Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:
The official global death toll passes 225,000
At least 227,644 people have lost their lives in the coronavirus pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University data. More than 3,193,961 confirmed infection shave been recorded worldwide.
South Korea reports no new domestic cases for first time since 29 February
South Korea reported on Thursday no new domestic coronavirus cases for the first time since its 29 February peak, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The KCDC reported four new infections, all imported cases, taking the national tally to 10,765. The death toll rose by one to 247.
Trump says China wants him to lose 2020 election
US president Donald Trump said that coronavirus has “upset very badly” the US trade deal with China, and that China “will do anything they can to have me lose in 2020” in an interview with Reuters. Trump does not see the 2020 election as being a referendum on his handling of the pandemic, he said.
China’s Forbidden City will reopen on Friday
Three months after it closed due to the coronavirus crisis, Beijing’s sprawling Forbidden City will reopen, in the latest signal that the country has brought the disease under control. The imperial palace sitting across Tiananmen Square was shut down on 25 January as authorities closed tourist attractions and took other extraordinary measures to contain the virus, including locking down an entire province.
Japan expected to extend state of emergency by a month
Japan’s government is expected to extend a nationwide state of emergency for another month, after the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, described the coronavirus outbreak as “severe”.
US drug trial shows ‘clear cut’ effect, says top medic
While a Chinese trial demonstrated no “significant clinical benefits” to administering the antiviral drug remdesivir to Covid-19 patients, a separate trial in the US shows a “clear-cut” effect, according to the head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci.
Police called after New York funeral home stores bodies in trucks
Police were called to a Brooklyn neighbourhood Wednesday after a funeral home overwhelmed by the coronavirus resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks, and a passerby complained about the smell, officials said. Investigators who responded to a 911 call found that the home had rented four trucks to hold about 50 corpses, according to a law enforcement official.
More cases of rare syndrome in children
Doctors around the world have reported more cases of a rare but potentially lethal inflammatory syndrome in children that appears to be linked to coronavirus infections. Nearly 100 cases of the unusual illness have emerged in at least six countries, with doctors in Britain, the US, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland now reported to be investigating the condition.
South Africa’s virus cases jump past 5,000 after highest daily rise
The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa surged past the 5,000 mark on Thursday after it saw the largest single-day jump to date, health ministry figures showed. A total of 354 new cases were confirmed on Thursday, bringing the overall total to 5,350, and the number of fatalities spiked by 10 to 103.
