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Global cases of Covid-19 are approaching 1.5 million, as both the United States and the United Kingdom recorded their deadliest day to date in the pandemic, and a new row from the World Health Organization erupted.
Despite the grim death toll in the United States for Tuesday (1,858 in total, including 806 in New York City), officials with the White House task force said Wednesday night that there were signs that the isolation measures were working and that the death toll might not be as high as the minimum of 100,000 to 240,000. feared
Dr. Deborah Birx, the US virus response coordinator. USA said: “We carefully examine Italy and Spain, and in many cases we are doing much better than other countries and we are trying to understand that.” We believe that our healthcare delivery system in the United States is quite extraordinary. ”
More than 88,538 people have died worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The number of confirmed infections is close to 1.5 million, although it is believed to be much higher due to the lack of information in some countries.
Official UK figures showed that 938 more people had died in hospitals, bringing the total to 7,097, although the actual death toll is likely to be significantly higher.
During Wednesday’s White House briefing, Trump also responded to reports that US intelligence officials. USA They had warned their office since November that a coronavirus was spreading throughout the Hubei region of China. According to US media ABC News, a report by the Army’s National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI) said it could be “a catastrophic event” and threaten US forces in Asia.
Trump said, “When I learned about the severity of [the outbreak] Some time passed just before the country closed to China. So I don’t know exactly, but I’d like to see the information. “
Trump imposed restrictions on Chinese travelers on February 2 and did not declare an emergency until March.
Meanwhile, a growing dispute between Taiwan and the World Health Organization (WHO) saw key figures publicly negotiating accusations in recent days.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that he had been the target of months of attacks, including racists against him and black communities, and accused Taiwan of condoning the “campaign”.
“This attack came from Taiwan,” said Tedros. “Taiwan, the foreign minister, knows the campaign and does not disassociate themselves.
“They even started criticizing me in the midst of all those insults and insults.”
On Thursday, the Taiwan Foreign Ministry demanded clarification and an apology for what it said was an “unfounded” accusation and an “extremely irresponsible act of slander.” He said the government in no way condoned or encouraged personal attacks on Tedros.
“Taiwan’s 23 million people also suffer serious discrimination from the global health system,” the ministry said. “We can relate [to Tedros] and we condemn any form of discrimination and injustice. “
The dispute is largely due to Taiwan’s continued exclusion from WHO membership and activities due to lobbying by the Chinese government, which claims Taiwan as its territory.
Taiwan has been remarkably successful in preventing a major outbreak, and the island government has repeatedly complained that it is out of coordination with the global response. Last month, a video that went viral from a senior WHO adviser appeared to hang a Hong Kong journalist who asked about Taiwan’s response efforts and WHO membership.
The WHO and Tedros have been criticized for being too respectful of China during the pandemic outbreak, which tried to suppress the information in the first few weeks.
China reported a slight increase in new coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day, as the number of infections involving incoming foreign travelers peaked at two weeks. The National Health Commission reported 63 new confirmed cases on Wednesday, compared with 62 the day before. Of these, 61 were foreign arrivals, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in China to 81,865.
State CCTV reported that the China-Russia land border entry points were temporarily closed after dozens of Chinese citizens returned to China in recent days carrying the virus. Heilongjiang’s northernmost province reported 87 imported cases, including 84 from Russia.
The city of Suifenhe, home to 70,000 people, reportedly introduced Wuhan-style closure measures starting Wednesday, including restrictions on how many people can leave their home to buy essential items.
In other developments:
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Boris Johnson spent a third night in intensive care, but on Wednesday he was sitting up in bed and “interacting positively” with the clinical team, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said.
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Doctors in Pakistan warned of “deplorable” conditions on the front line of the outbreak, describing the pandemic as intractable in one region and accusing the police of brutally suppressing protests over working conditions.
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Oxfam warned that the coronavirus could push 500 million people into poverty unless urgent steps are taken to rescue poor countries affected by the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Concerns about a possible outbreak in Yemen, where no cases have been reported so far, are in part behind the decision to halt military action there that has left tens of thousands dead and spread hunger and disease, a spokesman for the coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Colonel Turki al-Malki said.
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Italy recorded 542 new deaths, but the rate has slowed slightly. The number of infected people increased by 1,195, or 1.3%. There was also a record day-to-day increase – 2,099 – in the number of people who have survived.
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The World Trade Organization predicted a drop in world trade of up to a third. The suffering caused by the pandemic will be exacerbated by “inevitable falls in trade and production,” said the WTO director-general.
