Syria reports first death from coronavirus
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Syria reports first death from coronavirus
Syria’s health ministry said on Sunday that a woman who died after being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment was found to have been infected by coronavirus in the first officially-reported death from the disease.
Syria has so far confirmed only five cases, but medics and witnesses say there are more. Officials deny a cover-up but have imposed a lockdown and draconian measures to stem the pandemic reports Reuters.
Coronavirus death toll in Italy's Lombardy rises by around 416 in a day: source
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in the northern region of Lombardy, the epicenter of Italy’s contagion, has risen by around 416 in a day to some 6,360, a source familiar with the data said on Sunday.
The daily deaths were down sharply from Saturday’s tally of 542, which was the second largest since the outbreak first emerged just over 5 weeks ago reports Reuters.
The number of cases in the region, which includes the country’s financial capital Milan, increased by some 1,592 to approximately 41,007, the source said.
On Saturday there were 2,117 new cases.
The nationwide tally will be released at around 6.00 p.m. (1600 GMT). On Saturday, the national death toll stood at 10,023, the highest in the world.
Uruguay confirms first coronavirus death, cases hit 303
Uruguay confirmed the country’s first death related to coronavirus late on Saturday as total cases climbed above 300 in the South American grains and cattle producer, which has a population of around 3.5 million people.
The country’s health ministry said in a report that a 71-year-old former electoral court minister, Rodolfo González Rissotto, had died after contracting the virus that has infected nearly 700,000 people globally and killed over 30,000 reports Reuters.
A 82-year-old Uruguayan woman who died earlier in March was found to have had the virus, but her death was attributed to the terminal cancer she was suffering.
Saudi Arabia's coronavirus death toll doubles to eight: spokesman
audi Arabia recorded four new fatalities from the coronavirus, bringing its death toll to eight, the health ministry spokesman told a news conference on Sunday.
The kingdom has also registered 96 new infections, taking its total to 1,299, the highest among the Gulf Arab states, reports Reuters.
Dutch coronavirus cases pass 10,000: health authorities
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands passed 10,000 on Sunday, health authorities said, adding that the rise in deaths and hospitalizations continued to show signs of slowing.
In its daily update, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Health (RIVM) said confirmed cases rose by 1,104 to 10,866, an 11% increase. There were 132 new deaths, bringing the number of fatalities to 771 reports Reuters
Swiss govt says 257 dead from coronavirus, 14,336 tested positive
The Swiss death toll from coronavirus has reached 257, the country’s public health agency said on Sunday, up from 235 people the previous day reports Reuters.
The number of confirmed cases also increased to 14,336 from 13,213 on Saturday, it said
Spain’s coronavirus death toll rises by 838 overnight to 6,528
Spain awoke to its third week under near-total lockdown on Sunday, as the government met to approve a strengthening of measures and the coronavirus death toll rose by a record 838 cases overnight to 6,528.
Second only to Italy in fatalities, Spain also saw infections rise to 78,797 from 72,248 the day before, reports Reuters.
Philippines reports 343 additional coronavirus cases, three new deaths
The Philippine health ministry on Sunday reported 343 new coronavirus cases, marking the country’s largest daily increase in infections, and three additional deaths.
That raised the total number of known infections in the country to 1,418, while the death toll has reached 71, it said. Seven more patients have recovered, however, bringing the total number of recoveries to 42, reports Reuters.
France reports 319 more virus deaths, PM warns ‘battle only starting’
France on Saturday reported 319 more deaths in hospital caused by the coronavirus, bringing the total toll of the epidemic in the country to 2,314.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe warned that the "battle" against the virus in France was only just starting, warning the first two weeks in April would be even tougher than the last fortnight of March, AFP reported.
There are now 37,575 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in France, up 4,611 on the day before, according to a daily update published by the government.
South Korea to impose mandatory coronavirus quarantine on all arrivals
Every person arriving in South Korea from overseas will soon be required to undergo two weeks of quarantine to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the country's prime minister said today.
South Korea confirmed 105 new coronavirus cases as of Saturday, bringing the country's total to 9,583, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Of the new cases, 41 were travellers arriving from overseas, including 40 South Korean citizens and one foreigner, the KCDC said.
The new mandatory isolation for all arrivals will go into effect on April 1, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said at a government meeting.
Saudi Arabia shuts entry and exit into Jeddah, brings forward curfew
Saudi Arabia shut down entry and exit into the Jeddah governorate and brought forward a curfew there to begin at 3pm local time (1200 GMT), state news agency SPA said today.
The curfew in Jeddah previously began at 7 p.m. Saudi Arabia applied the same measures to Riyadh, Mecca and Medina last week, Reuters reported.
Thailand reports 143 new coronavirus cases and one death
Thailand has 143 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total of cases since the outbreak to 1,388, the spokesman of the government's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Sunday, giving the latest daily update.
The country also recorded one new fatality, bringing the total of death since the outbreak to 7, Reuters reported.
The latest victim was a 68-year-old man from Nonthaburi province who had attended a crowded boxing match in Bangkok where there had been a cluster of infections, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, the CCSA spokesman said.
Thai authorities have imposed a lockdown in the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, while authorities on the resort island of Phuket have asked people to stay home between 8 pm to 3 am in a new restriction on movement to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Tokyo confirms 68 new coronavirus cases, record daily increase
Tokyo has confirmed 68 new coronavirus cases, a record daily increase, public broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday.
Infections in Japan have climbed to more than 1,700, with 55 deaths as of early Sunday, excluding those from a cruise ship quarantined last month, NHK said, Reuters reported.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has asked the tens of millions of people in the city and surrounding regions to avoid non-essential, non-urgent outings until April 12, particularly this weekend.
Getting better: China's new coronavirus cases trend lower
China reported 45 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Saturday, down from 54 on the previous day, with all but one involving travelers from overseas, the country's health authority said on Sunday.
In the last seven days, China has reported 313 imported cases of coronavirus but only 6 confirmed cases of domestic transmission, data from the National Health Commission showed, Reuters reported.
Most of those imported cases have involved Chinese returning home from abroad. Airlines have been ordered to sharply cut international flights from Sunday. And restrictions on foreigners entering the country went into effect on Saturday.
Number of coronavirus cases in Germany rises to 52,547
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Germany has risen to 52,547 and 389 people have died of the disease, statistics from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.
Cases rose by 3,965 compared with the previous day while the death toll climbed by 64, the tally showed, Reuters reported.
RKI said that the data did not show the complete picture as it did not receive any readings from the regional states Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse and Saarland.
COVID-19 cases in Turkey climb to 7,402, with 108 deaths
In the past 24 hours in Turkey, 16 more people lost their lives due to COVID-19, raising the death toll to 108, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Saturday night.
The total number of novel coronavirus cases rose to 7,402 in Turkey, the minister tweeted, XINHUA reported.
A total of 7,641 tests were performed on Saturday and 1,704 were diagnosed, he added.
Turkey reported the first COVID-19 case in the country on March 11.
Things to get worse, Johnson warns Britons over covid-19 crisis
The UK prime minister Boris Johnson has sent letter to every UK household warning that the coronavirus crisis will get worse before it gets better.
Britons will also get a leaflet detailing government rules on leaving the house and health information, BBC reported.
Mass shutdowns needed to curb Covid-19 spread: Bill Gates
Bill Gates said the US should shutdown the entire country for a short period of time to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
He also predicted that the number of cases will peak in late April warned that ending shutdowns early could be disastrous, CNN reported.
"It is exponential growth if you are not stopping it. The sooner you engage in the shutdown, the easier it is to get to that peak. We have not peaked," Gates said.
US reports first infant death from coronavirus
A one-year-old baby in Chicago has reported as the first infant death in the US associated with coronavirus, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike said Saturday.
"There has never before been a death associated with COVID-19 in an infant," she said.
"We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. If not to protect ourselves, but to protect those around us," she added, CNN reported.
Canada to stop people with COVID-19 symptoms boarding domestic flights, trains
Canada will not allow anyone displaying symptoms of the COVID-19 respiratory illness to board domestic flights or inter-city passenger trains, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday, the latest travel restriction aimed at curbing the coronavirus outbreak.
Trudeau's government has long urged Canadians feeling ill to stay at home, but he told reporters at his daily press conference outside his residence that Transport Canada had now formalized travel rules as COVID-19 cases steadily rise, Reuters reported.
Iran to use 20% of state budget to fight coronavirus
Iran is to allocate 20% of its annual state budget to fighting the coronavirus outbreak in the country, one of the worst-hit in the world, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday.
Iran's death toll from coronavirus rose to 2,517 on Saturday, with 139 fatalities in the past 24 hours, as cases rose 3,076 to 35,408, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on state television, Reuters reported.
Pope and closest aides do not have coronavirus: Vatican
The Vatican said on Saturday that tests carried out in the building where Pope Francis lives after one resident tested positive for coronavirus showed that the pontiff and his closest aides do not have the disease.
It was the first pronouncement about the 83-year-old pope and his coronavirus status since the current crisis began in Italy, where more than 10,000 people have died, Reuters reported.
Russia to close borders to slow coronavirus spread
Russia will close all border crossings on March 30, the government said on Saturday, tightening restrictions after the country reported its biggest one-day rise in new coronavirus cases.
The authorities said they so far had recorded 1,264 confirmed cases, an increase of 228 in 24 hours, and ordered that all vehicle, rail and pedestrian checkpoints, as well as the country's maritime borders, be closed from Monday, Reuters reported.
Saudi Arabia extends suspension of flights, work indefinitely
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it was extending indefinitely the suspension of international passenger flights and workplace attendance in both public and private sectors among efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Domestic flights, trains, buses and taxis also remain suspended, the Interior Ministry said in a statement, Reuters reported.
More than 600,000 coronavirus cases recorded globally
More than 600,000 cases of the new coronavirus have been officially recorded around the world since the outbreak of the epidemic, according to an AFP tally at 1045 GMT on Saturday.
There were 605,010 cases of infection with 27,982 deaths in 183 countries and territories, AFP reported.
Coronavirus may spread like wildfire in world's refugee camps
In the world's largest refugee settlement in Bangladesh, filmmaker Mohammed Arafat has been making public safety videos to warn about the dangers of coronavirus.
The 25-year-old is worried that the disease will devastate the vast, crowded camps that house more than one million Rohingya, members of a mostly Muslim minority who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar, Reuters reported.
"We are living in tiny, crowded shelters, we are sharing toilets," he told Reuters. "It is very difficult to protect ourselves, it's too crowded, people can't breathe well."
New Zealand records first death tied to coronavirus
New Zealand recorded its first death related to the new coronavirus, and the number of people infected with the virus rose by 63 cases to a total of 514, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said on Sunday.
Bloomfield said the woman who died was in her 70s and was initially diagnosed with influenza, Reuters reported.
Trump drops idea of New York lockdown as US death count crosses 2,000
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he would issue a travel warning for the hard-hit New York area to limit the spread of the coronavirus, backing off from an earlier suggestion that he might try to cut off the region entirely.
"A quarantine will not be necessary," he said on Twitter, Reuters reported.
Italy coronavirus death toll surges past 10,000; lockdown extension likely
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy barrelled past 10,000 on Saturday, a figure that made an extension of a national lockdown almost certain.
Officials said 889 more people died in the previous 24 hours, the second highest daily tally since the epidemic emerged on Feb. 21, and that total fatalities reached 10,023, Reuters reported.
Confirmed cases rose by about 6,000 to 92,472, the second-highest number of cases in the world behind the United States.