Number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally soars past one million as the US reports more than 1,100 deaths in a day.
by Ted Regencia & Usaid Siddiqui
12 hours ago
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Spain announced another 932 coronavirus deaths on Friday as its total toll nears 11,000 as it continued to suffer the second-most fatalities in the world behind Italy.
Around the globe, the number of coronavirus deaths topped 53,000 as another grim milestone was reached with more than one million confirmed infections.
The United States reported the highest daily death toll of any country so far at nearly 1,200. It now has more than 6,000 fatalities as the contagion rapidly spreads.
More:
Coronavirus: Which countries have confirmed cases?
Coronavirus: Why are deaths rising so quickly in Spain?
Why Turkey is facing a steep curve of new coronavirus cases
More than 1,013,000 people have been diagnosed with the virus globally, according to the data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 210,000 people have recovered from the disease, including 9,000 in the US.
Here are the latest updates:
Friday, April 3
10:10 GMT - Iran's coronavirus death toll rises to 3,294
Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus rose to 3,294 as it claimed 134 lives in the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpur.
The total number of people confirmed to be infected is 53,183, he said on state television, adding that 4,035 were "under observation", a term that may mean they are in a critical condition.
Of the total number of people diagnosed with the disease, 17,935 have recovered. Iran is the country most affected in the Middle East by the pandemic.
09:43 GMT - Spain coronavirus death toll increases by 932
More than 900 people died in Spain over the past 24 hours for the second day running, government figures showed, although the rate of new infections and deaths continued to slow.
Spain has the world's second-highest death toll after Italy, with the virus so far claiming 10,935 lives - 932 in the past day - from 117,710 confirmed cases.
But health ministry figures confirm a consistent downward trend in the rate of new cases and fatalities.
More:
Coronavirus: Why are deaths rising so quickly in Spain?
Exclusive: Inside a hospital battling coronavirus in Spain
As Spain records deadliest day, coronavirus lockdown stirs unrest
09:27 GMT - Saudi king orders $2.4bn coronavirus support for citizens - state news agency
Saudi Arabia's King Salman ordered the disbursement of up to 9 billion riyals ($2.39bn) in financial support to more than 1.2 million citizens who work in private sector companies affected by the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported
09:05 GMT - Italy's civil protection chief sees lockdown continuing beyond May 1
Italy's national lockdown to try to contain the spread of coronavirus will probably continue beyond the start of May, Angelo Borrelli, the head of the Civil Protection Agency, said.
This week the government extended the lockdown - which imposes severe restrictions on movement and shutters all services and firms not deemed essential to Italy's supply chain - until April 13.
In a radio interview with state broadcaster RAI, Borrelli was asked whether the measures would need to remain in place for many more weeks.
"Unfortunately they will," he replied. "I don't believe this situation ... will have passed by May 1, we have to be extremely rigorous."
08:45 GMT - Israel seals off ultra-Orthodox town hit hard by coronavirus
Israeli police threw up metal barricades and roadblocks to enforce a lockdown of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish town badly affected by the coronavirus.
Emergency regulations approved by the cabinet late on Thursday declared Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, a "restricted zone" due to its high rate of infections. The new designation allows authorities to tighten curbs on public movement.
Police units, wearing surgical masks and gloves, moved swiftly early on Friday to cordon off major intersections around the town and enforce the new rules.
Israel's ultra-Orthodox communities ‘ignoring’ COVID-19 rules
08:35 GMT - Concerns after Mumbai's Dharavi slum reports COVID-19 cases
Authorities in Mumbai are concerned over the possible spread of the new coronavirus in the densely populated slum of Dharavi after a man with COVID-19 died and a doctor and municipal corporation worker tested positive.
The 56-year-old man who died on Wednesday night was the first to test positive from the sprawling shanty town in India's financial hub.
Read more here.
08:25 GMT - Coronavirus outbreak to delay Romania's June election - PM
Romania's centrist minority government will almost certainly postpone a June local election as the coronavirus outbreak ruled out the best conditions for such an exercise, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said late on Thursday.
The European Union state, which has experienced 2,738 virus infections and 115 deaths, declared a state of emergency on March 16 and enforced a lockdown last week.
08:15 GMT - India COVID-19 lockdown means no food or work for rural poor
As the number of coronavirus cases in India climbs, imposing a lockdown on 1.3 billion people was always going to be challenge.
Analysts say the movement restrictions will likely prove economically devastating for India's poor, many who live in its vast rural areas.
Read more here.
First coronavirus death in India’s largest slum
07:30 GMT - China advises foreign diplomats to stop coming to Beijing
China's foreign ministry is advising foreign diplomats to stop coming to Beijing, after the country temporarily banned most foreigners from entering to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic, a spokeswoman said.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters during a daily briefing that the ministry was aware of confirmed coronavirus cases among foreign diplomats in China.
06:16 GMT - Saudi Arabia advances curfew in 3 areas over coronavirus fears
Saudi Arabia has brought forward the starting date of a 24-hour curfew to 3pm (12:00 GMT) on Friday in three areas, state news agency SPA said, citing a senior official of the interior ministry.
The measure in the city of Dammam, and the governorates of Taif and al-Qatif, aims to rein in the virus, as the kingdom has recorded 1,885 infections and 21 deaths, the most among any of the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
06:00 GMT - Australia: True infections could be as high as 10 million
As many as 10 million people globally may have been infected by the new coronavirus, Australia's chief medical officer said, with the under-reporting due to a lack of testing for the highly contagious respiratory disease, in some countries.
"Worldwide we have passed one million infections. But we believe the true number is five or 10 times as much," Brendan Murphy told reporters.
Murphy said the mortality rates vary so much around the world that he believes many infections are going undetected.
The World Health Organization has called on countries to significantly increase testing for the coronavirus, while some critics have also highlighted differences in how some countries count coronvirus cases.
Australia: One million jobs lost over pandemic
05:30 GMT - India's Modi seeks to bolster's nation morale amid pandemic
To bolster morale and spirit, India’s prime minister has urged the country’s 1.3 billion people to switch off lights in their home for nine minutes on Sunday night and light candles, lamps and even use mobile torches standing in their balconies.
In a video message broadcast on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the gesture would dispel the darkness created by the coronavirus and show that people are together in their fight against the pandemic.
He said social distancing was the only way to break the chain of the coronavirus, which has so far claimed 53 lives in India with 1,860 positive cases.
On Friday, he acknowledged the world’s biggest shutdown had caused hardship, leaving millions of people jobless and forcing tens of thousands of migrants workers to flee to their villages for food and shelter.
Coronavirus - India
Indians line up to have their fingerprints taken on a biometric machine after purchasing food rations on Thursday. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP]
04:35 GMT - South Korea: 27,000 people under self-quarantine
South Korea says more than 27,000 people are under a 14-day self-quarantine in the county after it strengthened border controls to slow coronavirus infections linked to international arrivals.
Park Jong-hyun, an official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said on Friday that 19,567 of those under self-quarantine have recently returned from overseas while another 7,499 were isolated after contacting virus carriers.
There are now more than 10,000 confirmed cases in South Korea with at least 174 deaths.
03:37 GMT - Kyrgyzstan reports first coronavirus death
A 61-year-old coronavirus victim has died in Kyrgyzstan, the government said on Friday, the first virus fatality in the central Asian nation, according to Reuters news agency.
The patient, treated in a hospital in the southern province of Osh, had suffered from other serious diseases, the authorities said.
03:17 GMT - South Korea coronavirus cases hit 10,000
South Korea has reported 86 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing its caseload above 10,000, the Associated Press reported.
South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said about half of the new cases came from the densely populous Seoul metropolitan area, where infections linked to international arrivals have been rising.
Another 22 infections were detected at airports where workers have been isolating and testing passengers arriving with fever or respiratory symptoms.
03:10 GMT - Singapore reports fifth person has died from coronavirus
Singapore reported another coronavirus-related death on Friday, raising the city-state's total fatalities from the disease to five.
The latest death was of an 86-year-old female Singapore citizen, the health ministry said in a statement.
The country has reported 1,049 coronavirus cases in total.
03:02 GMT - US state of Washington extends stay-at-home order until May 4
Washington Governor Jay Inslee has extended orders to keep non-essential businesses closed and most of the state’s more than seven million residents home through May 4, saying that social distancing measures must remain in place for an extra month to minimise the spread of the coronavirus.
In recent days, Inslee had signalled that his initial stay-at-home orders from March 23, which were set to expire next week, would be extended.
02:43 GMT - Scientists, doctor launch anti-coronavirus body
A group of scientists, physicians, funders and policymakers from more than 70 institutions in over 30 countries have launched an international coalition to respond to COVID-19 in resource-poor settings, The Lancet magazine reported.
The COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition aims to accelerate desperately needed COVID-19 research in those areas where the virus could wreak havoc on already-fragile health systems and cause the greatest health impact on vulnerable populations, the report said.
The members of the coalition argue that international research collaboration and coordination is needed urgently to support African, Latin American, Eastern European and certain Asian countries to respond effectively to the health crisis.
02:30 GMT - US Navy relieves aircraft carrier commander over coronavirus action
The US Navy has relieved the commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, who wrote a scathing letter that was leaked to the public asking for stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak on board his warship.
The removal of Captain Brett Crozier from command of the 5,000-person vessel, which was first reported by Reuters, was announced by acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who said the commander exercised poor judgment.
The dismissal, two days after the commander's letter was leaked, shows how the coronavirus is challenging US institutions, even those accustomed to dangerous and complex missions like the US military.
Roosevelt - coronavirus
Captain Brett Crozier commanded the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which has 5,000 personnel. [File: Jim Gomez/AP]
02:18 GMT - How to talk to your children about coronavirus
With many of the world's people confined to their homes amid efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, families are finding themselves spending more time than ever together.
For many, this is an unexpected opportunity to connect with spouses, children and siblings. But one question has come bubbling up: How should adult caregivers be talking about coronavirus to the children in their lives?
Here are some helpful tips.
01:22 GMT - China reports 3,322 coronavirus deaths
China's health commission reported on Friday four new coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to 3,322 as of the end of Thursday.
China also reported 60 new asymptomatic cases of the virus.
01:22 GMT - Iraq has confirmed thousands more COVID-19 cases than reported, medics say
Iraq has thousands of confirmed COVID-19 cases, many times more than the 772 it is has publicly reported, according to three doctors closely involved in the testing process, a health ministry official and a senior political official.
Three doctors, who work in pharmaceutical teams helping to test suspected COVID-19 cases in Baghdad, each said that confirmed cases of the disease, based on discussions among fellow medics who see daily results, were between about 3,000 and 9,000, although they each gave different estimates.
The sources all spoke to Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity. Iraqi authorities have instructed medical staff not to speak to the media.
Iraq's health ministry, the only official outlet for information on the coronavirus, dismissed the sources' reading of the spread of the disease.
"It's incorrect information," said Saif al-Badr, the health ministry spokesman, in a text message sent to Reuters.
The ministry said in its latest daily statement on Thursday that the total of recorded confirmed cases for Iraq was 772, with 54 deaths.
00:22 GMT - UN calls for unity against 'unprecedented' coronavirus threat
The UN General Assembly has unanimously approved a resolution recognising "the unprecedented effects" of the coronavirus pandemic and calling for "intensified international cooperation to contain, mitigate and defeat" the deady disease.
General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande sent a letter to all UN member nations on Thursday night informing them that there were no objections to the resolution, entitled Global Solidarity to Fight the Coronavirus Disease, sponsored by Ghana, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. He said the resolution was approved and is in effect.
The resolution also recognises the disease, also known as COVID-19, has resulted in "severe disruption to societies and economies, as well as to global travel and commerce, and the devastating impact on the livelihood of people" and that "the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit".
Israel - coronavirus
A member of Hevra Kadisha, an organisation which prepares the bodies of deceased Jews for burial according to Jewish traditions, digs a grave in the coastal city of Ashkelon, Israel. [Tsafrir Abayov/AP]
00:06 GMT - WHO urges Middle Eastern countries to act quickly
Governments in the Middle East need to act quickly to limit the spread of the coronavirus after cases rose to nearly 60,000, almost double their level of a week earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
"New cases have been reported in some of the most vulnerable countries with fragile health systems," said Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO's director for the Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Djibouti, as well as Middle Eastern states.
"Even in countries with stronger heath systems, we have seen a worrying spike in the numbers of cases and deaths reported," he said in a statement.
"I cannot stress enough the urgency of the situation," said al-Mandhari. "The increasing numbers of cases show that transmission is rapidly occurring at local and community levels."
"We still have a window of opportunity, but this window is slowly closing day by day," he added.
23:20 GMT Thursday - Trump to Iran: If they want help, we will give them help
President Donald Trump has said if Iran requests help from his administration in dealing with the coronavirus emergency, he would be willing to comply.
"They have a very big case of virus. A very, very big case. One of the worst on earth if you believe what you're reading and I happen to believe what I see and what I know. If they want help, we will give them help."
Earlier, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, former Vice President Joseph Biden said he supported the lifting of sanctions against Iran as the country deals with the deadly disease.
I'm Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur with Al Jazeera's continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
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