Coronavirus: Singapore reports 447 new cases in biggest daily jump
Read the latest on the spread of the novel coronavirus around the world here
World Health Organization chief regrets US decision to pull funding
The head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday that he regretted President Trump's decision to pull funding for the organisation, but called on world unity to fight the new coronavirus pandemic.
Bank of Canada says coronavirus to trigger biggest slump ever
The Bank of Canada on Wednesday said the coronavirus outbreak was set to trigger the biggest ever near-term Canadian slump but suspended its regular economic forecasts, citing exceptional uncertainty over the outlook.
Canada’s central bank held interest rates steady at 0.25 percent as expected, added provincial and corporate bonds to its quantitative easing program, and said it “stands ready to adjust the scale or duration of its programs if necessary”.
“The Canadian economy is experiencing a significant and rapid contraction,” Governor Stephen Poloz said in a news conference. “In the very near term, policy-makers can do little more than cushion the blow.”
Singapore reports 447 new cases in biggest daily jump, total 3,699
Singapore’s health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 447 new coronavirus cases in the biggest daily jump, to bring the total number of cases in the city-state to 3,699.
404 of the new cases were linked to migrant workers’ dormitories.
While Singapore won global plaudits for its handling of the coronavirus, the disease has spread rapidly within its large migrant worker community, highlighting what rights groups say is a weak link in the city state’s containment efforts.
Portugal flattens coronavirus curve, but too early to reopen economy
Portugal's coronavirus curve has flattened but the good news is still not enough for the country to lift lockdown measures and reopen its tourism-dependent, export-oriented economy, government ministers said on Wednesday.
Portugal has so far reported 18,091 cases and 599 deaths, far below more populous Spain, where more than 18,000 people have died. Health Secretary Antonio Sales said Portugal's coronavirus death rate is 5.5 percent per 100,000 people, lower than in most European nations.
WHO Covid-19 envoy says leave recriminations for when virus is defeated
The World Health Organization's (WHO) special envoy for the COVID-19 on Wednesday urged any recriminations about the organisation to be left until after the virus has been defeated.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday halted funding to the organisation over its handling of the new coronavirus pandemic.
More than two million Covid-19 cases now reported worldwide
The number of cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide passed two million on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally.
The total reached 2,001,548 cases after the United Kingdom reported its latest figures. It took 83 days to reach the first million cases worldwide and just 14 days for the second million.
H&M starts protective apron production at supplier
H&M, (HMb.ST) the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, said on Wednesday it had started producing protective aprons at a supplier and would deliver one million aprons to the Swedish healthcare system over the coming two weeks.
The company is one of a number of fashion retailers mobilising to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.
106-year-old woman beats Covid-19 in Britain
A 106-year-old woman, thought to be the oldest patient in Britain to beat the novel coronavirus, has been discharged from hospital.
Connie Titchen, a great grandmother from Birmingham, in central England, battled the virus for just under three weeks and was given a clean bill of health by medics at City Hospital.
England's hospital COVID-19 death toll rises by 651 to 11,656
The hospital death toll from COVID-19 in English hospitals rose 651 to 11,656, the national health service said.
“20 of the 651 patients (aged between 20 and 101 years old) had no known underlying health condition,” the NHS said.
French doctor, 98, keeps working through coronavirus crisis
Doctor Christian Chenay is almost old enough to remember the 1918 Spanish flu and treated typhus sufferers during World War Two. Now, as he nears his 99th birthday, he is still caring for patients through the coronavirus epidemic.
Chenay holds virtual consultations for patients, some of whom he has treated for decades, over the phone and internet and is back to making weekly visits to a retirement home for missionaries after a brief spell in quarantine.
Africa may rebound in 2021, but coronavirus impact to endure: IMF
Africa is expected to reverse an economic contraction linked to the coronavirus crisis next year after containment measures are eased, the International Monetary Fund said, but the impact will be felt for years to come.
Sub-Saharan Africa's gross domestic product is on track to shrink this year by 1.6 percent — its worst performance on record — because of the combined effects of the disease and plummeting oil and commodities prices. That is around 5.2 percent lower than the IMF's pre-pandemic forecast.
CDC director says some US states may be ready to reopen May 1
The director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday he believes 19 or 20 US states have had limited impact from the new coronavirus and their governors believe they may be ready to reopen by President Donald Trump's May 1 target date.
"There are a number of counties within this country that have not experienced really any coronavirus despite testing," Robert Redfield said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America."
Pandemic could trigger social unrest in some countries - IMF
New waves of social unrest could erupt in some countries if government measures to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic are seen as insufficient or unfairly favoring the wealthy, the IMF said in a new report on Wednesday.
Governments had already spent nearly $8 trillion to combat the pandemic and mitigate the economic fallout, but more fiscal stimulus would be needed once the crisis abated, the global lender said in its semi-annual Fiscal Monitor.
Vietnam to extend coronavirus lockdown in 12 provinces for seven days
Vietnam will extend its coronavirus lockdown in 12 provinces, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, for seven days, although restrictions will be lifted in some areas outside of the Southeast Asian country's main cities, the government said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the decision to extend the lockdown until April 22 at a meeting on Wednesday, the government said, adding that those 12 provinces were highly prone to the new coronavirus, which has infected 267 people in the country, but no deaths.
Spain's daily death toll slips to 523, coronavirus testing ramping up
The daily number of deaths from the coronavirus in Spain fell slightly on Wednesday to 523 from 567 the previous day, the health ministry said, as the country was ramping up testing that could allow it to further ease tough restrictions.
With the total number of fatalities at 18,579, Spain remains one of the world's worst-affected countries, with only the United States and Italy recording higher death tolls. But there is growing evidence the government is managing to flatten the curve on deaths and infections.
Germany to consider easing coronavirus retail restrictions from April 20: sources
Germany will consider easing restrictions on shops introduced last month to slow the spread of the coronavirus from April 20 but extend limits on movement until May 3, several participants in talks between regional and central government said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is to hold talks with state premiers of Germany's 16 states from 2 pm local time (1200 GMT) to try to agree on whether and how, to loosen some of the restrictions given some improvement in the situation.
Swiss coronavirus death toll nears 1,000, positive tests still rising
The Swiss death toll from the new coronavirus has reached 973, the country’s public health ministry said on Wednesday, rising from 900 people on Tuesday.
The number of positive tests also increased to 26,336 from 25,834 on Tuesday, it said.
India agrees to sell hydroxychloroquine to Malaysia to help fight Covid-19
India has agreed to sell hydroxychloroquine tablets to Malaysia for use in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, a Malaysian minister told Reuters on Wednesday, with New Delhi partially lifting its bar on exports of the anti-malarial drug.
India is the world's largest producer of hydroxychloroquine, sales of which have soared across the world including in the United States, especially after President Donald Trump touted it as a potential weapon against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Kremlin rejects coronavirus criticism after China imports cases from Russia
The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected criticism of Russia's handling of the coronavirus outbreak after China said its largest source of new, imported cases, had come from transmissions in its far northeast, bordering Russia.
G20 finance ministers, central bank governors hold virtual meeting to address COVID-19 challenges
The finance ministers and central bank governors of the G20 group of the world’s largest economies started on Wednesday a virtual meeting to further address the global challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the G20 said on Twitter.
Coronavirus to hit Mideast growth more than 2008 crisis, 2015 oil shock: IMF
Countries in the Middle East and Central Asia region will see a contraction this year bigger than the one seen during the 2008 global financial crisis and the 2015 oil price shock, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.
The fund said earlier this week the global economy was expected to shrink by 3.0 percent during 2020 in a coronavirus-driven collapse of activity that will mark the steepest downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
In Singapore, migrant coronavirus cases highlight containment weak link
As Singapore wins global plaudits for its handling of the coronavirus, the disease has spread rapidly within its large migrant worker community, highlighting what rights groups say is a weak link in the city state's containment efforts.
Singapore has managed to mitigate the spread of the disease among its citizens by rigorous contact tracing and surveillance, earning praise from the World Health Organization. Infections within the migrant community, however, are mounting. As of April 14, out of 3,252 cases recorded in Singapore, 1,625 were linked to outbreaks in migrant worker dormitories.
Spain's daily death toll from coronavirus slips to 523, total at 18,579
The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Spain in 24 hours fell again on Wednesday to 523 from 567 reported the previous day, the country’s health ministry said.
The daily death toll brought the total number of fatalities to 18,579.
The overall number of cases in the country rose to 177,633 on Wednesday from 172,541 the day before.
UK was too slow to act on COVID-19 initially, opposition Labour leader says
Britain was initially too slow to respond to the novel coronavirus outbreak and did not learn quickly enough from other countries, opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially refrained from approving the stringent controls that other European leaders imposed but then closed down the country when projections showed a quarter of a million people could die in the United Kingdom.
China concealed the early coronavirus outbreak, former MI6 spymaster says
China concealed crucial information about the novel coronavirus outbreak from the rest of the world and so should answer for its deceit, the former head of Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service said on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would halt funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) which he said had promoted China's "disinformation" about the virus.
Russia says Trump move to cut WHO funding over coronavirus is selfish
Russia on Wednesday condemned US President Donald Trump for cutting funding to the World Health Organisation, saying his decision was selfish and hurt a body that many countries were looking to for leadership amid the coronavirus crisis.
EU to host May 4 donor conference for coronavirus vaccine search
The European Union will host an online conference on May 4 for governments and organisations to pledge money to support the search for a vaccine to the novel coronavirus, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
"To support this global initiative, funding is needed," Von der Leyen told a joint news conference with European Council President Charles Michel. "I hope that countries and organisations all over the world will respond to this call," she said.
The world will need more than one COVID-19 vaccine, GSK CEO says
The world will need more than one COVID-19 vaccine so drug companies must partner in the race to develop the weapons to fight the novel coronavirus, GlaxoSmithKline Chief Executive Officer Emma Walmsley said on Wednesday.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Sanofi SA said on Tuesday they would develop a vaccine to fight the fast-spreading coronavirus.
The drugmakers said they expect to start clinical trials for the vaccine in the second half of this year. If successful, the vaccine would be available in the second half of 2021.
British lawmaker says China is trying to exploit the COVID-19 crisis
China is trying to exploit the global crisis triggered by the novel coronavirus outbreak by wresting control of companies such as Imagination Technologies and changing the way the internet works, a senior British lawmaker said on Wednesday.
Lacking protective gear, Japan's Osaka pleads for plastic raincoats
The Japanese city of Osaka has issued an urgent plea for citizens to donate plastic raincoats to hospitals running short of protective gear for staff treating coronavirus patients, with some doctors resorting to wearing garbage bags.
Japan last week imposed a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other areas, including Osaka, but the number of cases has continued rising to total around 8,200, with 166 deaths.
Inside ICU, Turkish doctors rush back to work after coronavirus recovery
In the intensive care unit of a hospital in Istanbul, the heart of Turkey's coronavirus outbreak, doctors and nurses have rushed back to duty to fight against the pandemic days after recovering themselves from the disease.
Eighty-five healthcare workers at Medicana International Hospital, including 14 doctors, have been infected with the COVID-19 disease, Medical Director Cetin Koksal told Reuters.
Coronavirus death toll rises to 50 in Bangladesh
Bangladesh today confirmed four more deaths, three men and one woman, from the novel coronavirus and 219 new cases of infection in the country.
Some 1,740 samples were tested for coronavirus in last 24 hours, The Business Standard reported.
With this, the death toll rises to 50 from the virus and a total of 1,231 people are infected so far. Earlier on Tuesday, 209 new cases of infection were found after 1,905 tests.
Australia warns children could be silent victims of coronavirus crisis
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned on Wednesday the nation's children could become the silent victims of the coronavirus pandemic, as officials investigate new nursing home cluster.
Australia's rate of new COVID-19 infections has been sustained at levels much lower than other countries for weeks, but the country has so far retained strict social distancing rules that have closed businesses and confined people to their homes.
Indonesia records 297 new coronavirus infections, 10 deaths
Indonesia confirmed 297 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 5,136, said a health ministry official Achmad Yurianto.
Yurianto added that 10 additional deaths were reported, taking the total to 469, while 446 have recovered. More than 36,000 tests have been performed, Reuters reported.
Philippines reports 14 new coronavirus deaths, 230 more infections
The Philippines' health ministry on Wednesday reported 14 new coronavirus deaths and 230 additional infections.
In a bulletin, the health ministry said coronavirus deaths have reached 349 while total confirmed cases have increased to 5,453, keeping the Philippines as the country with the most infections in Southeast Asia. But 58 patients have recovered, bringing the total to 353, it added,Reuters reported.
Germany to extend coronavirus restrictions to May 3
Germany’s government will extend restrictions on movement introduced last month to slow the spread of the coronavirus until at least May 3, Handelsblatt business daily reported on Wednesday, citing the dpa news agency.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is holding a video conference on Wednesday first with cabinet ministers and later with the leaders of Germany’s 16 states who will try to agree on whether to ease the measures given some improvement in the situation, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus cases in Russia near 25,000 after record daily rise
Russia on Wednesday reported 3,388 new cases of the coronavirus, a record daily rise, bringing its overall nationwide tally to 24,490, the country's coronavirus response centre said.
It said 198 people in Russia diagnosed with the virus had now died, an overnight rise of 28, Reuters reported.
Finland to lift capital region lockdown
Finland will lift the roadblocks in place around its capital region after nearly three weeks on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said, in a first act of easening the Nordic country's coronavirus related restrictions.
The travel restrictions to and from the capital region Uusimaa to the rest of the country began on March 28 and were introduced to prevent people from spreading the virus to other parts of the country, Reuters reported.
Thailand extends ban on passenger flights until end-April
Thailand has extended a ban on incoming passenger flights until the end of April in a bid to curb the coronavirus outbreak, the country's aviation body said on Wednesday.
The ban was first introduced on April 4, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has already extended it in once until April 18, Reuters reported.
Since the outbreak escalated in January, Thailand has reported a total of 2,613 cases and 41 deaths, while 1,405 patients have recovered and gone home.
Thailand's tourist industry, a major employer and foreign currency earner in the country, particularly hard.
Thailand's economy is expected to lose 1.3 trillion baht (nearly $40 billion), almost all of it in the tourist sector, due to the initial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, though that figure will increase if the crisis lasts beyond the second quarter, according to an estimate from the Thai Bankers' Association.
Up to 100 people will be allowed to enter per one border checkpoint per day, and they will be subject to a 14-day state quarantine, the ministry has said.
Thailand shares borders with Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
China reports fewer coronavirus cases but infections from Russia a worry
China reported on Wednesday a decline in new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the mainland, although an increasing number of local transmissions in its far northeast bordering Russia remained a concern for authorities.
China reported 46 new confirmed cases on Tuesday compared with 89 cases a day earlier, according to the National Health Commission, Reuters reported.
South Korea holds parliamentary election under strict safety measures amid pandemic
South Koreans began going to the polls today to elect members of parliament under strict safety guidance in one of the first national elections held amid the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters reported.
About 14,000 polling stations were open at 6am (0900 GMT) around the country after disinfection, and voters were required to wear a mask and have a temperature check upon arrival. Anyone whose temperature was higher than 37.5 Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit) was led to a special booth.
'Not the time' to reduce WHO resources: UN chief
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday it was "not the time" to reduce resources for the World Health Organization (WHO) after President Donald Trump halted US funding over the body's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
France's rate of coronavirus infections, deaths accelerating again
France said its total death toll from COVID-19 infections rose above 15,000 on Tuesday, becoming the fourth country to exceed that threshold after Italy, Spain and the United States, while the rate of increase in cases and fatalities is re-accelerating.
But the number of people in intensive care units fell to 6,730 from 6,821 over 24 hours - declining for a sixth consecutive day, suggesting the national lockdown put in place on March 17 is having some success in containing the disease, Reuters reported.
Thailand reports 30 new coronavirus cases, two new deaths
Thailand reported 30 new coronavirus cases and 2 deaths on Wednesday.
Of the new cases, 19 patients were linked to previous cases, and three had no links to old cases, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, Reuters reported.
One of those infected was in state quarantine, and the cases of seven people who tested positive were being investigated.
Since the outbreak escalated in January, Thailand has reported a total of 2,643 cases and 43 fatalities, while 1,497 patients have recovered and gone home.
Japan projects 400,000 deaths without virus containment measures
Japan’s death toll from the novel coronavirus could reach 400,000 without measures to stem the contagion, according to a health ministry projection reported by local media.
A ministry team studying clusters of the disease estimated that serious cases needing ventilator intervention could reach 850,000, Kyodo and the Asahi newspaper reported.
The projections are based on research from Hokkaido University professor Hiroshi Nishiura, one of the infectious disease experts guiding the government’s response to the outbreak, Reuters reported.
The health ministry could not immediately confirm the report.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration has declared a state of emergency and advised citizens to curtail personal interaction by 70% to 80% to prevent an explosion in cases.
Japan has had more than 8,000 cases and 162 deaths from the virus, according to the tally by national broadcaster NHK.
Mexico registers 5,399 cases of coronavirus and 406 deaths
Mexico registered 385 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing its total to 5,399 cases and 406 deaths, the health ministry said, Reuters reported.
Germany's coronavirus cases rise by 2,486, deaths by 285
Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases have risen by 2,486 to 127,584, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Wednesday, meaning the number of new infections rose after four days of decline.
The reported death toll has risen by 285 to 3,254, the tally showed, Reuters reported.
Two Brazilian governors test positive for coronavirus
Two Brazilian state governors tested positive for the new coronavirus on Tuesday, in the tourist hotspot of Rio de Janeiro and the Amazon rainforest state of Pará, becoming the latest leaders to get the disease as it spreads across the country.
In a video posted on Twitter, Rio Governor Wilson Witzel said that after not feeling well in recent days, with a fever and sore throat, he requested a test and received the positive result on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Witzel visited a hospital later on Tuesday, where he was undergoing tests to see if he needed to be hospitalized, staffers in his office said.
Pará Governor Helder Barbalho, in a social media post, said he had also tested positive after members of his staff came down with the virus, although he had no symptoms.
Both governors called for people of their states to obey home shelter guidelines to avoid spreading the virus.
Brazil had a record 204 deaths on Tuesday from COVID-19, the severe respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, the highest death toll for a single day since the outbreak began. More than 1,500 people have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, with more than 25,000 confirmed cases of the disease.
Governors have played a critical role in curbing the spread of the virus by ordering people to stay inside and most businesses to close.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has criticized lockdowns at the local level, saying the outbreak has been blown out of proportion, even though several of his cabinet ministers and closest aides have been infected.
Panama registers 102 new cases of coronavirus
Panama registered 102 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the country’s total to 3,574 cases, the health ministry said.
Officials also confirmed one more death, raising Panama’s death toll from the coronavirus to 95, Reuters reported.
Trump halts WHO funding amid coronavirus pandemic
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would halt funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic while his administration reviews its response to the global crisis.
Trump, at a White House news conference, said the WHO had "failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable." He said the group had promoted China's "disinformation" about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak of the virus than otherwise would have occurred, Reuters reported.
The United States is the biggest overall donor to the Geneva-based WHO, contributing more than $400 million in 2019, roughly 15% of its budget.
New York state’s single-day virus death toll rises but infections slow
New York state recorded 778 coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours, up from 671 the day before, but new hospital admissions were down, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.
The rise in the single-day toll brought the total number of deaths in the state — America’s coronavirus epicenter — to 10,834, Cuomo told reporters, AFP reported.
US marks most new coronavirus deaths reported in a single day with 2,129
The US coronavirus death toll reached 25,757 yesterday evening, an increase of 2,129 deaths -- the highest number of fatalities in a single day.
Previously, the most US coronavirus deaths reported in a single day was 2,074, on April 10, according to data supplied by Johns Hopkins University, CNN reported.
There are now more than 605,000 cases of the novel coronavirus in the US -- the largest single epidemic worldwide.
UK coronavirus death toll rises 778 to 12,107
The number of people who have died in hospital in Britain from the coronavirus has risen to 12,107, according to health ministry figures published on Tuesday.
This is an increase of 778 on the previous day and official figures also showed that the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 has reached 93,873, AFP reported.
Iran virus deaths drop below 100 for first time in month
Iran said on Tuesday that the number of lives lost in the country to the novel coronavirus dropped to double figures for the first time in one month.
Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 98 deaths from the COVID-19 disease were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 4,683, AFP reported.
“Unfortunately, we lost 98 of our compatriots infected with the disease… but after a month of waiting, this is the first day that the death toll has been double figures,” he told a
Spain’s virus death toll tops 18,000: official
Spain reported Tuesday 567 deaths from the new coronavirus, a slight increase after a one day decline, bringing the total number of fatalities to 18,056 — officially the third highest in the world behind the United States and Italy.
The number of new infections rose by 1.8 percent to 172,541 cases, according to the health ministry, the smallest increase since the country imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 14 to curb the spread of the virus, AFP reported.