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Coronavirus live news: Iran's death toll exceeds 21,000; India passes 3.2m cases Coronavirus live news: Iran's death toll exceeds 21,000; India passes 3.2m cases
(30 minutes later)
Iran’s death toll from coronavirus rose by 119 to 21,020; Spread of Covid-19 appears to be slowing in hard-hit Americas; India cases top 60,000 for eighth dayIran’s death toll from coronavirus rose by 119 to 21,020; Spread of Covid-19 appears to be slowing in hard-hit Americas; India cases top 60,000 for eighth day
Sweden has withdrawn its advice against unnecessary travel to the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Romania.
Sweden earlier withdrew advice against unnecessary trips to Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Vatican and Austria.
The foreign ministry in a statement on its website extended its advice against travel to other EU and Schengen countries and Britain until 9 September, and to the rest of the world until 15 November.
Rising numbers of confirmed cases in some countries are fuelling fears of a resurgence in the spread of Covid-19.
Germany’s foreign ministry is extending its travel warning for countries outside Europe until 14 September due to continued concern about the coronavirus, a government source told Reuters on Wednesday.Germany’s foreign ministry is extending its travel warning for countries outside Europe until 14 September due to continued concern about the coronavirus, a government source told Reuters on Wednesday.
The warning had been due to expire at the end of August.The warning had been due to expire at the end of August.
Germany also wants to intensify its monitoring of returning travellers to make sure they are abiding by quarantine rules, health minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday, after data showed more than 40% of new infections were contracted overseas.Germany also wants to intensify its monitoring of returning travellers to make sure they are abiding by quarantine rules, health minister Jens Spahn said on Wednesday, after data showed more than 40% of new infections were contracted overseas.
Spahn said:Spahn said:
Iran’s death toll from coronavirus rose by 119 to 21,020, the health ministry’s spokeswoman told state TV on Wednesday, with the total number of identified cases rising to 365,606.Iran’s death toll from coronavirus rose by 119 to 21,020, the health ministry’s spokeswoman told state TV on Wednesday, with the total number of identified cases rising to 365,606.
Sima Sadat Lari said that 2,243 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours in Iran, rising from 2,213 a day earlier. Lari said:Sima Sadat Lari said that 2,243 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours in Iran, rising from 2,213 a day earlier. Lari said:
Iran’s top health officials have appealed to Iranians to avoid travelling during the Shia Muslim religious holiday of Ashura later this week to avoid the risk of a fresh surge of infections.Iran’s top health officials have appealed to Iranians to avoid travelling during the Shia Muslim religious holiday of Ashura later this week to avoid the risk of a fresh surge of infections.
Ashura is the 10th day of the lunar month of Muharram when, according to Islamic tradition, Imam Hussein, grandson of the prophet Mohammed, was killed in battle in 680.Ashura is the 10th day of the lunar month of Muharram when, according to Islamic tradition, Imam Hussein, grandson of the prophet Mohammed, was killed in battle in 680.
But despite warnings by the authorities against travelling, state media reported heavy traffic on roads leading to the Caspian coast in northern Iran, a favourite destination during holidays.But despite warnings by the authorities against travelling, state media reported heavy traffic on roads leading to the Caspian coast in northern Iran, a favourite destination during holidays.
A 61-year-old man has died in the Gaza Strip after contracting the coronavirus, Palestinian authorities said on Wednesday as they clamped down on an outbreak in the enclave.A 61-year-old man has died in the Gaza Strip after contracting the coronavirus, Palestinian authorities said on Wednesday as they clamped down on an outbreak in the enclave.
The man had suffered previous illnesses and had been on a respirator, the health ministry said. It was the first death among the general population since an infected woman died at a quarantine centre in March.The man had suffered previous illnesses and had been on a respirator, the health ministry said. It was the first death among the general population since an infected woman died at a quarantine centre in March.
Health officials said nine more cases were discovered on Wednesday. Six of them were in the isolated Maghazi refugee camp where a first four cases had been confirmed on Monday, prompting Gaza’s Hamas authorities to impose a full lockdown.Health officials said nine more cases were discovered on Wednesday. Six of them were in the isolated Maghazi refugee camp where a first four cases had been confirmed on Monday, prompting Gaza’s Hamas authorities to impose a full lockdown.
The three other cases were in northern Gaza Strip, indicating the virus has begun to spread into different areas of the enclave of 2 million people.The three other cases were in northern Gaza Strip, indicating the virus has begun to spread into different areas of the enclave of 2 million people.
The outbreak outside Maghazi remains slow but it cemented concerns by local and international health organisations over the territory’s potentially disastrous combination of poverty, densely populated refugee camps and limited hospital capacity.The outbreak outside Maghazi remains slow but it cemented concerns by local and international health organisations over the territory’s potentially disastrous combination of poverty, densely populated refugee camps and limited hospital capacity.
With local authorities maintaining a lockdown in all cities, people were instructed to stay home at all times and to wear face masks if, in cases of extreme necessity, they had to go out.With local authorities maintaining a lockdown in all cities, people were instructed to stay home at all times and to wear face masks if, in cases of extreme necessity, they had to go out.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which helps over half of Gaza’s population, said it was looking into alternative plans to continue health, education and food services to beneficiaries should the lockdown be extended.The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which helps over half of Gaza’s population, said it was looking into alternative plans to continue health, education and food services to beneficiaries should the lockdown be extended.
Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA spokesman in Gaza, said clinics remained open but physical presence was prohibited, instead staffers were providing medical consultation over the phone and some medication was delivered to patients at home.Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA spokesman in Gaza, said clinics remained open but physical presence was prohibited, instead staffers were providing medical consultation over the phone and some medication was delivered to patients at home.
Abus Hasna said:Abus Hasna said:
Monday’s cases were uncovered after a woman traveled to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where she tested positive, the Gaza health ministry said.Monday’s cases were uncovered after a woman traveled to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where she tested positive, the Gaza health ministry said.
A ministry spokesman urged everyone who might have visited a supermarket outside a hospital in central Gaza to quarantine themselves and report to medics immediately.A ministry spokesman urged everyone who might have visited a supermarket outside a hospital in central Gaza to quarantine themselves and report to medics immediately.
Good morning from London. I’m Lucy Campbell, I’ll be steering you through all the latest global developments on the coronavirus pandemic for the next eight hours. As always, please feel free to get in touch to share news tips and stories with me as I work - your thoughts are always welcome!Good morning from London. I’m Lucy Campbell, I’ll be steering you through all the latest global developments on the coronavirus pandemic for the next eight hours. As always, please feel free to get in touch to share news tips and stories with me as I work - your thoughts are always welcome!
Email: lucy.campbell@theguardian.comTwitter: @lucy_campbell_Email: lucy.campbell@theguardian.comTwitter: @lucy_campbell_
Thanks all from me for today. I’m handing over the reins to Lucy Campbell, who will keep you updated throughout the day.Thanks all from me for today. I’m handing over the reins to Lucy Campbell, who will keep you updated throughout the day.
Iran’s death toll from Covid-19 rose by 119 to 21,020, the health ministry’s spokeswoman told state TV on Wednesday. That takes the total number of identified Iranian cases to 365,606.Iran’s death toll from Covid-19 rose by 119 to 21,020, the health ministry’s spokeswoman told state TV on Wednesday. That takes the total number of identified Iranian cases to 365,606.
Sima Sadat Lari said that 2,243 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours in Iran, rising from 2,213 a day earlier, Reuters reports.Sima Sadat Lari said that 2,243 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours in Iran, rising from 2,213 a day earlier, Reuters reports.
Melania Trump has offered her condolences to the loved ones of the more than 178,000 Americans who have now died from the virus and the millions more who have been infected, Lauren Gambino reports.Melania Trump has offered her condolences to the loved ones of the more than 178,000 Americans who have now died from the virus and the millions more who have been infected, Lauren Gambino reports.
The Philippines has reported 5,277 new Covid infections, the highest daily increase in 12 days, and a further 99 deaths.The Philippines has reported 5,277 new Covid infections, the highest daily increase in 12 days, and a further 99 deaths.
The country’s health ministry said the total number of confirmed cases had risen to 202,361, more than 60% of which were reported in the past month, while deaths had increased to 3,137.The country’s health ministry said the total number of confirmed cases had risen to 202,361, more than 60% of which were reported in the past month, while deaths had increased to 3,137.
The Philippines has the largest number of Covid-19 cases in south-east Asia.The Philippines has the largest number of Covid-19 cases in south-east Asia.
The German government has agreed to pump another €10bn into its Covid-hit economy, prolonging a short-time work scheme and freezing insolvency rules.The German government has agreed to pump another €10bn into its Covid-hit economy, prolonging a short-time work scheme and freezing insolvency rules.
Short-time work saves jobs by allowing employers to reduce the employees’ hours but keeps them in work. That programme had been due to expire in March 2021 and will now be extended until the end of next year.Short-time work saves jobs by allowing employers to reduce the employees’ hours but keeps them in work. That programme had been due to expire in March 2021 and will now be extended until the end of next year.
Bridging aid for small and mid-sized companies will now be extended until the end of this year too.Bridging aid for small and mid-sized companies will now be extended until the end of this year too.
The latest €10bn pledge comes on top of a massive stimulus package, worth more than €130bn, which Angela Merkel’s government hope will help the economy return to growth.The latest €10bn pledge comes on top of a massive stimulus package, worth more than €130bn, which Angela Merkel’s government hope will help the economy return to growth.
The German economy contracted at its steepest rate on record in the second quarter and the government is desperate to mitigate the effects of the pandemic as much as possible, especially in the run-up to elections in the autumn of 2021.The German economy contracted at its steepest rate on record in the second quarter and the government is desperate to mitigate the effects of the pandemic as much as possible, especially in the run-up to elections in the autumn of 2021.
Finance minister Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, told public broadcaster ZDF the measures could cost up to €10bn next year.Finance minister Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, told public broadcaster ZDF the measures could cost up to €10bn next year.
“The goal now is to stabilise the economy,” said Scholz. “The fact that we acted fast and big has resulted in Germany weathering the crisis much better than other (countries).”“The goal now is to stabilise the economy,” said Scholz. “The fact that we acted fast and big has resulted in Germany weathering the crisis much better than other (countries).”
The parties also agreed to prolong measures aimed at staving off bankruptcies by allowing firms in financial trouble due to the pandemic to delay filing for insolvency until the end of the year.The parties also agreed to prolong measures aimed at staving off bankruptcies by allowing firms in financial trouble due to the pandemic to delay filing for insolvency until the end of the year.
The French arts and culture sectors, which have been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis, will get €2bn (£1.8bn) in aid as part of the government’s economic recovery package, the French prime minister, Jean Castex, said on Wednesday.
The government’s €100bn economic recovery programme will be unveiled on 3 September.
In July, the UK government pledged £1.57bn to support the arts.
The former president of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has tested positive for Covid-19, as the tourist-dependent island nation reports a pick-up in cases since reopening its borders last month.
“I have tested positive for Covid-19. May Almighty Allah bless me and all other sick people with a speedy recovery and good health,” Gayoom said in a tweet on Tuesday night.
The 81-year-old former president was one of Asia’s longest serving leaders, having ruled the Maldives for 30 years.
Reuters said a source from Gayoom’s family told the news agency that the former autocrat was tested for Covid-19 following a medical consultation on Tuesday morning, after he developed a fever on Monday night.
The source said Gayoom is doing well and is expected to be admitted to the newly built Dharumavantha hospital in the capital, Malé.
Heavily reliant on foreign tourism, the Indian Ocean archipelago lifted a lockdown in the capital in June and opened up its borders for tourists in July.
Since the end of the lockdown in June, the number of Covid-19 cases in the Maldives has tripled, while deaths have risen from five to 28.
The Maldives Health Protection Agency has confirmed a total of 7,047 Covid-19 cases in the country, out of which 2,580 cases are active.
Just over 5,000 tourists visited the Maldives in the month to 15 August, according to Maldives Immigration, a fraction of last year’s monthly average of more than 100,000.
There were 1,576 new Covid infections in Germany over the last 24 hours – up from 1,278 the day before, Der Spiegel reports, citing figures from the Robert Koch Institute.
On Saturday, 2,034 cases were reported in Germany, the first time since the end of April that there have been more than 2,000 infections in one day.
So far, 9,280 people have died in Germany from coronavirus while about 210,600 people have recovered from it.
This is Ben Doherty in Sydney, signing off. My delightful colleague Helen Pidd, in sunny Manchester, will be your guide for the next few hours. Thanks all for your comments and correspondence today.
Be well, all of you, and look after each other.
Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Saint Teresa, wear masks and face shields as precaution against the coronavirus as they distribute food to poor and homeless people in Kolkata, India. Wednesday marks the birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Mother Teresa. India’s Covid cases have surpassed 3.2m.
This is a fascinating piece from Associated Press. With winter ending in the southern hemisphere – ergo soon to begin in the north - it has emerged that measures to counter Covid-19 have dramatically slowed the spread of influenza. But that success is not guaranteed for countries about to enter their colder months.
(PS I can confirm winter is ending in the southern hemisphere. Gloriously sunny out my window in Sydney, but here am I, inside still …)
Winter is ending in the southern hemisphere and country after country – South Africa, Australia, Argentina – have had a surprise: their steps against Covid-19 also apparently blocked the flu.
But there’s no guarantee the northern hemisphere will avoid twin epidemics as its own flu season looms while the coronavirus still rages.
“This could be one of the worst seasons we’ve had from a public health perspective with Covid and flu coming together. But it also could be one of the best flu seasons we’ve had,” Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said.
US health officials are pushing Americans to get vaccinated against the flu in record numbers this autumn, so hospitals aren’t overwhelmed with a “duelling twindemic”.
“It’s also becoming clear that wearing masks, avoiding crowds and keeping your distance are protections that are not specific for Covid. They’re going to work for any respiratory virus,” Redfield said.
The evidence: ordinarily, South Africa sees widespread influenza during the southern hemisphere’s winter months of May through August. This year, testing tracked by the country’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases is finding almost none: something unprecedented.
School closures, limited public gatherings and calls to wear masks and wash hands have knocked down the flu, said Dr Cheryl Cohen, head of the institute’s respiratory programme.
“That not only meant lives saved from flu’s annual toll, but it freed up our hospitals capacity to treat Covid-19 patients,” Cohen added.
In Australia, the national health department reported just 36 laboratory-confirmed flu-associated deaths from January to mid-August, compared to more than 480 during the same period last year.
The most likely and the biggest contributor is social distancing, said Dr Robert Booy, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Sydney.
The coronavirus is blamed for about 24m infections and more than 810,000 deaths globally in the first eight months of this year.
A normal flu year could have the world’s hospitals dealing with several million more severe illnesses on top of the Covid-19 crush.
Back in February and March, as the worldwide spread of the new virus was just being recognized, many countries throughout the southern hemisphere girded for a double whammy. Even as they locked down to fight the coronavirus, they made a huge push for more last-minute flu vaccinations.
“We gave many more flu vaccinations, like four times more,” said Jaco Havenga, a pharmacist who works at Mays Chemist, a pharmacy in a Johannesburg suburb.
Some countries’ lockdowns were more effective than others at stemming spread of the coronavirus.
So why would flu have dropped even if Covid-19 still was on the rise?
“Clearly the vigilance required to be successful against Covid is really high,” said CDC’s Redfield.
“This virus is one of the most infectious viruses that we’ve seen. That’s in part because 40% of people with Covid-19 show no symptoms yet can spread infection,” he said.
Flu hasn’t disappeared, a World Health Organization report cautioned earlier this month. While globally, influenza activity was reported at lower levels than expected for this time of year, it found sporadic cases are being reported.
Plus, some people who had the flu in southern countries might just have hunkered down at home and not seen a doctor as the coronavirus was widespread, WHO added.
But international influenza experts say keeping schools closed children typically drive flu’s spread and strict mask and distancing rules clearly helped.
“We don’t have definitive proof, but the logical explanation is what they’re doing to try to control the spread of (the coronavirus) is actually doing a really, really good job against the flu as well,” said Richard Webby of St Jude Children’s Research hospital, who is part of a WHO committee that tracks flu evolution.
In contrast, the US and Europe didn’t impose coronavirus rules nearly as restrictive as some of their southern neighbours and in many cases are reopening schools and relaxing distancing rules even as Covid-19 still is being transmitted and the cooler months that favour influenza’s spread are fast approaching.
So the US CDC is urging record flu vaccinations, preferably by October. Redfield’s goal is for at least 65% of adults to be vaccinated, usually only about half are.
The US expects more than 190m doses of flu vaccine, about 20m more than last year. States are being encouraged to try drive-thru flu shots and other creative ideas to get people vaccinated while avoiding crowds.
In an unusual move, Massachusetts has mandated flu vaccination for all students from elementary to college this year. Typically only some health care workers face employment mandates for flu vaccine.
In the UK, the prime minister, Boris Johnson, is likewise urging widespread flu vaccination.
The flu vaccine only protects against influenza: it will not lessen the chances of contracting the coronavirus. Vaccines against Covid-19 are still being trialled.
But for coronavirus protection, Redfield urges vigilance about wearing masks, keeping your distance, avoiding crowds and washing your hands.
Countries where flu season is ending are watching to see if the northern hemisphere heeds their lessons learned.
“It could be very scary we honestly don’t know,” Booy, the Sydney infectious diseases expert, said. “But if you’re going to get the two infections at the same time, you could be in big trouble.”
India’s rampant Covid-19 outbreak continues to spread across the country.
The country recorded more than 60,000 cases the novel coronavirus for the eighth day in a row on Wednesday, as total cases crossed 3.2 million, data from the federal health ministry shows.
The world’s second-most populous country is third behind the United States and Brazil in terms of total caseload, and has recorded the world’s highest single-day caseload consistently since earlier this month.
Deaths in the last 24 hours stood at 1,059, taking the total number of fatalities from the infection to 59,449.
Shares in Asia Pacific retreated from all-time highs on Wednesday as investors took a pause amid some mixed economic data.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged down 0.1% after hitting its highest since mid-2018 on Tuesday. Japan’s Nikkei was off 0.1%. In Sydney, the ASX200 was down 0.9% and the Kospi in Seoul was off 0.25%. Shanghai has lost 1.1% and Hong Kong is in the red by 0.15%.
Tai Hui, JP Morgan Asset M anagement’s chief market strategist in Asia, identified the lack of refent central bank announcements as a possible reason why markets had stalled, a point that highlights the extent to which intervention has been responsible for the soaring markets.
As the world scrambles to create a vaccine for Covid-19, a reminder of what vaccines can do. Quite simply, they can change the world...
Global cases have surged passed 23.8m, with more than 818,000 deaths from the virus.
Rates of transmission are easing in many parts of the world, the World Health Organisation has suggested. Governments have been ramping up efforts to contain the disease, which has claimed the lives of almost 814,000 people and infected at least 23 million since late last year. WHO data said fatality and infection rates were easing in most regions, notably in the hard-hit Americas, except Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.
Residents in the capital of Xinjiang are being forced to take traditional Chinese medicine, being handcuffed to buildings and ordered to stay inside for weeks as part of a harsh range of measures to tackle coronavirus, according to posts online. Urumqi, the capital of the semi-autonomous region known for its draconian security measures, has been in a “wartime state” of lockdown for more than a month after a cluster of cases emerged in July, when the outbreak had been mostly contained elsewhere in China.
South Korea has ordered doctors in Seoul to return to work on Wednesday as they began a three-day strike in protest against several government proposals, including one to boost the number of doctors to deal with health crises like the coronavirus. Trainee doctors have been staging ongoing walkouts, and thousands of additional doctors were due to stage a three-day strike starting on Wednesday. South Korea is battling one of its worst outbreaks of the coronavirus, with 320 new cases reported in the 24 hours to midnight Tuesday.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson drops advice against face mask use in English schools. Pupils in England will no longer be advised against using face masks in schools after prime minister Boris Johnson made an 11th-hour U-turn days before students head back to the classroom.
The number of Americans newly diagnosed with the coronavirus is falling. About 43,000 new cases are being reported daily across the country, down 21% from early August, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Experts credit the development at least partly to increased wearing of masks, even as the outbreak continues to claim nearly 1,000 lives in the US each day.
Turkey recorded its highest number of new coronavirus cases since mid-June. Another 1,502 infections were confirmed on Tuesday, according to government data, taking the official tally over 261,000.
India reported the highest number of new coronavirus cases globally for the 18th straight day. Infections rocketed by another 1.5 million since the start of August, taking India’s total to around 3.1 million, more than in the US and Brazil. The rate of new cases in the country is increasing rapidly, climbing by 60,975 in the latest 24-hour period, according to the federal health ministry.
Gaza entered a 48-hour lockdown after the first cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the general population. Four cases of coronavirus were confirmed in a single family in a refugee camp, the first in Gaza that did not involve people quarantined in border facilities after crossing over from Egypt and Israel. Health authorities in the Hamas Islamist-run territory of 2 million people are concerned over the potentially disastrous combination of poverty, densely populated refugee camps and limited hospital facilities in dealing with an outbreak.
Two European patients were confirmed to have been reinfected with coronavirus, raising concerns about immunity. Regional public broadcasters said a patient in the Netherlands and another in Belgium had also been reinfected. It follows a report this week by researchers in Hong Kong about a man there who had been reinfected four and a half months after recovering.
The German economy contracted by a record 9.7% in the second quarter, the sharpest decline since Germany began to record quarterly GDP calculations in 1970. The government has extended by a year, a scheme topping up the pay of workers who have lost hours because of the pandemic.