Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:
Global death toll exceeds 150,000
At least 2.2m have been infected worldwide and at least 153,177 people have died since the outbreak began, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The figures, which are based on official data and media reports, are likely to underestimate the true scale of the pandemic due to suspected underreporting and differing testing regimes.
War veteran raises £20m for health service
Capt Tom Moore, the British second world war veteran who sought sponsorship to walk 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday, has now raised more than £20m for National Health Service charities.
Moore has been hailed as a “one-man fundraising machine” by the Duke of Cambridge.
Chile to become first country to issue ‘immunity cards’
Chile will become the first country to issue “immunity cards” to those who have recovered from Covid-19, exempting holders from quarantine so that they can return to work.
Chile’s health minister announced that some of the cards will be issued according to the presence of antibodies to the virus, despite difficulties in producing reliable tests.
French death toll exceeds 18,000
According to the most recent official data, 18,681 people have now died in France; an increase of 761 in 24 hours. The death toll in hospitals rose to 11,478 from 11,060, while fatalities in nursing homes rose to 7,203 from 6,860 on Thursday.
US using pandemic to unlawfully expel asylum seekers, says UN
An unprecedented US policy that uses the pandemic as grounds to summarily expel people who have migrated to or sought asylum in the country violates international law, the United Nations warns.
More than 14,000 have died in UK hospitals
The British government announced that a further 847 people have died in UK hospitals, taking the total to 14,576 since the outbreak began. That represents slightly decelerated growth. But the figures do not take into account those who have died in other settings.
Nearly 100,000 EU citizens remain stranded
The European commission says 98,900 EU citizens are still stuck abroad, though efforts to bring them home continue. That compares with 600,000 who had reported being stranded at the start of the outbreak.
The figures reveal the UK government has made sparing use of the EU programme to repatriate citizens, under which the bloc funds 75% of the cost of emergency flights.
Health workers to run out of protective gear
Health bosses in England are preparing to ask doctors and nurses to work without full-length gowns when treating patients, as hospitals are set to run out of supplies within hours.
