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Coronavirus live news: new Melbourne lockdown to begin shortly; Iran death toll exceeds 12,000 Coronavirus live news: new Melbourne lockdown to begin shortly; Iran death toll exceeds 12,000
(30 minutes later)
Melbourne to go into full lockdown again; Bolsonaro taking hydroxychloroquine to cure his Covid-19 infectionMelbourne to go into full lockdown again; Bolsonaro taking hydroxychloroquine to cure his Covid-19 infection
Armenia’s defence minister, Gabriel Balayan, is among a further 535 people in the country who have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing its total caseload to 29,820, according to Xinhua, China’s official news agency.
In its latest update, the national centre for disease control and prevention said that 18 people had died from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 521. The number of recoveries so far in the country is 17,427, with a further 520 patients listed as having shaken off the virus.
Austria’s government has announced travel restrictions for fellow EU members Romania and Bulgaria after a spike in the number of coronavirus cases in both countries, AFP reports:
Hello, this is Damien Gayle taking over the blog for a little while, while Haroon takes a break. If you have any comments, tips or suggestions drop me a line at damien.gayle@theguardian.com or via Twitter to @damiengayle.
The number of coronavirus recoveries has exceeded 20,000 in Afghanistan as the health ministry reported a further 17 deaths and 210 new cases, while three new polio cases were reported in Helmand and Kandahar, amid raging war across the country.The health ministry has detected the new Covid-19 infections from 591 tests, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 33,594. The number of deaths stands at 937. The war-torn country, which has admitted it has a lack of testing capacity, has tested 77,510 suspected patients since the outbreak began. The number of recovered patients has reached 20,700.The country’s health ministry has said that Afghanistan has reached the peak of coronavirus as daily infections are dropping in recent days. The ministry has said several times said it has the capacity to carry out 2,000 tests a day but has never reached that mark.Two new Polio cases were reported in Helmand and one in Kandahar on Tuesday. The country’s health ministry has raised concerns about new Polio cases as vaccination campaigns paused due to the coronavirus pandemic for the last three months. The health ministry has detected 26 new Polio cases in the first six months of this year, compared with 13 in the same period of last year and 29 cases in the whole of 2019.
Italy is lobbying the EU to introduce precautionary measures for passengers travelling to European Union countries from outside the bloc to contain the spread of Covid-19, Reuters reports.Italy is lobbying the EU to introduce precautionary measures for passengers travelling to European Union countries from outside the bloc to contain the spread of Covid-19, Reuters reports.
Italy has suspended all flights from Bangladesh for one week due to a “significant number” of passengers who arrived on a flight to Rome on Monday testing positive for the virus.Italy has suspended all flights from Bangladesh for one week due to a “significant number” of passengers who arrived on a flight to Rome on Monday testing positive for the virus.
In a letter addressed to the EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, and his German counterpart, Jens Spahn, Italy’s health minister, Roberto Speranza, said:In a letter addressed to the EU health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, and his German counterpart, Jens Spahn, Italy’s health minister, Roberto Speranza, said:
Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrew is reintroducing restrictions across the city after a record high of 191 cases were recorded on Tuesday.Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrew is reintroducing restrictions across the city after a record high of 191 cases were recorded on Tuesday.
The lockdown begins at 11.59pm local time on Wednesday and will last for six weeks.The lockdown begins at 11.59pm local time on Wednesday and will last for six weeks.
As during the previous stage three lockdown, the four reasons to leave the house are: shopping for food and essential items, care and caregiving, daily exercise, work and study. But if you can work or study from home, you must.As during the previous stage three lockdown, the four reasons to leave the house are: shopping for food and essential items, care and caregiving, daily exercise, work and study. But if you can work or study from home, you must.
For all you need to know about the new lockdown, read my colleague Luke Henriques-Gomes’s guide:For all you need to know about the new lockdown, read my colleague Luke Henriques-Gomes’s guide:
The European commission has struck deals with drugmakers Roche and Merck KGaA to secure supplies of experimental treatments for Covid-19, Reuters reports, citing a Commission source:The European commission has struck deals with drugmakers Roche and Merck KGaA to secure supplies of experimental treatments for Covid-19, Reuters reports, citing a Commission source:
In England, the hospital serving the constituency of the prime minister, Boris Johnson, has closed to emergency admissions due to a coronavirus outbreak.In England, the hospital serving the constituency of the prime minister, Boris Johnson, has closed to emergency admissions due to a coronavirus outbreak.
Seventy staff members are isolating after the outbreak at Hillingdon hospital.Seventy staff members are isolating after the outbreak at Hillingdon hospital.
A spokesman for Hillingdon hospitals NHS foundation trust said:A spokesman for Hillingdon hospitals NHS foundation trust said:
In April, a healthcare worker at the hospital quit her job after she was refused permission to wear a protective face maskIn April, a healthcare worker at the hospital quit her job after she was refused permission to wear a protective face mask
Tracy Brennan chastised her superiors at Hillingdon hospitals NHS foundation trust for forbidding her from wearing a surgical mask she had bought to protect herself – and the patients she was caring for – from contracting the deadly virus.Tracy Brennan chastised her superiors at Hillingdon hospitals NHS foundation trust for forbidding her from wearing a surgical mask she had bought to protect herself – and the patients she was caring for – from contracting the deadly virus.
Iran’s coronavirus death toll exceeded 12,000 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, with 153 deaths in the past 24 hours, amid a sharp rise in the number of daily infections and deaths in the past week as lockdown measures have eased, Reuters reports.Iran’s coronavirus death toll exceeded 12,000 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, with 153 deaths in the past 24 hours, amid a sharp rise in the number of daily infections and deaths in the past week as lockdown measures have eased, Reuters reports.
The total number of infections has reached 248,379, with 209,463 people having recovered, ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in a statement on state TV.The total number of infections has reached 248,379, with 209,463 people having recovered, ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in a statement on state TV.
Iran recorded 200 deaths from Covid-19 within a 24-hour period on Tuesday, the highest official figure recorded by the ministry.Iran recorded 200 deaths from Covid-19 within a 24-hour period on Tuesday, the highest official figure recorded by the ministry.
President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday launched new measures to try to curb the spread. Iranians who do not wear masks will be denied state services and workplaces that fail to comply with health protocols will be shut for a week, he said.President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday launched new measures to try to curb the spread. Iranians who do not wear masks will be denied state services and workplaces that fail to comply with health protocols will be shut for a week, he said.
State TV has regularly aired interviews in recent days with reporters questioning people on public transport and in shopping malls why they were not wearing masks. Some said they did not feel a sense of urgency, others said the masks were uncomfortable.State TV has regularly aired interviews in recent days with reporters questioning people on public transport and in shopping malls why they were not wearing masks. Some said they did not feel a sense of urgency, others said the masks were uncomfortable.
More than 860,000 people have downloaded Ireland’s new Covid-19 tracker app since it went live yesterday, RTE reports.More than 860,000 people have downloaded Ireland’s new Covid-19 tracker app since it went live yesterday, RTE reports.
Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said:Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said:
Ireland has so far had 1,742 Covid-19-related deaths and 25,538 confirmed cases. It’s latest figures, published on Tuesday, showed 24 new cases and one more death.Ireland has so far had 1,742 Covid-19-related deaths and 25,538 confirmed cases. It’s latest figures, published on Tuesday, showed 24 new cases and one more death.
A report by the Independent Sage (scientific advisory group for emergencies), published on Tuesday, said Ireland, along with Northern Ireland and Scotland, has the virus under control and are well placed to achieve elimination of the virus”.A report by the Independent Sage (scientific advisory group for emergencies), published on Tuesday, said Ireland, along with Northern Ireland and Scotland, has the virus under control and are well placed to achieve elimination of the virus”.
Hello, this is Haroon Siddique taking over the blog.Hello, this is Haroon Siddique taking over the blog.
If you want to get in touch, you can do so via the following channels:If you want to get in touch, you can do so via the following channels:
Twitter: Haroon_SiddiqueTwitter: Haroon_Siddique
Email: haroon[dot]siddique[at]theguardian[dot]comEmail: haroon[dot]siddique[at]theguardian[dot]com
That’s all from me Caroline Davies . Thank you for your time.That’s all from me Caroline Davies . Thank you for your time.
On the issue of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine, see 8.57am post, a reader has pointed to research by the Detroit-based Henry Ford System , which offers another view.On the issue of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine, see 8.57am post, a reader has pointed to research by the Detroit-based Henry Ford System , which offers another view.
The Netherlands shut its borders to people from Serbia and Montenegro again today, a week after opening them, citing a rapid rise in coronavirus infections in both countries.
Travellers from Serbia and Montenegro regained access to the Netherlands on 1 July when the Dutch, following European Union guidelines, reopened their borders to a list of 14 countries outside the bloc.
But the government said a rise in coronavirus infections in Serbia and Montenegro had forced it to take those countries off the list again, and that Dutch travellers should only visit them if absolutely necessary.
Serbia declared a lockdown in Belgrade over the coming weekend due to the Covid-19 surge, sparking overnight rioting in the capital in which dozens were injured.
Earlier on Wednesday, Austria issued travel warnings for Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova because of the worsening coronavirus situation there, Reuters reports.
Israel is confronting a resurgence of coronavirus by putting a West Bank settlement into lockdown, while its controversial tracking system comes under fire for reportedly putting thousands into quarantine unnecessarily.
Israel was praised for quickly tackling the pandemic when it emerged earlier this year, imposing strict stay-home orders, but there has been a spike in infections following the easing of restrictions.
More than 1,300 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Israeli over the past day, while there have been 343 deaths in total.
The increase prompted Israel to last month reimpose the tracking system administered by its domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, but its accuracy in ordering people to self-isolate is now being questioned.
Israelis found no way of appealing against messages saying they had come into contact with someone with coronavirus, when they had not actually been in the same place, Haaretz newspaper reported.
A Shin Bet spokesperson did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request to comment on the apparent failings, which are expected to be discussed between security and government officials later on Wednesday.
The Israeli government has started reimposing measures, such as shutting gyms and bars, and on Wednesday made the settlement of Beitar Illit a “restricted zone” for a week over an outbreak of the virus there.
The move shutters businesses and limits access to the town, home to around 60,000 people, a decision the mayor said was made without him being consulted.
“I simply don’t understand where sanity has disappeared to,” the mayor, Meir Rubinstein, told Army Radio.
Rather than cut off the settlement, a measure that has also been imposed on other Israeli towns and neighbourhoods, the mayor wants coronavirus patients to be quarantined in hotels as authorities have done in the past.
Settlements are home to 450,000 Israelis and are viewed as illegal under international law. More than 3 million Palestinians live in the rest of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority re-imposed a lockdown on Friday.
About 400 cases have been registered among Palestinians in the West Bank over the past day, with at least 18 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
In Serbia, protesters and police clashed violently in Belgrade on Tuesday evening amid anger over the return of strict lockdown measures to tackle coronavirus. Earlier on Tuesday, a weekend curfew was announced after a rise in Covid-19 cases in Serbia and across the western Balkans.
A group of protesters stormed the parliament in Belgrade, and police responded with teargas and a show of force. A police spokesperson said protesters threw rocks, bottles and other objects at officers and set five police vehicles on fire. Police said 23 people were detained and 43 police officers were injured. Seventeen demonstrators also sustained injuries.
On Tuesday, Serbia recorded a further 13 coronavirus deaths, its highest daily toll to date, as well as 299 newly recorded infections.
“Nobody can endure these numbers. We don’t want to kill our doctors,” said the president, Aleksandar Vučić, announcing the strict weekend curfew. He said a government body would decide whether it should apply nationwide or only to the capital.
In Spain , Catalonia’s regional authorities will today decide to make it mandatory to wear masks regardless of people’s ability to maintain a safe distance, becoming the country’s first region to do so, Catalan regional leader Quim Torra said.
Torra said the measure would come into force on Thursday, Reuters reports.
Wearing masks indoors and outdoors is mandatory in Spain if people cannot guarantee a 1.5-metre distance from one another until a cure or vaccine for the virus is found.
More than 50,000 people crossed the border into New South Wales on Wednesday, with hours-long queues forming at checkpoints in Albury-Wodonga as police and residents were hampered by delays in the online permit system.
It comes as the premier, Gladys Berejiklian, warned NSW residents living along the Murray River that they could face travel restrictions within their own state due to the “extremely high” risk of the virus spreading north from Melbourne.
The border between NSW and Victoria closed for the first time in 101 years at midnight on Tuesday, and more than 44,000 people – mostly people living along the border – have applied for and received a permit to travel.
In the morning, locals reported it took up to an hour and a half to make the 5km drive from Wodonga to Albury on the Lincoln Causeway. By Wednesday afternoon, the ABC reported that traffic was moving more quickly.
Read more here
President Trump’s decision to take the US out of the World Health Organization has been described as “really sad” by Dr David Nabarro, the global agency’s special envoy on Covid-19.
Nabarro told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme:
He added that he was sure the majority of American people “wanted to be part of the global response and will be a bit confused about why this has happened”.
“All world leaders, all world nations must work together to deal with this virus. To have the US pulling out is not what the world’s people need.”
Africa now has more than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases.
The total across the continent is now at least more than 504,000 after South Africa recorded another day of more than 10,000 confirmed cases as a new global hot spot, the Associated Press reports.
The true number of cases among Africas 1.3 billion people is unknown as its 54 countries continue to face a serious shortage of testing materials for the virus. A tremendous problem, a real crisis of access, the World Health Organization’s Africa chief, Matshidiso Moeti, said last week.
So far most testing has been concentrated in capital cities, but infections in many cases have spread beyond them.
Africas health systems are the most poorly funded and thinly staffed in the world, and already more than 2,000 health workers have been infected by the virus, according to the WHO.
This week alone, some anxious health workers in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Congo and Sierra Leone have gone on strike or demonstrated for adequate protective gear or better pay.
The African continent has just 2.2 health workers and 0.3 doctors per 1,000 people, according to the WHO.
Experts have warned that even if badly needed supplies such as ventilators are provided to African nations, another challenge is having enough trained workers to operate them.
Despite Bolsonaro saying he is confident he will swiftly recover from coronavirus thanks to treatment with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine , it has not been proven effective against Covid-19.
See more here
and here
More on how Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro downplayed Covid-19 in this video
More on “evidence emerging” of airborne Covid-19 spread in this World Health Organization video: