International

More than 100,000 persons have already recovered from COVID-19, says latest data on global cases

  (Eagle News) – More than 100,000 patients who were infected with the coronavirus disease have already recovered or have been cured of the disease, according to the latest data on the global virus cases from the Johns Hopkins University. Most of the 100,982 recovered patients were from China which reported total recoveries of almost 73,000, or 72,819 to be exact. This was out of 81,498 confirmed cases. This means that almost 90 percent of […]

Fear in New York, but Trump says coronavirus restrictions could ease soon

by Peter HUTCHISON / Sebastian Smith NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Anxiety ratcheted up Monday across an eerily deserted New York, America’s coronavirus epicenter, but President Donald Trump said he’d soon call for lifting the lockdown in some parts of the country. Trump — who faces reelection in November and is keen to avoid extended economic damage — told reporters he would be “opening up our country to business because our country was meant […]

Italy sees second successive drop in virus deaths

by Dmitry ZAKS ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy on Monday reported a second successive drop in daily deaths and infections from a coronavirus that has nevertheless claimed more than 6,000 lives in a month. The Mediterranean country has now seen its daily fatalities come down from a world record 793 on Saturday to 651 on Sunday and 601 on Monday. The number of new declared infections fell from 6,557 on Saturday to 4,789 on Monday. […]

France coronavirus death toll jumps 186 to 860: official

PARIS, France (AFP) — The coronavirus has killed another 186 people in France, the health minister said on Monday, bringing the death toll in the country to 860. Health Minister Olivier Veran said that 19,856 people had been registered as testing positive for the virus in France, with a total of 8,675 hospitalized of whom 2,082 people are in intensive care. Officials believe that the published number of those infected largely underestimates the real figure, […]

German state to take in Italian virus patients

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Hospitals in the German state of Saxony will take on at least six Italian coronavirus patients who are unable to receive treatment in their own country, state premier Michael Kretschmer said Monday. “The Italian government asked us a few days ago whether we could help by taking care of patients who are not being taken care of in Italy,” Kretschmer said. Following consultation with doctors over hospital capacity in the eastern […]

Britain orders lockdown as WHO warns pandemic ‘accelerating’

by Phil Hazlewood with Chris Lefkow in Washington LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain ordered a three-week lockdown on Monday in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus as world health officials warned that the pandemic is “accelerating” around the globe. As Britain joined other nations in imposing strict stay-at-home orders, the number of virus deaths worldwide surged past 16,000 and the number of confirmed cases surpassed 360,000. The death toll in New York […]

Four more doctors die from coronavirus in France: official

PARIS, France (AFP) — Four more doctors have died after contracting the coronavirus in France, officials said on Monday, a day after the country reported the first death of a doctor treating COVID-19 patients. One of the doctors, a 66-year-old gynaecologist in Mulhouse near the border with Switzerland and Germany, was infected by a patient during a consultation, according to his clinic. Another was a 60-year-old general practitioner at a hospital in Saint-Avold near Metz, […]

COVID-19 pandemic ‘accelerating’: WHO chief

by Nina Larson and Robin Millard GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The new coronavirus pandemic is clearly “accelerating”, the World Health Organization warned Monday, but said it was still possible to change its trajectory by going on the attack. The remarks came as the number of deaths soared past 15,000, with more than 341,000 people infected worldwide, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources. “The pandemic is accelerating,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus […]

Tunisia says, over 400 arrested for breaking virus curfew

TUNIS, Tunisia (AFP) — Tunisian police arrested more than 400 people for breaking a night-time curfew imposed to fight the spread of coronavirus, the authorities said Monday. Around 30 of the 408 transgressors who were arrested remained in custody, while the others were released after a warning, Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi told reporters. “Anyone who breaks the security rules will be treated as a criminal because failing to respect rules within the context of the […]

Turkey using drug from China for coronavirus

ANKARA, Turkey (AFP) — Turkey’s health minister said Monday that the country is using a drug sent from China on patients suffering from the novel coronavirus. “From this morning we have brought a special drug used in China which is claimed to have resulted in improvements in intensive care patients, cutting their time in care from 11-12 days to four days,” Fahrettin Koca told reporters. He did not give more information on the drug but […]

S.Africa orders lockdown as continent moves to stop virus spread

by Susan NJANJI PRETORIA, South Africa (AFP) — Numerous sub-Saharan countries acted to stem the spread of coronavirus on Monday, with South Africa announcing a soldier-patrolled lockdown and Senegal and Ivory Coast each declaring a state of emergency. The pandemic had been slow to spread in Africa compared to the Middle East and Europe, but in recent days the number of deaths and infections has increased, sparking concerns about the continent’s vulnerability to contagious diseases. […]

Starting March 26, Hawaii to implement 14-day self-quarantine for inbound travelers to stem COVID-19 spread

  By Alfred Acenas EBC Hawaii Bureau HONOLULU, Hawaii (Eagle News) – Beginning Thursday, March 26, all travelers bound for Hawaii, whether by air or sea, whether visitor or returning resident, will undergo a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. Hawaii Governor David Ige made the announcement during a press conference at the State Capitol Building Rotunda in downtown Honolulu on Saturday, March 21. “This mandate is the first of its kind in the nation. We want this […]