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Coronavirus live news: South Korea records no new domestic cases for first time since February Coronavirus live news: South Korea records no new domestic cases for first time since February
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Trump claims China wants to block his re-election; 100 cases of unusual illness among children in at least six countries; UK deaths top Spain and FranceTrump claims China wants to block his re-election; 100 cases of unusual illness among children in at least six countries; UK deaths top Spain and France
The chief executive of British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said it will know by June or July whether a coronavirus vaccine it is working on with the University of Oxford will be effective or not.
CEO Pascal Soriot told the BBC on Thursday:
Yemen has recorded its first two coronavirus deaths, the health minister said late on Wednesday, after the war-torn country confirmed five new cases, stoking fears of a major outbreak.
Yemen’s healthcare system has been blighted by years of war that have driven millions from their homes and plunged the country into what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
On Wednesday, Yemen recorded five new cases of Covid-19 in its second city, Aden, the committee monitoring the outbreak said on Twitter.
The country has been largely spared from the effects of the pandemic, with a total of six cases recorded so far - the first in April in the government-controlled southeastern province of Hadramawt.
“There was an announcement of five cases of coronavirus today - of those infections there were two deaths,” the health minister, Nasser Baoum, told Yemen TV.
“We conducted the tests twice, and they were positive,” he said. “Therefore, there is no doubt under these worldwide circumstances that we have to announce they were cases of coronavirus until proven otherwise.”
The deaths come after aid organisations warned any coronavirus outbreak could have dire consequences after six years of civil war.
The conflict between government forces and Shiite rebels escalated in March 2015, when a Saudi-led military coalition intervened against the rebels after they overran much of the country.
The war has left tens of thousands of people dead, most of them civilians, and the UN says around 24 million Yemenis - more than two thirds of the population - rely on some form of aid.
Russia reported 7,099 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, a record daily rise, bringing its nationwide tally to 106,498.
The official nationwide death toll rose to 1,073 after 101 people with the virus died in the last 24 hours, Russia’s coronavirus crisis response centre said.
The German chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff said on Thursday that social distancing measures in Europe’s largest economy would “certainly” be extended until 10 May for the time being.
Helge Braun told broadcaster n-tv a larger discussion about further steps to ease the lockdown would happen on 6 May.
Some shops have already reopened.
Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, is likely to extend a nationwide state of emergency imposed over the coronavirus, possibly by another month, local media reported on Thursday.
The measure was initially declared on 7 April across seven regions experiencing a spike in infections, but was later expanded to cover the entire country.
With the initial month-long period coming to an end next week after the country’s annual Golden Week holidays, local media reported that Abe was now expected to extend the measure, either until the end of May or for another full month until 6 June.
In parliament on Thursday, Abe said the country’s healthcare system continues to face an “extremely tough situation”.
He told lawmakers on Wednesday that “even now, we are seeing new infections,” adding: “Can we say on May 6 the state of emergency is over? I think severe situations are continuing.”
Local media, including the Nikkei newspaper, reported the government would convene a panel of experts on Friday to discuss the virus and the state of emergency, adding that the experts had already informally backed a move to extend the measures.
It was not yet clear when any extension would be announced, but Abe has said he will not wait until the last minute, to allow business and institutions including schools time to prepare accordingly.
The declaration has limited effect compared to measures seen in some parts of Europe and elsewhere. It allows governors to call on people to stay home and urge businesses to close, but there are no punishments for those who fail to comply.
The Italian central government is set to present an injunction, ANSA news agency reports, after authorities in the southern region of Calabria gave the all clear for bars and restaurants with outside tables to reopen, sources said on Thursday after a cabinet meeting.
The move is at odds with a central government decree to gradually relax the coronavirus lockdown, which states that bars and restaurants should not reopen until June, except for takeaway services.
It also clashes with a previous decree that keeps the current lockdown measures in force until Monday.
Regions with centre-right governors are pressing to have more autonomy in deciding how to scale down the lockdown.
But the regional affairs minister, Francesco Boccia, said on Wednesday that regional governments must move in step with the central government in Rome on easing lockdown measures or they will be cited for not complying. He said:
Singapore confirmed 528 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, its Health Ministry said, taking the city-state’s total cases to 16,169.Singapore confirmed 528 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, its Health Ministry said, taking the city-state’s total cases to 16,169.
AstraZeneca will make and distribute globally the University of Oxford’s potential Covid-19 vaccine, the British drugmaker said on Thursday.AstraZeneca will make and distribute globally the University of Oxford’s potential Covid-19 vaccine, the British drugmaker said on Thursday.
The Cambridge-based company did not give details on when it will start producing the vaccine.The Cambridge-based company did not give details on when it will start producing the vaccine.
While there are more than 70 vaccines in development for the coronavirus, industry experts say they expect development of a successful vaccine to take at least 12-18 months, compared with the average vaccine development time of 5-7 years.While there are more than 70 vaccines in development for the coronavirus, industry experts say they expect development of a successful vaccine to take at least 12-18 months, compared with the average vaccine development time of 5-7 years.
Chief Executive, Pascal Soriot, said in a statement:Chief Executive, Pascal Soriot, said in a statement:
The Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group have been working on a vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and said earlier this month large-scale production capacity was being put in place to make millions of doses even before trials show whether it is effective.The Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group have been working on a vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and said earlier this month large-scale production capacity was being put in place to make millions of doses even before trials show whether it is effective.
The team last week dosed the first volunteers in a trial of the vaccine, with possible early readouts in May.The team last week dosed the first volunteers in a trial of the vaccine, with possible early readouts in May.
Potentially some positive news for the job market in all the gloom.Potentially some positive news for the job market in all the gloom.
Finance, technology and consumer goods firms are hiring tens of thousands in the United States and other countries, according to data from professional networking site LinkedIn.Finance, technology and consumer goods firms are hiring tens of thousands in the United States and other countries, according to data from professional networking site LinkedIn.
Across seven countries in North America, Europe and Asia, healthcare providers are among the busiest recruiters given the ongoing battle against Covid-19, LinkedIn said.Across seven countries in North America, Europe and Asia, healthcare providers are among the busiest recruiters given the ongoing battle against Covid-19, LinkedIn said.
But lifestyle changes during lockdown are also driving demand for financial consultants, factory workers, animators and game designers, and delivery workers.But lifestyle changes during lockdown are also driving demand for financial consultants, factory workers, animators and game designers, and delivery workers.
Overall, the hiring rate has plunged in the first quarter from the year-ago period, and in late April remains lower than a year ago across most countries surveyed by the platform.Overall, the hiring rate has plunged in the first quarter from the year-ago period, and in late April remains lower than a year ago across most countries surveyed by the platform.
But the data offers a glimmer of hope, with a gradual uptick in China where the coronavirus emerged last year and which leads the world in surfacing from a months-long lockdown.But the data offers a glimmer of hope, with a gradual uptick in China where the coronavirus emerged last year and which leads the world in surfacing from a months-long lockdown.
LinkedIn, with over 690 million users worldwide, counts new hires when people add a new employer to their profile.LinkedIn, with over 690 million users worldwide, counts new hires when people add a new employer to their profile.
The rate is the number of new hires divided by the total number of LinkedIn members in a country.The rate is the number of new hires divided by the total number of LinkedIn members in a country.
The figures, tracked since mid-February, are not corroborated by official jobs data and do not represent the actual number of jobs in an economy. Government figures are usually released with a time-lag of several weeks.The figures, tracked since mid-February, are not corroborated by official jobs data and do not represent the actual number of jobs in an economy. Government figures are usually released with a time-lag of several weeks.
Guy Berger, principal economist at LinkedIn in California, told Reuters:Guy Berger, principal economist at LinkedIn in California, told Reuters:
According to the data, hiring in China plummeted 50% during the height of its coronavirus crisis in mid-February from 12 months earlier. According to the data, hiring in China plummeted 50% during the height of its coronavirus crisis in mid-February, compared with 12 months earlier.
Since restrictions were eased in early April, the hiring rate has inched up, and for the week ending 24 April was 3% lower than the same period in 2019.Since restrictions were eased in early April, the hiring rate has inched up, and for the week ending 24 April was 3% lower than the same period in 2019.
Hiring in the US, UK, France and Italy - which lead the world in coronavirus-related deaths - remains hugely depressed, but is falling less rapidly than a few weeks ago as the countries pass the peak of their epidemics, LinkedIn said. Hiring in the US, UK, France and Italy – which lead the world in coronavirus-related deaths – remains hugely depressed, but is falling less rapidly than a few weeks ago as the countries pass the peak of their epidemics, LinkedIn said.
On Sunday Thailand will start reopening some businesses, such as outdoor markets, barber shops and pet groomers, after the number of new coronavirus infections dropped into single digits this week, a government spokesman said.On Sunday Thailand will start reopening some businesses, such as outdoor markets, barber shops and pet groomers, after the number of new coronavirus infections dropped into single digits this week, a government spokesman said.
The Southeast Asian nation reported seven new infections but no deaths on Thursday, taking its tally since the outbreak began in January to 2,954 cases, with the death toll staying at 54. The south-east Asian nation reported seven new infections but no deaths on Thursday, taking its tally since the outbreak began in January to 2,954 cases, with the death toll staying at 54.
Even after Sunday’s reopening, a nighttime curfew and ban on sales of alcohol will stay until the end of May unless otherwise specified, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Even after Sunday’s reopening, a nighttime curfew and ban on sales of alcohol will stay until the end of May unless otherwise specified, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin of the government’s centre for Covid-19 situation administration.
Among the six categories set to reopen are small retailers, street food stalls and restaurants outside shopping malls, and parks and outdoor sports facilities, he told a news conference.Among the six categories set to reopen are small retailers, street food stalls and restaurants outside shopping malls, and parks and outdoor sports facilities, he told a news conference.
But department stores, movie theatres, gyms and spas, as well as most indoor sports venues, will stay closed to ensure there are no large gatherings.But department stores, movie theatres, gyms and spas, as well as most indoor sports venues, will stay closed to ensure there are no large gatherings.
Thailand this week extended an emergency decree until the end of May, effectively prolonging some measures already in place.Thailand this week extended an emergency decree until the end of May, effectively prolonging some measures already in place.
These include a ban on incoming international passenger flights, Taweesin said, as well as the alcohol ban ordered on 10 April.These include a ban on incoming international passenger flights, Taweesin said, as well as the alcohol ban ordered on 10 April.
“Unless changes are announced, alcohol sales will not happen at this time,” Taweesin said.“Unless changes are announced, alcohol sales will not happen at this time,” Taweesin said.
Now it will watch the situation for the next 14 days to decide whether to free up more businesses or clamp down again to contain the virus. Taweesin said:Now it will watch the situation for the next 14 days to decide whether to free up more businesses or clamp down again to contain the virus. Taweesin said:
The holiest month on the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is usually a time when Muslims come together for prayer and to share food after fasting from dawn to dusk.The holiest month on the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is usually a time when Muslims come together for prayer and to share food after fasting from dawn to dusk.
But in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, many Muslims are confined to their homes, unable to travel, and public venues, including many mosques, are shut.But in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, many Muslims are confined to their homes, unable to travel, and public venues, including many mosques, are shut.
Britain could miss its target of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April, the justice minister, Robert Buckland, said on Thursday.Britain could miss its target of carrying out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April, the justice minister, Robert Buckland, said on Thursday.
Some 52,429 tests were carried out on Wednesday, according to the latest figures, putting Britain on course to miss the target set by the health minister.Some 52,429 tests were carried out on Wednesday, according to the latest figures, putting Britain on course to miss the target set by the health minister.
“Even if it isn’t met, we are well on our way to ramping this up,” Buckland told the BBC.“Even if it isn’t met, we are well on our way to ramping this up,” Buckland told the BBC.
Ukraine now has 10,406 confirmed coronavirus cases and 261 deaths, the health minister, Maksym Stepanov, told a briefing on Thursday.Ukraine now has 10,406 confirmed coronavirus cases and 261 deaths, the health minister, Maksym Stepanov, told a briefing on Thursday.
The government has put lockdown measures in place until 11 May and has said it expects the pandemic to peak in Ukraine early next month.The government has put lockdown measures in place until 11 May and has said it expects the pandemic to peak in Ukraine early next month.
The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has angered many in Brazil after he responded to questions about the country’s death toll from Covid-19 by saying: “So what?”. The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has angered many in Brazil after he responded to questions about the country’s death toll from Covid-19 by saying: “So what?”
This week, Brazil’s coronavirus death toll topped 5,000 and there are nearly 80,000 confirmed cases reported.This week, Brazil’s coronavirus death toll topped 5,000 and there are nearly 80,000 confirmed cases reported.
The president said:The president said:
It’s Jessica Murray here, I’ll be leading the live blog covering coronavirus developments across the globe (mainly outside the UK) for the next few hours.
As usual, feel free to get in touch with your questions and personal experiences via jessica.murray@theguardian.com or @journojess_ on Twitter, and I’ll do my best to respond to as many messages as I can.
In California, governor Gavin Newsom is likely to announce on Thursday the closure of the state’s beaches and parks after crowds jammed beaches last weekend, according to a memo cited by local media.
The memo was sent by the governor’s office to California’s police chiefs, local media reported.
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment late on Wednesday.
According to the memo, posted by the FOX 11 Los Angeles channel:
Olive and Mabel are back (phew!), this time competing for “who can disgrace themselves more on a walk”:
That’s it from me, Helen Sullivan for today. My colleague Jessica Murray will be with you on the blog for the next few hours.
Meanwhile, I have spilled the beans on how I broke my foot – while blogging – two weeks ago:
My colleague Graeme Wearden has fired up our business liveblog, where he reports that France has plunged into recession, as the Covid-19 lockdown batters its economy.
Data just released shows that French GDP contracted by 5.8% in the first three months of 2020, a very sharp decline in activity.
That’s the worst contraction since the second war, and follows a 0.1% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2019 - meaning the eurozone’s second-largest economy is now officially in recession.
Follow the coverage of the world economy, the financial markets, the eurozone and business below:
The official global death toll passes 225,000. At least 227,644 people have lost their lives in the coronavirus pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University data. More than 3,193,961 confirmed infection shave been recorded worldwide.
South Korea reports no new domestic cases for first time since 29 February. South Korea reported on Thursday no new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time since its 29 February peak, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Trump says China wants him to lose 2020 election. US president Donald Trump said that coronavirus has “upset very badly” the US trade deal with China, and that China “will do anything they can to have me lose in 2020” in an interview with Reuters. Trump does not see the 2020 election as being a referendum on his handling of the pandemic, he said.
China’s Forbidden City will reopen on Friday. Three months after it closed due to the coronavirus crisis, Beijing’s sprawling Forbidden City will reopen, in the latest signal that the country has brought the disease under control. The imperial palace sitting across Tiananmen Square was shut down on 25 January as authorities closed tourist attractions and took other extraordinary measures to contain the virus, including locking down an entire province.
Japan expected to extend state of emergency by a month. Japan’s government is expected to extend a nationwide state of emergency for another month, after the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, described the coronavirus outbreak as “severe”.
US drug trial shows ‘clear cut’ effect, says top medic. While a Chinese trial demonstrated no “significant clinical benefits” to administering the antiviral drug remdesivir to Covid-19 patients, a separate trial in the US shows a “clear-cut” effect, according to the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci.
Police called after New York funeral home stores bodies in trucks. Police were called to a Brooklyn neighbourhood Wednesday after a funeral home overwhelmed by the coronavirus resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks, and a passerby complained about the smell, officials said.
More cases of rare syndrome in children. Doctors around the world have reported more cases of a rare but potentially lethal inflammatory syndrome in children that appears to be linked to coronavirus infections. Nearly 100 cases of the unusual illness have emerged in at least six countries, with doctors in Britain, the US, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland now reported to be investigating the condition.
South Africa’s virus cases jump past 5,000 after highest daily rise. The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa surged past the 5,000 mark on Thursday after it saw the largest single-day jump to date, health ministry figures showed. A total of 354 new cases were confirmed on Thursday, bringing the overall total to 5,350, and the number of fatalities spiked by 10 to 103.
Why we seem to be dreaming much more – and often of insects
From going to bed too late thanks to endless scrolling through theories about the pandemic, to waking up in the night worrying, it is safe to say that Covid-19 is wreaking havoc with our sleep. A major survey conducted by King’s College London with Ipsos Mori showed that two in five people in the UK have reported sleep disturbance. Prof Bobby Duffy, the research lead and director of the Policy Institute at King’s, says: “There is a clear relationship between increased stress and impact on sleep; 53% of those who said they found the crisis stressful reported sleep difficulties.” But many people around the world are also experiencing a new phenomenon: pandemic dreams:
Several researchers are collecting dream data during the pandemic, including Dr Deirdre Barrett, a clinical and evolutionary psychologist at Harvard Medical School.
Some dreams she has collected during the current pandemic are literal – “people are having trouble breathing or spiking a fever” – but many are abstract. After all, we know coronavirus is there, but we can’t see it. “There are earthquakes, tidal waves and tornadoes; every kind of uncontrollable disaster. But the biggest dream cluster is bugs; flying bugs attacking the dreamer, cockroaches swarming, masses of squirming worms.”
The Dutch are gambling on an ‘intelligent lockdown’ to beat coronavirus, AFP reports. Shops are open and families cycle along in the sunny spring weather in the Netherlands, which has opted for what it calls an “intelligent lockdown” to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
In contrast to most other European countries, where people are virtually housebound, the Dutch authorities have merely advised people to stay home and to keep 1.5 metres (five feet) of social distance.
While restaurants, bars, museums and its infamous sex clubs remain shut, and the famed cannabis ‘coffee shops’ are open for takeaway only, the outdoors-loving Dutch are otherwise allowed to leave home when they want. Schools meanwhile start to reopen from 11 May.
The Netherlands has the 14th-highest number of confirmed infections worldwide, with 38,998, and 4,727 people have lost their lives in the country so far.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte - who came up with the phrase “intelligent lockdown” - has been clear on the policy. “We don’t work like that in the Netherlands, where the government says ‘you have to do this, you have to do that,” Rutte told a press conference at the end of March.
The authorities have admonished the public when the country’s beaches have become too crowded, but while police have closed car parks to stop crowds flocking there at the weekends, they remain open.
The Dutch position - very similar to Sweden’s - also reflects a wider philosophical split in both Europe and the world on how to balance the need to curb the disease against the catastrophic economic damage caused by harsh lockdowns.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has donated a $100,000 prize she won from a Danish foundation to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for use against the COVID-19 pandemic, the world body said Thursday.
“Like the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic is a child rights crisis,” Thunberg, 17, was quoted as saying in the UNICEF statement.
“It will affect all children, now and in the long term, but vulnerable groups will be impacted the most,” she added.
“I’m asking everyone to step up and join me in support of UNICEF’s vital work to save children’s lives, to protect health and continue education.”
The Danish anti-poverty non-governmental organisation, Human Act, will match the $100,000 donation, the statement added.
UNICEF said the funds would give it a boost as it struggles to support children impacted by anti-virus lockdowns and school closures, particularly in the fields of “food shortages, strained health care systems, violence and lost education.”
Thunberg said at the end of March that she had “likely” contracted the coronavirus, after experiencing several symptoms after a trip to central Europe.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s front pages in the UK on Thursday, 30 April:
Get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan.