[ad_1]
There are now around 1.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, with the United States and the United Kingdom suffering the most deaths in a single day since the outbreak began.
But in countries like South Korea and New Zealand, there is evidence that locks, testing, monitoring, and quarantines can help slow the spread of the virus.
Plus:
Data collected by Johns Hopkins University shows that 1.5 million people with coronavirus disease, COVID-19, nearly 330,000 have recovered. METERMore than 88,500 people died, the United States reported 1,850 deaths on Wednesday and the United Kingdom 938.
Here are the latest updates.
Thursday, April 9
07:40 GMT – Vietnam approves $ 7.6 billion tax exemption to help businesses affected by the virus
Vietnam approved a plan to delay the collection of 180 trillion dong ($ 7.6 billion) in taxes and land rent to help businesses affected by the new coronavirus, which has infected 251 people in the country, said the government.
The government will delay the collection of value added tax, corporate income tax, personal income tax and land rent for five months for various companies and households, it said in a statement.
|
Indonesian pandemic: fears about COVID-19 before closure |
07:15 GMT – Taiwan protests WHO accusations
Taiwan’s foreign ministry strongly protested accusations by the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) that it condoned racist personal attacks on him that he said stemmed from autonomous island democracy.
On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of being linked to a multi-month campaign against him during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a press conference, he said he has been personally attacked, including receiving death threats and racist abuse.
06:45 GMT – UK ‘Johnson remains stable – minister
The UK Culture Minister said that Prime Minister Boris Johsnon was stable and that his condition was improving as he became involved with the medical staff caring for him.
06:36 GMT – A 103-year-old Italian says ‘courage, faith’ helped beat the virus
To recover from the coronavirus, as she did, Ada Zanusso recommends courage and faith, the same qualities that have served her well in her almost 104 years.
Italy, along with neighboring France, has the largest population in Europe of what has been called the “super old woman”: people who are at least 100 years old. As the nation with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in the world, Italy is searching for its super-old survivors for inspiration.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Zanusso said Tuesday during a video call with The Associated Press from the Maria Grazia nursing home in Lessona, a city in the northern region of Piedmont. “I watch television, I read the newspapers.”
Ada Zanusso (R), poses with a nurse at the “Maria Grazia” nursing home in Lessona, northern Italy, after recovering from Covid-19 infection [Maria Grazia Lessona/AP]
06:20 GMT – India identifies, seals coronavirus hot spots
Indian authorities have identified and sealed dozens of hot spots in the Indian capital and neighboring Uttar Pradesh state, which includes residential districts, to verify the upward trend of new coronavirus infections.
Government statements Wednesday night said that people will receive food, medicine and other supplies at their doorsteps and that they will not be allowed to leave these areas.
Hello this is Usaid Siddiqui in Doha taking over from my colleague Kate Mayberry.
05:45 GMT –
I will shortly deliver the blog to my colleagues in Doha.
A brief summary of developments this morning:
I know. USA And the UK suffered the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a single day as confirmed global cases rose to 1.5 million. Flags flew at half-staff in New York, the worst-hit American state.
There are flashes of hope in countries like South Korea and New Zealand, where confirmed infections appear to be on the decline.
In a deepening dispute with the World Health Organization, Taiwan has rejected claims by WHO chief Tedros Adhanon Ghebreysus that he used racial slurs against him.
The first case of coronavirus has also been found among isolated Yanomami in the Amazon. Brazil says a 15-year-old boy was diagnosed with the disease and is in the hospital.
05:40 GMT – Fujifilm begins phase II clinical trial for Avigan in patients with US COVID-19. USA
Fujifilm of Japan is moving into the second phase of its clinical trial in the United States for its influenza drug Avigan.
The trial will involve about 50 patients at three hospitals in Massachusetts.
Fujifilm announced the third phase of clinical trials in Japan on March 31. Favipiravir, the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Avigan, has a “mechanism of action that prevents the spread of viruses,” says the company.
05:30 GMT – Pakistan begins granting cash subsidies to low-income families
Pakistan will begin distributing cash subsidies worth Rs12,000 ($ 70) to low-income families on Thursday, reports Al Jazeera correspondent Asad Hashim.
About 35 million people signed up for the payment, according to Sania Nishtar, a senior government official. After verification, approximately 12 million people (one person per household) were found to be eligible for the one-time grant.
Pakistan currently has 3,713 confirmed cases of coronavirus. At least 62 people have died.
05:10 GMT – The UN calls on the nations of Southeast Asia to protect the health of migrants
The UN Human Rights Office for Southeast Asia calls on countries in the region to do “everything they can” to protect the health of migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Immigrants in detention facilities should be released, forced returns suspended and “firewalls” erected between medical care and immigration, the Bangkok-based office said.
“Migrants are an integral part of our communities, and only by fully including them will we succeed in overcoming COVID-19,” regional representative Cynthia Veliko said in a statement.
Migrant construction workers in Bangkok before a month-long state of emergency was imposed. [Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP Photo]
04:40 GMT – Stay Away: Remote Indigenous Communities Sealed in Australia
Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders are more likely than other Australians to suffer from chronic diseases, putting them at higher risk for COVID-19.
As part of the country’s closure, remote communities in Australia’s vast interior have also been closed to protect those who live there. Nick Rodway wrote this story for Al Jazeera.
04:30 GMT – First case found among Yanomami people in Brazil
Brazil’s health minister Luiz Henrique Mendetta says the first case of coronavirus has been diagnosed among the Yanomami in the Amazon.
The patient, a 15-year-old boy, is in intensive care in the hospital.
Mendetta said the discovery was “very troubling.”
04:10 GMT – Positive signs in New Zealand after two weeks of closure
New Zealand has recorded its fewest number of new coronavirus cases in nearly three weeks, reporting just 29 new cases on the last day, the fourth consecutive daily drop.
The country is in the middle of a month-long national closure.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also announced stricter border measures that require all returning citizens to enter a managed quarantine facility for two weeks. Previously, citizens who returned without COVID-19 symptoms could isolate themselves at home.
04:00 GMT – South Korea sees continued slowdown in coronavirus
South Korea’s latest coronavirus update shows that the outbreak there continues to decline.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Thursday that there were 39 more cases, totaling 10,423. The number of deaths increased by four to 204.
The tests, combined with isolation and monitoring, have helped South Korea control the virus. The government has also deployed technology to aid in the fight, including alerts to people’s smartphones to inform them of nearby cases and potential hot spots.
Kelly Kasulis of Al Jazeera has written about potential privacy issues, not to mention fatigue, created by alerts. You can read more here.
03:20 GMT – China tackles coronavirus cluster in northeast province
Coronavirus cases brought to China from abroad have reached their highest level in two weeks, and the northeast province of Heilongjiang is rushing to build a new hospital as more cases are brought in from Russia.
The National Health Commission reported 63 new cases on Wednesday, 61 of which came from abroad. That is the highest since March 25.
The country has imposed strict quarantine rules on anyone arriving in China from abroad.
All the isolation hotels in Suifenhe, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province are fully occupied, a source told the Global Times. The border county is in overdrive, building a makeshift hospital, as imported cases from Russia continue to rise. pic.twitter.com/Zbg3lqI0D9
– Global Times (@globaltimesnews) April 9, 2020
02:30 GMT: ICRC steps up support in crowded prisons in the Philippines
The International Committee for the Red Cross is stepping up efforts to assist prisoners in the crowded Philippine prison system, establishing four isolation centers for those confirmed with mild to moderate coronavirus or suspected of having the disease.
A store of four, 48 bed insulation facility The new Quezon City jail site began operating with 17 detainees on Wednesday and will serve the entire Metro Manila region. The facility has Electricity, water and sanitation.
The Jail Management and Penology Office, with ICRC support, built a temporary isolation unit at the new Quezon City Jail site in less than three days. It opened Wednesday to serve COVID-19 positive detainees and those with mild to moderate disease systems. [Supplied/ICRC]
Three other sites are under development.
“Physical distancing is a privilege that simply is not available to people behind bars” Boris Michel, head of the ICRC delegation in the Philippines, said in a statement. “Overcrowding and limited health services mean infectious diseases like COVID-19 it can spread quickly and widely within detention centers.”
The staff at the isolation facility prepares for first arrivals on Wednesday. [Supplied/ICRC]
01:30 GMT – Taiwan condemns “unfounded” allegations that it attacked WHO chief
Taiwan’s foreign ministry on Thursday condemned accusations by the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) that he had used racist insults against him as “unfounded.”
On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “racist insults” had been made against him, which he said had originated in Taiwan.
The island’s foreign ministry called the allegations “imaginary”.
“We are an advanced, mature and highly accomplished democratic country, and we have not instigated our people to personally attack the WHO Director-General, and we have not made any racist comments,” he said.
Tedros’s comments were irresponsible and he should clarify them and apologize to Taiwan, he said.
Taiwan is not a member of the WHO. You can read more about why here.
00:10 GMT – Australian police take ‘black box’ from Ruby Princess
Australian police interviewed a cruise ship captain who became the single largest source of coronavirus infections after hundreds of passengers, some with the virus, got off the ship in Sydney.
About 400 Ruby Princess passengers later tested positive for the virus and 15 died.
Police are conducting a homicide investigation into the incident. The ship remains in a port south of Sydney with approximately 1,000 crew members on board.
00:00 GMT – New York flags at half mast to honor dead coronaviruses
New York, the hardest hit state in the United States, waved flags at half-staff on Wednesday when the number of coronavirus-related deaths in a single day reached a record high.
“Each number is a face,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. “This virus attacked the vulnerable and attacked the weak and it is our job as a society to protect the vulnerable.”
I am ordering that the flags be flown at half-staff in honor of those we have lost to this vicious virus.
They are in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/OT3KCEQkll
– Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 8, 2020
The number of confirmed cases in New York State now approaches 150,000.
23:55 GMT: The CDC of EE. USA Recommend precautions for essential workers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US USA They have released a new guide for people working in essential areas like healthcare and food supply that are within 1.8 meters (six feet) of someone with a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus.
CDC Director Robert Redfield says the employee can return to work as long as they take their temperature before going to work, wear a face mask at all times, and practice social distancing.
Redfield said employees should stay home if they are sick. He also said that employers should take workers’ temperatures before allowing them to return to work.
23:40 GMT – The president of Brazil says that the country will buy materials for hydroxychloroquine
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says that hydroxychloroquine, which is generally used for malaria, is saving the lives of people with COVID-19 and that Brazil will import raw materials from India to make the drug.
Scientists say there is no conclusive evidence about the drug’s effectiveness in treating COVID-19.
Twitter has previously removed Bolsonaro posts promoting hydroxychloroquine.
—-
I am Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur with Al Jazeera’s continued coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Read all the updates from yesterday (April 8) here.
[ad_2]
