Workers eat their lunch separated by plastic panels as a measure against the spread of the new coronavirus at the Korean-owned firm K.P. Textil in San Miguel Petapa, Guatemala, Friday, July 10, 2020. Employees returned to work after more than a month-long quarantine related to a COVID-19 outbreak involving dozen of workers, implementing new safety protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Coronavirus Global Updates: Coronavirus infections across the world surpassed 15 million on Wednesday, while the death toll due to the disease crossed 6,16,000, according to a Reuters tally. The United States has the highest number of confirmed cases at 3.97 million, followed by Brazil with 2.17 million cases and India at 1.19 million cases.
President Donald Trump Tuesday encouraged Americans to wear masks if they cannot maintain social distancing and warned that the novel coronavirus pandemic would get worse before it got better, Reuters reported. His remarks were a change in strategy from his robust emphasis on reopening the US economy after its long virus-induced shutdown and represented his first recent ackowledgement of how bad the problem has become.
The United States reported over 1,000 deaths from coronavirus on Tuesday, marking the first time since June 10 it has surpassed that grim milestone.
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US leading the world in testing, India second: Trump
The United States is leading the world in terms of COVID-19 testing and India is at second position, President Donald Trump said while giving an update on his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
So far more than 140,000 Americans have died due to coronavirus and 3.8 million have tested positive. While the US economy is slowly coming back to normal, the pandemic is now spreading in the Sun Belt of the country.
“As one family, we mourn every precious life that’s been lost. I pledge in their honour that we will develop a vaccine and we will defeat the virus. We’re doing very well with vaccine development and therapeutic development,” Trump said at a White House news conference on Tuesday, his first on coronavirus after several weeks.
Trump also said his administration will stop at nothing to save lives and shield the vulnerable.
“We’ve learned so much about this disease. And we know who the vulnerable are, and we are going to indeed shield them,” he said.
Trump assured that the vaccines against the novel coronavirus will be coming a lot sooner than expected.
Replying to a question, Trump said the US is “leading the world” in terms of COVID-19 testing.
“We’re going to be over 50 million tests,” he said, adding that “second country is India with 12 million (tests). Then you have seven million, six million, and four million. I think that we are doing a tremendous amount of testing.”
S Africa counts for over half of continent cases, now a global hotpsot
South Africa has well over half of the confirmed coronavirus cases on the African continent as the country is now a global hot spot. New Health Ministry data show 381,798 cases including 5,368 deaths.
The country’s current epicenter is Gauteng province, home to Johannesburg and one-quarter of the population. It has over one-third of South Africa’s cases.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has pleaded with people against pandemic fatigue and urged them not to abandon face masks.
US: GOP splits as COVID-19 aid package could swell past $1 trillion
FILE – In this Sept. 5, 2017, file photo, a flag is waved outside the White House, in Washington. The Trump administration is extending a ban on green cards issued outside the United States until the end of 202 and adding many temporary work visas to the freeze, including those used heavily by technology companies and multinational corporations. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
The price tag for the next COVID-19 aid package could quickly swell above $1 trillion as White House officials negotiate with Congress over money to reopen schools, prop up small businesses, boost virus testing and keep cash flowing to Americans while the virus crisis deepens in the US.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday promised a new round of direct payments to earners below a certain income level, similar to the $1,200 checks sent in the spring.
President Donald Trump insists on a payroll tax holiday for workers. And Democrats want billions to outfit schools and shore up local governments.
“Regretfully, this is not over,” McConnell said after a raucous private GOP lunch, urging Americans to learn to live with the new virus by wearing masks and practicing social distancing until a vaccine can be found.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and acting chief of staff Mark Meadows spent the day on Capitol Hill, meeting separately with McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others trying to broker a compromise between the GOP’s emerging $1 trillion proposal with the House’s more sweeping $3 trillion bill.
World shares turn lower as virus caseloads surge
World shares were mostly lower on Wednesday on renewed worries over surging coronavirus caseloads in many countries. US futures also edged lower, though President Donald Trump’s statement that the pandemic will likely get worse before it gets better had little impact, analysts said.
Germany’s DAX slipped 0.5 per cent to 13,117.16 and the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.8 per cent to 3,075.15. Britain’s FTSE 100 skidded 0.8 per cent to 6,216.99. US futures were little changed, with the contract for the S&P 500 down 0.2 per cent while the Dow industrials future edged 0.1 per cent lower.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index tumbled 2 per cent, to 25,131.50, after its health minister warned the city is at a high risk of an outbreak in the community. Authorities made wearing of masks on public transport and in public indoor areas as the number of confirmed cases pushed past 2,000.
Australia’s hard-hit Victoria state reported a record 484 new COVID-19 cases, and health authorities there warned that numbers could continue to rise if the sick continue to fail to isolate themselves. The Australian share benchmark, the S&P ASX/200, gave up 1.3 per cent to 6,075.10. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost 0.6 per cent to 22,751.61. The Shanghai Composite index gained 0.2 per cent to 3,328.68.
Singapore reports over 300 new Covid-19 cases
Singapore on Wednesday reported 310 new coronavirus cases, mostly foreign workers, pushing its total Covid-19 tally to 48,744, PTI quoted the health ministry as saying.
Of the 310 new cases, 303 are foreign workers living in dormitories, the health ministry said. The new infections include seven community transmissions and six imported cases.
Pakistan records 1,332 new infections
Pakistan on Wednesday recorded 1,332 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total tally to 2,67,428, PTI quoted the health ministry as saying.
The Ministry of National Health Services said 38 people died due to the disease in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 5,677. As many as 2,10,468 people have recovered from the infection, while around 1,436 are in critical condition, the ministry added.
The country had reported 1,013 new cases on Tuesday, its lowest daily infection count in over two and a half months.
Brazil approves clinical trials for potential Covid-19 vaccine
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he took another coronavirus test and the results were expected Wednesday, Reuters reported. Brazil approved clinical trials starting in August for a potential Covid-19 vaccine under joint development by Pfizer and BioNTech.
A pharmacist holds a medicine containing chlorine dioxide at the Farmacia Boliviana in Cochabamba, Bolivia, July 21, 2020. (Reuters)
South Korea records 63 new cases
South Korea’s health authorities reported 63 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said at least 36 of the new cases came from densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of the country’s 51 million people live. It said 29 of the new cases were local transmissions and associated the other 34 to international arrivals.
The country now has 13,879 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 297 deaths.
Tokyo urges stay-home long weekend as virus cases top 10,000
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told residents to avoid unnecessary trips outdoors as much as possible during a forthcoming four-day weekend as the total number of coronavirus cases in the city topped 10,000.
Hospitalizations in Tokyo have jumped almost five-fold over the past month, though authorities have stressed the medical system is not under stress. Just 14 of those hospitalized are listed as serious cases, in an ICU or on a ventilator, and the city has had only two deaths in the past month. The city had over 3,800 cases so far this month, more than the previous peak in April when the city entered its state of emergency.
Tokyo and the national government have disagreed on the severity of the current outbreak, with the two unable to reach agreement on whether Tokyo residents should be asked to avoid traveling to other regions. Wednesday marks the beginning of a nationwide tourism campaign aimed at promoting rural travel, from which Tokyo was excluded at the last minute.
Japan’s health ministry approved dexamathasone, a cheap and widely used steroid, as a second treatment for Covid-19 after a trial in Britain showed the drug reduced death rates in hospitalised patients.
Thailand to extend emergency decree untill end of August
Thailand will extend a state of extend of emergency untill the end of August, a senior official said on Wednesday, maintaining the security measure put in place to contain its coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reported.
The announcement comes after nearly two months without local transmission and with many people in the country questioning the need for an emergency decree. “It is still necessary to have the decree because we are opening up the country for more business meetings and tourism to stimulate the economy,” the official said.
Hospitals in Lebanon reel under coronavirus crisis
Lebanon’s hospitals, considered among the best in the Middle East, are reeling under the country’s financial crisis, struggling to pay staff, keep equipment running or even stay open amid a rise in coronavirus infections, the Associated Press reported.
Private hospitals warn they may have to shut down while underfunded public hospitals fear they will be overrun. Hospitals and doctors across the country are reporting shortages of medical supplies. Medical facilities have let go of nurses and reduced salaries.
Lebabon has so far kept a check on the coronavirus outbreak through strict lockdowns, aggressive testing and a quick response, mostly from private hospitals. The country has reported fewer than 3,000 infections and 41 deaths so far.
Israelis urge Netanyahu to quit over coronavirus handling
An orthodox Jew prays by the Western Wall during a prayer in Jerusalem’s Old City July 21, 2020. (Reuters)
Around 2,000 Israelis rallied outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem as protests mounted against him over his handling of a worsening coronavirus cases, Reuters reported.
Israelis protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government’s response to the financial fallout of the coronavirus crisis outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem July 21, 2020. The words on the placard in Hebrew read “Cruel Government, Social protest”. (Reuters)
The demonstrators marched from Netanyahu’s official residence to Israel’s parliament, holding up signs that read “Crime Minister” and calling on the five-term premier to step down. Reimposed coronavirus restrictions after a rise in new cases have prompted Israelis demanding better state aid to take to the streets in almost daily demonstrations.
Travelers wearing face masks walk at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China July 22, 2020. (Reuters)
Melbourne residents ordered to wear masks as new infections rise
Residents of Australia’s second most populous city, Melbourne, must wear masks when leaving from home from Wednesday as the country reported a record rise in coronavirus cases while New South Wales was on “high alert”, Reuters reported.
Australia recorded 501 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, its highest since the epidemic began in March. Two more deaths took the death toll to 128. Victoria state accounted for most of the new cases, with 484. Victoria has reported over 6,700 coronavirus cases, more than half of Australia’s total.