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Coronavirus live news: death toll in Spain passes China, as global numbers approach 20,000 Coronavirus live news: death toll in Spain passes China, as global numbers approach 20,000
(32 minutes later)
India locks down; Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus; Senate and White House reach stimulus dealIndia locks down; Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus; Senate and White House reach stimulus deal
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called on governments to take urgent action to protect the health and safety of people in prison and other closed facilities, as part of overall efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The death toll in Switzerland from coronavirus infections has increased to 103, the Swiss government has said. The number of dead was up from the 90 reported on Tuesday. Total confirmed cases also increased to 9,765, it said, from just under 9,000 on Tuesday.
Spain’s deputy prime minister, Carmen Calvo, has tested positive for coronavirus. It comes after she was hospitalised on Sunday with a respiratory infection.
Calvo tested positive for the virus in a test performed on Tuesday after previously testing negative, but one more test was performed because the last one proved inconclusive, the government said in a statement.
It added that Calvo, who was born in 1957, was doing well and receiving medical treatment.
Hello, Sarah Marsh here taking the blog from Alexandra Topping for a bit. Please do share any stories with me via the usual channels below.
Twitter: @sloumarshInstagram: sarah_marsh_journalistEmail: sarah.marsh@theguardian.com
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has launched a global humanitarian response plan for coronavirus, calling on governments to take decisive action and work together to find solutions to the global pandemic.
The plan “will save many lives” and arm humanitarian agencies and NGOs with laboratory supplies for testing, and with medical equipment to treat the sick while protecting healthcare workers, said Guterres.
The plan also includes additional measures to support host communities that continue to open their homes and towns to refugees and displaced persons, he said.
Here is an extract, the whole speech can be read here:
The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has been giving a briefing on the virtual G7 foreign ministers meeting that began by videoconference at 7am (ET). He said the main focus was the coronavirus, which Pompeo made a point of calling the “Wuhan virus”, writes my colleague Julian Borger.
The hardcore efforts of Italy’s mayors to stop residents leaving their houses continues, writes my colleague Lorenzo Tondo in Italy.
And, because this video compilation is a rare bright spot in this distinctly suboptimal year, here it is again:
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, has called on governments to take urgent action to protect the health and safety of people in prison and other closed facilities, as part of overall efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
Eerie footage of deserted cities around the globe, from ReutersEerie footage of deserted cities around the globe, from Reuters
New York governor Andrew Cuomo warned that more shutdowns to curb public gatherings may be imminent. In his daily briefing, the governor once again lashed out at defiant New Yorkers who continue to frequent parks amid a coronavirus pandemic. New York governor Andrew Cuomo warned that more shutdowns to curb public gatherings may be imminent. New York City will begin closing streets to traffic, he said.
In his daily briefing, the governor once again lashed out at defiant New Yorkers who continue to frequent parks amid a coronavirus pandemic.
While Cuomo cautioned that stay-at-home regulations are voluntary, he warned that parks, playgrounds and streets could see mandatory closures if New Yorkers continued to ignore calls to self-quarantine.While Cuomo cautioned that stay-at-home regulations are voluntary, he warned that parks, playgrounds and streets could see mandatory closures if New Yorkers continued to ignore calls to self-quarantine.
“If you can reduce the density, you can reduce the spread very quickly,” he said.“If you can reduce the density, you can reduce the spread very quickly,” he said.
Another four Italian doctors have died with the coronavirus, bringing the toll in the epidemic up to 29, the national federation of doctors told ANSA, reports Lorenzo Tondo in Italy.Another four Italian doctors have died with the coronavirus, bringing the toll in the epidemic up to 29, the national federation of doctors told ANSA, reports Lorenzo Tondo in Italy.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo live now New York governor Andrew Cuomo live now:
Canada’s parliament successfully passed $82bn CAD in funding for residents affected by the economic impacts coronavirus early on Wednesday morning, writes Leyland Cecco in Canada.Canada’s parliament successfully passed $82bn CAD in funding for residents affected by the economic impacts coronavirus early on Wednesday morning, writes Leyland Cecco in Canada.
Thousands of 15-minute home tests for coronavirus will be delivered by Amazon to people self-isolating with symptoms or will go on sale on high street within days, according to Public Health England (PHE), in a move that could restore many people’s lives to a semblance of pre-lockdown normality, writes the Guardian’s health editor, Sarah Boseley.Thousands of 15-minute home tests for coronavirus will be delivered by Amazon to people self-isolating with symptoms or will go on sale on high street within days, according to Public Health England (PHE), in a move that could restore many people’s lives to a semblance of pre-lockdown normality, writes the Guardian’s health editor, Sarah Boseley.
Read the full story here:Read the full story here:
Venezuela’s embattled president Nicolás Maduro has suggested a novel solution for the coronavirus crisis: drink more tea, writes Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogotá.
Officials confirmed on Tuesday night that 86 new cases of the novel Covid-19 coronavirus had been diagnosed in Argentina over the last 24 hours – the highest daily figure of the pandemic to date, reports the Buenos Aires Times.
La Nación reported on Wednesday that seven people have now died, the latest an 81-year-old women who has contact with an 82-year-old man who had recently returned from the US.
In total, 387 individuals have been infected with the virus, the health ministry said in a statement.
Our thanks to Peter Lawrence in Argentina for providing information from the country.
Saudi Arabia has reported 133 new positive cases and one death in the last 24 hours, reports Akhtar Mohammad Makoii in Herat.
Saudi Arabia has announced its second coronavirus-related death in the last 24 hours with 133 new infections, pushing the total number of Coronavirus cases in the kingdom to 900.
A health ministry spokesman said a 46-year-old man had died as a result of Covid-19.He added that the majority of infected patients were receiving medical care but in good condition. Three people are in critical condition but are receiving extra care in the intensive care unit, Al Arabia reported.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has delayed a public vote on constitutional amendments that will allow him to stay in power until 2036 due to the coronavirus outbreak in Russia, writes Andrew Roth in Moscow.
The French prime minister, Édouard Philippe, has outlined the help the government is giving businesses to assuage the economic crisis resulting from the lockdown in a debriefing of this morning’s council of ministers, reports my colleague Kim Willsher in Paris.
I am handing back the blog to my colleague Alexandra Topping now. Thanks everyone.
An international aid group said that closures aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic are preventing it from reaching 300,000 people in conflict zones across the Middle East.
It comes after authorities in Libya’s capital reported the first case in the war-torn country. The Norwegian Refugee Council said it was unable to reach people in Syria, Yemen and the Gaza Strip, where authorities have imposed strict measures to halt the spread of the virus.
All have fragile healthcare systems that could be overwhelmed by an outbreak, and only Yemen has yet to report any cases. The group said virus lockdowns have also limited access to parts of Africa and Asia.While governments are taking tough and much-needed measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, millions of refugees and displaced people still depend on humanitarian assistance, said Jan Egeland, head of the aid group. If supermarkets and pharmacies can remain operational during this crisis, then so should the delivery of humanitarian aid, he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has postponed a nationwide vote on proposed constitutional amendments that include a change that would allow him to seek another term in power.Putin didn’t set a new date for the plebiscite originally set for April 22, saying Wednesday that it would depend on how the new coronavirus pandemic develops. He also announced during a televised address to the nation that the government doesn’t want Russians except those working in essential sectors to come to work next week. He said that stores, pharmacies and banks will stay open.
Health, life and safety of the people is an absolute priority for us, Putin said.Russian authorities reported 658 cases of the new virus on Wednesday, with 163 new cases registered since the day before. That marked a significantly bigger daily increase from previous days, when the number of new infections grew only by several dozens.
Canadian banks on Tuesday followed US heavyweights in offering one-time bonuses and extra paid days off to customer-service employees who are required to work in branches and call centres amid the coronavirus crisis. Banks have largely been excluded from government-mandated shutdowns in many countries because they are considered an essential industry, meaning most bank branches, call centres and trading floors have stayed open even as many firms send their employees home.
The coronavirus is unlikely to disappear in summer, the European Union agency for disease control said on Wednesday, in a stark warning that the epidemic could continue when temperatures rise unless measures to hamper it are applied. The notice leaves little room for hopes that SARS-CoV-2, the name of the new virus, could behave as the other four coronaviruses, which are endemic in human populations and are usually not detected in summer months.