Death toll crosses 8,000, more than 2 lakh infected globally
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Death toll crosses 8,000, more than 2 lakh infected globally
The death toll from the coronavirus has crossed 8,000 globally with more than 2 lakh infected with the virus.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the Covid-19 disease killed a total of 8,006 people as of Wednesday afternoon. Besides, it has infected 201,436 people around the world.
Of them, 82,032 patients recovered.
The coronavirus has affected 155 countries and territories around the world, and one international conveyance (the Diamond Princess cruise ship harboured in Yokohama, Japan).
Bangladesh confirms first coronavirus death
Bangladesh has reported its first death from the novel coronavirus while 14 patients are infected with the disease across the country.
The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora told reporters at a press briefing in Dhaka today.
"The elderly victim was suffering from many old age complications and came into contact with a returnee from abroad," she added.
Politicians ‘underestimated’ virus threat: EU chief
Political leaders "underestimated" the magnitude of the danger posed by the coronavirus, the president of the European Commission admitted Wednesday, as the EU shut its borders.
"I think that all of us who are not experts initially underestimated the coronavirus," Ursula von der Leyen told Germany's Bild newspaper in an interview published Wednesday.
"But now it is clear that this is a virus that will keep us busy for a long time yet."
"We understand that measures that seemed drastic two or three weeks ago, need to be taken now," she added.
Coronavirus hits all 50 US states as death toll crosses 100
The new coronavirus has now hit all 50 states in the US and the death toll also passed 100.
West Virginia reported its first case of the infection on March 17, BBC reported.
New York City said it is considering a lockdown similar to one in the San Francisco Bay area.
There have so far been 108 deaths in the US from coronavirus and more than 6,300 confirmed cases nationwide.
UK unveils $420 billion lifeline for firms hit by coronavirus
Britain said it would launch a 330 billion-pound ($399 billion) lifeline of loan guarantees and provide a further 20 billion pounds in tax cuts, grants and other help for businesses facing the risk of collapse from the spread of coronavirus.
Finance minister Rishi Sunak again pledged to do "whatever it takes" to help retailers, bars and airports and other firms, many of which are reeling from a near-shutdown of business.
"This is not a time for ideology and orthodoxy," Sunak said on Tuesday, speaking alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "This is a time to be bold, a time for courage."
Britain, criticized by some scientists for moving too slowly to check the spread of the virus, ramped up its response on March 16 when it told people to avoid pubs, clubs, restaurants, cinemas and theaters.
Mideast states not communicating enough about virus: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that some information about coronavirus cases was being "insufficiently communicated" by Middle East states.
Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said there were "uneven" approaches across the region in fighting coronavirus and that "much more needs to be done", Reuters reported.
Philippines declares a ‘state of calamity’ for six months
The Philippines has been placed under a "state of calamity" for six months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The declaration will open up an emergency fund to central and local governments to help fight the virus, CNN reported citing Philippines News Agency.
It will also allow the government to call in support from all law enforcement agencies, including the Armed Forces, "as may be necessary".
Upgraded warning: Before the new declaration, the entire country had already been placed under a state of public health emergency on March 9.
The Philippines now has reported 187 confirmed cases and 14 deaths due to the coronavirus.
CNN Philippines goes off-air in coronavirus scare
CNN Philippines stopped broadcasting on Wednesday after a coronavirus case was confirmed in the building where the television channel is based, forcing it off the air while the offices are disinfected.
Viewers tuning in to the local franchise were met with the network’s red logo on a blank screen as it announced it would be off-air for at least 24 hours, AFP reported.
“CNN Philippines will temporarily stop broadcasting on Wednesday after a COVID-19 case was confirmed in the building (in Manila) where the company is located,” the franchise said on its website.
“As a result, CNN Philippines will be off the air for at least 24 hours,” it added, stressing the infection occurred at another company in the building.
It said it would continue to provide news on its website and social media accounts.
Other Philippine broadcast networks have earlier banned live audiences from their talk, reality, variety and game shows.
NASA orders all employees to telework until further notice
NASA ordered all its employees, contractors to work from home until further notice after “a limited number of employees have tested positive” for coronavirus.
“Although a limited amount of employees have tested positive for COVID-19, it is imperative that we take this pre-emptive step to thwart further spreading of the virus among the workforce and our communities,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement, CNN reported.
Australia bans overseas travel in 'biosecurity emergency'
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison today declared for the first time ever a "human biosecurity emergency" in the country.
Morrison said the travel advisory had been upgraded to the top-most level and instructed Australians: "Do not travel abroad, do not go overseas," Reuters reported.
"Life is going to continue to change, as we deal with the global coronavirus... This is a once-in-100-year type event," Morrison said in a press conference in Canberra.
"We are upgrading the travel ban on Australians to level four for the entire world. That is the first time that has ever happened in Australia's history," he added.
Japanese man, who threatened to spread coronavirus, dies
A 57-year-old man in Japan who had threatened to "scatter" his disease after testing positive for the coronavirus this month died in a hospital today, local media reported.
Media had reported last week that local health authorities in Gamagori city, Aichi prefecture, had instructed the man to remain at home after he tested positive on March 4. That evening, the man told his family that he was going to "scatter the virus" and headed to an izakaya pub and a hostess bar, Reuters reported.
Amitabh Bachchan home quarantined
Amid rising concern over coronavirus situation, Amitabh Bachchan took to Twitter to share a picture of his hand with a "Home Quarantined" stamp on it.
Late Tuesday night, the actor tweeted a picture of his hand with a "Home Quarantined" stamp on it, reported News 18.
"T 3473 - Stamping started on hands with voter ink, in Mumbai .. keep safe, be cautious, remain isolated if detected.. (sic)," he posted.
Moldova reports first death from coronavirus
Moldova reported its first death from coronavirus, the country's healthcare ministry said today.
Moldova, a nation of 3.5 million, has reported 30 confirmed coronavirus cases as of March 18, Reuters reported.
The Moldova's parliament on Tuesday imposed a state of emergency in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.
Sri Lanka sealed itself off, shuts stock market
Sri Lanka sealed itself off and shut its stock market today while Pakistan’s prime minister has urged calm after its tally of coronavirus cases rose to 245, fuelling fears that South Asian countries are struggling to stem the pandemic.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Indian subcontinent rose overnight to 482 as authorities across the region imposed travel restrictions to block the fast-Pakistan’s prime minister has urged calm after its tally of coronavirus cases rose to 245 while Sri Lanka sealed its borders and shut its stock market on Wednesday, fuelling fears that South Asian countries are struggling to stem the pandemic, Reuters reported.
Facebook to give staff $1,000 coronavirus bonuses
Facebook is giving $1,000 (£825) bonuses to its employees to support them during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, made the announcement in an internal note on March 17, BBC reported.
The social media giant employs nearly 45,000 full-time staff across the globe, with thousands more contract workers.
The firm is also offering $100m to help small businesses cope with the economic impact of the outbreak.
Indian soldier tests coronavirus positive, first case in Army
A 34-year-old soldier has tested positive for novel coronavirus in Leh, becoming the first case in the Indian Army.
The soldier, a resident of Chuhot village in Leh, came in contact with his father who had already contracted the infection, Hindustan Times reported.
His father had returned from a pilgrimage in Iran by an Air India flight on February 27 and is in quarantine at the Ladakh Heart Foundation since February 29.
Canada, US to close border to non-essential travel
Canada and the United States will announce a deal to partially close their borders today, which will allow trade and commerce to go on.
Two countries are finalising a deal to close the borders to non-essential travel in order to contain the spread of coronavirus, Reuters reported.
The partial shutdown will allow cross-border transfer of medical supplies, food and other goods, the report said, citing an unnamed official.
Both countries want to keep trade and commerce going, including the movement of auto parts, said.
Coronavirus hits all 50 US states as death toll crosses 100
The new coronavirus has now hit all 50 states in the US and the death toll also passed 100.
West Virginia reported its first case of the infection on March 17, BBC reported.
New York City said it is considering a lockdown similar to one in the San Francisco Bay area.
There have so far been 108 deaths in the US from coronavirus and more than 6,300 confirmed cases nationwide.
New coronavirus can survive on some surfaces for days: Study
The novel coronavirus can survive on some surfaces for days or in the air for several hours, according to a US-government funded study published on March 17.
Scientists found that the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease had similar levels of viability outside the body to its predecessor that caused SARS, AFP reported.
This means that other factors like greater transmission between people with no symptoms might be why the current pandemic is far greater than the SARS outbreak of 2002-2003.
Saudi Arabia suspends prayer in mosques
Saudi Arabia has decided to suspend congregational prayers across all mosques in the Kingdom, except for the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah.
The decision announced on March 17 encourages Muslims to pray at home rather than mosques to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, AP reported.
A statement on SPA said it is allowed religiously to suspend all group prayers in mosques, including the weekly Friday prayers.
The Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah are exempted from the decision, it said.
“Mosque doors will be closed temporarily but they will be allowed to recite the call to prayer,” the statement said.
It also said an amendment has been made to the call in which the usual phrase “come to prayer” in the Arabic call has been replaced with “pray at home."
The new phrase can also be translated as “pray where you are”.
The statement said that a special congregational prayer on Fridays at midday can now be performed by Muslims at home.
Taiwan to ban entry for most foreigners to control virus
Taiwan will ban entry to the island for most foreigners as part of coronavirus prevention measures, excluding foreign resident permit holders and diplomats, the government said today, as it battles a rise in imported cases.
Taiwan has won plaudits from health experts for its efforts to effectively control the spread of the virus, but it is now reporting daily rises in cases from people returning to the island from other countries, especially Europe, Reuters reported.
The government has already asked Taiwanese not to travel abroad unless necessary, and has now stepped up its controls to stop from midnight (1600 GMT) the entry of most foreigners.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, announcing the new rules, said that all people entering Taiwan will also be put into home quarantine for 14 days.
He said the number of imported cases have "increased sharply". Taiwan has reported 77 cases to date, of which all the most recent new cases from the last two days have been imported.
The government did not say when the new measures might end.
Imported coronavirus cases in China outpace local infections for 5th day
Imported coronavirus cases in China outnumbered cases of location transmission for the fifth straight day as infected travellers passed through major Chinese transportation hubs in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Mainland China had 13 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections on March 17, the country's National Health Commission said, down from 21 cases a day earlier. Of the new cases, 12 involved infected travellers arriving from abroad, Reuters reported.
The overall number of imported cases of the virus in mainland China reached 155 as of March 17, up 12 from a day earlier.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases in mainland China so far to 80,894, the health authority said in a statement on Wednesday.
Colombia declares coronavirus state of emergency, orders elderly to stay home
Colombia's President Ivan Duque declared a state of emergency on March 17 as the country steps up measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, including ordering the elderly to stay home from Friday until the end of May.
Duque said full details on the state of emergency would be announced today. Governments on every continent have implemented containment measures to contain the disease, which has infected more than 187,000 people and killed nearly 7,500, Reuters reported.
"To protect our grandparents we have declared an obligatory isolation starting Friday March 20 from seven o'clock in the morning until May 31," Duque said.
"All adults older than 70 must remain in their homes except to buy groceries and medicines, use health services, and access financial services."
So far 75 people in Colombia have been infected by coronavirus, most of them after traveling in Europe or the United States. No deaths have been reported.
Colombia originally required a 14-day quarantine for arriving travelers, before restricting entry to anyone who is not a citizen or a resident, closing schools, bars and nightclubs, delaying the start of the legislative session in Congress and then shuttering land and waterway borders.
But Duque's government has been criticized for not enforcing controls at airports, as tourists have taken to social media to say they were not made aware of quarantine requirements upon landing.
Some provinces and municipalities in the Andean country have already put in place nightly curfews.
State-run oil company Ecopetrol has cut its planned investment for the year by $1.2 billion, while the government slashed bond issues by nearly $366 million.
Facebook acknowledges a bug that blocked coronavirus news
Facebook says a bug in its anti-spam system is blocking the publication of links to news stories about the coronavirus. Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice president of integrity, said on Twitter on March 17 that the company is working on fixing the problem.
Users are complaining that links to news stories about school closings and other information related to the virus outbreak being blocked by the company's automated system.
Australia declares emergency, invokes new powers to fight coronavirus
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday declared a "human biosecurity emergency" and said the country's citizens should abandon all overseas travel because of the coronavirus epidemic.
The formal declaration gives the government the power to close off cities or regions, impose curfews and order people to quarantine, if deemed necessary to contain the spread of the virus.
The upgrade in official advice to an unprecedented "Level 4: Do not travel" to any country in the world, was accompanied by a ban on any non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.
WHO calls for aggressive actions to fight COVID-19 in South-East Asia
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 17 called on countries in South-East Asia Region to urgently scale-up aggressive measures to fight COVID-19 as corona cases soar in the region.
"The situation is evolving rapidly. We need to immediately scale up all efforts to prevent the virus from infecting more people," said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region.
Eight of the 11 countries of WHO South-East Asia Region have confirmed cases of COVID-19. While Thailand has 177 confirmed cases, Indonesia 134, India 125, Sri Lanka 19, Maldives 13, Bangladesh 5, Nepal and Bhutan one each. These numbers are increasing quickly.
Kolkata reports first coronavirus positive case
An 18-year-old, who recently returned from England, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on March 17 making it the first case in the state.
The man was admitted to Beleghata ID Hospital after he showed symptoms of Covid-19, NDTV reported.
Doctors say the young man is in stable condition. He was apparently asymptomatic and not detected during screening at the Kolkata Airport when he arrived on March 15.
