Russia’s coronavirus cases surpass 250,000: Live updates
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The number of coronavirus cases in Russia has surpassed 250,000, but daily new infections fell below 10,000 for the first time in nearly two weeks.
- US authorities have accused China-linked hackers of breaking into organisations in the US researching the coronavirus.
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The United Nations is forecasting that the pandemic will push an estimated 34.3 million people into extreme poverty, mostly in Africa.
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Japan has lifted a state of emergency in most parts of the country.
- To date, more than 4.34 million people have been infected, and at least 296,000 have died from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. About 1.6 million people have recovered.
Here are the latest updates:
Thursday, May 14
12:05 GMT – UN regrets Burundi expulsion of WHO team
UN investigators said they deeply regretted Burundi’s expulsion of four World Health Organization offiicials supporting the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, tasked to investigate alleged violations and abuses in the country, said in a statement that it “deeply regretted the recent decision by the government to declare persona non grata the country representative of WHO and three of its experts”.
11:40 GMT – Iran warns of new coronavirus cluster
Iran warned of a possible coronavirus cluster hitting another province as it announced 71 new deaths and more than 1,800 infections nationwide.
“We are in situation similar to previous days (in most provinces) save for Khuzestan, which is still in a critical condition, and it seems that North Khorasan may be critical as well,” said health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.
“If this trend continues, North Khorasan will require more serious measures, too,” he added in televised remarks.
11:00 GMT – France’s Sanofi under fire over US access to vaccine
France has cried foul after its homegrown pharmaceutical giant Sanofi said it would reserve first shipments of any COVID-19 vaccine for the United States, slamming the move as “unacceptable”.
The French drug maker’s chief executive, Paul Hudson, sparked the controversy after announcing that US patients would get first choice because their government was helping to fund the vaccine search.
The company later backtracked and said in a statement it would make its COVID-19 vaccine, when ready, available in all countries. French Health Minister Olivier Veran said he was “reassured” by a conversation with the head of Sanofi.
10:30 GMT – Dubai mall to open new drive-in cinema
Movie-goers in Dubai frustrated by the closure of cinemas during the coronavirus pandemic will soon be able to watch films from the comfort of their own car at a new drive-in cinema created on the roof of one of the world’s largest shopping malls.
With social distancing mandatory in the United Arab Emirates to help curb the spread of the virus, VOX Cinemas says viewers will be limited to two per car at the open-air venue, which opens at the Mall of Emirates on Sunday and can accommodate up to 75 cars at a time.
10:00 GMT – World leaders demand free coronavirus vaccine for all
World leaders past and present have insisted that any eventual COVID-19 vaccines and treatments should be made available to everyone, free of charge.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan were among more than 140 signatories of an open letter to the World Health Assembly saying any vaccine should not be patented while the science should be shared between nations.
“Governments and international partners must unite around a global guarantee which ensures that, when a safe and effective vaccine is developed, it is produced rapidly at scale and made available for all people, in all countries, free of charge,” the letter said.
“The same applies for all treatments, diagnostics, and other technologies for COVID-19.”
09:45 GMT – ‘100, 200 football clubs could go bankrupt’ due to coronavirus
Football faces losing many clubs to bankruptcy because of the coronavirus pandemic, a club executive has said.
Lokomotiva Zagreb director Dennis Gudasic warned of a “drastic situation whereby we have maybe 100 or 200 clubs go bankrupt in September or October” if challenges facing smaller clubs are not understood.
Read more here.
09:30 GMT – Coronavirus vaccine could be ready in a year: EU agency
A vaccine for the coronavirus could be ready in a year’s time under an “optimistic” scenario, based on data from trials that are under way, the European Medicines Agency said.
“We can see the possibility if everything goes as planned that some of them (vaccines) could be ready for approval in a year from now,” Marco Cavaleri, the EMA’s head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy, told a video news conference.
Cavaleri said he was, however, “a bit sceptical” about reports that a vaccine could be ready as soon as September.
09:20 GMT – Japan lifts state of emergency in most regions
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has lifted a state of emergency imposed due to the coronavirus for the majority of the country but kept it in place for the capital, Tokyo, and Osaka.
“Today we decided to lift the state of emergency in 39 (out of 47) prefectures,” Abe said in a nationally televised news conference.
Read more here.
09:11 GMT – Spain’s daily death toll rises above 200
Spain’s daily coronavirus death toll rose above 200 for the first time since May 8, the health ministry reported.
The overall death toll from the disease rose to 27,321 from 27,104 as 217 people reportedly died overnight, the ministry said.
More:
08:30 GMT – China dismisses US hacking claims
China has dismissed US accusations about Chinese hackers breaking into COVID-19 research, calling it slander from the US.
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that any action online to sabotage efforts against the disease should be condemned.
08:00 GMT – WHO: Pandemic is seriously affecting mental health
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said substantial investment is needed to avert a mental health crisis, raising concern over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on people’s psychological well-being.
“Social isolation, fear of contagion, and loss of family members is compounded by the distress caused by loss of income and often employment,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
“Mental health needs must be treated as a core element of our response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added, reiterating a similar assertion by UN chief Antonio Guterres.
#COVID19 is already having a serious impact on people’s #MentalHealth
The 🌏🌎🌍 needs to urgently increase investment in services for mental health to prevent a massive increase in mental health conditions. 👉https://t.co/dU6KFAWk8l pic.twitter.com/t3TYAr1md6
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 14, 2020
07:40 GMT – Finland reopens schools despite virus warnings
Schools have reopened in Finland after eight weeks of lockdown despite warnings from the teacher’s union it may not be totally safe for its staff or the children.
The reopenings see pupils back in school for just over two weeks before the summer holidays begin in early June, with strict physical distancing rules in place.
Break times will be staggered to avoid large numbers of children in the playground at once, and unused spaces will be turned into classrooms to allow pupils to spread out, Education Minister Li Andersson said when announcing the decision on April 29.
07:35 GMT – Russia’s coronavirus cases pass 250,000
Russia reported 9,974 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, its lowest daily rise since May 2, bringing its nationwide tally to 252,245.
Russia’s coronavirus response centre said 93 people died overnight, bringing the official death toll to 2,305.
07:00 GMT – PGA tour to return with mandatory testing
Testing for the novel coronavirus and daily temperature checks will be a mandatory feature of the return of professional golf in the US next month, officials said.
In a 37-page presentation, the PGA Tour gave detailed insights into the stringent hygiene standards and safety precautions needed to be able to resume the tour on June 11 with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
The TOUR is set to lead the way as sports return. 🏌️♂️https://t.co/bPlujaTvSE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 13, 2020
06:50 GMT – Pandemic will cost global insurance sector $203bn: Lloyd’s
The deadly coronavirus outbreak will cost the global insurance industry about $203bn, Lloyd’s of London insurance market has forecasted.
“The estimated 2020 underwriting losses covered by the industry as a result of COVID-19 are approximately $107bn, on par with some of the biggest major claims years for the industry, such as when catastrophic windstorms have struck” in 2005 and 2017, it said in a statement.
The industry will also experience an estimated $96bn fall in investment portfolios, bringing the total projected loss to $203bn, it added.
06:30 GMT – Burundi orders top WHO official to leave country
Burundi has ordered the expulsion of the country’s top WHO representative and three other experts coordinating the coronavirus response, the foreign ministry said.
In a letter dated May 12 and addressed to the WHO’s Africa headquarters, the foreign ministry said the four officials “are declared persona non grata and as such, must leave the territory of Burundi” by Friday.
The foreign ministry did not state a reason for this decision.
06:15 GMT – Thailand reports one new case, no deaths
Thailand reported one new coronavirus case and no new deaths, bringing the total to 3,018 cases and 56 deaths since the outbreak started in the country in January.
The new patient is a 39-year-old man from the northern province of Chiang Mai, who recently returned from working on the resort island of Phuket, an area with a high infection rate, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, spokesman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.
Hello, this is Saba Aziz in Doha, taking over from my colleague Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur.
05:17 GMT – Philippines braces for Typhoon Vongfong amid coronavirus emergency
A strong typhoon is roaring towards the Philippines as authorities work to evacuate tens of thousands of people while avoiding overcrowding in emergency shelters that could spread the coronavirus.
Typhoon Vongfong – the first to hit the country this year – is expected to slam the eastern islands later on Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 150 km/h (93 mph) and gusts of up to 185 km/h (115 mph).
Governors say physical distancing will be nearly impossible for residents staying in emergency shelters. Some shelters are now serving as quarantine facilities and may have to be reverted to storm shelters.
Read more here.
04:48 GMT – UN says 34.3 million people to fall into extreme poverty
The UN is forecasting that the coronavirus pandemic will shrink the world economy by 3.2 percent this year, the sharpest contraction since the Great Depression in the 1930s, pushing an estimated 34.3 million people into extreme poverty mostly in Africa.
The UN’s mid-year report said COVID-19 is expected to slash global economic output by nearly $8.5 trillion over the next two years, wiping out nearly all gains of the past four years.
In January, the UN forecast modest growth of 2.5 percent in 2020.
04:18 GMT – UN’s Guterres: Address mental health needs amid pandemic
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged governments, civil society and health authorities to urgently address mental health needs arising from the pandemic, warning that psychological suffering is increasing.
In a video address late on Wednesday, Guterres pointed to “grief at the loss of loved ones, shock at the loss of jobs, isolation and restrictions on movement, difficult family dynamics, and uncertainty and fear for the future.”
“After decades of neglect and under-investment in mental health services, the COVID-19 pandemic is now hitting families and communities with additional mental stress.”
04:02 GMT – Australia reports surge in coronavirus-fuelled unemployment
Australia posted its biggest ever monthly rise in unemployment on Thursday because of coronavirus lockdown measures, even as the country begins to gradually ease physical distancing rules.
Thursday’s data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed employment in April dropped by 594,300, the largest fall on record, fuelling the 6.2 percent unemployment.
03:49 GMT – Japan to end state of emergency for most regions; Tokyo to stay on alert
Japan was expected to lift a state of emergency across a large part of the country on Thursday, according to Reuters news agency, but the capital Tokyo will remain under restrictions until there is convincing evidence the coronavirus had been contained.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to hold a news conference later on Thursday, and is expected to announce the lifting of the state of emergency for 39 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, not including Tokyo.
The world’s third-largest economy declared a nationwide state of emergency a month ago, urging citizens to reduce person-to-person contact by 80 percent in an effort to slow the pace of new infections and ease the strain on medical services. The government had said it would reassess the situation in mid-May.
03:12 GMT – South Korea raises alarms over infections at nightspots
Infections in Seoul coming from nightspots in the neighbourhood of Itaewon reached 72 on Thursday, according to the Yonhap news agency, raising fears over what South Korean health authorities described as “a truly cruel virus” further spreading in the capital.
The cases traced to Itaewon form the second-largest cluster of infections in Seoul, following 98 cases linked to a call centre in the southwestern area of Sindorim.
Daily new infections in the country came in at 29, including 22 in the Seoul area, bringing the country’s total infections to 10,991 on Thursday, Yonhap quoted health officials as saying. The death toll is at 260.
02:48 GMT – US: Wisconsin court tosses out governor’s stay-home order
The supreme court of the US state of Wisconsin has struck down Governor Tony Evers’ coronavirus stay-at-home order, ruling that his administration overstepped its authority when it extended it for another month without consulting legislators.
The 4-3 ruling essentially reopens the state, lifting caps on the size of gatherings, allowing people to travel as they please, and allowing shuttered businesses to reopen, including bars and restaurants.
The decision let stand language that had closed schools, however, and local governments can still impose their own health restrictions.
02:06 GMT – Japanese pharma company says coronavirus treatment trial to start in July
The Japanese company, Takeda Pharmaceutical, could start a clinical trial as early as July for a potential treatment of COVID-19 that is based on antibodies from recovered patients’ blood, company executives said.
The clinical trial would include hundreds of patients and take several months to complete. If successful, Japan’s Takeda could file for approval by US authorities this year, said Julie Kim, president of the plasma-derived therapies unit of Takeda.
“When the product will be available beyond the clinical study is still a bit unclear,” Kim said on an investor call. “We do expect that, before the end of the year, we should see some information in terms of broader use.”
More:
01:18 GMT – Whistle-blower: US could face ‘darkest winter’ if virus rebounds
America faces the “darkest winter in modern history” unless leaders act decisively to prevent a rebound of the coronavirus, says a government whistle-blower who alleges he was removed from his job after warning the Trump administration to prepare for the pandemic, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Immunologist Dr Rick Bright made his sobering prediction in a testimony prepared for his appearance on Thursday before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Aspects of his complaint about the administration’s early handling of the crisis are expected to be backed up by testimony from an executive of a company that manufactures respirator masks.
“If we fail to develop a national coordinated response, based in science, I fear the pandemic will get far worse and be prolonged, causing unprecedented illness and fatalities,” Bright said in his prepared testimony posted on the House committee website.
01:02 GMT – Mexico’s total deaths from coronavirus rise to 4,220
Mexico’s health ministry confirmed 1,862 new cases of coronavirus infections on Wednesday, along with 294 additional deaths, slightly lower than the country’s record number of daily fatalities reported the day before, Reuters news agency reported.
The new infections brought confirmed coronavirus cases to 40,186 and 4,220 deaths in total, according to the official tally.
00:48 GMT – Canada, US likely to extend travel restrictions until June 21
Canada and the US appear likely to extend a ban on non-essential travel until June 21 amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a Canadian government source and a top US official told Reuters news agency.
The two neighbouring countries had agreed on April 18 to extend border restrictions until May 21 as cases of the disease continued to rise in both nations. Canada is now pressing for the measures to remain for another month.
00:35 GMT – China reports 3 new cases from mainland, no new imported infections
China’s National Health Commission reported on Thursday at least three new cases of the coronavirus cases in the country as of the end of Wednesday – down from seven cases the previous day.
The health agency also said none of the cases was imported.
Of the 82,929 total cases officially reported in China, 78,195 have recovered and 101 remain active, while 4,633 have died.
00:01 GMT – Spokesman for Mexican foreign minister has coronavirus
The chief spokesman for Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has tested positive for the coronavirus, and an official in the president’s office has died of the disease, bringing the pandemic closer to the inner circle of government.
The spokesman, Roberto Velasco Alvarez, is a close aide to Ebrard.
Mexico has recorded more than 38,000 infections and close to 4,000 deaths due to the virus.
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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Click here to read updates from yesterday, May 13.
France says US priority on Sanofi vaccine unacceptable
Giving some countries such as the United States priority access to any coronavirus vaccine developed by Sanofi would be unacceptable, France’s junior economy minister said on Thursday, after the firm suggested Americans could get it first.
The French drugmaker’s chief executive, Paul Hudson, said on Wednesday that vaccine doses produced in the United States could go to US patients first, given the country had supported the research financially.
“It would of course be unacceptable for us if there were to be a privileged access for this or that country under pretext of a pecuniary motive, especially in the current context,” Agnes Pannier-Runacher, France’s junior economy minister, told Sud Radio.