A healthcare worker on protective clothing reacts in front of the body of Laureano Ferraz, 78, a Wanano indigenous man who passed away due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), after arriving by an ICU jet from Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira to Manaus, Brazil, on May 18, 2020. (Photo by Reuters)
There have now been some 4,900,356 confirmed cases of infection with the new coronavirus globally, and 323,345 people have lost their lives, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Some 1,959,137 people have also recovered from the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) around the world.
The first three countries on the list are the United States, Russia, and Spain, although the US stands apart by far.
Here are the latest on the coronavirus pandemic from around the globe:
Venezuela registers highest daily case tally, mostly imported
Venezuela has imposed new curfews in several towns along its borders with Colombia and Brazil after an increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
Venezuela’s Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a state television address on Tuesday that the Latin American country had confirmed 131 new cases in the past 24 hours, the most in a single day.
He added that the cases included 110 people who had contracted the virus abroad, bringing the total to 749, with 10 deaths.
Venezuela, once Latin America’s richest nation, has been battling hyperinflation at levels unmatched by any other country. About 2.3 million Venezuelans have left their home country since 2015, with many settling in nearby Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
But, with lockdowns to contain the spread of the coronavirus in those countries now hurting their economies, thousands have been returning. Those returning have to spend 14 days in quarantine in shelters at the border, rather than in their home states.
Brazil reports record daily tallies
The number of cases and deaths registered in a single day in Brazil reached a record on Tuesday.
Brazil confirmed a staggering 17,408 cases in the last 24 hours and a record 1,179 deaths.
This week, Brazil overtook the United Kingdom to become the country with the fourth-highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has constantly criticized partial quarantine measures adopted by governors - including those in charge of the country’s most populous states, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro - to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
In April, he sacked his health minister, who had supported the restrictions that Bolsonaro says are damaging to the economy.
Brazil, with a population of more than 209 million, has the most COVID-19 cases in Latin America.
India reports more than 5,600 new cases in one-day jump
India recorded its biggest single-day rise on Wednesday, with 5,611 new coronavirus cases.
The latest number raised the national total to 106,750. The overall fatality figure stands at 3,303.
India has conducted more than 2.5 million tests nationwide so far, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Malaysia’s caseload tops 7,000
Malaysia’s Health Ministry reported 31 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the cumulative total to 7,009 infections.
No new deaths were recorded, leaving the total number of fatalities at 114.
Thailand expects COVID-19 vaccine next year after tests in mice
Thailand says it expects to have a vaccine for the new coronavirus disease ready next year, after finding positive trial results in mice.
Thailand will begin testing the messenger RNA vaccine in monkeys next week after successful trials in mice, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration said on Wednesday.
"The Thai vaccine is expected to be used next year," he said.
More than 100 potential vaccines for COVID-19 are being developed, including several in clinical trials, but the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in April that a vaccine would take at least 12 months.
The Thai vaccine is being developed by the National Vaccine Institute, the Department of Medical Science, and Chulalongkorn University’s vaccine research center.
Australian official says ‘no medical reason’ to keep state borders closed
Australia’s deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly says there is no medical justification for the continued closure of state borders.
"At that time [when borders were closed], we were seeing large numbers of cases starting to develop, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria. And so I can understand why those decisions were made," Kelly said on Wednesday.
"But I would really stress at the national level and in the National Cabinet or in the Australian Health Protection Committee, we made no decisions or advice in relation to that... From a medical point of view, I can’t see why the borders are still closed," he added.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said people will be able to take holidays within the Australian state from the beginning of June.
"We want people to enjoy themselves, to be free, but at the same time, please know that nothing we do is the same during a pandemic!" she said in a televised media conference.
South Korea reopens high schools
South Korea has reopened high schools, with hundreds of seniors returning to classrooms after an epidemic-related delay of more than two months.
The students - all wearing masks - lined up for temperature checks and were given hand sanitizers as they entered school premises.
Under the new sanitation rules, students and teachers must wear masks except at mealtimes and regularly clean their desks, which will be spaced one meter apart.
Starting with high school seniors, schools in South Korea are reopening in stages between May 20 and June 1 for all the 5.5 million elementary, middle, and high school students.
UN chief praises Africa’s efforts to stem outbreak
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the developed world could learn lessons from the preventative measures taken by many African countries to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
"COVID-19 has made much slower progress (in Africa) than the predictions that were made at the beginning" of the crisis, Guterres said in an interview with RFL radio in France on Wednesday.
This has been largely due to the fact that "most African governments and organizations took in time very brave prevention measures which provide a lesson for some developed nations that did not," he said.
There have been fewer than 3,000 COVID-19 deaths from the 88,000 cases of the disease registered throughout the African continent, relatively low numbers compared to the over 323,000 deaths worldwide.
Estonia starts testing digital immunity passport for workplaces
Estonia has begun testing one of the world’s first digital immunity passports in an attempt to seek a safer return to workplaces following the coronavirus lockdown.
The device, which has been created by a team of global tech startups, collects testing data and allows people to share their health status with a third party via a temporary QR code.
Estonia, which has so far recorded 64 deaths due to COVID-19 and 1,791 infections, started easing its lockdown measures this month.
Poland’s schools may remain closed until end of June
Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller says Polish schools will most probably remain closed until the end of June, when children start summer holidays.
Schools in Poland have been closed since March, when the country confirmed its first case of infection with the coronavirus. By May 25, schools will start offering daycare for the youngest children, although teaching will still be conducted online.
Russia registers relatively low daily cases
Russia reported 8,764 new cases on Wednesday, its lowest daily rise since May 2, taking the total number of documented infections in the country to 308,705.
The country’s coronavirus response center said 135 people had died in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll from the virus to 2,972.
Spaniards ordered to wear masks in public
The Spanish government has made it compulsory for everyone older than six to wear masks in indoor public spaces and outdoor ones when it is impossible to keep more than two meters apart.
Spain’s Health Ministry said the measures were needed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
SOURCE: PRESS TV
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/17747
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