Updates on COVID-19 pandemic

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says on Sunday that he had contracted COVID-19, testing positive at a key point in his flailing campaign for re-election.

Hipkins saYS on his official social media feed that he would need to isolate for up to five days -- less than two weeks before his country's general election.

The leader of the centre-left Labour Party said he started to experience cold symptoms on Saturday and had cancelled most of his weekend engagements. — AFP

The World Health Organization says on Friday that the number of new COVID-19 cases reported worldwide rose by 80% in the last month, days after designating a new "variant of interest".

The WHO declared in May that Covid is no longer a global health emergency, but has warned that the virus will continue to circulate and mutate, causing occasional spikes in infections, hospitalisations and deaths.

In its weekly update, the UN agency said that nations reported nearly 1.5 million new cases from July 10 to August 6, an 80% increase compared to the previous 28 days. — AFP

The head of US intelligence says that there was no evidence that the COVID-19 virus was created in the Chinese government's Wuhan research lab.

In a declassified report, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) says they had no information backing recent claims that three scientists at the lab were some of the very first infected with COVID-19 and may have created the virus themselves.

Drawing on intelligence collected by various member agencies of the US intelligence community (IC), the ODNI report says some scientists at the Wuhan lab had done genetic engineering of coronaviruses similar to COVID-19. — AFP 

Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs over Covid lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street when he was prime minister, a UK parliament committee ruled on Thursday.

The cross-party Privileges Committee said Johnson, 58, would have been suspended as an MP for 90 days for "repeated contempts (of parliament) and for seeking to undermine the parliamentary process".

But he avoided any formal sanction by his peers in the House of Commons by resigning as an MP last week.

In his resignation statement last Friday, Johnson pre-empted publication of the committee's conclusions, claiming a political stitch-up, even though the body has a majority from his own party.

He was unrepentant again on Thursday, accusing the committee of being "anti-democratic... to bring about what is intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination".

Calling it "beneath contempt", he said it was "for the people of this to decide who sits in parliament, not Harriet Harman", the veteran opposition Labour MP who chaired the seven-person committee. — AFP

The World Health Organization says on Friday that nearly 337 million life years were lost in the two first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of people died prematurely.

The UN health agency's annual world statistics report also showed a swelling threat from non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

The most dramatic finding, based on data up to 2022, was the estimate of how many years of life COVID had taken, WHO says. — AFP

President Joe Biden officially ends the COVID-19 national health emergency that for more than three years underpinned extraordinary efforts to provide care for a country where more than a million people died from the disease.

The White House says Biden signed a law passed earlier by Congress "which terminates the national emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic."

This closes lavish funding streams for COVID-19 tests, free vaccines and other emergency measures thrown together -- starting in January 2020 -- to try and free the world's biggest economy from the grip of the global pandemic. — AFP

The WHO urges all countries to reveal what they know about the origins of COVID-19, following US claims of a Chinese lab leak and furious denials from Beijing.

FBI director Christopher Wray told Fox News television on Tuesday that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had now assessed the source of COVID-19 pandemic was "most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan".

The first infections with the new coronavirus were recorded in late 2019 in the Chinese city, which hosts a virus research laboratory. — AFP 

Hongkongers will finally be able to leave home without a face mask from Wednesday, nearly 1,000 days after the pandemic mandate was imposed.

Face coverings will no longer be required indoors, outdoors or on public transportation, the government announced, ending a measure that has become a relic globally as the world adjusts to living alongside the coronavirus.

Hong Kong was one of the last places on Earth to enforce mask-wearing outside, with violators facing hefty fines.

"I'm ready to get rid of this," Tiffany, a finance industry employee in her 20s, told AFP. "It costs money to buy masks, and I have had Covid myself."

The mask move comes as the government tries to woo tourists and overseas talent back to revive the recession-hit economy. — AFP

The number of daily COVID-19 deaths in China has fallen by nearly 80% since the start of the month, authorities have said, in a sign that the country's unprecedented infection surge may have started to abate.

A wave of virus cases has washed over the world's most populous nation since Beijing abruptly ended its zero-COVID policy last month.

Beijing's figures are believed to only represent a fraction of the true toll, given China's narrow definition of a COVID death and official estimates that swathes of the population have been infected.

The CDC last week said nearly 13,000 people had died from Covid-related illnesses between January 13 and 19, adding to a previous announcement that around 60,000 people had succumbed to the virus in hospitals in just over a month.

But recent local government announcements and media reports have indicated that the wave may have started to recede since peaking in late December and early January when hospitals and crematoriums were packed.

There were 896 deaths attributable to the virus in hospitals on Monday, a decline of 79 percent from January 4, China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Wednesday. — AFP

The number of daily COVID-19 deaths in China has fallen by nearly 80% since the start of the month, authorities have said, in a sign that the country's unprecedented infection surge may have started to abate.

A wave of virus cases has washed over the world's most populous nation since Beijing abruptly ended its zero-COVID policy last month.

Beijing's figures are believed to only represent a fraction of the true toll, given China's narrow definition of a COVID death and official estimates that swathes of the population have been infected.

The CDC last week said nearly 13,000 people had died from Covid-related illnesses between January 13 and 19, adding to a previous announcement that around 60,000 people had succumbed to the virus in hospitals in just over a month.

But recent local government announcements and media reports have indicated that the wave may have started to recede since peaking in late December and early January when hospitals and crematoriums were packed.

There were 896 deaths attributable to the virus in hospitals on Monday, a decline of 79 percent from January 4, China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Wednesday. — AFP

China reported nearly 13,000 Covid-related deaths in hospitals between January 13 and 19, after a top health official said the vast majority of the population has already been infected by the virus.

China a week earlier said nearly 60,000 people had died with Covid in hospitals as of January 12, but there has been widespread scepticism over official data since Beijing abruptly axed anti-virus controls last month.

China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Saturday that 681 hospitalised patients had died of respiratory failure caused by coronavirus infection, and 11,977 had died of other diseases combined with an infection over the period. 

The figures do not include those who died from the virus at home.-- AFP

South Korea will drop rules that require people to wear masks in most indoor spaces, authorities say, ending one of the country's last major pandemic restrictions as COVID-19 cases dwindle.

From January 30, it will no longer be mandatory to wear facemasks in most indoor spaces, except on public transport and in medical facilities.

The mask mandate has been in place since October 2020, and is one of South Korea's last remaining pandemic-era restrictions, with other rules from business curfews to social distancing long dropped. — AFP

Xi Jinping says he is "concerned" about the virus situation in the Chinese countryside, state media reported, as millions of people head to rural hometowns ahead of upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations.

The Chinese leader also defended his zero-Covid policy -- lifted last month after crippling the economy and sparking nationwide protests -- saying it had been "the right choice".

In a series of calls Wednesday ahead of the holiday, the Chinese leader told local officials he worried about the situation in the country's rural hinterlands.

"Xi said he was primarily concerned about rural areas and rural residents after the country adjusted its Covid-19 response measures," state news agency Xinhua reports.

He "stressed efforts to improve medical care for those most vulnerable to the virus in rural areas," Xinhua says.

"Epidemic prevention and control has entered a new stage, and we are still in a period that requires great efforts," Xi was reported as saying, stressing the need to "address the shortcomings in epidemic prevention and control in rural areas". — AFP

China's health authorities report almost 60,000 COVID-related deaths in just over a month, the first major death toll released by the government since the loosening of its virus restrictions in early December.

There were a total of 59,938 Covid-related deaths between Dec. 8, 2022 and January 12 this year, Jiao Yahui, head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the National Health Commission, told a press conference. — AFP

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday rescinded the Pentagon's Covid-19 vaccine mandate, a move required by Congress over his objections as part of the 2023 defense spending bill.

Austin wrote in a memo scrapping the mandate -- under which the Pentagon says more than 8,000 military personnel were discharged for refusing to comply -- that he is "deeply proud" of the Defense Department's efforts to combat Covid-19.

"We have improved the health of our service members and the readiness of the force, and we have provided life-saving assistance to the American people," he wrote.

The memo also said that the department would continue to encourage vaccination, and told commanders that they have "the responsibility and authority to preserve the department's compelling interests in mission accomplishment."

"This responsibility and authority includes the ability to maintain military readiness, unit cohesions, good order and discipline, and the health and safety of a resilient joint force," it adds. — AFP

Almost 90 percent of people in China's third most populous province have now been infected with Covid-19, a top official said Monday, as the country battles an unprecedented surge in cases.

Kan Quancheng, director of the health commission for central Henan province, told a press conference that "as of January 6, 2023, the province's Covid infection rate is 89.0 percent."

With a population of 99.4 million, the figures suggest about 88.5 million people in Henan may now have been infected. — AFP

The state media reports that a senior doctor at one of Shanghai's top hospitals has said 70% of the megacity's population may have been infected with COVID-19 during China's huge surge in cases.

The steep rise in infections came after years of hardline restrictions were abruptly loosened last month with little warning or preparation, and quickly overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums.

Chen Erzhen, vice president at Ruijin Hospital and a member of Shanghai's COVID-19 expert advisory panel, estimated that the majority of the city's 25 million people may have been infected.

"Now the spread of the epidemic in Shanghai is very wide, and it may have reached 70 percent of the population, which is 20 to 30 times more than (in April and May)," he tells Dajiangdong Studio, owned by the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily. -- AFP

China will no longer publish daily figures for Covid-19 cases and deaths, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Sunday, ending a practice that began in early 2020. 

Cities across China have struggled with surging infections, and a resulting shortage of pharmaceuticals and overflowing hospital wards, after Beijing rapidly dismantled its zero-Covid strategy. 

"From today, we will no longer publish daily information on the epidemic," the NHC said, without giving an explanation for its policy shift.

But the end of strict testing mandates has made caseloads virtually impossible to track, while authorities have narrowed the medical definition of a Covid death in a move experts say will suppress the number of fatalities attributable to the virus.

"The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will publish information about the outbreak for reference and research purposes," the NHC said, without specifying the type or frequency of data to be published by the CDC. — AFP

A senior health official says half a million people in a single Chinese city are being infected with COVID-19 every day, in a rare and quickly censored acknowledgement that the country's wave of infections is not being reflected in official statistics.

China this month has rapidly dismantled key pillars of its zero-COVID strategy, doing away with snap lockdowns, lengthy quarantines and travel curbs in a jarring reversal of its hallmark containment strategy.

Cities across the country have struggled to cope as surging infections have emptied pharmacy shelves, filled hospital wards and appeared to cause backlogs at crematoriums and funeral homes. — AFP

China has requisitioned medical supplies production across the country as millions struggle to obtain basic drugs and testing kits in the face of a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Pharmacies in major cities have been stripped bare in the wake of the Chinese government's sudden decision to lift years of lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing.

Authorities have urged those with mild symptoms to stay at home and take treatment into their own hands, leading to a run on everything from ibuprofen to rapid antigen tests.

To address nationwide shortages, more than a dozen Chinese pharmaceutical firms have been tapped by officials to help "secure supplies" of key drugs -- a euphemism for requisitioning -- according to AFP interviews and local media. — AFP

China said Wednesday that not a single person had died of Covid-19 the previous day, after changing the criteria for recording virus deaths to mean most are no longer counted.

Hospitals are struggling, pharmacy shelves are stripped bare and crematoriums are overwhelmed in the wake of the Chinese government's sudden decision to lift years of lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing.

But the government said Tuesday that only those who had directly died of respiratory failure caused by the virus would be counted under Covid death statistics.

Previously, people who died of an illness while infected with the virus were counted as a Covid death. This way of recording Covid deaths accounts for huge numbers of fatalities in other countries.

"At present after being infected with the Omicron variant, the main cause of death remains underlying diseases," Wang Guiqiang of Peking University First Hospital told a press conference of the National Health Commission (NHC). — AFP

People with Covid-19 symptoms in one of China's largest cities can now go to work "as normal", state media reported Monday, a dramatic reversal in a country where a single case could previously send thousands into lockdown.

The world's most populous nation is unwinding years of hardline coronavirus policy, with Covid spreading rapidly in the wake of the official end of mass lockdowns, testing and quarantines. 

And with authorities admitting the outbreak is "impossible" to track, the southern megacity of Chongqing -- home to around 32 million people -- became one of the first parts of China to let people work normally even with visible symptoms, the Chongqing Daily reported Monday, citing a notice from municipal authorities.

The notice, issued Sunday, said that "mildly symptomatic" government, party and state workers "can work as normal after undertaking personal protections in accordance with their physical conditions and needs of their jobs". -- AFP

The true scale of COVID-19 infections in China is now "impossible" to track, the country's top health body says Wednesday, as officials warn of a rapid spread in Beijing after the country abruptly dropped its zero-tolerance policy.

China last week loosened restrictions for mass testing and quarantine after nearly three years of attempting to stamp out the virus, prompting officially reported infections to fall quickly from the all-time highs recorded last month.

And with testing no longer required for much of the country, China's National Health Commission on Wednesday admitted its numbers no longer reflected reality. — AFP

China said Monday it would retire an app used to track Covid-19 contacts, a milestone in the country's rapid turn away from its zero-tolerance coronavirus strategy.

The state-run "Communications Itinerary Card", which tracks whether someone has been to a high-risk area based on their phone signal, will go offline at 12 am Tuesday, according to an official WeChat post, after more than two years in operation.

The "Itinerary Card" was a central part of China's zero-Covid policy, with millions of people required to key in their phone numbers to produce its signature green arrow in order to travel between provinces or enter events.

The decision comes just days after China announced an end to large-scale lockdowns, mandatory quarantine in central facilities, and a broad relaxation of testing measures, effectively throwing in the towel on its zero-Covid strategy. — AFP

Students have staged a protest against a coronavirus lockdown at a university in eastern China as authorities across the country take baby steps away from their hardline zero-Covid policy.

Millions of people around China still face restrictions, despite some cities rolling back mass testing and curbs on movement following nationwide anti-lockdown protests last week.

Analysts at Japanese firm Nomura on Monday calculated that 53 cities -- home to nearly a third of China's population -- still had some restrictions in place.

China's vast security apparatus has moved swiftly to smother the demonstrations, deploying a heavy police presence while boosting online censorship and surveillance.

But videos published on social media Tuesday and geolocated by AFP show a crowd of students at Nanjing Tech University on Monday night shouting demands to leave the campus.

"Your power is given to you by students, not by yourselves," one person can be heard shouting in the footage. "Serve the students!" -- AFP

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the United States had a stake in China's response to Covid as Beijing eases stringent restrictions following protests.

"We want China to get Covid right. It's profoundly in our interest that that happen," Blinken told an event organized by The Wall Street Journal.

"It's in the interests of the Chinese people first and foremost, but it's also in the interest of people around the world, so we want them to succeed," he said.

He pointed to the "dramatic impact" to the world of slowdowns in China's economy, the world's largest after the United States, triggered by its earlier policy of imposing sweeping lockdowns in response to Covid outbreaks. -- AFP

Businesses reopened and testing requirements were relaxed in Beijing and other Chinese cities on Monday as the country tentatively eases out of a strict zero-Covid policy that sparked nationwide protests.

Local authorities across China have begun a slow rollback of the restrictions that have governed daily life for years, encouraged by the central government's orders for a new approach to fighting the coronavirus.

In the capital Beijing, where many businesses have fully reopened, commuters from Monday were no longer required to show a negative virus test taken within 48 hours to use public transport.

Financial hub Shanghai -- which underwent a brutal two-month lockdown this year -- was under the same rules, with residents able to enter outdoor venues such as parks and tourist attractions without a recent test.

Neighbouring Hangzhou went a step further, ending regular mass testing for its 10 million people, except for those living in or visiting nursing homes, schools and kindergartens.

In the northwestern city of Urumqi, where a fire that killed 10 people became the catalyst for the recent anti-lockdown protests, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and ski resorts reopened on Monday. -- AFP

China's top COVID-19 official and multiple cities signal a possible relaxing of the country's strict zero-tolerance approach to the virus, after nationwide protests calling for an end to lockdowns and greater political freedom.

Anger over China's zero-COVID policy -- which involves mass lockdowns, constant testing and quarantines even for people who are not infected -- has sparked protests in major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

But while authorities have called for a "crackdown" in the wake of the demonstrations, they have also begun hinting that a relaxation of the hardline virus strategy could be in the works. — AFP

China's top Covid official signals a possible relaxing of the country's strict zero-tolerance approach to the virus, after nationwide protests calling for an end to lockdowns and greater political freedom.

Anger over China's zero-Covid policy -- which involves mass lockdowns, constant testing and quarantines even for people who are not infected -- has sparked protests in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

But while authorities have called for a "crackdown" in the wake of the demonstrations, they have also begun hinting that a relaxation of the hardline virus strategy could be in the works. — AFP

China says Tuesday it would speed up a push to vaccinate people aged 60 and older against COVID-19 after the country posted record daily case numbers in recent days.

The announcement comes after a weekend of protests demanding an end to the country's strict zero-COVID policy, which responds to even small caseloads with harsh lockdowns and quarantine orders.

Beijing's National Health Commission (NHC) pledged to "accelerate the increase in the vaccination rate for people over the age of 80, and continue to increase the vaccination rate for people aged 60-79". — AFP

US President Joe Biden is monitoring unrest in China by protesters demanding an end to Covid lockdowns and greater political freedoms, the White House said Monday, as smaller rallies popped up in the United States.

The comments came after hundreds of people took to the streets in China's major cities over the weekend, in a rare outpouring of public frustration that has spread to international Chinese-speaking communities.

"He's monitoring this. We all are," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.

Kirby would not describe Biden's reaction to the demonstrators' demands, saying: "The president's not going to speak for protesters around the world. They're speaking for themselves."

But he stressed the US support for the demonstrators' rights.

"People should be allowed the right to assemble and to peacefully protest policies or laws or dictates that that they take issue with," Kirby said. 

Earlier Monday, the State Department suggested that the United States viewed Beijing's Covid lockdown policies as excessive. -- AFP

China's western Xinjiang region eased some Covid restrictions in its capital Urumqi on Monday, after a deadly fire in the city blamed on virus controls sparked protests across the country.

People in the city of four million, some of whom have been confined to their homes for weeks on end, can travel around on buses to run errands within their home districts starting Tuesday, officials said at a press conference Monday.

Certain essential businesses in "low-risk" areas could also apply to restart operations — at 50% capacity — while public transport and flights will start "resuming in an orderly manner", officials said a day earlier.

Ten people were killed when a blaze ripped through a residential building in Urumqi on Thursday night, spurring crowds to take to the streets in multiple Chinese cities this weekend to protest against the country's strict zero-COVID policy.

Many social media users blamed Covid lockdowns in Urumqi for hampering rescue efforts, but officials have instead said private cars obstructed firefighters. 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Monday lashed out at "forces with ulterior motives" for linking the fire with COVID. — AFP

Police arrest two people at Shanghai protest site — AFP

China's censors were working Monday to extinguish signs of rare, social media-driven protests that flared across major cities over the weekend calling for political freedoms and an end to COVID lockdowns.

Sunday saw people take to the streets in several major cities across China to call for an end to lockdowns and greater political freedoms, in a wave of nationwide protests not seen since pro-democracy rallies in 1989 were crushed.

A deadly fire last week in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang region, has become a catalyst for public anger, with many blaming COVID lockdowns for hampering rescue efforts.

But they have also featured prominent calls for greater political freedoms — with some even demanding the resignation of China's President Xi Jinping, recently re-appointed to an unprecedented third term as the country's leader.

Large crowds gathered Sunday in the capital Beijing and Shanghai, where police clashed with protesters as they tried to stop groups from converging at Wulumuqi street, named after the Mandarin for Urumqi. — AFP

Hundreds of students from Beijing's elite Tsinghua University took part in a protest against Covid lockdowns on Sunday, a witness told AFP and footage on social media showed. 

The protest at Tsinghua follows an overnight demonstration at neighbouring Peking University, and videos have spread on social media of similar gatherings in other Chinese cities. 

A Tsinghua student told AFP: "At 11:30 am (0330 GMT) students started holding up signs at the entrance of the canteen, then more and more people joined. Now there are 200 to 300 people." 

The witness said a female student held up a blank piece of paper — an action that has become a symbolic protest against censorship — and was joined by other women doing the same. 

"We sang the national anthem and the Internationale, and chanted 'freedom will prevail', 'no nucleic acid tests, we want food', 'no to lockdowns, we want freedom'," they said. — AFP

Angry crowds took to the streets of Shanghai early Sunday calling for an end to lockdowns, as China grapples with mounting public protests against its zero-Covid policy.

A deadly fire on Thursday in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang region, spurred an outpouring of anger as many social media users blamed lengthy Covid lockdowns in the city for hampering rescue efforts.

In Shanghai's central Wulumuqi street, named for Urumqi in Mandarin, in a video widely shared on social media and geolocated by AFP, some protesters can be heard chanting "Xi Jinping, step down! CCP, step down!" in a rare display of public opposition to the country's top leadership.

Video taken by an eyewitness on Sunday showed people gathering in central Shanghai to mourn the 10 victims killed in the Urumqi fire. -- AFP

China orders six million people into lockdown in a city where violent protests broke out at an iPhone factory over COVID-19 isolation policies and working conditions.

Hundreds of workers took to the streets around the vast iPhone factory in Zhengzhou on Wednesday, confronting hazmat-clad personnel wielding batons in a rare display of public anger in China.

In the wake of the unrest, Zhengzhou authorities ordered mass testing and an effective lockdown for several districts in the central Chinese city starting Friday. — AFP

China's National Health Bureau says its daily COVID-19 cases have hit a record high since the beginning of the pandemic, as the country works to curb the spread with snap lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

China recorded a total of 31,444 domestic cases Wednesday, of which 27,517 were asymptomatic, the National Health Bureau adds.

The numbers are relatively small when compared with China's vast population of 1.4 billion. — AFP

Multiple Chinese cities have cancelled routine mass Covid tests this week, days after Beijing announced limited relaxations of its strict zero-Covid policy which raised hopes of China's eventual reopening.

The National Health Commission (NHC) on Friday issued 20 rules for "optimising" zero-Covid, where certain restrictions were relaxed to limit its social and economic impact.

China reported over 20,000 new infections Wednesday -- the highest figure since April -- with major outbreaks in the cities of Guangzhou and Chongqing.

Routine mass PCR testing is one of the key tools used to trace outbreaks, with cities such as Beijing and Shanghai requiring residents to show 72-hour test results to enter public spaces and use public transport.

But many complain that it wastes time and long queues increase transmission risk, while operating free testing services has heavily strained local government budgets. — AFP

Videos posted online show protesters in southern China clashed with police in a rare display of public opposition to anti-COVID measures, after lockdowns in the area were extended over a surge in infections.

Videos circulating on social media since Monday night and verified by AFP showed hundreds taking to the street in the industrial metropolis of Guangzhou, some tearing down cordons intended to keep locked-down residents from leaving their homes.

A few scuffled with officials in hazmat suits.

"No more testing," protesters chanted, with some throwing debris at police. — AFP

G20 health and finance ministers launched a $1.4-billion fund Sunday to tackle the next global pandemic ahead of the bloc's leaders gathering for a summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali but the host's president said it was not enough.

The 24-nation fund is viewed as one of the early global outcomes of the summit next week where little progress is expected on the Ukraine crisis with Russian President Vladimir Putin not in attendance.

It was launched at a news conference Sunday opened by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and addressed by World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and World Bank President David Malpass.

"The G20 agrees to build a pandemic fund to prevent and prepare for a pandemic. Donors from G20 and non-G20 members, as well as philanthropic organisations, have contributed to the funds. But it is not enough," Widodo said in a video address.

He said $31 billion was required to tackle the next global pandemic.

"We must ensure community resilience in the face of a pandemic. A pandemic can no longer take lives and destroy the joints of the global economy."

The United States has contributed $450 million to the fund, nearly a third of the total. — AFP

China reported its highest daily Covid caseload in six months Monday, despite grinding lockdowns that have heavily disrupted manufacturing, education and day-to-day life.

Beijing over the weekend quashed hopes that its strict zero-Covid policy -- in which spot lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing are employed to quash outbreaks -- might be relaxed anytime soon.

But a torrent of lockdown-related scandals where residents have complained of inadequate conditions, food shortages and delayed emergency medical care have chipped away at public confidence.

The country logged over 5,600 new Covid cases Monday -- almost half in Guangdong province, a manufacturing hub in the country's south home to major ports.

And in central China, a grueling lockdown at the world's biggest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou led Apple Sunday to warn that production had been "temporarily impacted" and that customers would experience delays in receiving their orders. — AFP

Chinese local authorities apologize Thursday after a three-year-old boy died of carbon monoxide poisoning when medical care was delayed because of a COVID-19 lockdown, in a rare admission of responsibility.

The northwestern city of Lanzhou has been locked down for nearly a month under China's harsh zero-COVID policy, which has seen millions of people across the country confined to their homes and often complaining of poor conditions, food shortages and slow emergency responses.

Local police had earlier confirmed the death of a child in a Tuesday statement but did not mention delays in accessing medical treatment. — AFP

Chinese authorities lock down the area surrounding the world's largest iPhone factory after workers had fled the facility to avoid COVID-19 restrictions.

Central China's Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, where Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn runs a massive plant, entered seven days of "static management" on Wednesday, local officials said in a statement, using a euphemism for lockdown.

Images emerged last week on Chinese social media showing people breaking out of Foxconn's facility, which employs hundreds of thousands of workers. — AFP

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issues a circular "strongly encouraging” the faithful to return to Sunday Eucharist, saying saying health protocols shall be implemented in churches and venues for liturgical celebration.

“We make sure that our faithful are convinced that they are safe in our churches and venues for the liturgical celebrations,” CBCP President Pablo Virgilio David says.

China's state media on Wednesday signalled no let-up in its strict zero-Covid policy, publishing an editorial -- the fourth this week ahead of the Communist Party Congress -- vowing to never "lie flat" on virus controls.

The messaging dashes widespread hopes from the Chinese public and overseas observers that the strategy might be relaxed after the congress, a twice-a-decade political reshuffle which begins Sunday and will set the blueprint for the country's development. 

China is the last major economy still trying to stamp out Covid-19 within its borders, through a series of harsh measures involving snap lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions. 

These have kept case numbers low, but left the country's economy battered -- causing knock-on effects globally -- and reinforced its isolation from the world. — AFP

Dozens of people take part in a rare protest in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen, social media footage shows, after officials announced a snap lockdown over a handful of COVID-19 cases.

The megacity of more than 18 million people reported just 10 infections on Tuesday, but officials have still ordered residents in three districts to stay home as China sticks to its strict zero-Covid policy.

Officials are also under pressure to snuff out outbreaks quickly ahead of a key political meeting in Beijing next month. — AFP

Hong Kong's leader says he will soon make a decision on further relaxing coronavirus restrictions, as residents and businesses decry quarantine rules that have kept the finance hub cut off for more than two years.

"We will make a decision soon and announce to the public," chief executive John Lee tells reporters. 

"We want to be connected with the different places in the world. We would like to have an orderly opening up," he adds.

Hong Kong has adhered to a version of China's strict zero-Covid rules throughout the pandemic, battering the economy and deepening the city's brain drain as rival business hubs reopen.

It maintains mandatory hotel quarantine for international arrivals -- currently at three days -- widespread masking, business operating limits and bans on more than four people gathering in public. — AFP

Millions of people in the Chinese megacity of Chengdu emerged Monday from a Covid-19 lockdown that had closed schools, disrupted businesses and forced residents to stay home for over two weeks.

With a population of 21 million, southwest China's Chengdu is the largest Chinese city to shut down since global finance hub Shanghai imposed a strict two-month lockdown in April, leaving many residents scrambling for food.

China is the last major economy welded to a zero-Covid strategy and officials are under pressure to curb virus flare-ups swiftly ahead of a key political meeting in mid-October.

"With the joint efforts of the whole city, the epidemic has been effectively controlled," the Chengdu government said in a statement Sunday.

Government departments, public transport services and companies were able to resume work on Monday, the statement said, after shutting down on September 1. -- AFP

As the Philippines starts easing its mask wearing mandate, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) says it still encourages the public to wear face masks in open spaces and outdoors.

"MMDA Acting Chairman Engr. Carlo Dimayuga III said that the wearing of face masks protects us not only against the COVID-19 virus but also from pollution," the agency says in a statement.
 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has allowed the voluntary use of face masks in outdoors, non-crowded areas, his Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles says.

“Naglabas po tayo today ng Executive Order No. 3 allowing voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings and reiterating the continued implementation of minimum public health standards during the State of Public Health Emergency relating to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cruz-Angeles says in a Palace briefing.

Cruz-Angeles says the policy covers non-crowded places, but immunocompromised, senior citizens and those who have yet to complete vaccines are strongly encouraged to wear face masks

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles says the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases decided for the liberalization of mask mandate and “make mask wearing voluntary across the country.”

Cruz-Angeles adds this is a recommendation of the IATF and still not a policy.

She stresses this is for outdoors and in open spaces with good ventilation provided that senior citizens and immunocompromised are highly encouraged to wear their masks.

This will be pilot-tested towards the last quarter of 2022, “provided na may improvement as COVID-19 booster coverage,” she adds.

Face masks will no longer be mandatory in Cebu City according to an executive order signed by Mayor Mike Rama, Rappler reports

Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles says she has recovered from COVID-19, and tested negative on Monday morning.

A health disaster has been declared on the Marshall Islands after the fast-spreading Covid variant Omicron infected more than a tenth of residents in the capital Majuro in one week.

Since a handful of positive community cases were confirmed on August 8, the numbers have skyrocketed to 2,800 in a city of 22,500.

"We're gearing up for the hardest part of the outbreak right now in Majuro," Health Secretary Jack Niedenthal said Monday.

Thanks to strict quarantine rules, the Marshalls Islands was one of the last countries to stay Covid-free.

"The good thing about having all these other countries go before us is we really understand epidemiologically how this variant of the virus spreads: like wildfire," Niedenthal added.

On Friday, the Marshalls' President David Kabua signed a "State of Health Disaster" to give the government access to emergency funding.

So far, there have been 3,000 positive cases in a population of around 42,000 across the islands and atolls that comprise the Marshalls. -- AFP

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declares a "shining victory" over COVID-19, after officials reported no new cases of the virus for nearly two weeks.

Presiding over a meeting with health workers and scientists, Kim announces a "victory... in the war against the malignant pandemic disease," according to the government news agency KCNA.

The isolated country, which has maintained a rigid coronavirus blockade since the start of the pandemic, announced an Omicron outbreak in the capital Pyongyang in May and activated a "maximum emergency epidemic prevention system". — AFP

North Korea reports zero fever cases on Saturday for the first time in more than two months since it confirmed its first COVID-19 infections in May.

"There were no new fever patients reported" over a 24-hour period from Thursday evening, the state-run Korean Central News Agency says, marking the first time the isolated country had reported no new cases since it began tallying numbers in May.

While it has maintained a rigid coronavirus blockade since the start of the pandemic, experts have said that massive Omicron outbreaks in neighbouring countries meant it was only a matter of time before Covid snuck in. — AFP

According to a pair of new studies in the journal Science that claimed to have tipped the balance in the debate about the virus' origins, an animal market in China's Wuhan really was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answering the question of whether the disease spilled over naturally from animals to humans, or was the result of a lab accident, is viewed as vital to averting the next pandemic and saving millions of lives.

The first paper analyzed the geographic pattern of COVID-19 cases in the outbreak's first month, December 2019, showing the first cases were tightly clustered around Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. — AFP

Macau is set to begin another working week of partial lockdown, after the city extended the closure of its casinos and non-essential businesses to try and eradicate its worst coronavirus outbreak yet. 

Authorities had announced a week of "static management" starting June 11 after recording more than 1,500 infections in the previous three weeks despite multiple rounds of compulsory mass testing of the city's population.

The restrictions had been due to lift on Monday, but cases have continued to climb, with the Macau government saying Sunday there had been 1,733 cases recorded since the start of the outbreak. 

Daily case numbers are comparatively small by global standards, but authorities have moved quickly to stamp out transmission as they adhere to mainland China's strict zero-Covid policy. 

On Saturday the government announced that the "static management" period would be extended through Friday.  -- AFP

Hundreds of thousands of people were under lockdown in a small Chinese city Tuesday after just one case of Covid-19 was detected, as Beijing's strict no-tolerance virus strategy showed no sign of abating.

China is the last major economy glued to a zero-Covid policy, crushing new outbreaks with snap lockdowns, forced quarantines and onerous travel curbs despite mounting public fatigue and damage to the economy.

Authorities in several regions have imposed a range of restrictions as they struggle to tamp down fresh flare-ups driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

After reporting a new domestic infection, the steelmaking hub of Wugang in Henan province announced Monday that it would implement three days of "closed control" in response to "the needs of disease prevention", according to an official notice.

None of the city's 320,000 people are allowed to set foot outside their homes until midday Thursday, the notice said, adding that basic necessities would be delivered by local authorities. -- AFP

Asian markets and oil prices mostly fell Monday with a fresh Covid flare-up in Shanghai fanning fears of another economically painful lockdown in China's biggest city.

The news comes after a forecast-busting US jobs report last week indicated the world's top economy was coping so far with the Federal Reserve interest rate hikes, giving it room for more as it battles soaring inflation.

Traders are also keeping tabs on developments in Washington as President Joe Biden weighs removing some of the Donald Trump-era tariffs on Chinese goods worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Shanghai recorded more than 120 virus cases at the weekend, having seen its first case of the highly contagious BA.5 Omicron strain, forcing officials to launch another mass testing drive. — AFP

Tens of millions of people were under lockdown in China on Wednesday as businesses in a major tourist city were forced to shut their doors and fresh clusters sparked fears of a return to blanket restrictions.

Health authorities reported over 300 infections Wednesday, with clusters found in the historic northern city of Xi'an — home to the Terracotta Army -- as well as the country's biggest city Shanghai.

The fresh cases and the official response to them have deepened fears that China may be set to return to the kinds of strict restrictions seen earlier this year, when Beijing's hardline zero-Covid policy saw tens of millions locked down for weeks on end. 

In Shanghai, some residents on social media Tuesday reported receiving government food rations — a throwback to the month's long confinement in the spring.

"Let me tell you a scary story, Putuo district is sending out vegetables again," read one resident's viral WeChat post. 

"I'm so nervous, the epidemic has destroyed my youth. I'm about to go crazy," posted another Shanghai-based Weibo user.

Officials launched a new round of mass testing in over half of the city's districts after a rebound in cases since the weekend, closing all karaoke bars Wednesday after some infections were linked to six such venues.

And Xi'an -- a historic city of 13 million that endured a month-long lockdown at the end of last year — was placed back under "temporary control measures" after 29 infections were found, mostly among waste recycling workers, since Saturday.

Public entertainment venues including pubs, internet cafes and karaoke bars would shut their doors from midnight on Wednesday, the city government said in a notice.

— AFP
 

China has placed 1.7 million people under lockdown in central Anhui province, where authorities reported nearly 300 new cases Monday in the latest of a string of outbreaks testing Beijing's no-tolerance approach to Covid-19.

The country is the last major economy wedded to a zero-Covid strategy, responding to all cases with strict isolation orders and tough testing campaigns.

The outbreak in Anhui -- where officials first found hundreds of cases last week -- comes as the Chinese economy begins to rebound from a months-long lockdown in Shanghai and disruptive Covid restrictions in the capital Beijing. — AFP

Antoine Flahault, director of the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva says that there is a "fragile, armed peace" with COVID-19. 

"In the hopes of stemming the tide of the pandemic and reducing mortality, we need to reduce the level of contamination, which the vaccine cannot do alone," he tells AFP.

"We need a new phase -- improving the quality of indoor air." 

China reports zero new COVID-19 infections in Shanghai for the first time since March on Saturday, as the country's latest outbreak subsides after months of virus-spurred lockdowns and restrictions.

China is the last major economy still committed to a zero-Covid strategy, stamping out new cases with a combination of targeted lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines.

The economic hub of Shanghai was forced into a months-long lockdown during a Covid surge this spring driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, while the capital Beijing shuttered schools and offices for weeks over a separate outbreak. — AFP

Beijing starts a new round of mass testing in its most populous downtown district after a rapidly spreading outbreak linked to a bar saw Covid rules tightened again in the capital.

A night of partying by one Beijing resident last week threw the city's tentative reopening into chaos, leading authorities to shutter nightlife venues in the downtown district of Chaoyang days after they reopened last Monday. 

The resident, who did not get tested for 14 days, went to several bars and nightlife venues in Chaoyang in the days before and after developing a fever.

The outbreak stemming from the Heaven Supermarket bar has infected at least 183 people in 15 districts so far. — Agence France Presse

City authorities say that Shanghai will lock down a district of 2.7 million people on Saturday to conduct mass coronavirus testing as the Chinese metropolis struggles to fully emerge from punishing curbs.

The city eased many restrictions last week, after confining most of its 25 million residents to their homes since March as China battled its worst COVID-19 outbreak in two years.

But the lockdown was never fully lifted, with hundreds of thousands in China's biggest city still restricted to their homes and multiple residential compounds put under fresh stay-home orders.— AFP

City officials say Beijing will gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions this week.

After some easing in recent days, the Chinese capital -- which reported 19 new infections Sunday -- announced residents would start returning to work from Monday and schools would reopen from June 13.

China is wedded to a zero-COVID strategy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and long quarantine periods to wipe out clusters as they emerge. — AFP

The World Health Organization laments Wednesday that it had no access to data about North Korea's COVID-19 outbreak, but assumed the crisis was deepening, contrary to Pyongyang's reports of "progress".

North Korea, which announced its first ever coronavirus cases on May 12, said last week its COVID-19 outbreak had been brought under control, with state media reporting falling caseloads.

But WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan questions that claim. — AFP

Shanghai eases a range of Covid-19 restrictions on Wednesday in a step towards returning to normal after a two-month lockdown that confined residents of the megacity to their homes and battered China's economy.

The commercial hub of 25 million people was closed down in sections from late March, when the Omicron virus variant fuelled China's worst outbreak since Covid first took hold in 2020.

After some rules were gradually relaxed over the past few weeks, authorities on Wednesday began allowing residents in areas deemed low-risk to move around the city freely.

"This is a moment that we have been looking forward to for a long time," the Shanghai municipal government said in a statement on social media. — AFP

North Korean military medics ramped up the distribution of medicines to fight a growing coronavirus outbreak, state media said on Tuesday, with the number of reported cases of "fever" nearing 1.5 million.

Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered nationwide lockdowns to try and slow the spread of the disease through the unvaccinated population, and deployed the military after what he has called a botched response to the outbreak.

Hundreds of personnel in camouflage uniforms from the Korean People's Army medical units were seen rallying in the capital Pyongyang in photos released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The military "urgently deployed its powerful forces to all pharmacies in Pyongyang City and began to supply medicines under the 24-hour service system", KCNA said. — AFP

Kim Jong Un slamms North Korea's pandemic response and ordered the army to help distribute medicine, state media said Monday, as the country said 50 people had died since first reporting an outbreak of Covid-19.

More than a million people have been sickened by what Pyongyang is referring to as "fever", state media said, despite leader Kim ordering nationwide lockdowns in a bid to slow the spread of disease through the unvaccinated population.

In a sign of how serious the situation may be, Kim "strongly criticised" healthcare officials for what he called a botched response to epidemic prevention — specifically a failure to keep pharmacies open 24/7 to distribute medicine. — AFP

North Korea on Sunday reported 15 additional deaths from "fever" after the country recently announced its first-ever cases of Covid-19 and ordered nationwide lockdowns.

State media KCNA said a total of 42 people had died, with 820,620 cases and at least 324,550 under medical treatment.

Leader Kim Jong Un has said the outbreak has caused "great upheaval" in North Korea.

KCNA reported that "all provinces, cities and counties of the country have been totally locked down and working units, production units and residential units closed from each other."

Despite activating its "maximum emergency quarantine system" to slow the spread of disease through its unvaccinated population, North Korea is now reporting large numbers of new cases daily. -- AFP

North Korea announces 21 new "fever" deaths Saturday and says more than half a million people had been sickened nationwide, two days after confirming its first-ever cases of COVID-19.

Despite activating its "maximum emergency quarantine system" to slow the spread of disease through its unvaccinated population, North Korea is reporting tens of thousands of new cases daily.

On Friday alone, "over 174,440 persons had fever, at least 81 430 were fully recovered and 21 died in the country," the official Korean Central News Agency reported. — AFP

North Korea on Friday announced its first Covid-19 death, saying that 187,000 people were being "isolated and treated" for fever as it confirmed the virus had spread nationwide.

"A fever whose cause couldn't be identified explosively spread nationwide from late April," the official Korean Central News Agency said.

"Six persons died (one of them tested positive for the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron,)" it added.

The isolated nuclear-armed country confirmed its first-ever cases of Covid on Thursday, saying it was moving into "maximum emergency epidemic prevention system" after sick patients in the capital Pyongyang tested positive for Omicron.

"On May 12 alone, some 18,000 persons with fever occurred nationwide and as of now up to 187,800 people are being isolated and treated," KCNA said.

With its 25 million people not vaccinated against Covid, North Korea's crumbling health infrastructure would struggle to deal with a major outbreak, experts say. -- AFP

A Covid-19 testing firm in Shanghai is being investigated by city officials after reports that residents were given false-positive results that landed them in harsh state quarantine.

The city has been under lockdown for weeks as China enforces a zero-Covid policy through shutdowns, mass testing and tight restrictions on movement -- with everyone who tests positive being sent to a government isolation centre, even those without symptoms.

Numerous Shanghai residents wrote on the Twitter-like Weibo platform this week that they received false-positive results from Zhongke Runda, which operates three testing centres in the financial hub of 25 million.

The group's parent company, Shanghai Runda Medical Technology, said in a stock filing Wednesday that reports about false positives have "casts doubt on the accuracy of Zhongke Runda's lab nucleic acid testing data" and an investigation is being held. 

The group's shares have slid since the reports first started on Monday. -- AFP

North Korea confirmed its first-ever Covid cases on Thursday and declared a "serious emergency", with leader Kim Jong Un ordering lockdowns across the country.

The nuclear-armed country had never admitted to a case of Covid-19 and the government had imposed a rigid coronavirus blockade of its borders since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

But samples taken from patients sick with fever in Pyongyang "coincided with Omicron BA.2 variant", the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

Top officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, held a crisis politburo meeting on Thursday to discuss the outbreak and announced they would implement the "maximum emergency epidemic prevention system" -- AFP

China's censors scramble to wipe out online debate over its zero-COVID strategy on Wednesday after the World Health Organisation (WHO) criticized the country's hardline approach to crushing the virus.

China is the last major economy glued to a zero-COVID policy and enforces some of the most stringent virus controls anywhere in the world. 

Those restrictions have trapped most of Shanghai's 25 million people in a lockdown with no clear end date, while Beijing has also gradually coralled many of its residents indoors as it battles its biggest outbreak since the pandemic began. — AFP

Beijing closes dozens of subway stations on Wednesday, as Covid restrictions slowly constrict movement across the Chinese capital of over 21 million people. 

On Wednesday, the Chinese capital recorded just 51 local virus infections including asymptomatic ones, while Shanghai reported nearly 5,000, a downward trend as the city loosens some restrictions.

Housing compounds with reported infections have already been locked down, many tourist sites  tightening rules during the normally busy May holiday and dining-in at restaurants banned, as Beijingers started stocking up over worries they could suddenly find themselves ordered to stay at home. — AFP

Taiwan will not act "as cruelly as China" in imposing lockdowns, its premier said Sunday, despite surging coronavirus infection numbers.

The self-governing island recorded more than 10,000 new cases for the first time on Thursday, as the government moves from its zero-Covid strategy and begins living with the virus.

That figure hit 16,936 on Sunday.

Taiwan's shift leaves neighboring China — including its financial hub Hong Kong — as the only major economy still sticking to a zero-tolerance policy even as Omicron breaks through defences and forces painful lockdowns.

"We will not lock down the country and cities as cruelly as China," Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters before a top government meeting on pandemic prevention.

"Countries all over the world have been opening up to live with the virus. Taiwan... will continue to move towards living normal lives and gradually head to a new phase in epidemic prevention," he said at the meeting. — AFP

Officials say Beijing residents will need clear COVID-19 tests to enter public spaces, announcing fresh virus controls at the start of a Labor Day holiday muted by creeping infections in the capital.

The five-day break is typically one of China's busiest travel periods, but the country's worst COVID-19 resurgence since early in the pandemic is expected to keep people home.

Faced with the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Chinese officials have doubled down on their zero-Covid policy, quashing virus clusters through mass testing and lockdowns. — AFP

South Korea says it will lift its outdoor mask mandate next week in response to a steady drop in COVID-19 cases after an Omicron-fuelled surge.

The announcement comes after Seoul dropped almost all other social-distancing measures earlier this month, ending two years of strict requirements that put a massive strain on the country's small businesses.

From Monday, residents will no longer be required to wear facemasks outdoors unless attending an event with more than 50 participants, health authorities say. — AFP

Taiwan records more than 10,000 new infections for the first time on Thursday following the government's decision to move away from its zero-COVID strategy and begin living with the coronavirus.

The shift leaves China -- and its financial hub Hong Kong -- as the only major economy still sticking to the zero-tolerance strategy even as Omicron breaks through those defences and forces painful lockdowns.

"We have 11,353 local infection cases, two deaths and 164 imported cases," health minister Chen Shih-chung says at an afternoon press briefing. — AFP

Finland's president announced on Wednesday he has contracted pneumonia following a Covid infection but was leaving hospital as his condition improved.

"The corona has subsided and pneumonia has struck," Sauli Niinisto wrote on Facebook.

The 73-year-old head of state spent "a couple of days" in hospital this week after being diagnosed with coronavirus on April 19, leading to the postponement of a visit to neighbouring Norway.

"My infection levels are falling and temperature is down three degrees," Niinisto wrote. 

Thanking hospital staff, he added: "My recovery continues at home."

The president's illness comes as Finland's politicians consider a possible application to join NATO, which would be a historic reversal in the country's defence policy. -- AFP

Beijing on Tuesday launches mass coronavirus testing for nearly all its 21 million residents, as fears grew that the Chinese capital may be placed under a strict lockdown like Shanghai.

Under its zero-Covid policy, China has used lockdowns, mass testing and severe travel restrictions to stamp out infections.

Its biggest city Shanghai has been almost entirely locked down for weeks, and a mass testing order in Beijing has sparked worries that the capital will be placed under the same restrictions. — AFP

Fears of a hard Covid lockdown sparked panic buying in Beijing as long queues formed on Monday in a large central district for mass testing ordered by the Chinese authorities.

China was already trying to contain a wave of infections in its largest city Shanghai, which has been almost entirely locked down for weeks and reported 51 new Covid deaths on Monday.

Shanghai has struggled to provide fresh food to those confined at home, while patients have reported trouble accessing non-Covid medical care -- and the rising cases in the capital triggered fears of a similar lockdown. — AFP

The tiny South Pacific nation of the Cook Islands reported its first coronavirus-related death Sunday, more than two years after the pandemic erupted. 

A 63-year-old woman, who had underlying health conditions, died on her way to hospital on the island of Aitutaki late Saturday.

"It is with great sadness that I announce that we have just recorded our first in-country death attributed to COVID-19," Prime Minister Mark Brown said in a statement Sunday. 

"She had had all three anti-Covid vaccinations, but also had several serious underlying health conditions." 

The island nation had been remarkably free from COVID-19 until an outbreak of the Omicron variant emerged after it reopened its border to travellers from New Zealand early this year.

"It is tragic, but not unexpected that we might lose someone to COVID," Brown said. — AFP

Shanghai reported 39 Covid deaths Sunday, official data showed, its highest daily toll since a weeks-long lockdown started, while China's capital Beijing warned of a "grim" situation with rising infections.

The world's second-largest economy has been struggling to stamp out its worst Covid-19 outbreak in two years with a playbook of harsh lockdowns and mass testing as it sticks to a strict zero-Covid policy, taking a heavy toll on businesses and public morale.

The cosmopolitan business hub of Shanghai has been almost entirely locked down since the start of the month, snarling supply chains, with many residents confined to their homes for even longer as it became the epicentre of the outbreak.

China's biggest city only announced its first fatalities on April 18, despite reporting thousands of cases each day in recent weeks. -- AFP

China reports seven more deaths from COVID-19 in Shanghai on Tuesday, after hundreds of thousands of cases in the metropolis during a weeks-long lockdown.

City authorities revealed the first deaths of this outbreak on Monday, with Tuesday's fatalities bringing the official toll to just 10, even as the virus continues to spread.

Beijing insists its zero-COVID policy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines has averted fatalities and the public health crises that have engulfed much of the rest of the world. — AFP

China said Monday that just three people have died from Covid-19 in Shanghai since a gruelling lockdown began last month, despite recording hundreds of thousands of cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant in the eastern megacity.

Authorities said the first deaths from China's biggest outbreak since the virus wave in Wuhan over two years ago were three elderly people aged 89 to 91, all of whom had underlying health issues.

Beijing insists that its zero-Covid policy of hard lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines has curbed fatalities and avoided the public health crises that have engulfed much of the rest of the world.

But some have cast doubt on official figures in a nation with low vaccination rates among its vast elderly population. Hong Kong, in comparison, has attributed nearly 9,000 deaths to Covid-19 since Omicron first surged there in January.

Unverified social media posts have also claimed unreported deaths -- typically before being scrubbed from the internet.

The three reported victims "deteriorated into severe cases after going into hospital", according to an official Shanghai government account. The city's health commissioner on Sunday noted that 62 percent of residents aged over 60 had two vaccine doses, while only 38 percent in the demographic had three.  

The eastern business hub has groaned under a patchwork of restrictions since March, with many of the city's 25 million residents confined to their homes as daily caseloads topped 25,000 -- a modest figure by global standards but virtually unheard of in China.

Many inhabitants have chafed under the curbs, flooding social media with complaints of food shortages, spartan quarantine conditions and heavy-handed enforcement, and circulating footage of rare protests faster than government censors can delete them.

But officials have remained inflexible, vowing to continue isolating anyone who tests positive regardless of whether they show signs of the disease. -- AFP

Shanghai reports the first Covid deaths since the start of its weeks-long lockdown, three elderly people with underlying conditions, the city government says Monday.

"The three people deteriorated into severe cases after going into hospital, and died after all efforts to revive them proved ineffective," the city says on social media. — AFP

The United States has ordered all non-essential employees at its Shanghai consulate to leave over concerns about their safety, an embassy spokesperson says in a statement Tuesday, as the Chinese city faces a spike in Covid cases and a harsh lockdown.

The US State Department "ordered the departure due to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak" and US diplomats have raised "concerns about the safety and welfare of U.S. citizens with People's Republic of China officials," the spokesperson says in the statement.

China has stuck to a policy of "zero Covid", aiming to eliminate infections through rigid lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions. — AFP

China's President Xi Jinping praises the country's "tested" zero-COVID strategy, even as Shanghai authorities prepared nearly 130,000 beds for COVID-19 patients amid surging cases and mounting public anger.

Until March, China had kept cases low with localized lockdowns, mass testing, and strict restrictions on international travel.

But the country has reported thousands of daily cases in recent weeks, with economic hub and outbreak epicentre Shanghai placed under lockdown over ballooning infections of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. — AFP

China reports over 20,000 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily tally given since the start of the pandemic, with Shanghai the heart of the virus surge despite being in lockdown.

The country's "zero-Covid" strategy has come under immense strain as cases spike.

China recorded 20,472 infections on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said in a statement, adding that there were "no new deaths." — AFP

China Sunday reported 13,146 COVID cases, the highest since the peak of the first wave more than two years ago, as the highly transmissible Omicron variant spread to more than a dozen provinces.

"There were 1,455 patients with symptoms .... 11,691 asymptomatic cases... and no new deaths reported," the National Health Commission said in a statement.

In China's financial hub Shanghai, the epicenter of the country's most severe Covid, outbreak, nearly all of its 25 million residents were under stay-at-home orders on Saturday as officials rushed to curb the spread of the disease.

On Sunday, the city had more than 8,200 local cases — nearly 70% of the nationwide total, which is relatively low by global standards but troubling to a country that recorded just double-digit daily cases for much of the last two years. — AFP

Shanghai records a steep climb in Covid-19 cases Tuesday as spreading anxiety in the Chinese city of about 25 million prompted panic-buying at supermarkets.

Millions endure a second day of lockdown after authorities effectively split the country's biggest urban area in two, with residents of the city's eastern half confined to their homes for four days and subjected to mandatory testing. 

China reports 6,886 domestic Covid cases nationwide on Tuesday, with more than 4,400 of them detected in Shanghai, now the centre of the country's worst Covid-19 outbreak since the early days of the pandemic. — AFP

Millions of people in China's financial hub were confined to their homes on Monday as the eastern half of Shanghai went into lockdown to curb the country's biggest ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

The government had sought to avoid the hard lockdowns regularly deployed in other Chinese cities, opting instead for rolling localised lockdowns to keep Shanghai's economy running.

But Shanghai has in recent weeks become China's Covid hotspot, and on Monday another record high was reported, with 3,500 new confirmed cases in the city. — AFP

New Zealand will relax its strict COVID-19 rules this week because case numbers have peaked and the population has high levels of immunity, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

Ardern says limits on outdoor crowd numbers would be scrapped late Friday, allowing sporting events and concerts to take place with unrestricted crowds.

She says vaccine passes and scanning codes would no longer be compulsory from April 4 and most vaccine mandates -- requiring employees to be immunised or face the sack -- would be dropped. — AFP

New Zealand will relax its strict Covid-19 rules this week because case numbers have peaked and the population has high levels of immunity, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Wednesday.

"This is not the end, but in some ways it is also a new beginning," Ardern tells reporters, saying the changes acknowledged that "Covid is here to stay".

"To date, we've had more than 500,000 reported cases of Covid-19 and expert modellers say there have probably been 1.7 million actual infections," she says. — AFP

Hong Kong's top scientists urge the government to transition from China's zero-COVID strategy before the next outbreak unless the financial hub wants to be a "closed port forever".

Hong Kong used strict travel curbs to keep the virus at bay for two years, leaving the city increasingly isolated, and a deadly Omicron outbreak since January has led to an exodus of residents and businesses fleeing its tight restrictions. 

The massive surge in cases has ravaged the city's healthcare system and left it with one of the highest COVID-19 fatality rates in the developed world, with the government facing criticism for failing to vaccinate its elderly population in time. — AFP 

Hong Kong's top scientists urged the government on Tuesday to transition from China's zero-Covid strategy before the next outbreak unless the financial hub wants to be a "closed port forever".

Hong Kong used strict travel curbs to keep the virus at bay for two years but these left Asia's world city increasingly isolated and a deadly Omicron outbreak since January has led to an exodus of residents and businesses fleeing its mounting list of restrictions.  

The massive surge in cases has ravaged the city's healthcare system and left it with one of the highest Covid-19 fatality rates in the developed world, with the government facing criticism for failing to vaccinate its elderly population in time. — AFP

China on Sunday imposed stay-at-home orders on millions more people in the country's northeast as it battles its biggest COVID-19 outbreak in two years.

The country has largely kept Covid at bay since it brought to heel its initial outbreak in 2020 using targeted lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

But the Omicron strain has broken through its defenses in recent months and taken hold in multiple cities.

Jilin, the second-biggest city in Jilin province, will lock down about 4.5 million inhabitants for three days from Monday night, local authorities announced. 

More than 4,000 new infections were reported across China on Sunday — with two-thirds in Jilin province, which borders Russia and North Korea.

Provincial capital Changchun said Saturday it would also tighten restrictions for three days.

Since March 11, Changchun's nine million people have only been allowed out once every two days to buy food.

The new measures mean only medical personnel and other anti-epidemic workers will be authorised to leave their homes. — AFP

The National Health Commission says China reported its first two COVID-19 deaths in more than a year, both coming in the northeastern province of Jilin as the country faces its worst case upsurge since the pandemic's outset.

The deaths were the first reported in China since January 26, 2021. In all, China reported 4,051 new cases on Saturday, down from 4,365 the day before.

The country where the virus emerged in late 2019 has largely kept it under control thanks to a combination of strict border controls, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns, and has not reported any coronavirus-related deaths for over a year. — AFP

South Korea reports a record of more than 600,000 coronavirus cases Thursday, with authorities saying the country was near the peak of an Omicron-fuelled infection wave.

According to WHO data, South Korea leads the world in newly reported cases in the last seven days with 2,417,174 infections, followed by Vietnam with 1,776,045.

The 621,328 case tally recorded Thursday is South Korea's highest daily figure since the pandemic began. — AFP

China moves to free up hospital beds as officials on Wednesday report thousands of new cases from an Omicron-led coronavirus outbreak that has put millions under lockdown and raised fears for the health system.

The country records 3,290 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, including 11 severe cases.

The total was down on Tuesday's count of more than 5,000, but the highly transmissible variant is posing the sternest challenge yet to China's "zero-Covid" strategy to contain the pandemic. — AFP

China reports 5,280 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, more than double the previous day's tally and the highest daily count since the start of the pandemic.

The northeastern province of Jilin was worst hit, accounting for more than 3,000 cases, according to the National Health Commission.

Since the coronavirus first emerged in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, China had successfully suppressed large-scale outbreaks through its strict "zero-Covid" strategy, which involved hard lockdowns that confined huge sections of the population to their homes. — AFP

China reported 5,280 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said, the highest number in two years.

The record figure was driven by a surge in nationwide Omicron outbreaks, with over 3,000 domestic transmissions in the northeastern province of Jilin, according to NHC data. — AFP

Seventeen million people in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen began their first full day under lockdown Monday, with restrictions also imposed in Shanghai and other major cities in an effort to extinguish the biggest threat to the nation's zero-tolerance Covid strategy.

The southern city took the measures on Sunday as authorities battled an Omicron flare-up in factories and neighbourhoods linked to nearby Hong Kong, which is recording scores of daily deaths as the virus runs rampant.

Shenzhen is one of ten areas nationwide to issue some level of stay-at-home order. — AFP

Millions of people across China endured lockdowns on Sunday as virus cases doubled to nearly 3,400 and anxiety mounted over the resilience of the country's 'zero-Covid' approach in the face of the worst outbreak in two years.

A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai, lock down central neighbourhoods in the southern tech powerhouse of Shenzhen as well as whole northeastern cities, as almost 18 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

The city of Jilin -- centre of the outbreak in the northeast — was partially locked down Saturday, while residents of Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, were confined to their homes Sunday.

China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict 'zero-Covid' policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged. — AFP

China reported 3,393 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, the National Health Commission said, the highest daily figure since February 2020.

A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lock down several northeastern cities, as over 10 provinces battle local outbreaks. — AFP

Nearly three-quarters of Hong Kong's refugees are struggling to put food on the table, according to a survey released, as fears over the city's plans to control its worst-ever coronavirus outbreak spark bouts of panic-buying.

Mixed messages from authorities about a planned lockdown and mass testing of all 7.4 million city residents have led to a frenzied stripping of supermarket shelves, sending food prices soaring.

In a survey released Friday by the Refugee Concern Network (RCN), 73% of asylum seekers -- legally forbidden from working in Hong Kong -- were unable to buy food between late February and early March, while nearly 70 percent lack supplies for meals this week. — AFP

Hong Kong's leader says that mandatory Covid testing was not a priority, after announcing last month that the government intended to screen all 7.3 million residents for the virus. 

"We may not need that now because a large number of (rapid tests) are already being used... which has already allowed us to understand Hong Kong's situation pretty well," she says. 

"What we are doing now is planning and preparation but it's not a priority for now." — AFP

The World Health Organization recommends an anti-Covid pill be taken by sufferers who have mild symptoms but are at high risk of hospitalization, such as older people or the unvaccinated.

The pill, called molnupiravir and developed by US pharmaceutical Merck, is taken as soon as possible after COVID-19 symptoms develop and then for the following five days.

A WHO group of experts says in the British Medical Journal that people with weak immune systems or chronic disease were also recommended to take the pill if they had non-severe COVID. — AFP

A top Chinese scientist says China could move away from its zero-COVID strategy "in the near future" and co-exist with the virus, in a possible sign that the country's leadership is rethinking its strict approach.

The country where the coronavirus was first detected in 2019 is now one of the last places still hewing to a zero-tolerance approach, responding to small outbreaks with snap lockdowns and cutting off most international travel.

But fatigue over disruptions to everyday life as well as semi-autonomous Hong Kong's struggle to contain a mass Omicron outbreak have raised questions about the sustainability of China's approach. — AFP

The United States top health agency says they have drastically revised its guidelines for masking to stop Covid-19 transmission, a decision that means most Americans won't be advised to wear them in indoor public spaces, including school children.

"We're in a stronger place today as a nation with more tools to protect ourselves and our communities from Covid-19," says Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a call with reporters.

The changes involve the metrics used to determine whether people should mask up. — AFP 

Hong Kong's government invokes emergency powers to allow doctors and nurses from the Chinese mainland to practice in the financial hub as it struggles to tackle a spiralling coronavirus outbreak.

"The Regulation will provide a legal framework for the CPG (Central People's Government) to render the necessary emergent support to Hong Kong in a more effective and expeditious manner," the government says in a statement.

The densely populated metropolis is in the throes of its worst-ever COVID wave, registering thousands of cases every day, overwhelming hospitals and the city's requirement that all patients are isolated in dedicated units. — AFP

Hong Kong parents are being separated from children and babies who test positive for the coronavirus, compounding public anger over the financial hub's lack of readiness for a major outbreak now sweeping the city.

The densely populated metropolis is in the throes of its worst-ever COVID wave, registering thousands of cases every day as hospitals and isolation units run out of space.

A strict China-style zero-COVID policy kept the virus mostly at bay the last two years at the expense of marooning the city internationally. — AFP 

Coronavirus has killed at least 5,884,689 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Monday.

The United States has recorded the most Covid deaths with 935,335, followed by Brazil with 644,286 and India with 512,109.

Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher. — AFP

Huddled under blankets and thermal shields, dozens of elderly patients shivered on gurneys outside a hospital serving one of Hong Kong's poorest communities -- a grim tableau for the city as its health system buckles under an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus wave.

"We call this the fever zone," a nurse in full-body protective gear told AFP, declining to be named. "Don't get too close."

Hong Kong is in the throes of its worst coronavirus outbreak, and record new daily infections have pushed hospitals in the finance hub to the breaking point. 

On Monday, Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po district started setting up isolation tents outside its facilities — initially limiting one Covid patient per tent.

But by nightfall Wednesday, entire families were crammed into the tents, while about 50 others languished in the February chill on hospital beds wheeled outside.  — AFP

New Zealand COVID-19 infections reach a record high as anti-vaccine protesters claim victory after police failed to clear vehicles blocking the streets around parliament.

Health authorities reports 1,160 new coronavirus cases, the most since the pandemic began, as the Omicron variant continues to spread in a country that was largely virus-free until August.

While there have only been 53 virus deaths in the nation of five million, some protesters have taken to the streets railing against COVID-related restrictions and a government vaccination drive. — AFP

Coronavirus has killed at least 5,823,938 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources Tuesday.

The US has recorded the most Covid deaths with 922,473, followed by Brazil with 638,835, and India 509,358.

Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher. — AFP

Thousands of nurses walked off the job in Australia's largest city Sydney on Tuesday, protesting against staff shortages and pandemic-related stresses and strains.

Defying a strike ban, thousands decked in scrubs and surgical masks marched on the state parliament over what they say are intolerable conditions.

Throngs of nurses cheered, clapped and chanted their anger at persistent shortages of hospital beds, equipment and the grinding toll of this protracted crisis.

They brandished placards that read "Nurses are not coping" and "'Thank you' doesn't pay the rent" -- hitting out at political leaders who they accuse of ignoring their plight.

For two years, Australia's medical staff have worked under strict Covid protocols, while trying to carry out day-to-day tasks and roll out an unprecedented vaccination programme. -- AFP

The head of the World Health Organization says the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year, if around 70% of the world gets vaccinated.

"Our expectation is that the acute phase of this pandemic will end this year, of course with one condition, the 70 percent vaccination (target is achieved) by mid this year around June, July," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, tells reporters in South Africa.

"If that is to be done, the acute phase can really end, and that is what we are expecting. It's in our hands. It's not a matter of chance. It's a matter of choice." — AFP

The World Health Organization says that it had prequalified the arthritis treatment tocilizumab for use in patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19, in a bid to increase access to the pricey drug.

The monoclonal antibody, used in anti-inflammatory drugs made by Swiss pharma giant Roche, has been shown to reduce the risk of death and also hospitalisation time in certain patients suffering from severe Covid.

WHO has, like the United States and the European Union, already recommended its use to treat severe COVID-19 in hospital settings. — AFP

The WHO urges rich countries to pay their fair share of the money needed for its plan to conquer COVID-19 by contributing $16 billion as a matter of urgency.

The World Health Organization says the rapid cash injection into its Access to Covid Tools Accelerator could finish off COVID-19 as a global health emergency this year.

The WHO-led ACT-A is aimed at developing, producing, procuring and distributing tools to tackle the pandemic: vaccines, tests, treatments and personal protective equipment. — AFP

A Chinese city of 3.5 million near the border with Vietnam was on lockdown Monday after more than 70 coronavirus cases were discovered there over the past three days.

Local officials in the city of Baise in the southern Guangxi region announced Sunday that no one would be allowed to leave the city, while residents of some districts would be confined to their homes.

"Citywide traffic controls will be implemented," vice-mayor Gu Junyan told a briefing.

"In principle, vehicles and people cannot enter or leave the city... with personnel control strictly enforced and no unnecessary movement of people." — AFP

Xiomara Castro, who last month became the first woman to win the presidency of Honduras, said Sunday that she was infected with COVID-19 but will continue working remotely.

"The result of the PCR (test) yesterday (Saturday) was negative, today's is positive," the 62-year-old president, who replaced Juan Orlando Hernandez, announced on her Twitter account. 

"According to the tests it is mild. With the blessing of the Creator of the universe, I continue to follow my Plan of Government to return to democratic and constitutional order," she added. 

The president is vaccinated against the virus, her husband Manuel Zelaya, himself a former president who was ousted in 2009, told AFP.  -- AFP

The head of the World Health Organization met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday for talks on Covid-19, including on the stalled investigation into the pandemic's origins.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visiting Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, posted a picture on Twitter of the pair sitting with officials in a meeting room.

"Pleased to meet with Premier Li Keqiang. We discussed Covid-19 and the need for an aggressive effort on vaccine equity this year to vaccinate 70 percent of all populations," Tedros said. — AFP

According to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker, the US death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic surpassed 900,000.

The toll had hit 800,000 dead in mid-December, just a month and a half ago.

New cases linked to the Omicron variant are falling, but daily deaths are still rising, with an average of 2,400 now, according to government figures. — AFP

The World Health Organization warns Tuesday that the vast amount of waste produced in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic posed a threat to human and environmental health.

The tens of thousands of tonnes of extra medical waste had put a huge strain on healthcare waste management systems, the WHO says in a report.

The extra waste is "threatening human and environmental health and exposing a dire need to improve waste management practices", the UN health agency says. — AFP

A Hong Kong cabinet minister resigned on Monday for attending a birthday party alongside dozens of officials and lawmakers just days after the city's government had called on people to avoid large gatherings to fight a coronavirus outbreak.

"I have today tendered my resignation to the Chief Executive and intend to leave the post today," Home Affairs Minister Caspar Tsui said in a statement.

"As one of the Principal Officials taking the lead in the anti-epidemic fight, I have not set the best example during the recent outbreak," he added.

Tsui's resignation is a blow to the administration of Chief Executive Carrie Lam whose time in office has been marked by huge pro-democracy protests and a subsequent crackdown on dissent that has transformed Hong Kong.

The January 3 birthday bash at a tapas restaurant for Witman Hung, a member of China's top lawmaking body, became a source of embarrassment for Lam as her government pursues a strict "zero-Covid" policy similar to Beijing's.

The guest list emerged after health authorities traced an infected person to the party.

Among the more than 200 people present were over a dozen top officials — including the city's police, immigration and anti-corruption chiefs — as well as 20 lawmakers. — AFP

The coronavirus has killed at least 5.64 million people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on Saturday.

The US has recorded the most Covid deaths with 882,881, followed by Brazil with 625,884 and India on 493,198.

Taking into account excess mortality linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher. — AFP

France posts 501,635 new cases of coronavirus for the past 24 hours, a new daily record and the first time the headline number has surpassed half a million.

The country is currently recording the highest daily infection rates of any major European nation, with an average of more than 360,000 over the past week.

More than 30,000 people are in hospital with coronavirus across France in the highest such tally since November 2020, official figures showed. — AFP

The Omicron variant has moved the Covid-19 pandemic into a new phase and could bring it to an end in Europe, the WHO Europe director says Sunday.

"It's plausible that the region is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame," Hans Kluge tells AFP in an interview, adding that Omicron could infect 60 percent of Europeans by March.

Once the current surge of Omicron currently sweeping across Europe subsides, "there will be for quite some weeks and months a global immunity, either thanks to the vaccine or because people have immunity due to the infection, and also lowering seasonality." — AFP

A government tally shows Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus infections over the previous 24 hours, with officials warning of surging cases driven by the Omicron variant.

A government website reported 49,513 new infections in Russia, which is already one of the world's worst-hit countries by caseload, surpassing the previous record set in November of 41,335.

Cases across Russia have risen sharply in recent days, with authorities predicting an imminent surge due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant. — AFP

Spain is spearheading calls for governments to start tackling COVID-19 as any other endemic respiratory virus like seasonal flu, despite WHO opposition and warnings that the approach is premature.

With governments and populations worldwide desperate for an end to the pandemic, discussion about when the virus might be reclassified has intensified.

"Spain wants to lead this debate because it is timely and necessary to do so," Health Minister Carolina Darias says, adding that Spain asked the European Center for Disease Prevention (ECDC) to "study new strategies" to deal with COVID-19. — AFP

Mexico's new Covid-19 cases hit a daily record above 60,000 on Wednesday, official figures showed, as the hard-hit country faces a fourth wave of infections linked to the Omicron variant.

The health ministry reported 60,552 new coronavirus infections — the most yet for a 24-hour period — taking the total number since the pandemic began to nearly 4.5 million.

Mexico's official Covid-19 death toll — the fifth highest in the world — reached 302,112, up 323 from the previous day. — AFP

Germany passes 100,000 new COVID-19 infections in past 24 hours, according to health authorities. — AFP

The World Health Organization approves two new COVID-19 treatments, growing the arsenal of tools along with vaccines to stave off severe illness and death from the virus.

The news comes as Omicron cases fill hospitals around the world with the WHO predicting half of Europe will be infected by March.

In their recommendation in British medical Journal the BMJ, WHO experts say arthritis drug baricitinib used with corticosteroids to treat severe or critical Covid patients led to better survival rates and reduced need for ventilators. — AFP

Two hospitals in China's locked-down city of Xi'an, including one that refused to treat an eight-month pregnant woman who later miscarried, have been closed while they "rectify" mistakes, authorities said Thursday.

The historic city, one of several in China experiencing coronavirus outbreaks, has been subject to strict home confinement for three weeks in line with Beijing's "zero-Covid" strategy.

Top health officials were forced to apologise last week after a distressing social media post — including photos and video of the woman sitting on a plastic stool outside Gaoxin Hospital in a pool of blood — prompted outrage over the megacity's harsh imposition of the rules. — AFP

US troops in Japan will stop making non-essential visits off-base for two weeks from Monday, as local officials in areas hosting the forces link them with a sharp rise in coronavirus infections.

The announcement came as the government imposed new virus restrictions in three regions, including Okinawa, that host major US bases or are near them. 

Many Japanese officials believe the recent COVID-19 clusters originated from infected American service members coming into contact with local residents.

On Friday, Japan's foreign and defence ministers had warned their US counterparts to implement stricter anti-pandemic rules for US troops. — AFP

Mexico's deaths from COVID-19 surpass 300,000, one of the world's highest tolls as the pandemic rebounds around the globe.

Mexico is the fifth worst-hit country, with the United States the most affected with more than 836,000 fatalities, followed by Brazil (619,000), India (483,000) and Russia (314,000) 

The Central American nation recorded 28,023 new infections on Friday, the second highest since the start of the pandemic, for a total of more than four million cases. — AFP

The total number of COVID-19 cases registered worldwide passes 300 million, with the Omicron variant's rapid spread setting new infection records in dozens of countries over the last week. 

In the past seven days, 34 countries have recorded their highest number of weekly cases since the start of the pandemic, including 18 nations in Europe and seven in Africa, according to an AFP count based on official figures.

While far more contagious than previous coronavirus variants, Omicron appears to cause less severe illness than its predecessors. — AFP

COVID cases in the locked-down Chinese city of Xi'an fell to their lowest in weeks on Wednesday, as officials said an outbreak there had been largely "brought under control" after two weeks of a stay-at-home order.

But other urban hubs where clusters have been detected face restrictions including a new partial lockdown in the city of Zhengzhou. 

China has stuck to a rigid approach of stamping out COVID cases when they appear with tight border restrictions and targeted lockdowns since the virus first emerged in the country in late 2019.

But the strategy has come under pressure with a series of recent local outbreaks in different parts of the country, and with less than a month to go until the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Although the reported cases in China are very low compared with elsewhere in the world, infections in recent weeks have reached a high not seen in the country since March 2020. — AFP

More than one million people in a city in central China were being confined to their homes on Tuesday after three asymptomatic coronavirus cases were recorded in the country's latest mass lockdown.

Beijing has pursued a "zero COVID" approach with tight border restrictions and targeted lockdowns since the virus first emerged. 

But the strategy has come under pressure with a series of recent local outbreaks and with just a month to go until the Winter Olympics.

Yuzhou, a city with a population of around 1.17 million people in Henan province, announced that from Monday night all citizens were required to stay home to control the spread of the virus.

The announcement was triggered by the discovery of three cases in the last couple of days.

People in the central area "must not go out", according to a statement posted Monday, while all communities will set up "sentinels and gates to strictly implement epidemic prevention and control measures". — AFP

France will relax Covid isolation rules from Monday, the government announced, in a bid to ease their impact on society and the economy.

Fully vaccinated people who test positive will only have to isolate for seven days regardless of the coronavirus variant they were infected with, but can leave quarantine after five days if they show an antigen or negative PCR test.

There will be no quarantine for fully inoculated individuals who have a close contact test positive. — AFP

Europe, the current epicentre of the pandemic, passes the milestone of 100 million cases identified since the virus emerged in December 2019, or more than a third of the total cases worldwide, according to an AFP tally at 1845 GMT on Saturday. — AFP

"We are inundated," Antonino Marchese says wearily as his Rome Covid hospital fills up with patients, most of them unvaccinated despite tougher restrictions for Italians who are not jabbed.

As daily coronavirus infections in Italy hit new highs, hospital admissions across the country are surging once again due to the new Omicron variant and the persisting reluctance among some to get vaccinated.

At Rome's Casalpalocco Covid hospital, the situation has been serious for about a month, medical director Marchese told AFP.

Of the facility's 120 beds, 111 are filled by virus-stricken patients.

"We are inundated with requests for admission. It's a constant pressure," said Marchese, adding that he feared numbers would rise even higher.  — AFP

China put hundreds of thousands more people under lockdown to try and stamp out a worsening coronavirus outbreak, as infections hit new highs in multiple US states and Europe.

COVID-19 surges have wreaked havoc around the world, with many nations in Europe and North America trying to strike a balance between economically punishing restrictions and controlling the spread of the virus.

The United States halved the isolation period for asymptomatic cases to try and blunt the disruptions, while France ordered firms to have employees work from home for at least three days a week. — AFP

Hundreds of thousands more people were ordered to stay home in northern China Tuesday, joining millions under strict lockdown as authorities raced to contain a surge in Covid cases that have reached a 21-month high.

China — where the virus emerged two years ago — has followed a "zero-Covid" strategy of tight border restrictions, lengthy quarantines and targeted lockdowns as Beijing prepares to welcome thousands of overseas visitors to February's Winter Olympics.

But authorities have faced a resurgent virus in recent weeks, reporting 209 infections on Tuesday — the highest single-day tally since March last year, when the pandemic raged through the central city of Wuhan. — AFP

The International Monetary Fund says it will extend its flexible access to emergency funding for an additional 18 months to help nations severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IMF's executive board agreed on Monday to "temporary increases to the cumulative access limits under its emergency financing instruments" through June 2023, the Washington-based crisis lender said in a statement.

In April 2020, as the world faced the first wave of coronavirus infections and deaths, the IMF eased access to such aid, including raising the level of funding that countries could obtain. — AFP

US life expectancy dropped by 1.8 years in 2020, final official figures showed Wednesday, the steepest drop in more than 75 years driven in large part by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Life expectancy at birth was 77.0 years for the total US population last year, down from 78.8 years in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Among men it was 74.2 years, while for women the figure was 79.9 years.

Overall, Covid was the third-leading cause of death, accounting for 350,000 fatalities, just over a tenth of all registered deaths, said a CDC report, which finalized preliminary findings from July.  — AFP

Bars in Finland will be forced to close at 9:00 pm on Christmas Eve as part of new restrictions designed to fight record Covid infection levels, the prime minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking after negotiations with her coalition partners, Prime Minister Sanna Marin laid out further controls on hospitality opening hours and alcohol sales for a three-week period starting December 28.

"We must take this situation seriously and react accordingly," Marin said, on the day that health chiefs announced over 23,000 new coronavirus infections in the past two weeks, an all-time record in the Nordic nation of 5.5 million people.

The government will begin preparing a support package to compensate hospitality businesses affected by the restrictions, Marin said. — AFP

The Chinese city of Xi'an began testing millions of residents for the coronavirus on Tuesday after the detection of more than 40 new cases raised concerns of wider transmission ahead of a busy travel season.

China, where the virus was first detected, has slowed new cases to a trickle since the middle of last year through border restrictions, targeted lockdowns and lengthy quarantines as it pursues a zero-Covid strategy.

But the world's second-largest economy is now fighting local outbreaks in several cities, including key industrial hubs in the east and south.

Authorities are keen to extinguish the flare-ups ahead of a crucial period that will see the capital Beijing host the Winter Olympics in February as well as a surge in cross-country travel during the Lunar New Year. — AFP

The United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, crossed 800,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed.

The figure is greater than the entire population of several states, including North Dakota and Alaska. 

Around 450,000 of the deaths occurred in 2021, despite highly effective vaccines that were first authorized in December 2020 and widely available by springtime.

The vast majority of the deaths have been among the unvaccinated. — AFP

A tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University shows the United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, crossed 800,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday.

The figure is greater than the entire population of several states, including North Dakota and Alaska. 

Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, who lead the House of Representatives and Senate respectively, as well as House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and other members of Congress held a moment of silence on the steps of the Capitol building Tuesday evening. — AFP

Pfizer says that clinical trials confirmed its anti-COVID pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90% when it was taken in the first few days after symptoms appear.

The results are based on trials of more than 2,200 people and back up findings announced last month from preliminary trials. The drug maker also said the treatment appears to be effective against the Omicron variant.

"This news provides further corroboration that our oral antiviral candidate, if authorized or approved, could have a meaningful impact on the lives of many, Pfizer CEO  Albert Bourla says in a statement, saying the new drug, called Paxlovid, could "save lives."

Authorities in California say they were reinstating mask mandates in all indoor public spaces to try to curb the resurgence of COVID-19 in recent weeks. 

The mask mandate, which will come into force Wednesday, applies to all individuals, whether vaccinated or not. 

Los Angeles, San Francisco and other counties in California reintroduced the mask-wearing rule locally several months ago. 

But other counties, such as Orange and San Diego, which are very heavily populated, had stuck with state-wide rules that masks only needed to be worn in certain public spaces such as airports, hospitals or schools but not in shops, restaurants or cinemas. 

California's Health Secretary Mark Ghaly said the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases had prompted the new rule. There has been a 47% increase in cases since the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of November.  — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 5,278,777 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday. 

At least 267,222,780 cases of coronavirus have been registered. 

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country. — AFP

US health authorities authorizes the use of synthetic antibodies developed by AstraZeneca to prevent COVID-19 infections in people who react badly to vaccines.

It was the first time the Food and Drug Administration has given emergency authorization for such a purely preventative treatment. 

The FDA warned the drug Evusheld is "not a substitute for vaccination in individuals for whom Covid-19 vaccination is recommended" and can only be authorized for people who have a weakened immune system or those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, such a strong allergic reaction. — AFP 

COVID treatments using plasma taken from the blood of recovered coronavirus patients should not be given to people with mild or moderate illness, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. 

Convalescent plasma showed some early promise when given intravenously to people sick with COVID-19.

But in advice published in the British Medical Journal, the WHO now says that "current evidence shows that it does not improve survival nor reduce the need for mechanical ventilation, and it is costly and time-consuming to administer".

It made a "strong recommendation" against the use of blood plasma in people who do not have serious COVID-19 symptoms and said that even for patients with severe and critical illness, the treatment should only be given as part of a clinical trial.

Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood from a recovered Covid patient that contains antibodies produced by the body after being infected. — AFP

People in Italy unvaccinated against Covid-19 can no longer go to the theatre, cinemas, live music venues or major sporting events under new rules that came into force Monday.

Only those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 are exempt from the rules, which represent a significant tightening of restrictions in the face of rising infections.

New measures are also being enforced on public transport, with a so-called Green Pass showing proof of vaccination, recent recovery or a negative Covid-19 test now required even on local services. — AFP

An anti-Covid pill developed by Merck has proved effective in treating the disease, the US Food and Drug Administration says in a much-awaited preliminary report.  

But the report, from an FDA advisory panel, cautioned that pregnant women should not use the drug, known as molnupiravir, saying the potential benefits do not outweigh the risks for those patients.

The report is meant to provide guidance to an FDA experts panel convening Tuesday to consider whether to authorize emergency use of molnupiravir. — AFP

More than 100,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Germany since the start of the pandemic, a public health agency announces Thursday.

Europe's largest economy is battling a fresh surge in coronavirus cases, and recorded 351 fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 100,119, according to figures from the Robert Koch Institute.

As infections reach a record high and intensive care units fill up, the health crisis is posing an immediate challenge to the new coalition government set to take over from Angela Merkel's cabinet. — AFP

Covid infections are on the rise in South African weeks ahead of an expected fourth wave in December, the country's national health laboratory service says Monday.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reports a "sustained" increase over the past seven days, with the majority of cases detected in the most populous province of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria.

"We are monitoring these trends to see if these increases persist," NICD's interim executive director, Adrian Puren, says in a statement. — AFP

Most Germans will be "vaccinated, cured or dead" from Covid-19 in a few months, Health Minister Jens Spahn warned Monday as he urged more citizens to get jabbed.

"Probably by the end of this winter, as is sometimes cynically said, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, cured or dead," Spahn said, blaming "the very contagious Delta variant".

"That is why we so urgently recommend vaccination," he added.

The stark warning comes as Germany is racing to contain a record rise in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, with hospitals sounding the alarm about overflowing intensive care units.

Despite widespread access to free coronavirus vaccines, just 68% of the German population is fully vaccinated, a level experts say is too low to keep the pandemic under control. — AFP

The risk of stillbirth is about twice as high for women with COVID-19 compared to those without, and grew to about quadruple during the period when the Delta variant became dominant, a large US government study says.

The analysis, carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was based on more than 1.2 million deliveries between March 2020 and September 2021 from a large US hospital database.

Overall, stillbirths were highly rare, accounting for 0.65% or 8,154 deliveries. — AFP

The first case of Covid-19 identified in Wuhan, China and presented as such by the World Health Organization was actually days later than previously believed and at an animal market, a top scientist says in the journal Science.

Rather than the original patient being a man who had never been to the Wuhan market where wild and domestic animals were sold, the first known case of Covid-19 turns out to have been a woman who had worked in the market, virologist Michael Worobey wrote.

For Worobey, that key piece of information, and his analysis of other early cases of Covid-19 in the city, clearly tip the scales towards the virus having originated in an animal. — AFP

Peru, the country with the world's highest Covid mortality rate, will begin next month to require vaccination proof from adults entering indoor spaces, the government said Sunday.

The statement, published in the official government newspaper, said that people 18 and older will have to provide physical or virtual vaccination cards to access restaurants, shopping centers, gyms and theaters.

Health Minister Hernando Cevallos said that two Covid-19 shots will be required. — AFP

Bulgarians vote Sunday for the third time this year with little hope that the latest general election will finally bring a stable government to fight the country's deadliest coronavirus wave.

"We must all vote but I'm also afraid that it will all be in vain... I don't have much hope," 62-year-old Milena Stoyanova told AFP on the eve of the election, summing up the general gloom.

While many said they won't bother to go to the polling stations, 35-year-old finance expert Petar Angelov said he'll "definitely vote... for change" and "a better future". — AFP

An Australian medical tech manufacturer has recalled more than two million at-home Covid-19 tests shipped to the United States after finding an increased chance of false positives.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued an alert Wednesday that the company, Ellume, had recalled 2.2 million tests since the issue was detected last month.

A false positive test result indicates that a person has coronavirus when they do not.

"The FDA has identified this as a Class I recall, the most serious type of recall," the agency said in a notice. — AFP

Daily cases of coronavirus were Tuesday at their highest since the pandemic began in Greece in February last year, as hospitals started to buckle under the pressure of rising infections.

Greece notched up a record of 8,613 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, the National Organisation of Public Health said, after cases more than doubled in less than a fortnight.

Forty-six people died of the disease on Tuesday, after 65 a day earlier. — AFP

More than 250 million Covid-19 infections have been recorded worldwide since the start of the pandemic, according to an AFP count compiled from official reports at 2100 GMT on Monday.

Globally, more than five million deaths from Covid-19 have been recorded so far, but the vast majority of those infected have recovered. Some, however, have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country. — AFP

Northern Ireland's health minister is suing Van Morrison for libel over the singer-songwriter's criticisms of his handling of Covid restrictions, a report said.

Robin Swann, the Northern Ireland Minister for Health, has instructed a top libel lawyer over an action against the Belfast-born star known for classic songs such as "Brown-Eyed Girl", The Sunday Life newspaper reported.

It quoted Swann's lawyer Paul Tweed as saying: "Proceedings have been issued and are ongoing against Van Morrison. We are aiming for a trial in February." — AFP

Austria says only those vaccinated or cured from coronavirus would be allowed to frequent restaurants, hotels and cultural venues as the Alpine nation battles a surge in cases.

The new rule takes effect on Monday with a four-week transition phase to incentivise people to get jabbed, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg says.

"No one wants to split the society, but it is our responsibility to protect the people in our country," he tells a news conference. — AFP

The coronavirus has killed at least 5,020,845 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Thursday. 

The US has suffered the most Covid-related deaths with 750,431, followed by Brazil with 608,235, India with 459,652, Mexico with 288,887 and Russia with 243,255.

The US has also the most new deaths with 2,183, followed by Russia with 1,195 and Ukraine with 699. 

Taking into account excess mortality  linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the overall death toll could be two to three times higher. — AFP

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency announces that Britain approved the use of Merck's antiviral pill to treat patients suffering from mild to moderate Covid-19. 

"Today is a historic day for our country, as the UK is now the first country in the world to approve an antiviral that can be taken at home for Covid-19," says health minister Sajid Javid.

"This will be a game-changer for the most vulnerable and the immunosuppressed, who will soon be able to receive the ground-breaking treatment," he adds. — AFP

The Netherlands is bringing back coronavirus measures including a requirement for face masks in many public spaces to combat a surge in cases, Prime Minister Mark Rutte says on Tuesday.

He says the government was also reintroducing a 1.5-metre (five-foot) social distancing rule, extending so-called Covid passes to places such as museums and restaurant terraces.

People are also being advised to work from home for at least half the week and avoid rush-hour travel. — AFP

Covid-19 has killed more than five million people since the World Health Organization reported the outbreak of the disease in late December 2019, a tally by AFP shows on Monday.

The toll, at 2130 GMT and based on official records, takes into account deaths recorded by national health authorities, and represents only a fraction of the actual coronavirus-related deaths — which could be two to three times higher than the official figure. — AFP

Beijing lashed out against a US intelligence review into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic on Sunday, calling it "political and false" while urging Washington to "stop attacking" China.

The Chinese foreign ministry's retort came days after the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a fuller version of its findings from a 90-day review ordered by US President Joe Biden.

The paper said that, without new information, intelligence agencies would not be able to offer a better judgement on whether the virus emerged via animal-to-human transmission or a lab leak.

It added that China's cooperation would probably be needed to reach a conclusive assessment on origins, although stressing that Beijing continued to "hinder the global investigation". — AFP

Hong Kong's decision to descend deeper into international coronavirus isolation as rivals reopen is causing consternation among managers at multinationals who see no end to a zero-Covid strategy imposed by a leadership beholden to Beijing.

The southern Chinese business hub has kept the coronavirus at bay thanks to some of the world's strictest quarantine rules with most arrivals undergoing 14 to 21 days of hotel confinement.

Competitors such as London, New York, Tokyo and Singapore have begun to live with the disease with face-to-face meetings, conferences and executive travel slowly returning.

But Hong Kong, which dubs itself "Asia's World City", has gone in the opposite direction. — AFP

Recognizing the importance of widespread testing, Watsons now sells FDA-certified COVID-19 antigen test kits with a price range of P399-Php 500 in all stores nationwide. The testing kits are for administering by medical professionals such as doctors, nurses and medical technologists and will require medical prescription. The required specifications set by the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC) are at 80% sensitivity and 97% specificity and these test kits can deliver at least 95% sensitivity and 99.2% specificity. 

"As more people head out to work, school and gatherings, Watsons knows that antigen test kits are important in helping reduce transmission," said Maita Santiago, Watsons Philippines Customer Director. "Watsons is taking a proactive role as the Philippines continues to fight this pandemic. Tools such as antigen testing kits help provide important information and serve as a guide so the public will know what steps to take."

Having antigen testing available at Watsons, touted as the Filipino's trusted health and wellness partner, means more people will have access to affordable and effective testing options, which can result in fewer transmissions. The antigen test kits will use saliva as the indicator for the presence of the virus and results can be seen in 30 minutes or less. For more information and counseling, you can ask your Watsons pharmacist. You can also download the app at http://bit.ly/WatsonsMobileApp and shop for your vitamins and medicines.  
 

Mexico begins COVID-19 vaccinations for adolescents with chronic diseases in the capital, the latest step in an immunization drive in one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic.

Authorities in Mexico City say they had begun using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to inoculate minors with comorbidities aged between 12 and 17 years old.

Fifteen-year-old Paola Abigail Chocooj, who has diabetes, was among those participating, some in their school uniforms. — AFP

Peru, which has the world's highest COVID-19 death rate per capita, has surpassed 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus, the health ministry said on Friday.

The ministry announced 25 new deaths over the previous 24 hours, taking the South American country over the symbolic threshold with 200,003 deaths since the pandemic started in March 2020.

The Andean country of 33 million has also recorded 2.2 million infections.

With 6,065 deaths per million population, Peru's COVID mortality rate is the highest in the world, according to an AFP count based on official data.

The news comes at a time of falling daily cases and deaths attributed to the increase in vaccinations, although authorities remain worried about a potential new wave of infections due to the Delta variant that is now predominant in the country.

"We're maintaining a high level of control," health minister Hernando Cevallos said recently. — AFP

India administers its billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose on Thursday, according to the health ministry, half a year after a devastating surge in cases brought the health system close to collapse.

According to the government, around three-quarters of adults in the country of 1.3 billion people have had one shot and around 30 percent are fully vaccinated.

India suffered a huge spike in cases in April and May, reporting more than 400,000 infections and 4,000 deaths per day, with many hospitals unable to cope and crematoriums overwhelmed. — AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered a nationwide week-long paid holiday starting on October 30 to curb COVID infections amid record virus deaths and again urged Russians to vaccinate themselves.  

At a televised meeting with officials, Putin said he supported a government proposal to "declare non-working days between October 30 and November 7 throughout the country" and asked Russians to "show responsibility" and get COVID jabs. — AFP

A Brazilian senate committee will on Wednesday ask that President Jair Bolsonaro be charged with "intentional" crimes over his management of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left 600,000 of his compatriots dead.

Following six months of eventful hearings, with emotional witness statements and chilling revelations about the use of ineffective medication on "human guinea pigs," the committee of inquiry will deliver its eagerly awaited report.

Renan Calheiros, the centrist senator who is the lead author of the 1,200-page report, has already revealed that he has retained at least nine charges against the far-right president, including "quackery" and "crimes against humanity."

But he announced a last-minute withdrawal of "homicide" and "genocide" charges, after some infighting within the panel. — AFP

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announces an investment of up to $120 million in an effort to speed up low-income countries' access to a new anti-Covid drug. 

The treatment, a pill called molnupiravir developed by US lab Merck, reduces the risk of hospitalization by half in Covid-19 patients who take it in their first few days of infection, the company has said, and could be even more effective at preventing deaths from the virus. 

The money from the Gates Foundation would be used to encourage the production of generic forms of the drug by other companies, especially in India, to which Merck has already granted such licenses. — AFP 

Beijing is starting to offer residents booster jabs for COVID-19, local media says, as the Chinese capital gears up to host a tightly controlled Winter Olympics in February.

China has fully vaccinated more than one billion people -- more than 78 per cent of the population -- as of mid-September, according to the National Health Commission. 

But there are concerns over the efficacy of Chinese vaccines against the Delta variant of the coronavirus. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,902,638 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 241,039,700 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.

Russia on Saturday tops 1,000 deaths over 24 hours for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with the country's jab drive at a standstill and few restrictions in place.

An official government tally showed 1,002 deaths and 33,208 new infections, setting a high for both fatalities and cases for the third day in a row.

The surging outbreak has come with just 31 percent of Russians fully inoculated as of Saturday, according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid-19 data from the regions. — AFP

Elated Sydneysiders celebrate the end of almost four months of coronavirus lockdown, putting behind them a period of "blood, sweat and no beers" in Australia's largest city.

Sydney's more than five million residents were subjected to a 106-day lockdown, designed to limit the march of the highly transmissible Delta variant.

With new infections now falling -- New South Wales state recorded 496 cases on Monday -- and more than 70% of over-16s fully vaccinated, the city is dusting off the cobwebs. — AFP

The Kremlin on Monday described Russia's COVID fatality toll as "high" and the country's vaccination rate as "unacceptably" low, even as it rejected new restrictions so as to protect the economy.

Officials on Monday registered 957 new deaths from Covid-19 over 24 hours, bringing the country's total fatalities to 217,372 -- the highest toll in Europe -- even as authorities are accused of downplaying the severity of Russia's outbreak.

Under a broader definition of deaths linked to the virus, the Rosstat statistics agency said Friday that by the end of August more than 400,000 people in Russia had died with the coronavirus. 

The growing toll from the virus comes as Russia's jab drive has stalled. As of Monday, just over 30 percent of Russians had been fully vaccinated, according to the Gogov website, which tallies COVID-19 data from the regions.

"Yes, indeed, the level of vaccinations we have is small, unacceptably small," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, saying that this is the reason for "such a high mortality rate." -- AFP

A major study shows that cases of depression and anxiety surged by more than a quarter globally during the first year of the pandemic, especially among women and young adults.

In the first worldwide estimate of the mental health impact of COVID-19, researchers estimated that 2020 saw an additional 52 million people suffer from major depressive disorder, and an additional 76 million cases of anxiety.

These represent a 28- and 26-percent increase in the two disorders respectively, according to the study, published in The Lancet medical journal. — AFP 

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,813,581 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Wednesday. 

At least 235,767,340 cases of coronavirus have been registered. 

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The pandemic has killed at least 4,795,274 since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data. 

The US is the worst-affected country with 700,982 deaths, followed by Brazil with 597,723, India with 448,817, Mexico 278,592 and Russia which has a death toll of 209,918. — AFP

Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets around the country Saturday, once again calling for the ouster of unpopular President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues. 

Large crowds gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia and dozens of other towns and cities as part of the "Bolsonaro Out National Campaign," which is backed by a dozen left-wing political parties and labor groups.

Among other issues, the right-wing president has come under stinging criticism for his handling of the pandemic, which has claimed nearly 600,000 lives here. — AFP

US fatalities from Covid-19 surpass 700,000, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University, a toll roughly equivalent to the population of the nation's capital Washington.

The grim threshold comes with an average of well over 1,000 dying each day, in a country where 55.7 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — AFP

US fatalities from COVID-19 surpassed 700,000 on Friday, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University, a toll roughly equivalent to the population of the nation's capital Washington.

The grim threshold comes with an average of well over 1,000 dying each day, in a country where 55.7% of the population is now fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After a heavily criticized early response to the pandemic, the United States organized an effective vaccine roll-out — only to see a significant portion of Americans still refusing to get the shots. — AFP

A coronavirus state of emergency targeting nightlife in Tokyo and other Japanese regions will end this week, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says, as cases nosedive nationwide.

The emergency measures, which largely limit alcohol sales, restaurant opening hours and crowd sizes at large events, have been in place for much of the year, including during the Olympics.

They are due to expire at the end of September, and Suga said there would be no extension due to Japan's improving virus situation. —  AFP

Vaccinated Sydney residents will finally emerge from a lengthy Covid lockdown by mid-October, Australian officials said Monday, outlining a three-stage "blueprint for freedom" as case numbers fell in the city.

Stay-at-home orders are set to be lifted in Sydney and surrounding New South Wales when the double-dose vaccination rate hits 70 percent, with state premier Gladys Berejiklian saying "quite confidently" that was now expected to occur on October 11.

Shuttered pubs, restaurants and shops will be allowed to reopen to the vaccinated while friends and families living across Australia's biggest city will be able to reunite for the first time in more than three months.

"It is just this week and next week that we have to hang in there for," Berejiklian said.

"We are nearly, nearly there, and let's not give up at the last minute." -- AFP

Vaccinated Sydney residents will finally emerge from a lengthy Covid lockdown by mid-October, Australian officials said Monday, outlining a "blueprint for freedom" as case numbers fell in the city.

Stay-at-home orders are set to be lifted in Sydney and surrounding New South Wales when the double-dose vaccination rate hits 70 percent, with state premier Gladys Berejiklian saying "quite confidently" that was now expected to occur on October 11.

Shuttered pubs, restaurants and shops will be allowed to reopen to the vaccinated while friends and families living across Australia's biggest city will be able to reunite for the first time in more than three months. — AFP

Russia records its highest daily coronavirus death toll with 828 fatalities reported over the past 24 hours. 

The new figures bring Russia's total deaths from COVID-19 to 202,273 -- the highest toll in Europe. — AFP

Brazil's Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tested positive for Covid-19 Tuesday after attending the UN General Assembly in New York that was inaugurated by his president, Jair Bolsonaro, according to an official statement.

"The other members of the delegation have been tested and are negative," said the official Brazilian government press release.

Queiroga, who had received a Covid-19 vaccine, was the second member of Bolsonaro's entourage to test positive for the virus since arriving in New York for the UN gathering. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,696,559 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 229,008,620 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The COVID-19 pandemic sped up the shift of innovation from Europe and North America towards Asia, UN world rankings showed Monday.

The Global Innovation Index 2021, from the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization, showed surging performances by South Korea and China.

"The pandemic has accelerated the long-term geographical shift of innovation activities toward Asia, even if Northern America and Europe continue to host some of the world's leading innovators," said WIPO.

While the top four in the global rankings remained the same as last year — with Switzerland leading for the 11th year running followed by Sweden, the United States and Britain — South Korea leapt five places to fifth.

The index found "substantial increases in brand values in Korea, in trademarks being filed, but also in cultural and creative services exports," index co-editor Sacha Wunsch-Vincent told reporters, citing the K-Pop phenomenon. — AFP

Australia's second-largest city will exit its coronavirus lockdown in late October if vaccine targets are met under an official roadmap released Sunday.

About five million people in Melbourne have been under stay-at-home orders since August 5, the sixth lockdown they have endured so far during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials in Victoria state, which includes Melbourne, announced those orders would be lifted when 70 percent of over-16s are fully vaccinated. They projected that target would be reached around October 26.

"Lockdown will end. The (limited) reasons to leave your home and the curfew will no longer be in place," Victoria premier Dan Andrews said, adding that a raft of restrictions would still be enforced.

Restaurants and pubs will be allowed to reopen but only with a maximum of 50 fully vaccinated people seated outdoors, while a ban on visitors to homes will remain in place. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,667,150 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 226,967,810 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

Frontline health and social care workers, older people and the clinically vulnerable in Britain will start to receive a booster jab against COVID-19 from next week, the government says.

Health minister Sajid Javid tells parliament he had approved a recommendation from advisory body the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to start the programme.

He also approved a controversial proposal to offer jabs to children aged 12-15 as concern mounts about the spread of the virus in schools. — AFP

All children aged 12-15 will be offered COVID-19 vaccinations, Britain  announces, following the advice of four top medical officers.

Britain has been one of the countries hardest hit by COVID-19, recording more than 134,000 deaths.

Despite a succesful vaccination programme, case rates remain stubbornly high due to the emergence of the Delta variant, and officials are anxious about them rising further now that schools have returned after the summer break. — AFP

Australian authorities extend a coronavirus lockdown of the nation's capital Canberra to mid-October, saying the measure was necessary while vaccinations are ramped up.

About 400,000 Canberra residents have been under stay-at-home orders since August 12, when a single case of COVID-19 was detected.

Now at just over 250 active cases, the cluster caused by the highly infectious Delta variant remains small but has been treated with caution in a city that had largely avoided outbreaks. — AFP

Australian authorities on Tuesday extend a coronavirus lockdown of the nation's capital Canberra to mid-October, saying the measure was necessary while vaccinations are ramped up.

About 400,000 Canberra residents have been under stay-at-home orders since August 12, when a single case of Covid-19 was detected.

Now at just over 250 active cases, the cluster caused by the highly infectious Delta variant remains small but has been treated with caution in a city that had largely avoided outbreaks. — AFP

Sri Lankan women were urged to delay getting pregnant after more than 40 expectant mothers died of COVID-19 in four months, the health ministry said Thursday.

The island nation, which recorded its first maternal coronavirus death in May, is battling a spike in Delta variant infections after travel restrictions were eased for local new year celebrations in mid-April.

"Usually, we have 90 to 100 maternal deaths a year, but since the start of the third wave we have recorded 41 deaths of pregnant women from COVID alone," Chitramali de Silva, a director of the government's Health Promotion Bureau, told AFP.

Government obstetrician and gynaecologist Harsha Atapattu said he was urging "newlyweds, as well as those who are trying to have a baby, to delay it by at least a year because of the risks of COVID-19".

De Silva said about 5,500 expectant mothers had been infected. About 70 percent were fully vaccinated, he added. — AFP

Local scientists say the armpit sweat soaking their T-shirts during the humid monsoon season may contain subtle signs of coronavirus infection. 

Thai researchers are developing a sweat-based mobile virus detector, and road-tested it on shopkeepers at a Bangkok food market this week.

"From the samples, we found that people infected with COVID-19 secrete very distinct chemicals," says Chadin Kulsing from Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,583,765 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 221,815,260 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,574,225 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 221,133,570 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.

A Vietnamese man has been sentenced to five years in jail for spreading COVID-19 after he breached home quarantine rules.

Le Van Tri was convicted of "spreading dangerous infectious diseases to other people" after he travelled to his home province Ca Mau from coronavirus hotspot Ho Chi Minh City in July, according to a report on the website of the provincial People's Court.

The 28-year old was accused of breaching a 21-day home quarantine regulation in the southern province, which had a lower case rate than Ho Chi Minh City, and he tested positive for Covid-19 on July 7. — AFP

Cuban authorities launch a national campaign to vaccinate children aged two to 18 against COVID-19, a prerequisite set by the Communist government for schools to reopen amid a spike in infections.

Children aged 12 and older will be the first to receive one of the two domestically produced vaccines, Abdala and Soberana, followed by younger kids.

Schools have mostly been closed in Cuba since March 2020, and students have been following lessons on television. With the school year starting Monday, they will continue learning remotely until all eligible children are vaccinated. — AFP

The World Health Organization has said it is monitoring a new coronavirus variant known as "Mu", which was first identified in Colombia in January.

Mu, known scientifically as B.1.621, has been classified as a "variant of interest", the global health body said Tuesday in its weekly pandemic bulletin.

The WHO said the variant has mutations that indicate a risk of resistance to vaccines and stressed that further studies were needed to better understand it. — AFP

When Monica's landlord suddenly doubled the rent on the room where she lived with her three daughters in Sao Paulo, she says they had little choice but to go live on the streets.

Like a growing number of poor people in Brazil's economic capital, Monica has fallen on bitter times during the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing her to choose between feeding or housing herself and her girls, ages 12, nine and two.

"If we spend everything on the rent, how are we going to fill our stomachs? People need more than just a roof over their heads, right?" said Monica, 33, who set up an impromptu camp for the family a week ago at Republic Square, in the heart of this sprawling concrete jungle of 12 million people.

She spends her days collecting and selling recyclable materials, earning around 20 to 30 reais (about $4 to $6) a day, before picking her daughters up at school, she said.

Surging unemployment and rising prices, especially for housing, during the pandemic have pushed numerous people like her into the streets. ?— AFP

China's embassy in Washington accuses the US intelligence community of "political manipulation" after a report in which Beijing was accused of withholding key information about the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The report by the US intelligence community shows that the US is bent on going down the wrong path of political manipulation," the embassy says in a statement. 

"The report by the intelligence community is based on the presumption of guilt on the part of China, and it is only for scapegoating China." — AFP

President Joe Biden says that China was withholding "critical information" on the origins of COVID-19 after the US intelligence community said it did not believe the virus was a bioweapon -- but remained split on whether it escaped from a lab.

The United States, however, does not believe Chinese officials had foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak of the pandemic that has now claimed 4.5 million lives, according to an unclassified summary of an eagerly awaited intelligence report.

"Critical information about the origins of this pandemic exists in the People's Republic of China, yet from the beginning, government officials in China have worked to prevent international investigators and members of the global public health community from accessing it," Biden says in a statement. — AFP 

New Zealand extends a national lockdown sparked by a Delta virus outbreak into next week but warns restrictions would last longer in the infection epicentre of Auckland.

The Delta cluster emerged in Auckland last week, ending a six-month run without local transmission that had made New Zealand one of the world's last COVID-free zones.

While there were 70 new cases reported on Friday, taking the total to 347, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there were signs the outbreak would soon peak if stay-at-home orders remained in place. — AFP

A classified US intelligence report delivered to the White House on Tuesday was inconclusive on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, in part due to a lack of information from China, according to US media reports. 

The assessment, which was ordered by President Joe Biden 90 days ago, was unable to definitively conclude whether the virus that first emerged in central China had jumped to humans via animals or escaped a highly secure research facility in Wuhan, two US officials familiar with the matter told the Washington Post.

They said parts of the report could be declassified in the coming days.

The debate over the origins of the virus that has killed more than four million people and paralyzed economies worldwide has become increasingly contentious.

When Biden assigned the investigation, he said US intelligence agencies were split over the "two likely scenarios" — animals or lab. — AFP

China reports no new domestic cases, and Beijing appears poised to bring to heel the pandemic's most serious resurgence in months with mass testing and targeted lockdowns.

Meanwhile, New Zealand extends a national lockdown, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying a Delta variant outbreak has yet to peak. — AFP

Israel on Sunday launches antibody testing for children aged as young as three, seeking information on the number of unvaccinated youths who have developed protection against coronavirus ahead of the new school year.

Despite surging daily infections caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant, Israel's government insists it wants to avoid the hardships and developmental setbacks caused by school closures.

Israel has already begun vaccinating children aged 12 and above. — AFP

The tiny Pacific nation of Palau reports its first cases of coronavirus Saturday, losing its prized status as one of the world's few COVID-free countries as authorities appeal for calm. 

Two travellers, who tested positive after arriving from Guam, have been placed in quarantine along with their known contacts.

"We urge everyone to remain calm," the Ministry of Health says in a statement after deciding against imposing lockdown measures. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,401,486 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP. 

At least 209,862,720 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.

More than 5,000 people gathered in the Latvian capital Riga on Wednesday to demonstrate against coronavirus restrictions and government plans to make vaccines obligatory for many workers.

"For freedom!" people chanted at the largest demonstration in the Baltic country since 2009, also calling on Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins to resign and parliament to reject stricter measures.

Most of the protesters went unmasked on the march, which passed by the president's and prime minister's residences. Current restrictions do not require face coverings at outdoor events. — AFP

New Zealanders must brace for additional COVID-19 cases from an outbreak that has plunged the previously virus-free country into a snap lockdown, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warns Wednesday after nine more positive tests.

Ardern confirms New Zealand was dealing with the highly transmissible Delta variant linked to the outbreak in Australia that authorities have so far been unable to contain.

Ardern says the rapid rise, taking the total number of cases to 10, justified her decision to issue nationwide stay-at-home orders Tuesday when just one case had been identified. — AFP

Pope Francis says getting the coronavirus vaccine was "an act of love" Wednesday, as the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics joined a campaign to boost confidence in COVID-19 jabs.

"Thanks to God and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19," Francis says in a message for the US-based "It's Up to You" initiative.

"They grant us the hope of ending the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we work together," he says in the video, aimed at communities disproportionately affected by the virus in North, Central and South America. — AFP

Japan's government on Tuesday expanded a coronavirus state of emergency to seven more regions as it battles a record wave of infections a week before the Paralympic Games.

Virus emergency measures that ban restaurants and bars from selling alcohol and require them to close by 8 pm are already in place in Tokyo and five other regions, and had been due to end by August 31.

But Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the measure would be expanded to additional areas, with the restrictions in all parts of the country running until September 12.

"We are seeing unprecedented growth in infections continuing in our country. The number of patients with serious symptoms is increasing," Suga told a meeting of ministers and government officials. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,361,805 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Monday. 

At least 207,192,810 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country. They exclude revisions made by other statistical organisations, which show that the number of deaths is much higher. 

The World Health Organization estimates that the pandemic's overall toll could be two to three times higher than official records, due to the excess mortality that is directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19. 

A large number of the less severe or asymptomatic cases also remain undetected, despite intensified testing in many countries.  — AFP

The Philippines on Monday logged 14,610 new coronavirus cases, bringing its total to 1,755,846

The numbers on August 16 mark the sixth straight day of authorities reporting more than 10,000 additional infections. It is also the third consecutive day of seeing 14,000 new cases.

Active cases were up 3,924 from the 102,748 on August 15. DOH said seven laboratories did not turn in screening results. 

Russia records its highest daily coronavirus death toll for a third day running, as the country continues to struggle with the Delta variant amid sluggish vaccination rates.

A government tally showed 819 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 22,144 new cases. 

Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world in terms of cases, has since mid-June been hit by a new wave of infections driven by the aggressive Delta variant. — AFP 

The Canadian government announces that it will require all federal workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, amid a surge in virus cases due to the Delta variant.

"We know that vaccines are the best way to end this pandemic," says Dominic LeBlanc, a government minister in charge of Canada's federal bureaucracy.

"We expect federal public servants to want to comply with this mandatory requirement," he adds. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,333,013 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 205,356,020 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country. They exclude revisions made by other statistical organisations, which show that the number of deaths is much higher. 

Israelis aged 50 and over begin receiving vaccine booster shots against the coronavirus Friday as part of a government bid to stem spiking infections driven by the Delta variant.

The government announced on Thursday that it was offering third shots to people aged over 50, two weeks after launching a campaign to give the elderly booster jabs.

"This is an important step in the fight against the Delta pandemic," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement. — AFP

China rejects the World Health Organization's calls for a renewed probe into the origins of COVID-19, saying it supported "scientific" over "political" efforts to find out how the virus started.

Pressure is once more mounting on Beijing to consider a fresh probe into the orgins of a pandemic which has killed more than four million people and paralyzed economies worldwide since it first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

A delayed and heavily politicised vist by a WHO team of international experts went to Wuhan in January 2021 to produce a first phase report, which was written in conjunction with their Chinese counterparts. It failed to conclude how the virus began. — AFP

Israel is to require COVID-19 tests from next week for children as young as three to enter schools, swimming pools, hotels or gyms as infections surge despite extensive adult vaccinations.

Israel already required children aged 12 and over to show a Green Pass re-introduced late last month showing a person's vaccination and testing status and whether they had recovered from Covid.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said from next Wednesday the state would fund unlimited tests for children aged three to 11. — AFP

Australia's capital Canberra was ordered into a seven-day lockdown Thursday, after a single Covid-19 case was detected in the city that has largely avoided virus restrictions.

About 400,000 people in the nation's political hub will be under stay-at-home orders from 5:00 pm local time, joining millions more already under lockdown in Australia's southeast.

"This is the most serious public health risk that we are faced in the territory this year. Really, since the beginning of the pandemic," Australian Capital Territory chief minister Andrew Barr said. — AFP

All teachers in California will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly virus tests, the state's governor announces, as authorities grapple with exploding infection rates.

The number of people testing positive for the disease has surged across the United States in recent weeks, with the highly infectious Delta variant blamed for the bulk of new cases.

That has worried parents and educators as the most populous state in the country readies to send its largely unvaccinated children back into classrooms for the new school year. — AFP

New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern says that strict border controls would remain this year but she hopes to cautiously reopen to the rest of the world in 2022 while maintaining the country's virus-free status.

She says the changes would be "careful and deliberate" to avoid allowing variants such as the highly contagious Delta strain into New Zealand, where there is no local transmission and domestic life is close to normal.

"Rushing could see us in the situation many other countries are finding themselves in," she says, citing an outbreak of the Delta variant in neighboring Australia that has forced its two largest cities into renewed lockdown. — AFP

Sri Lanka has begun mass cremations to clear a backlog of dead bodies from COVID-19 as cases surge across the island, officials said Monday.

Daily virus infections in the country have doubled in a month to more than 2,500 with nearly 100 deaths, putting huge strain on hospitals.

On Sunday evening Colombo Municipality began mass cremations, disposing of 15 corpses at the Colombo General Cemetery after the island's main hospital said it had no more freezer space.

It was the first mass cremation since December when the government overruled religious objections and cremated 15 members of the Muslim minority, including a 20-day-old baby.

Following local and international protests, the government then allowed Muslims to be buried in a remote corner of the island's east, in accordance with Islamic traditions. — AFP

Australia's third-largest city of Brisbane will lift a lockdown Sunday after containing a virus cluster, while an outbreak that has kept Sydney paralysed for weeks continues to grow.

Millions of people in Brisbane and surrounding areas have spent just eight days under stay-at-home orders after an outbreak of more than 100 cases spread among several school communities.

Deputy Queensland premier Steven Miles said the region had achieved "something quite incredible" by seemingly bringing the outbreak under control.

"It looks like we may have been able to contain a Delta outbreak in just eight days of lockdown, just 10 days from when the first case was notified," he told reporters.

Restrictions on leaving the city and gatherings will remain in place for at least two weeks. — AFP

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says unvaccinated people are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with COVID-19 as the fully vaccinated.

The agency says the finding supports its recommendation "that all eligible persons be offered COVID-19 vaccination, regardless of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection status." — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,268,017 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Friday. 

At least 200,887,900 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.

France will offer COVID-19 booster shots to the elderly and vulnerable from September, joining a growing list of countries offering third vaccine shots to fight new virus variants, President Emmanuel Macron says.

"Yes, we will probably need a third dose, not for everyone straight away but at any rate for the elderly and the most vulnerable," Macron says in his latest in a series of explanatory videos on the government's vaccination drive, adding that it would start in September. — AFP

C.S. Satheesha spells out "A-P-P-L-E" into his phone as he teaches remotely from the only place he can get a signal -- a treehouse in his back garden in southern India.

In the Kodagu district of Karnataka state, eight-year-old Shreeshma listens to Satheesha's WhatsApp voice notes on her mother's phone on her porch and repeats sentences such as: "This is a cat."

But in a country where schools have been shut for over a year, one of the longest shutdowns in the world, she and her fellow pupils are among the lucky ones.

According to UNICEF, only one in four children in India has access to digital devices and the internet.

Many families have sold belongings or taken out loans to buy smartphones for their children to continue their education.

In some rural areas, kids have been trekking miles up hills and through snake-infested jungles to try and connect to their teachers. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,247,231 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 199,520,860 cases of coronavirus have been registered. 

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. — AFP

New York will become the first major US city to require proof of vaccination for people attending indoor venues such as restaurants, gyms and shows, under a plan announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio Tuesday.

The announcement comes as public bodies and private businesses in the United States step up vaccine requirements as the country battles the highly infectious Delta variant.

"If you're vaccinated... you have the key, you can open the door. But if you're unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things," de Blasio told a press conference. — AFP

Health officials in France on Tuesday activated an emergency plan on the Mediterranean island of Corsica as a fourth wave of COVID infections spread across the country.

The government also announced it was reactivating a package of measures designed to support medical staff as they brace for a fresh intake of cases.

More of France's popular coastal areas meanwhile reintroduced the compulsory wearing of masks in a bid to stem the incoming coronavirus tide. — AFP

Authorities in Wuhan say they would test its entire population for COVID-19 after the central Chinese city where the coronavirus emerged reported its first local infections in more than a year.

China is battling its largest coronavirus outbreak in months, confining the residents of entire cities to their homes, cutting transport links and rolling out mass testing as the fast-spreading Delta variant challenges its zero-Covid strategy and homegrown vaccines.

Beijing had previously boasted of its success in crushing the virus, allowing the economy to rebound and normal life to return while swathes of the globe have struggled with the pandemic that has killed more than four million people worldwide. — AFP

The United States hits President Joe Biden's goal of administering at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to 70% of adults almost a month late, as the newest wave of infections pushed hospitalizations to levels seen last summer.

Biden's administration had initially targeted Independence Day on July 4 to reach the goal and declare victory over the worst of the pandemic.

But falling vaccination rates, particularly in politically conservative regions in the South and Midwest, and among younger people, those with lower income and racial minorities, meant the objective was missed. — AFP

Thousands of anti-lockdown demonstrators defied a court-ordered protest ban on Sunday and gathered in the streets of Berlin, resulting in scuffles with police.

Police said some protesters had "harassed and attacked" officers and ignored roadblocks, disrupting traffic in parts of the German capital.

"They tried to break through the police chain and pull out our colleagues. This led to the use of irritants, batons and physical violence," Berlin police tweeted.

A police spokesman said some 5,000 protesters had turned out. More than 600 were detained. — AFP

US President Joe Biden says "in all probability" new guidelines or restrictions would be imposed in the United States in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Asked if Americans should expect new recommendations from health authorities or new restrictive measures, the president responds, "in all probability," before leaving the White House by helicopter for the weekend. — AFP

China races Saturday to contain its worst coronavirus outbreak in months as fresh cases were reported in two more parts of the country including the sprawling megacity of Chongqing.

The highly contagious Delta variant has already been confirmed in the capital Beijing and four other provinces, prompting mass testing and putting more than one million people under lockdown.

More than 200 infections nationwide have been linked to a Delta cluster in eastern Jiangsu province, where cleaners at an airport in the city of Nanjing first tested positive on July 20. — AFP

Hundreds of thousands of people in China are in coronavirus lockdown Friday as the country battles its worst outbreak in months, while the United States intensifies vaccination efforts in the face of a Delta variant-fuelled surge.

The World Health Organization has warned that the highly transmissible strain, first detected in India, could unleash more Covid-19 outbreaks in a high-risk area from Morocco to Pakistan where vaccination rates are low.

In China, a cluster of infections in Nanjing city linked to airport workers who cleaned a plane from Russia earlier this month had reached the capital Beijing and five provinces by Friday. — AFP

Japan's government will extend a virus state of emergency in Tokyo and impose the measure in four more regions on Friday, as cases surge a week into the pandemic-postponed Olympics.

The Japanese capital reported a record number of new infections on Thursday as daily cases nationwide topped 10,000 for the first time.

On Friday, Tokyo 2020 organizers reported 27 new cases related to the event -- the highest daily figure yet -- although they insist there is nothing to suggest a link to rising infections in Japan. — AFP

Scientific studies with poor methodology and inaccurate findings are exacerbating a COVID-19 misinformation crisis that is discouraging vaccination and putting lives at risk.

The intense public interest in the pandemic and divisive debate in the United States over how to address it facilitates the spread of faulty research papers online, including by vaccine opponents. And even if a study is retracted, it is too late.

"Once the paper is published, the damage is irrevocable," said Emerson Brooking, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, which focuses on identifying and exposing disinformation.

Flawed papers "have been fuel to the fire for COVID-19 skeptics and conspiracy theorists. They are frequently the subject of viral online activity. Their findings are further filtered through salacious and misleading articles from fringe websites," Brooking told AFP. — AFP

Mexico recorded more than 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus in 2020 — 35% more than originally reported by the government, the national statistics institute said Thursday.

According to preliminary figures based on administrative records, 201,163 deaths from COVID-19 were registered in Mexico last year, INEGI president Julio Santaella said on Twitter.

That compares with the health ministry's figure of 148,629, he noted.

The country of 126 million people now has a coronavirus death toll of around 240,000, according to the health ministry — the fourth highest in the world.

Testing in Mexico remains very limited, and government officials have previously acknowledged the real toll is likely higher.

While the health ministry figures are based on deaths in hospitals, the statistics agency uses a different methodology and includes fatalities elsewhere. — AFP

The national statistics institute says Mexico recorded more than 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus in 2020 -- 35% more than originally reported by the government,

According to preliminary figures based on administrative records, 201,163 deaths from COVID-19 were registered in Mexico last year, INEGI president Julio Santaella says on Twitter.

That compares with the health ministry's figure of 148,629, he notes. — AFP

Daily virus cases in Tokyo top 3,000 for the first time on Wednesday, as several neighbouring regions weighed emergency restrictions to tackle a surge in infections.

Tokyo, which is already under a virus state of emergency as it hosts the Olympics, reports 3,117 cases, and Governor Yuriko Koike called on people to avoid "unnecessary, non-urgent outings."

Japan's vaccination program started slowly, and only just over 25% of the population has had two jabs. — AFP

Sen. Richard Gordon has tested positive for COVID-19 but is asymptomatic, News5's Maeanne Los Baños reports, citing information from the senator's office.

The top health authority says people vaccinated against COVID-19 in high-risk parts of the United States should resume wearing masks indoors, a major reversal in guidance that underscored the country's struggle to suppress the Delta variant.

President Joe Biden said the announcement showed that America needs to "do better" on vaccinations, adding that a vaccine mandate for the country's more than two million federal workers was now "under consideration."

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky cites new data that shows rare breakthrough cases involving Delta have an increased risk of onward transmission. — AFP

Indonesia reports a record 2,069 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours Tuesday as the Southeast Asian nation faces its deadliest Covid-19 surge since the pandemic began.

Tuesday's grim tally was nearly 600 deaths higher than the previous day and topped last week's daily record 1,566 deaths, the health ministry says.

New infections also shot up to just over 45,000, from about 28,000 on Monday. — AFP

Melbourne's coronavirus lockdown will be lifted late Tuesday, as authorities signalled a Delta variant outbreak in Australia's second-biggest city had been contained.

Neighboring South Australia state will also ease stay-at-home rules, but the country's largest city Sydney was facing a likely extension to a lockdown now in its fifth week.

After almost two weeks under stay-at-home orders, millions in Melbourne and surrounding Victoria state will exit their fifth lockdown just before midnight Tuesday.

The state had now "seen off two Delta outbreaks" in recent months, premier Dan Andrews said.

"It's not over, though, and we've got to be vigilant against this virus, the Delta strain, in the days and weeks and months ahead until we get as many people vaccinated as we possibly can," he added.

"That is some time away."

Schools, restaurants and shops will reopen but restrictions including mask-wearing will remain. — AFP

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday said the country had "largely" passed the peak of its third coronavirus wave and eased restrictions, including a ban on alcohol sales.

The African country worst hit by the virus went back into a partial lockdown last month to stem a surge in COVID-19 cases widely attributed to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Ramaphosa on Sunday said the average number of daily new infections had stood around 12,000 over the past week, a 20% drop from the previous week. 

"The latest figures suggest that we have largely passed the peak of the third wave of infections, although there are areas in the country where we still need to be concerned," the president said in an address to the nation.

While new daily cases have declined steadily in the most populous Gauteng province — the third wave's epicenter — infections are still rising in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces, he cautioned.

But Ramaphosa still announced the easing of restrictions on gatherings, in-country travel and alcohol sales with almost immediate effect. — AFP

The number of COVID-19 cases surpasses 40 million on Saturday in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since the first coronavirus infections were recorded last year, the number of cases in the region has reached 40,073,507, according to an AFP count based on official data as of 0200 GMT.

The number of deaths has reached 1,353,335.

The rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant has fueled a surge in COVID-19 cases around the world this week, with total cases hitting 192,942,266 with 4,143,687 deaths.

China says a WHO proposal to audit Chinese labs as part of further investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic showed "disrespect" and "arrogance towards science".

Last week, the World Health Organization said a second stage of the international probe should include audits of Chinese labs, amid increasing pressure from the United States for an investigation into a biotech lab in Wuhan. 

The proposal outlined by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus included "audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases identified in December 2019" -- referring to the Chinese city of Wuhan. — AFP

State leaders say that Sydney's fast-growing coronavirus outbreak has become a "national emergency," as Australia's largest city reported another record number of new infections.

Admitting a month-long lockdown had so far failed to stop a Delta-variant outbreak, the state of New South Wales pleaded for Canberra to urgently send more vaccines and resources.

Declaring the outbreak a national emergency could pave the way for more federal government involvement in stemming the crisis. — AFP

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte confirms that her brother, Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte tested positive for COVID-19.

People wanting to go to cinemas, museums, sporting matches and other cultural venues in France will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test starting Wednesday, as the country braces for a feared spike in cases from the highly transmissible Delta variant.

The so-called "health pass" will be required for all events or places with more than 50 people, before being extended to restaurants, cafes and shopping centres in August, President Emmanuel Macron announced in a televised address last week.

Once inside, however, people can take off their face masks, which remain necessary inside shops or businesses or on public transportation. — AFP

England lifts most pandemic restrictions Monday despite surging infections and dire warnings from experts, as the Delta variant sweeps parts of Europe and Asia.

In Britain, daily infections have climbed, averaging more than 50,000 since last week, with Delta taking hold in many areas. 

But despite accusations against the UK government of recklessness, it lifted legal mandates on social distancing, wearing masks and working from home, urging personal responsibility instead. — AFP

About a third of Vietnam's 100 million people must now stay home as multiple southern provinces went under Covid-19 lockdown on Monday.

The restrictions come a day after nearly 6,000 new infections were reported over 24 hours, a record for Vietnam.

Residents in the capital Hanoi were also asked — but not ordered — to remain at home, and all non-essential shops and services were forced to close. Gatherings of more than five people in public places are banned. — AFP

The British government on Monday lifted pandemic restrictions on daily life in England, scrapping all social distancing in a step slammed by scientists and opposition parties as a dangerous leap into the unknown.

From midnight (2300 GMT Sunday), nightclubs were able to reopen and other indoor venues allowed to run at full capacity, while legal mandates covering the wearing of masks and working from home were scrapped.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson — who is self-isolating after his health minister was infected — urged the public to remain prudent and for any laggards to join the two-thirds of UK adults who are now fully vaccinated. —AFP

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will undertake "only essential government business" in the week ahead after the state health service designated him a close contact of a person infected with Covid, Downing Street said Sunday.

Johnson and finance minister Rishi Sunak were both designated but are taking part in a government pilot scheme that enables them to continue working, a spokesperson said, after Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed on Saturday he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Participating individuals must take daily tests and self-isolate when not at work, according to the pilot's rules. The development comes just as Johnson's government prepares to jettison most pandemic restrictions in England on Monday. — AFP

Australian authorities orders more businesses to close Saturday along with a slew of new restrictions in the country's largest city as a weeks-long lockdown failed to quash an outbreak of Covid-19.

Any retail deemed not "critical" would be forced to close across Sydney and its surroundings while those in hard-hit suburbs would be placed under stricter stay-at-home orders from midnight on Saturday, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told media in Sydney.

"It's not good enough for us to tread water which is what we're doing now; we've to some extent stabilised it, but we're not managing to quash that curve," Berejiklian says. — AFP

The Palace has announced the following new quarantine classifications, less than a day after classifications were released:

Enhanced Community Quarantine

• Iloilo province
• Iloilo City
• Cagayan de Oro City
• City of Gingoog, Misamis Oriental

General Community Quarantine with Heightened Restrictions

Antique

GCQ

Misamis Oriental

The classifications will be in effect until July 31.

Health authorities say wearing a face mask at an indoor public establishments will once again be mandatory in Los Angeles starting this weekend due to a steady increase in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.

Los Angeles is the first large US metropolis to reimpose the use of face masks -- regardless of vaccination status -- in shops, grocery stores, restaurants and workplaces to help contain the pandemic.

The new masking order goes into effect midnight Saturday in the county of Los Angeles. — AFP

Residents across Myanmar's biggest city are defying a military curfew in a desperate search for oxygen to keep their loved ones breathing as a new coronavirus wave crashes over the coup-wracked country.

The spike in cases is the latest blow to Myanmar, already suffering from a February coup and a bloody crackdown on dissent that has killed over 900 people and gutted the economy. 

Hundreds queued across Yangon as the sun rose Wednesday in the hope of refilling blue oxygen cylinders to take home to family members stricken with the virus. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 4,053,041 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 187,779,210 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country. — AFP

The DOH reports 3,806 new coronavirus infections in the country, bringing the tally to 1,485,457.

• Recoveries: 6,296 new; 1,414,816 total
• Deaths: 140 new; 26,232
• Active cases: 44,408 or 3% of total 

Ngayong 4 PM, Hulyo 14, 2021, ang Department of Health ay nakapagtala ng 3,806 na karagdagang kaso ng COVID-19. Samantala ay mayroon namang naitalang 6,296 na gumaling at 140 na pumanaw. pic.twitter.com/3zydWn0mng

— Department of Health (@DOHgovph) July 14, 2021

Sydney's five million residents will be in virus lockdown for at least another two weeks, state premier Gladys Berejiklian announces, rejecting calls to tighten restrictions further.

Australia's largest city is already in its third week of a partial lockdown and struggling to bring a fast-spreading outbreak of the coronavirus Delta variant under control.

In the past 24 hours, 97 new cases were recorded, more than the 89 reported the previous day. — AFP

Sydney's five million residents will be in virus lockdown for at least another two weeks, state premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Wednesday, rejecting calls to tighten restrictions further.

Australia's largest city is already in its third week of a partial lockdown and struggling to bring a fast-spreading outbreak of the coronavirus Delta variant under control.

In the past 24 hours, 97 new cases were recorded, more than the 89 reported the previous day.

Australia had been widely lauded for its early handling of the pandemic. — AFP

A Malaysian coronavirus vaccination centre was temporarily closed Tuesday after more than 200 workers tested positive for Covid-19, authorities said, as the country's cases set a new daily record.

The Southeast Asian nation is battling a serious outbreak driven by highly infectious variants, and has been under a strict lockdown since the start of June.

It has ramped up its jab drive by opening mass vaccination sites, and about 11 percent of the population are so far fully vaccinated while almost 25 percent have received a first dose. — AFP

The World Health Organization slams the senseless "greed" of rich countries considering COVID-19 booster vaccinations while the most vulnerable in other nations were left exposed to the virus.

Striking an increasingly exasperated tone, the WHO says the world would look back on itself with shame if it knowingly chose to leave the world's weakest at the mercy of the pandemic.

The UN's health agency also scolds vaccine manufacturers prioritizing deals for booster third doses rather than first and second shots for the completely unvaccinated healthcare workers and elderly people in poorer nations. — AFP

More than 10 million people were placed under fresh Covid-19 restrictions and a curfew in the Thai capital Monday, as the kingdom battled a surge of cases worsened by the highly infectious Alpha and Delta variants.

Thailand has so far recorded more than 345,000 cases and 2,791 deaths — with the bulk of them coming in this latest wave that started in April.

First detected in clubs frequented by the Thai elite and politicians at an upscale Bangkok nightlife district, the surge has been exacerbated by a slow vaccine rollout and limited testing capacity. — AFP

Australia reported another spike in new coronavirus cases Monday, as a lockdown in the country's largest city Sydney failed to halt a rapidly growing cluster of cases. 

Health authorities reported 112 cases in Sydney in the last 24 hours, a record for this wave of infections, despite a citywide lockdown that is in its third week. 

The virus has now spread to neighbourhoods across the sprawling city of five million people. — AFP

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says Sunday she is "very concerned" about the risk that new variants of coronavirus could pose to the global economic recovery from the pandemic.

"We are very concerned about the Delta variant and other variants that could emerge and threaten recovery," she tells reporters following a G20 meeting in Venice, Italy. 

"We are a connected global economy, what happens in any part of the world affects all other countries." — AFP

Australia announces its first coronavirus-related death in the current Sydney virus outbreak on Sunday, as the country's biggest city struggles to bring the Delta variant under control.

The woman in her 90s died Saturday, hours after testing positive for Covid-19, and was also the first death from a locally-acquired infection in Australia this year.

It came as authorities announced a record 77 new cases, and warned that numbers were expected to spike above 100 on Monday. — AFP

Thai authorities announces a seven-hour night curfew across the capital Bangkok and nine provinces, along with tougher restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

"Unnecessary travel will be prohibited. (People) won't be allowed out of their homes from 9 pm to 4 am except for necessary cases," says Apisamai Srirangson, assistant spokeswoman for the COVID-19 taskforce. — AFP

Vietnam's economic hub Ho Chi Minh City begins a two-week lockdown in the hope to contain the country's worst COVID-19 virus outbreak.

The city of nine million had previously been subjected to travel restrictions for a month but infection rates were steadily rising -- with more than 9,400 cases registered.

Before the outbreak kicked off in late April, Vietnam had recorded fewer than 3,000 cases across the entire country. — AFP

South Korea will raise coronavirus curbs to their highest level in the Seoul metropolitan area, the country's prime minister says, warning a record spike in new cases had reached "maximum crisis level".

The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules, but it was slow to start its vaccine rollout due to supply shortages.

On Friday it recorded 1,316 cases, its highest daily rise since the pandemic began, with most new infections in capital Seoul and its surrounding areas, home to almost half the South Korean population. — AFP

Chile, with over 73% of its population fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, announced Thursday it would relax pandemic restrictions but keep its borders closed.

The country of 19 million people has since February vaccinated 73.1% of its target population — more than 11.1 million to date, according to official data.

The numbers of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths has been decreasing over the past month.

Chile is one of the countries in the world with the longest-running restrictions on movement, with most schooling happening remotely since March 2020. — AFP

The global Covid-19 death toll has crossed four million, with the worst of the pandemic only just starting to hit some parts of the Asia-Pacific and cases rising again in the United States.

The more infectious Delta virus variant is accelerating outbreaks, and while some nations have started easing restrictions, the World Health Organization warned the world was at a "perilous point". — AFP

Indonesians have ignored health warnings to stock up on a "miracle cure" for COVID-19 backed by leading politicians and social media influencers, as an out-of-control virus surge sweeps the country.

Authorities are reporting hundreds of deaths every day as the world's fourth-most populous nation struggles with its worst outbreak since the pandemic began.

Pharmacies across the country are running out of ivermectin, an oral treatment normally used to treat lice and other parasitic infections, thanks in part to viral social media posts touting its potential as a coronavirus treatment. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,996,519 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Wednesday. 

At least 184,524,100 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. — AFP

Indonesia expands nationwide coronavirus curbs Wednesday to battle its deadliest Covid-19 wave yet, as the death toll rocketed with the government warning that the worst may be yet to come.

The new restrictions would apply to dozens of cities and extend from Sumatra island in the west to easternmost Papua as the highly infectious Delta variant rips across the Southeast Asian archipelago after battering densely populated Java.

"Cases are also rising in other regions and we need to pay attention to the availability of hospitals" there, says senior minister Airlangga Hartarto, who adds the government has decided to extend the restrictions until July 20. — AFP

Indonesia said Tuesday it was importing emergency oxygen from neighbouring Singapore as hospitals crumbled under the weight of Covid-19, while the Delta variant wrought havoc around the globe.

On Tuesday, the United States began sending Vietnam two million doses, part of a first batch of 80 million doses that US President Joe Biden has pledged to allocate to countries struggling to tame the pandemic.

But the World Health Organization said its global appeal to fund vaccines, treatments, diagnostics and equipment was still $16.8 billion short — almost half its total needs. — AFP

Indonesia reports a daily record of 728 coronavirus deaths while fresh infections topped 31,000 as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with its deadliest COVID-19 wave since the pandemic began.

The official death toll spiked from 558 virus fatalities on Monday, while new cases shot up to 31,189 from 29,745 cases a day earlier, the health ministry says. — AFP

A Chinese city near the border with Myanmar has imposed a lockdown and started mass testing after three coronavirus cases were reported on Monday, with officials rushing to curb another outbreak.

It is the second time in four months that Ruili, home to more than 210,000 people, has been locked down after the discovery of cases imported from Myanmar.

Ruili is a major crossing point from Muse in neighbouring Myanmar, which has seen escalating unrest since a February 1 military coup, raising fears that people will try to flood across the border into China to escape the violence.

One of the three infected patients was a Myanmar national, according to health authorities in Yunnan province.

China closed the main bridge and crossing to Myanmar in March as cases surged across the border.

Authorities have also increased patrols in recent months to prevent illegal border crossings and cracked down on human trafficking to prevent an influx of refugees.  — AFP

US President Joe Biden celebrated US Independence Day on Sunday with an upbeat assessment of a country he said is roaring back to post-pandemic life, even if COVID-19 has yet to be fully "vanquished."

Speaking before a festive crowd of 1,000 guests on the White House South Lawn, Biden drew a comparison between the declaration of independence from the British Empire in 1776 and today's rapid recovery from the coronavirus.

"Two hundred and forty five years ago, we declared our independence from a distant king. Today, we are closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus," he told the crowd of invited military members and essential workers.

"We’ve gained the upper hand against this virus," he said. But he added, "Don't get me wrong: Covid-19 has not been vanquished. We all know powerful variants have emerged, like the Delta variant." 

Biden paid tribute to those who have lost their lives, with the staggering number of deaths in the United States now at more than 600,000. — AFP

Official data show India became the third country to pass 400,000 Covid-19 deaths as the country's vast vaccination drive slows.

Total deaths are 400,312, according to the health ministry -- behind only the United States and Brazil -- with total cases almost 30.5 million.

Many experts suspect India's true death toll is more than a million, after a devastating spike in cases in April and May that overwhelmed hospitals. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,949,567 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Thursday.

At least 182,134,540 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country. — AFP

Russia reports its highest daily coronavirus death toll and Australia locks down major cities as the highly infectious Delta strain has caused mayhem around the world.

Fears grew over major sporting events like Euro 2020 and the Olympic Games, even as an AFP tally showed the world passed the milestone of over three billion COVID-19 vaccines administered.

At least 3.9 million people have died from COVID-19 and the pattern of vaccinations globally is highly uneven.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un replaced several senior officials after a "grave incident" in the country's efforts to defend itself against the coronavirus, state media reported Wednesday.

Officials had "caused a grave incident that poses a huge crisis to the safety of the nation and its people", Kim told a politburo meeting, according to the Korean Central News Agency, without giving details. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,925,816 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 181,026,780 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country.

Authorities extend a COVID-19 lockdown to include all of Sydney and surrounding population centres on Saturday as Australia's biggest city battles a surge in the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

"From 6pm today all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will go into lockdown," says Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales state, of the two-week restrictions. — AFP 

The Israeli health ministry reimposes a requirement for masks to be worn in enclosed public places following a surge in new cases since it was dropped 10 days ago. 

The head of Israel's pandemic response taskforce, Nachman Ash, tells public radio the requirement came after four days of more than 100 new cases a day, in a country which prides itself on one of the world's most successful vaccine rollouts. 

Ash says the rise in cases was likely due to the highly contagious Delta variant first seen in India. — AFP

The health ministry says Colombia's death toll from COVID-19 passed the 100,000 mark with a new 24-hour record of almost 650 deaths,.

After three weeks of demonstrations that have brought thousands of people into the streets to protest the government of conservative President Ivan Duque, the South American country of 50 million is suffering its worst moment since the pandemic began. 

It has now recorded 100,582 dead, including 648 in the past 24 hours, the ministry says. — AFP

Facemasks will no longer be compulsory outdoors in  Italy, one of the countries in Europe worst hit by the coronavirus, from June 28, the health ministry said Monday.

The lifting of the mask requirement would come into effect in regions labelled "white" under Italy's classification system for how rapidly the virus is spreading, Health Minister Roberto Speranza wrote on Facebook.

This includes all Italian regions except the tiny Aosta Valley in the far northwest. — AFP

Brazil on Saturday crossed the grim threshold of 500,000 coronavirus deaths, trailing only the United States in lives lost to Covid-19.

"500,000 lives lost due to the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the world," Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tweeted.

The latest update from his ministry said the toll is now 500,800, with 2,301 deaths in the past 24 hours. Experts say government Covid figures underestimate the real toll from the health crisis. —  AFP

The Netherlands announces further easing of a raft of measures to combat coronavirus, including an end to mask-wearing in most places.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte says the country was "taking a big step" towards a life without restrictions, from June 26.

"Almost everything is possible at a distance of 1.5 metres," he adds. — AFP

Lights, camera, real live audiences — Milan fashion welcomes back actual people to its shows Friday, a sign the industry is ready to start turning the page on virtual formats adopted during the pandemic.

The numbers are still modest, with only Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Etro inviting an audience to their men's Spring/Summer 2022 collections.

"This is the dress rehearsal of the return to normalcy," Federica Trotta Mureau, editor of the Italian fashion magazine Mia Le Journal, told AFP. 

The shows represent baby steps but the effect of the live events, instead of the video presentations or short films relied on since early last year when coronavirus cut short the twice-yearly shows in Italy's business capital, would still be appreciated, Mureau said. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,835,238 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Thursday. 

At least 176,966,040 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. —  AFP

A repurposed arthritis drug has shown positive results in a clinical trial of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a paper published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Tofacitinib, taken orally and sold under the brand name Xeljanz among others, was tested in a trial of 289 patients hospitalized with severe COVID across 15 locations in Brazil.

Half received the drug — a 10 mg pill twice a day — and standard care like glucocorticoids that tamp down an overactive immune response, while the other half received a placebo and standard care.

After 28 days, 18.1% of the group receiving the tofacitinib progressed to respiratory failure or death, compared to 29% in the placebo group.

This represented a statistically significant relative risk reduction of 63%. — AFP

The US death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 600,000 on Tuesday, although officials hailed progress towards a return to normality as its world-leading vaccination program promised to turn the page on one of the worst health crises in American history.

The United States has racked up by far the largest national death toll — ahead of Brazil and India — after a heavily-criticized early response to the pandemic, but has since organized among the world's most effective immunization drives.

Progress against the coronavirus was underlined as New York announced more than 70 percent of adults had received at least one vaccine dose and the last of the state's restrictions could be lifted.

"There's still too many lives being lost," President Joe Biden said, noting that despite the daily number of dead dropping sharply, the continuing loss of life was still "a real tragedy." — AFP

The pandemic has killed at least 3,805,928 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data at 1830 GMT. 

The US is the worst-affected country with 599,769 deaths, followed by Brazil with 487,401, India with 374,305, Mexico with 230,150, Peru with 188,708 and the United Kingdom with 127,904.

The figures are based on reports by health authorities in each country, but do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical bodies. 

The WHO says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic than official figures suggest. —  AFP

The DOH logs 7,302 more COVID-19 cases, pushing the Philippines' tally to 1,315,639.

• Recoveries: 7,701 new; 1,232,986 total
• Deaths: 137 new; 22,788 total
• Active cases: 59,865 or 4.6% of total

Ngayong 4 PM, Hunyo 13, 2021, ang Department of Health ay nakapagtala ng 7,302 na karagdagang kaso ng COVID-19. Samantala ay mayroon namang naitalang 7,701 na gumaling at 137 na pumanaw.

Sa kabuuang bilang ng mga naitalang kaso sa bansa, 4.6% (59,865) ang aktibong kaso, 93.7% pic.twitter.com/NuaT6SiJaF

— Department of Health (@DOHgovph) June 13, 2021

The government of Saudi Arabia will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents to perform hajj.

Queen Elizabeth II will recognize those responsible for Britain's successful COVID-19 vaccine rollout in her annual Birthday Honours list, Buckingham Palace says.

Sarah Gilbert, lead developer of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and Kate Bingham, the former chair of Britain's vaccine taskforce, are both to receive damehoods -- one of the highest honours bestowed by the monarch. — AFP

Indian start-up Mylab Discovery Solutions hopes that its inexpensive COVID-19 home test kit -- the country's first -- will help the massive South Asian nation better track the pandemic's spread among its 1.3-billion people.

CoviSelf was launched earlier this month and is the first home testing kit to be approved in India, which is slowly emerging from a brutal second wave that overwhelmed its hospitals and crematoriums, with almost 30 million infected so far and over 350,000 dead.

But many experts suspect that the real numbers are much higher, blaming insufficient testing and inaccurate recording of the cause of patient deaths. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,764,250 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Thursday.

At least 174,350,990 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. —  AFP

Taiwanese rights activists urge authorities to revoke a "discriminatory" ban on migrant workers going outside after a coronavirus outbreak spread to the island's lucrative tech sector.

The local government in central Miaoli county this week imposed a stay indoors order on all migrant workers unless they were explicitly commuting to work.

The order came after four electronics companies reported clusters among their workforce, which includes many low paid migrants from nearby countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. — AFP

Russia on Wednesday reports a spike in the number of coronavirus infections as officials struggle to encourage Russians to get vaccinated.

A government tally reported 10,407 new coronavirus infections across the country, the highest since March 14.

Moscow, the worst-hit city in Russia, also saw a surge in new infections, registering the highest number of daily cases since January 16.  —  AFP

The Department of Health logs 5,462 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 1,286,217.

• Active cases: 54,000 or 4.2% of the total
• Recoveries: 7,854, pushing total to 1,210,027
• Deaths: 126, bringing total to 22,190

People in France will be able to enjoy indoor dining and staying out until 11:00 pm for the first time in months under a new relaxation of Covid rules, as cases fall and vaccinations rise.

In a key new phase of the programme relaxing the lockdown, diners will be able to go inside cafes and restaurants, terrace consumption having already resumed on May 19.

The overnight curfew will now start later -- at 11:00 pm instead of 9:00 pm -- before being dropped entirely if all goes to plan on June 30. — AFP

Five million Melbourne residents will exit lockdown Thursday after Australian authorities say their adherence to strict rules had "changed the course" of a coronavirus outbreak in the city.

After two weeks under stay-at-home orders, the toughest restrictions in Australia's second-biggest city will be lifted from 11:59 pm Thursday, after just one new virus case was recorded on Tuesday.

"This is a good day. Everyone should be absolutely proud of what we have all achieved together," Victoria state acting Premier James Merlino says. — AFP

The pandemic has shaken up the rankings of the world's most liveable cities, a study released on Wednesday showed, with metropolises in Australia, Japan and New Zealand leaping ahead of those in Europe.

Auckland tops The Economist's annual survey of the world's most liveable cities in 2021 followed by Osaka and Tokyo in Japan, Adelaide in Australia and Wellington in New Zealand, all of which had a swift response to the Covid pandemic.

"Auckland rose to the top of the ranking owing to its successful approach in containing the Covid-19 pandemic, which allowed its society to remain open and the city to score strongly," the Economist Intelligence Unit said.

In contrast, "European cities fared particularly poorly in this year’s edition."  

"Vienna, previously the world’s most liveable city between 2018-20, fell to 12th. Eight of the top ten biggest falls in the rankings are European cities," according to the study. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,739,777 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Tuesday. 

At least 173,537,280 cases of coronavirus have been registered. 

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. —  AFP

The pandemic has killed at least 3,731,297 people worldwide since the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data. 

The US is the worst-affected country with 597,628 deaths, followed by Brazil with 473,404, India with 349,186, Mexico with 228,804, Peru with 186,511 and Britain with 127,840.

The figures are based on reports by health authorities in each country, but do not take into account upward revisions carried out later by statistical bodies. 

The WHO says up to three times more people have died directly or indirectly due to the pandemic than official figures suggest. —  AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,714,923 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Saturday.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 597,001 deaths.

After the US, the hardest-hit countries are Brazil with 470,842 deaths, India with 344,082 deaths, Mexico with 228,568 deaths, and Peru with 185,813 deaths.

The World Health Organization estimates that the pandemic's overall toll could be two to three times higher than official records, due to the excess mortality that is directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19. —  AFP

The United States announces more than $266 million in additional humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, intended mainly for its COVID-19 response, as foreign troops continue their withdrawal from the country.

"As the United States withdraws military forces from Afghanistan, our enduring commitment is clear," top US diplomat Antony Blinken says.

"We remain engaged through our full diplomatic, economic and assistance toolkit to support the peaceful, stable future the Afghan people want and deserve."

The number of babies born in Japan hit a new record low last year, official data show, highlighting concern over the pandemic's impact on one of the world's lowest fertility rates.

In 2020, the greying country saw 840,832 births, according to data released Thursday by the health and labour ministry.

Politicians have expressed concern that the population of the world's third-largest economy is shrinking faster than ever, with couples hesitant to reproduce as the pandemic fuels financial instability and fears over hospital trips. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,693,717 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Thursday.

At least 171,584,840 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The figures are based on daily reports provided by health authorities in each country. They exclude revisions made by other statistical organisations, which show that the number of deaths is much higher. 

The World Health Organization estimates that the pandemic's overall toll could be two to three times higher than official records, due to the excess mortality that is directly and indirectly linked to Covid-19. A large number of the less severe or asymptomatic cases also remain undetected, despite intensified testing in many countries. —  AFP

The pandemic has pushed over 100 million more workers into poverty, the UN said Wednesday, after working hours plummeted and access to good quality jobs evaporated.

"Five years of progress towards the eradication of working poverty have been undone," a fresh report from the UN's International Labour Organization said, adding that compared to 2019, 108 million more workers around the world were now categorised as poor or extremely poor. —  AFP

The WHO says that only one strain of the COVID-19 Delta variant first detected in India was now considered "of concern", while two other strains had been downgraded.

The B.1.617 variant of the virus, which has in part been blamed for India's explosive outbreak, has been dubbed a triple mutant variant since it is split into three lineages.

The UN health agency last month declared the entire strain a "variant of concern", or VOC, but on Tuesday, it said only one of the sub-lineages deserved that label. — AFP

A coronavirus lockdown of Australia's second-biggest city will be extended by another seven days, authorities announced Wednesday, as they attempt to stamp out a cluster of cases in Melbourne.

Five million Melbourne residents were due to exit a seven-day lockdown just before midnight Thursday, but were ordered to remain at home because of concerns about the spread of the virus.

"We've got to run this thing to ground otherwise people will die," Victoria's acting state Premier James Merlino said, adding they were dealing with a virus variant "quicker and more contagious than we have ever seen before".

The outbreak is believed to have begun when a traveller infected with the Kappa variant, which originated in India, returned to Australia.

Thousands of close contacts have been identified and the list of venues visited by the 60 confirmed cases has grown to about 350. — AFP

Malaysia imposes a tough nationwide lockdown to battle a worsening coronavirus outbreak, as countries across Southeast Asia struggle with a resurgence in cases driven by infectious variants.

Much of the region escaped the pandemic's first wave last year relatively unscathed by rapidly closing borders and introducing curbs.

But countries from Thailand to Vietnam are being hammered by fresh surges, with efforts to quell outbreaks hampered by slow vaccine rollouts and populations weary of restrictions. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,543,125 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Monday. 

At least 170,244,860 cases of coronavirus have been registered. 

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. —  AFP

The remote Pacific nation of Palau reported its first confirmed coronavirus case Monday, but authorities said it was historical and posed no transmission risk.

The tiny island state of 21,000 has so far managed to avoid COVID-19 after closing its borders early in the pandemic, despite the huge cost to its tourism-reliant economy.

The health ministry said a traveller who arrived in Palau earlier this month was found to have the virus, even though they tested negative once before departing for the island and twice during a two-week quarantine.

"Further tests revealed that this is a historical — past infection — case of COVID-19, and it is not infectious," it said in a statement.

The ministry estimated the person contracted the virus in January this year.

Authorities refused to release any details about the patient or the country they traveled from, citing privacy concerns. — AFP

The remote Pacific nation of Palau reported its first confirmed coronavirus case Monday, but authorities said it was historical and posed no transmission risk.

The tiny island state of 21,000 has so far managed to avoid Covid-19 after closing its borders early in the pandemic, despite the huge cost to its tourism-reliant economy.

The health ministry said a traveller who arrived in Palau earlier this month was found to have the virus, even though they tested negative once before departing for the island and twice during a two-week quarantine. —  AFP

A neighborhood in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has been locked down as officials rush to quell an uptick in cases in the area.

The industrial hub north of Hong Kong home to nearly 15 million people has reported 20 new cases of the coronavirus in the past week.

A notice by the Guangzhou municipal health bureau issued Saturday identified five streets in Liwan district in the city centre as "high-risk areas" and ordered residents to stay indoors until door-to-door testing is completed. — AFP

A coronavirus surge sweeping through Thailand's prisons has thrown the spotlight on the kingdom's overcrowded penal system, where some inmates have less space to sleep than the inside of a coffin.

More than 22,000 people have tested positive inside jails, where inmates living cheek by jowl have been encouraged to keep wearing their masks even while they sleep.

Authorities have floated plans to give early releases to prisoners with underlying medical conditions and have announced funding for more testing and medical care in recent days. — AFP

A steady decline in coronavirus cases and rising levels of immunity from vaccination or infection suggest that the worst of the pandemic may be over for hard-hit Mexico, experts say.

The improvement has led to a gradual loosening of lockdown measures, paving the way for children to go back to classrooms and spectators to return to sports stadiums and wrestling tournaments.

The outlook "is hopeful," says epidemiologist Alejandro Macias, who led Mexico's fight against the swine flu pandemic in 2009. — AFP

The national parliaments of Austria and Poland approved Europe's huge post-virus coronavirus recovery fund on Thursday, the last of the 27 EU member states, paving the way for ratification.

"With the positive votes of the Austrian and Polish parliaments today, the 27 member states finalized the parliamentary approval process," European Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said on Twitter.  

Officials previously said that if member states gave the go-ahead to the plan, money for the 672-billion-euro ($820-billion) package of grants and loans could "start to flow in July".

This will be a year on from the European Union's historic decision to pool debt to fund the recovery package.

What once seemed like a hugely ambitious exercise, however, has been dwarfed by the United States' adoption of a $1.9-trillion infrastructure plan.

The US has also surged ahead with coronavirus vaccinations, meaning its economy will emerge from lockdowns faster than those in Europe.  —  AFP

Five million people in Melbourne were ordered into a snap week-long lockdown Thursday, with officials blaming Australia's sluggish vaccine rollout and hotel quarantine failures for yet another virus outbreak in the country's second-biggest city.

Facing a cluster of 26 cases linked to the "highly infectious" Indian strain of Covid-19, authorities issued stay-at-home orders for Melbourne and surrounding Victoria state from midnight.

It is the fourth time Melbourne has been plunged into lockdown since the pandemic began, including nearly four months of harsh restrictions last year. —  AFP

Dogs can be trained to detect more than 90% of COVID-19 infections even when patients are asymptomatic, according to research published Monday, which authors hope could help replace the need to quarantine new arrivals.

Using their remarkable sense of smell — which can pick up the equivalent of half a teaspoon of sugar in an olympic-sized swimming pool — dogs have already shown that they can sniff out maladies such as cancer, malaria and epilepsy. 

Several previous studies have shown proof-of-concept that dogs can detect SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers from the London School of Tropical Medicine  wanted to see if dogs could detect a distinctive odour given off from chemical compounds associated with someone who is Covid positive but doesn't show symptoms.

They gathered samples of clothing and face masks from people who had tested positive for mild or symptomatic SARS-CoV-2.

Samples of the socks of 200 COVID-19 cases were collected and arranged in lab tests for six dogs that had been trained to indicate either a presence or absence of the chemical compound. — AFP

More than one million people have died of Covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean since the pandemic began, according to an AFP count based on official figures.

The region has also recorded more than 31.5 million infections.

More than 90% of deaths have been registered in five countries that account for 70% of the region's population: Brazil (446,309 dead), Mexico (221,080), Colombia (83,233), Argentina (73,391) and Peru (67,253).

France will confer a special honour on health workers who die from COVID-19 while fighting the pandemic, President Emmanuel Macron says.

He says a status called "died in the service of the republic" would be created to honour public employees who lose their life "in exceptional circumstances".

A similar "died in the service of the nation" status already exists for police and the military, while "died for France" is reserved for soldiers and civilians killed in battle. — AFP

Up to three times more people have died due to the pandemic than indicated by the officially reported COVID-19 deaths, the World Health Organization says.

So far, more than 3.4 million deaths worldwide have officially been attributed to COVID-19 since the disease first surfaced in China in late 2019.

But according to a global health statistics report from the WHO, far more people have died that would otherwise not have, had it not been for the pandemic, either due to Covid or because they could not get treatment for other ailments. — AFP

Seriously ill COVID-19 patients in African countries are more likely to die than those on other continents, which could be because of a lack of critical care equipment, a study published Friday says.

Africa's populations have so far been less badly hit by the pandemic than other regions when it comes to total number of cases and deaths -- but the authors suggest the mortality rate of those who do get sick could be even higher than their figures suggest because of a lack of data.

"Our study is the first to give a detailed and comprehensive picture of what is happening to people who are severely ill with Covid-19 in Africa," Bruce Biccard from Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town says in a statement. — AFP

Malaysia on Wednesday reported a record 6,075 coronavirus cases in a single day, with authorities warning of a "dire" situation as hospitals rapidly fill up in the worst-hit areas.

The Southeast Asian nation has been battling a growing outbreak for months and had already tightened curbs nationwide ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr last week.

But infections have continued to rise and authorities are now considering tougher lockdowns in some areas. —  AFP

Authorized vaccines effective against all known COVID-19 variants, says World Health Organization Europe chief.

Malaysia reports a record 6,075 coronavirus cases in a single day, with authorities warning of a "dire" situation as hospitals rapidly fill up in the worst-hit areas.

The Southeast Asian nation has been battling a growing outbreak for months and had already tightened curbs nationwide ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr last week.

But infections have continued to rise and authorities are now considering tougher lockdowns in some areas. — AFP

India reports a record 4,529 coronavirus deaths in a single day even as the number of new cases in its devastating new wave fell.

The daily pandemic death toll has been rising in recent days as cases spread into rural districts with poor health facilities.

With the latest deaths, India's official toll has now risen to 283,248 behind the United States on more than 600,000 deaths and Brazil with about 440,000. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,391,849 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1000 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 163,507,240 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. —  AFP

Coordination of Canada's coronavirus vaccination campaign is set to be taken over by another army general, the public health agency said Monday, after a probe into allegations of sexual misconduct sidelined her predecessor. 

Brigadier General Krista Brodie, a logistic expert who served in the Balkans and Afghanistan, is to replace General Dany Fortin, who was dismissed due to a military investigation into what media reports said involved allegations of sexual misconduct dating back some 30 years, a charge which he has strongly denied. 

Brodie had already been working on vaccine coordination within the team led by her predecessor, as part of a partnership between the army and public health authorities set up last November. 

The appointment came three days after the announcement that Fortin was being sidelined from his post of coordinator "pending the results of a military investigation," according to the Ministry of Defense. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,359,726 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 161,795,290 cases of coronavirus have been registered. The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organizations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain.

Taiwan orders stricter social distancing measures for its capital and surrounding areas on Saturday after a sudden spike in coronavirus cases in a place that has so far weathered the pandemic comparatively unscathed.

Authorities raised the alert level for Taipei and New Taipei City after 180 new domestic coronavirus infections were confirmed, up from 29 cases the previous day.

The new restrictions mean no more than five people can gather indoors and 10 outdoors -- but authorities stopped short of ordering a total lockdown. — AFP

The top US health agency on Thursday said it was lifting mask-wearing guidance for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a watershed moment that President Joe Biden called "a great day" in the long pandemic fight.

The announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) marked an abrupt turnaround after more than a year of urging people to cover their faces to stem the spread.

"Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing," CDC director Rochelle Walensky said during a briefing.

"If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic." — AFP

At the peak of Kenya's third wave of COVID-19 in March, hospitals — buckling under the strain of the virus — saw their oxygen reserves fizzle out. 

Since then, they have been scrambling to increase capacity of the lifesaving element, fearing the nightmare scenario currently unfolding in India due to oxygen shortages.

On the roof of the Metropolitan Hospital, a 150-bed private institution that targets the middle class, a brand-new oxygen production unit has just been installed that is capable of producing up to 600 liters of the gas per minute.

Metropolitan CEO Kanyenje Gakombe said the hospital accelerated plans to produce its own oxygen after supplies were squeezed to the limit during the height of the third wave, fanned by the variants of the coronavirus first detected in Britain and South Africa.

In April Kenya registered a record 571 deaths, and the health ministry warned hospitals were overrun with fewer than 300 patients in the Intensive Care Unit and fewer than 2,000 hospitalised countrywide. — AFP

The catastrophic scale of the Covid-19 pandemic could have been prevented had the warning signs been heeded, the global panel investigating the world's coronavirus response concluded Wednesday.

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response blamed a "toxic cocktail" of dithering and poor coordination, said the World Health Organization could have sounded the alarm sooner, and urged rich countries to donate one billion vaccine doses by September, in its long-awaited final report. —  AFP

Official data show India's coronavirus death toll surpassed 250,000 on Wednesday as the pandemic raged across the vast country of 1.3 billion people.

According to the health ministry, 4,205 people died in the past 24 hours -- a new record -- taking total fatalities to 254,197. 

The number of cases rose almost 350,000 to 23.3 million, the second-highest after the United States. — AFP

The World Health Organization said Wednesday that a variant of COVID-19 behind the acceleration of India's explosive outbreak has been found in dozens of countries all over the world.

The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of COVID-19, first found in India in October, had been detected in sequences uploaded to the GISAID open-access database "from 44 countries in all six WHO regions," adding it had received "reports of detections from five additional countries".  — AFP

Taiwan bans large gatherings after a cluster of local infections prompted authorities to raise the coronavirus alert level in a place with one of the world's best pandemic responses.

The self-ruled island has been hailed as a global leader in containing the COVID-19 pandemic with just 1,210 confirmed cases, 12 deaths and minimal social distancing needed once the initial outbreak was quelled.

Last year ,Taiwan recorded 253 straight days without any local infections. — AFP

Britain on Monday was set to announce a further easing of its coronavirus lockdown, joining several European nations in gradually reopening their economies, but India remained in the grip of a devastating outbreak.

Rapid vaccination programs have allowed a number of wealthy nations to start taking steps towards normality, but the virus is still surging in many countries and concerns are growing about global vaccine inequality.

The pandemic has claimed close to 3.3 million lives worldwide and Britain has the highest death toll in Europe, but its successful vaccination programme has allowed the authorities to start relaxing curbs.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was due to announce the latest measures —  effective May 17 — in a press conference on Monday, including the reopening of indoor seating in pubs and restaurants. — AFP

New Covid-19 deaths surged past 4,000 for the first time in India on Saturday in one of the world's worst outbreaks, as EU pressure mounted on Washington to end vaccine export limits and offer a concrete plan to lift patents.

"I call very clearly on the United States to put an end to export bans not only on vaccines but on vaccine ingredients, which prevent production," Macron told reporters at an EU summit in Porto. He was referring to a de facto US ban on the export of vaccine raw materials.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU had exported much of its own production and the United States should follow suit. — AFP

The government says India recorded more than 4,000 coronavirus deaths in a day for the first time.

The 4,187 new deaths took India's overall toll to 238,270 since the pandemic started. It added another 401,078 new cases in 24 hours taking its caseload to nearly 21.9 million.

Experts, who have expressed doubts about the official death toll, say India may not hit a peak in its current surge until the end of May. — AFP

Germany seems to have halted a surge of coronavirus infections driven by the British variant, Health Minister Jens Spahn says, cautioning however against lifting restrictions precipitously.

"The third wave appears to have broken," Spahn tells a press conference in Berlin.

"The infection figures are dropping again, but we are still at a high level. They are not yet falling everywhere at the same rate, but they are falling," he says. — AFP

Official data show India saw almost 4,000 COVID-19 deaths and more than 412,000 new cases in the past 24 hours, both new records.

Health ministry numbers show 3,980 deaths, taking the total to 230,168, and 412,262 new cases, bringing India's caseload since the pandemic began to 21.1 million. — AFP

India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Britain for G7 meetings, says on Wednesday he would hold his talks virtually after being exposed to possible coronavirus cases.

The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States are wrapping up three days of talks in London ahead of a G7 leaders' summit next month in Cornwall in southern England.

India is not part of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies but was invited to the talks by Britain, which holds the rotating presidency of the group throughout 2021.

"Was made aware yesterday evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases," Jaishankar tweeted.

"As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode. That will be the case with the G7 Meeting today as well."

Sky News earlier reported there had been two positive cases among the Indian delegation. -- AFP

India released $6.7 billion in cheap financing for vaccine makers, hospitals and other health firms on Wednesday, to counter the devastating coronavirus surge gripping the country.

Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das also vowed to deploy "unconventional" measures if the crisis worsens.

He spoke as India announced a record 3,780 deaths in 24 hours as well as 382,000 new cases.

This week it became the second country after the United States to pass 20 million cases and hospitals across the country of 1.3 billion people have complained of chronic shortages of beds, oxygen, vaccines and key drugs. — AFP

India's coronavirus caseload topped 20 million on Tuesday but a drop in the daily infection count offered a slight hope that one of the world's worst surges may be easing.

The South Asian nation's plight is in stark contrast to Europe and the United States, where mass vaccinations have allowed the easing of many coronavirus restrictions.

More than 350,000 new cases were reported in India Tuesday, a drop from the peak of 402,000 last week, giving some cause for optimism that the worst of the devastating wave may have passed.

"If daily cases and deaths are analysed, there is a very early signal of movement in the positive direction," senior health ministry official Lav Aggarwal told reporters.

"But these are very early signals. There is a need to further analyze it." — AFP

India struggled to contain one of the world's worst coronavirus outbreaks with nearly 400,000 new infections reported Sunday, as more international aid arrived in the South Asian nation to help end the crisis.

Surges in Brazil and Canada also highlighted the persistent threat of the pandemic, with the COVID-19 death toll approaching 3.2 million even as many nations ramp up their vaccination drives.

India expanded its vaccination programme to all adults on Saturday, but many of its states are struggling with shortages despite an export freeze for shots produced in the country.

Long queues were seen at vaccination centers in cities across India on the weekend, with people desperate to be inoculated against a disease that has overwhelmed the country's healthcare system and even crematoriums and graveyards. — AFP

India records over 400,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours for the first time, the first country to do so in the pandemic, official data show.

According to the health ministry, 401,993 new infections were registered taking the total caseload to 19.1 million. There were 3,523 deaths, bringing the toll to 211,853.

Many experts suspect that because of insufficient testing and inaccurate recording of cause of death, the real numbers are much higher. — AFP

Brazil registers 2,595 new deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total for April to 82,266, the second consecutive monthly record as the country struggles with a devastating surge since the start of the year.

According to figures from the Ministry of Health, 66,573 fatalities were recorded in March -- underlining the steep increase in deaths over recent weeks.

With 212 million people, Brazil's death toll in the pandemic surpassed 400,000 on Thursday and it also has one of the highest mortality rates at 189 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. — AFP

Worldwide COVID-19 cases pass 150 million, as the number of new daily infections reach levels not seen since the beginning of the pandemic, according to an AFP count.

150.3 million cases have been declared since the virus was first discovered in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data -- with numbers soaring recently due to a relentless second wave in India, where 2.5 million cases have been detected in the past seven days. 

A military plane brings the first US emergency coronavirus supplies to help India battle its devastating surge in the pandemic.

A Super Galaxy military transporter carrying more than 400 oxygen cylinders and other hospital equipment and nearly one million rapid coronavirus tests landed at New Delhi's international airport as the Indian capital battles a major pandemic crisis.

India is currently recording a world record infection rate of more than 370,000 cases as well as 3,600 deaths a day and a huge international aid operation has been launched with countries around the world promising help. — AFP

India's coronavirus disaster deepens with the daily death toll climbing above 3,600 as dozens of countries sent urgent medical aid to help tackle the spiralling crisis.  

Even with vaccine rollouts underway, fatalities are still speeding past major milestones across the globe, such as in Brazil where total deaths have now surpassed 400,000 people since the start of the pandemic.

However, the United States and several European nations are starting to ease restrictions as their vaccination campaigns pick up. — AFP

A case of the Indian variant of the coronavirus has now been detected in mainland France, a regional health agency director says Thursday.

"We have identified that it was the Indian variant" from someone who had returned from India, Benoit Elleboode, director of an agency in the southwestern department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine told BFMTV and CNews televisions two days after Health Minister Olivier Veron said that "no case of the variant of Indian origin" had been detected in mainland France. —  AFP

The United States says it was sending more than $100 million in supplies to Covid-ravaged India, including nearly one million instant tests on a first flight.

The White House says the first flight would arrive Thursday in New Delhi on a military plane, days after President Joe Biden promised to step up assistance to the emerging US ally.

The first shipment includes 960,000 rapid tests, which can detect Covid in 15 minutes, and 100,000 N95 masks for frontline health workers, the US Agency for International Development says. — AFP

India's coronavirus death toll crosses 200,000 as a relentless wave of new cases swamped hospitals and sent desperate families out into the streets of the capital in search of oxygen supplies and medicine.

Infection and death rates are soaring in the vast country of 1.3 billion, in contrast with the United States and some European nations taking tentative steps back towards normal life.

The virus has now killed more than 3.1 million people worldwide, with India driving the latest surge, recording 360,000 new infections — a global record — and over 3,000 deaths on Wednesday. 

In the capital New Delhi, car parks have been converted to crematoriums and the soaring body count has sparked a shortage of wood for funeral pyres.  

Desperate relatives of the sick are crowding outside hospitals and pharmacies in search of treatment and medicines, often in vain. — AFP

The first shipment of COVID-19 medical supplies from Britain to India, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, arrived early Tuesday, the foreign ministry says.

Foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi tweets photos of the equipment being unloaded from a German Lufthansa aircraft in New Delhi, calling it "international cooperation at work".

Britain, one of several countries to announce sending help as India's health care system buckles under a huge surge in coronavirus cases, is despatching more than 600 pieces of vital medical equipment. — AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday denied airily dismissing the prospect of thousands dying from COVID-19, as a row over government "sleaze" escalated with a call for his resignation.

In a front-page headline, the Daily Mail newspaper reported Johnson had said he would rather see "bodies pile high in their thousands" than impose a third coronavirus lockdown.

Ultimately, Johnson did order a new round of restrictions in January.

But he is now locked in a war of words with his former top aide Dominic Cummings over his coronavirus policies last year and financial dealings. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,102,837 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1800 GMT on Sunday.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 571,988 deaths, followed by Brazil with 389,492 deaths; Mexico with 214,853 deaths; India with 192,311 deaths; and the United Kingdom with 127,428 deaths. —  AFP

Chancellor Angela Merkel defends a fiercely-opposed new law imposing tough coronavirus restrictions across Germany including night curfews and school closures.

With many of its neighbours lifting restrictions despite higher virus rates, Europe's biggest economy is bucking the trend with the new national law dubbed the "emergency brake".

Passed amid huge protests in Berlin this week, the law prescribes uniform national restrictions and is designed to end a tug of war between the federal government and Germany's 16 states. — AFP

India's daily Covid death toll hit a new high, with hospitals facing oxygen shortages and crematoriums pushed to capacity, as US regulators say pharma giant Johnson & Johnson can restart a vaccine rollout paused due to worries over blood clots.

India has become the new pandemic hotspot -- queues of COVID-19 patients and their fearful relatives have built up outside hospitals in major cities as another 2,624 deaths, a daily record, were reported in 24 hours.

A surge blamed on a new virus variant and recent "super spreader" public events has wrought devastation on the country of 1.3 billion, with charities forced to set up makeshift funeral pyres in a bid to reduce the strain on crematoriums. — AFP

Japan's government is to declare virus states of emergencies in Tokyo and three other regions on Friday, exactly three months before the Olympic opening ceremony, as new infections surge.

The measures will be stricter than Japan's last state of emergency, imposed in parts of the country from January, but still fall short of the harsh lockdowns seen in some parts of the world.

"We have a strong sense of crisis," Japan's minister for virus response Yasutoshi Nishimura says. — AFP

India's brutal new COVID-19 outbreak set records with more than 2,000 deaths in 24 hours as hospitals in New Delhi ran perilously low on oxygen.

India has been in the grips of a second wave of infections blamed on lax government rules and a new "double mutant" virus variant, adding almost 3.5 million new cases this month alone.

Health ministry data on Wednesday showed a record 2,023 fatalities and 295,000 new cases in 24 hours, among the world's biggest daily case totals and on a par with numbers seen in the United States during a deadly surge in January. — AFP

Japan's third most populated region asks the central government to impose a state of emergency over the coronavirus as infections rise just three months before the country hosts the Olympics.

Osaka prefecture only lifted a state of emergency two months ago and restrictions are expected to be tougher this time, possibly involving store and shopping mall closures.

That would still fall short of the harsh lockdowns seen in many other parts of the world however. — AFP

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces Sunday that the federal government will send resources and support to Ontario, the province battling a worrying spike in Covid infections.

Ottawa will mobilize health professionals from different federal departments and deploy them to Ontario, particularly the Toronto region, where "the situation is most critical," Trudeau says in a video posted to Twitter.

The government is also in discussion with multiple provinces, including Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, to free up personnel and equipment resources "over the coming days," the prime minister says. —  AFP

Update: As the number of COVID-19 cases in Ontario climbs to levels we’ve never seen before, we’re working with the province and taking serious action to protect Ontarians. To do that, and to help fight this third wave, we’re providing additional, emergency support. Thread ??

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 18, 2021

Fiji orders two of its largest cities into lockdown Monday after the Pacific island nation recorded its first case of Covid-19 community transmission in 12 months.

Health authorities said the case was a 53 year-old woman who was a close contact of a soldier who contracted the virus at a quarantine facility in Nadi.

"To aid rapid contact tracing and reduce the likelihood of further transmission, we are announcing a lockdown of the greater Nadi and Lautoka area, starting from 4:00am this morning," the health department says in a statement. —  AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 3,000,955 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 139,869,290 cases of coronavirus have been registered. 

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later. 

The global coronavirus death toll is expected to reach three million on Saturday, as the race for immunization continues and countries like India grapple with rising infections and new lockdowns.

The virus that surfaced in late 2019 in central China and the ensuing pandemic has infected more than 100 million people, leaving billions more under crippling lockdowns and ravaging the global economy.

India's capital New Delhi went into a weekend lockdown Saturday as the world's second-most populous nation faces more than 200,000 fresh daily cases and families clamouring for drugs and hospital beds. — AFP

Public hospitals are critically short on the drugs needed to intubate Covid-19 patients in Sao Paulo, the most populous state in Brazil, officials said Thursday, warning of a potential public health catastrophe.

Sixty-eight percent of public clinics have run out of neuromuscular blockers, which are used to relax a patient's muscles during intubation, and 61 percent are out of sedatives, a report from the state council of municipal health secretaries (Cosems-SP) found.

"The situation regarding supplies of medications for intubation worsened over the past week," it said, amid a deadly new surge of Covid-19 in Brazil. —  AFP

India's daily coronavirus caseload doubles in 10 days, with a record 200,000 new infections logged Thursday as authorities grapple with shortages of vaccines, treatments and hospital beds.

Having let its guard down with mass religious festivals, political rallies and crowds at cricket matches, India is experiencing a vicious second wave, recording almost two million fresh infections this month alone.

This week, it overtook Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of cases worldwide, after the United States. — AFP

The English variant of the novel coronavirus does not increase the severity of COVIDompared to other strains, according to research published Tuesday that also confirmed its increased transmissibility. 

The variant, known as B117, is now the dominant viral strain across much of Europe, and previous studies had shown it was linked to a higher likelihood of death than normal variants. — AFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state Gujarat becomes the latest to tighten coronavirus curbs as India's infections surge to a record of almost 116,000 new cases in 24 hours.

Experts blame the country's fresh wave on people ignoring guidelines and attending huge religious and political events, as well as weddings and cricket matches in recent months.

India has now recorded 12.8 million cases, the third-highest behind the United States and Brazil, although those nations have much smaller populations. More than 166,000 Indians have died. — AFP

Brazil registers more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours for the first time Tuesday, the health ministry says, as the country reeled from a surge of infections that has made it the current epicenter of the pandemic.

The coronavirus claimed 4,195 lives in the deadliest day of the pandemic yet for the hard-hit country, whose total reported death toll is now nearly 337,000, second only to the United States.

Brazil's health system is buckling under the strain of the latest virus wave, which has forced doctors into agonizing decisions over which patients to give life-saving care and led cemeteries to hold nighttime burials to deal with the crush of coffins. —  AFP

Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, who has been vaccinated against Covid-19, announced late Friday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

"At the end of today, after presenting a fever of 37.3 (99 Fahrenheit) and a slight headache, I performed an antigen test, which was positive," he tweeted.

A PCR test later confirmed the diagnosis.

The president, who turned 62 on Friday, was in isolation as a precaution but said he was "physically well."

"Although I would have liked to end my birthday without this news, I am also in good spirits," he said. — AFP

Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, who has been vaccinated against COVID-19, announces that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

"At the end of today, after presenting a fever of 37.3 and a slight headache, I performed an antigen test, which was positive," he tweets, adding he was waiting for the results of a PCR test to confirm the diagnosis. — AFP

Latin America and the Caribbean pass the 25 million mark for recorded coronavirus cases as a surge in infections saw countries place restrictions on travel and movement while vaccine campaigns catch up.

An AFP tally showed the region reaching the grim milestone of 25,001,533 infections, putting it in third place after Europe with 44.2 million cases and the United States and Canada with over 31.5 million.

The death toll for Latin America and the Caribbean exceeded 788,000, according to AFP's count, second only to Europe which has lost some 936,000 people in the pandemic. — AFP

South America moves to put the brakes on surging coronavirus cases, as Chile closes all its borders for the month of April, Bolivia shutters its frontier with Brazil and Peru goes into Easter lockdown.

Ecuador also announces a 30-day "state of exception" affecting over a third of its population, with a curfew in force for the next week. 

Chile's government says it would batten down the hatches starting next Monday while it seeks to speed up its vaccination campaign. — AFP

The United States leads a chorus of concern over a WHO-backed report into the origins of the coronavirus in China, with accusations swirling that Beijing failed to give proper access to investigators.

The United States released a statement with 13 of its allies -- Britain, Japan and Australia among them -- saying the inquiry had lacked the data and samples it needed. — AFP

World leaders pushed Tuesday for a new international treaty to prepare for the next global pandemic — and avoid the unseemly scramble for vaccines hampering the COVID-19 response.

Leaders from 25 countries, the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO) sought to get the ground rules down in writing to streamline and speed up the reaction to future global outbreaks.

The treaty would aim to ensure that information, virus pathogens, technology to tackle the pandemic and products such as vaccines are shared swiftly and equitably among nations.

"The time to act is now. The world cannot afford to wait until the pandemic is over to start planning for the next one," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference. — AFP

An international expert mission to Wuhan concluded in a report seen Monday that COVID-19 likely first passed to humans from a bat through an intermediary animal, with investigators all but ruling out a laboratory leak.

The intermediate host hypothesis was deemed "likely to very likely", while the theory that the virus escaped from a lab was seen as "extremely unlikely", according to a copy of the long-awaited final report obtained by AFP before its official release.

The report, drafted by a team of international experts appointed by the World Health Organization and their Chinese counterparts, comes as dramatic infection spikes in Europe have forced a tightening of unpopular restrictions across the continent. — AFP

England enters the second phase of its lockdown easing on Monday thanks to a successful vaccination drive, but the government is urging vigilance as another wave of coronavirus sweeps Europe.

After schools reopened on March 8, England's stay-at-home order will be relaxed to enable outdoor gatherings of up to six people, or two households, in what newspapers are dubbing "Happy Monday".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped that Monday "will kick-start a Great British summer of sport -– with people of all ages reunited with teammates, and able to resume the activities they love". —  AFP

Brazil's over 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus amount to the "biggest genocide" in the Latin American country's history, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says in a scathing attack on current leader Jair Bolsonaro. 

"On Tuesday, 3158 people died of Covid in Brazil. It's the biggest genocide in our history," Lula tells Germany's Der Spiegel weekly, adding that Bolsonaro had lied to the Brazilian people about the pandemic.

After a corruption conviction against him was annulled earlier this month, recent opinion polls suggest that Lula is the best-placed politician to challenge far-right incumbent Bolsonaro in next year's elections. — AFP

Germany will classify France as a high-risk zone for COVID-19, Chancellor Angela Merkel says, in a move that could see Berlin tighten border controls and require mandatory quarantine to enter the country. 

The decision will come into force on Friday and be announced by the national health institute, the Robert Koch Institute, according to the newspaper FAZ. 

COVID-10 incidence rates, which measure the number of infections in every 100,000 people over the previous seven days, have crossed the threshold of 200 in numerous French departments. — AFP

Mexico becomes the world's third country to surpass 200,000 coronavirus deaths, as fears grew of another wave of infections after Easter.

The nation's Covid-19 fatality toll now stands at 200,211, the health ministry says in its daily update.

The bleak milestone comes despite a decline in new cases and deaths in recent weeks, following a surge in January that pushed many hospitals to the breaking point. —  AFP

Brazil surpasses 100,000 new Covid-19 cases in one day on Thursday, adding another grim record in country where the pandemic has killed more than 300,000 people, the health ministry said.

With the new cases, at least 12.3 million people are now known to have been infected with the coronavirus in Brazil. After the United States, it is the hardest-hit country anywhere in the world.

The toll has risen steadily since February, due to factors including people's abandoning social distancing norms and a new virus variant that emerged here and is believed to be more contagious than the original strain. —  AFP

India recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday for the first time since November as a new wave of infections takes hold a year after one of the world's tightest Covid-19 lockdowns was imposed.

The government and Indian vaccine giant the Serum Institute meanwhile declined to comment on reports that New Delhi is restricting exports to prioritise domestic needs for its faltering inoculation drive.

The nation of 1.3 billion people was this month overtaken by Brazil as the second-most infected country after cases dipped in December and January from a peak of nearly 100,000 per day in September.

But recent weeks have seen an uptick, with health ministry data on Thursday showing almost 54,000 new infections over the previous 24 hours. — AFP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday admitted a plan for a strict Easter virus shutdown was a "mistake" after agreeing with regional leaders to reverse the measure.

"This mistake is mine alone," Merkel told reporters in Berlin, adding that she bore "the ultimate responsibility" for the decision, which had led to fierce criticism.

"The whole process has caused additional uncertainty, for which I ask all citizens to forgive me," she said. — AFP

Study shows that children who are 10 and younger produce more antibodies in response to coronavirus infection than adolescents and adults.

The authors of the paper, which appeared in JAMA Network Open, says the finding helped illuminate why children are less susceptible to severe COVID-19 than adults -- though this is still an area of very active research and many factors are believed to be at play.

A team led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine examined almost 32,000 antibody tests from New York City between April and August 2020, finding that a similar number of the 1,200 children and 30,000 adults showed signs of past infection -- 17% and 19%. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,716,035 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 123,177,480 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

The vast majority have recovered, though some have continued to experience symptoms weeks or even months later.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. — AFP

At least 2,710,382 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT. 

The United States is the worst-affected country with 541,918 deaths from 29,784,001 cases, followed by Brazil with 292,752 deaths, Mexico with 197,827, India with 159,755 deaths and Britain with 126,122 deaths. —  AFP

Throngs of revelers flocking to Miami Beach in Florida for spring break have become so uncontrollable that authorities declared a state of emergency Saturday and imposed a curfew meant to quash the party.

The move marks the second year in a row that fun has been curtailed at the popular spring break destination — last March because the pandemic was just ramping up and this year due to unruly and destructive crowds.

Authorities announced Saturday that visitors must be off the street and that restaurants would close their doors at 8:00 pm in South Beach, the epicenter of the city's nightlife, following an increase of violence and vandalism over recent days. —  AFP

At least 2,702,004 million people have died of coronavirus around the world since the outbreak began in December 2019, according to an AFP tally based on official sources at 1300 GMT.

The US is the worst-affected country with 541,143 deaths followed by Brazil (290,314), Mexico (197,219), India (159,558) and Britain (126,026). —  AFP

At least 2,702,004 million people have died of coronavirus around the world since the outbreak began in December 2019, according to an AFP tally based on official sources at 1300 GMT.

The US is the worst-affected country with 541,143 deaths followed by Brazil (290,314), Mexico (197,219), India (159,558) and Britain (126,026). —  AFP

A third of France's population is under a new partial lockdown Saturday to stop the spread of COVID-19, as some European countries resumes AstraZeneca vaccinations following an all-clear from EU regulators and the WHO.

The pandemic is still speeding up worldwide, with the number of new global coronavirus infections rising by 14% over the last week compared to the previous week, according to AFP data. 

Mexico announces restrictions on non-essential crossings at its border with Guatemala to curb the spread of COVID-19, a move that coincides with increased migrant flows towards the United States.

The government also prolonged the closure of its northern border with the United States to all but essential land traffic in response to a pandemic that has left more than 196,000 people dead in Mexico.

"To prevent the spread of Covid-19... restrictions will be imposed on land transit for non-essential activities on the northern and southern borders," the foreign ministry says on Twitter. — AFP

New York, the US city most bereaved by the coronavirus, pays a moving tribute Sunday to its 30,258 dead, one year after the start of the pandemic. 

"More New Yorkers lost than in World War Two, Vietnam, Hurricane Sandy and 9/11 put together. Every family touched in some way, and for so many families a pain, a pain that is raw," Mayor Bill de Blasio says during a live virtual ceremony, after calling for a moment of silence to honor the victims. 

The Democratic mayor heralds the "health care heroes" who "saved lives," sometimes at their own expense. —  AFP

The United States' top pandemic advisor says Sunday that authorities were considering cutting social distancing rules to three feet (one meter), a move that would change a key tenet of the global fight against Covid-19.

Anthony Fauci, a world-respected figure during the coronavirus crisis, says experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were examining a Massachusetts study that found "no substantial difference" in Covid cases in schools observing six-foot and three-foot rules.

Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" show whether that meant that a three-foot separation was sufficient, Fauci replies, "It does, indeed." —  AFP

Mexico approves the anti-viral drug remdesivir for emergency use treating COVID-19 patients in the Latin American country, one of the worst hit by the pandemic.

Regulatory agency Cofepris says it had authorized the medicine for use exclusively by hospitals and specialist doctors during the early stages of the illness.

Mexico joins other countries including the United States, Canada and Japan, as well as the European Commission, that have approved the treatment for use against the coronavirus. — AFP

For the first time in nearly three and a half months, the United States records fewer than 1,000 deaths in a day from Covid-19 on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In 24 hours, 749 people died from the coronavirus, far below the peak of 4,473 deaths recorded on January 12. 

The daily US death toll has not been below the thousand mark since November 29, when 822 people died in a 24-hour period.  —  AFP

More than 700,000 lives have been lost to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean since the pandemic began, according to an AFP tally on Monday evening from official sources.

The region, which encompasses 34 countries and territories in South and Central America and the Caribbean plus Mexico, recorded 700,022 deaths -- the second-highest number of virus fatalities after Europe.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing mild symptoms, the presidency says Monday.

"After experiencing mild symptoms that resemble... COVID-19, President al-Assad and first lady Asma Al-Assad took a PCR test, and the result showed that they are infected with the virus," the presidency said in a statement.

"They are in good health and their condition is stable," the statement added. — AFP

Children return to school in England on Monday for the first time since January, as the government begins to ease tough restrictions thanks to a mass vaccination drive against the coronavirus.

Throughout the latest lockdown since the start of the new year, schools have remained open to children of key workers and the most vulnerable.

But all other youngsters have been at home, causing a headache for working parents, and fears about the effect on their learning. — AFP

South Korea and the United States will conduct their annual military training this week but the drills will be smaller because of COVID-19, Seoul says.

The nine-day exercise that begins Monday is still likely to infuriate the North, which has long considered them rehearsals for invasion.

"The upcoming annual training is a computer-simulated command post exercise that is strictly defensive in nature," the Joint Chiefs of Staff says in a statement, adding they went ahead with plans after considering the pandemic. — AFP

The US Senate broke a logjam late Friday when a centrist Democrat compromised on a key provision of the Covid relief package, setting the $1.9 trillion bill on a likely path to passage.

Democrats had struggled to keep Senator Joe Manchin's support for expanded unemployment aid in the sprawling measure, and he threatened to side with Republicans in the evenly divided chamber.

But the deal, which reduced the jobless benefits, kept Manchin on board and allowed action to resume in the Senate as it navigates toward passage of President Joe Biden's top legislative priority sometime this weekend.

Manchin, keen on more fiscal restraint than was evident in the Biden package, was flexing his political muscle, balking at an amendment that would increase weekly additional unemployment benefits from $300 to $400, and extending them through August. — AFP

The Philippines records 3,045 new coronavirus infections Friday—the highest single day rise since mid-October, pushing the country’s caseload to 587,704.

The department also records 178 new recoveries and 19 more fatalities, bringing the total of survivors to 535,207 and the death toll to 12,423, respectively.

Active cases in the country are at 40,074 or 6.8% of the total cases.

The World Health Organization has scrapped plans for a team that visited Wuhan, China to probe the origins of the coronavirus pandemic to issue an interim report, The Wall Street Journal reports late Thursday.

Wuhan is the city where the pandemic is believed to have originated in late 2019.

The WHO team returned recently from its visit there saying it had no clear finding on the genesis of the virus, amid tensions between the US and China on what caused the once-in-a century global health crisis. —  AFP

The United States records fewer than 40,000 new cases of Covid-19 in one day for the first time in five months on Thursday, according to the Johns Hopkins University pandemic tracker.

This number peaked at nearly 300,000 new cases on January 8 in the country hardest hit by the pandemic, with more than half a million fatalities.

But now it is back down to the levels of before Thanksgiving and Christmas, when holiday travel and gatherings in defiance of safety warnings were blamed for spreading the virus further in the US. —  AFP

Brazil registers a record of Covid-19 deaths for the second straight day Wednesday, with 1,910 lives lost to the pandemic.

With a surge in cases currently pushing health systems to the limit in many areas, Brazil has recorded a total of 259,271 deaths, according to the health ministry — the second-highest death toll worldwide, after the United States.

"For the first time since the pandemic began, we are seeing a deterioration across the entire country," public health institute Fiocruz said before the latest figures were published.

"The situation is alarming." —  AFP

Brazil on Tuesday registers a record 1,641 deaths in 24 hours from Covid-19, health authorities announced, as the country endures a further worsening of the pandemic.

The country of 212 million inhabitants has recorded a total of 257,361 Covid-19 deaths, according to the health ministry, and has the second-highest national death toll after the United States.

Brazil continues to have a piecemeal response, with individual cities and states setting their own policies in the face of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's repeated attacks on restrictive measures and face masks. —  AFP

Insults, beatings, arrests — health workers battling the coronavirus were subjected to more than 400 acts of violence related to COVID-19 worldwide in 2020, according to a report published Tuesday by a health NGO.

The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition unveiled an interactive map that shows 1,172 violent acts and attacks occurred against health workers or facilities last year, "a minimum estimate," according to the NGO.

More than a third (412) of the acts are directly related to COVID-19, it said, citing several examples including in Mexico, where a nurse was attacked and injured by a group accusing her of spreading the virus.

In Dakar, three social workers had stones hurled at them by residents who refused to have a coronavirus victim buried near their homes.

In Birmingham, England, a health worker was spat at and insulted by a neighbor.

The vast majority, 80%, of the perpetrators of the violence were civilians, but threats also came from public authorities. — AFP

Japan will end a coronavirus state of emergency early in some regions as the pace of infection slows, reports say, less than five months before the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics.

The emergency measure -- currently in force in 10 regions including Tokyo -- is looser than the strict lockdowns seen elsewhere in the world, and primarily calls for bars and restaurants to close from 8pm.

It is due to end on March 7, but the government will lift the measure this Sunday, just over a week early, in around six prefectures, the reports say. — AFP

Brazil's death toll from Covid-19 surpasses a quarter-million Thursday, a year after the first case was confirmed in the country, which is struggling with vaccine shortages and a devastating second wave.

The new coronavirus has now killed 251,498 people in Brazil, according to health ministry figures — the second-highest toll worldwide, after the United States, where the number passed half a million Monday.

This has been the deadliest week yet of the pandemic in Brazil, with a daily average of 1,149 deaths over the past seven days, according to the ministry's figures. —  AFP

Fashionistas will have to log on to soak up the glamour at Milan Fashion Week, which remains online a year after the coronavirus first swept into northern Italy. 

No sharply dressed crowds will attend the extravaganza's opening on Wednesday: it's virtual catwalk shows only, with the likes of Armani and Prada presenting new women's collections for autumn and winter 2021-22. — AFP

Movie theaters in New York City will partially reopen next month, Governor Andrew Cuomo announces, the latest easing of coronavirus restrictions in the Big Apple.

Cuomo says cinemas will be able to operate at 25% capacity, or up to 50 people per screen, from March 5 -- almost exactly a year since they shut. — AFP

The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday appeals to Tanzania to take "robust action" to combat COVID-19 in the country, where the president has long played down the virus.

President John Magufuli has claimed coronavirus has been has fended off by prayer in Tanzania, and refused to take measures to curb its spread. 

But a recent spate of deaths attributed to pneumonia has struck both members of the public and government officials.

And Magufuli on Friday appeared to admit the coronavirus was circulating in his country after months of denial.

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said a number of Tanzanians traveling to neighboring countries and beyond have tested positive for the coronavirus.

"This underscores the need for Tanzania to take robust action both to safeguard their own people and protect populations in these countries and beyond," he said in a statement.

Tedros said he had urged Tanzania in late January to take measures against the pandemic and to prepare for vaccinations.

"Since then I have spoken with several authorities in Tanzania but WHO is yet to receive any information regarding what measures Tanzania is taking to respond to the pandemic. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,888 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Sunday, February 21, bringing the number of total cases to 561,169.

Of the total caseload, 26,238 or 4.7% are still classified as active cases, or patients who have neither passed away nor recovered and are still in hospitals and quarantine facilities.

Read full story here

Health authorities report 18 more cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of the COVID-19 virus first detected in the UK, bringing the number of cases of the variant to 62.

According to a release, the Department of Health, UP-Philippine Genome Center and UP National Institutes of Health detected the cases in genome sequencing of 757 samples.

"The DOH, UP-PGC, and UP-NIH further report that an additional sample from Region 7 belonging to the last (6th) genome sequencing batch was found to have both N501Y and E484K mutations, while two among the 80 Region 7 samples sequenced in the 7th batch were also found to have both mutations, bringing the total to 34," DOH says.

London Fashion Week begins on a virtual format due to a coronavirus lockdown with mainstays like Victoria Beckham shunning the event but others like Burberry embracing the online avatar.

Despite the absence of global celebrities and fashionistas, designers such as Turkey's Bora Aksu, Britain's Molly Goddard and Ireland's Simone Rocha will stream their collections on the London Fashion Week website. — AFP

Brazil, the country with the second-highest coronavirus death toll, passes the 10-million mark for reported infections Thursday, amid a deadly second wave and problems with its vaccination campaign.

The country became the third to reach the grim mark — after the United States and India — with more than 51,900 new infections in 24 hours, according to official data.

Over the same one-day period, 1,367 people died, bringing the total to over 243,400. —  AFP

Indonesian authorities say medical teams are now focusing on workers in close contact with the public and people over 60, after a first phase prioritizing health workers, 1.1 million of whom have been vaccinated according to the health ministry.

Indonesia's economy -- Southeast Asia's largest -- has lurched into recession during an outbreak which has infected almost 1.3 million people and killed more than 33,000, according to official data, though low testing rates mean the figures could be much higher. — AFP

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for a global plan to vaccinate against COVID-19, warning that inequities in initial efforts risked both the world's health and economy.

Opening a special Security Council session on vaccines held at the level of foreign ministers, Guterres warns that just 10 nations have administered 75% of the doses so far -- and 130 countries have had no vaccinations at all. — AFP

Sweden, known for its softer approach to the pandemic, is preparing to use new legislation to close gyms, restaurants and hair salons ahead of a feared third wave of virus infections, the government says. 

Sweden in January adopted a pandemic law giving the government new powers to curb the spread of the virus.

The country has never imposed the type of lockdown seen elsewhere in Europe, controversially relying on mostly non-coercive measures. — AFP

The number of cases of COVID-19 in Mexico topped the two million mark, with almost 176,000 dead, the health ministry says.

In the previous 24 hours, the country recorded another 8,683 new infections, bringing the total to 2,004,575 confirmed cases, the ministry says in a statement.

The ministry recorded 1,329 new deaths in the same period, bringing the total toll to 175,986 since the first case was diagnosed on Feb. 27, 2020. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,408,243 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Tuesday.

At least 109,074,730 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 66,872,700 are now considered recovered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain.

The UK government introduces mandatory hotel quarantine rules for arrivals from dozens of countries deemed "high risk" for coronavirus variants.

The new policy requires all UK citizens and permanent residents entering England from 33 countries on a wider travel ban list to self-isolate at their own expense in approved hotels for 10 days and take several tests. — AFP

Two million people in Vietnam will be put under a raft of restrictions starting Tuesday, after their northern province became the epicenter of a growing COVID-19 outbreak.

Residents of Hai Duong province have been ordered to stay at home for 15 days, state media reported, as a nation widely praised for its handling of the pandemic struggles to extinguish a troubling new outbreak.

Since late January, Vietnam has recorded 637 locally transmitted coronavirus cases, including 461 in Hai Duong province alone.

"People (in Hai Duong) are asked to stay at home and only go out when necessary, such as to buy food or medicine, or to work at factories or production establishments that are not being asked to close," said the official mouthpiece of Vietnam's health ministry, Suc Khoe Doi Song.

Gatherings of more than two people will be banned, while schools, bars, restaurants and karaoke parlors that were shut early ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday will remain closed. — AFP

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered the city of Auckland into a three-day lockdown on Sunday after three COVID-19 cases emerged in the community.

The city's 1.7 million residents were told to stay at home from midnight, when the level-three lockdown begins, with schools and businesses to close except for essential services.

Ardern said the lockdown is "just in case it could be one of the more transmissible strains of COVID that we need to act with a high degree of caution around." — AFP

New Zealand confirmed a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 in the community Sunday, with a family of three testing positive including a woman who works for a catering firm servicing international flights.

"They are new and active infections," Health Minister Chris Hipkins said.

Authorities downplayed any link to inflight meals because of an eight-day gap between the woman's last day at work and when she tested positive.

"There are a number of gaps in our knowledge around these cases," Hipkins said.

"One of the things I'm looking for is more information on the likely source ... that's still a piece of the puzzle that's missing.

"We'll also be looking for whether there is any evidence COVID-19 could be out there in the community and circulating amongst others." — AFP

A WHO expert sent to China to probe the coronavirus hit out at US intelligence on COVID-19 as his team headed home with few answers about the origin of a pandemic that was forcing more clampdowns in some of the hardest-hit parts of the world.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to seek an extension of strict virus curbs, as the European Commission chief addressed the stumbling vaccination rollout on the continent — which accounts for a third of the 2.3 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide.

The coronavirus has infected close to 107 million people, devastating the global economy, and questions over the handling of the initial outbreak in central China have sparked an intense diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing.

The WHO mission to the ground zero city of Wuhan wrapped up Tuesday without any concrete answers, with Washington again expressing skepticism about China's transparency and cooperation.

But WHO team member Peter Daszak tweeted: "Please don't rely too much on US intel: increasingly disengaged under Trump & frankly wrong on many aspects."

He said they worked "flat out under the most politically charged environment possible." — AFP

A member of the WHO mission to China exploring the origins of the coronavirus pandemic took a swipe Wednesday at US intelligence on the issue, after the State Department cast doubt on the transparency of their probe.

President Joe Biden "has to look tough on China", expert Peter Daszak said in a tweet as the mission ended, adding: "Please don't rely too much on US intel: increasingly disengaged under Trump & frankly wrong on many aspects."

The WHO mission to China ended without finding the source of the coronavirus that has killed more than 2.3 million worldwide. —  AFP

No indication of COVID-19 virus in Wuhan, China before December 2019, according to WHO mission.

Panama's health minister on Monday defended the deployment of more than 200 Cuban doctors to help the Central American country battle the coronavirus, despite criticism of the island government's human rights record at home.

"We are eternally grateful" to the Cuban doctors because "they came here to save the lives of Panamanians," Luis Francisco Sucre said during an appearance before the National Assembly to answer questions about the management of the pandemic. 

Several deputies criticized the Panamanian government's decision to hire the 220 Cuban doctors, calling it "a violation of human rights." 

But Sucre defended the agreement between his ministry and its Cuban counterpart, which he said "complies with all due legal processes."

He said his government would not hesitate to "sign it again."

"The same people who today criticize the agreement signed with the Cuban Health Ministry would have been criticizing if there were dead in the streets, or if people were dying in the corridors of hospitals because we had no doctors to treat them," Sucre said.  — AFP

An international team of experts wrapping up a month spent in China investigating the Covid-19 pandemic's origins will brief the media in Wuhan on Tuesday, the WHO announces.

"The international team working to understand the origins of the Covid-19 virus is completing its four weeks' stay in Wuhan, China and together with their Chinese colleagues will participate in a press conference," the World Health Organization says.

The briefing will be held at 3:30pm (0730 GMT) at a hotel in the city, the Chinese foreign ministry said. It will be live-streamed in English on the UN health agency's digital and social media platforms. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,316,812 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 106,080,500 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 64,644,600 are now considered recovered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain.

On Sunday, 6,899 new deaths and 338,275 new cases were recorded worldwide.

Based on latest reports, the countries with the most new deaths were the United States with 1,447 new deaths, followed by Brazil with 522 and Mexico with 414.

The United States is the worst-affected country with 463,470 deaths from 27,007,399 cases. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,285,334 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP. 

At least 104,848,470 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 63,863,800 are now considered recovered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. 

World Health Organization health experts on Wednesday visited a laboratory in China's Wuhan city that American officials have suggested could have been the source of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The convoy of cars carrying the WHO inspectors drove past security into the institute, according to AFP reporters, for one of the most-watched stops on the team's mission to probe the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.  — AFP

More than 600,000 lives have been lost to Covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean since the pandemic began, according to an AFP tally on Tuesday from official sources.

The region, which encompasses 34 countries and territories in South and Central America and the Caribbean plus Mexico, has recorded 601,256 deaths — the second-highest number of virus fatalities after Europe.

Brazil and Mexico account for about half the region's coronavirus deaths, which hit the grim figure of over 500,000 by the end of December and have steadily increased since.

Europe has recorded 747,887 deaths, while the toll in the United States and Canada was at least 464,204, on AFP's count. — AFP 

The World Health Organization blasts critics of its investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges those claiming to know better to come forward with the smoking gun.

A WHO investigative team is in Wuhan, China -- where the first cases were discovered in December 2019 -- trying to piece together how the virus jumped from animals to humans before going on to kill more than two million people.

The UN agency's emergencies director Michael Ryan hit out at those sniping at the mission, and said people claiming they have information on how the pandemic broke out should emerge from the shadows. — AFP

It is time to start solving the mystery of Long COVID, an aspect of the pandemic blighting millions of lives, the World Health Organization's leader on post-COVID conditions told AFP.

Little is known about why some people, after coming through the acute phase of COVID-19, struggle to recover and suffer ongoing symptoms including tiredness, brain fog, cardiac and neurological disorders.

At this stage of the pandemic, the world is fixated on vaccine roll-out and new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus.

However, Long Covid deserves similar urgent attention, said Janet Diaz, the clinical care lead in the WHO's emergencies programme, ahead of a push for a globally-unified approach to the problem.

"We still don't fully understand what Long COVID is," Diaz told AFP in an interview outside the WHO's headquarters in Geneva. — AFP

Hundreds of people took part Sunday in fresh protests across Brazil against President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with many demanding his resignation or impeachment.

Covid-19 has claimed more than 223,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States, where more than 440,000 have died.

Some 200 people gathered in central Brasilia, holding signs and banners saying "Bolsonaro Out" and "Impeachment Now," while scores of autos drove slowly by, honking their horns in support. — AFP

A team of WHO experts investigating the origins of COVID-19 visited a market in Wuhan on Sunday where one of the first reported clusters of infections emerged over a year ago.

Members of the group arrived at Huanan seafood market — which has been sealed since January last year — driving into its barricaded premises as guards quickly blocked others from entering, AFP journalists said. —  AFP

The Australian city of Perth will begin a snap five-day lockdown after a security guard at a quarantine hotel tested positive for COVID-19, authorities announced Sunday.

Roughly two million residents of the city must stay at home as of Sunday evening, as will those living in the nearby Peel and South West regions. 

A scheduled return of schools on Monday will be delayed, with locals only permitted to leave their homes for exercise, medical care, essential work or to buy food. —  AFP

The team of World Health Organization experts investigating the origins of the coronavirus met staff Saturday at the Wuhan hospital which received the first confirmed Covid-19 cases, on day two of fieldwork on their highly scrutinised visit to China.

The group was driven to the Jinyintan Hospital, the first hospital to receive officially-diagnosed Covid-19 patients in late 2019, as the horrors of the virus emerged in the central Chinese city.

Details of the trip have been scant so far, with the media kept at arm's length and information on the itinerary dribbling out via tweets from the WHO experts instead of China's communist authorities. — AFP

Fake vaccines, dubious coronavirus tests, non-existent oxygen tanks — scammers are preying on desperate Mexican coronavirus patients and their relatives as the pandemic stretches the country's health system to the limit.

After her brother became the latest member of the family to fall ill with Covid-19, Aracely Becerril went online to search of an oxygen cylinder — an increasingly precious commodity.

Demand for oxygen has skyrocketed as a growing number of people battle the virus at home, resulting in long queues outside businesses offering to fill cylinders.

Becerril contacted a purported company on Facebook that offered tanks for several hundred dollars each.

Even though she suspected it might be a fraud, the 42-year-old Mexico City housewife made the requested bank deposit.

She never heard from them again. — AFP

Experts from the World Health Organization meet Chinese officials ahead of their first site visits in Wuhan for a coronavirus origins probe which will take in a food market presumed to be "ground zero" of the pandemic.

The fieldwork was set to begin in earnest in the afternoon, after being hobbled by delays -- and amid fears over access and the strength of evidence a year after the virus emerged.

The team will visit hospitals, as well as meeting scientists, first responders and some of the early patients to be hit by the then-unknown coronavirus that has gone on to kill more than two million people across the world and flatline the global economy. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,176,000 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

At least 100,829,870 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 61,298,900 are now considered recovered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. —  AFP

Hong Kong has begun using "ambush lockdowns" to suddenly close off and test everyone inside neighbourhoods where coronavirus cases have spiked, as a spate of recent outbreaks lay bare the rampant inequality in the wealthy Chinese finance hub.

Police cordoned off a row of densely packed tenement buildings in the Yau Ma Tei area overnight on Tuesday through to Wednesday morning to conduct mandatory tests.

The new tactic involves authorities giving no warning of an impending lockdown.

City leader Carrie Lam said such "ambush style" lockdowns were needed to ensure people did not flee before testers move in.

"I thank residents in the restricted area for their cooperation," she wrote on her Facebook page Wednesday as the lockdown was lifted. —AFP

Mexico's coronavirus death toll has surpassed 150,000, the government says, a day after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced he had Covid-19.

The health ministry reports 659 more deaths in its daily update, taking the total to 150,273, behind only the United States, Brazil and India.

The overall number of infections registered now stands at more than 1.77 million in the nation of around 128 million, an increase of 8,521 from the previous day. — AFP

Thousands of Australians defy coronavirus rules to protest the country's national day, held on the anniversary of British colonization of the vast continent that its Indigenous population brands "Invasion Day".

Officially recognized as Australia Day, January 26 also sees annual rallies drawing attention to the injustices faced by Indigenous people and calling on the government to change the date of the national holiday.

The celebration of the origins of the modern nation is a time of mourning for Indigenous Australians, who have inhabited the land for 65,000 years and view the arrival of British settlers in 1788 as the beginning of two centuries of pain and suffering.

Thousands of people gathered at a central Sydney park in defiance of police threats of fines and arrests for breaching a 500-person limit on gathering in public places, though organizers called off a march through the city that usually follows. — AFP

The Netherlands was hit by a second wave of riots Monday evening, as protesters again went on the rampage in several cities following the introduction of a coronavirus curfew over the weekend.

Riot police clashed with groups of protesters in Amsterdam as well as the port city of Rotterdam, where people smashed shop windows and ransacked their supplies.  

The unrest also hit Amersfoort in the east, the small southern city of Geleen near Maastricht, The Hague and Den Bosch, police and news reports said.

More than 70 people had been rounded up by 2200 GMT, public newscaster NOS reported.

Geleen police said in an earlier tweet that they were dealing with "rioting youths who are throwing fireworks". — AFP

New Zealand's first case of coronavirus in the community for more than two months has been identified as the more contagious South African variant, prompting Australia to suspend quarantine-free travel from the neighbouring country for at least 72 hours.

A 56-year-old New Zealander, who recently returned from Europe, tested positive on Saturday to the infectious strain, 10 days after she completed her compulsory two weeks in isolation.

New Zealand has been widely praised for its handling of the pandemic, with just 25 deaths from 1,927 confirmed virus cases in a population of five million. —  AFP

Hong Kong lifted its first neighbourhood coronavirus lockdown on Monday morning after testing some 7,000 people and finding 13 cases as debate swirled over the efficacy of the move.

Over the weekend police moved in to seal off a poor and densely populated neighbourhood of about 150 apartment blocks where coronavirus clusters had sprung up in recent weeks.

Officials went door to door conducting mandatory tests and found 0.17 percent of those tested had the virus.

Some community and business leaders were critical of how the lockdown was carried out. 

But officials defended the move as proportionate and said they would not rule out similar neighbourhood lockdowns.  — AFP

 The COVID-19 crisis is aggravating inequality, with the richest quickly getting richer while it will likely take years for the world's poorest to recover, anti-poverty group Oxfam says Monday.

In a report entitled "The inequality virus", the group warned that the pandemic is the first time since records began that inequality is rising in virtually every country at the same time.

"The 1,000 richest people on the planet recouped their COVID-19 losses within just nine months, but it could take more than a decade for the world’s poorest to recover," said the Oxfam report.

Oxfam also highlighted the fact that the impact of the virus is also being felt unevenly, with ethnic minorities in certain countries dying at higher rates and women being overrepresented in the sectors of the economy that are hardest hit by the pandemic. — AFP

New Zealand health officials on Sunday confirm the first case of COVID-19 in the community for more than two months, sparking urgent contract-tracing efforts north of Auckland.

A 56-year-old woman who recently returned from Europe tested positive 10 days after completing a compulsory two weeks in managed isolation, although she had noticed symptoms several days before getting tested.

Contact tracing was underway after it was revealed the woman and her husband spent several days travelling around the Northland region while she was potentially infectious, visiting about 30 different locations. —  AFP

The World Health Organization says it was too early to draw any conclusions from its mission to Wuhan as to whether the COVID-19 pandemic started in China.

A team of WHO experts arrived in Wuhan on January 14 to start probing the origins of the deadly coronavirus, more than a year after the first cases were detected in the central Chinese city.

They were whisked to a hotel to complete a two-week quarantine. — AFP

Thousands of Hong Kongers are ordered to stay in their homes on Saturday for the city's first coronavirus lockdown as authorities battle an outbreak in one of its poorest and most densely packed districts.

The order bans anyone inside multiple housing blocks within the neighborhood of Jordan from leaving their apartment unless they can show a negative test.

Officials say they planned to test everyone inside the designated zone within 48 hours "in order to achieve the goal of zero cases in the district". — AFP

The number of people taking their own lives in Japan rose for the first time in over a decade last year, as the pandemic reversed years of progress combatting a stubbornly high suicide rate.

Japan's health and welfare ministry said Friday that 20,919 people died by suicide in 2020 according to preliminary data, up 3.7 percent from the previous year. That compares with 3,460 deaths from coronavirus in the same period.

It marks the first year-on-year rise in suicides in more than a decade, with women and children in particular taking their lives at higher rates. — AFP

The number of US COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday surpassed the country's toll of military fatalities in World War II, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

As of the evening, the tracker showed that 405,400 people have died from the disease caused by the new coronavirus in the United States.

The total number of combat and non-combat deaths in World War II was 405,399, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The figure is a stark reminder of the pandemic's cost as newly-elected President Joe Biden begins his term. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,058,226 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally from official sources at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

More than 96,144,670 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. —  AFP

Beijing health officials on Wednesday say two cases of COVID-19 found in the capital were the highly-transmissible UK variant of the virus, as five neighbourhoods were locked down in the south of the city.

The cases in Daxing district were "considered to be variants of the new coronavirus discovered in the UK", the head of the Beijing health authority Pang Xinghuo tells reporters. —  AFP

The UK coronavirus strain has been detected in at least 60 countries, the World Health Organization says Wednesday, 10 more than a week ago.

The South African variant, which like the UK strain is believed to be more infectious, has now been reported in 23 countries and territories, the WHO said in a statement. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,041,289 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 95,476,360 cases of coronavirus have been registered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and excludes later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain.

On Monday, 9,002 new deaths and 512,975 new cases were recorded worldwide. —  AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 2,031,048 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally from official sources at 1100 GMT on Monday.

More than 94,964,590 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 57,817,100 are now considered recovered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. — AFP

Nearly three million people were put under lockdown in China Monday after a surge in coronavirus cases linked to a travelling salesman in the country's northeast.

While China has largely brought the virus under control, a sharp rise in cases in the past few weeks has prompted fresh lockdowns, travel restrictions and multiple rounds of mass testing. 

Monday saw three million residents of two cities in northeastern Jilin province placed under new measures, as China reported 109 new infections. —  AFP

India is set to begin one of the world's largest coronavirus vaccination drives Saturday as the pandemic spread at a record pace and global COVID-19 deaths surged past two million.

The World Health Organization has called for accelerating vaccine rollouts worldwide as well as ramping up efforts to study the sequencing of the virus, which has infected more than 93 million people globally since it was first detected in China in late 2019.

India, home to 1.3 billion people, has the world's second-largest caseload, and the government has given approvals to two vaccines -- though one is yet to complete clinical trials -- aiming to inoculate around 300 million people by July. — AFP

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleges there were COVID-like illnesses among staff at a Chinese virology institute in autumn 2019, casting further blame on Beijing as health experts arrived in the country to probe the pandemic's origins.

The top US diplomat in a statement urged the World Health Organization team that landed Thursday in Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first detected, to "press the government of China" on the "new information." 

"The United States government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the (Wuhan Institute of Virology) became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses," Pompeo says. — AFP

The global death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed two million, with the World Health Organization urging mass vaccinations as the pandemic progresses at a record pace. 

As of 1825 GMT on Friday, at least 2,000,066 people worldwide had been confirmed dead of the virus that first emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, according to an AFP tally. 

The grim milestone came as US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said shipments of its vaccines would slow for a period in late January -- a blow to fledgling campaigns to immunize people against the virus. — AFP

China has sent over 20,000 rural residents living in the epicentre of the country's latest virus outbreak to state-run quarantine facilities, as Beijing on Friday reported the worst nationwide figures since March.

The country had largely brought the virus under control after strict measures including mass testing and travel restrictions, but recent weeks have seen numbers climbing again, especially in the north, prompting a fresh wave of lockdowns.

Another 144 infections were reported by the National Health Commission on Friday -- the highest single-day tally since March last year -- mostly in Hebei province where more than 22 million people are in lockdown. — AFP

Germany has recorded more than two million coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, the Robert Koch Institute health agency says Friday.

Europe's most populous country added another 22,368 cases over the past 24 hours, it said, bringing the total to 2,000,958.

It also reported another 1,113 fatalities from Covid-19, taking the overall death toll up to 44,994. — AFP

Mexico reeled Thursday from its deadliest week of the pandemic yet with nearly 1,000 deaths officially recorded daily and a health system that was close to reaching a breaking point.

The Latin American country has seen a spike in infections and fatalities following the Christmas and New Year holidays when families traditionally gather.

In the seven days to Wednesday, the nation of 128 million recorded 6,930 deaths, including a record 1,314 on Tuesday alone.

"Since late November there was a loss of control of social activity and people began to go out too much in the streets," epidemiologist Malaquias Lopez told AFP.

Mexico has now recorded a total of 1.57 million Covid-19 infections and around 137,000 deaths — the world's fourth-highest toll. — AFP

Former Bolivia president Evo Morales, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, said on Thursday he has received treatment offers from allies Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba.

"President Alberto Fernandez offered to take me for treatment in Argentina, the same from my brother President (Nicolas) Maduro (of Venezuela), and the Cuban government," Morales told the Panamaricana radio station.

The former coca union leader fostered strong relationships with fellow leftist regimes during his presidency.

Even after fleeing into exile in November 2019 after weeks of protests met his controversial re-election to an unconstitutional fourth term, he settled in Argentina at the invitation of newly elected leader Fernandez.

He was being treated, though, in a private clinic in the center of Bolivia by "a foreign medical team" that El Deber newspaper claimed were Cubans.  — AFP

Two experts on an international mission to investigate the origins of Covid-19 in China are still in Singapore after testing positive for Covid antibodies, the WHO says Thursday.

The World Health Organization said earlier that the international team of experts had landed in Wuhan for the long-delayed mission, but it later tweeted that two had yet to make it there.

"Two scientists are still in #Singapore completing tests for #COVID19," the UN health body says in a tweet. — AFP

China reports a death from COVID-19 on Thursday -- its first in eight months -- as the country battles to contain a resurgence in cases and prepares for the arrival of an expert team from the WHO.

China had largely brought the virus under control after strict lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions, but recent weeks have seen numbers climbing again, especially in the north.

Another 138 infections were reported by the National Health Commission on Thursday -- the highest single-day tally since March last year. — AFP

The health ministry says Spain registered a record daily number of coronavirus cases on Wednesday, with nearly 39,000 new infections over the past 24 hours.

A total of 38,869 new cases were recorded since Tuesday and 195 deaths. 

The data showed Spain was in a situation of "very high risk, extreme risk", says Carolina Darias, minister for territorial policy and civil service. — AFP 

The Department of Health logs an additional 1,453 COVID-19 cases, pushing the national caseload to 492,700.

Among the positive cases, 24,478 are active cases.

The DOH also records 397 additional recoveries and 146 new deaths, bringing the total of recovered patients to 458,523 and the death toll to 9,699.

Japan is set to expand a coronavirus state of emergency to seven more regions including the major cities of Osaka and Kyoto, as infections surge nationwide.

While the country's outbreak remains comparatively small, with around 4,100 deaths overall, there has been a sharp spike in cases this winter and medics say hospitals are under heavy strain in the worst-affected areas.

The month-long emergency measure -- which unlike strict lockdowns elsewhere in the world carries no enforcement mechanism -- was implemented in the greater Tokyo area last week. — AFP

The US death toll from COVID-19 hit a new daily record of nearly 4,500, Johns Hopkins University says. 

As the health crisis rages out of control in the US, this was the first time the toll in the country hardest hit by the pandemic surpassed 4,000 in 24 hours. — AFP

A team of WHO experts will land directly in Wuhan on Thursday, China's foreign ministry says Tuesday, starting their long-delayed probe into COVID-19 at the virus epicentre.

The ten scientists will investigate the origins of the new virus in a politically fraught mission that comes more than a year after the pandemic began and after accusations Beijing has tried to thwart the project.

The World Health Organization team will leave from Singapore and fly straight to Wuhan, the central city where the first cluster of cases was detected in December 2019. —  AFP

Japan is working to isolate and analyse a new variant of the coronavirus detected in four people who arrived from Brazil, a health ministry official says Tuesday.

Japan announced the detection of the new variant on Sunday, but officials have been at pains to emphasise there is no evidence yet that it is any more transmissible or dangerous than others.

"In order to further analyse the variant, we need to isolate it first," a health ministry official tells AFP. — AFP

Malaysia's king declares a nationwide state of emergency to fight a coronavirus surge that is overwhelming hospitals, but critics charged it was a bid by an unstable government to cling to power.

The announcement came a day after the prime minister introduced sweeping new curbs across much of the Southeast Asian nation, including the closure of most businesses, and warned the health system was "at breaking point". — AFP

Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has tested positive for coronavirus and cancelled all public engagements, his office announces just two weeks before a presidential election he is expected to win.

The 72-year-old head of state was "asymptomatic" and isolating in the presidential palace in Lisbon, his office says in a statement. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,934,693 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP tally from official sources at 1100 GMT on Monday.

More than 90,196,880 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 55,592,800 are now considered recovered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. —  AFP

The remote Pacific nation of Micronesia recorded its first case of Covid-19 on Monday, ending its run as one of the few places on Earth without the coronavirus.

Micronesia President David Panuelo acknowledged the development was "alarming" for the country's 100,000 inhabitants but said the case had been contained at the border.

"For this reason, citizens across the nation should remain calm," he said in a televised address.

"Do not panic because the situation is contained."

Panuelo said the positive test came from a crewman on a government ship "Chief Mailo", which had been in the Philippines undergoing repairs.

He said the man and his colleagues remained on the vessel, which was anchored in a lagoon under round-the-clock surveillance. — AFP

Australia's third-largest city lifted stay-at-home orders Monday, after mass testing and tracing across Brisbane found no new coronavirus cases despite fears over a contagious strain entering the community.

More than two million people were ordered into a snap lockdown Friday after a cleaner at a quarantine hotel contracted the UK variant of Covid-19 from a returned traveller.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the lockdown would be lifted at 6pm local time Monday after tens of thousands of tests detected zero cases of transmission.

She defended the measures as "definitely not an over-reaction".

"We wanted to make sure we acted quickly, we acted strongly, we acted decisively and that is exactly what we did," she said.

It will remain compulsory to wear masks indoors and on public transport until January 22, while restaurants and pubs will be subject to fresh restrictions on patron numbers.— AFP

The number of fatalities in Belgium from the new coronavirus crossed 20,000 on Sunday, health officials said, with more than half the dead from retirement care homes.

The country, with a population of 11.5 million, has recorded 662,694 cases and 20,038 deaths since the pandemic broke out, the Sciensano public health institute said. —  AFP

Israel's health ministry said Saturday four people had tested positive for the novel coronavirus strain first detected in South Africa, with the new British variant already recorded.

The cases were discovered after testing of travellers arriving from South Africa.

The two new strains are more infectious than previous variants of the virus. —  AFP

The Department of Health confirms 1,952 additional cases of the coronavirus, bringing the national tally to 485,797.

Out of the confirmed cases, 26,784 are considered active.  

The total of recovered patients rises to 449,615 with 291 new recoveries. The fatalities, on the other hand, grows to 9,398 with 34 additional deaths.

China confirms that preparations were still ongoing for a World Health Organization mission to Wuhan to investigate the origins of COVID-19, following a rare rebuke from the UN body over a delay to the long-planned trip.

The comments come after the WHO chief said on Tuesday he was "very disappointed" that Beijing had yet to finalise permission even as the team of experts had begun travelling to China to explore the beginnings of the virus, which first emerged in late 2019 in the central city. — AFP

Two Chinese cities south of Beijing further tighten virus restrictions Saturday as authorities race to stamp out a resurgence in infections.

China has largely brought its domestic outbreak under control after the coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019 -- but a spike in Hebei province, bordering Beijing, has sparked fresh lockdowns ahead of the Lunar New Year next month. — AFP

The United States hit a new record for coronavirus cases Friday, notching nearly 290,000 in a span of 24 hours, according to a real-time tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The country, the hardest-hit in the world by the COVID-19 pandemic, also recorded 3,676 virus deaths in the same day, the Baltimore-based university says.

The day before, the US had recorded a record of nearly 4,000 deaths in 24 hours. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,776 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national caseload to 483,852.

Of the confirmed cases, 25,158 are active. There are 8 additional deaths and 285 new recoveries.

The United States counted a record number of daily coronavirus deaths Thursday at nearly 4,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. 

The 3,998 deaths were recorded over the 24 hour period ending at 8:30 pm local time (0130 GMT Friday), during which the US notched 265,246 new infections, according to the university.  — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,818,946 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Friday. 

At least 83,381,330 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 52,534,200 are now considered recovered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and excludes later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. — AFP

The World Health Organization's European branch says more needed to be done to deal with the alarming situation brought on by a recently discovered variant of the novel coronavirus.

Speaking at a press conference, the WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge, called the current situation "a tipping-point in the course of the pandemic," as Europe was both challenged by surging cases and new strains of the virus causing Covid-19. — AFP

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declares a month-long state of emergency in Tokyo and nearby areas on Thursday as coronavirus cases hit a new record in the capital.

"The nationwide, rapid spread of the new coronavirus is feared to have a great impact on people's lives and the economy. Based on that, we are issuing a state of emergency," Suga says at a meeting of the government's virus taskforce. —  AFP

Japan's government will declare a coronavirus state of emergency in the greater Tokyo area on Thursday, as media said the capital would again report a record daily number of infections.

The new month-long restrictions will be far less strict than the harsh lockdowns seen in other parts of the world, and softer than even Japan's first state of emergency last spring.

They will primarily target restaurants and bars, which are being asked to stop serving alcohol by 7 pm and close an hour later, with residents also requested to avoid non-essential outings after 8 p.m. — AFP

Portugal reports a record 10,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Wednesday, and the government warned that its hospitals were under "enormous pressure" from the resurgence of the pandemic. 

At the same time, with less than three weeks to go before a presidential election, the country's conservative incumbent Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was briefly forced to self-isolate as a precautionary measure after coming into contact with a member of his team who had tested positive for COVID-19. — AFP

Senegal has announced a night-time curfew on two regions including the capital Dakar to help combat the spread of coronavirus.

President Macky Sall, in a television announcement late Tuesday, said a 9pm-5am curfew would be imposed on Dakar and Thies.

The measure would take effect from Wednesday, Sall said. —  AFP

An expert mission to China to find the origins of the coronavirus pandemic stumbles before it even began, with the head of the World Health Organization complaining that Beijing was blocking the team from entering the country.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says he was "very disappointed" with the last-minute bar on entry, in a rare castigation of Beijing from the UN body.

A 10-strong team was due to arrive in China this week after months of painstaking negotiations. — AFP

US logs more than 3,900 COVID-19 deaths in new 24-hour record, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Iran confirms Tuesday its first case of a new COVID-19 variant first detected in Britain, as daily deaths dropped below 100 for the first time in over six months.

"Sadly, the first instance of the mutated British COVID-19 was detected in one of our compatriots who had arrived from England," Health Minister Saeed Namaki says in a televised address.

The patient was admitted to "a private hospital, and our extensive testing showed (the virus) was of the mutated type," he adds. —  AFP

Italy postpones the return of high schools as part of new coronavirus restrictions, as a charity warns thousands of students were dropping out after months of distance learning.

Teenagers will return to class on January 11 instead of January 7, when younger children go back to school -- but then still only for half their time, under a new government order. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 937 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total numbers of cases in the Philippines to 479,693.

Of the confirmed cases, 21,997 are active. There are 58 new deaths and 114 new recoveries.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and state leaders are expected to extend a shutdown in Europe's top economy as coronavirus deaths continue to mount despite tough restrictions in the run-up to the holidays.

After Germany's daily deaths surpassed the 1,000-mark for the first time on December 30, pressure escalated to slow the spread of the disease which has claimed more than 34,000 lives.

Merkel and the premiers of Germany's 16 states are due to meet Tuesday, with regional leaders signalling that they would prolong the current partial lockdown beyond the January 10 deadline, probably until the end of the month. — AFP

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces a six-week lockdown for England's 56 million people, including the closure of schools, after a surge in coronavirus cases brought warnings that hospitals could soon face collapse.

Johnson stresses that Britain was leading the way with the introduction of two vaccines, including one from Oxford University and AstraZeneca which started its rollout on Monday. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,843,631 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Monday.

At least 85,051,970 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 54,313,600 are now considered recovered.

These figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and excludes later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. —  AFP

The United States sees its highest number yet of coronavirus cases recorded in one day, with more than 277,000 infections.

The hardest-hit country in the world by the pandemic, the United States has marked 20.4 million cases overall and just under 350,000 deaths.

Infections have been surging in recent months, with top US government scientist Anthony Fauci warning just days after Christmas that the worst of the pandemic may be yet to come, driving the country to a "critical point" as holiday travel spreads the virus. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,827,565 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to an AFP tally from official sources at 1100 GMT on Saturday.

More than 83,906,690 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 53,756,600 are now considered recovered.

The figures are based on daily tolls provided by health authorities in each country and exclude later re-evaluations by statistical organisations, as has happened in Russia, Spain and Britain. —  AFP

Bangkok's nightlife will go quiet as a ban on bars, nightclubs and restaurant alcohol sales goes into effect Saturday, among a raft of restrictions aimed at curbing the kingdom's rising coronavirus toll.

Thailand initially appeared to have escaped the worst of the virus, registering just under 4,000 total cases in November, despite being the second country to detect an infection in January.

But an outbreak last month at a massive seafood market has spiralled into a resurgence, with infections now detected in 53 of the kingdom's 77 provinces. By Saturday the caseload had jumped to over 7,300. — AFP

The Department of Health confirms 1,097 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national caseload to 476,916.

At present, there are 27,721 active cases. There are 47 new recoveries and 5 new deaths.

The Department of Health says there is no case of new COVID-19 variant from United Kingdom detected in the Philippines. 

— The STAR/Shiela Crisostomo

The French government announces it is bringing forward its nighttime curfew by two hours in 15 regions to help combat the coronavirus, as infections remain high.

The 15 of France's 101 departments affected by the switch from Saturday, to a curfew beginning at 6:00 pm rather than 8:00 pm, include the Les Alpes-Maritimes department where the Mediterranean city of Nice is located.

The other areas are concentrated in the east of the country. — AFP

The United States marks the New Year on Friday by passing the extraordinary milestone of 20 million COVID-19 cases, after global celebrations welcoming in 2021 were largely muted by the pandemic.

The US has floundered in its efforts to quell the virus, which is spreading rapidly across the country and has already caused over 346,000 deaths -- by far the highest national death toll. — AFP

Tokyo reports over 1,000 new coronavirus infections, a new record, as local and government officials warned that a state of emergency might be needed to tackle spiking cases.

Japan's Jiji news agency reports that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had called emergency talks with ministers on the virus situation later Thursday.

"We are still compiling precise figures today. It has been reported to me that it will be above 1,000 and reach somewhere around 1,300," Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike tells reporters. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,541 additional COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 474,064.

Of the confirmed cases, 25,024 are active. There are 14 new fatalities and 296 more recoveries.

More than 3,900 people died of COVID-19 in the US Wednesday, according to a count released by Johns Hopkins University, a new daily record for fatalities from the virus. 

The Baltimore-based university says 3,927 people had died of the coronavirus in the 24 hours before 8.30 pm (0130 GMT Thursday) in the US, the worst-hit country in the world, while 189,671 new cases had been recorded. — AFP

Germany's "historic" coronavirus crisis will extend into 2021 even if the vaccines bring some hope, German Chancellor Angela Merkel says in her New Year's greetings.

And Merkel denounces the conspiracy theories advanced by virus skeptics as not just "false and dangerous" but "cynical and cruel" towards those who had suffered during the pandemic.

"These days and these weeks... are difficult times for our country," Merkel warns. "And that is going to last for a good while yet." — AFP

Germany's daily coronavirus death toll has crossed 1,000 for the first time, health authorities said Wednesday.

A total of 1,129 people died in the previous 24 hours, according to figures from the Robert Koch Institute, up from the previous record of 962 logged last Wednesday.

There were 22,459 new infections over the same period, it added.

An apparent drop in new infections and deaths in recent days was a result of local authorities not sending in their data over the Christmas period, the institute said.

More than 32,000 people have now died from the virus in Germany, which appeared to fare relatively well in the first wave of coronavirus in the spring but has been hit hard by a second wave. — AFP

A worrying new variant of COVID-19 was detected for the first time Tuesday in the United States and Latin America as US President-elect Joe Biden vowed he will significantly ramp up a fledging vaccination drive.

The new strain, which first emerged in the UK, pushed Britain to a new daily record of coronavirus infections and led South Africa to impose a raft of new measures, amid fears around the world that holiday revelers are aggravating the spike in infections.

The EU health agency warned that the strain carried a high risk for more hospitalizations and deaths — not because the infections are more severe but because it spreads more easily. 

The Rocky Mountain state of Colorado recorded what is believed to be the first case in the United States — which has suffered the highest death toll of the year-old pandemic that has claimed more than 1.78 million lives globally. — AFP

Latin America and the Caribbean on become the second region after Europe to top half a million deaths from COVID-19, according to an AFP count based on official tallies.

There have been at least 500,800 deaths among the 29 countries in the region, with more than half of those in Brazil (192,000) and Mexico (120,000). 

The milestone come s12 days after Europe passed the half a million mark. —  AFP

Health officials say the new coronavirus strain sweeping Britain has been in Germany since November after detecting the variant in a patient who died in the north of the country.

Researchers were "able to sequence the variant of the B1.1.7 virus in a person infected in November this year", the health ministry of Lower Saxony says in a statement referring to the new strain.

This is the same strain "responsible for a large proportion of the infections detected in the south of England," it says. — AFP

The Department of Health confirms 886 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 471,526.

Of the confirmed cases, 23,348 are active. There are 38 new deaths and 253 new recoveries.

Temperature checks, queues for tests and inspections at airports — Chinese authorities have stepped up health checks to snuff out the threat of a coronavirus resurgence.

China, where the virus first emerged around a year ago, largely contained its outbreak, and its economy has roared back to life.

But Beijing is taking few risks with coronavirus cases skyrocketing in many parts of the world and the threat of a new variant experts believe could be more transmissible.

Strict checks have been imposed across neighborhoods in the capital Beijing, where suspected virus cases have been detected.

Workers in full PPE are spraying boats and airport arrival areas as part of a swift mobilization to contain potential winter outbreaks. — AFP

Three cases of a particularly infectious coronavirus variant that recently emerged in Britain have been confirmed in South Korea, health authorities said Monday.

The three individuals are members of a London-based family who arrived in the country on December 22, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

They have been placed in isolation since testing positive for COVID-19 on arrival, the KDCA statement said. — AFP

France has not ruled out imposing a third nationwide lockdown if coronavirus cases continue to rise, its health minister said Sunday, as the country braces for a possible post-Christmas spike.  

"We will never exclude measures that are necessary to protect the public," Olivier Veran told the Journal du Dimanche.

"That is not to say we have made a decision, but that we are watching the situation hour by hour."

France has been registering around 15,000 new infections per day, and on Friday confirmed the first case of a new coronavirus variant that recently emerged in Britain.

The new strain, which experts fear is more contagious, prompted more than 50 countries to impose travel restrictions on the UK. — AFP

The first two cases of a particularly infectious coronavirus variant that recently emerged in Britain have been confirmed in Canada, health authorities said Saturday.

"The cases are a couple from Durham with no known travel history, exposure or high-risk contacts," Barbara Yaffe, acting chief medical officer for Ontario, said in a statement.

The couple have been placed in isolation, according to the statement, the same day that Ontario reimposed a lockdown for several weeks due to a spike in Covid-19 cases in the province since early December.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday his country would prolong its suspension of passenger flights from the UK until January 6 in light of the coronavirus strain sweeping Britain. — AFP

The regional government says four cases of a coronavirus variant believed to be particularly infectious that recently emerged in Britain have been confirmed in Madrid, the first cases detected in Spain.

All four cases involved people who recently arrived from the UK, the Madrid regional government’s deputy health chief Antonio Zapatero tells a news conference. — AFP

Russia passes three million confirmed coronavirus infections, as authorities hold out against reimposing a national lockdown while the country is battered by a second wave.

Official figures show that a total of 3,021,964 cases have been detected, with 54,226 deaths.

In the past 24 hours, 29,258 new infections and 567 deaths were registered in Russia, fourth on the list of hardest-hit countries worldwide. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,406 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 469,005.

To date, there are 28,883 active cases. There are 5 new deaths and 266 new recoveries.

China's ruling Communist Party leaders congratulate themselves on their "extremely extraordinary" success in handling the COVID-19 outbreak domestically, ahead of a World Health Organization probe into the disease's origins.

China faced a barrage of criticism at home and abroad over its initial handling of the virus, which emerged in the central city of Wuhan last December.

China's Politburo, the top decision-making body of the Communist Party, says that the party leadership "played a decisive role in leading ... China in prevailing over the rare risks and challenges this year." — AFP

France has confirmed the first case of a new coronavirus variant that recently emerged in Britain, its health ministry says.

The new strain of the virus, which experts fear is more contagious, has prompted more than 50 countries to impose travel restrictions on the UK. — AFP

The Department of Health confirms 1,885 new cases of the coronavirus disease, pushing the national caseload to 467,601.

Of the confirmed cases, 27,748 are active. There are 307 new recoveries and seven new fatalities.

South Korea reports its highest daily number of coronavirus cases, as the country's Christmas celebrations were marred by a harsh third wave of COVID-19.

The nation has been held up as a model of how to combat the virus, with the public largely following official guidelines, but Friday saw a record 1,241 new infections.

"We strongly recommend and request that you cancel all of your meetings and gatherings, even with your close family members," says Yoon Tae-ho of Central Disaster Management Headquarters. — AFP

A mutated coronavirus strain spreading in Britain is on average 56% more contagious than the original version, scientists have warned in a study, urging a fast vaccine rollout to help prevent more deaths.

The new variant, which emerged in southeast England in November and is spreading fast, is likely to boost hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 next year, according to the study published Wednesday by the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. — AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron, who contracted COVID-19 last week, is doing better, his office says on Wednesday.

Macron tested positive for the virus on Thursday showing symptoms of fatigue, coughing and muscle aches.

The president, who self-confined in an official residence near Paris from where he is running meetings remotely, had promised daily updates on his health.  —  AFP

Sydney on Wednesday eased lockdown restrictions for Christmas after Australia's largest city reported a second day of new coronavirus cases in the single digits.

Amid a record testing and tracing effort, just eight new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, prompting authorities to announce all residents could have at least some visitors over to celebrate the festive period.

"Everybody has had a very difficult year," said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian, announcing the "modest" three-day easing of restrictions.

Berejiklian said most Sydneysiders would be allowed to invite 10 adults to their homes, with that number limited to five in the neighbourhoods at the epicentre of the outbreak.

She said the relaxing of rules was possible because of the low number of new cases — 16 in the past 48 hours — and because most have been linked to known infections. — AFP
 

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,703,500 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 77,272,040 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 49,095,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. —  AFP

The World Health Organization in Europe says Tuesday it would convene its members to discuss how to handle the outbreak of a new variant of the novel coronavirus discovered in the UK.

Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe says in a post to Twitter that the organisation was closely monitoring the spread of the new variant and would in response "convene member states to discuss strategies for testing, reducing transmission & communicating risks."

Kluge added that "limiting travel to contain spread is prudent until we have better info." —  AFP

In response @WHO_Europe to convene member states to discuss strategies for testing, reducing transmission & communicating risks

Limiting travel to contain spread is prudent until we have better info. Supply chains for essential goods & essential travel should remain possible
2/3

— Hans Kluge (@hans_kluge) December 22, 2020

Taiwan reports its first local coronavirus transmission Tuesday, ending 253 days of being virus-free in a major blow for an island that has been lauded for its pandemic response.

Health authorities say a woman in her thirties had tested positive for the coronavirus after coming into contact with a "foreign pilot" working for a Taiwanese airline who was a carrier.

"Health units arranged for her to be tested and she was confirmed positive today," the Centre for Disease Control says in a statement. —  AFP

US lawmakers on approve a $900 billion relief package that will provide a long-sought boost for millions of Americans and businesses battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Overwhelming approval in the Senate and House of Representatives clears the way for the legislation to be sent to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. —  AFP

The United States surpassed 18 million reported Covid-19 cases on Monday, figures from Johns Hopkins University showed, as the virus surges nationwide.

The US has the world's highest absolute number of cases as well as the most deaths related to the virus, according to the figures.

It had a total of 18,006,061 reported cases on Monday evening and more than 319,000 deaths.

The country began administering vaccines a week ago and has given approval to immunizations developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,693,576 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on on Monday.

At least 76,728,230 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 48,823,000 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. —  AFP

US lawmakers have reached a deal for a new package to boost the world's largest economy, which has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic, congressional leaders announced Sunday.

"We've agreed to a package of nearly $900 billion. It is packed with targeted policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long," Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell in a statement.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer confirmed an agreement had been reached with Republicans and the White House on a deal that "delivers urgently needed funds to save the lives and livelihoods of the American people as the virus accelerates."

The package is expected to include aid for vaccine distribution and logistics, extra jobless benefits of $300 per week, and a new round of $600 stimulus checks — half the amount provided in checks distributed last March under the CARES Act. — AFP

Italy, one of the countries worst hit by COVID-19, will be placed under new restrictions over the Christmas and New Year periods, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announces.

Under the new measures, shops, bars and restaurants will be closed and travel between regions will be banned, and in theory only one daily outside trip per household will be permitted. 

Religious celebrations will be allowed until 10:00 pm. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,491 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 458,044.

As of Saturday, there are 28,047 active cases. Meanwhile, 36 succumbed to the illness while 436 have recovered.

Official data show that India surged past 10 million coronavirus cases on Saturday, the second highest in the world although new infection rates appear to have fallen sharply in recent weeks.

Total cases were 10.0 million, up just over 25,000 in 24 hours, with 9.6 million recoveries and 145,136 deaths, according to the health ministry. — AFP

US President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill will be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Monday in public view, his transition team says, as the Democrat seeks to build Americans' confidence in the treatment.

"On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden will receive the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in Delaware, and they'll also thank health care workers at the facility," Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki tells reporters.

"He will be doing it in public, which is important to us, as he's stated many times, to send a clear message to the public that it's safe," she adds.

The United States authorizes Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, paving the way for six million doses to begin shipping across the hardest-hit country in the world.

Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn says: "With the availability of two vaccines now for the prevention of COVID-19, the FDA has taken another crucial step in the fight against this global pandemic." — AFP

The Department of Health confirms 2,122 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the Philippines to 456,562.

Of those, 27,021 are active. There are 25 new fatalities and 778 new recoveries.

Africa is bracing for the pandemic's second wave, noting how the microbe has once more cut a swathe through rich countries in Europe and North Africa.

The continent's most-hit nations are again having to contemplate stringent public health measures as they await the arrival of the vaccine cavalry. — AFP

Roughly a year into the pandemic it is clear the new coronavirus is worse than seasonal flu, and a study released on Friday outlined just how much worse, showing a death rate almost three times higher among COVID-19 patients. 

The research, using French national data and published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, underscored the increased severity of illness for people with COVID-19. 

Researchers compared data for 89,530 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in March and April this year with 45,819 patients hospitalized with seasonal influenza between December 2018 and the end of February 2019.

Some 16.9% of COVID-19 patients died during the period of study — which was during a devastating first wave across Europe when doctors had few therapies to turn to for severely ill people. 

This compares to a death rate of 5.8 percent among those with influenza. — AFP
 

Germany reports a daily record of new coronavirus infections of more than 30,000, as it struggles to cope with the outbreak with a fresh partial lockdown.

The Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases, which is managing reporting for the country in the pandemic, revised its initial total of 26,923 for the previous 24-hour period saying around 3,500 more cases had come to light.

"For technical reasons some 3,500 cases from (the southwestern state of) Baden-Wuerttemberg were not reported. The problem has been fixed and the cases are being reported today," it says on its website. — AFP 

French President Macron tests positive for the coronavirus disease.

The Department of Health reports 1,470 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 454,447.

To date, there are 25,695 active cases. There are 663 new recoveries and 17 new fatalities. 

Despite a sharper tone from authorities and new restrictions, Sweden, which has famously relied on non-coercive measures, is struggling to contain a strong second wave of Covid-19 it thought it could avoid.

The capital Stockholm is once again at the epicentre of the epidemic and this week called on members of the public with medical training to help offset some of the burden on healthcare. 

Lars Falk, a doctor at an intensive care unit at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, told AFP the second wave had hit much harder than they expected.

"We got three different scenarios from the Public Health Agency this summer. We prepared for the worst, and it turned out twice as bad," Falk told AFP.

While the Swedish capital is the worst-hit region in the country, many others are also seeing resources stretched thin. — AFP

Despite a sharper tone from authorities and new restrictions, Sweden, which has famously relied on non-coercive measures, is struggling to contain a strong second wave of Covid-19 it thought it could avoid.

The capital Stockholm is once again at the epicentre of the epidemic and this week called on members of the public with medical training to help offset some of the burden on healthcare. 

Lars Falk, a doctor at an intensive care unit at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, told AFP the second wave had hit much harder than they expected.

"We got three different scenarios from the Public Health Agency this summer. We prepared for the worst, and it turned out twice as bad," Falk told AFP.

While the Swedish capital is the worst-hit region in the country, many others are also seeing resources stretched thin. — AFP

The United States set a grim double record Wednesday notching more than 3,700 deaths and over 250,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

The country has seen a spectacular spike in COVID infections for more than a month now, with some 113,000 people currently hospitalized due to the virus, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services. — AFP

The coronavirus pandemic is having a troubling knock-on effect on Canada's opioid crisis, with drug-related deaths up sharply in the spring, a government report said Wednesday.

Canada's special intragovernmental advisory committee on the opioids epidemic said 1,628 people died of opioids overdoses from April to June, up 58% from the previous quarter.

It was the highest total number of opioid-related deaths in any one quarter since national statistics were first compiled in 2016.

"Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada, we were seeing early and promising signs that opioid toxicity deaths were beginning to decline in some areas of the country," committee leaders said.

"The national data released today offers insight into the severe and worsening impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the overdose crisis," they added. — AFP

The World Health Organization says a team of international experts would travel to China next month to help investigate the animal origins of COVID-19.

"I can confirm that this will take place in January," WHO spokesman Hedinn Halldorsson says when asked about reports that the expert team would finally go to China next month. — AFP

Germany reports a record number of deaths from COVID-19, the first day of a new partial lockdown to try to halt a surge in infections.

A total of 952 people died in the previous 24 hours, according to the Robert Koch Institute disease control centre.

It says 27,728 new coronavirus cases were registered, a figure close to the daily record of nearly 30,000 infections reported on Friday. — AFP

The Department of Health 1,156 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of cases in the Philippines to 452,988.

To date, there are 24,873 active cases. 21 succumbed to the disease while 425 have recovered.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,621,397 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday. 

At least 72,761,200 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 46,866,300 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. —  AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,135 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 451,839.

Of the confirmed cases, 24,160 are active. There are 56 new deaths and 173 new recoveries.

A written character that evokes everything people in Japan were urged to avoid this year — crowds, confined spaces and close contact with others — was on Monday voted the country's top linguistic symbol of 2020.

Although new infections have recently hit record highs, Japan has seen a relatively small coronavirus outbreak overall and never imposed a strict lockdown like those seen elsewhere in the world.

Instead, residents were strongly advised to use their own judgement and steer clear of situations described as "mitsu" — meaning dense, crowded and close — to limit the spread of the respiratory disease.

The social distancing message quickly gained a tongue-in-cheek popularity, with the Tokyo governor's call inspiring viral manga strips, techno remixes and even a video game.

Now "mitsu" has been chosen as the character of the year in an annual public ballot organised by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation. It took around 14 percent of over 208,000 votes. — AFP

One in four health centers worldwide lacks access to water, putting around 1.8 billion people at increased risk of contracting the coronavirus, the World Health Organization said Monday.

The lack of this basic amenity endangers patients and staff alike at such centers, the WHO said in a joint report with the UN children's agency UNICEF. The study was based on data from 165 countries.

"Working in a healthcare facility without water, sanitation and hygiene is akin to sending nurses and doctors to work without personal protective equipment," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

These elements "are fundamental to stopping COVID-19. But there are still major gaps to overcome, particularly in least developed countries." — AFP

South Korea reports 1,030 new coronavirus cases Sunday, a record high for a second day in a row as the country struggles to tackle a third wave of infections.

The country had previously been held up as a model of how to combat the pandemic, with the public largely following social distancing and other rules.

But a resurgence centred on the capital and surrounding area has prompted President Moon Jae-in to apologise on Facebook for his administration's failure to contain the latest wave. —  AFP

The Department of Health records 1,301 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 448,331.

Of those, 30,168 are active. There are 35 new deaths and 111 additional recoveries.

South Korea reports its highest daily number of coronavirus cases so far, with a surge centred on the capital region sparking fears the country could lose control of the spread.

Officials announce 950 new infections after several days reporting numbers ranging from about 500 to 600. — AFP

Brazil passes the grim milestone of 180,000 deaths from COVID-19 Friday, as experts warn the country was undergoing a second wave of infections despite President Jair Bolsonaro's insistence the crisis was at the "tail end."

The Brazilian health ministry reports 672 new deaths for a total of 180,437 since the pandemic began, making the South American country the second to pass that threshold, after the United States.

The curves for both infections and deaths in Brazil now show clear signs of an upward trend, after falling somewhat from late August to early November. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,570,398 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

At least 68,884,640 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 43,860,500 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. —  AFP

Germany's trend of new infections has taken a worrying turn, the head of its disease control agency says Thursday, as the death toll to date crossed the grim milestone of 20,000.

"The rise in numbers is worrying," says Robert Koch Institute president Lothar Wieler, warning that after plateauing for a few weeks, "the course of infections could tip over again" into exponential growth. —  AFP

The United States on Wednesday registered more than 3,000 deaths from COVID-19 in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally — the highest daily toll since April.

American authorities warned a spike in deaths was coming after millions traveled around the country for the Thanksgiving holiday last month, ignoring pleas to stay home to slow the spread of the virus.

As of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday), the country had recorded a total of 289,188 Covid deaths, up by 3,071 in 24 hours. It also registered nearly 220,481 new cases.

California, where some 33 million people were back under lockdown this week, saw more than 30,000 cases on Wednesday — the highest 24-hour tally in a US state, according to the Covid Tracking Project.— AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,557,814 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 68,208,890 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 43,341,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. —  AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,400 additional coronavirus infections, bringing the national tally to 442,785.

To date, there are 25,325 active cases. The Health department also announces 139 new recoveries and 98 new deaths.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,535,987 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

More than 67,009,760 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 42,678,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. —  AFP

Top US lawmakers scrambled Sunday to reach difficult agreements as quickly as possible on a new aid package for the coronavirus-battered economy, a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown and the defense budget.

And time was running out.

The current federal budget law expires on December 11. If Congress fails to agree on a new one by that date, American public finances will suddenly dry up.

In order to avoid a shutdown, Congress could decide to pass a temporary law for a few days, to give itself time between now and Christmas to reach a broad annual agreement on the 2021 budget.

Republican and Democratic leaders have indicated that they would like the budget bill to include the next economic aid measures for the coronavirus, which have been the subject of bitter negotiations.

"It's really a superhuman effort on our part to help the American people as quickly as possible," Democratic Senator Dick Durbin told ABC's "This Week". — AFP

South Korea raises its coronavirus alert to the second-highest level in Seoul and surrounding areas Sunday as authorities struggle to contain a fresh outbreak.

The country largely brought the virus under control with a "trace, test and treat" approach, but in recent weeks new infections have jumped from around 100 a day to more than 500.

South Korea confirmed 631 new cases on Sunday — the highest in nine months — with the majority in the greater Seoul region, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. —  AFP

For the third day in a row, the United States on notches a record number of coronavirus cases in 24 hours, reaching nearly 230,000 new infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

In that same stretch the US records 2,527 Covid-related deaths, according to real-time data provided by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 pm (0130 GMT Saturday).

The United States — the country with the most coronavirus cases and deaths in the world — has seen a dramatic resurgence in its epidemic in recent weeks. —  AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,733 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of cases in the Philippines to 438,069.

Of those, 29,961 are active cases. The Health department announces 17 new deaths and 133 more recoveries.

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, the United States notched a record number of coronavirus cases in 24 hours for the second day in a row, reaching 225,201 new infections. 

In that same period, the country recorded 2,506 Covid-related deaths, according to real-time data provided by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 pm (0130 GMT Saturday).

The United States -- the country with the most coronavirus cases and deaths in the world -- has seen a dramatic resurgence in its epidemic in recent weeks. — AFP

The arrival of a vaccine should see coronavirus deaths in Britain reduce "significantly" by early next year but social mixing over Christmas could cause another spike before that, UK medical chiefs say.

Britain on Wednesday gave emergency approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and will begin the world's first roll-out from next week.

"We think it likely that by spring the effects of vaccination will begin to be felt in reducing Covid admissions, attendances and deaths significantly but there are many weeks before we get to that stage," the chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland say. — AFP

The Department of Health confirms 934 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 436,345.

To date, there are 28,379 active cases. There are 63 new fatalities and 148 additional recoveries.

Iran on Thursday surpasses one million confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, the health ministry says in the Middle East country hardest hit by the pandemic.

The Islamic republic has recorded 1,003,494 coronavirus infections since announcing its first cases in February, ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari says on state television.

The virus has claimed a total of 49,348 lives in Iran, according to official figures, which even the health minister acknowledges fall short of the true number due to screening protocol issues. —  AFP

The Department of Health confirms 1,061 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 435,413.

Of the confirmed cases, 27,642 are active. There are 10 more deaths and 328 new recoveries.

The US death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 2,700 in one day as of Wednesday evening, the highest since April, Johns Hopkins University says.

The new tally of 2,731 fatalities raises the overall known death toll in America to 273,181 since the pandemic started late last year. 

The number of new infections over the past 24 hours was 195,121, the university says.  — AFP

A monitor says the number of people being treated in US hospitals for COVID-19 topped 100,000 for the first time on Wednesday.

"There are 100,226 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in the US  -- the first time hospitalizations have exceeded 100k," the COVID Tracking Project says in a tweet. — AFP 

The Department of Health reports 1,438 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 434,357.

Of these, 26,916 are active cases. There are 18 new fatalities and 232 more recoveries.

Johns Hopkins University says the United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and in the throes of a surge in cases, registered more than 2,500 deaths in a 24-hour period, the highest total since late April.

More than 180,000 new infections were recorded, according to real-time data provided by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 pm (0130 GMT Wednesday).

The last time the daily death toll was higher than Tuesday's total of 2,562 was in late April, at the height of the pandemic's first wave. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,468,873 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 63,227,470 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 40,255,800 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,298 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the national tall to 32,925.

To date, there are 25,725 active. The health department registers 27 new deaths and 135 more recoveries.

The UN says that $35 billion would be needed for aid in 2021, as the pandemic leaves tens of millions more people in crisis, and with the risk of multiple famines looming.

The world body's annual Global Humanitarian Overview estimated that 235 million people worldwide will need some form of emergency assistance next year -- a staggering 40-percent increase in the past year.

"The increase arises almost entirely because of Covid-19," United Nations emergency relief coordinator Mark Lowcock says. — AFP 

Canada's budget deficit is projected to balloon to a record US$284 billion as government spending skyrockets to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, the finance minister announces. 

The amount for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, which began on April 1, is higher than an estimate of Can$343 billion announced in July and almost 20 times higher than the shortfall in the last budget released in March 2019, before the pandemic.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland also says the government was preparing to spend another Can$70 billion to Can$100 billion over three years to jolt the economy once the pandemic is over. — AFP 

America should prepare for a "surge upon a surge" in coronavirus cases as millions of travelers return home after the Thanksgiving holiday, top US scientist Anthony Fauci warned Sunday.

The United States is the world's worst-affected country, with 266,831 COVID-19 deaths, and US President Donald Trump's administration has issued conflicting messages on mask-wearing, travel and the danger posed by the virus.

"There almost certainly is going to be an uptick because of what has happened with the travel," Fauci told CNN's "State of the Union." 

Travel surrounding Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday made this the busiest week in US airports since the pandemic began.

"We may see a surge upon a surge" in two or three weeks, Fauci added. "We don't want to frighten people, but that's the reality." — AFP

The Department of Health reports an additional 2,076 COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, pushing the national caseload to 429,864.

The DOH also records 10,579 new recoveries, bringing the total of recovered patients to 398,624. With 40 new reported deaths, the country's death toll is now at 8,373.

With the latest figures, total active cases in the country stand at 22,867.

Around 9,000 runners — some wearing face masks — took part in the Shanghai International Marathon Sunday, Chinese media said, a rare mass event in a year when coronavirus laid waste to most such sport.

Prior to the race officials touted it as an opportunity to show how China — where the virus emerged late last year before unleashing a pandemic — is moving ahead despite the continuing global health crisis.

The prestigious New York, Berlin, Boston and Chicago marathons all fell victim to coronavirus this year, while London and Tokyo were open only to elite runners.

Bucking that trend, the Shanghai marathon went ahead under sunny skies following several days of rain, and with virus prevention measures in place to thwart infections. — AFP

More than 400,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus have been registered in Europe, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources around 0800 GMT Saturday.

The second-worst hit global region after Latin America and the Caribbean, 400,649 people have died of Covid-19 in Europe among 17,606,370 confirmed cases. Of these, 36,147 occurred in the past week alone -- the continent's worst seven-day total since the pandemic began.

Britain accounted for almost two-thirds of the European deaths at 57,551 from almost 1.6 million infections, followed by Italy with 53,677 deaths and 1.5 million infections, France (51,914 deaths, 2.2 million cases), Spain (44,668 deaths, 1.6 million cases) and Russia (39,068 deaths, 2.2 million cases). — AFP

The Department of Health confirms 1,893 new cases of the coronavirus disease. Total cases now at 427,797.

Out of the confirmed cases, 31,402 are registered active. There are 79 additional fatalities and 474 new recoveries.

Parts of Europe will reopen stores on Saturday in time for the holiday season after progress in containing the coronavirus, but Los Angeles will halt nearly all gatherings with the pandemic surging across the United States.

Most countries hope to ease their virus rules for Christmas and New Year, allowing families a respite before bracing for what the world hopes is one last wave of restrictions until a clutch of promising new vaccines kick in.

Stores will lift their shutters in France on Saturday, while Poland's shopping centres will also reopen. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,631 additional coronavirus cases. This brings the nationall tally to  425,918.

Of the confirmed cases, 30,047 are registered active. There are 370 more recoveries and 46 new fatalities.

An official says Germany's coronavirus infections pass one million.

Russia on Thursday registered record numbers for daily infections and deaths from the coronavirus for the second time in less than a week. 

Health officials reported 25,487 new infections, bringing the national total to 2,187,990 cases since the beginning of the pandemic — the fifth-highest caseload in the world.

Health authorities also reported 524 deaths, raising Russia's total fatalities from COVID-19 to 38,062. — AFP

South Korea reported its highest daily number of coronavirus cases since March on Thursday, with a surge of new infections sparking fears of a major third wave.

Officials announced 583 new cases after several weeks of fresh infections ranging between around 100 and 300.

The latest cases have mostly been clusters at offices, schools, gyms and small gatherings in the greater Seoul area, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

New infections also emerged within the military, including dozens of newly enlisted soldiers at a boot camp — prompting the defense ministry to bolster its virus measures. — AFP

South Korea reported its highest daily number of coronavirus cases since March on Thursday, with a surge of new infections sparking fears of a major third wave.

Officials announced 583 new cases after several weeks of fresh infections ranging between around 100 and 300.

The latest cases have mostly been clusters at offices, schools, gyms and small gatherings in the greater Seoul area, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. — AFP

The coronavirus pandemic is no excuse for not getting enough exercise, the World Health Organization says Wednesday, warning that even before the crisis many were getting too little physical activity. 

In an update of its physical activity guidelines, the UN health agency stressed that exercise was vital to physical and mental health, while sedentary behaviour can have serious repercussions.

"WHO urges everyone to continue to stay active through the Covid-19 pandemic," the agency's head of health promotion Ruediger Krech told reporters.

"If we do not remain active, we run the risk of creating another pandemic of ill-health as a result of sedentary behavior." — AFP

The coronavirus crisis has hit Italy's already historically-low birth rate, new projections from the national statistics agency reveal. 

Italy had last year already recorded its lowest number of births for 150 years, at 420,000, but this could fall to 408,000 in 2020 and 393,000 in 2021, according to Istat.

The projections were presented by Istat chief, Gian Carlo Blangiardo, to lawmakers on Tuesday.

"The climate of fear and uncertainty as well as financial difficulties... caused by recent events will have a negative effect on the fertility of Italian couples," he said. — AFP

Tokyo's governor on Wednesday urged residents to avoid non-essential outings and asked businesses serving alcohol to shut early as Japan battles record coronavirus infections.

The country has seen a comparatively small outbreak overall, with just over 2,000 deaths and 135,400 confirmed cases, and has not imposed the strict lockdowns seen elsewhere.

But it is now battling a third wave of the respiratory disease, reporting record numbers of daily infections nationwide in recent days.

"We'd like to ask Tokyo residents, if they can, to refrain from non-essential outings as much as possible to prevent further spread of infection," Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters. — AFP

The Department of Health reported 1,202 additional coronavirus infections Wednesday, taking the nationwide caseload to 422,915.

With 137 new positive cases, Davao City recorded the highest increase in infections. It was followed by Quezon City with 68 cases, Batangas with 59, Laguna with 54 and Cavite with 47. 

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,397,322 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 59,256,310 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 37,691,800 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Hundreds of flights at one of China's busiest airports were cancelled Tuesday as Shanghai raced to bring a local coronavirus outbreak under control.

Health officials have tested thousands of staff at Pudong International Airport since a small cluster of COVID-19 cases in the city was linked to several cargo handlers.

China — where the virus first emerged late last year — has largely brought the pandemic under control through travel restrictions and lockdowns, but it is now battling a number of domestic outbreaks in different cities.

Shanghai has reported seven local infections linked to the airport this month, with most cases found in the past few days. — AFP

Hundreds of flights at one of China's busiest airports were cancelled Tuesday as Shanghai raced to bring a local coronavirus outbreak under control.

Health officials have tested thousands of staff at Pudong International Airport since a small cluster of Covid-19 cases in the city was linked to several cargo handlers.

China — where the virus first emerged late last year — has largely brought the pandemic under control through travel restrictions and lockdowns, but it is now battling a number of domestic outbreaks in different cities.

Shanghai has reported seven local infections linked to the airport this month, with most cases found in the past few days. — AFP

The Department of Health discourages attending indoor religious activities where there may be crowds like Christmas masses in anticipation of a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission over the holidays.

It also considers "singing and speaking loudly" and physical contact as high-risk activities.

DOH cautions the public against shopping at malls and tiangges, or bazaars, as well.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,388,590 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 58,647,610 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 37,298,300 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Canada's biggest city entered lockdown on Monday in the latest bid to curb coronavirus infections, with case numbers surging across North America even as US officials said vaccinations could be available within weeks.

Encouraging results from several vaccine trials have raised hopes of a decisive shift in the battle against a disease that has claimed around 1.4 million lives worldwide in the last year.

But seesawing restrictions and lockdowns in countries that successfully contained earlier outbreaks — shattering lives and economies in the process — have highlighted the ongoing risk of contagion.

Toronto banned private indoor gatherings and capped the size of weddings and funerals for four weeks from midnight, with officials warning that hospitals risked being overwhelmed without quick action.

"I've been clear on this: the situation is extremely serious and further action is required," Ontario premier Doug Ford had told journalists ahead of the lockdown. — AFP

The United States grants emergency approval for a synthetic antibody therapy against COVID-19 that was notably used to treat President Donald Trump.

"Authorizing these monoclonal antibody therapies may help outpatients avoid hospitalization and alleviate the burden on our health care system," says Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,791 additional cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the Philippines to 416,852.

Of those, 33,224 are registered as active cases. There are 328 new recoveries and 55 more deaths.

The Washington Post reports that the coronavirus tests imported from South Korea by the governor of the US state of Maryland were flawed and ended up not being used.

The newspaper says Maryland Governor Larry Hogan spent $9.46 million in April to import 500,000 coronavirus tests from South Korea.

But the tests turned out to be flawed and the state "quietly" paid the same South Korean company an additional $2.5 million for 500,000 replacement tests, the Post says. — AFP

Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa announces that he got infected with COVID-19.

US President Donald Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been quarantining without symptoms, a spokesman says. 

"Don tested positive at the start of the week and has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result," his spokesman says.

"He's been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines," the spokesman says of the 42-year-old.

The World Health Organization says anti-viral drug remdesivir should not be used to treat COVID-19 patients no matter how severe their illness as it has "no important effect" on survival chances. 

Denting hopes in one of the few treatments that had shown some initial promise in severe patients, a WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) of international experts say there was "no evidence based on currently available data that it does improve patient-important outcomes". — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,639 more cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 415,067.

Of these, 31,805 are considered active. The health department announces 27 new fatalities and 305 more recoveries. 

The US registers more than 2,200 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally, a record high since May as the pandemic surges across the country.

The number of cases at 8:30pm (0030 GMT Friday) was 11,698,661 with 252,419 deaths, meaning 200,146 new infections and 2,239 more deaths in 24 hours. — AFP 

Health ministry data show India's coronavirus cases passed nine million on Friday, the world's second-highest tally after the United States.

The total number of recorded novel coronavirus infections was 9.004 million, the data show, with 132,162 deaths. Many experts believe this is likely an under-estimate due to low levels of testing compared to other countries. — AFP

Russia's total coronavirus caseload surpasses two million on Thursday as officials registered record increases in new infections and virus-related deaths. 

The country has witnessed a surge in cases over recent weeks but authorities have stopped short of reintroducing stringent lockdown measures like several European countries.

Health officials report 23,610 new infections Thursday and 463 virus-related deaths, both record highs since the beginning of Russia's outbreak. — AFP

Japan is on "maximum alert" after logging a record number of daily coronavirus infections, its prime minister said Thursday, though no immediate restrictions are planned.

The comments came as Tokyo raised its alert level to the top of its four-tier system, with local media saying the capital would report a record number of infections for a second day running.

More than 2,000 cases were recorded nationwide on Wednesday, with nearly 500 in Tokyo.

While these figures are comparatively low globally speaking, they represent a sharp rise in cases for Japan, where testing is often less widespread than in other parts of the world. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,337 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 413,430.

Of those, 30,493 are marked as active. There are 41 new fatalities and 286 new recoveries.

Asking someone to put on a mask is a touchy subject, so one shop in Japan has enlisted a robot to make sure its customers wear them during the pandemic.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but please wear a mask," says the small humanoid machine after wheeling up to a bare-faced shopper, in a demonstration video released by its developers.

"Thank you for understanding," it says when the customer obliges, bowing its rounded white head towards them in thanks.

The robot nicknamed "Robovie" has been deployed at a sports store in the city of Osaka in an experiment by Kyoto-based research institute ATR, which built the electronic clerk.

Its camera and laser scanner can detect when people are not wearing a mask, or standing too close together in the queue — in which case it asks them to move apart.

As well as enforcing social distancing, Robovie can direct customers to the part of the store they want to go to, according to ATR. — AFP

US coronavirus deaths pass a quarter of a million people Wednesday as New York announced it would close schools to battle a rise in infections and anti-restriction protests in Europe turned violent.

America has now registered 250,426 fatalities, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University, by far the highest reported national death toll.

US states and cities were imposing a raft of new restrictions, including home confinement, the closure of indoor dining and a limit on gatherings as cases soar across the country, with more than 157,950 new infections recorded over the past 24 hours on Wednesday.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city's 1,800 public schools would revert to remote learning beginning Thursday after the Big Apple recorded a seven-day average positivity rate of three percent. — AFP

Samoa announced its first case of COVID-19 on Thursday, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to spread to previously untouched Pacific island nations.

Prime Minister Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi called for calm in the nation of 200,000 after confirming a man who flew into the country last Friday tested positive while in managed isolation.

"We now have one case and will be added to the countries of the world that have the coronavirus," the mask-wearing leader said during a televised address on Thursday.

Until recently, the remote Pacific islands were among the most successful in the world at keeping out the virus after closing their borders early in response to the threat, despite the huge cost to tourism-reliant economies. — AFP

WHO data show the number of new COVID-19 cases declined last week for the first time in over three months, but deaths in the region continued to climb.

In total, nearly four million cases of the novel coronavirus were registered worldwide during the week ending Sunday, and almost 60,000 people died from the disease during the same period, the World Health Organization says.

Europe, which on Tuesday saw its total number of coronavirus infections climb past 15 million, remained the hardest-hit region. — AFP

The US issues an emergency use authorization for the first self-administered rapid coronavirus test, as more parts of the country increase restrictions in an attempt to halt a Covid-19 surge.

The Food and Drug Administration approved a testing kit for people age 14 and older whom a doctor suspects to have COVID-19. The test, which is by prescription only, delivers results in 30 minutes. — AFP

The state of South Australia announces a six-day "circuit-breaker" lockdown from midnight, as authorities race to contain a sudden coronavirus cluster in the city of Adelaide.

Schools, restaurants and factories were told to close while stay-at-home orders were issued for residents across the state, after a cluster of 22 cases began in a hotel used to quarantine travellers from overseas.

"We are going hard and we are going early. Time is of the essence and we must act swiftly and decisively. We cannot wait to see how bad this becomes," state premier Steven Marshall says. — AFP

US Republican Senator Chuck Grassley tests positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday, the latest of some two dozen American lawmakers who have contracted COVID-19 this year.

By entering quarantine under doctors' recommendations and government health guidelines, Grassley was unable to vote on the floor, which brought his record of 27 years without missing a single Senate vote to a halt.

"I've tested positive for coronavirus. I'll b following my doctors' orders/CDC guidelines & continue to quarantine," tweets Iowa's Grassley, who at 87 is the second oldest senator in the 100-member chamber. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,328,048 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Tuesday. 

At least 55,022,350 cases have been registered and at least 35,235,100 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

While Austria was held up as a model to follow during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, its return to lockdown Tuesday has sparked a backlash against the government.

Experts, news outlets and opposition politicians have been lining up to condemn the conservative-green coalition government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz for its handling of the second wave.

"Lack of anticipation" and "irresponsible behavior" are just some of the criticisms levelled at the administration since the new lockdown was announced on Saturday.

The closure of all non-essential stores and schools is "without question the expression of a total loss of control" said Pamela Rendi-Wagner, leader of the opposition Social Democrats (SPOe).

"It is because of the government in particular that more severe measures are now necessary and that Austria has gone from being a model country to being the bottom of the table in terms of infections."

Rendi-Wagner is herself a former health minister and trained as a doctor. — AFP

The US surpassed 11 million coronavirus cases Sunday, adding one million new cases in less than a week, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The dizzying rise came as cities and states across the United States were implementing new restrictions to try to halt the spread of the virus, with stay-at-home orders set to be imposed on Chicago Monday.

The US had crossed the 10 million case threshold on Monday, November 9. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,305,039 people since emerging in China late last year, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources at 1100 GMT Saturday.

At least 53,438,640 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 34,324,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health announces 1,650 new COVID-19 infections. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the Philippines to 406,337. 

Of those, 35,478 are logged as active. There are 194 new recoveries and 39 new fatalities.

The Department of Health reports 1,902 more cases of COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 404,713.

Of those, 34,058 are registered as active cases. 506 have recovered while 31 died from the deadly virus. 

After several weeks of rapidly rising coronavirus cases, hospitals around the United States are once again overwhelmed, forcing local authorities to take new measures to cope with the pandemic.

On Tuesday a record 61,964 people were hospitalized with Covid-19 across the country, marking the first time the case tally passed the 60,000 mark, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

The situation is particularly worrying in the border city of El Paso in western Texas, a state where coronavirus cases have exceeded one million.

More than 1,000 people are hospitalized in El Paso County alone, a substantial portion of the state's 6,170 hospitalizations.

"These are dark times," Ogechika Alozie, chief medical officer at the city's Del Sol Medical Center, told CNN Wednesday. "I think the biggest word is just fatigue. And there's frustration." —AFP

The Philippines surpasses the 400,000-mark after the Department of Health reports 1,672 additional COVID-19 cases. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 401,416.

To date, 31,489 active cases. The Health department reports 49 new deaths and 311 new recoveries.

The United States on Tuesday far exceeded its previous daily record of new COVID-19 cases, adding 201,961 cases in 24 hours, according to the tally compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The high number, partly due to data delayed over the weekend, took total cases in the US to 10,238,243, with a total of 239,588 deaths, as of 8:30 pm (0130 GMT).

In the 24-hour period, 1,535 deaths from COVID-19 were registered, a record in recent months as the US struggles to contain the spread of the pandemic.

For a week now, the number of new infections has trended at over 100,000 each day. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,263,890 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday. 

At least 50,907,770 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 33,121,400 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,347 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections to 399,749.

Of the total confirmed cases, 30,169 are active. There are 14 new deaths and 187 new recoveries.

The Department of Health reports 2,157 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 393,961.

To date, there are 36,260 active cases. The health department announces 24 new deaths and 252 new recoveries.

Gov. Marilou Cayco says the Batanes province is COVID-19-free again.  

John Hopkins University reports that the United States has set a third straight daily record for new COVID-19 infections, notching more than 127,000 cases.

Meanwhile, the death toll as of 8:30 pm (0130 GMT) over the past 24 hours was 1,149, the Baltimore-based university says.

This is far below the levels of spring when the pandemic first hit, but it is still the fourth day in a row with more than 1,000 deaths -- a rate not seen since August. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,092 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 391,809.

Of those, 34,374 active cases. There are 462 new recoveries and 52 new deaths.

More than 120,000 coronavirus cases were reported in the US in the past 24 hours, smashing a daily record set the day before, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The country reported 123,085 new infections between 8:30 pm Wednesday and 8:30 pm Thursday (0130 GMT), and 1,226 more deaths, the tally by the Baltimore-based school showed.

On Wednesday, 99,660 new cases of the virus were reported. Thursday's tally shatters that record by 23,425 cases.

While deaths remain lower than their worst levels in the spring, Thursday was also the third day in a row that fatalities were above 1,000. The last time people were dying at that rate of COVID-19 in the US was early September. — AFP

The Department of Health announces 1,594 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 389,725.

To date, there are 32,773 active cases. The Health department reports 42 new deaths and 468 new recoveries.

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, more than 99,000 novel coronavirus cases were recorded in the United States in the past 24 hours, a new daily record.

The country reported 99,660 new infections between 8:30 pm Tuesday and 8:30 pm Wednesday (0130 GMT), and 1,112 deaths, the tally by the Baltimore-based school showed one day after Americans voted to choose their next president. 

More than 9.4 million people have been infected and 233,000 have died in the United States so far during the pandemic, by far the worst tolls in absolute terms globally. — AFP

A 77-year-old congresswoman, who resides in Quezon City, tests positive for the coronavirus disease. As of this posting, her name has not been revealed.

The solon, with mild symptoms, is under home quarantine.

Russia announces a record daily number of coronavirus infections, with 19,768 new cases adding to pressure on the government only days after President Vladimir Putin said there were no plans for a lockdown.

The number of deaths also ticked up by a record 389, meaning that 29,217 people have been killed by Covid-19 since it reached Russia earlier this year.

Russia has listed a total of 1,693,454 cases of infection. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 987 new cases, the lowest increase since July 2020. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 388,137.

Of those, 31,679 are listed as active cases. There are 140 new recoveries and 49 new deaths.

Austria and Greece will become the latest European nations to impose spirit-crushing curbs to combat the coronavirus surge, with a deadly terrorist attack in Vienna ahead of a partial lockdown compounding the misery.

The virus has infected over 46 million people worldwide, with more than 1.2 million deaths, and the acute outbreaks in Europe and America are sparking further alarm about the state of the already devastated global economy.

Austria's cases in recent weeks have surged well past the levels recorded in the spring, forcing the government to impose a curfew between 8 pm and 6 am starting Tuesday until the end of November. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,772 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of cases in the Philippines to 387,161.

To date, there are 30,876 active cases. The Health department announces 49 new deaths and 153 new recoveries.

The Portuguese government intends to declare a health emergency enabling stricter curbs to be imposed in the fight against a surge in coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said Monday.

"We propose that an emergency be declared for preventive purposes, to avoid legal uncertainties," he said after announcing at the weekend a partial lockdown to take effect from Wednesday.

Measures already in place in parts of northern Portugal will be expanded from Wednesday to cover 7.1 million people, or 70 percent of the population. — AFP

The Department of Health on Monday reports 2,298 new COVID-10 cases, pushing the national tally to 385,400.

The DOH also records 32 additional deaths and 87 new recoveries, bringing the total of deaths and recoveries to 7,269 and 348,830, respectively.

The Philippines' total active cases of COVID-19 now stands at 29,301.

Anger and exasperation over new coronavirus curbs grew Sunday as European nations wound back the clocks to the spring with fresh lockdowns and restrictions aimed at halting galloping infections and deaths.

Protesters in several Spanish cities clashed with security forces for a second night running Saturday, police said, while England prepared for fresh stay-at-home orders, following in the steps of Austria, France and Ireland.

European governments are desperate to stem the worrying spike in infections on the continent which has registered more than 279,000 deaths since the virus first emerged in China at the end of 2019. — AFP

he World Health Organization chief said late Sunday that he was self-quarantining after someone he had been in contact with tested positive for Covid-19, but stressed he had no symptoms.

"I have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for #COVID19," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet.

"I am well and without symptoms but will self-quarantine over the coming days, in line with @WHO protocols, and work from home," he added.

Tedros has been at the forefront of the United Nations health agency's efforts to battle the pandemic. which has claimed nearly 1.2 million lives and infected over 46 million people worldwide since emerging in China late last year. -- AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,803 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 380,729.

Total active cases are 42,462. There are 606 new recoveries and 36 new deaths.

The US hit a record number of new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, topping 94,000 infections in 24 hours, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

The country, which has seen a resurgence of its Covid-19 outbreak since mid-October, recorded 94,125 new cases in the 24 hours up to 8:30 pm Friday (0030 GMT Saturday), according to a real-time count by the Baltimore-based school. 

That broke the record of more than 91,000 cases set just one day earlier. — AFP

The Department of Health says they do not recommend the use of necklace air purifiers for protection against coronavirus infections.

"The DOH clarifies that it is NOT ENDORSING the use of necklace air purifiers that claim to kill bacteria or viruses, or protect from COVID-19," the health department says in a statement.

"While these devices do not pose any harm, the DOH currently does not recommend using these devices due to lack of evidence of efficacy," it adds.

The Department of Health reports 2,006 new COVID-19 cases. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 378,933.

There are 41,291 active COVID-19 cases. The DOH announces 38 new deaths and 636 additional recoveries.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,175,992 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Thursday. 

At least 44,561,260 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 29,949,000 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,761 additional COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 376,935.

As of Oct. 29, 2020, there 39,940 active cases. Thirty-three succumbed to the deadly virus while 740 more have recovered.

India on Thursday passes eight million coronavirus cases, with the world's second-worst-hit country bracing for a possible second wave ahead of winter and a series of religious festivals.

There have now been 8,040,203 cases and 120,527 deaths across the country of 1.3 billion people, according to the latest government figures.

The United States has seen 9.1 million cases and more than 230,000 deaths. — AFP

Latest government figures show India passed eight million coronavirus cases and the world's second-worst-hit country is bracing for a new wave in the pandemic.

There have now been 8,040,203 cases and 120,527 deaths across the country of 1.3 billion people.

The United States has seen 9.1 million cases and more than 230,000 deaths. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,168,750 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Wednesday.

More than 44,056,470 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 29,694,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health registers 2,053 new COVID-19 infections. This brings the total number of cases in the Philippines to 375,180.

To date, there are 38,995 active cases. The DOH also reports 61 new deaths and 540 new recoveries.

Russia tightens anti-coronavirus restrictions including mask-wearing in public spaces after registering a record daily spike in virus deaths.

According to the country's consumer safety regulator, face masks are to be worn in crowded areas, on public transport, in taxis and lifts from Wednesday. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,524 new infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to 373,144.

Of the total confirmed, 37,489 or 10% were active COVID-19 cases. There are 353 new recoveries and 14 additional deaths.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,155,301 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 43,080,500 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 29,194,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Spain's Catalonia region said Monday it was studying imposing a lockdown on weekends to fight the spread of the coronavirus, a day after nighttime curfew came into effect across the country.

"It is a scenario which is on the table because it is during the weekend that there are more social interactions," the spokeswoman for the regional government, Meritxell Budo, told Catalan public radio.

Infections have soared in recent days in the wealthy northeastern region, home to around 7.5 million people, as well as the rest of Spain, which last week became the first European Union nation to surpass one million confirmed COVID-19 cases. — AFP

Australian health officials on Monday report no new coronavirus cases or deaths in Victoria state, which has spent months under onerous restrictions after becoming the epicenter of the country's second wave.

It was the first 24-hour period without any new COVID-19 cases reported in the state since the five million residents of Melbourne were locked down after security bungles at quarantine hotels housing returned international travelers sparked a major outbreak in July.

Under the lockdown, people in the city — Australia's second-biggest — have been barred from leaving their homes for non-essential reasons and spent months under an overnight curfew.

Some restrictions were lifted last week, allowing haircuts and golf games to return, but further easing planned for Sunday was delayed to assess thousands of test results after a small outbreak in the city's north. — AFP

The United States saw a record high number of new daily COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row on Saturday, figures from Johns Hopkins University showed, as warnings grew over its spread.

The country reported 88,973 new infections between 8:30 pm Friday and 8:30 pm Saturday, the figures showed, substantially above the previous day's 79,963.

A total of 8,568,625 cases have been reported in the United States with 224,751 deaths, the highest in the world in absolute terms. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,057 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 367,819.

To date, there are 47,773 active cases. The DOH registers 19 new deaths and 442 additional recoveries.

Poland's president tests positive for COVID-19, an official says.

A record of nearly 80,000 new Covid-19 infections over the course of a day were reported in the United States, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

Between 8:30 pm Thursday and the same time Friday, 79,963 infections were recorded, bringing the total number since the start of the pandemic to nearly 8.5 million in the country.

The United States had already approached the bar of 80,000 daily cases in July, largely due to new infections in southern states such as Texas and Florida, where the virus was then spreading out of control. — AFP

The northern hemisphere is facing a crucial moment in fighting the COID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization says, with too many countries witnessing an exponential increase in coronavirus cases.

"The next few months are going to be very tough and some countries are on a dangerous track," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tells a virtual press conference.

"Too many countries are seeing an exponential increase in COVID-19 cases and that is now leading to hospitals and intensive care units running close to or above capacity -- and we're still only in October. — AFP

The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted full approval to the antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, after conditional authorization was given in May.

Gilead said the drug, sold under the brand name Veklury, was the only specific treatment for COVID-19 approved so far under a more rigorous process.

However, other treatments have received authorization for emergency use, though that approval can be revoked once the public health emergency sparked by the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Other medications, like the steroid dexamethasone, are also being used in the fight against COVID-19. The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted full approval to the antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for patients hospitalized with Covid-19, after conditional authorization was given in May. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,133,136 people since the outbreak emerged in China late last year, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources at 1100 GMT on Thursday. 

At least 41,304,020 cases have been registered worldwide. Of these, at least 28,294,600 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Czech government says Wednesday it would curb movement and close shops and services to battle a huge spike in COVID-19 cases.

"The government will... curb movement and contacts with other people... with the exception of trips to work, shopping and trips to the doctor," Health Minister Roman Prymula told reporters.

He added the government would also close all retail outlets except food shops, drugstores and pharmacies from Thursday morning until November 3. — AFP

A number of European countries took urgent new measures on Monday to combat a second wave of coronavirus infections, as the World Health Organization blamed the surge in worldwide cases — now more than 40 million — on countries' failure to quarantine infected people properly.

Ireland and Wales became the first countries on the continent to re-enter lockdown as the number of people who have died from COVID-19 in Europe passed 250,000, according to an AFP tally.

Irish prime minister Micheal Martin issued a nationwide "stay at home" order from midnight Wednesday, with all non-essential retail businesses to close and bars and restaurants limited to takeaway service only, although schools will remain open. — AFP

Canada, in the midst of a second wave of COVID-19 illnesses, topped 200,000 cases and inched closer to 10,000 deaths Monday, according to official data compiled by Canadian broadcasters CBC and CTV.

About 80% of these cases and more than 90% of the deaths were recorded in the country's two most populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec, which has been the epicenter of the country's epidemic since it broke out in Canada last March.

As of Monday afternoon, Canada had 200,039 cases and 9,772 dead — with its two westernmost provinces still to report their updated tallies — according to the public health data.

That amounts to 532 cases per 100,000 people in the country of 38 million, or five times fewer than in the United States. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,114,836 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT Monday.

At least 40,064,580 cases of coronavirus have been registered, of whom at least 27,549,400 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. — AFP

South Africa's Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said he has tested positive for COVID-19 just two days after the country's diagnosed cases topped 700,000.

The 64-year-old minister is the fifth member of the government to contract the virus after his colleagues in the ministries of defence, labour, trade and mineral resources.

"I wish to inform the public that this afternoon my wife, Dr May Mkhize, and I have tested positive for COVID-19," said Mkhize is a statement late Sunday. — AFP

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide passed 40 million on Monday, according to an AFP tally at 0715 GMT based on official sources.

A total of 40,000,234 infections and 1,113,896 deaths have been recorded across the globe. More than half the global caseload has come in the three hardest-hit countries: the United States with 8,154,935 infections, India with 7,550,273 and Brazil 5,235,344.

In just the last seven days more than that 2.5 million cases have been reported, the highest weekly number since COVID-19 emerged in China late last year.

The increase can only partly be explained by a sharp increase in testing and still likely does not include a large number of less severe or asymptomatic cases. — AFP

Belgium imposed a nationwide overnight curfew on Monday as Switzerland made wearing face masks compulsory in indoor public spaces, the latest desperate measures by European governments to fight a powerful second coronavirus wave.

More than 250,000 people have died of the virus in Europe but the deepening crisis there stands in contrast to Australia, where the nation's second-biggest city began easing a lockdown that kept millions of people largely confined to their homes for months.

Cafes and restaurants across Belgium were shuttered for four weeks as the country tackled its own infection spike, part of a continent-wide surge that has seen a 44 percent increase in cases across Europe in the past week.

But the move has prompted a backlash from businesses despite authorities warning the country of 11.5 million people was in the middle of an exponential increase in cases. 

"We don't feel considered, and it hurts my heart," said Angelo Bussi, a restaurant manager in Brussels. "Everyone is in pain. It's horrible." — AFP

Europe passed the milestone of 250,000 deaths from Covid-19 on Sunday as Israel and Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne began to gradually ease their strict lockdowns.

European nations have ratcheted up restrictions on daily life to tackle soaring infections, with a 44 percent increase in cases this week.

Nighttime curfews on millions came into force in France this weekend and Switzerland required all its citizens to wear masks in indoor public places. — AFP

Lockdown restrictions in Australia's second-biggest city were eased slightly Sunday following a steady decline in new coronavirus cases, but officials stopped short of ending a controversial "stay-at-home" rule.

More than 100 days after the lockdown was imposed on Melbourne's five million residents to fight an out-of-control surge of COVID-19 cases, authorities said that as of midnight they were lifting a two-hour limit on the time people could spend outside their homes for permitted activities.

They also extended from five to 25 kilometres (3 to 15 miles) the distance people could travel from their homes for several activities, including exercise, shopping for essentials, socialising and work in essential professions. — AFP

The coronavirus remains active on human skin for nine hours, Japanese researchers have found, in a discovery they said showed the need for frequent hand washing to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pathogen that causes the flu survives on human skin for about 1.8 hours by comparison, said the study published this month in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal. 

"The nine-hour survival of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus strain that causes COVID-19) on human skin may increase the risk of contact transmission in comparison with IAV (influenza A virus), thus accelerating the pandemic," it said. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,105,691 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Saturday. 

At least 39,368,710 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 27,117,500 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern thanks New Zealanders for delivering her party a landslide general election victory on the back of her government's success fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Thank you to the many people who gave us their vote, who trusted us to continue leading New Zealand's recovery," she tells cheering supporters, adding that her centre-left Labour Party had seen its highest level of support in at least 50 years.

With two thirds of the vote counted, the Labour Party was forecast to take around 64 seats in the 120-member parliament. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,673 new COVID-19 infections. This raises the total number of cases in the Philippines to 354,338.

As of this writing, there are 52,423 active COVID-19 cases. The health department also announces 73 new deaths and 539 new recoveries.

The Department of Health reports 3,139 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 351,750.

There are 50,354 active COVID-19 cases. 34 are recorded as new deaths and 786 are reported as new recoveries.

Africa faces "a pivotal moment" in its fight against the coronavirus as cases and deaths rise after eased lockdowns and travel curbs, the regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) warns Thursday.

Over the past month, there has been a seven percent average increase in weekly COVID-19 cases across the continent and an eight percent average increase in weekly deaths, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). 

"Indeed, we are at a pivotal moment in the pandemic in Africa. While the continent has experienced a downward trend in its epidemic curve during the past three months, this decline has plateaued," Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's Africa director, tells a press conference. — AFP

The World Health Organization's European office says Thursday that the soaring number of COVID-19 cases in Europe has caused "great concern", but said the situation was still better than the peaks in April.

"The evolving epidemiological situation in Europe raises great concern. Daily numbers of cases are up, hospital admissions are up," the WHO's Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge tells a press conference.

"Covid is now the fifth leading cause of deaths and the bar of a 1,000 deaths per day has now been reached." — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,261 new COVID-19 infections. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to 348,698.

As of this writing, there are 48,040 active cases. The Health department announces 50 new deaths and 385 new recoveries.

Dutch people drank and danced to pumping techno music Wednesday in the final minutes before all bars, restaurants and cannabis "coffeeshops" closed as part of a partial coronavirus lockdown.

Many of the revellers who flocked to terrace cafes in a main square in The Hague said that they backed the measures, which took effect at 10:00 pm (2000 GMT), but that they wanted to party first.

"It's the last night before the lockdown, the last time to party. It's a special night for us," house painter Simon Karelse, 19, told AFP in Plein, the main nightlife area in The Hague.

Karelse said the new coronavirus rules were "good. It's also for my grandparents, so it's important for us. I have trust in the government, they have a vision where to go, and I trust them." — AFP

The novel coronavirus pandemic threatens to reverse global progress toward eliminating tuberculosis, the World Health Organization warns Wednesday.

"The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to unwind the gains made over recent years," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says, because it was drawing resources away from fighting TB. — AFP

Deaths directly or indirectly attributable to the first wave of COVID-19 infections across 21 wealthy nations earlier this year exceeded government tallies by 20% on average, according to a study published.

Looking at the period from mid-February through May 2020, researchers reported 206,000 more deaths than would have been expected without the pandemic.

But only 167,148 were officially attributed to the coronavirus that has swept the globe since the start of the year, infecting tens of millions. — AFP

The Department of Health registers 1,910 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 346,536.

There are 46,227 active cases as of Tuesday, October 14. 579 have recovered while 78 succumbed to the deadly virus.

Cyber warriors on NATO's eastern edge are warning that the growing number of people working from home globally due to the pandemic is increasing vulnerability to cyber attacks.

The Baltic state of Estonia hosts two cyber facilities for the Western military alliance -- set up following a series of cyber attacks from neighbour Russia more than a decade ago.

"Large scale use of remote work has attracted spies, thieves and thugs," Jaak Tarien, head of NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), told AFP in an interview.

The increased amount of information travelling between institutional servers and home networks is creating new challenges for employers. -- AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,081,902 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT Tuesday.

At least 37,860,720 cases of coronavirus have been registered and of these, at least 26,184,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. — AFP

More than four million coronavirus test swabs have been taken in a matter of days in Qingdao, the Chinese port city where a minor outbreak elicited a sweeping health response.

Queues for testing stretched across the eastern city for another day on Tuesday after authorities detected six virus cases on the weekend and swiftly swung into action to head off a wider outbreak.

In scenes which contrasted with the fumbled efforts of other nations to establish effective screening regimes, Qingdao health workers in protective gear set up tents to take samples across neighbourhoods. — AFP

The Department of Health logs 1,990 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of cases in the Philippines to 344,713.

To date, there are 44,958 active cases. 327 additional recoveries 40 new deaths are recorded Tuesday afternoon.

More than three million swabs have been taken in a matter of days in Qingdao, the Chinese port city where a minor coronavirus outbreak elicited a sweeping health response.

Queues for testing stretched deep into Monday night across the eastern city, which detected six virus cases the day before but swiftly swung into action to head off a wider outbreak. — AFP

COVID-19 patients may experience more severe symptoms the second time they are infected, according to research released Tuesday confirming it is possible to catch the potentially deadly disease more than once.

A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal charts the first confirmed case of Covid-19 reinfection in the United States — the country worst hit by the pandemic — and indicates that exposure to the virus may not guarantee future immunity.

The patient, a 25-year-old Nevada man, was infected with two distinct variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, within a 48-day time frame. 

The second infection was more severe than the first, resulting in the patient being hospitalized with oxygen support.

The paper noted four other cases of reinfection confirmed globally, with one patient each in Belgium, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Ecuador. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,077,849 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday. 

At least 37,575,650 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 25,963,400 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. — AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to present a new three-tiered alert system for coronavirus cases in England on Monday, with northwestern Liverpool expected to be the only city placed in the top category.

Like governments throughout Europe, Johnson's conservative cabinet is seeking to balance bringing down the rate of new infections against concern about the economy and frustration among voters.

The new alert system, which will classify all areas as either "medium", "high" or "very high" risk, is an attempt to bring transparency and uniformity to restrictions introduced to combat the spread of the disease.

The BBC reported that Liverpool would be the only city placed in the top category, meaning its pubs and restaurants would have to close — against the wishes of local authorities.

"This is a critical juncture and it is absolutely vital that everyone follows the clear guidance we have set out to help contain the virus," says a Downing Street spokesperson. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,074,055 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 11:00 GMT on Sunday.

At least 37,297,350 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 25,763,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

India's coronavirus cases surged past seven million on Sunday, taking it ever closer to overtaking the United States as the world's most infected country.

Health ministry data showed a rise of almost 75,000 cases on Sunday, taking the total to 7.05 million, second only to the US which has recorded 7.67 million infections. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,069,029 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Saturday.

At least 36,934,770 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 25,530,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health logs 2,249 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 336,926.

Of these, 54,594 are active cases. The health department also registers 842 recoveries and 87 new deaths.

Russia registers a record daily number of new coronavirus infections, surpassing its previous high from May. 

Officials report 12,126 new infections, edging above the previous high of 11,656 on May 11 and bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,272,238 -- the fourth highest in the world. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,996 new coronavirus cases, bringing the national tally to 334,770.

The department announced 2,996 additional recoveries and 83 new deaths.

Poles will have to wear face masks in all public spaces from Saturday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday, after coronavirus cases hit a new record daily high of 4,280.

"The second wave has reached us and we have face it in a decisive way," Morawiecki told reporters, explaining that the entire country of 38 million would now be considered a "yellow zone". — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,363 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 331,869.

There are 144 new deaths and 697 new recoveries.

Eight months into a strict, coronavirus-triggered border shutdown, nuclear-armed North Korea is widely expected to stage an attention-grabbing display of its latest and most advanced weaponry at a mass military parade in Pyongyang on Saturday.

The cavalcade will mark the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party and satellite imagery on the respected 38North website suggests it could be huge.

"It's very clear they are preparing for a big one," Vincent Brooks, former commander of US Forces Korea (USFK), told an Atlantic Council conference.

Thousands of goose-stepping soldiers will march through Kim Il Sung Square, named for North Korea's founder, under the gaze of his grandson Kim Jong Un, the third member of the family to rule the country.

A procession of progressively larger armored vehicles and tanks will follow, culminating with whatever missiles Pyongyang wants to put on show.

That will depend on the message it wants to send. — AFP

Brazil surpassed five million coronavirus infections on Wednesday and is approaching 150,000 deaths from the disease, amid optimism the virus is slowing in the hard-hit South American country.

The Health Ministry reported 31,553 new infections in the previous 24 hours, registering a total of 5,000,694 cases overall, behind only the United States and India.

Home to 212 million people, Brazil also counted 734 new deaths Wednesday, meaning the virus has claimed 148,228 lives since the country recorded its first death in March.

Brazil has the world's second-highest death toll from the disease after the US. — AFP

The UN refugee chief says Wednesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, after leading the first two days of the agency's main annual meeting in person.

Filippo Grandi, who kicked off UNHCR's week-long Executive Committee meeting in Geneva Monday, told participants via video-link that he would need to continue following the event from home.

"I am engaging with UNHCR's Executive Committee from home as I have to isolate after testing positive to #COVID19," he says in a tweet. — AFP

I am engaging with UNHCR’s Executive Committee from home as I have to isolate after testing positive to #COVID19.

I only have mild symptoms and hope to recover soon.

A reminder of the importance of washing hands ???? keeping distances ?? and wearing masks ????! pic.twitter.com/LtUMD7ti64

— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) October 7, 2020

The Department of Health on Tuesday reports 2,093 additional cases of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, bringing the national caseload to 326,833.

The DOH also confirms 209 new recoveries and 25 newly-reported deaths, pushing the total of reported recoveries to 273,313 and the death toll to 5,865.

With these figures, the total of active cases (net of deaths and recoveries) in the country is now at 47,655.

The World Health Organization warns European countries Tuesday about "pandemic fatigue" which it says threatens the continent's ability to tackle the coronavirus.

"Although fatigue is measured in different ways, and levels vary per country, it is now estimated to have reached over 60 percent in some cases," WHO Europe director Dr Hans Kluge says.

He said this is based on "aggregated survey data from countries across the region." — AFP

New York will temporarily close schools in nine neighborhoods experiencing an uptick in coronavirus infections, Governor Andrew Cuomo announces, highlighting the difficulty of keeping children in classrooms during the pandemic.

The public and private schools are in areas of Brooklyn and Queens, where the rate of positive cases has been above the three percent threshold for more than seven days.

New York -- America's largest school district with 1.1 million students -- is the only major city in the United States offering in-person classes this fall. — AFP

A second wave of the coronavirus in Europe has forced Paris to shutter its iconic cafes Monday as the US presidential race was in disarray after US Donald Trump checked himself out of hospital after COVID-19 treatment.

France reported nearly 17,000 new coronavirus cases on Saturday alone, the highest daily number since the country began widespread testing.

Tuesday's shuttering of bars and cafes — seen by many as the essence of Parisian life — were "braking measures because the epidemic is moving too fast," Paris police chief Didier Lallemant told journalists, adding that restaurants will remain open provided they respect new safety measures.

These will include providing sanitising hand gel, limiting patrons to six a table with at least a meter between seats, and allowing diners to remove their masks only for eating. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,037,971 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

More than 35,243,990 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 24,354,200 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany announces on Monday she has tested positive for COVID-19, three days after President Donald Trump was hospitalized with the disease.

"After testing negative consistently, including every day since Thursday, I tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday morning while experiencing no symptoms," McEnany says in a statement.

"No reporters, producers, or members of the press are listed as close contacts by the White House Medical Unit," adds Trump's spokeswoman, who said she was going into quarantine following the diagnosis. — AFP

President Rodrigo Duterte assures the public that funds from the Bayanihan Act have been spent wisely.

"Sinigurado ko 'yan from the start. Wala d'yang sindikato at nakawan," Duterte says in a meeting with the IATF aired late Monday.

The president adds that the government will be careful with the funds from the "next round", which is Bayanihan 2.

The United Kingdom passed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus infections on Sunday, official figures showed, in the latest grim milestone for the European country worst-hit by the pandemic.

Health authorities blamed a technical glitch for a sudden spike in cases announced in evening figures that had kept several thousand cases from the last week of September off the official tally. 

Sunday's numbers showed 22,961 cases for the day, a rise of more than 10,000 on Saturday's figures.

Officials said the issue had now been resolved and earlier cases missed in the official count would be included in future figures. — AFP

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Sunday his son will join trials of Sputnik V, the coronavirus vaccine which was met with caution when Russia announced it was the world's first to be approved.

An initial batch of the vaccine arrived in Venezuela on Friday, the government announced, and 2,000 residents will participate in the trials.

"In this clinical trial phase, my son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, told me of his decision to be vaccinated with the Russian vaccine, to join the trial. I think it is very good," the socialist leader said in a speech on state television network VTV.

Maduro's sister is also a volunteer for the clinical trials. — AFP

A source says former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra tested positive for coronavirus and was treated in hospital last month but has since recovered.

The 71-year-old lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and spent a fortnight in hospital before being discharged in the middle of September, they say.

"It's true he was infected several weeks ago, but now he has recovered. He joked that he was on trend," a source within Pheu Thai, a political party linked to Thaksin, tells AFP, asking not to be named.

The Department of Health registers 2,674 additional cases of COVID-19 infections. This raises the national tally to 319,330.

There are 459 new recoveries and 62 new deaths. 

Deaths from the novel coronavirus in India passed 100,000 on Saturday, official data show as the pandemic continued to rage across the world's second most populous country.

A total of 100,842 people have now died, health ministry figures show, giving India the third-highest death toll in the world behind the United States and Brazil.

In terms of infections, India has recorded 6.47 million cases and is on course to overtake the US as the country with the most infections in the coming weeks. — AFP

The Philippines logs 2,611 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 316,678 on Friday.

There are 416 new recoveries and 56 additonal deaths.

EU chief Charles Michel wishes President Donald Trump and his wife Melania  a quick recovery after the US first couple tested positive for COVID-19.

"Wishing @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a speedy recovery. COVID-19 is a battle we all continue to fight. Everyday. No matter where we live," Michel says in a tweet. — AFP

US President Donald Trump says has tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

"Tonight, @FLOTUS (Melania Trump) and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!" Trump says on Twitter.

US President Donald Trump says he got COVID-19 test after close advisor tests positive one of his closest advisors, Hope Hicks, got infected with the deadly virus.

By 1100 GMT Thursday the coronavirus pandemic had killed at least 1,018,634 people around the world since emerging in China in late 2019, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.

More than 34 million cases have been officially diagnosed.

The United States has suffered the most deaths, with 206,959, followed by Brazil with 143,952, India with 98,678, Mexico with 77,646 and Britain with 42,143. — AFP

Hundreds of millions of people in China go on the move ahead of their first major national holiday since the country beat its coronavirus outbreak through a lockdown, filling airports and train stations.

The Golden Week holiday marks the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and sees an astonishing annual movement of people trying to get home or take holidays. — AFP

The Health department reports 2,415 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 314,079.

59 succumbed to the deadly virus while 771 have recovered,

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,012,093 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 33,719,740 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 23,249,700 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The COVID-19 infections in the Philippines hit the 311,000-mark after the Department of Health reports 2,426 additional cases.

There are 58 new deaths and 585 new recoveries.

Israel's parliament has approved a law restricting demonstrations as part of a coronavirus-related state of emergency, that critics say is aimed at silencing protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The law, which passed its final reading by 46 votes to 38, was meant to be part of a slew of measures approved by parliament on Friday tightening a second nationwide lockdown. 

But debate on the measure was put off as the government struggled to secure the necessary votes amid an opposition outcry and a protest outside parliament on Tuesday. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,005,981 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 33,415,720 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 23,006,200 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. — AFP

US President Donald Trump on Monday announced the distribution of 150 million rapid coronavirus tests ordered from Abbott Laboratories that are able to deliver a result in 15 minutes and display it in a similar format to a home pregnancy kit. 

"Here's our plan: 50 million tests will go to protect the most vulnerable communities," such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities, said Trump.

He added that the other 100 million tests would go to states and territories to assist them in opening their economies and schools.

Each of the kits cost the federal government $5, and the health department said in a statement that Abbott plans to make 48 million kits available monthly in the coming weeks. — AFP

The Department of Health registers 2,025 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in Philippines to 309,303.

There are 290 new recoveries and 68 new fatalities.

The first cruise ship to sail to Greece since the coronavirus lockdown docked at the port of Piraeus early Tuesday after a dozen crew members were reported positive for the virus, state news agency ANA said.

The Maltese-flagged Mein Schiff 6, operated by German travel giant TUI, is carrying 922 passengers and 666 crew.

Nobody will be allowed to disembark as testers from Greece's public health agency embarked for inspection.

The Greek coastguard said Monday that 12 crew members had tested positive, although TUI Cruises said that they were asymptomatic.

However, Greek media on Tuesday reported that follow-up tests on the same crew members turned out negative.

The passengers had originally being given a clean bill of health after undergoing tests prior to the voyage, the Greek coastguard said Monday. — AFP

Batanes records its first case of the coronavirus disease.

"We regret to inform you that one (1) Locally Stranded Individual (LSI) who arrived last September 22 via Philippine Air Force (PAF) has tested POSITIVE of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) yesterday, September 28, 2020," the provincial government says in a statement.

More than one million people have died from coronavirus, according to an AFP toll, marking a grim milestone in the spread of the disease that has ravaged the world economy, inflamed diplomatic tensions and upended lives from Indian slums to New York City.

In the nine months since the virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, schools, businesses, live entertainment, and international travel have been upended by strict stay-at-home measures designed to curb the contagion.

Drastic controls that put half of humanity — more than four billion people — under some form of lockdown by April at first slowed the spread, but since restrictions were eased, infections have soared again.

By 1100 GMT Monday, the disease had claimed 1,002,036 victims from 33,162,930 recorded infections, according to an AFP tally collected from official sources by journalists stationed around the world, and compiled by a dedicated team of data specialists.

The United States has the highest death toll with more than 200,000 fatalities, followed by Brazil, India, Mexico and Britain. — AFP

An overnight curfew in Australia's second-largest city will be lifted this week, officials said Sunday, even as the global coronavirus toll inched towards one million dead.

Despite the number of infections worldwide passing 32 million — with the US state of New York reporting a fresh spike — more than 10,000 anti-lockdown protesters demonstrated in central London ahead of the re-imposition of restrictions there.

In more positive news, residents of the Chinese city of Wuhan — where the virus emerged last year — reported a hesitant return to normalcy, while the French Open got underway at Roland Garros in Paris.

In Australia, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said Melbourne residents would be free from Monday to leave their homes for work, exercise, shop for essentials, or provide care after active cases in the state fell below 400 for the first time since June 30.

The relaxation of the curfew, imposed August 2, comes after 16 new infections and two deaths were reported Sunday. — AFP

France will face a months-long coronavirus epidemic that will overwhelm its health system if something does not change, one of the country's top medical figures warns Sunday.

"The second wave is arriving faster than we thought," Patrick Bouet, head of the National Council of the Order of Doctors, tells the weekly Journal du Dimanche.

Fresh restrictions to slow the spread of the disease in the country's worst-hit areas, including the Mediterranean city of Marseille and the Paris region, have run into local resistance.

Bouet told the paper that warnings delivered this week by Health Minister Olivier Veran had not gone far enough.

"He didn't say that in three to four weeks, if nothing changes, France will face a widespread outbreak across its whole territory, for several long autumn and winter months," Bouet says. — AFP

The Philippines surpasses the 300,000-mark, with 2,747 new COVID-19 infections registered on Saturday.

88 individuals died and 787 recovered from the deadly virus.

The Department of Health reports 2,630 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 299.361.

69 have succumbed to the deadly virus while 494 have recovered. 

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 978,448 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

At least 31,975,020 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 21,891,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Israel toughens its coronavirus measures as a second nationwide lockdown now nearing its second week failed to bring down the world's highest infection rate.

The new rules will close the vast majority of workplaces, shutter markets and further limit prayers and demonstrations. 

"Over the past two days, we've heard from experts that if we don't take immediate and harsh measures, we'll reach an abyss," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says. — AFP 

The Department of Health on Thursday reports 2,180 additional COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, raising the national caseload to 296,755.

The DOH also confirms 580 new recoveries, pushing the total reported recoveries to 231,928. The country's death toll now stands at 5,127 with 36 newly-reported deaths.

Total active case (net of COVID-19 deaths and recoveries) in the country is now at 59,700.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 971,677 people since the outbreak emerged in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 31.6 million cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 21,641,500 are now considered recovered.

The number of cases in Europe topped five million, with a total of 5,000,421  for 227,130 deaths. — AFP

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas quarantined himself on Wednesday after one of his security staff tested positive for coronavirus, a ministry spokeswoman said.

Maas returned a negative result in a preliminary test carried out on Wednesday, she said in a statement.

"The foreign ministry is working with public health authorities to determine whether further people are affected and other measures are necessary," she said, adding that anyone who might have been exposed would be contacted.

Maas was in Brussels on Monday meeting his EU counterparts as well as Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. — AFP

The maker of anti-influenza drug Avigan says it will apply for the medication to be approved for treating coronavirus patients after trials showed it can shorten recovery time.

In a statement, manufacturer Fujifilm Toyama Chemical says its phase III trial in Japan, which began in March, was now complete.

Of 156 individuals described as "analysis targets", the median recovery time was 11.9 days in those receiving Avigan compared with 14.7 for patients given a placebo. — AFP

The United States registers its 200,000th death from the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest grim milestone for the country just weeks before voters decide if President Donald Trump will stay in office.

According to a rolling tally by Johns Hopkins University, 200,182 Americans have died and 6.86 million have been confirmed infected by the novel coronavirus.

The US has had the world's highest official death toll for months, ahead of Brazil and India, with 137,272 and 88,935 deaths respectively. — AFP

The British government announces fresh steps to try to stop a coronavirus surge in England, as the World Health Organization warns that new cases worldwide soared to record levels last week.

The tally of 1,998,897 infections was "the highest number of reported cases in a single week since the beginning of the epidemic", the WHO said, adding that the number of deaths fell compared with the previous week.

The death toll in the United States passed another dismal milestone on Tuesday, soaring beyond 200,000 as cases approached seven million in the world's worst-affected country. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 965,760 people since the outbreak emerged in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 31,374,240 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 21,338,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization, probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Spain's health minister on Tuesday calls on residents of Madrid to limit their movements and social contacts to the "essential" to put the brakes on a surge in COVID-19 infections, a day afer new restrictions came into effect in part of the region.

Spain is struggling to contain a second wave of the virus, which has already infected over 670,000 people and claimed over 30,000 lives, one of Europe's highest tolls.

Madrid has become the epicenter of the contagion with a rate of infection of nearly 700 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks — nearly three times the national average. — AFP

WHO statistics show the coronavirus pandemic appears to be accelerating worldwide, with new cases soaring last week to a new seven-day high of almost two million, even as new deaths decreased.

In a fresh global update, the World Health Organization says that during the week ending on September 20, 1,998,897 new cases of the novel coronavirus were registered around the world.

That marks a six-percent increase over a week earlier and "the highest number of reported cases in a single week since the beginning of the epidemic," the UN health agency says. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,635 more people got infected with the coronavirus disease, which brings the national tally to 291,789.

There are 50 new deaths and 450 additional recoveries.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 961,531 people since the outbreak emerged in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 31,110,400 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 21,082,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

A Chinese primetime TV drama about the coronavirus pandemic has been slammed by social media users, who accused it of sexism for downplaying the role of women in battling the deadly outbreak at ground-zero.

China has largely brought the virus under control since it first emerged late last year, though Beijing has rushed to reshape the official narrative following criticism that it mishandled its initial response and punished whistleblowers.

But the new show, "Heroes in Harm's Way" — first aired by state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday — has triggered a fierce online backlash for its depiction of women in the virus battle.

One controversial scene set in the virus ground-zero city of Wuhan showed female bus drivers being reluctant to volunteer for a delivery team due to family commitments — while their male colleagues did not hesitate.

Users on the Twitter-like platform Weibo re-posted state media news reports praising real-life female bus drivers and volunteers, and argued women had been vital in transporting supplies and medical staff around the locked-down city.

"Women have made such a huge contribution to (fight) the epidemic... The pandemic is still not over, but they rushed to smear (women)," read one comment with over 15,000 likes. — AFP

Irish pubs reopened after a six-month shutdown on Monday but many in the capital, Dublin, remained under heightened coronavirus restrictions because of a surge of infections.

All of Ireland's 7,000 pubs were shut by government order on March 16 — the eve of the national St Patrick's Day celebrations — as the country was shut down.

On June 29, those serving food were permitted to reopen, but so-called "wet pubs" providing drinks only stayed shut.

Last week the government confirmed that while all pubs nationwide were permitted to open on Monday, Dublin's drinking-only establishments would remain shuttered. — AFP

UK unveils overhaul of virus-hit privatized rail sector — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 957,948 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.

At least 30,849,800 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 20,871,300 are now considered to have recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

London's hard-hit live entertainment sector is hoping to prove it can resurrect itself from the coronavirus shutdown — and a series of gigs from a maze of tunnels could show the way to do it.

"Lockdown Town", which opens on October 2, will see socially distanced performances of American music from the 1920s to 1950s in a network of vaulted venues near Waterloo station.

Audiences will have their temperatures checked during staggered arrival times, move from one venue to the next wearing masks, and not stay in one area for more than 15 minutes.

The number of spectators has been capped at a maximum of 360 each evening —  well below the 500-700 capacity in normal times. — AFP

Italians head to the polls Sunday — to the alarm of coronavirus experts — for a referendum and regional elections that could weaken the government and radically reshape the political landscape.

Just a week after a Herculean effort by schools to reopen in line with last-minute COVID-19 rules, classrooms across the country will be shut to pupils and transformed into ballot stations for the two-day vote.

A triumph for the far-right in this fiercely fought campaign would sound alarm bells in Brussels.

It will be the first test for Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's center-left coalition government since it imposed an economically crippling nationwide lockdown to fight the virus, which has killed almost 36,000 people.

The referendum, on slashing the number of members of parliament — from 630 to 400 in the lower house, and 315 to 200 in the upper house — is expected to pass, though there has been a late uptick in the number of prominent 'no' declarations. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,962 additional cases of COVID-19 infections. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to 283,460.

The Health department also announces 1,128 new recoveries and 100 new deaths.

Canada's conservative opposition leader Erin O'Toole tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office announces, one day after another federal party leader did, too.

Both O'Toole and Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet were "feeling well" and were self-isolating, according to statements. 

Each had had close contact with staffers who tested positive for the COVID-19 illness. — AFP

Israel imposes a second nationwide lockdown to tackle one of the world's highest coronavirus infection rates, hours before the Jewish holiday season begins.

The three-week shutdown from 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) started just hours before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, and will extend through other key religious holidays, including Yom Kippur and Sukkot. — AFP

Britain's government warns it could re-impose a national lockdown across England to counter the coronavirus pandemic, noting rates of hospitalisation are doubling every eight days.

"We want to avoid a national lockdown, but we're prepared to do it if we need to," Health Secretary Matt Hancock tells BBC television.

"We're prepared to do what it takes both to protect lives and to protect livelihoods," he says, warning of more local measures to come after restrictions were placed on swathes of northeast England from Friday. — AFP

The Department of Health registers 3,257 additional infections, bringing the national caseload to 279,526.

There are 47 new deaths and 733 new recoveries.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 941,473 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

At least 29,914,290 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 20,131,400 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

India's total coronavirus cases passed five million on Wednesday, health ministry data showed, as the pandemic extends its grip on the vast country at an ever-faster rate.

With its latest one million cases recorded in just 11 days, a world record, India now has 5.02 million infections. Only the United States has more, with 6.59 million.

India has for some time been recording the world's biggest daily jumps in cases, and on Wednesday, the rise was just over 90,000 with a record 1,290 deaths.

While India took 167 days to reach one million cases, the next million came in just 21 days, faster than the US and Brazil, according to the Times of India. 

Just 29 days later, India became only the third country after the US and Brazil to post four million infections. India passed Brazil earlier this month. — AFP

The World Health Organization expresses concern over shortening quarantine periods in Europe. — AFP

The Department of Health registers 3,375 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 276,289.

53 more succumbed to the illness while 317 more have recovered.

Wuhan pensioner Zhong Hanneng endured every parent's worst nightmare when coronavirus claimed her son in February, and — alongside other bereaved relatives — she wants to sue the local government she blames for his death.

But they have had their lawsuits abruptly rejected, dozens of others face pressure from authorities not to file, and lawyers are being warned against helping them, according to people involved in the effort.

The families accuse the Wuhan and Hubei provincial governments of concealing the outbreak when it first emerged there late last year, failing to alert the public, and bungling the response, allowing Covid-19 to explode out of control.

It has killed nearly 3,900 in the city and over 900,000 globally so far.

"They say the epidemic was a natural calamity. But these serious outcomes are man-made, and you need to find who's to blame," said Zhong, 67. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 936,095 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 29,633,590 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 19,787,400 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 936,095 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 29,633,590 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 19,787,400 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. —  AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,550 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 272,934.

There are 69 new recoveries and 69 new deaths. 

Health ministry data show India's total coronavirus cases passed five million as the pandemic extends its grip on the vast country at an ever-faster rate.

With its latest one million cases recorded in just 11 days, a world record, India now has 5.02 million infections. Only the United States has more, with 6.59 million.

India has for some time been recording the world's biggest daily jumps in cases, and on Wednesday, the rise was just over 90,000 with a record 1,290 deaths. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 929,391 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 29,329,390 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 19,536,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Hospital bosses in England warn that healthcare services are being jeopardized by lack of access to coronavirus testing,

NHS Providers, which represents the heads of hospital trusts in the state-run National Health Service, says there were "current capacity problems with the testing regime".

Its chief executive Chris Hopson says the government should prioritize health workers, as shortages of tests had caused a slew of staff absences in major cities. — AFP

New Zealand announces relaxed quarantine rules for the Wallabies rugby team Tuesday to ensure the All Blacks can host Bledisloe Cup Tests against Australia next month.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie had raised concerns that border controls preventing his squad training together while undergoing two weeks' quarantine would leave them under-prepared for a clash against the All Blacks.

But New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said health authorities had agreed to amend the rules so the full squad could train together six days into the quarantine period. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 924,968 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 29,061,830 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 19,334,000 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. — AFP

The Department of Health confirms 4,699 newly-reported cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, raising the national tally to 265,888.

The DOH also reports 249 new recoveries, bringing the total reported recoveries to 207,504. The national death toll is now at 4,630 with 259 additional reported deaths.

Active COVID-29 cases (net of deaths and recoveries) in the country now stand at 53,754.

A torrid row over Australia's state border closures has pushed the country's prime minister to tears, sparked bitter recriminations among rival regional leaders and even talk of secession.

Travel between the nation's independent-minded states and territories has been mostly banned since Covid-19 hit Australia in March.

But an unhappy federal government is ratcheting pressure on premiers to open up, sending the argument into overdrive.

Campaigning media coverage has highlighted the plight of grieving families separated by the closures and targeted state officials they deem responsible. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 921,097 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.

At least 28,819,490 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 19,133,300 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,372 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, bringing the national caseload to 261,216.

The DOH also announces 20,462 recoveries, raising the total number of recovered patients to 207,568.

Filipino travelers entering Nigeria would have to follow provisional quarantine protocols, including the presentation of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR at country of departure pre-boarding.

The DFA said the PCR test must be done within 56 hours before departure and preferably within 72 hours pre-boarding.

"Furthermore, passengers/ travelers are required to register via an online national payment portal and pay for a repeat (second) PCR test upon arrival in Nigeria," the agency said in an advisory.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 916,372 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Saturday.

At least 28,534,330 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 19,016,500 people are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health registers 4,935 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections to 257,863.

186 more patients succumbed to the illness while 619 additional survivors are recorded.

Brazil's death toll from Covid-19 surpass 130,000, amid cautious optimism over signs the virus is finally slowing in the hard-hit South American country.

With the second-highest death toll in the pandemic after the United States, Brazil has been devastated by the new coronavirus, which has now claimed 130,396 lives in the country, according to the health ministry.

Brazil, home to 212 million people, has registered nearly 4.3 million infections, behind only the US and India. — AFP

The Department of Health logs 4,040 additional COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 252,964.

566 more have recovered while 42 more succumbed to the deadly illness.

Latin America and the Caribbean pass the milestone of eight million cases of COVID-19, days after logging more than 300,000 deaths from the virus, according to an AFP tally of official records.

The region, which is the worst hit in the world, had 8,035,484 cases as of 2200 GMT on Thursday, out of a global total of 28.02 million people infected with the disease.

The region made up of the United States and Canada has the second largest number of infections worldwide, with 6,504,734 cases. Europe is second to Latin America in the number of deaths, with 220,085 fatalities from the disease.

Canada's two most populous provinces, seeing an uptick in new Covid-19 cases, vowed Thursday to crack down, with Quebec announcing fines for not wearing masks indoors and Ontario's premier calling for stepped up enforcement of mandatory quarantines.

"We cannot accept that a few irresponsible individuals are putting our entire society at risk. So I think it's time to crack down," Quebec Premier Francois Legault told a news conference.

Wearing a mask has been compulsory since mid-July in all enclosed public places in Quebec, including shops, restaurants, bars, theaters and public transport. Children under 12 and people with health problems are exempt. — AFP

France on Thursday registered a record of almost 10,000 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours ahead of a key meeting to decide a toughening of coronavirus measures.

Officials are increasingly concerned about the high number of infections in France, even if the death toll and admissions to intensive care are way off the hights recorded in March and April.

The health ministry said 9,843 new coronavirus infections had been recorded, the highest number since large scale testing began, with 71 new clusters confirmed. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 904,534 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

At least 27,915,770 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 18,580,400 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The World Health Organization says coronavirus cases in the wider Middle East from Morocco to Pakistan have topped two million.

The caseload for the 21 countries has more than doubled since July 1, the UN agency says.

Regional director Ahmed Mandhari warned that even countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia, which had kept their infection rates under control, were now facing significant upticks. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,821 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 248,947.

563 more individuals have recovered while 80 died from the deadly virus.

Indonesia's capital Jakarta plans to re-impose a partial lockdown as early as Monday over fears that surging coronavirus cases could "collapse" its under-pressure hospitals, the sprawling city's governor said.

The megacity of some 30 million will see many office buildings and large mosques closed along with restaurants and other entertainment venues, while public transport hours will also be restricted.

The announcement comes three months after an earlier lockdown was lifted, sending infection rates soaring. — AFP

The global toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 900,000 deaths since it first appeared in China late last year, according to an AFP tally late Wednesday.

A total of 900,052 Covid-19 deaths have been registered worldwide, from 27,711,866 declared cases of the virus. 

Latin American and the Caribbean are the worst-hit region, accounting for 300,340 deaths, followed by Europe with 219,616 fatalities, according to the AFP tally based on official statistics. — AFP

The Department of Health logs 3,176 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national caseload to 245,143.

There are 376 new recoveries and 70 more deaths.

Latin American and the Caribbean surpass 300,000 deaths from Covid-19, with hard-hit Peru alone adding more than 30,000 new virus deaths, according to an AFP count of official data.

Brazil continues to be the most-affected country in the region. It also has the third-highest caseload in the world, with 4,162,073 reported cases, and the second-highest death toll, with 127,464.

But Peru, with 93.28 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, has the highest mortality rate in the region, according to a ranking published by Johns Hopkins University. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 893,524 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 27,387,170 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 18,115,200 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The British government may have paid out billions of pounds in erroneous or fraudulent applications for its ongoing wages support scheme, aimed at safeguarding jobs in the coronavirus pandemic, a top official has revealed.

The top civil servant at Britain's tax department, Jim Harra, told a parliamentary committee on Monday that between five and 10 percent of cash used for the government's furlough scheme — equivalent to £3.5 billion ($4.5 billion, 3.7 billion euros) — might have ended up in the wrong hands. — AFP

The Department of Health announces 3,281 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national caseload to 241,987.

26 more individuals succumbed to the deadly virus while 286 more have recovered.

China has passed "an extraordinary and historic test" with its handling of the coronavirus, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday at a triumphant awards ceremony for medical professionals decorated with bugle calls and applause.

The nation's propaganda machine has churned out praise for China's Covid-19 response, reframing the public health crisis as an example of the agility and organization of the Communist leadership.

Xi doled out gold medals to four "heroes" from the medical field in front of hundreds of applauding delegates on Tuesday, all wearing face masks and strikingly large red flower pins.

"We have passed an extraordinary and historic test," Xi says, praising the country for a "heroic struggle" against the disease. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 889,498 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 27,172,460 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 17,892,800 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 880,396 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.

At least 26,947,550 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 17,709,800 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The government has sent 185,750 Overseas Filipino Workers back to their home regions, according to the latest government data.

Of that number, 9,614 were sent back to their home regions in the first week of September.

The government has been helping send home OFWs who have returned from abroad because of the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-May.

China is recasting Wuhan as a heroic coronavirus victim and trying to throw doubt on the pandemic's origin story as it aims to seize the narrative at a time of growing global distrust of Beijing.

The PR blitz plays out daily in comments by Chinese officials and lavish state media coverage of a "reborn" Wuhan that trumpets China's epidemic-control efforts and economic recovery while the United States struggles.

The drive peaked in the past week as Chinese primary schools welcomed back students with considerable fanfare and Wuhan hosted executives from dozens of multinationals, from Panasonic to Dow and Nokia, on a highly choreographed tour of the central Chinese city.

"There are few places in the world today where you don't need a mask and can gather," a Chinese official, Lin Songtian, told the executives, implying that Wuhan was one of those places. — AFP

The Department of Health registers 2,529 new infections of coronavirus disease 2019, bringing the country’s total caseload to 234,570.

53 more deaths and 1,136 additional recoveries are registered.

The Department of Health reports 3,714 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 232,072.

The Health department announces 1,088 more recoveries and 49 new deaths.

Health officials say New Zealand recorded its first coronavirus death in more than three months when a man in his 50s succumbed to the virus.

"The man in his 50s was part of the August Auckland cluster and died earlier today at Middlemore (Hospital)," the health department says in a statement. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 863,679 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

At least 26,074,140 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 17,071,200 are now considered recovered.

 The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,987 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 228,403.

880 more people recovered from COVID-19 while 65 new fatalities are registered.

Half of all refugee children were already out of school before the coronavirus hit, and the UN cautioned Thursday the pandemic risked deepening a crisis robbing millions of future prospects.

A new report from the UNHCR refugee agency warned that many refugee children, especially girls, who had attended school before the novel coronavirus swept the world would not be able to return.

"After everything they have endured, we cannot rob them of their futures by denying them an education today," UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said in a statement, calling for action to support refugees' right to an education.

The report, using data from 12 countries that host more than half of the world's refugee children, found that more than 1.8 million of them — or a full 48% of all refugee children of school age — are out of school. — AFP

Bureau of Corrections spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag says convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez tested negative for the coronavirus disease.

The former mayor underwent a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction testing for COVID-19 on Monday, which turned out to be negative.

But his early rapid test produced a false positive result, Chaclag adds.

European experts say inflammatory and immune responses linked to obesity could help explain the likelihood of a more severe outcome among patients with COVID-19.

As the new coronavirus has spread, killing more than 800,000 people globally, it has become increasingly clear that co-morbidities put patients at greater risk. 

In a presentation at European and International Congress on Obesity, researchers say that inflamation caused by a buildup of fat tissue in people with obesity, which is linked to other illnesses such as type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease, could play a role in patients' response to COVID-19. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 857,824 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 25,807,000 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 16,842,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

China is poised to resume direct international flights to Beijing from several countries with low rates of the deadly coronavirus, aviation authorities said Wednesday, after a freeze of more than five months.

The new rules will apply from Thursday to flights from Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Greece, Denmark, Austria, Sweden and Canada, all with low numbers of imported cases of the virus which has hammered global travel.

But travellers would be subject to centralised quarantine on arrival for 14 days and have to take two Covid-19 tests, a Beijing city official told reporters.

"Starting September 3, international passenger flights to Beijing, which previously had their entry points diverted, will gradually resume," said the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in a statement, without specifying if passengers would have to be nationals of the eight countries. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,218 additional cases of COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 226,440.

27 individuals succumbed to the deadly virus while 609 more have recovered.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 851,321 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 25,533,540 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 17,635,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The pandemic has killed at least 851,321 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT Tuesday.

More than 25.5 million cases have been registered.

The United States has recorded the highest number of deaths with 183,602, followed by Brazil with 121,381, India with 65,288, Mexico 64,414, and Britain 41,501 fatalities.

Peru has taken over from Belgium as the country with the highest per capita death rate with 87 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. — AFP

Russia surpassed the one million mark in total coronavirus cases on Tuesday as students throughout the country returned to classrooms on the first day of the new school year.

Health officials reported 4,729 new confirmed infections, bringing the total to 1,000,048 — the world's fourth-largest caseload after the United States, Brazil and India.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was expected to address some 17 million students and more than 1.5 million teachers in an online lesson on World War II.

Schools across Europe are reopening despite the worries of many parents and teachers that the move could accelerate the spread of Covid-19 after leaders said their countries had beaten back the virus and eased restrictions. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 847,071 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 25,273,510 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 16,355,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Schools across Auckland reopened Monday as New Zealand's largest city emerged from lockdown, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressing confidence a second-wave outbreak of coronavirus was under control.

While Aucklanders were allowed out of their homes, the government limited non-school social gatherings in the city to 10 people and made masks compulsory on public transport nationwide.

The Auckland lockdown began on August 12 after four cases were detected in the city of 1.5 million, ending 102 days free of community transmission when it appeared New Zealand had beaten the virus.

The cluster of infections has since grown to 141, with four new cases of community transmission reported on Monday, making it the largest recorded in New Zealand. — AFP

The United States neared six million coronavirus cases on Sunday, nearly a quarter of the planet's total, as nations around the world battle to contain the raging pandemic.

Global coronavirus infections soared past 25 million, as countries tightened restrictions to halt the health crisis that has upended life for most of humanity.

A million additional cases have been detected globally roughly every four days since mid-July, according to an AFP tally, with India on Sunday setting the record for the highest single-day rise in cases with 78,761.

The world's hardest hit country, the United States, had recorded 5.99 million cases of infection as of 0030 GMT Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University's tracker. And the death toll is just over 183,000. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 843,149 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.

At least 25,055,620 cases of coronavirus have been registered. Of these, at least 16,178,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

India on Sunday set a new virus record when it reported 78,761 new infections in 24 hours, according to health ministry figures, passing the United States for the world's highest single-day rise.

India, home to 1.3 billion people, is already the world's third-most infected nation with more than 3.5 million cases, behind the US and Brazil.

It has also reported more than 63,000 deaths. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,637 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 213,131.

There are 655 new recoveries and 94 new deaths.

France says there had been an "exponential" rise in coronavirus cases with more than 7,000 new infections in 24 hours.

"The dynamic of the progression of the epidemic is exponential," France's directorate general of health says, adding that there were 7,379 new infections in mainland France against 6,111 on Thursday and 5,429 on Wednesday.

This was the highest figure recorded since testing was expanded in France. The 4,000-mark was breached a few days ago and the number of infections has been rising steadily. — AFP

Nearly 200 coronavirus survivors from a secretive South Korean sect blamed for the country's early outbreak donate blood plasma to help treatment research, as the group seeks to redeem itself.

Scientists have pointed to the potential for treatment using blood plasma containing antibodies to the virus from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.

By far the South's largest contingent of coronavirus survivors is from the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is often condemned as a cult. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,999 new cases of the coronavirus disease, taking the national tally to 209,544.

91 additional fatalities are registered while 510 more have recovered.  

According to Johns Hopkins University's real-time tracker, the United States passed the grim milestone of 180,000 coronavirus deaths Thursday,

The US added 931 new virus deaths in 24 hours, the Baltimore-based university reported at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Friday), bringing the total death toll to 180,527.

An additional 42,859 new cases brought the overall caseload to 5,860,397. The US is by far the hardest-hit country in the world in terms of both number of cases and deaths. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 826,512 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

At least 24,229,710 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 15,578,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

France's prime minister announces face masks will become compulsory throughout Paris, expressing concern over an "undeniable" trend of expanding coronavirus infection in the country.

Jean Castex says 19 more departments have been added to a map with "red" zones of active virus circulation, meaning 21 of France's 94 departments are classified as such. 

Official figures released showed more than 5,400 confirmed new cases in just 24 hours, with admissions to hospital and intensive care units on the rise. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 813,733 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 23,689,860 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 15,098,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

 The German government says Wednesday it is extending a travel warning for countries outside the European Union until September 14 over ongoing concerns linked to the coronavirus pandemic.

Government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said the decision to extend the advisory against "tourism trips" to so-called third countries — those outside the EU and the no-passport Schengen zone — had been taken in the face of rising infection numbers in Germany attributed to travellers.

The current warning had been set to run out on August 31 but a foreign ministry spokeswoman said that the "very dynamic development" of the pandemic required continued vigilance.

"We are seeing that many countries' infection numbers are continuing to rise or rising again," she says. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 5,277 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 202,000. 

99 more people succumbed to the deadly virus while 1,131 more survivors are registered.

Lebanon says 12 people had died due to the coronavirus pandemic in the past 24 hours in the highest such tally since COVID-19 arrived in the country in February.

The ministry of health also announced 532 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 13,687 including 138 deaths.

Crisis-hit Lebanon entered a new lockdown on Friday following a string of record daily infection numbers in recent weeks in the aftermath of a massive port explosion in Beirut. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 813,733 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 23,689,860 cases have been registered. Of these, at least 15,098,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,965 additional infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to 197,164.

There are 368 new recoveries and 34 more deaths.

South Korea on Tuesday ordered all schools and kindergartens in the greater Seoul region to switch to online classes as authorities battle multiple coronavirus clusters.

The country's "trace, test and treat" approach to curbing the virus has been held up as a global model, but it is now trying to contain several outbreaks, mostly linked to Protestant churches.

South Korea reported 280 new infections on Tuesday, taking the country's total to 17,945. — AFP

South Korea orders all schools and kindergartens in the greater Seoul region -- home to half the country's 52 million population -- to switch to online classes as they battle multiple coronavirus clusters.

The country's "trace, test and treat" approach to curbing the virus has been held up as a global model, but it is now trying to contain several outbreaks, mostly linked to Protestant churches.

South Korea reported 280 new infections on Tuesday, taking the country's total to 17,945. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 809,255 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday. 

At least 23,463,870 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 14,867,200 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

A luxury resort in southern India has turned its swimming pool into a fish farm to stop the business sinking amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Normally the 150-meter (500-feet) pool at the Aveda Resort in Kerala state is packed with European tourists. Now thousands of pearl spot fish are causing the splash.

The complex was forced to shut in March when a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was ordered. Few hotels have been allowed to reopen since.

Of those which are still shuttered, not many boast a pool with 7.5 million liters of water, which can be put to alternative use. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 805,470 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday. 

At least 23,263,670 cases have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 14,686,200 are now considered recovered.

 The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

India's confirmed coronavirus cases crossed the three million mark Sunday with nearly 70,000 new infections, as the disease continues to surge in the world's second most-populous nation.

The health ministry said 69,239 cases were detected on Sunday, with 912 deaths taking the total number of fatalities to 56,706.

Many experts say, however, that the real scale of the infection is much higher.

Authorities in New Delhi said last week that an antibody study in the megacity suggested more than a quarter of the capital's population had contracted the infection. — AFP

The global death toll from the new coronavirus has surpassed 800,000, according to an AFP count on Saturday, with numerous countries ramping up restrictions in an effort to battle an eruption of new cases.

Western Europe, particularly Spain, Italy Germany and France, has been hit with infection levels not seen in many months, sparking fears of a fully-fledged second wave.

And in Asia, South Korea became the latest country to announce it would boost restrictions to try to stem a new outbreak, after largely bringing the virus under control.

Across the world, the number of deaths has doubled to just over 800,000 since June 6, with 100,000 fatalities in the last 17 days alone, while more than 23 million cases have been reported. — AFP

Health authorities say the number of new coronavirus infections in Germany topped 2,000 in the past 24 hours, a high not seen since the end of April.

The RKI disease control institute says it registered 2,034 new cases and seven more deaths, taking the total fatalities to 9,267 and confirmed cases to 232,082.

Daily infection counts have increased sharply in recent days, with authorities suggesting large numbers of returning tourists -- some coming from regions with elevated risk of transmission -- may be bringing the virus with them. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 4,933 new COVID-19 infections. This brings the national tally to 187,249.

There are 26 new deaths and 436 new recoveries. 

New daily cases of the coronavirus have been dropping sharply in the United States for weeks -- but experts don't know if Americans will have the discipline to bring the epidemic truly under control.

After exceeding 70,000 confirmed infections per day in July, the country recorded 43,000 cases on Thursday.

Hospitalizations have fallen by a third, and the number of deaths, which has been more than thousand per day should logically follow. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 4,786 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, raising the national tally to 182,365.

There are 616 additional survivors and 59 more patients succumbed to the deadly virus. 

Global health authorities say European countries should be able to ride out a surge in coronavirus cases without reimposing full lockdowns, as the World Bank warned the crisis could push 100 million people into extreme poverty.

Worrying spikes in cases reported Thursday in France, Italy, Spain and Germany showed the pandemic was rebounding across the continent -- often due to travel, summer holidays and parties.

While Italy registered 845 new cases on Thursday, its highest daily tally since May, France reported 4,700 fresh infections -- a massive increase on the previous day. Spain's daily increases topped even those of France, and Germany was concerned about its own resurgence. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 4,339 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the totals of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 178,022.

There are 727 new recoveries and 88 new deaths.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 781,194 people since it emerged in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 22,187,780 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 13,874,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization, probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Bamboo rat farmer Liu Yanqun was just starting to make plump returns from the rodents in his farm in central China when the coronavirus broke out at the end of last year.

The killer virus has since been linked to China's wildlife trade, with scientists saying it could have originated in bats and been transmitted to people via another mammal.

In response, Chinese authorities imposed a national ban on the trade and consumption of various animals that are used in speciality regional dishes, including bamboo rats, cobras and civet cats.

The ban has cost tens of thousands of jobs in rural China, where the relatively cheap form of farming of wildlife had once been promoted as a way to lift people out of poverty. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 774,832 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 21,936,820 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 13,623,700 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 4,000 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 169,213.

There are 182 more recoveries and seven new deaths.

Marks and Spencer, the British retail chain selling clothing and food, is to cut around 7,000 jobs as the coronavirus pandemic keeps shoppers away from its stores, it announced Tuesday.

The job cuts, to be carried out over the next three months, include losses from its central support centre, in regional management and in its UK stores, M&S said in statement. — AFP

Lebanon's health minister warns that hospitals are reaching maximum capacity to treat novel coronavirus patients after the deadly Beirut blast overwhelmed clinics and triggered a spike in COVID-19 cases.

"Public and private hospitals in the capital in particular have a very limited capacity, whether in terms of beds in intensive care units or respirators," the minister, Hamad Hassan, tells a press conference.

"We are on the brink, we don't have the luxury to take our time," he warns, urging authorities to take the "hard decision" to impose a new two-week lockdown to stem the spread of the virus. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 770,429 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 21,719,870 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 13,399,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Thousands of Protestant church members in Seoul have been asked to quarantine, South Korean authorities said Monday, as the country battles virus clusters linked to religious groups.

The country's "trace, test and treat" approach has been held up as a global model in how to curb the virus.

But over the weekend the capital and neighbouring Gyeonggi province — between them home to nearly half the population — banned all religious gatherings and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel after a burst of new cases sparked fears of a major second wave. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 766,228 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.

At least 21,500,350 cases have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 13,205,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

On the second week of modified enhanced community quarantine and the 152nd day since ECQ was first hoisted in March, health officials added 3,420 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the total caseload in the Philippines to 161,253 patients.

Accompanying the new cases are 40,397 new recoveries and 65 additional deaths, bringing their totals to 112,586 and 2,665 respectively. 

When veteran Hollywood actor Gregg Daniel was offered an audition for a new movie in Los Angeles, he nearly didn't show up -- the pandemic was well under way, and "no one was shooting."

"I almost hesitated even going to the audition," said Daniel. "I'm African-American, I'm over 50 and disproportionately black people were dying of COVID-19... but the script was so good, and I'm an actor at heart."

Fast-forward to today, and Daniel has completed boxing drama "7th & Union," filmed in the streets of the eerily quiet California entertainment capital.

Thanks to relentless testing, on-set "COVID officers," sanitation stations and enforced social distancing between takes, "everything went smoothly" and safely, said executive producer Jolene Rodriguez.

Yet it is one of just a handful of film productions to resume in Hollywood since Governor Gavin Newsom gave the green light back in June. — AFP

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año announces he has tested positive for CVID-19.

"On August 13, 2020, I began experiencing flu-like symptoms including a sore throat and body aches. I began my self-quarantine and got myself PCR tested on August 14. Last night, August 15, I received my test result informing me that I am once again positive for COVID-19. In the meantime, I am being closely monitored by my doctors while I am in isolation," he says in a statement.

"I make this announcement to call the attention of all persons I had close contact with to go on self-quarantine, observe any symptoms in accordance with DOH guidelines, and take appropriate action."

British travelers returning home from parts of Europe and beyond began having to quarantine on Saturday under new restrictions.

The UK opted to remove France, the Netherlands, Malta and three other countries from its list of places exempt from self-isolation rules, as a second wave of virus infections threatens more disruption and economic chaos on the continent.

The move, announced late Thursday, sparked a 36-hour scramble for plane, train and ferry tickets among some Britons desperate to get back home before the 4:00 am (0300 GMT) rule change. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 4,351 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of cases in the Philippines to 157,918.

There are 885 new recoveries and 159 new deaths.

South Korea tightens coronavirus measures in Seoul and its surrounding areas as the country reported the highest number of new daily infections in more than five months.

The stricter social distancing guidelines include restrictions on gatherings and activities including professional sports, which will be played behind closed doors in the capital area again.

The move came as South Korea reported 166 new cases on Saturday, the highest daily figure since early March, bringing the country's total infections to 15,039 with 305 deaths. — AFP

The Philippines logs 6,216 new infections of the coronavirus disease, the Department of Health says.

This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the country to 153,660.

1,038 more COVID-19 survivors and 16 more coronavirus-related fatalities are recorded.

New Zealand extends a lockdown of its largest city Auckland by at least 12 days, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces, as authorities struggled with a growing new coronavirus outbreak.

"Cabinet has agreed to maintain our current settings for an additional 12 days, bringing us to a full two weeks in total," Ardern says

Since four people tested positive on Tuesday — the first cases in community transmission in 102 days — New Zealand has detected a cluster of 30 virus cases. — AFP

Health officials say New Zealand's resurgent coronavirus outbreak has spread beyond Auckland in a major blow to efforts to contain the disease.

Health Minister Chris Hipkins says there were 12 more cases of community transmission, and one probable, following the shock re-emergence of the virus in Auckland this week.

He says two of the infections were found in the North Island town of Tokoroa, around 210 kilometres (130 miles) south of Auckland. — AFP

Mexico surpasses half a million confirmed cases of COVID-19 after registering 7,371 new infections in 24 hours, authorities say.

The country now has 505,293 cases overall, with 55,293 deaths, the Ministry of Health says. — AFP

The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 750,000 people worldwide since it first emerged in China in December, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources at 1210 GMT on Thursday.

A total of 750,003 deaths have been recorded, out of 20,667,684 cases across the globe. 

Latin America and the Caribbean were the hardest hit region with 228,572 fatalities. — AFP

The Department of Health logs 4,002 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the national caseload to 147,526.

There are 1,403 new recoveries and 23 new deaths,

New Zealand rushed to track the source of a sudden return of the coronavirus Thursday as the number of new cases in its biggest city rose to 17 and officials warned more infections were inevitable.

National health chief Ashley Bloomfield said there were 13 new confirmed infections in Auckland, all linked to four family members found on Tuesday, ending the country's record of 102 days without community transmission.

The surge in new cases raised the prospect that a three-day lockdown imposed in Auckland since midday Wednesday would be extended as teams of health workers hunted for the cluster's origin and ramped up testing in the city. — AFP

New Zealand health officials say a COVID-19 cluster in Auckland had grown, raising the prospect a lockdown imposed on the country's biggest city after the virus returned will be extended.

National health director-general Ashley Bloomfield says a high school student in Auckland had tested positive, taking the number of confirmed infections to five, with another four probable cases.

"This is someone who was a close contact with one of our existing confirmed cases," Bloomfield tells TVNZ. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 743,199 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 20,382,260 cases have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 12,347,300 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health confirms 4,444 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. The Philippines now has a total of 143,749 COVID-19 infections.

636 more patients have recovered while 93 died from the deadly virus.

New Zealand locks down nursing homes nationwide after a 102-day streak without the coronavirus ended, as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the outbreak could force her to postpone next month's general election.

Ardern says authorities were scrambling to trace anyone who had been in contact with four Auckland residents who tested positive Tuesday, ending the dream run in which the virus had been contained at New Zealand's borders.

A three-day stay-at-home order for Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city with a population of 1.5 million, was announced on Tuesday night and went into force at lunchtime on Wednesday. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 736,828 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday. 

At least 20,122,700 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 12,080,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

New Zealand records first community coronavirus infections in 102 days.

The Department of Health reports 2,987 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 139,538. 

280 patients have recovered while 19 died from the deadly virus.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 731,518 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday. 

At least 19,884,260 cases have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 11,879,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Face masks became compulsory in tourist hotspots in Paris on Monday amid warnings of a resurgence of coronavirus cases, as infections in the world's worst-hit country the United States topped five million.

The requirement came as France along with much of Western Europe sweltered in a heatwave, with temperatures soaring above 35 degrees Celsius.

The blistering heat sent crowds flocking to beaches at the weekend despite health warnings about the risk of infection. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 727,288 people since it emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.

At least 19,674,290 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 11,665,200 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Brazil on Saturday surpassed 100,000 coronavirus deaths and three million cases of infection, crossing the grim milestone after President Jair Bolsonaro said he had a "clear conscience" on his response to the outbreak.

With 100,477 fatalities and 3,012,412 confirmed cases, the South American nation of 212 million people is the second hardest-hit country in the global pandemic, after the United States.

The health ministry reported 905 new deaths in the past 24 hours, as well as 49,970 fresh cases. 

But the official figures are most likely an undercount, with experts estimating that the total number of infections could be up to six times higher due to insufficient testing. — AFP

Two new confirmed imported cases of COVID-19 in Taiwan had recently come from the Philippines, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control says in an August 8 announcement.

The two, identified as Cases 478 and 479, are a couple and are both 60 years old. They had been in the Philippines since earlier this year.

"The male case developed a fever, a runny nose, and fatigue on July 23. The female case experienced an itchy throat and cough on August 3. Their symptoms were relieved after taking medications, but they didn't seek medical attention in the Philippines," Taiwan CDC says.

They returned to Taiwan on August 6 and reported their symptoms to quarantine oficers when they arrived at the airport. They were brought to a quarantine facility and lab tests confirmed on August 8 that they had COVID-19.

The Department of Health reports 4,226 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019, bringing the national tally to 126,885.

There are 287 additional survivors and 41 new deaths.

Reports say that former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim has been confined at an undisclosed hospital reportedly due to the coronavirus disease.

Lim’s grandson, Manila 1st District Councilor Niño Dela Cruz, earlier requested for prayers for the healing of the former mayor. The post has been deleted. — The STAR/Rey Galupo

The Department of Health announces 3,379 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national caseload to 122,754 in the Philippines.

There are 96 new recoveries and 24 new deaths.

The health ministry data show India's coronavirus cases passed two million after a daily jump of more than 60,000 and around 900 new deaths,

India has now recorded 2.03 million infections and 41,585 deaths, according to the ministry's website. Many experts doubt the official figures, however, and say the true numbers may be much higher. — AFP

The number of coronavirus cases recorded worldwide has passed 19 million, according to an AFP tally from official sources at 2300 GMT Thursday.

At least 19,000,553 cases and 712,315 deaths have now been registered.

Forty percent of cases were in the United States and Brazil, the two worst-affected countries with 4,870,367 cases (159,864 deaths) and 2,912,212 infections (98,493 deaths) respectively. — AFP

The number of COVID-19 cases in Africa has risen to over one million, with more than half registered in South Africa, according to an AFP count late Thursday.

The continent's worst-hit nation has registered 538,184 infections, including over 8,000 new cases on Thursday, and 9,604 deaths.

Egypt has recorded around 95,000 COVID-19 cases while the figure in Nigeria is 45,000.

South Africa's infection figures are the fifth-highest after the US, Brazil, India and Russia. — AFP

Germany will introduce mandatory coronavirus tests for travellers returning from designated risk zones from Saturday, the country's health minister said.

Having announced the measure last week, minister Jens Spahn said it would take effect from this weekend, as fears grow over rising case numbers blamed on summer holidays and local outbreaks.

"It is already the case that travellers from risk zones are obliged to either go into a two-week quarantine or provide an up-to-date negative test result," he said at a press conference Thursday.

From Saturday, "travelers entering Germany will have to bring a test result with them or be tested on arrival", he added, confirming once again that the tests would be paid for by the government. — AFP

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, the United States added 1,262 more deaths to its COVID-19 toll in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 pm Wednesday.

The world's largest economy also added 53,158 new cases of the virus, the Baltimore-based institution's tracker shows.

The US has now recorded 4,818,328 total cases, which have resulted in 157,930 deaths, making it by far the worst-hit country in the world. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,462 additional cases of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines, bringing the national tally to 115,980.

222 more people recovered while nine more patients succumbed to COVID-19. 

The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 700,000 people worldwide since it first emerged in China in December, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources at 0655 GMT on Wednesday.

A total of 700,489 deaths have been recorded, out of 18,547,833 cases, of whom 10,889,745 have recovered.

Almost half of the deaths reported worldwide were in the four worst hit countries: the United States (156,806), Brazil (95,819), Mexico (48,869) and Britain (46,299).

The number of deaths from COVID-19 has doubled since May 26, and some 100,000 fatalities have been registered in just under three weeks. — AFP

The US adds 1,302 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The world's largest economy also adds 53,847 new cases of the virus, the Baltimore-based institution's tracker showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Wednesday).

The US has now recorded 4,765,170 total cases with 156,668 deaths, making it by far the worst-hit country in the world. — AFP

Global police body Interpol warned Monday of an "alarming" rate of cybercrime during the coronavirus pandemic, with criminals taking advantage of people working from home to target major institutions.

An assessment by the Lyon-based organisation found a "significant target shift" by criminals from individuals and small businesses to major corporations, governments and critical infrastructure.

"Cybercriminals are developing and boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, exploiting the fear and uncertainty caused by the unstable social and economic situation created by COVID-19," said Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock. 

"The increased online dependency for people around the world is also creating new opportunities, with many businesses and individuals not ensuring their cyberdefences are up to date," he added. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 6,352 additional cases of the coronavirus disease. This raises the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 112,593.

There are currently 44,429 active cases in the country. 240 patients have recovered and 11 more died from the deadly virus.

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, the United States added 46,321 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours Monday.

The world's largest economy also added 532 deaths, the Baltimore-based institution's tracker showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Tuesday).

The US has now recorded 4,711,323 total cases, with 155,366 deaths, making it by far the worst-hit country in the world. — AFP

Latin American and the Caribbean on Monday surpassed five million coronavirus cases, according to an AFP tally, more than half of which have been registered in Brazil.

Alongside the cases, there have been more than 200,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the region.

Brazil, a country of 210 million, has recorded 2.75 million infections and more than 94,000 deaths.

Only the United States with 4.8 million cases and almost 155,000 deaths has been worse affected than the South American giant. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,226 additional COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, pushing the country's total to 106,330.

The DOH also announces 275 recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 65,821. The national death toll is now at 2,104 with 46 new deaths.

"With 3,226 additional cases reported today, 2,543 (79%) cases occurred within the recent 14 days (July 21 to August 3). The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were NCR (1,267 or 50%), Region 4A (445 or 17%) and Region 7 (353 or 14%)," the DOH says.

The United States has entered a "new phase" of the pandemic, White House coronavirus advisor Deborah Birx warns, with rural areas just as threatened as major cities.

Birx, who heads the White House coronavirus task force, toells CNN's "State of the Union" that local virus mitigation procedures were starting to work, but added that "what we are seeing today is different from March and April".

"It is extraordinarily widespread. It's into the rural as equal urban areas," she adds. "To everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus."

"We are in a new phase," Birx says. — AFP

The number of coronavirus cases recorded worldwide has passed 18 million, according to an AFP tally from official sources at 2240 GMT Sunday.

At least 18,011,763 cases have now been registered as the pandemic's rate of infection continues to accelerate. A million more cases have been detected in just the last four days.

More than half of the world's cases have been recorded in the United States and in Latin America and the Caribbean region. — AFP

For Gabriel Gordon and his wife Lena, the small restaurant they opened 14 years ago in the coastal California town of Seal Beach was a dream project and the cornerstone of their future success.

But this weekend, Beachwood BBQ, which had become a staple in the community, permanently shut down — yet another casualty of the carnage the coronavirus pandemic has unleashed on restaurants across the United States.

"This restaurant launched everything for us and allowed us to have a nice life," said Gordon, 43, who is now concentrating his efforts on another restaurant and three breweries he owns. "This is what allowed us to have a nice life and it's heartbreaking to see it close."

According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry — the second largest private sector employer in the US — is among the hardest hit by the pandemic, with losses projected to reach a staggering $240 billion by the end of the year. — AFP

The United States counted 61,262 new coronavirus cases in the 24 hours leading up to 8:30 pm Saturday (0030 GMT Sunday), according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

It was the fifth consecutive day with more than 60,000 infections recorded, according to the Baltimore-based university. There were also 1,051 deaths in the 24-hour period.

The US has now tallied more than 4.6 million cases and 154,319 deaths, making it the hardest-hit country in the world. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 4,963 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, pushing the national tally to 98,232.

There are 93 additional survivors and 17 more who died from the deadly virus.

Hong Kong opens a temporary field hospital with 500 beds to house stable COVID-19 patients as the city battles a new wave of virus infections.

The financial hub had been a poster child for tackling the coronavirus, with local transmissions all but ended by early summer.

But since July the pathogen has returned, with some cases brought in by the tens of thousands of people who were exempted from a mandatory quarantine imposed on most arrivals. — AFP

Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman announces that he and his wife, Isabela Mayor Dadah, tested positive for the coronavirus disease. 

"Nitong nakaraang Huwebes, dahil sa inakala naming karaniwang ubo, nagpasya kami ng maybahay kong si Mayor Dadah na magpatest para sa COVID-19," says Hataman in a Facebook post.

"Bumalik na ang resulta. Positive kami pareho," he adds.

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, the United States counted 1,442 new deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in the 24 hours leading up to 8:30 p.m. Friday.

It was the fourth day in a row with more than 1,200 deaths, according to the Baltimore-based college.

The US has now tallied a total of 153,268 deaths from COVID-19, making it the hardest-hit country in the world. — AFP

The Department of Health on Friday records 4,063 new coronavirus cases in the Philippines, pushing the national tally to 93,354.

National death toll is now at 2,023 with 40 additional deaths. The DOH also reports 165 new recoveries, raising the total of recovered patients to 65,178.

Vietnam records its first coronavirus death Friday, state media reported, as the pandemic rebounds in a country previously praised for controlling the initial outbreak.

"The first death... is a 70-year-old man who lives in Hoi An city," Vietnam News Agency reports, citing the Ministry of Health. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 667,361 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday.

At least 17,053,650 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 9,759,200 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

US President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested delaying the 2020 election, in which he is currently lagging badly in the polls, citing the coronavirus and what he says would be "fraudulent" voting.

"Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" Trump asked in a tweet.

"With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA," the tweet said.

Only Congress can change the election date, which is set by law on November 3. With Democrats ruling the lower House, that seems highly unlikely to happen. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 3,954 new COVID-19 infections, the biggest daily rise since the outbreak started in the Philippines. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases to 89,374. 

The Health department registers 38,075 new recoveries and 23 more deaths.

More than 150,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States, according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

The world's worst-hit country announced its first coronavirus-related death at the end of February, and has now recorded more than 4.38 million total cases, the Baltimore-based university reports. — AFP

Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla says they will soon launch the biggest COVID-19 testing laboratory in the Philippines.

"The biggest TESTING laboratory in the country is about to open at DLSU Dasmariñas: 3,000 tests a day, 7 days a week," says Remulla in a Facebook post.

"We are building 2 more laboratories to service the province," he adds.

More than 150,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States, according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

The world's worst-hit country announced its first coronavirus-related death at the end of February, and has now recorded more than 4.38 million total cases, the Baltimore-based university reported Wednesday. — AFP

A study shows one in five patients hospitalized in Germany over the coronavirus succumbed to the disease, with the fatality rate rising to 53 percent for those who received ventilation.

Data of 10,000 patients admitted to 930 German hospitals between February 26 and April 19 were analyzed by the German Interdisciplinary Association of Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, the Technical University of Berlin and AOK health insurance group's research arm WIdO.

Hospitalized male patients had a higher mortality rate than women, with 25% compared to 19%. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,874 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally in the Philippines to 85,486.

388 have recovered while 16 died from the deadly virus.

Pharma giants Sanofi and GSK say they have agreed to supply Britain with up to 60 million doses of a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

The agreement covers a vaccine candidate developed by France's Sanofi in partnership with the UK's GSK and is subject to a "final contract".

Amid a global race to find a vaccine to halt the pandemic, Sanofi announces "ongoing discussions with the European Commission, with France and Italy on the negotiation team, and other governments to ensure global access to a novel coronavirus vaccine." — AFP

Florida's coronavirus death toll surpasses 6,000 as the disease claims another 186 lives in its relentless march through the southeast US state, health officials say.

The so-called Sunshine State is now second only to California in total number of COVID-19 cases with 441,997, an increase of 9,230 from the day before.

The latest cases put it ahead of New York, an early epicenter of the global pandemic which has wreaked havoc in the United States. — AFP

Iran reports 235 new deaths from the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, a record toll for a single day in the Middle East's hardest-hit country.

"We have lost 235 of our compatriots due to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours," taking the overall toll to 16,147, says health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,678 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total infection count in the Philippines to 83,673.

There are 173 additional recoveries and four new deaths.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri announces he tested negative for COVID-19 again.

"What the infectious disease experts have told us is that the DOH result yesterday possibly detected remnants of dead virus cells which is a common occurrence with recovered patients," says the senator.

"But just to be sure and safe, I will still continue my quarantine for the prescribed period," he adds.

Johns Hopkins University reports in its real-time tally that the United States on Monday recorded 57,039 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours,

The US is the hardest-hit country in terms of both death toll and total caseload, which stood at 4,286,663 as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Tuesday), according to the Baltimore-based university.

An additional 679 deaths brought the overall death toll to 147,588. — AFP

The global death toll from the coronavirus pandemic passed 650,000 on Monday, with nearly a third of that number in Europe, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources at 1600 GMT.

Since emerging in China late last year, the virus has killed a total of 650,011 people and infected 16,323,558, of which 9,190,345 have been declared recovered. More than 100,000 new deaths have been recorded since July 9, and the global toll has doubled in just over two months. — AFP

The Department of Health announces 1,657 additional infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to 82,040.

359 have recovered while 16 people succumbed to the deadly virus.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 645,715 people since emerging in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.

At least 16,072,290 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 9,061,300 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

North Korea declared its first suspected coronavirus case on Sunday, becoming one of the last countries to do so as the number of people infected worldwide passed 16 million.

The isolated, impoverished state had until now insisted it had not detected a single COVID-19 case — even as the pandemic swept the planet, overwhelming health systems and trashing the global economy.

At least 645,000 people around the world have succumbed to the respiratory disease, with North Korean arch-rival the United States the worst-hit country by far.

"The vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," leader Kim Jong Un said, according to the official KCNA news agency. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,019 additional cases of coronavirus disease 2019, bringing the total infection count in the Philippines to 78,412.

There are  1,278 additional survivors and 20 more deaths.

Vietnam has detected its first locally-transmitted case of coronavirus in nearly 100 days, authorities say, in a country whose swift and full lockdown won praise for controlling the spread of the disease. 

"Patient 416" is a 57-year-old retired Vietnamese man in the southern city of Danang, and the first community transmission since April 16.

Local health officials have tested 105 people who had been in close contact with him, the Ministry of Health says on its website. — AFP

According to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University, the United States on Friday recorded more than 70,000 new coronavirus cases and more than 1,000 deaths in a 24-hour period for the second day running.

The world's hardest-hit country registered 73,795 new cases of COVID-19 with 1,157 additional deaths, the Baltimore-based university's real-time tracker indicated at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Saturday).

That brings the country to a total of 4.1 million infections, which have resulted in 145,324 fatalities. — AFP

The World Health Organization expresses concern over a coronavirus resurgence in Europe as Britain and Austria tightened restrictions and China stepped up testing.

Europe accounts for a fifth of the world's more than 15 million cases and remains the hardest hit in terms of deaths, with 207,118 out of 633,711 worldwide, according to an AFP tally at 1100 GMT Friday.

The WHO's European chapter pointed to rising cases on the continent over the past two weeks, stressing the need for tighter measures, if required. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,103 new cases of the coronavirus disease, which brings the total number of COVID-19 infections to 76,444.

144 patients have recovered and 15 more died from the deadly virus.

Official data show India's death toll from the novel coronavirus overtook France's with 30,601 fatalities and nearly 50,000 new cases overnight.

The death toll is the sixth-biggest behind the US, Brazil, Britain, Mexico and Italy, according to an AFP tally. It has the third-highest caseload with almost 1.3 million infections.

In the past 24 hours the country recorded 740 new deaths from the virus and 49,310 fresh infections, according to the health ministry. — AFP

The United States records over four million cases of coronavirus on Thursday, Johns Hopkins University reports in its real-time tally.

With a total of 4,005,414 cases and more than 143,000 deaths, the United States is by far the hardest-hit country in the world, with Brazil and India trailing in second and third place for infection numbers. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,200 additional infections of the coronavirus disease, which brings the sum of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to 74,390.

The are 760 new recoveries and eight new deaths. 

Johns Hopkins University reports that the United States recorded 63,967 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours,

That brought the total number of cases in the world's hardest-hit country to 3,955,860, the Baltimore-based university says. 

Another 1,059 deaths were reported, bringing the country's total fatalities to 142,942. — AFP 

More than four million coronavirus cases have been recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean, half of them in Brazil, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

The region is one of the hardest-hit in the world, with 4,040,925 recorded COVID-19 cases and 172,886 deaths. Brazil alone has registered 2.2 million cases, the second-highest number in the world after the United States. — AFP

Britain's trade unions have seen a resurgence during the coronavirus outbreak as more people worry about layoffs, working conditions and the knock-on effects of lockdown.

But their growing strength could yet be weakened by a wave of job cuts sweeping the country, which is predicted to worsen in the coming months. 

Unions have seen an increase in membership during the health crisis, despite the tens of thousands of redundancies already announced. 

New members have especially come from those hardest hit by the outbreak, such as aviation, leisure and hospitality. 

Unite, Britain's biggest union, which has 1.4 million members, has been prominent in speaking out about job cuts. — AFP

Beijing accuses the United States of "slander" after two Chinese nationals were indicted for seeking to steal coronavirus vaccine research and hacking hundreds of companies.

"The Chinese government is a staunch defender of cyber security, and has always opposed and cracked down on cyber attacks and cyber crime in all forms," says foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

The US must "immediately stop its slander and smearing of China on cyber security issues," he tells a regular press briefing in Beijing. — AFP

Australia reports a record 502 new coronavirus infections, nearly four months after the epidemic initially peaked, with authorities warning the country was entering a critical new phase.

Most of the new cases were reported in the southeastern state of Victoria, where authorities have struggled to bring an outbreak in Melbourne under control despite an almost two-week lockdown in Australia's second-biggest city.

Australia's new coronavirus infections previously peaked on March 28 when 459 cases were reported, according to data compiled by AFP. 

Johns Hopkins University reports in its real-time tally that the United States recorded 68,524 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours,

The country, which is the world's hardest-hit, has now registered a total of 3,891,893 infections, the Baltimore-based university says. 

Another 961 more deaths were recorded, bringing total fatalities to 141,883. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 610,604 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 14,736,130 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 8,150,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Health department registers more 1,951 patients of the coronavirus disease 2019, bringing the national tally to 70,764.

It also reports two more deaths and 209 additional recoveries.

Officials say Brazil will begin advanced clinical testing of a Chinese-made vaccine against the new coronavirus, issuing the first doses to around 900 volunteers.

The coronavirus vaccine, developed by private Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, is the third in the world to enter Phase 3 trials, or large-scale testing on humans -- the last step before regulatory approval.

It will be administered to doctors and other health workers who volunteer for the program across six states in Brazil, one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 606,605 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.

At least 14,528,490 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 7,935,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The guardians of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London are facing job losses because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on tourism, the charity running the venue said Monday.

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) said it had "no choice" but to cut costs, as the crisis had slashed visitor numbers and revenues.

The red-coated "Beefeaters" at the Tower and other employees at six sites managed by HRP could opt for voluntary redundancy as of last month.

But as the full extent of COVID-19's impact on the UK economy becomes clear, they will likely now face compulsory layoffs. — AFP

At least 14 prisoners have died from likely COVID-19 complications in scantly-monitored outbreaks of the disease at Egyptian detention centres, Human Rights Watch says Monday.

"At least 14 prisoners and detainees have died, most likely from COVID-19 complications, in 10 detention facilities as of July 15," the rights groups says  in a statement. 

HRW based its report on witness accounts, leaked letters from prisons and reports by local rights groups. 

"Prisons had insufficient medical care and virtually no access to testing for the virus or symptom screening," it also says. — AFP

After months of working from home, stir-crazy Americans have finally reached the long, hot days of summer only to watch their vacation horizons dim, with travel options shrinking as the country's coronavirus cases soar.

"All I've been doing this year is canceling trips," 61-year-old Keith Gibbons said with a sigh, a new reality that the government contractor called "very frustrating."

Trips abroad are mostly out: The overwhelming majority of countries now bar American citizens amid a sharp US resurgence of COVID-19. The country's caseload has climb to over 3.7 million — more than one-fourth the world's total — and deaths have reached over 140,000. — AFP

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will only impose another nationwide coronavirus lockdown as a last resort, comparing the tool to "a nuclear deterrent" in a Sunday newspaper interview.

Johnson, who is hoping Britain can return to "normality" by Christmas despite fears of a second wave of cases over winter, insisted the country was getting better at tackling the virus. 

The UK has been among the worst-hit countries in the world by COVID-19, registering the highest death toll in Europe. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,357 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections to 65,304.

There are 321 new recoveries and 113 new deaths.

The Department of Health registers 1,841 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 63,001.

311 recently recovered while 17 died from the deadly virus.

France's President Emmanuel Macron says that the European Union was facing a "moment of truth", as leaders gathered for a summit to negotiate a huge post-coronavirus recovery plan.

"It's our European project that in play here," Macron says, as he arrived at the first face-to-face Brussels summit for five months, held under social distancing rules. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 585,750 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Thursday.

At least 13,660,780 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 7,442,700 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 2,498 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 61,266.

There are 467 new recoveries and 29 new deaths.

Latin America and the Caribbean top 150,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday, almost half of which have been recorded in Brazil, a tally by AFP showed. 

The region, with 3,540,060 total cases and 151,022 fatalities, is the area second-hardest-hit after Europe, where a total of 203,793 people have died. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,392 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 58,850.

517 patients have recovered while 11 more died from the deadly virus. 

Health Secretary Franciso Duque III says the Philippines has "successfully flattened the curve since April," ABS-CBN News reports.

He says that the case doubling time and mortality doubling times have become longer, suggesting the disease is spreading at a slower rate.

The Department of Public Works and Highways chief Mark Villar announces that he tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

"I regret to announce that today, July 15, I received my test result and it is positive for COVID-19," Villar says in a Facebook post.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 574,278 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 13,178,180 cases have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 7,096,000 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

State media reports that Chinese authorities have pressed criminal charges against 23 people for illegal building alterations that led to the collapse of a quarantine hotel in which 29 people died and 42 were injured in March.

The 66-room Xinjia Hotel in southern China's Quanzhou city collapsed on March 7, burying dozens of people who had been made to quarantine there because of their recent travel to regions hard hit by COVID-19.

An official investigation found that three floors had been added illegally to the hotel's original four-story structure, and safety assessors had colluded with the hotel's owner to produce false reports about the building, state broadcaster CCTV says. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 634 new cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to 57,545.

There are 88 new recoveries and six new deaths.

More than 13 million coronavirus infections have now been recorded across the world, with more than half in the United States and Latin America, according to an AFP tally of official sources at 2000 GMT on Monday.

At least 13,000,166 cases and 569,990 deaths have been recorded and the United States is the worst-hit country with 3,341,838 cases and 135,425 deaths, the tally showed. 

The number of cases stood at 3,380,218 in Latin America and the Caribbean, including 144,847 fatalities. And in Europe, 2,849,335 infections have been recorded and 202,780 deaths.  — AFP

Two US Marine bases in Japan's Okinawa have been put into lockdown after dozens of coronavirus infections, with local officials criticising the American military's containment efforts.

There are tens of thousands of US servicemen stationed on the southern Japanese island, which has recorded roughly 150 civilian COVID-19 infections.

Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Monday that 62 cases have been detected in recent days in US forces, most of them at US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and Camp Hansen. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 566,075 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT Sunday.

At least 12,798,410 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 6,811,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The novel coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 20,000 people across the Middle East, half of them in Iran, according to an AFP tally at 1000 GMT Sunday based on official tolls.

But despite having 907,736 reported infections and 20,005 deaths from the COVID-19 illness, the Middle East has been relatively lightly hit by the virus which has killed over half a million people across the globe.

Iran, which has been struggling to contain the outbreak since announcing its first cases in February, has reported more than 12,829 deaths and 257,303 infections, according to Sunday's official figures. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 565,363 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.

At least 12,741,270 cases have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 6,792,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP
 

The United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus, on Saturday posted 66,528 new cases, a record for a 24-hour period, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

The country has now recorded a total of 3,242,073 infections, the Baltimore-based university said in its latest data as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Sunday).

The death toll stood at 134,729 with 760 additional deaths counted. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,387 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 54,222.

There are 807 new recoveries and 12 new deaths.

The United States records 63,643 new coronavirus cases, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

As of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Saturday), 774 people died of COVID-19 in the country in the past 24 hours, the Baltimore-based university says. 

The worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic, the US has recorded a total of 133,969 deaths out of 3.18 million cases. — AFP

The US welcomes the World Health Organization's probe into the origins of the novel coronavirus in China, its ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva says.

"We welcome the WHO's investigation. We view the scientific investigation as a necessary step to having a complete and transparent understanding of how this virus has spread throughout the world," ambassador Andrew Bremberg tells reporters.

It was an unexpected endorsement, given that the WHO has faced fierce US criticism over its handling of the coronavirus crisis. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,233 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total infection count in the Philippines to 52,914.

There are 286 new recoveries and 42 more deaths. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs initiates coordination and exchanges of information with different jurisdictions across the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa and Middle East about COVID-19 vaccine developments.

"Based on the gathered information by the Department, collaboration with Philippine subsidiaries of vaccine developers, engagement with those overseas for conduct of clinical trials, utilization of multilateral efforts to ensure vaccine access, and bilateral cooperation are key efforts that must be pursued to ensure that a viable vaccine can be made available and accessible for Filipinos," the DFA says in a statement.

The US posts 65,551 new coronavirus cases, a record for a 24-hour period, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The country, the hardest-hit in the world by the pandemic, has a total caseload of more than 3.1 million, with 133,195 deaths. 

The previous daily record was Tuesday, with more than 60,200 cases in one day. — AFP

Bolivia's interim President Jeanine Anez announced on Thursday that she has tested positive for coronavirus.

"I've tested positive for COVID-19, I'm fine, I will work from isolation," she tweeted.

The 53-year-old said in a video on Twitter that she would remain in quarantine for 14 days before taking another test. — AFP

He dado positivo a Covid19, estoy bien, trabajaré desde mi aislamiento. Juntos, vamos a salir adelante. pic.twitter.com/oA4YVYlZFa

— Jeanine Añez Chavez (@JeanineAnez) July 9, 2020

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 550,910 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Thursday. 

At least 12,123,290 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 6,461,200 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Another 1.3 million US workers filed for unemployment benefits last week, as the slowdown in the pace of layoffs amid the coronavirus crisis continued, the government reported Thursday.

The figure for the week ended July 4 was 99,000 lower than the prior week, showing a steady decline as the world's largest economy gradually reopens and workers are recalled to their jobs.

But the level remains far higher than any pre-pandemic week. In the same week of 2019, only 211,000 people filed initial claims for jobless benefits. — AFP

More than 12 million coronavirus infections have now been recorded across the world, over half in the United States and Latin America, according to an AFP tally of official sources.

At least 12,063,425 cases and 549,451 deaths have been recorded, with the number of infections doubling since May 31. About half of those who caught the virus have recovered.

With 3,055,101 cases and 132,309 deaths, the United States is the worst-hit country, with Brazil second having registered 1,713,160 cases and 67,964 deaths. — AFP

The Department of Health announces 1,395 new cases of the coronavirus disease. This brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 51,754.

225 patients have recovered while no one died from the deadly virus based on the DOH tally update as of July 9. 

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 545,414 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 11,906,470 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 6,295,700 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Shoppers in Australia's second-biggest city stripped supermarket shelves Wednesday as millions in Melbourne prepared for a return to virus lockdown, with warnings the new restrictions could prompt a mental health crisis.

Five million residents were ordered back into a six-week lockdown beginning midnight Wednesday into Thursday as soaring community transmission of the coronavirus brings more than 100 new cases daily.

A further 134 infections were detected in the past 24 hours — small in comparison to the tens of thousands in hard-hit countries such as the US and Brazil, but considered a major spike in Australia, which had otherwise been successful in containing COVID-19. — AFP

The United States, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus, on Tuesday posted 60,209 new cases, a record for a 24-hour period, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

The country was just shy of three million cases, at 2,991,351, the Baltimore-based university said in its latest data as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Wednesday).

The death toll stood at 131,362, with 1,114 additional deaths counted. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 539,620 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 11,693,770 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 6,145,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused Tuesday of trying to rewrite history for appearing to blame the deadly spread of coronavirus in care homes on the institutions themselves.

Britain has suffered the worst death toll in Europe from the virus, with more than 44,000 confirmed deaths, and care homes have suffered badly.

The government initially said it did not believe care homes were at particular risk, and has been slow to roll out testing of both staff and patients. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,540 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections to 47,873.

There are 201 new recoveries and six new deaths.

More than five million residents of Melbourne will be locked down for six weeks after coronavirus cases surged in Australia's second-biggest city, authorities announced Tuesday.

State Premier Daniel Andrews said the lockdown would begin at midnight Wednesday and last at least six weeks, as he warned residents "we can't pretend" the coronavirus crisis is over.

After the south-eastern city detected 191 new cases in 24 hours, Andrews said there were now too many incidents of the virus to trace and track. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 535,025 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Monday.

At least 11,522,750 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 6,016,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Chinese authorities on Monday detained a law professor who published essays criticising President Xi Jinping over the coronavirus pandemic and his efforts to consolidate power, according to friends of the man. 

Xu Zhangrun, a rare outspoken critic of the government in China's heavily censored academia, was taken from his home in suburban Beijing by more than 20 people, one of his friends said on condition of anonymity.

Xu published an essay in February blaming the culture of deception and censorship fostered by Xi for the spread of the coronavirus in China. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 531,789 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Sunday.

At least 11,343,890 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,906,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The United States notched more than 43,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Saturday, amid a surge of infections around the country.

The Baltimore-based university's tracker showed 43,742 more cases as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Sunday), bringing the country's total number of cases since the pandemic began to 2,836,764.

The university also recorded a further 252 fatalities, bringing the total death toll to 129,657. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,494 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the Philippines to 41,830. 

There are 380 new recoveries and 10 new deaths.

A tally by Johns Hopkins University shows the US notched 57,683 COVID-19 cases in 24 hours Friday, the third consecutive day with record numbers of new infections.

The Baltimore-based university's tracker showed the total number of cases since the pandemic reached the US at 2,793,022 as of 8:30 pm (0030 Saturday GMT).

The university also records a further 728 fatalities, bringing the total US death toll to 129,405. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 521,384 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP on Friday. 

At least 10,887,320 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,585,100 are now considered recovered. — AFP

The Department of Health says there are 1,531 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 40,336.

400 patients have recovered while six died from the deadly virus.

The US notches more than 53,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours Thursday, a tally by Johns Hopkins University shows, a new one-day record as infections surge around the country.

The Baltimore-based university's tracker shows 53,069 more cases as of 8:30 pm (0030 Friday GMT), bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic reached the US to 2,735,339.

The university also records a further 649 fatalities, bringing the total death toll to 128,677.

The second consecutive day of a record-high case count comes as the United States — the hardest-hit country in the world in the coronavirus pandemic — heads into the July Fourth holiday weekend. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 517,416 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Thursday. 

At least 10,769,890 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,454,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 294 more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections to 38,805 in the Philippines. 

There are four new deaths and 235 new recoveries.

Nigeria will resume domestic flights from next Wednesday, the aviation minister said, in a move to ease COVID-19 restrictions.

Nigeria shut its airspace in March to contain the  spread of the novel coronavirus that has so far infected 26,484 people and claimed 603 lives.

"I am glad to announce that Abuja and Lagos airports will resume domestic operations on the 8th of July, 2020," Hadi Sirika said on Twitter, referring to the airports serving the national capital and the country's economic hub. — AFP

A tally by Johns Hopkins University shows the US notched more than 52,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours Wednesday, a new one-day record as infections surge around the country.

The Baltimore-based university's tracker shows 52,898 more cases as of 8:30 pm (0030 Thursday GMT), bringing the total number of cases since the pandemic reached the United States to 2'682,270. 

The university also records a further 706 fatalities, bringing the total death toll to 128,028. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 512,383 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Wednesday. 

At least 10,564,050 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,341,000 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 999 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 38,511. 

There are 205 new recoveries and four new deaths. 

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 506,818 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 10,372,230 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,207,900 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

US President Donald Trump's administration is considering further steps to provide aid to businesses and workers harmed by efforts to contain the coronavirus, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday.

Mnuchin said the "tremendous amount of funding" already approved by Congress is helping to shore up the economy, which should improve in the latter half of the year.

But any additional relief "would be targeted to certain industries that have been especially hard-hit by the pandemic, with a focus on jobs and putting all American workers who lost their jobs, through no fault of their own, back to work," he said in testimony prepared for delivery to the House Financial Services Committee. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,080 new cases of the coronavirus disease, which brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines to 37,514.

277 patients have recovered while 11 died from the deadly virus.

According to the Johns Hopkins University tally, the United States recorded at least 42,000 coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours as the country confronts a rapid surge in the disease.

The new infections, concentrated in southern and western states, bring the total number of infections in the US to nearly 2.6 million, according to the Baltimore-based institution at 8:30pm (0030 GMT Tuesday).

The number of daily US deaths in the world's largest economic power continues to decline however, with 355 deaths in 24 hours. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 502,599 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Monday.

At least 10,208,540 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 5,094,900 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The coronavirus pandemic has left most Europeans wanting more cooperation between EU states and many believing the bloc failed during the crisis, a survey suggested on Monday.

The survey also found that most Europeans no longer saw the United States as a reliable partner, in a major shift from attitudes that date back to World War II.

The responses were part of a poll of 11,000 people carried out by the European Council on Foreign Relations in late April and early May, in conjunction with European newspapers including Le Monde, La Vanguardia and The Guardian. — AFP

More than half a million people have been killed by the novel coronavirus, nearly two thirds of them in the United States and Europe, according to an AFP tally at 2200 GMT Sunday based on official sources.

The official death toll for the disease now stands at 500,390 deaths from 10,099,576 cases recorded worldwide. The United States has suffered the highest death toll (125,747), followed by Brazil (57,622) and the United Kingdom (43,550).

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Many countries are testing only the most serious cases. — AFP

China imposed a strict lockdown on nearly half a million people near the capital to contain a fresh coronavirus outbreak on Sunday, as authorities warned it was soon to "relax" over the new cluster of cases.

After China largely brought the virus under control, hundreds have been infected in Beijing and cases have emerged in neighboring Hebei province.

Health officials said Sunday that Anxin county — about 150 kilometers from Beijing — will be "fully enclosed and controlled", the same strict measures imposed at the height of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan earlier this year. — AFP

The United States has surpassed 2.5 million coronavirus cases, as efforts to reopen the world's economic powerhouse were dramatically set back by a surge of new infections in states such as Florida.

Infections are also up in some other parts of the world that have reopened, and the public health realities pushed global Pride celebrations largely online Saturday, 50 years after the first march for LGBT rights in New York.

The US leads the world in COVID-19 cases by far, accounting for well over a third of the global total of nearly 9.9 million since the virus emerged late last year in China. — AFP

India now has more than 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to government figures released Saturday that showed a record daily leap of 18,500 new infections.

Authorities say a total of 15,685 people had died after another 385 fatalities were added to the toll in 24 hours.

The pandemic is not expected to peak in India for several more weeks and experts say the number of cases could pass one million before the end of July. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 738 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total infection count to 34,803.

There are 249 new recoveries and 12 new deaths. 

The Department of Health reports 1,006 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the total infection count in the Philippines to 34,073.

274 patients have recovered while 12 died from the deadly virus.

Tourists and Parisians pant their way up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower as the iron monument reopens after its longest closure since World War II due to the coronavirus, with the lifts still closed as a health precaution.

The initial crowds of dozens of people braving blazing early summer heat are a far cry from the usual queues at the tower's base in the centre of the French capital. 

But the moment of the reopening of the great edifice is a symbolic one the country emerges from the virus lockdown. — AFP

Mexico has surpassed 25,000 COVID-19 deaths and 200,000 cases, the government says on Friday.

Jose Luis Alomia, head of epidemiology at the health secretariat, says the country of 127 million had reached 25,060 deaths and 202,951 cases since reporting its first infection almost four months ago. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 483,872 people since emerging in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Thursday.

At least 9,500,200 cases of COVID-19 have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 4,699,300 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Iran on Thursday announced 134 new deaths from the novel coronavirus took the overall toll in the Middle East's deadliest outbreak past 10,000.

"We lost 134 of our compatriots in the past 24 hours and the total number of victims is 10,130," said health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 778 new cases of the coronavirus disease, which brings the total number of COVID-19 infections in the Philippines at 33,069.

There are 255 new recoveries and eight new deaths.

The number of new coronavirus infections in the United States is approaching record daily levels, with more than 35,900 cases recorded in the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

That brings the number of cases in the country to nearly 2.4 million, the tracker from the Baltimore-based university showed at 8:30pm local time Wednesday (0030 GMT Thursday), after several days in which the number of cases has surged.

Nearly half of the 50 US states have seen an increase in infections over the past two weeks, with some -- such as Texas and Florida -- posting daily records. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 478,818 people since emerging in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP as of 1900 GMT Wednesday.

At least 9,326,400 cases of COVID-19 have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 4,574,300 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Chinese officials say the new coronavirus outbreak that has infected 256 people in Beijing since early June is "under control", but fears still remain over the risk of community transmission.

Authorities have raced to contain the outbreak linked to the largest wholesale food market in Beijing after the first case was announced on June 11, leading to a partial lockdown of the city.

"The Beijing epidemic directly linked to Xinfadi (market) is basically under control, but at the same time we have discovered household and workplace cluster infections and cases of community transmission," says Beijing municipal government spokesman Xu Hejian at a briefing. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 470 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total infection count at 32,295.

214 patients have recovered while 18 died from the illness.

The number of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus virus worldwide has surged past 475,000, according to an AFP tally from official sources at 0625 GMT on Wednesday.

The death toll has doubled in under two months and in total 477,117 fatalities have been recorded from 9,263,743 cases across the globe.

Europe remains the worst-hit region with 193,800 dead from 2,557,761 cases, but the pandemic is spreading rapidly through Latin America where 100,378 have died from 2,163,835 cases. — AFP

Coronavirus infections are surging across large parts of the United States, the top US infectious disease expert has warned, as the death toll in Latin America passed 100,000.

The developments highlighted how far away the world remains from ending the pandemic, six months into a crisis that has claimed nearly 500,000 lives and devastated the global economy. — AFP

The Johns Hopkins University tally shows the United States added 792 deaths in 24 hours as the country's top infectious diseases expert warned there were "historic" challenges ahead.

The world's largest economy is the hardest-hit country by the pandemic, with 121,176 dead out of more than 2.34 million cases, according to the Baltimore-based institution at 8:30pm (0030 GMT Wednesday). — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 473,475 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT Monday.

At least 9,161,460 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 4,455,700 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Singapore's leader called a general election "like no other" Tuesday as the prosperous city-state struggles to recover from a major coronavirus outbreak that swept through crowded migrant worker dormitories and raised questions about the treatment of the foreign labour force. 

A raft of safety measures will be in place to prevent infections at next month's election, with voters wearing masks and gloves at polling stations and campaign rallies likely to be banned. 

Opposition groups have attacked the timing of the poll, with the Singapore Democratic Party saying that calling an election next month would "needlessly jeopardize the safety and health of Singaporeans". — AFP

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi says that it would invest $425 million to expand its vaccine development venture with US start-up Translate Bio as they aim to find a COVID-19 vaccine by next year.

The companies have been working together since 2018, hoping to leverage Translate Bio's work on new messenger RNA (mRNA) drugs that cause cells to create a specific protein for treating a range of diseases. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 1,150 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the Philippines to 31,825.

There are nine new deaths and 299 new recoveries.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 469,060 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT Monday.

At least 9,017,010 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 4,223,800 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The World Health Organization sent out a fresh warning on Monday over the dangers of the new coronavirus even as France returned to life by staging an annual music festival and sending millions of children back to school. 

In spite of numerous European countries further easing their lockdown restrictions, cases around the world are rising especially in Latin America with Brazil now registering over 50,000 deaths.

There are also fears of a second wave with Australians being warned against traveling to Melbourne. — AFP

The United States records another 305 coronavirus-related deaths in 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed at 0030 GMT Saturday.

It marked the 11th consecutive day in which the daily toll from the virus has been fewer than 1,000, and the third time the toll has been under 400 since the pandemic seemed to peak in mid-April.

But the US remains the country hardest-hit by the pandemic, with 119,959 deaths out of 2,278,373 official cases. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 465,300 people since the outbreak began in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP as of 1900 GMT on Sunday.

At least 8,890,310 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 4,139,100 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

China's capital reported 22 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday after a mass testing effort that has collected more than two million samples in a race to contain a new outbreak.

The fresh cluster in Beijing has raised fears of a resurgence of the virus in China, which had largely brought the disease under control over recent months.

Dozens of communities have been sealed off in the city to contain the spread, with residents told to avoid non-essential travel and schools closed. — AFP

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was encouraging coronavirus response workers to slow down testing, arguing that increased tests lead to more cases being discovered.

The president has claimed falsely on several occasions that surges of COVID-19 in several states can be explained by increased diagnostic tests.

At his first rally since the outbreak forced nationwide shutdowns in March, Trump told the crowd in Tulsa, Oklahoma that testing was a "double-edged sword."  — AFP

The Department of Health reports 943 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total infection count in the Philippines at 29,400. 

272 patients survived while 20 died from the deadly virus.

The Department of Foreign Affairs reports 12 new cases of the coronavirus disease among overseas Filipino workers, pushing the total to 6,140.

Three new recoveries were reported in the Americas and Asia and the Pacific, bringing the total of recovered overseas Filipinos to 2,851.

Meanwhile, 12 additional deaths were logged in the Middle East, bringing the death toll to 495.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 456,630 people since the outbreak began in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

At least 8,555,330 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,952,400 are considered recovered.

According to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, the United States lost another 705 people to the new coronavirus in the 24 hours leading up to 8:30 pm Friday.

It marked the ninth day in which the daily toll from the virus has been fewer than 1,000, even as the US remains the country hardest-hit by the pandemic with 119,086 deaths out of 2,219,119 official cases. 

Some 20 states have seen a rebound in infections as the epicenter of the country's outbreak has moved from New York and the country's Northeast to the South and West. — AFP 

Th Department of Health on Friday reports 661 new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, bringing the national tally to 28,459.

The health department also records 288 new recoveries, raising the total number of recovered patients to 7,738.

Meanwhile, 14 new deaths were confrimed, raising the death toll to 1,130.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 450,386 people since the outbreak began in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP as of 1900 GMT on Thursday.

At least 8,410,400 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,866,200 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Travel restrictions were placed on nearly half a million people near Beijing on Thursday as authorities rushed to contain a fresh outbreak of the coronavirus with a mass test-and-trace effort and lockdowns in parts of the Chinese capital.

Another 21 cases of the virus were reported in the past 24 hours in Beijing, the National Health Commission said, taking the total to 158 since a fresh cluster was detected last week after months of no confirmed local transmissions.

One case was also recorded in the neighbouring city of Tianjin and two more in Hebei province — which surrounds Beijing — prompting travel restrictions on Anxin county, home to nearly half a million people, banning most traffic going in and out of the area. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 562 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of cases in the Philippines to 27,799.

There are 270 new recoveries and nine new deaths.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 445,213 people since the outbreak began in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP as of 1900 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 8,269,170 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,785,500 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Taiwan Wednesday said it planned to relax controls on some foreign business visitors coming to the island from countries that have made headway against the coronavirus pandemic including New Zealand, Australia and Thailand.

Despite its close proximity and trade links with China, Taiwan has contained its own outbreak to just 445 cases, including seven deaths. 

Thanks to strict arrival controls and efficient trace and testing programmes it has recorded no local infections for 66 days straight.

From June 22, the self-quarantine period from 14 places deemed "low risk" including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Thailand will be shortened from two weeks to five days for short-term business visitors 

"Mid-to-low risk" countries including South Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore will have their quarantine periods cut to seven days, according to the government. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 457 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 27,238.

There are 268 new recoveries and five new deaths.

The World Health Organization on Tuesday hails as a "lifesaving scientific breakthrough" the British use of a basic steroid to treat severely ill COVID-19 patients, saving about a third of them.

"This is great news and I congratulate the Government of the UK, the University of Oxford, and the many hospitals and patients in the UK who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough," WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says.

Up to now there has been no effective treatment or vaccine for the coronavirus which has claimed nearly 440,000 lives since it first appeared in China in December. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 438,250 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 8,090,290 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,698,500 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

A Beijing city official warns Tuesday that the situation in the capital was "extremely severe" as a fresh cluster of coronavirus cases prompted mass testing and lockdowns.

"Currently, the most important and urgent task is to resolutely prevent and control the epidemic," city spokesman Xu Hejian tells a press briefing, adding the city must "take the most determined, decisive and strictest measures" to bring the new outbreak under control. — AFP

More than 8 million cases of novel coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, with more than half in the United States and Europe, according to an AFP tally from official sources at 2200 GMT on Monday.

At least 8,000,202 infections including 435,176 deaths, mostly in Europe, have been registered since the pandemic first emerged in China late last year.

Europe has 2,417,902 cases with 188,085 deaths. The USA has 2,110,182 cases and 116,081 deaths.

The number of confirmed cases has doubled since May 10 and another one million new cases have been detected in the last eight days.

That likely represents only a fraction of the real number of infections because most countries are only testing the most serious cases or only have limited testing capacity. — AFP

China locks ten more neighbourhoods in Beijing to try and contain the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak linked to a food market, authorities announce Monday.

City official Li Junjie said at a press conference that fresh cases had been found in a second wholesale market in northwestern Haidian district, and as a result, the market and nearby schools would be closed, and people living in ten communities around it placed under lockdown. — AFP

The United States has recorded 382 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing its death toll to 115,729, according to a tally Sunday by Johns Hopkins University.

This was the lowest 24-hour toll in the US since it peaked in mid-April. It has been averaging 800 or so a day recently.

The world's top economy is by far the hardest-hit country in the pandemic, with both the highest number of deaths and the largest number of infections — 2,093,335 at 8:30 pm Sunday (0030 GMT Monday), a tracker maintained by the Baltimore-based university showed. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 431,193 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Sunday.

At least 7,848,160 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,534,200 are considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

China reported its highest daily number of new coronavirus cases in months on Sunday with parts of Beijing still under lockdown, offering a second wave warning to the rest of the world as the pandemic rages in South America.

The shock resurgence in domestic infections has rattled China, where the disease emerged late last year but had largely been tamed through severe restrictions on movement that were later emulated across the globe.

It also provides a bleak insight into the difficulties the world will face in conquering COVID-19 — even as countries in Europe prepare to reopen borders at the beginning of the summer holiday season after an encouraging drop in contagion.

Of the 57 new cases logged by Chinese authorities, 36 were domestic infections in the capital, where a large wholesale food market at the centre of the outbreak has been closed and nearby housing estates put under lockdown. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 607 additinal cases of the coronavirus disease 2019, bringing the official tally count to 25,392. 

There are 252 new survivors and 22 new deaths.

China reports 11 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, including six domestic cases in the capital that raised concerns about a resurgence.

The majority of China's cases in recent months were overseas nationals tested as they returned home, with the domestic outbreak brought largely under control after the disease first emerged in the central city of Wuhan last year. — AFP

The United States has recorded another 839 coronavirus-related fatalities in the last 24 hours, bringing the country's death toll to 114,613, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The world's top economy is the most affected by the pandemic in absolute terms, with both the highest number of deaths and the largest number of infections -- 2,044,572 at 8:30 pm Friday (0030 GMT Saturday), a tracker maintained by the Baltimore-based university showed. 

The US continues to register around 20,000 new cases of coronavirus each day, and is struggling to come down from that plateau as infection rates wax and wane around the country. — AFP

The Department of Health says there are 615 more COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 24,787.

There are 289 new survivors and 16 new deaths.

North Korea criticize Donald Trump in a stinging denunciation of the United States, the second anniversary of a landmark summit in Singapore where the US president shook hands with leader Kim Jong Un.

It was the latest in a series of vitriolic statements from Pyongyang aimed at both Washington and Seoul, and came a day after the North implicitly threatened to disrupt November's election if the US did not stay out of inter-Korean affairs. — AFP  

The number of asylum applications in Europe plunged 87% in April, to the lowest level since 2008, due to lockdown measures imposed to fight the coronavirus, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) says Thursday.

"Only 8,730 asylum applications were registered... a record low in at least the past 12 years, and a massive decrease from pre-COVID-19 levels in January and February," it said in a statement, reporting on an area covering the European Union plus Norway and Switzerland. — AFP
 

The Department of Health reports that the total infection count in the Philippines is now at 24,175. 

The Health department says there 443 additional cases, 270 recoveries and nine deaths.

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the United States topped two million on Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 112,900 people in the United States, which leads the world in the number of confirmed infections with 2,000,464, according to the Baltimore-based school's latest count. — AFP

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the United States topped two million on Wednesday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 112,900 people in the United States, which leads the world in the number of confirmed infections with 2,000,464, according to the Baltimore-based school's latest count. — AFP

The coronavirus has infected nearly two million people overall in the United States, and in the past 24 hours has caused 1,082 fatalities in the country, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The world's leading economic power is by far the country most affected by the pandemic, both in terms of the number of reported deaths -- 112,833 -- and the number of diagnosed cases, which stood at 1,999,313 at 8:30 pm Wednesday (0030 GMT Thursday).

The US continues to record around 20,000 new cases of COVID-19 every day, and is struggling to come down from that plateau as the level of infections wax and wane in different parts of the country. — AFP

The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic in Latin America passes the grim milestone of 70,000 fatalities on Wednesday, according to an AFP tally of figures released by national health ministries.

Brazil, the region's worst-hit country, accounts for almost 40,000 of the total deaths, registering 1,274 in the last 24 hours. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 412,926 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 7,294,130 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,227,700 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The British government on Wednesday faced ridicule for planning to reopen zoos as part of an easing of coronavirus lockdown measures but failing to ensure the immediate return of children to school.

Education leaders said the government's admission Tuesday that it will be unable to reopen most schools in England this month will only widen the gap between rich children and those from disadvantaged families.

Opposition Labour party leader Kier Starmer told Prime Minister Boris Johnson in parliament that the government's "current arrangement lies in tatters".

"Parents have lost confidence in the government's approach, millions of children will miss six months of schooling, and inequality will now go up," he said. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 411,588 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Wednesday.

At least 7,254,140 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,214,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Many countries are testing only symptomatic or the most serious cases. — AFP

The Department of Health says there are 452 "fresh" and 288 "late" COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 23,732.

The department also records 10 new deaths and 159 new recoveries.

According to figures released by Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus pandemic killed 819 people in the United States in the past 24 hours.

There have been a total of 111,751 deaths in the country and 1,973,803 cases of infection, the Baltimore-based institution's real-time tracker reports at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Wednesday).

The United States is the country hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of both the number of fatalities and number of cases. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 407,914 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

At least 7,169,550 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,148,200 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The French government on Tuesday pledged 15 billion euros ($16.9 billion) for the country's aviation industry, where thousands of jobs are on the line as the coronavirus crisis hammers the travel industry.

"We are declaring a state of emergency to save our aeronautics industry so that it can be more competitive," Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says at a press conference in Paris.

"If we hadn't intervened right away, a third of the jobs in the sector would have disappeared... that's around 100,000 of the 300,000 direct and indirect jobs in the sector," he adds. — AFP

The Department of Health reports that the total infection count in the Philippines is now at 22,992. 

The Health department says there are 518 additional COVID-19 cases, 99 recoveries and six new deaths.

The World Bank says the coronavirus pandemic inflicted a "swift and massive shock" that has caused the broadest collapse of the global economy since 1870 despite unprecedented government support.

The world economy is expected to contract by 5.2 percent this year -- the worst recession in 80 years -- but the sheer number of countries suffering economic losses means the scale of the downturn is worse than any recession in 150 years, the World Bank says in its latest Global Economic Prospects report. — AFP

According to the latest real-time tally reported by Johns Hopkins University, the United States recorded 450 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, the lowest total in about two months.

It remains to be seen if the low mark will hold in the coming days, as the data compiled by the Baltimore-based school tends to dip as the weekend ends because of how numbers are reported by local health authorities.

The country -- hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities -- has confirmed a total of 110,932 deaths and is approaching two million cases, at 1,956,527, it reports. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 404,245 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Monday.

At least 7,065,200 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,078,100 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 400,581 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Sunday.

At least 6,949,890 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 3,030,800 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Collapsing revenues, rising layoffs: the coronavirus crisis is battering media outlets across Africa that were already struggling for cash and often facing pressure from hostile authorities.

The news of cutbacks was sudden and painful for journalists at two of Nigeria's most popular independent newspapers when bosses from The Punch and Vanguard made their announcements last month.

"It was a rude shock for me because I didn't do anything wrong to warrant such treatment," one Punch veteran told AFP, asking not to be named as he was still owed a "token" payoff. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 350 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total infection count to  21,340.

One hundred eleven patients have recovered from the deadly virus and seven died. 

The coronavirus pandemic killed 922 people in the United States in the past 24 hours, according to figures released by Johns Hopkins University.

The latest deaths bring the total in the United States to 109,042, and there have been more than 1.89 million cases, according to a real-time tally maintained by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Saturday).

Some 491,000 people have recovered from the disease. — AFP

The Department of Health reports that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in the Philippines climbed to 20,626 as of Friday, June 5, 2020.

There are 244 additional cases, 82 recoveries and three new deaths.

Brazil's death toll from the novel coronavirus has surged to become the third-highest in the world, surpassing Italy's, according to official figures released Thursday.

The South American country of 210 million people reported a new record of 1,473 deaths in 24 hours, bringing its overall toll to 34,021, from 614,941 infections, the health ministry said.

Italy has confirmed 33,689 deaths from 234,013 infections. — AFP 

 The novel coronavirus has killed at least 387,280 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Thursday. 

At least 6,563,710 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 2,838,800 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Britain's Prince Charles spoke of his experience of coronavirus, saying he was fortunate to have only mild symptoms and that he hopes the pandemic will refocus efforts on the environment. 

"I was lucky in my case and got away with it quite lightly," the 71-year-old heir to the throne told Sky News television in an interview broadcast on Thursday.

"I can so understand what other people have gone through. I feel particularly for those who've lost their loved ones but were unable to be with them at the time.

"That's to me the most ghastly thing," he said. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 634 additional cases of the coronavirus disease, which brings the national tally to 20,382.

The agency says there are 95 recoveries and 10 deaths. 

According to the latest real-time tally reported by Johns Hopkins University, the United States recorded 919 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 107,099,

The country -- hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities -- has now confirmed nearly 1.85 million cases, the Baltimore-based school reported at 8:30 pm Wednesday (0030 GMT Thursday).

Even if the pandemic seems to be abating to some extent in the country, health experts are still worried, and say that widespread anti-racism protests over the past week could lead to a new surge in cases. — AFP

Researchers in hard-hit Brazil on Wednesday say they would begin testing a coronavirus vaccine developed in Britain, while across the Atlantic European nations began reopening borders in a bid to emerge from months of devastation caused by the disease.

Authorities in Brazil — the latest frontline of the pandemic, with deaths and infections on the rise — imposed fresh restrictions in the country's northeast after reporting "extremely high" numbers of cases.

Concern over the spread of the coronavirus in Latin America has increased even as the health crisis has eased in other regions of the world. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 382,016 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Wednesday. 

At least 6,440,940 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 2,768,700 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 751 new cases of the coronavirus disease, which brings the national tally to 19,748.

There are 90 new recoveries and eight new deaths.

Brazil surpasses 30,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak on Tuesday as the disease continued to rip through South America's worst-hit country.

Figures released by the health ministry shows 1,262 deaths in the previous 24-hours, as well as 28,936 new infections. 

The overall number of cases — 555,383 — makes Brazil the second most affected country by the crisis after the United States in terms of infections. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 377,213 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday. 

At least 6,320,480 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 2,662,300 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 359 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 18,997.

There are 84 new recoveries and six new deaths.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 373,439 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Monday. 

At least 6,220,110 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 2,599,500 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

South Africa's education minister apologizes on Monday for a week-long delay in reopening schools owing to a lack of "readiness".

Thousands of grade seven and grade 12 students had been preparing to attend the first classes in the country after two and a half months of home-schooling to limit the spread of coronavirus.

The education department announced late on Sunday that it had postponed the resumption date to June 8, saying the extra week would serve to better prepare facilities and train staff.

"It became clear that the sector was at different levels of readiness," Education Minister Angelina Motshekga said at a press briefing on Monday. — AFP

The Philippines logs 552 additional COVID-19 cases (119 "fresh" cases and 433 "late" cases), pushing the country's total number of confirmed cases to 18,638.

The Department of Health also reports 70 new recoveries, raising the total number of recovered patients to 3,979.

Three additional deaths were also recorded, bringing the national death toll to 960.

More than one million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean, half of them in Brazil, according to an AFP toll on Sunday based on official data.

Since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic 1,016,828 people have been infected, with 514,849 cases recorded in Brazil, which currently has the world's fourth highest COVID-19 death toll after the United States, Britain and Italy. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 370,261 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT Sunday. 

At least 6,113,340 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 2,520,800 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound -- the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia -- reopened on Sunday after being closed for more than two months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dozens of worshippers in protective masks were let into the compound before the first prayers of the day, held in a cool and windy night.

Chanting "God is greatest, we will protect Al-Aqsa with our soul and blood", the group gathered in front of the large wooden doors were welcomed by mosque director Omar al-Kiswani, who thanked them for their patience.

It followed a fraught day in annexed east Jerusalem, where the compound is located.

Israeli police on Saturday shot dead a disabled Palestinian they mistakenly thought was armed, prompting furious condemnation from the Palestinians.

The religious site, which houses Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, had closed its doors in March as part of measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. — AFP

The US recorded 960 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, bringing its total to 103,758 since the global pandemic began, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The country has officially logged 1,769,776 cases of the virus, far more than any other nation, the tracker by the Baltimore-based university showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Sunday). — AFP

The Department of Health reports 590 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the national tally to 17,224.

Of the new confirmed cases, 252 were considered "fresh" and 338 were positive results returned “late.”

There are 88 recoveries 8 deaths, the Health department adds.

The Department of Health announces that the COVID-19 case bulletin for Saturday, May 30, 2020 will be released around 8:00 p.m.

The Department of Health reports 1,046 new cases of the coronavirus disease, the highest surge in a day in the Philippines. This brings the national tally to 16,634.

The agency says there are 122 recoveries and 21 new fatalities. 

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire says that out of the 539 new cases reported Thursday, only 109 were "fresh cases" or those confirmed in the last three days.

The remaining were reported infections from last week.

The United States records 1,297 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, bringing its total to 101,573 since the global pandemic began, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The country has also officially logged 1,720,613 cases of the virus, far more than any other nation, the tracker kept by the Baltimore-based university showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Friday). — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 357,311 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Thursday. 

At least 5,747,100 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 2,296,900 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 539 new cases of the coronavirus disease, the highest in a single day, taking the national tally to 15,588.

There are 92 new recoveries and 17 new fatalities, the health department adds.

South Korea re-imposes a series of coronavirus social distancing measures on Thursday, as a series of clusters threatens to challenge its success in containing the epidemic.

Museums, parks and art galleries in the Seoul metropolitan area will all be closed again for two weeks from Friday, says health minister Park Neung-hoo, while companies are urged to re-adopt flexible working practices, among other measures. 

"We have decided to strengthen all quarantine measures in the metropolitan area for two weeks from tomorrow to June 14," he says. — AFP

Brazil's death toll from the new coronavirus surpasses 25,000 on Wednesday, as the country emerges as the latest epicenter in the pandemic.

The health ministry says it had confirmed 1,086 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the fifth time the daily toll has exceeded 1,000 since the crisis accelerated in Brazil last week.

That pushes the nationwide death toll to 25,598.

The country of 210 million people now has 411,821 confirmed cases of the virus, second only to the United States. Experts say under-testing means the real figures are probably much higher. — AFP

The United States has now recorded more than 100,000 coronavirus-related deaths, Johns Hopkins University reported Wednesday — a somber milestone and by far the highest total in the world.

The country reported its first death about three months ago. Since then, nearly 1.7 million infections have been tallied nationwide, according to the Baltimore-based school.

The actual number of deaths and infections is believed to be higher, experts say. — AFP

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused surging unemployment worldwide, but has hit young workers especially hard, forcing more than one in six people aged under 29 to stop working, the UN said Wednesday.

In a fresh study, the International Labor Organization warned that the novel coronavirus crisis has disproportionately affected young people, and could impact upon their work opportunities and career options for decades to come.

"I don't think it is giving way to hyperbole to talk about the danger of a lockdown generation," ILO chief Guy Ryder told a virtual press conference. — AFP

More than 350,000 deaths from the new coronavirus have been recorded worldwide since it first appeared in China in December, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources.

A total of 350,196 deaths have been reported, from 5,589,389 cases, including 173,713 in Europe from 2,057,414 infections. The United States has registered the most deaths of any country, 98,929, ahead of Britain with 37,048, Italy with 32,955, France with 28,530 and Spain with 27,117.

The number of diagnosed cases however reflects only a fraction of the actual number of infections as many countries test only serious cases or lack testing capacity.

The Philippines records an additional 380 COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 15,049. Of the confirmed cases, 10,639 of which are active cases.

The Department of Health also reports 18 new deaths, raising the death toll to 904.

Meanwhile, 94 more patients recovered from the disease, which brings the total number of recovered patients to 3,506.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 347,723 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday. 

At least 5,541,590 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 2,191,200 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that Dutch workers apparently infected with the coronavirus by minks could be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission.

The WHO told AFP that it was in close contact with Dutch researchers  investigating three cases where the virus appears to have been passed to humans from minks.

"This would be the first known cases of animal-to-human transmission," the UN health agency told AFP in an email.

"But we are still collecting and reviewing more data to understand if animals and pets can spread the disease," it said. — AFP

The Department of Health announces that a total of 14,669 individuals have contracted the coronavirus disease, with the agency reporting 350 new cases.

There are 89 new recoveries and 13 new deaths.

The US coronavirus death toll has risen by 532 over the past 24 hours, the Johns Hopkins University tracker said Monday.

After that relatively small increase, the US toll now stands at 98,218 lives as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Tuesday), according to the Baltimore-based university, and US cases of infection now number 1,662,375. 

Both are the highest anywhere in the world. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 344,107 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Monday.

The drop in the total numbers of deaths is due to Spain's revision of its toll downwards by nearly 2,000.

At least 5,453,650 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 2,133,900 are now considered recovered. — AFP

The US coronavirus death toll has risen by 638 over the past 24 hours, the Johns Hopkins University tracker reported Sunday night.

After that relatively small increase, the US toll now stands at 97,686 lives as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Monday), according to the Baltimore-based university, and US cases of infection now number 1,641,585. — AFP

The US coronavirus death toll has risen by 638 over the past 24 hours, the Johns Hopkins University tracker reported Sunday night.

After that relatively small increase, the US toll now stands at 97,686 lives as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Monday), according to the Baltimore-based university, and US cases of infection now number 1,641,585. — AFP

The Department of Health records 258 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of people to have tested positive for the disease to 14,035.

The DOH also reports 72 new recoveries and five new deaths.

China 'open' to international effort to identify virus source, foreign minister says — AFP

The United States records a further 1,127 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing its total to 97,048 since the global pandemic began, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.

The country has also officially logged 1,621,658 cases of the virus, far more than any other nation, the tracker kept by the Baltimore-based university showed at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Sunday). — AFP

The Department of Health reports 180 new cases of COVID-19. bringing the national tally to 13,777.

There are 85 new recoveries and six new deaths.

The Department of Science and Technology announces that it has submitted a proposal for possible legislation in order to establish the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines.

The institute is envisioned to be the premier research institute in the field of virology encompassing all areas in viruses and viral diseases in humans, plants and animals.

UNICEF Philippines says it has scaled up its support to the Philippine government in its efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organization says it has procured supplies which include 72,000 sets of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for health staff, 450,000 masks (N95 and surgical masks) for health staff and 500 PPEs for cleaning staff.

The Department of Health reports 163 new COVID-19 infections, which brings the total number of cases to 13,597.

There are 92 new recoveries and 11 new fatalities.

Opposition Sen. Leila de Lima asks for government transparency and accountability after its procurement of reportedly overpriced personal protective equipment and other medical equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While the country’s coffers are quickly drying up, while the health sector is struggling to hold the line, here is the DOH surrounded with corruption allegations yet again. Bakit natin kailangan bumili ng napakamahal na mga PPE from China samantalang marami nang naiulat na mga produkto ng China na depektibo at mapanganib?” De Lima says in her dispatch.

“Kailangang magpaliwanag ng ating DOH ukol sa mga ulat na ito. Our people have suffered and placed our survival in the hands of our government. If we are to ‘heal as one, we need our government to be transparent and accountable,” she adds.

The novel coronavirus death toll in Brazil surpasses 20,000 on Thursday, after a record number of fatalities in a 24-hour period, the Ministry of Health says.

The country is the epicenter of the outbreak in Latin America, and its highest one-day toll of 1,188 pushed overall deaths to 20,047.

Brazil has now recorded 310,087 confirmed cases, with experts saying under-testing means the real figures are probably much higher. — AFP

The IMF and Ukrainian officials reach a staff level agreement on a new 18 month, $5 billion stand-by arrangement to help Kiev cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Washington-based financial institution says Thursday.

The agreement is subject to approval by the International Monetary Fund's management and executive board, which will look at the deal "in the coming weeks," the IMF statement says.

The Fund's governing body generally follows the recommendations of the technical teams. — AFP

At least 84 people died as the fiercest cyclone to hit parts of Bangladesh and eastern India this century sent trees flying and flattened houses, with millions crammed into shelters despite the risk of coronavirus.

Millions more were left without power after Cyclone Amphan, packing winds of around 150 kph, carried away electricity pylons, walls and roofs, officials said as they began to assess the damage. — AFP

Global infections from the novel coronavirus surpassed five million on Thursday as the pandemic played out unevenly across the planet, with China eager to declare a victory, Europe tentatively emerging from its shell and deaths still rising in hotspots in Latin America. 

The grim milestone is still only a fraction of the true number of infections from a virus that has claimed more than 328,000 lives in its whirl around the globe, according to AFP tally of official sources. 

And while many hard-hit European countries have significantly curbed the rise of cases, Latin America has been in the grip of an infection surge. 

Brazil is leading the pack, logging the third-highest number of cases in the world after the US and Russia. Peru, Mexico and Chile have also seen steady increases in infections. — AFP

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III concedes that the Philippines is still in first major wave of COVID-19 community transmission.

The Department of Health reports 213 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 13,434.

Sixty-eight people have recovered four died.

Walt Disney World in Florida cracks open its doors, offering dining and shopping to masked customers but leaving the beloved rides closed, as the state begins to slowly get back to business after a coronavirus lockdown.

As the park welcomed people to the Disney Springs shopping strip in Orlando, the new reality of life in the COVID-19 era was stark.

Parking was limited, barriers have been erected to encourage social distancing, visiting hours have been reduced and staffers repeatedly disinfected high-touch surfaces. — AFP 

According to the latest real-time tally of Johns Hopkins University, the United States recorded 1,561 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 93,406.

The country -- hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities -- has now confirmed a total of 1,550,959 cases, the Baltimore-based school reports. — AFP

More than 325,000 people worldwide have died from the novel coronavirus, three-quarters of them in Europe and the United States, since it broke out in China in December, according to an AFP tally.

The virus has killed 325,232 people in 196 countries and infected 4,943,050, according to the tally based on official sources at 1900 GMT Wednesday.

Of those infected, at least 1,827,200 are now considered recovered. — AFP

The total number of COVID-19 cases among overseas Filipinos is now at 2,455 with 24 confirmed new cases, 9 recoveries and 4 new deaths, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

"Despite the decrease in the daily rate of recoveries reported by the DFA through its Foreign Service Posts today, the total number of overseas Filipinos who recovered from COVID-19 at 858 cases is now three times more than the total fatalities at 284 and comprises almost 35% of the total confirmed cases," the DFA says. 

The Philippines logs an additional 279 COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 13,221.

The Department of Health also reports 89 new recoveries, which raises the total number of recovered patients to 2,932.

The country's death toll is now at 842 with five new deaths.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque says the Philippines is now experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 outbreak.

The Johns Hopkins University tracker says the United States recorded another 1,536 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours,

That figure, tallied as of 8:30 p.m. (0030 GMT), raises to 91,845 the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the US. 

The US tops the global rankings both for the highest death toll and the highest number of infections, with more than 1.5 million cases. — AFP

Brazil registers 1,179 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, the health ministry says Tuesday, as the pandemic exacted its worst daily toll yet in the hardest-hit Latin American country.

The overall death toll in Brazil now stands at 17,971, the ministry says.

This was the first time the daily toll exceeded 1,000.

New infections in the past 24 hours totals 17,408, bringing the total to 271,628. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 320,255 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT Tuesday.

At least 4,850,670 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,770,500 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.  

Many countries are testing only the most serious cases. — AFP

A prolonged global slump and surge in bankruptcies arising from the coronavirus pandemic are the foremost concerns for companies surveyed in a World Economic Forum report Tuesday.

However, the crisis also gives governments a "unique opportunity" to craft a healthier, climate-friendly economy as they intervene with huge rescue packages, the organisation said.

Its survey of 347 company risk managers looked at the biggest concerns for the next 18 months, after the pandemic shut down much of the world economy.

They identified the most likely fallout as an extended downturn, a jump in company failures allied with industry consolidation, and high youth unemployment. — AFP

The Philippines records an additional 224 COVID-19 cases in the country, bringing the national total to 12,942.

The Department of Health also reports 114 new recoveries, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 2,843.

Meanwhile, the health department reports six new deaths, which brings the national toll to 837.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 316,333 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT Monday. 

At least 4,759,650 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,711,900 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports an additional 205 COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 12,718.

The total number of recoveries is now at 2,729 after the DOH recorded 94 new recoveries.

Meanwhile, the national death toll stands at 831 with seven new deaths.

South Africa reports 1,160 new coronavirus infections, the highest daily rise since the first case was recorded in March, data released by the health ministry showed.

The new numbers take the cumulative tally to 15,515 with the touristic Western Cape province accounting for nearly 60 percent of the national figures. The numbers of fatalities rose by three to 263. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 313,611 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Sunday.

At least 4,680,700 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,670,100 are now considered recovered.  

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

China faces a potential second wave of coronavirus infections due to a lack of immunity among its population, its government's senior medical advisor has warned.

After months of lockdowns and curbs on travel China has largely brought the virus under control, but fears of a second wave have risen as clusters have emerged in northeast provinces and in the central city of Wuhan.

"The majority of... Chinese at the moment are still susceptible of the COVID-19 infection, because (of) a lack of immunity," Zhong Nanshan, the public face of government's response to the pandemic, tells CNN.

"We are facing (a) big challenge," Zhong adds. "It's not better than the foreign countries I think at the moment." — AFP

As the novel coronavirus pandemic wipes out a recovery from jihadist attacks in 2015, Tunisia's vital tourism sector is trying to find ways to avoid going under.

"Normally, the season starts now. But there is nobody," said Mohammed Saddam, who owns an antiques shop in the famous blue and white village of Sidi Bou Said, near the capital Tunis.

Usually its streets are filled with tourists at this time of year, but now Saddam is only opening his store for an hour a day to air it out.

"We are waiting for the airspace to reopen," he said. "But 2020 is a write-off."

The North African country has registered 45 deaths from the COVID-19 illness, and for several days this week saw no new infections, putting it among Mediterranean countries faring relatively well in the pandemic.

But the crisis has led to a shortfall in tourism revenues of six billion dinars (over $2 billion), the country's national tourism office has estimated, and some 400,000 jobs are at risk.

The sector had been bouncing back to levels not seen since before the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. — AFP

The United States recorded 1,237 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing its grim total to 88,730, according to the latest real-time tally Saturday reported by Johns Hopkins University.

The country — hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities — has now confirmed a total of 1,466,682 cases, the Baltimore-based school reports. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 214 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the national tally to 12,305.

There are new 101 new recoveries and 11 new mortalities.

According to the latest real-time tally, the United States recorded 1,680 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing its grim total to 87,493. 

The country -- hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities -- has now confirmed a total of 1,442,924 cases, the Baltimore-based school reports. — AFP

The Health department reports 215 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 12,091.

There are 123 new recoveries and 16 new fatalities. 

US health authorities issues an alert over a rare but sometimes deadly autoimmune condition among children that is believed to be linked to COVID-19.

The illness, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, was first reported in Britain in late April. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed more than 300,000 people worldwide, mostly in Europe and the United States, since it emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally of official figures on Thursday at 2030 GMT.

A total of 300,140 people have died across the globe from 4,403,714 officially registered cases. The United States has registered the most deaths at 85,194 followed by Britain with 33,614, Italy at 31,368, France at 27,425 and Spain with 27,321 fatalities. — AFP

A northeastern Chinese city has partially shut its borders, cut off transport links and closed schools after the emergence of a local COVID-19 cluster that has fuelled fears about a second wave of infections in China.

Authorities in Jilin, with a population of more than four million, suspended bus services and said it will let residents leave the city only if they have tested negative for COVID-19 in the past 48 hours and complete an unspecified period of "strict self-isolation". — AFP

Beijing has accused the United States of smearing China after Washington alleged Chinese hackers were attempting to steal research on developing a vaccine against the coronavirus.

The claims have added fuel to tensions between the global superpowers, who have traded barbs over the origin of the pandemic that has killed 300,000 people. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 258 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 11,876.

There are 86 new recoveries and 18 new fatalities.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 294,199 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT Wednesday.

At least 4,305,340 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,473,700 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 145 new recoveries from the infectious COVID-19, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 2,251.

An additional 268 cases (165 in NCR, 58 in Region 7 and 45 in other areas) were also recorded, raising the total of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines to 11,618.

Meanwhile, the 21 new deaths reported by the DOH bring the national toll to 772.

A UN report says deaths from preventable disease in children under five could rise by almost 45% over the next six months as the COVID-19 pandemic diverts scarce health resources in developing countries.

Poorer nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America could see an additional 1.2 million infants die over the period, according to the study published by The Lancet Global Health. — AFP

The coronavirus pandemic has now claimed more than 290,000 lives worldwide, according to an AFP tally of official sources at 2200 GMT on Tuesday.

In total, 290,477 deaths have been registered, with Europe accounting for 159,205 of them. The United States is the worst-affected country with 82,105 deaths, followed by Britain (32,692), Italy (30,911), France (26,991) and Spain (26,920). — AFP

South Korean authorities say they are using mobile phone data to trace Seoul nightclub visitors as they tackle a new coronavirus cluster, promising anonymity to those being tested due to the stigma surrounding homosexuality.

A spike of new cases, driven by the cluster in venues in Seoul's Itaewon district — including several gay clubs — forced authorities to delay this week's planned re-opening of schools.

Seoul, as well as neighboring Gyeonggi province and the nearby city of Incheon and the southern city of Daegu, has ordered the closure of all clubs and bars. —  AFP

State media reports that Wuhan plans to conduct coronavirus tests on the Chinese city's entire population after new cases emerged for the first time in weeks in the cradle of the global pandemic.

Officials have been ordered to submit by noon on Tuesday plans to administer nucleic acid tests on all residents in the city of 11 million people, according to an official notice carried by news outlets. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 264 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases 11,350.

There are 107 new recoveries and 25 new fatalities.

Department of Health Undersecretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire says COVID-19 cases will increase in the next days or weeks because of the increased testing capacity.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 283,978 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Monday.

At least 4,148,350 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 195 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,396,200 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.  

Many countries are testing only the most serious cases. — AFP

President Vladimir Putin on Monday says Russia's non-working period imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus will be lifted from Tuesday.

"Starting from tomorrow, May 12, the national period of non-working days will be over for all sectors of the economy," Putin says, adding that Russia's regions will be able to keep in place any necessary anti-virus measures.

The president's announcement comes after Russia registered a record number of daily cases Monday, with more than 11,000 people testing positive over the last 24 hours. 

Health officials have recorded a total of 221,344 coronavirus infections and 2009 deaths. — AFP

China reported a new cluster of coronavirus cases in the city of Wuhan.

Five new infections were confirmed in one district of Wuhan, the city believed to be ground zero for the global pandemic. 

The city in central Hubei province only emerged from lockdown roughly four weeks ago, after weeks of dwindling cases. -- AFP

The Department of Health reports an additional 292 COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, bringing the national total to 11,086.

The health department also logs 75 new recoveries, which brings the total number of recovered patients to 1,999.

Meanwhile, seven new deaths raise the national toll to 726.

More than 280,000 people have now died from the new coronavirus, most of whom were in Europe and the United States, according to a tally by AFP from official sources at 1635 GMT on Sunday.

In total, 280,011 deaths have been registered throughout the world, of which 156,095 were in Europe, the most-affected continent. The United States is the country that has recorded most deaths at 78,862. It is followed by Britain (31,855), Italy (30,560), Spain (26,621) and France (26,380). — AFP

The cost of a university education in the United States has long been eye-watering, with a year costing tens of thousands of dollars.

But as the coronavirus crisis settles in, students — many of whom take out huge loans to finance their degrees — are wondering how to justify spending $70,000 a year on.... Zoom classes.

They feel like they're getting the raw end of the deal, and are demanding that their colleges be held to account.

"We're paying for other services that the campus offers that aren't digitized," says Dhrumil Shah, who is doing a Master's degree in public health at George Washington University.

The 24-year-old relied in part on loans to pay for his two-year program in the US capital. In a few days, he will earn his diploma, but there will be no traditional graduation ceremony. — AFP

The Department of Health says there are 147 new cases more infections of coronavirus disease 2019, raising the national tally to 10,610.

There are eight new mortalities and 108 new survivors.

According to the latest real-time tally by Johns Hopkins University, the United States recorded 1,635 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 77,178,

The country -- hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities -- has now confirmed a total of 1,283,829 cases, the Baltimore-based school reported. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 120 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 10,463.

There are 116 new recoveries and 10 new deaths.

The Valenzuela City government signs a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with its third COVID-19 laboratory partner.

It has now started testing and doing mandatory quarantine of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning residents.

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 266,919 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Thursday.

More than 3,806,440 cases were registered in 195 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,197,100 are now considered recovered. — AFP

Catholics will be able to attend masses, baptisms, weddings and funerals in Italian churches from May 18, provided they abide by a series of anti-coronavirus rules, the government said Thursday.

All public religious ceremonies were cancelled when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown in early March over a pandemic that has since killed nearly 30,000 people, according to Italy's official toll.

The faithful will have to wear masks and sit or stand well spaced out, according to rules drawn up and approved by a scientific committee.

In addition, holy water fonts where the faithful traditionally dip their fingers before making the sign of the cross on their forehead, will be dry and there will be no exchanging the sign of peace, which normally involves shaking hands with the people close by. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 339 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 10,343.

The Health department also announces 112 new recoveries and 27 new deaths.

The United States recorded 2,073 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 73,095, according to the latest real-time tally Wednesday reported by Johns Hopkins University.

The country — hardest hit by the pandemic in terms of the number of fatalities — has now confirmed a total of 1,227,430 cases, the Baltimore-based school reported. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 260,546 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Wednesday.

More than 3,710,240  cases were registered in 195 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,153,300 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

The Department of Health announces that there are 320 new cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 10,004.

There are 98 new recoveries and 21 new deaths, the Health department adds. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs announces that around 30 Filipinos have donated blood during a blood drive organized by an Italian non-profit association of blood donor organizations in Rome on May 3.

“The blood donation is a huge effort to help in the COVID-19 emergency. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, Italian health authorities have been calling for blood donors as blood banks are experiencing low supply of blood caused by the health crisis,” says Associazione di Donatori Volontari di Sangue La Rete di Tutti President Di Iorio, through Philippine Ambassador to Italy Domingo Nolasco. 

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 254,532 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Tuesday.

More than 3,629,160 cases were registered in 195 countries and territories. 

Of these, at least 1,124,600 are now considered recovered.

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

More than a quarter of a million people have died from the novel coronavirus worldwide, with over 85 percent of them in Europe and the United States, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

At 2230 GMT on Monday, the US had recorded 68,689 virus deaths, the most for any single country, while Europe was the hardest-hit continent with 145,023 confirmed fatalities.

Since it emerged in China in December, COVID-19 has infected more than 3.5 million people and devastated economies across the globe.

The virus death toll in the US was followed by those in Italy (29,079), the United Kingdom (28,734), Spain (25,428) and France (25,201). — AFP

China's state broadcaster CCTV on Monday attacked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's "insane and evasive remarks" over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, further fuelling Sino-US tensions. 

Pompeo on Sunday said "enormous evidence" showed the virus originated in a lab in China, doubling down on previous claims that have been repeatedly denied by the World Health Organization and various scientific experts. 

The theory has been heavily pushed by the Trump administration, which has been increasingly critical of China's handling of the outbreak that first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

Since then, the virus has killed more than 247,000 people and 3.5 million have been infected worldwide. — AFP

Novel coronavirus deaths in the United States climb by 1,450 in the past 24 hours, a tally by Johns Hopkins University showed Sunday, bringing the total number of fatalities to more than 67,600.

The Baltimore-based university had recorded more than 1.15 million cases in the country as of 8:30 pm Sunday (0030 GMT Monday), with 67,674 deaths.

The United States has by far the highest death toll of any country in the global pandemic.

Sunday's 24-hour toll was similar to Saturday's, showing a decline after hitting 2,502 on Wednesday. — AFP

The novel coronavirus has killed at least 245,576 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Sunday.

More than 3,479,220 cases were registered in 195 countries and territories. Of these, at least 1,063,600 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections.  — AFP

President Donald Trump on Sunday says the United States would have a coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year.

"We are very confident that we're going to have a vaccine at the end of the year, by the end of the year," Trump says in a Fox News "town hall" show broadcast from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

He also says he would urge the reopening of schools and universities in September, saying "I want them to go back." — AFP

Europe on Sunday prepared for a further cautious easing of coronavirus restrictions following signs the pandemic may be slowing, after Spaniards flocked to the streets to jog, cycle and rollerskate for the first time after 48 days of confinement.

More than 242,000 people have been killed and 3.4 million infected worldwide by the virus, which has left half of humanity under some form of lockdown and pushed the global economy towards its worst downturn since the Great Depression.

With signs that the spread of the contagion has been brought under control, parts of Europe and the United States have begun to lift restrictions to try to inject life into economies crippled by weeks of closures and ease the pressure from populations wearying of captivity.

After a two-month lockdown in Italy — with the second-highest number of virus deaths in the world — people on Monday will be allowed to stroll in parks and visit relatives. Restaurants can open for takeaway and wholesale stores can resume business. — AFP

A massive wave of coronavirus infections is blasting through the world's largest prison population in the United States even as officials begin opening up their economies, saying the disease has plateaued.

One prison in Marion, Ohio has become the most intensely infected institution across the country, with more than 80 percent of its nearly 2,500 inmates, and 175 staff on top of that, testing positive for COVID-19.

Coronavirus deaths are on the increase in jails and penitentiaries across the country, with officials having few options — they are unable to force adequate distancing in crowded cells and facing shortages of medical personnel and personal protective gear everywhere. — AFP

Baguio City’s oldest COVID-19 patient, a 77-year-old man, recovers from COVID-19.

He is the 12th COVID-19 patient discharged from the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center

“We are absolutely overjoyed and was impressed at the hospital for helping so many people,” the patient’s wife says as they leave the hospital. 

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong says the case is extra special considering that the patient also had a stroke before. — The STAR/Artemio Dumlao

The Department of Health reports 156 new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, giving rise to a total of 8,928 infections.

The country has 40 new recoveries, increasing the number to 1,124, and 24 new deaths, leading to 603 total fatalities.

Sen. Sonny Angara announces that he tested positive for the coronavirus disease again. 

"It has been close to one month since I recovered from COVID-19. But while preparing to donate my blood plasma for a second time, my doctors, after the results of the initial antibody test taken before donating, had me take another swab test, which registered positive," says Angara. 

"My wife Tootsy has tested negative, which could be proof of what my doctors are positing that I am probably no longer infectious and that this latest positive result is probably picking up remnants of the virus," he adds.

The World Health Organization says it was hoping China would invite it to take part in its investigations into the animal origins of the novel coronavirus.

"WHO would be keen to work with international partners and at the invitation of the Chinese government to participate in investigation around the animal origins," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic tells AFP in an email. — AFP

The global death toll from the coronavirus surpasses 230,000 on Thursday, according to an AFP tally at 1900 GMT compiled from official sources.

A total of 230,309 deaths have been registered from 3,218,415 cases, the tally showed. Europe is the worst hit continent with 137,714 deaths, while the United States has registered the most for one country with 61,717.

Almost 90 percent of the fatalities from a pandemic which first appeared in China in December have occurred in Europe and the United States. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 276 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 8,488.

There are 20 new recoveries and 10 new deaths. 

The United States records 2,502 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the latest real-time tally on Wednesday reported by Johns Hopkins University.

After two days of a relative easing in the toll on Sunday and Monday, the numbers have spiked again the past two days. 

At least 60,853 people have now died in the country, according to the Baltimore-based university. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 254 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 8,212.

The Health department also announces 48 new recoveries. 

The number of US deaths from the novel coronavirus has surpassed the toll of Americans killed in the Vietnam War, the Johns Hopkins University tracker shows.

The pandemic has killed 58,365 people in the United States, the Baltimore-based university said. According to the National Archives, 58,220 Americans were killed in combat and from other causes such as accidents during years of war in Southeast Asia.

Vietnamese authorities in Hanoi have said in their official account of the war that 1.2 million soldiers, both North Vietnamese regulars and Viet Cong guerrillas, were killed. Another two to three million civilians died, officials there say. —-- AFP

More than 210,000 people have died worldwide in the coronavirus pandemic, 85% of them in Europe and the United States, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources on Tuesday,

A total of 210,930 deaths have been recorded among 3,027,853 cases since the outbreak began in China late last year.

The Department of Health reports 181 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the Philippines at 7,958.

The Health department also announces 43 new recoveries. 

Spain's unemployment rate jumps in the first quarter of 2020 to 14.4 percent, figures from national statistics institute INE showed, as a nationwide coronavirus lockdown hit the eurozone's fourth largest economy.

The jobless rate was up from 13.8 percent in the previous quarter, the highest level in the eurozone after Greece. Spain, one of the hardest-hit nations by the pandemic, imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 14 which has largely paralysed its economy. — AFP

The United States now has an overall death toll of 56,144, with 987,022 infections, according to a tally by the Baltimore-based institution at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Tuesday).

At least 111,109 people have recovered from the virus. — AFP

More than three million cases of coronavirus have been officially registered across the world, with nearly 80% in Europe and the United States, according to a tally by AFP at 2050 GMT Monday using official figures.

At least 3,003,344 infections have been detected, including 209,388 deaths, mostly in Europe where there are 1,393,779 cases and 126,233 deaths.

The United States, the country where the pandemic is progressing the most rapidly, has 980,008 cases including 55,637 deaths.

The number of detected cases is believed to represent only a fraction of the true number of infections because most countries carry out only limited testing. — AFP

The United States records 1,330 more novel coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to figures reported late Sunday by the Johns Hopkins University.

The country now has an overall death toll of 54,841, with 964,937 confirmed infections, according to a tally by the Baltimore-based institution at 8:30 p.m. (0030 GMT Monday).

The United States is by far the hardest-hit country in the global pandemic, in terms of both confirmed infections and deaths. — AFP

The new coronavirus has claimed at least 204,696 lives since its outbreak in China in December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT on Sunday.

More than 2,929,630 cases were registered in 193 countries and territories. Of these cases, at least 797,800 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to his official London residence after spending more than two weeks recovering from a  coronavirus infection, his office says.

"I can confirm that the prime minister has returned to Downing Street," an official told AFP. Johnson will resume his duties on Monday after recovering at his country residence. — AFP

Italy reports its lowest coronavirus death toll in over a month on Sunday as the government prepared to announce a gradual easing of the country's lockdown.

The 260 daily fatalities reported by the civil protection service were the lowest since March 14. Italy's COVID-19 death toll now stands at 26,644 — second only to the United States. — AFP

Beijing has banned "uncivilized" behavior such as not covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, the city government says Sunday, in a new set of regulations to improve public hygiene amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The laws aim to promote "civilized behavior" and relate to combating the pandemic which has infected more than 82,000 in China alone.

Rulebreakers will be slapped with fines for offenses including not wearing a mask in public when ill, the municipal government says on its website.

The laws also require public places to set up one meter distance markers and to provide communal chopsticks and serving spoons for shared meals.

Citizens must also "dress neatly" in public and not go shirtless — an apparent reference to the so-called "Beijing bikini" practice where men roll T-shirts up to expose their stomachs in hot weather. — AFP

The nationwide lockdown since mid-March is meant to keep coronavirus cases down in the country, but it has led to a spike in another sad statistic: domestic violence.

The head of Iraq's community police, Brigadier General Ghalib Atiyah, told AFP that its log of domestic violence cases has increased by an average of 30 percent since the curfew came into force -- with some areas seeing as high as a 50-percent spike.

In a single week, the United Nations in Iraq (UNAMI) reported: "The rape of a woman with special needs, spousal abuse, immolation and self-immolation as well as self-inflicted injuries due to spousal abuse, sexual harassment of minors, and suicide due to domestic abuse among other crimes." — AFP

Spaniards will be allowed out for exercise and to take walks from next weekend, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says Saturday, in the latest move to ease one of the world's tightest coronavirus lockdowns.

And the government will on Tuesday unveil its broader lockdown exit plan that will likely be put into action in the second half of May, he says. 

"If the pandemic keeps evolving positively as it has been doing until now, from May 2, individual physical activity will be permitted and walks with the people you live with," he says. 

Unlike most other countries in the world, since imposing a lockdown on March 14, Spain has not allowed anyone out for walks, jogs or bike rides, allowing them to leave home only to buy food or medicine or to briefly walk the dog, other than for a medical emergency. — AFP

The World Health Organization warned on Saturday that recovery from coronavirus might not protect a person from reinfection as the global death toll from the pandemic surpassed 200,000.

Hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world spent the second day of the Ramadan holy month out of mosques and avoiding large family meals to break the fast because of sequestration and social distancing policies.

And Australians and New Zealanders marked Anzac Day without the normal parades and public ceremonies to commemorate fallen soldiers. Instead, under social distancing policies, people held dawn vigils in front of their homes.

Even as governments from Sri Lanka to Belgium to the United States began moving in the direction of partial reopening, the COVID-19 pandemic still had nearly half of humanity under some form of lockdown or confinement.

Total cases around the world rose to 2.86 million and deaths mounted past the 200,000 mark, doubling since April 10, according to an AFP tally. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 102 new cases of the coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of cases to 7,294.

There are 30 new recoveries and 17 new deaths, the Health department adds.

The South Korean government donates $500,000 worth of COVID-19 test kits to the Philippines.

The donation contains 700 kits which can yield 35,000 tests (700 kits x 50 tests per 1 kit).

According to a tracker maintained by John Hopkins University, the United States recorded 1,258 coronavirus deaths on Friday, the lowest daily toll in the country in nearly three weeks.

The fatalities, recorded in the 24 hours up to 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Saturday), bring the overall US death toll to 51,017, according to the Baltimore-based university.

The United States is by far the hardest-hit country in the global pandemic, in terms of both confirmed infections and deaths. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 211 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 7,192 cases.

There are 40 new recoveries, the DOH adds. 

Youth and student organizations hit Commission on Higher Education chief Prospero De Vera III for his comments on the proposal to suspend classes until December amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK), an activist youth organization, and the Student Solidarity Network to Survive COVID-19, a coalition of student councils, governments and campus organizations, say De Vera is “risking student lives to serve the interests of capitalist-educators.”

“De Vera’s latest batch of comments reveals that, even with the lives of millions of students being in his hands, he is willing to look the other way and lick the boots of those who bleed our education system dry for money,” says John Lazaro, SPARK national spokesperson.

The novel coronavirus has killed nearly 50,000 people in the United States, after one of the deadliest days of the pandemic which saw 3,176 deaths, according to a tally Thursday from Johns Hopkins University.

The deaths were recorded in the 24 hours up to 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Friday), bringing the overall coronavirus death toll in the US to 49,759, according to the Baltimore-based university. — Agence France Presse

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rises to 186,462 on Thursday, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT. 

The global death toll rises by 4,576 over the past 24 hours and a total number of cases increased by 68,017 worldwide.

More than 2,675,050 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December.  Of these cases, at least 708,400 are now considered recovered. — AFP

China announces Thursday it will give another $30 million to the World Health Organization to help in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, days after Washington said it would freeze funding.

The US, which is the WHO's biggest contributor, accused the organisation last week of "mismanaging" the COVID-19 crisis, drawing ire from Beijing as both countries spar over the deadly virus.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the new donation would be in addition to a previous $20 million committed, and would help "strengthen developing countries' health systems". 

He added that China's contribution to the UN agency "reflects the support and trust of the Chinese government and people for the WHO".

In announcing the funding freeze last week, US President Donald Trump accused the WHO of covering up the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak in China before it spread.

He has also charged the WHO with being "very China-centric" despite Washington's heavy funding. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 271 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases to 6,981.

There are 29 new recoveries and 16 new deaths.

At least 48 crew aboard a cruise ship docked in the Japanese city of Nagasaki have tested positive for coronavirus, local authorities say after confirming 14 additional cases.

The Costa Atlantica first arrived in Nagasaki in January to undergo repairs, with around 600 crew on board.

Officials say they hoped to test all crew members by the end of the week with "some 200 to 300" tests likely to be conducted on Thursday. — AFP

More than 180,000 people in the world have died from the novel coronavirus, nearly two-thirds of them in Europe, since it emerged in China last December, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.

In total, 180,289 deaths have been recorded worldwide for 2,596,383 infections, according to the tally at 1740 GMT. There were 112,848 deaths in Europe for 1,263,802 cases on the hardest-hit continent.

The United States is the country with the most deaths at 45,153, ahead of Italy with 25,085, Spain 21,717, France 21,340 and Britain with 18,100.

The United States records 1,738 deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, a lower toll than the day before, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The new deaths bring the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in the US to 46,583 since the outbreak began there, by far the highest figures recorded by any country caught in the global pandemic. — AFP

Germany has authorized its first clinical test of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, the country's regulatory body says, green-lighting trials on human volunteers for an RNA vaccine developed by German firm Biontech and US giant Pfizer.

"The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut... has authorised the first clinical trial of a vaccine against COVID-19 in Germany," the regulatory body PEI says in a statement. 

The trial, which was only the fourth to have been authorised worldwide, was a "significant step" in making a vaccine "available as soon as possible", the institute adds. — AFP

The Department of Health announces 111 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 6,710.

The Health department also reports nine new deaths and 39 new recoveries.

At least 34 crew members aboard a cruise ship docked in the Japanese city of Nagasaki have tested positive for coronavirus, local authorities said on Wednesday.

The Costa Atlantica first arrived in Nagasaki in January to undergo repairs, with several hundred crew on board.

Over the weekend, the ship's operator contacted local authorities seeking help to test suspected cases on board.

An initial four tests carried out on the ship revealed a first infection on Monday, with additional testing among 57 crew finding a total of 34 cases by Wednesday. — AFP

The coronavirus death toll in the United States -- the country with the most fatalities in the pandemic -- has climbed by 2,751 in the past 24 hours, the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University shows.

The US has recorded more than 800,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Baltimore-based university, with 44,845 deaths.

Nearly 40,000 new cases were reported between Monday at 8:30pm local time, and Tuesday at the same time, the university says. — AFP

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rises to 174,001, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT. 

More than 2,525,240 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. 

Of these cases, at least 567,400 are now considered recovered. — AFP

Authorities in Greece have locked down a migrant hotel in the Peloponnese where 150 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus, a local official said Tuesday.

Iosif Mertiris, deputy mayor of the town of Ermionida -- some 166 kilometers southwest of Athens -- told state TV ERT that 150 of the 470 asylum-seekers staying at the hotel had tested positive.

He added that there was tight security at the scene.

"Police are stationed around the hotel, nobody is allowed in or out," he said. 

"The local municipality will assure supplies as it's mostly families inside," Mertiris said.

Deputy minister for civil protection Nikos Hardalias played down the threat to the wider population. 

"There's no need for panic. Everything that needs to be done will be done according to regulations," he told ERT as he headed into an emergency meeting in the area. -- AFP

Taguig will expand its barangay-based and drive-thru testing for COVID-19 beginning April 22.

“Many experts have seen increased COVID-19 testing as an effective tool to decrease transmissions and more effectively treat those infected. We are heeding their suggestions,” says Mayor Lino Cayetano.

Food insecurity was on the rise last year and the coronavirus crisis is likely to further exacerbate the situation, according to the Global Report on Food Crises released Tuesday by the United Nations.

It found that 135 million people in 55 countries were in living in situations of acute food crises or outright humanitarian emergencies last year.

The increase by more than 20 million people takes it to a record level in the four years the report has been compiled.

The report is due to be presented later Tuesday to the UN Security Council by the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization and World Food Programme.

Comparing the 50 countries in the reports this and last year, the number of people in food crisis rose by nearly 10 percent to 123 million people.

The increase was due to conflicts, economic shocks and weather-related events such as drought.

The report found another 183 million were at risk of slipping into food crisis "if confronted by an additional shock or stressor". -- AFP

A possible explosion in coronavirus cases when millions travel to hometowns and ancestral villages after Ramadan has forced Indonesia's president to issue a ban on the annual exodus.

Like Christmas or the Chinese Lunar New Year, the movement kicks off an extended holiday when many Indonesians celebrate Eid al-Fitr with their families to mark the end of Ramadan.

The government has called on residents of major cities, including the capital Jakarta, to stay put, and President Joko Widodo said he would ban any mass migration. -- AFP

The Department of Health reports 140 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 6,599.

The Health department also announces 41 new recoveries.

Officials of the the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation and the Department of Public Works and Highways have prepared 350 hospital beds for the DPWH converted COVID-19 quarantine facility. 

The beds are now used in PICC Forum Hall, Ninoy Aquino Stadium and Rizal Memorial Complex.

The coronavirus death toll in the United States -- the country with the most fatalities in the pandemic -- has climbed by 1,433 in the past 24 hours to reach 42,094, the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University shows.

The US has recorded more than 784,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the global health crisis, according to the Baltimore-based university. — AFP

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rises to 167,594, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT. 

More than 2,437,170 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. 

Of these cases, at least 545,400 are now considered recovered. 

The tallies, using data collected by AFP from national authorities and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), probably reflect only a fraction of the actual number of infections. — AFP

There have been 2,403,410 reported COVID-19 infections around the world, from which 165,216 people have died, according to an AFP tally at 1100 GMT Monday based on official sources.

The United States has the most deaths of any country with 40,683 fatalities.

Italy is the second hardest-hit country, with 23,660 dead. Spain follows with 20,852, then France with 19,718 and Britain with 16,060.

In Spain the daily death toll dips below 400 for the first time in four weeks. -- AFP

Police fought running battles overnight in Paris's low-income northern suburbs with residents alleging heavy-handedness by officers enforcing France's strict coronavirus lockdown.

Residents burned trash and cars and shot fireworks at police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas in the suburbs of Villeneuve-la-Garenne and Aulnay-sous-Bois, witnesses and police said on Monday.

The tensions were ignited in the early hours of Saturday when a motorcyclist was injured during a police check in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, prompting about 50 angry bystanders to gather.

A police statement said the group targeted officers with "projectiles" in a near two-hour standoff. — AFP

MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia confirms that he has tested negative for the coronavirus disease.

Garcia says he will continue to self-isolate in accordance with Department of Health guidelines after recovering from the infectious disease.

The Philippines records 41 new recoveries from the infectious coronavirus disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 613.

The Department of Health confirms 200 new cases of the virus in the country, raising the total cases in the Philippines to 6,459.

The DOH also reports 19 new deaths, which brings the national toll to 428.

Former Sen. Heherson Alvarez passes away due to COVID-19, according to PDP-Laban spokesperson Ron Munsayac as reported by News5.

He was also Secretary of Agrarian Reform during the administration of the late President Corazon Aquino.

The worldwide death toll from the novel coronavirus pandemic rises to 164,016, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1900 GMT. 

More than 2,363,210 declared cases have been registered in 193 countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China in December. 

Of these cases, at least 525,200 are now considered recovered. — AFP

France reports 395 deaths from COVID-19 in 24 hours as the number of new hospitalisations continued a slow decline.

The new deaths — 227 in hospitals and 168 in nursing homes — brought France's total epidemic death toll to 19,718, top health official Jerome Salomon told reporters. — AFP

The number of people in Britain who have died in hospital from the coronavirus has risen by 596 to 16,060, according to daily health ministry figures on Sunday.

As of 5 pm on 18 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 16,060 have sadly died," said the ministry, up from 15,464 earlier. — AFP

The Department of Health reports 172 new cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, bringing the total number of cases to 6,259.

It also tallies 12 more deaths, bringing the count to 409.

DOH says there have been 572 recoveries, up by 56 cases.

The coronavirus death toll in the United States climbed by 1,891 in the past 24 hours to reach 38,664 on Saturday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The US has seen a total of 732,197 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of the global health crisis, according to the Baltimore-based university.

It is the highest number of virus cases and deaths of any country in the world.

Also Saturday, coronavirus deaths surged past 100,000 in Europe, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the 157,539 fatalities worldwide. ?— AFP