Keeping you up to date on the latest novel coronavirus (Covid-19) news from around the world.
Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 35.34 million, death toll at 1 039 158
More than 35.34 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1 039 158 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
- REUTERS
WHO calls for action against rising 'pandemic fatigue'
Copenhagen – The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned European countries on Tuesday about "pandemic fatigue" which it says threatens the continent's ability to tackle the coronavirus.
"Although fatigue is measured in different ways, and levels vary per country, it is now estimated to have reached over 60% in some cases," WHO Europe director Dr Hans Kluge said.
He said this is based on "aggregated survey data from countries across the region".
Citizens have made "huge sacrifices" over the last eight months to try and contain the coronavirus, he said in a statement.
"In such circumstances it is easy and natural to feel apathetic and demotivated, to experience fatigue."
Kluge called on European authorities to listen to the public and work with them in "new and innovative ways" to reinvigorate the fight against Covid-19, which is on the increase throughout Europe.
- AFP
Biden slams Trump over reassuring remarks on Covid-19
Miami – Democratic White House hopeful Joe Biden on Monday castigated President Donald Trump for saying Americans should not be afraid of Covid-19 or let it "dominate your life", even after he tested positive for coronavirus.
"I saw a tweet he did, they showed me, he said 'don't let Covid control your life'," Biden told Florida news station Local 10 as he campaigned in the key battleground state.
"Tell that to the 205 000 families who lost somebody."
Biden was referring to the number of Americans – now past 210 000 – who have died from coronavirus, even as the president downplays the seriousness of the disease.
The former vice president added to his comments later on Monday at an outdoor town hall event in Miami, where he criticised Trump for ignoring the importance of masks.
"I would hope that the president, having gone through what he went through – and I'm glad he seems to be coming along pretty well – would communicate the right lesson to the American people: masks matter," Biden said.
"These masks, they matter. It matters, it saves lives, it prevents the spread of the disease."
- AFP
'No isolation, few tests': Argentina has world's highest Covid-19 positive rate
BUENOS AIRES – Argentina has the world's highest rate of positive Covid-19 tests, according to Oxford-linked tracker Our World In Data, with nearly 6-out-of-10 yielding an infection, a reflection of low testing levels and loose enforcement of lockdown rules.
Argentina hit 809 728 confirmed cases on Monday, with a seven-day rolling average of around 12 500 new daily infections. The country, which started strongly against the virus, passed 20 000 fatalities last week.
Medical professionals said low-levels of testing and lax restrictions had propelled the high positive rate, that climbed from around 40% in August to just shy of 60% in the last week, a Reuters calculation using health ministry data shows.
"Is there isolation? There is none. Are there (enough) tests? No there aren't," Carlos Kambourian, a paediatrician in the city of Buenos Aires, told Reuters.
By comparison, New York state has a population of 20 million, less than half of Argentina's 45 million, yet carries out 100 000 tests a day, four times the number in Argentina. In New York state, the positive rate is a bit over 1%.
- REUTERS
India's coronavirus infections rise to 6.69 million
BENGALURU – India's total coronavirus cases rose by 61 267 in the last 24 hours to 6.69 million on Tuesday morning, data from the health ministry showed.
Deaths from Covid-19 infections rose by 884 to 103 569, the ministry said.
India's death toll from the novel coronavirus rose past 100 000 on Saturday, only the third country in the world to reach that bleak milestone, after the United States and Brazil, and its epidemic shows no sign of abating.
Last week, India further eased restrictions and permitted states to open schools and movie theatres.
- REUTERS
Cases rise in Australia's virus hotspot, but most linked to known outbreaks
SYDNEY – Australia's coronavirus hotspot of Victoria state on Tuesday reported a slight rise in new cases, but authorities sought to allay fears by saying they could link most of those infections to known outbreaks.
Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, reported one death from the virus in the last 24 hours and 15 cases, its biggest daily rise in infections in five days.
"They are, again, predominantly related to known cases, to outbreaks, and we have to get on top of these outbreaks to really drive these numbers down," state's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters in Melbourne.
"I don't like to see a number that's in double figures and not in single figures, and no one obsesses over the daily numbers more than me or my team."
Victoria brought its one-day rise in cases down to single digits in recent days thanks to strict restrictions after daily new cases peaked at more than 700 in early August.
- REUTERS
Mexico reports record daily increase in coronavirus cases, deaths
MEXICO CITY – Mexico on Monday reported a sharp increase in the daily number of coronavirus infections and deaths, breaking previous records due to what the government said was a change in methodology.
The Health Ministry reported a jump of 2 789 deaths and 28 115 cases, far outstripping the prior daily records of 1 092 deaths and 9 556 cases. Total confirmed cases now stand at 789 780, with a reported death toll of 81 877.
The Health Ministry said the record jump includes additional cases and deaths that date back to June.
Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell, the public face of the government's coronavirus strategy, said Monday's increase was a one-off event. He said critics would use the figures to attack the government.
- REUTERS
Brazil registers 11 946 new coronavirus cases on Monday
SAO PAULO – Brazil on Monday registered 11 946 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing its total to 4 927 235, the Health Ministry said.
Deaths rose by 323 to 146 675.
- REUTERS
Russia's new coronavirus cases surge past 11 000 to highest since 11 May
MOSCOW – Russia's daily tally of new coronavirus cases rose to its highest since 11 May on Monday as authorities reported 11 615 new infections nationwide, including 4 082 in Moscow.
Authorities said 188 people had died overnight, pushing the official death toll to 21 663. The total number of cases registered since the beginning of the outbreak stands at 1 237 504, they said.
- REUTERS
Iran reports record 4 151 new coronavirus cases - health ministry
Iran has registered a record 4 151 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, with the total number of identified cases in the worst-hit country in the Middle East rising to 479 825, the Health Ministry reported on Tuesday.
Ministry spokesperson Sima Sadat Lari told state television that 227 patients had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of fatalities to 27 419.
- REUTERS
Indonesia reports 4 056 new Covid-19 cases, 121 deaths
JAKARTA – Indonesia on Tuesday reported 4 056 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of infections to 311 176, data from the country's Covid-19 task force showed.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths rose by 121, the highest daily increase since 30 September, to take the tally of fatalities to 11 374, the data showed.
- REUTERS
Philippines records 2 093 new coronavirus cases, 25 more deaths
MANILA – The Philippines' health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 2 093 novel coronavirus infections and 25 more deaths, the lowest number of fatalities reported in 15 days.
The ministry said total confirmed cases in the Philippines have increased to 326 833, the highest in Southeast Asia, while deaths have reached 5 865.
- REUTERS
Swiss report 700 new coronavirus cases in a day
ZURICH – The number of coronavirus infections rose by 700 in a day, data from Switzerland's public health agency showed on Tuesday.
It reported a total of 56 632 confirmed cases, up from 55 932 on Monday. The death toll was steady at 1 787.
The country reported its first confirmed case in late February. New daily cases peaked at 1 464 on 23 March and had dwindled to as few as three on 1 June.
- REUTERS
Malaysia reports 691 new coronavirus cases, biggest daily jump
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia on Tuesday reported 691 new coronavirus cases, its biggest daily jump since the start of the pandemic.
There were four additional deaths confirmed, taking total fatalities to 141, the health ministry said. Total infections in the country stood at 13 504.
- REUTERS
Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 2 639 to 303 258 - RKI
BERLIN – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 2 639 to 303 258, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday.
The reported death toll rose by 12 to 9 546, the tally showed.
- REUTERS
Mainland China reports 12 new Covid-19 cases vs 20 a day earlier
Mainland China reported 12 new Covid-19 cases on 5 October, down from 20 a day earlier, the country's national health authority reported on Tuesday.
The National Health Commission said in a statement that all new cases were imported infections involving travellers from overseas. The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not count as confirmed Covid-19 cases, rose to 31 from 27 reported a day earlier.
Total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 85 482, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4 634.
- REUTERS
Did you know you can comment on this article? Subscribe to News24 and add your voice to the conversation.