, most of which will open as of Monday.

The southern African nation has been locked up for five weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, shutting down an economy struggling with shortages of foreign exchange, food, electricity and medicine.

India extends blockade but loosens measures in low-risk areas

India said it would extend its national blockade for another two weeks after May 4, but that it would allow “considerable relaxation” in low-risk districts marked as green and orange under the government’s plan to combat the new coronavirus.

Currently, the country has 35,043 confirmed infections and recorded 1,154 deaths related to the virus.

Daily death count in Italy drops, cases are constant

Deaths in Italy increased by 269, from 285 the previous day, the Civil Protection Agency said, while the daily count of new infections was 1,965 against 1,872 on Thursday.

The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on February 21 is now 28,236, the agency said, the second highest in the world after that of the United States.

The number of officially confirmed cases, which includes those who died or recovered, was 207,428, the third highest world count behind those of the United States and Spain.

Azerbaijan extends closure measures until May 31

Azerbaijan has extended the partial blockade measures to deal with a coronavirus outbreak until May 31, the government said.

The country of around 10 million has registered a total of 1,804 coronavirus cases and 24 deaths from the virus.

Dutch cases rise to 39,791 with 98 new deaths

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Netherlands has increased by 475 to 39,791, health authorities said, with 98 new deaths.

The country’s death toll is 4,893, the Netherlands Institute of Public Health (RIVM) said in its daily update.

The RIVM cautioned that it only reports confirmed cases, and the actual numbers are higher.

The manufacturer of Remdesivir, a test drug for coronavirus, awaits rapid FDA approval

The chief executive of Gilead Sciences Inc, maker of the experimental coronavirus drug Remdesivir, said he expected the Food and Drug Administration to act quickly on the company’s approval request.

It would try to get the drug to as many people as possible if it were approved, he said.

“We are moving very fast with the FDA,” Daniel O’Day said in an interview with NBC’s “Today” show. “And I hope they act very quickly.”

More BAME population dying in the UK than white Brits

More people from black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) communities are dying of coronavirus disease than the country’s white population, according to a new study cited by The Guardian newspaper.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies report said the death rate among UK BAME, especially black Africans and Pakistanis from the Covid-19 pandemic in hospitals in Britain, is more than 2.5 times higher than that of the population white.

He found that deaths of people of black Caribbean origin were 1.7 times higher than those of white Britons.

The death toll in Iran is 6,091

Iran’s death toll from the outbreak increased by 63 in the past 24 hours to 6,091, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state television.

The total number of diagnosed cases in the country, one of the Middle East countries most affected by the outbreak, has reached 95,646, including 2,899 in critical condition, he added.

Singapore moves recovered migrants to cruise ships

Singapore is moving migrant workers who have recovered from the virus to two cruise ships as part of efforts to reduce the spread of the disease within workers’ dormitories, which have seen an increase in infections.

The city-state managed to keep the Covid-19 outbreak under control in the early stages, but it faces a second wave of rapidly moving cases, with the vast majority of new infections in sprawling dorm complexes housing workers. migrants, many of them under construction. South Asian workers.

In an attempt to reduce the risk of infection in crowded dormitories, authorities have moved workers to other sites, including military barracks and empty apartment blocks.

The death toll in Spain amounts to 24,824

The death toll from the virus in Spain rose to 24,824, as 281 more people died from disease-related causes overnight, the health ministry said.

The number of newly diagnosed cases in the country rose to a total of 215,216 on Friday from 213,435 the day before, the ministry said on its website.

The death toll from the previous day was 268.

WHO wants to invite China’s research into the origins of viruses

The World Health Organization said on Friday that it expected China to invite it to participate in its research into the animal origins of the virus.

“WHO would be interested in working with international partners and at the invitation of the Chinese government to participate in research on the origins of animals,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP in an email.

Indonesia reports 433 new cases

Indonesia confirmed 433 new infections, bringing the total number of cases to 10,551, said health ministry official Achmad Yurianto.

Yurianto reported eight new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 800, while 1,591 people have recovered.

Indonesia has tested the virus on more than 76,500 people

Malaysia reports 69 new cases

Malaysia reported 69 new cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 6,071.

The number of deaths increased by one to 103.

Russia records highest daily toll

Russia reported a record daily increase in the number of confirmed cases, a day after Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced that he had been diagnosed with the new virus and would temporarily step down to recover.

The case count across the country increased by 7,933 cases and now stood at 114,431, the Russian coronavirus crisis response center said.

He said 96 people diagnosed with Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, had died in the past 24 hours.

That brought the official total number of deaths to 1,169.

Germany records 193 new deaths

The number of confirmed virus cases in Germany increased from 1,639 to 160,758, data from the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases showed.

The death toll increased in 193 to 6,481.

Irish airline Ryanair plans 3,000 job cuts

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair said it plans to cut up to 3,000 pilot and cabin crew jobs, with air travel paralyzed by the pandemic.

Dublin-based Ryanair said in a statement that most of its flights will remain on the ground until at least July and forecast it would take until the summer of 2022 before passenger demand recovers.

Philippines sees 11 more deaths

The Philippines reported 284 new infections and 11 more deaths, bringing its total number of cases to 8,772 and deaths to 579.

He also said that 41 more people had recovered, bringing the total recovery to 1,084.

China lifts curbs leading to hasty travel

More than 100 million Chinese residents travel across the country for the five-day Labor Day holiday.

China on Wednesday lifted its quarantine measures as its virus cases decline.

Relaxation means that travelers will not need to be quarantined for two weeks when they return.

The restrictions were eased in the Beijing, Hubei and Tianjin regions.

Beijing’s parks and museums, including the ancient Forbidden City, were also reopened to the public.

The Forbidden City, home to China’s emperors, is allowing just 5,000 daily visitors, compared to 80,000. And parks allow people to visit at 30 percent of normal capacity.

Large-scale group activities remain on hold and visitors must book tickets in advance online, according to Gao Dawei, deputy director of the Beijing Office of Gardening and Greening.

More than a million South Africans go back to work

More than a million South Africans have returned to work, as the country begins to ease closure measures that have been in place since March 27.

While many restrictions will remain, especially on movement, stores will reopen and restaurants will be able to provide takeout services.

Residents will also be able to exercise outdoors, but only between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Public transport services will also be expanded.

South Africa has the highest number of cases in Africa and has reported 103 deaths.

Australia will consider next Friday to facilitate the measures

Australia will next Friday consider whether to relax coronavirus-related mobility restrictions as the growth rate of new infections slows, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said after a national cabinet meeting.

Morrison urged Australians to download an app meant to attract patient contacts, saying it was a precondition for relaxing containment measures.

Australia has reported 6,700 cases and 93 deaths, significantly below levels reported in the United States, Great Britain and Europe.

Malaysia to allow most companies to reopen next week

Malaysia will allow most companies to resume operations from May 4, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said, easing the restrictions imposed to contain the spread.

Economic sectors that involve large gatherings of people will not be able to reopen, Muhyiddin said in a televised speech.

Malaysia closed all non-essential companies and schools, banned public gatherings, and restricted travel from March 18 as the number of cases increased.

Thailand reports six new cases

Thailand reported six new cases of the virus and no new deaths on Friday, bringing its count to 2,960 infections, while the deaths remained at 54 since the outbreak began in January.

New daily infections have remained in single digits for five consecutive days.

All six cases also marked the lowest new daily infections since early March.

The United States records more than 2,000 deaths in 24 hours

The United States recorded more than 2,000 virus deaths in a 24-hour period for the third consecutive day, according to the latest real-time count reported by Johns Hopkins University.

The country, the most affected by the pandemic in terms of the number of deaths, recorded 2,053 deaths on Thursday, after 2,502 deaths on Wednesday and 2,207 on Tuesday.

At least 62,906 people have died in the United States, according to the Baltimore-based university.

Mexico reports 1,425 new cases, 127 deaths

Mexican health officials reported 1,425 new cases and 127 new deaths in the country, with a total of 19,224 cases and 1,859 deaths.

New York subway stops night service for cleaning

The New York City subway system, famous for its nightly service, will be closed daily from 1 a.m. at 5 a.m. so that trains and stations can be disinfected, Governor Andrew Cuomo said two days after saying the system had become “gross.” during the crisis

Meanwhile, a Navy hospital ship dispatched a month ago to relieve stress in hospitals left the city, as deaths declined and jobless claims in the state soared again.

IMF approves emergency loans for Mali, Ethiopia

The IMF approved loans worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Mali and Ethiopia to combat the pandemic.

The Washington-based crisis lender has stepped up its global financing efforts in recent weeks to help countries weather the crisis.

The IMF board awarded $ 411 million to Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa to help alleviate the effects of the pandemic on its fast growing economy.

On the opposite side of the continent, Mali will receive $ 200 million to help cover the deficit created by government spending to mitigate the impact of the virus.

California will close certain beaches

Beaches in some parts of southern California will be closed starting Friday, the state governor announced, to avoid a repeat of the large crowds that gathered there last weekend.

“We are going to make a difficult closure … only in the Orange County area,” said Gavin Newsom.

“Specific issues at some of those beaches have raised the alarm,” he added, referring to the thousands of people who packed beaches in the county, especially Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, last weekend amid a heat wave.

Source: TRTWorld and agencies