This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/08/coronavirus-live-news-us-trump-threatens-who-funding-uk-boris-johnson-global-cases-latest-updates

The article has changed 46 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 26 Version 27
Coronavirus live news: WHO says situation in Europe still 'very concerning' as Wuhan reopens Coronavirus live news: WHO says situation in Europe still 'very concerning' as Wuhan reopens
(32 minutes later)
Scientists predict UK will be worst-hit country in Europe; Trump threatens to stop WHO funding; Global cases pass 1.4 millionScientists predict UK will be worst-hit country in Europe; Trump threatens to stop WHO funding; Global cases pass 1.4 million
In Spain, one family is speaking out after being wrongly told that their 84-year-old mother had died from Covid-19, writes Ashifa Kassam in Madrid.
The country has emerged as one of the hardest-hit by the virus, with more than 14,500 deaths, behind only Italy. Stories of confusion have accompanied the sharp rise in deaths, from cases of mistaken identity to days-long searches for the bodies of loved ones who have passed away.
For Mercedes Maroto, the saga began when her mother, Teodora, was admitted to a hospital in central Spain last month. Days later, after a full day had passed without any news, Maroto and her siblings began calling the hospital.
It took four attempts before they got a doctor on the line. He informed them that their mother had passed away, Maroto told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
The news left the family reeling, particularly Maroto’s father. “He kept repeating, between sobs: ‘Now what do I do without you?’”
After a sleepless night punctuated with questions – How did she die? Did she suffer? Was she alone? – Maroto’s phone rang at 7:30am. This time it was the funeral home. “Your mother is alive. She didn’t die, they moved her to another floor,” Maroto said she was told.
Now the tears were of joy. “I thought I was dreaming,” said Maroto. She rushed over to the hospital where a doctor helped her speak to her mother on the phone.
While she described it as the “worst experience of her life”, Maroto shied away from casting blame, pointing to the chaos that has taken hold at Spanish hospitals as they scramble to treat the sudden influx of thousands of thousands of Covid-19 patients.
Her mother is now home and slowly regaining her strength. The family has yet to tell her about what El Mundo called the family’s own Easter resurrection tale. “Right now, she doesn’t know anything,” said Maroto. “We’ll tell her when she’s fully healed.”
Pakistan has reported 208 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing its total to 4,072, as the World Health Organization representative in the country warned it was facing an acute shortage of nurses.
The most affected province is Punjab, with 2,030 cases of coronavirus infection, followed by Sindh, with 986. So far 58 people are confirmed to have died from Covid-19 across the country, while 467 have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of official figures.
(As I write, the Pakistani English language newspaper Dawn was running with slightly higher numbers, perhaps reflecting its ability to source more up to date figures.)
In a message to the nation broadcast earlier, Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, called on people to stay at home for the sake of their elders, and said the Covid-19 crisis would not end any time soon, according to the live blog running on Dawn.
Khan added that he was disappointed by violence used against doctors in Quetta after they staged a demonstration over a lack of personal protective equipment.
The US suffered its highest daily death toll from coronavirus on Tuesday, with 1,858 people succumbing to the disease, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, Ed Pilkington and Joanna Walters report from New York.
The new peak in deaths was propelled by New York City, which remains the most stricken part of the country and which recorded 806 fatalities on Tuesday. The city has now recorded more than 4,000 deaths from the novel virus.
Recent statistics have heartened city authorities, suggesting that new cases and the number of people being treated in hospital might be starting to plateau. But the rising death toll suggests that much suffering still lies ahead.
On Monday some 731 people were killed by Covid-19 across New York state, the previous highest daily jump.
Many know about the British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is out of jail in Tehran but under a form of house arrest waiting to know if she is to be allowed to return to her husband and daughter in London, writes Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor.
Fewer know about another dual national Anoosheh Ashoori, who is still being held in Evin Prison and was not one of the political prisoners temporarily released by the Iranian government in the wake of a coronavirus outbreak in Iran.
He is 65 today and this is the desperate message he sent by phone from jail, pleading with the UK government to do more to secure his release. He was sentenced to 10 years jail for spying, and fears he will contract the virus in jail. The only birthday present he wants is to return to his wife and two children in London.
The British and American cybersecurity agencies have issued a joint warning about a rise in cybercrime related to Covid, as attackers take advantage of weaknesses in remote working setups to hack, phish and scam people in self-isolation, Alex Hern, the Guardian’s UK technology editor, reports.
In the advisory, jointly issued by GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre and the US’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, internet users are warned to watch out for “emails containing malware which appear to have come from the the director general of the World Health Organization, and others which claim to offer thermometers and face masks to fight the pandemic”.
The agencies have also found cybercriminals “scanning for vulnerabilities in software and remote working tools”, aiming to exploit the absence of corporate IT protections to hack weak links in businesses.
Popular videoconferencing tool Zoom is one such tool, and interest in hacking techniques that could be used against it is “sky high”, according to one report in Vice. Successful attacks against the software, and other videoconferencing services, could be used to enable successful corporate espionage. “Industrial espionage is making millions now. Zoom, GTM, WebEx … all meetings where you needed an insider to get in before,” a source told Vice News.
Other Coronavirus-related scams are less high-tech. Security researchers at McAfee found one posting on a dark web forum where an individual claiming to have recovered from Coronavirus selling their blood to others. For just $1,000, the user offered a sample of their blood or saliva, which could be used harvested for antibodies – if they’re telling the truth.
The Afghan health minister has asked the Taliban to announce a ceasefire to help the fight against coronavirus, as Kabul goes under full lockdown and number of infections continues to surge, Akhtar Mohammad Makoii reports from Herat.
Officials in the country reported 21 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in last 24 hours, pushing the total number of infections to 444 since the country’s outbreak began.
However, due to a lack of some testing materials in Herat, no suspected patients tested for Covid-19 in Afghanistan’s worst-affected area in last 24 hours, a health ministry spokesman said, adding that materials were transferred to Herat this morning. As of yesterday the number confirmed cases in the was 257, including 41 health workers.
The health minister warned that the virus would spread more if people did not comply with the recommended health measures.
“If we do not take this seriously, we will be harmed more than other countries” said Ferozuddin Feroz.
Asking the Taliban to declare a immediate ceasefire, Feroz, the minister of public health, told the paramilitary group that the coronavirus doesn’t know “friend or enemy, so let’s work together and fight against the virus”.
He was in Kandahar to inaugurate a Covid-19 special laboratory, where suspected cases of Covid-19 from Helmand, Uruzgan, and Zabul provinces would be tested.
Lockdown rules will be fully implemented in Kabul by use of force from Wednesday. Health workers and food suppliers, media workers, security officials and telecom services employees are exempt, the interior ministry said yesterday.
Afghanistan has recorded 15 deaths from Covid-19, while 29 patients have recovered.
Lebanon has long been a country that neither war nor crisis could defeat. But with a bankrupt economy, rampant poverty, a political class offering few solutions - and now coronavirus, the resilience of its people is being tested like never before.Lebanon has long been a country that neither war nor crisis could defeat. But with a bankrupt economy, rampant poverty, a political class offering few solutions - and now coronavirus, the resilience of its people is being tested like never before.
Before the pandemic, Lebanon was in economic freefall, unable to pay its debts, or keep a lid on spiralling prices of food and medicine, and to stop a financial meltdown that threatens bank deposits.Before the pandemic, Lebanon was in economic freefall, unable to pay its debts, or keep a lid on spiralling prices of food and medicine, and to stop a financial meltdown that threatens bank deposits.
Last November before the threat of Covid-19 materialised, the World Bank predicted that the portion of Lebanon’s population below the poverty line would rise from 30% to 50% in 2020. The lockdown imposed on 15 March has compounded an already dire situation and there are grave fears that the large numbers who have lost their incomes since – the majority of the country’s workforce – can no longer meet daily needs.Last November before the threat of Covid-19 materialised, the World Bank predicted that the portion of Lebanon’s population below the poverty line would rise from 30% to 50% in 2020. The lockdown imposed on 15 March has compounded an already dire situation and there are grave fears that the large numbers who have lost their incomes since – the majority of the country’s workforce – can no longer meet daily needs.
On Wednesday, the Lebanese government announced a relief plan to reach those already impoverished. But Human Rights Watch says the plan raises more questions than it answers.On Wednesday, the Lebanese government announced a relief plan to reach those already impoverished. But Human Rights Watch says the plan raises more questions than it answers.
“The lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19 has compounded the poverty and economic hardship rampant in Lebanon before the virus arrived,” said Lena Simet, senior researcher on poverty and inequality at the organisation. “Many people who had an income have lost it, and if the government does not step in, more than half the population may not be able to afford food and basic necessities.”“The lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19 has compounded the poverty and economic hardship rampant in Lebanon before the virus arrived,” said Lena Simet, senior researcher on poverty and inequality at the organisation. “Many people who had an income have lost it, and if the government does not step in, more than half the population may not be able to afford food and basic necessities.”
Lebanon had recorded 548 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday night. However, there are fears that political groups are hiding large numbers of people with the virus, which they are treating away from the state health system. The country has arranged flights for expatriates to return, a rescue mission it has flagged as its biggest ever.Lebanon had recorded 548 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday night. However, there are fears that political groups are hiding large numbers of people with the virus, which they are treating away from the state health system. The country has arranged flights for expatriates to return, a rescue mission it has flagged as its biggest ever.
Several passengers on an Indonesian ferry jumped into the sea and swam ashore after authorities sought to block the vessel docking due to fears of suspected coronavirus cases, as tensions rise over the spread of the disease across the archipelago.Several passengers on an Indonesian ferry jumped into the sea and swam ashore after authorities sought to block the vessel docking due to fears of suspected coronavirus cases, as tensions rise over the spread of the disease across the archipelago.
The ferry was blocked when trying to make port in Maumere in the eastern island of Flores, amid fears three crew members on board had contracted the virus, reports Reuters.The ferry was blocked when trying to make port in Maumere in the eastern island of Flores, amid fears three crew members on board had contracted the virus, reports Reuters.
Passengers flung themselves into the sea in life vests and swam ashore.Passengers flung themselves into the sea in life vests and swam ashore.
The ferry was carrying 255 passengers, mostly migrant workers returning home from Malaysia, after the neighbouring country imposed a coronavirus lockdown. As of Wednesday, Indonesia had recorded 2,956 cases of the coronavirus and 240 deaths, with many of the cases in the capital, Jakarta, though there is a growing number in other provinces.The ferry was carrying 255 passengers, mostly migrant workers returning home from Malaysia, after the neighbouring country imposed a coronavirus lockdown. As of Wednesday, Indonesia had recorded 2,956 cases of the coronavirus and 240 deaths, with many of the cases in the capital, Jakarta, though there is a growing number in other provinces.
A scientist who adapted his veterinary lab to test for disease among humans rather than salmon is being celebrated for helping the Faroe Islands avoid coronavirus deaths, where a larger proportion of the population has been tested than anywhere in the world.A scientist who adapted his veterinary lab to test for disease among humans rather than salmon is being celebrated for helping the Faroe Islands avoid coronavirus deaths, where a larger proportion of the population has been tested than anywhere in the world.
The north Atlantic archipelago currently has only one person in hospital with Covid-19 and it is one of five European countries, along with Latvia, Georgia, Malta and Liechtenstein to so far not have any deaths from the virus.The north Atlantic archipelago currently has only one person in hospital with Covid-19 and it is one of five European countries, along with Latvia, Georgia, Malta and Liechtenstein to so far not have any deaths from the virus.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 969 to 20,549 as of Wednesday, health authorities said, with 147 new deaths.The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 969 to 20,549 as of Wednesday, health authorities said, with 147 new deaths.
Reuters reports the country’s total death toll from the disease is now 2,248, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in a daily update.Reuters reports the country’s total death toll from the disease is now 2,248, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in a daily update.
Good afternoon. I’m Gregory Robinson, taking over the live blog for the next hour. If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter to share insight or send tips, I’m on @Gregoryjourno or send me an email at gregory.robinson@guardian.co.ukGood afternoon. I’m Gregory Robinson, taking over the live blog for the next hour. If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter to share insight or send tips, I’m on @Gregoryjourno or send me an email at gregory.robinson@guardian.co.uk
Amid reports that life in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus outbreak began in December, is returning to normal, a reader has written to give his experience of the easing of the lockdown.
Although many westerners left China at the beginning of the crisis, Mark Gaynor, who says he has lived in Wuhan for seven years, was in the city throughout the crisis. What has been widely reported as the end of Wuhan’s lockdown is somewhat different from his lived experience, he writes:
Iran has reported 121 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing its overall number of fatalities to 3,993, AFP reports.
In the past 24 hours, 1,997 new cases of Covid-19 infection were detected in Iran, state news agency Irna quoted health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour as saying. That put the number of confirmed cases at 64,586, he added.
Iran, which announced its first Covid-19 cases on February 19, is by far the worst hit by the pandemic in the Middle East, according to official tolls. But there has been speculation abroad that the real number of deaths and infections in the country could be higher.
Jahanpour said that while 3,956 patients were in critical condition, those who recovered had reached 29,812.
In a bid to halt the spread of the pandemic, Iran ordered the closure of non-essential businesses and imposed inter-city travel bans, while refraining from a lockdown.
Health authorities in Ukraine have reported 206 new laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus, and seven new deaths.
The total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus since the outbreak began in the east European country now stands at 1,668, according to the latest data from the Ukrainian government.
Ukraine remains under strict lockdown measures, including bans on public gatherings of more than ten people, the closure of cafes, restaurants, gyms, museums and galleries, and tight restrictions on public transport.
The government has moved to reassure residents, saying on its information page: “The disease caused by the novel coronavirus, cannot be called ‘lethal’ as the lethality is 4-9%.”
On Tuesday, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Osnat Lubrani, warned that the civil conflict there was still a major concern, as fighting continued and civilian casualties mount amid the Covid-19 outbreak. In a statement she said:
Pope Francis has admitted to moments of selfishness while living in lockdown at the Vatican, and has saluted people on the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus, including doctors and shop workers, as “the saints who live next door”, writes Harriet Sherwood.
With characteristic frankness, the pope said he struggled with “self-preoccupation” in a largely solitary existence. “Of course I have my areas of selfishness. On Tuesdays, my confessor comes, and I take care of things there,” he said in an interview published in the Catholic weekly the Tablet. He added:
Health authorities in Nigeria reported 16 new cases in the country in a statement last night, with the majority in Lagos, the country’s economic centre.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control there have now been 254 confirmed cases of Covid-19 detected in the country, of whom six have died and 44 have recovered.
A government minister in South Africa has been placed on special leave after she was seen violating the country’s coronavirus lockdown by visiting a friend’s house for lunch.
Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, the country’s communications and digital technologies minister, appeared in a picture posted on Instagram on Sunday with five other people at at the home of a former deputy minister earlier that day.
It came after the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, had ordered a three-week national lockdown to try to brake the virus, which has infected 1,749 people, killing 13 of them, according to an official tally.
“President Ramaphosa has placed the minister on special leave for two months,” Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement. The president has “accepted the minister’s apology for the violation but was unmoved by mitigating factors she tendered”, it said. Ramaphosa was quoted as saying:
The German economy is expected to shrink by nearly 10% in the second quarter as a result of the economic impact of lockdown conditions to stem the spread of coronavirus, according to research institutes in the country.
“The corona pandemic will trigger a serious recession in Germany,” the six thinktanks, including Ifo, DIW and RWI, said in their annual spring report, according to AFP.
Gross domestic product is likely to have contracted by 1.9% in the first three months of 2020, and is set to shrink by a 9.8% year-on-year in the second quarter, with normal economic life still essentially frozen by widespread shutdowns.
The second-quarter plunge is twice as big as seen during the 2008-09 financial crisis and marks the steepest fall since the institutes’ records began in 1970, the report noted.
Spain has reported 757 deaths in the past 24 hours, a slight increase from the 743 deaths reported one day earlier, writes Ashifa Kassam in Madrid.
The virus has now claimed 14,555 lives in the country, while another 146,690 have tested positive, according to the health ministry.
This week has seen the daily death toll grow by 5% compared with around 9% one week earlier, the country’s health minister said on Wednesday. “We have reached the peak of the curve and we are in a slowdown phase,” Salvador Illa told parliament.
The latest figures come amid speculation that the actual number of Covid-19 deaths in Spain is much higher than official figures.
Recently released data from judicial authorities in Madrid, for example, suggest that 6,600 more people than usual died in the last two weeks of March, compared with the official tally of 3,500 Covid-19 deaths in the region.
When pressed, the health minister argued that Spain’s criteria ranks among the most stringent in Europe. “Everyone who tests positive and dies is counted as having died due to the coronavirus,” Illa told reporters.
His explanation suggests that those who have died in elderly care homes and private residences – the vast majority of whom were not tested for the virus – are not included in the data.
Spain’s justice ministry has responded by requesting judicial authorities to urgently send all records of burials and cremations that have taken place since emergency measures were imposed in mid-March, according to broadcaster Cadena Ser.
The confusion over the official figures comes as the Spanish government seeks to gauge the spread of the virus across the country. In the coming days, the health ministry said it would begin mass testing on more than 62,000 randomly chosen people.
After hard-hit regions such as Madrid and Catalonia instructed people with mild symptoms to self-isolate rather than seek testing, health officials in Spain have estimated that as many 90% of the country’s cases may have gone undetected.
More than 17,000 people in Australia have joined a movement to stage a rent and mortgage payment strike, as many people in the country face running out of money as they are forced to self-isolate.
With the global lockdown hammering vital sectors including hospitality and tourism, many workers face destitution from lost jobs or slashed hours, or from running out of limited sick pay entitlements if they are forced to take time off work.
A campaign to raise awareness of the strike, created by the local chapter of the Industrial Workers of the World union, is running on the Megaphone website - with 17,115 signatories so far.
It comes as calls for rent strikes are growing across the world, including in the US, where renters in California are calling for collective action, and in the UK, where groups of students at two universities, Bristol and SOAS, have already begun withholding rent.
In a statement on Megaphone, the Australian campaign organisers say:
Here’s a roundup of some of the most important developments over the last few hours:
The World Health Organization has said it is “deeply concerned” over the development of Covid-19 in Europe. Regional director Dr Hans Henri P Kluge said the continent accounted for about half of confirmed cases globally and warned governments against relaxing lockdown measures.
Mumbai is to extend its lockdown until at least 30 April. The city, which has a population of more than 20 million, has become the centre of the country’s coronavirus outbreak. Other parts of India are scheduled to lift restrictions on Tuesday.
Singapore has announced plans to boost food production amid concerns over shortages. As part of the plans, the city-state, which produces only 10% of its food needs, will turn carpark rooftops into urban farms.
Italy has closed its ports to migrant ships because of the pandemic. The decision, made by the government late last night, means charity migrant boats can no longer dock.
Concerns are mounting over the spread of the virus in Greek refugee camps. The government has said new asylum requests will not be examined during the crisis, leaving thousands trapped in camps. A total of 1,832 cases have been confirmed in the country.
The UK is “nowhere near lifting the lockdown”, according to the London mayor. Sadiq Khan made the comments as the prime minister, Boris Johnson, remained in intensive care with symptoms of the virus.
That’s it from me, Amy Walker, for today. I’ll be handing over to my colleague Damien Gayle.