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Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:
The virus can never be eradicated – WHO
The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 could become endemic like HIV, says the World Health Organization, warning against any attempt to predict how long it will continue to circulate and calling for a “massive effort” to counter it.
“It is important to put this on the table: This virus can become another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus will never go away,” said the organization’s emergency expert, Mike Ryan.
The total number of known deaths is close to 300,000
At least 295,671 people have died and at least 4.3 million have been infected since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.
The counts, which are based on official and media reports, are likely to significantly underestimate the true impact of the virus.
UN warns of economic impact
World trade is forecast to drop a record 27% in the second quarter of the year after a drop in exports of automobiles, machinery parts, and oil.
The pandemic has affected supply and demand for products around the world, which has led to a sharp decline in world trade, says Unctad, the United Nations organization that tracks trade flows.
Former UK spymaster dismisses Wuhan lab’s conspiracy theory
The former head of the UK’s domestic intelligence service poured cold water on White House speculation that Covid-19 may have emerged through a leak from a research laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
“I don’t know of any evidence that it is more than what people think it is: it came through the markets. There are all kinds of hypotheses, but I think it is not helpful to speculate, to worry about all of that, “says Andrew Parker, who was MI5’s CEO until two and a half weeks ago.
Public Health England passes antibody test
Public Health England (PHE) approved a Covid-19 antibody test kit, the first to receive such support.
The accuracy of the test, which is manufactured by Swiss drug maker Roche Holding AG, was approved by experts at PHE’s Porton Down facility.
All African countries now affected
Lesotho, the last country in Africa not affected by the pandemic, announced its first case. The virus was detected in one of the 81 people tested after arriving last week from Saudi Arabia and neighboring South Africa, the Lesotho health ministry said.
The country closed on March 29 to protect itself from the possible spread of the virus from South Africa, which completely surrounds the kingdom and has the highest number of confirmed cases on the continent.
Afghanistan reaches 5,000 confirmed cases
The number of confirmed cases in Afghanistan exceeded 5,000 when the country’s Ministry of Health warned that reducing blockades would bring a “catastrophe.”
Of 619 suspicious patients examined in the last 24 hours, 259 tested positive, bringing the total number of infections to 5,226. The death toll reached 132, after five more patients died overnight. The number of recoveries was 648.
Sweden Seeks Thousands More Care Workers
Sweden’s public health authority reported 147 more deaths as the government announced plans to hire up to 10,000 more nursing assistants and health care workers to address deficiencies in elderly care exposed to the pandemic.
About half of the 3,460 coronavirus-related deaths reported in Sweden have been among nursing home residents, and another quarter among those receiving home care.
