Global coronavirus cases are inching towards the three million mark with over 207,000 people killed. Here are the latest developments for April 27:
Malaysia continues with decline in figures
Malaysia on Monday reported 40 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, taking the cumulative total to 5,820 infections.
The health ministry also reported one new death, raising the total number of fatalities from the outbreak to 99.
The country is on a two-week low trend as figures continue decreasing.
Philippines figures continues to decline
The Philippines reported 198 new cases and 10 deaths, bringing the country’s tally to 7,777 cases and 511 fatalities.
The Department of Health also said 70 individuals have recovered from the infection, bringing the total number of recoveries to 932.
The country is on a weeks-long low trend as figures continue decreasing.
Indonesia sees rate of virus infections lower by June
Indonesia expects the rate of virus infections to fall by June, its Covid-19 task force chief Doni Monardo said on Monday.
“The President has asked that we work harder, for the people to obey and be more disciplined, and for the authorities to be more stern so that by June, we’re hoping we can lower the infections in Indonesia. In July, we’re hoping to resume our normal lives,” Monardo said after a cabinet meeting.
Monardo pledged to increase tests between April and May”massively”.
Over 3 million people now have Covid-19
Global infections from Covid-19 has now reached a new record by infecting over three million people, according to the Worldometre tracker.
The tracking service uses the latest data from health ministries around the world in real time.
It took just three months for the virus to infect three million people and 12 days for it to reach from two million to three million people.
Russia’s cases rise to 87,147, surpass China’s
Russia reported 6,198 new confirmed cases versus 6,361 on the previous day, which took the national tally of infections to 87,147.
The Russian crisis response centre said that 50 more deaths were confirmed in the last 24 hours.
In the number of confirmed cases, Russia surpassed mainland China, which reported the total of 82,830 cases on Monday.
Singapore confirms 799 new cases
Singapore has confirmed 799 more infections, its health ministry said, taking the city-state’s tally of cases to 14,423.
Most of the new cases are among migrant workers living in dormitories in the city-state, which has among the highest number of coronavirus infections in Asia.
New Zealand has won a battle against virus transmission – PM
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern claimed New Zealand had scored a significant victory against the spread of the virus, as the country began a phased exit from lockdown.
“There is no widespread, undetected community transmission in New Zealand,” Ardern declared. “We have won that battle.”
After nearly five weeks at the maximum Level Four restrictions ––with only essential services operating –– the country will move to Level Three late on Monday.
That will allow some businesses, takeaway food outlets and schools to reopen.
But Ardern warned there was no certainty about when all transmission can be eliminated, allowing a return to normal life.
Everyone wants to “bring back the social contact that we all miss”, she said, “but to do it confidently we need to move slowly and we need to move cautiously.”
“I will not risk the gains we’ve made in the health of New Zealanders. So if we need to remain at Level Three, we will.”
Students return to class in Shanghai and Beijing
Tens of thousands of students returned to school in Shanghai and Beijing Monday after months of closures intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as China’s major cities gradually return to normality.
Shanghai students in their final year of middle and high school returned to classrooms, while only high-school seniors in Beijing were allowed back on campus to prepare for the all-important “gaokao” university entrance exam.
China has largely curbed the spread of the deadly disease, but is still on high alert with growing fears of imported cases and a second wave of domestic infections in the northeast.
Kids return to school in Norway
Norway, which says it has the epidemic under control, reopened primary schools to the youngest students, in another step toward a gradual normalisation, though some parents expressed concern.
One week after nursery schools, pupils aged six to 10 started returning to their school desks after six weeks of remote learning from home in the Nordic country.
Classes were however reduced to a maximum of 15 students.
Kazakhstan starts easing restrictions
Kazakhstan will ease some restrictions in the coming days despite extending its state of emergency until May 11, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The Central Asian nation will, in particular, renew flights between its two major cities from May 1, he said in a statement.
The state of emergency declared was due to end on April 30.
Thailand continues with decline in figures
Thailand reported nine new virus cases and one death, bringing the country’s totals to 2,931 cases and 52 fatalities.
It is the first time since the outbreak started in January that there have been no new local transmissions reported in Bangkok, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
Of the new cases, three were linked to previous cases, two are arrivals from overseas that have been under state quarantined, and four others were reported from the southern province of Yala, where the authorities are aggressively testing the population due to high infection rates.
The latest death was of a 64-year-old Thai woman.
Since the outbreak escalated in January 2,609 patients have recovered and gone home.
New Zealand begins to ease lockdown restrictions
New Zealanders will be allowed to go fishing, surfing, hunting and hiking this week for the first time in more than a month as the country begins to ease its way out of a strict lockdown that successfully stopped the spread of the virus.
Around 400,000 people will return to work after the country shifts its alert level down a notch at midnight on Monday, but shops and restaurants will remain closed as several social restrictions remain in place.
New Zealand’s 5 million residents were subjected to one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in response to the pandemic, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern closing offices, schools, bars and restaurants, including take away and delivery services, on March 26.
Germany sees decrease in daily Covid-19 figures
Germany has seen a slight decrease in its daily figures.
New virus cases rose by 1,018 to a total of 158,788 data from tracker Worldometre showed.
The reported death toll rose by 110 to 6,086.
This in comparison to yesterday’s rise of over 1,200.
US records 1,330 deaths in past 24 hours
The United States recorded 1,330 more virus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to figures reported by the Johns Hopkins University.
The country now has an overall death toll of 54,841, with 964,937 confirmed infections, according to a tally by the Baltimore-based institution at 20:30 (00:30 GMT).
China reports three cases in mainland
China reported three new confirmed coronavirus cases on April 26, down from 11 a day earlier, with no new deaths, the country’s health authority said.
Of the new cases, two were imported, down from five imported cases on the previous day, the National Health Commission said in its daily bulletin.
There was one case of local infection in the northeastern border province of Heilongjiang.
China also reported 25 new asymptomatic cases on the mainland on April 26, compared to 30 a day earlier.
Italy’s PM delays Serie A restart decision
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte delayed a decision on restarting Serie A football but gave the green light for top athletes to resume training in a week’s time.
He said individual athletes would be allowed to resume training on May 4.
Teams could start to train together again on May 18.
But Conte did not say when Serie A might resume a season interrupted on March 9 with Juventus leading Lazio by a point.
Italian football chiefs agreed on Thursday to push back the end of the Serie A season from June 30 to August 2.
Mexico coronavirus infections rise to 14,677
Mexico’s health ministry reported 835 new confirmed cases and 46 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 14,677 cases and 1,351 deaths.
Source: AFP
