Covid 19 coronavirus: what you need to know about Saturday’s big developments

There have been two more coronavirus-related deaths in New Zealand as research continues into how a deadly outbreak began in a Christchurch nursing home, while Kiwi scientists are contributing to the search for a vaccine. Get all the important news and read the full stories at the links below.

Key developments in New Zealand

• There have been two more Covid-19 related deaths in New Zealand, bringing the total number of deaths to four. Both were elderly, had underlying health conditions, and could link to existing groups. One was a man in his 80s who passed away at Wellington Public Hospital yesterday. He first felt bad on March 26 and was admitted to the hospital two days later. The man’s infection was linked to an existing group that director of public health Caroline McElnay would not identify for privacy reasons. The second was a man in his 70s who died at Burwood Hospital, Christchurch, after being among the transferred group from the Rosewood Rest Home. McElnay reported 29 new cases today and said 422 people with Covid-19 in New Zealand have recovered. The total number of cases is now 1,312. Fifteen people are in the hospital, five in intensive care units, and one patient in Dunedin is in critical condition.

• Investigations into how a deadly outbreak of coronavirus began in a Christchurch nursing home are ongoing, and the suggestion for “exposure abroad” was that the source has been removed from the Ministry of Health website. Health authorities announced yesterday that a 90-year-old woman who lived at Rosewood Rest Home and Hospital in Linwood had died at Burwood Hospital after contracting the virus, while a second death was confirmed today at the center. The ministry’s website listed the group’s origin as “overseas exposure,” but the Canterbury DHB told the Herald that the information was incorrect and had changed to “unknown.” The DHB previously said it was highly likely that a staff member had introduced the virus into the unit, given the strict visiting restrictions under alert level 4 of the national blockade.

• Can New Zealanders play a role in finding a vaccine for Covid-19? Professor Rod Dunbar, a leading expert in human cell immunology, talks to Phil Taylor about the work done in record time to develop a vaccine, what kiwi scientists are contributing and the damage caused by the anti-science movement.

Thoroughly

• Dr. Ashley Bloomfield has become one of the most trusted voices for New Zealanders during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Director General of Health has been regularly present at the media briefings at 1 pm, offering a consistent and safe message for a closed country, taking advantage of the life-long experience, skills and training geared towards the crisis that New Zealand is experimenting now. David Fisher answers the question many have been asking: who is Ashley Bloomfield?

• The once-sunny $ 3.2 billion screen sector, which provided nearly 30,000 jobs in New Zealand, is suddenly in the grip of its longest winter. Fallout from Covid-19 has indefinitely suspended high-priced international productions and forced our suddenly amputated local industry to deal with filming in an era of social estrangement. Matt Nippert enters the industry to assess the damage and prospects for an industry that recently complained about a labor shortage and that the government heralded as the future of work.

Worldwide

• The number of deaths worldwide from the Covid-19 pandemic has now exceeded 100,000, and the UK is recovering after its deadliest day. The most affected country is still Italy, with 18,849 deaths so far. The United States is now the second most affected country, with 17,925 deaths, while Spain is the third, with 15,970 deaths. A total of 8,958 patients have died in UK hospitals, an increase of 980 in 24 hours, the largest increase in daily deaths to date. The UK’s deadliest day has broken records set by Italy (919) and Spain (950). And the news is no better in New York, where 777 people died yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

• New York City has become the global epicenter of the pandemic. Today, the Empire State has officially surpassed all countries and states in the US. USA To become the world capital Covid-19, with a total of 159,937 confirmed cases of coronavirus, a jump of more than 10,000 new cases from the previous day. So far, there have been 7,067 deaths as a result of contagion in the state, but epidemiologists, city officials and medical personnel say those numbers are likely to be well below the city’s actual death toll.

Business update

• A briefing by former Prime Minister Sir Bill English has given a remarkably heartfelt warning of the long-term problems New Zealand faces over Covid-19. Hamish Rutherford reports.

• The Warehouse, Kmart, debt collectors, McDonald’s, Destiny Church, Fletchers, and New Zealand Rugby now have the common wage subsidy scheme. With more than $ 7 billion already paid, a search of the registry shows that many of New Zealand’s largest and best-known companies have not been immune to the impact of Covid-19 and the crash. The Warehouse received nearly $ 52 million, the highest found by the Herald, to support more than 8,500 workers, according to the online tool from the Ministry of Social Development. To obtain the scheme, companies must show a 30 percent drop in business between January and June as a result of the pandemic. It is estimated that eventually $ 8b to $ 12b will be paid.

Joking

• President Rob Croot has assured fans that the New Zealand Warriors will survive in the NRL, even in the worst case scenario of not having any more games in 2020. However, their quest to compete in the restarted competition proposed by the NRL the next month seems increasingly impossible. dream, argues Michael Burgess.

Check our chart for the latest case numbers in New Zealand.