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Coronavirus live updates: number of deaths outside China passes 1,000 as Italy records highest one-day toll Coronavirus live updates: number of deaths outside China passes 1,000 as Italy records highest one-day toll
(32 minutes later)
UK death toll rises to six as Italy lockdown comes into force, Greece and Spain close schools, and universities in US and Ireland move lectures onlineUK death toll rises to six as Italy lockdown comes into force, Greece and Spain close schools, and universities in US and Ireland move lectures online
Both Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have cancelled Tuesday campaign events in Ohio amid coronavirus concerns, the Associated Press (AP) is reporting.
Sanders had been planning to speak at a convention centre in Cleveland as results from six states voting in the Democratic presidential contests began rolling in. But he pulled the plug only about three hours before it was scheduled to start and his campaign announced that decisions on future events would be made on a case-by-case basis, according to AP. It quoted his campaign spokesman, Mike Casca, as saying:
A Biden spokesman initially suggested the former vice president’s own event in Cleveland would go on as scheduled, but his campaign subsequently released a statement saying it was off, AP says.
More on Hatch End High School in Harrow, which has remained open despite confirmation that a “person at the school”, who was onsite as recently as last Friday, is being treated for Covid-19.
A source at the school, speaking on condition of anonymity, said news of the diagnosis was communicated to teachers in the morning – but parents were not informed until the end of the school day. They claimed staff were told they could catch the virus, but symptoms were likely to be mild.
Some teachers and parents were reportedly concerned about the decision not to close the school, which was taken after advice from Public Health England – and there was speculation some families could opt to keep their children at home on Wednesday.
Dr Atherton has said:Dr Atherton has said:
The chief medical officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton, has confirmed that nine further patients in Wales have tested positive for Covid-19, taking the UK total to 382 people.The chief medical officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton, has confirmed that nine further patients in Wales have tested positive for Covid-19, taking the UK total to 382 people.
Two of the patients have recently returned together from northern Italy and are resident in the Carmarthenshire area, a statement from the Welsh government said.Two of the patients have recently returned together from northern Italy and are resident in the Carmarthenshire area, a statement from the Welsh government said.
The other seven patients were tested following tracing in connection with the Neath Port Talbot resident whose positive test was announced on Monday.The other seven patients were tested following tracing in connection with the Neath Port Talbot resident whose positive test was announced on Monday.
One of the seven is a resident of Cardiff, one is from Swansea and the other five are all from Neath Port Talbot. All nine patients are being managed in clinically appropriate settings.One of the seven is a resident of Cardiff, one is from Swansea and the other five are all from Neath Port Talbot. All nine patients are being managed in clinically appropriate settings.
The small German town of Gross-Gerau has created a drive-through for coronavirus testing, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency reports.The small German town of Gross-Gerau has created a drive-through for coronavirus testing, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency reports.
The drive-in facility at the local hospital is designed to minimise medical staff and patients’ exposure. “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary solutions,” Dr Roxana Sauer, a medical director at Gross-Gerau district hospital, told AFP.The drive-in facility at the local hospital is designed to minimise medical staff and patients’ exposure. “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary solutions,” Dr Roxana Sauer, a medical director at Gross-Gerau district hospital, told AFP.
Since last week, patients have been able to call ahead and consult a physician by phone, who decides whether they should be tested. The person is then assigned a time slot and asked to park outside a side entrance of the hospital, where they are met by a doctor clad head to toe in protective gear.Since last week, patients have been able to call ahead and consult a physician by phone, who decides whether they should be tested. The person is then assigned a time slot and asked to park outside a side entrance of the hospital, where they are met by a doctor clad head to toe in protective gear.
After rolling down the car window, the potential patient is swabbed in the mouth or nostril before driving off again. Their sample is sent to a lab, which returns the result within 24 hours and the patient is then notified by phone.After rolling down the car window, the potential patient is swabbed in the mouth or nostril before driving off again. Their sample is sent to a lab, which returns the result within 24 hours and the patient is then notified by phone.
Similar drive-through testing sites have sprung up in other German hospitals in recent days, as well as in South Korea, the United States and Britain. “People love that it can be done so quickly and easily,” said Sauer.Similar drive-through testing sites have sprung up in other German hospitals in recent days, as well as in South Korea, the United States and Britain. “People love that it can be done so quickly and easily,” said Sauer.
None of the 32 tests carried out so far has come back positive but the hospital’s coronavirus hotline has been ringing off the hook.None of the 32 tests carried out so far has come back positive but the hospital’s coronavirus hotline has been ringing off the hook.
The New York auto show is set to be postponed until August because of the coronavirus outbreak, automakers and a spokesman for the show have said. The annual event, which draws thousands of reporters and hundreds of thousands of visitors, is now likely to be postponed.The New York auto show is set to be postponed until August because of the coronavirus outbreak, automakers and a spokesman for the show have said. The annual event, which draws thousands of reporters and hundreds of thousands of visitors, is now likely to be postponed.
According to Reuters, a spokesman for the show said organisers were “headed in the direction” of moving it to August and a final decision is expected by Wednesday.According to Reuters, a spokesman for the show said organisers were “headed in the direction” of moving it to August and a final decision is expected by Wednesday.
In their response to the coronavirus outbreak, public health experts and government officials have repeatedly referenced the importance of “flattening the curve”. But what does this mean, exactly?In their response to the coronavirus outbreak, public health experts and government officials have repeatedly referenced the importance of “flattening the curve”. But what does this mean, exactly?
In the UK, Transport for London has confirmed one of its head office staff tested positive on Monday.In the UK, Transport for London has confirmed one of its head office staff tested positive on Monday.
This person is not believed to be additional to the UK government’s latest tally of cases.This person is not believed to be additional to the UK government’s latest tally of cases.
Here’s a little more on those comments from Varadkar, who has said health ministers across the European Union will talk to each other every day to help tackle the spread of Covid-19.Here’s a little more on those comments from Varadkar, who has said health ministers across the European Union will talk to each other every day to help tackle the spread of Covid-19.
Spain will guarantee the supply of medicines and open credit lines to small businesses as part of a program of measures aimed at alleviating the impact of coronavirus, its prime minister Pedro Sánchez has said.Spain will guarantee the supply of medicines and open credit lines to small businesses as part of a program of measures aimed at alleviating the impact of coronavirus, its prime minister Pedro Sánchez has said.
Speaking after the meeting of EU leaders, he said he had also asked for EU fiscal rules to be relaxed to give the country more economic firepower to confront the virus.Speaking after the meeting of EU leaders, he said he had also asked for EU fiscal rules to be relaxed to give the country more economic firepower to confront the virus.
Speaking after the EU’s funding announcement, the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said:
Jersey has confirmed its first case, the local government’s health and community services department has said. They said the person was tested at the end of last week and a positive result was confirmed on Tuesday.
Dr Ivan Muscat, Jersey’s deputy medical officer of health, has said:
Authorities on Guernsey say they too have confirmed one case.
According to HuffPost UK, the first case in Jamaica has been confirmed in a woman who travelled there from the UK:
The EU has agreed to fund researchers seeking a vaccine for the coronavirus, allow member states greater flexibility on providing subsidies to companies and invest €25bn (£21.5bn) in parts of the European economy worst hit by the epidemic.
Following a two and a half hour teleconference, the first such summit in the EU’s history, the European council president, Charles Michel, said the 27 heads of state and government would make €7.5bn of the funding immediately with the rest to follow.
The European commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU’s executive branch had already released €140m for research on vaccines and treatment but that the socio-economic impact needed to be addressed immediately. She said:
As EU member states, including Slovenia and Austria, closed their borders with Italy, Von der Leyen added that home affairs ministers would in future have daily phone calls to ensure that all acts were proportionate to the crisis.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has decided not to hold any gatherings of more than 100 people, in an early example of an organisation in the UK instigating “social distancing” measures to combat coronavirus.
The move is intended to protect members, staff and also patients who are being treated for mental ill-health from contracting the virus, the college explained. It comes ahead of Thursday’s meeting of the government’s Cobra committee, which may signal a shift from “contain” to “delay” tactics and trigger a ban on large-scale gatherings.
It means that college events due to feature more than 100 people have been cancelled or postponed, including cancellation of an International Women’s Day event for secondary school pupils on Thursday and the annual conference next week of its faculty of old age psychiatry and trainees. Paul Rees, the college’s chief executive, has said:
From next Monday, the 240 staff at its London HQ will also have to work from home two days a week and observe social distance guidelines when they are in the office. They are also being told not to travel for meetings and not to undertake work trips abroad for the next month.
However, the RCPsych’s annual international congress, which is scheduled for the end of June, is still due to go ahead.
Meanwhile, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has become the latest UK medical organisation to postpone its annual conference because its members – doctors who specialise in children’s health – are more likely to be needed in the NHS because of the serious threat posed by the virus. The event was due to take place at the end of April, when hospitals and other services may be even busier than usual, if the outbreak has become an epidemic by then.
Dr Camilla Kingdon, the college’s vice-president for education and training has said:
The death toll from the coronavirus outside China passed 1,000 on Tuesday, as Italy recorded 168 deaths, its highest one day toll.
In the United States, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases was up to 761 as of Tuesday morning, but there are still concerns over a lack of testing kits in the country.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo deployed the national guard to New Rochelle, the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in the New York metro area.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in the UK jumped to 373, as of 9am on Tuesday, up from 319 at the same time on Monday.
A sixth patient in the UK died after testing positive for coronavirus. The man was in his early 80s and had underlying health conditions, the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust confirmed.]
British Airways and Ryanair have cancelled all international flights to and from Italy, following the Italian government’s decision to place the entire country on lockdown came into effect on Tuesday.
The start of the UK peak of the coronavirus epidemic is expected within the next fortnight, England’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries, said. She added that the UK would see “many thousands of people” contract the virus.
A number of universities including Harvard, NYU and Trinity College Dublin have moved lectures online in a bid to tackle the spread of the virus.
Victims of race hate crimes in the UK have been urged to come forward after a Chinese student’s jaw was dislocated in a street attack.
The UN refugee agency made an urgent appeal for donations to help it to tackle any outbreak of coronavirus among displaced people.
Greece announced it would shut down all schools and universities for two weeks in a bid to control the spread of the virus.
In the United States, senior Republican figures are facing backlash over an apparent effort to label Covid-19 as “Chinese coronavirus” – as China accused some US politicians of “disrespecting science” in order to “stigmatize” the country, Adam Gabbatt in New York reports.
Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, are among those to add a geographical marker to the coronavirus in recent days.
Pompeo called the virus the “Wuhan coronavirus” on Friday, referring to the Chinese city where the outbreak started, and McCarthy used the term “Chinese coronavirus” on Monday, when he tweeted out a link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency that has led the US effort to fight the virus.
Eight new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Georgia, bringing the total in the country to 23, local media report.
According to a report in the Georgian Journal, 126 people are under quarantine and 46 are currently under surveillance in hospitals.
The increase comes as Georgia repatriated 156 nationals from Italy, Europe’s worst-affected nation, in two planes that touched down in Tbilisi today.
The passengers will undergo thermal screening and be placed into quarantine for 14 days, Agenda.ge reports.
Also today, Salome Zourabichvili, the Georgian president, announced she would be cancelling planned visits to Bulgaria, Ukraine and Belgium.
Back here in the UK, a school in north-west London has had a Covid-19 case confirmed but health officials have said there’s no need for it to close, nor for any staff or pupils to be put into quarantine, Kevin Rawlinson reports.
Hatch End high school has published a letter from its headteacher confirming a person at the school has tested positive, though it did not say whether they are staff or a puil.”
The person was last in school on Friday 6 March. PHE have conducted a risk assessment and advised us that no staff or pupils need to exclude themselves from school.”
A group of pupils and a small number of staff members have been asked to monitor themselves for symptoms, for a period of 14 days (until 20th March). No one in this group has been asked to exclude themselves from school if they are well.”
A note on its website added: “Given the specifics of this case they have determined that a deep clean of the school is not required.”
Ireland has reported 10 new cases of Coronavirus, bringing its total to 34, Rory Carroll reports from Dublin.
The biggest day-on-day rise includes two health workers possibly infected at hospitals, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (NPHET) said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
Blanket socially restrictive actions around hospitals and nursing homes were not yet necessary, it said. “People are encouraged to follow respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene practices in order to protect vulnerable groups, including older people and patients with underlying conditions. People should not visit if they themselves are unwell.”
There have been 1,784 suspected cases tested in Ireland – a spike of 1,387 tests in one week.