MONDAY AUGUST 24 - CORONAVIRUS GLOBAL UPDATE

 in-cyprus 24 August 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

More than 23.31 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 805,075​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

EUROPE

* European Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan apologised again for attending an event in his native Ireland that may have breached COVID-19 regulations, but an EU official said he would not heed calls from Irish leaders to resign.

* Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has tested positive for coronavirus and is in serious condition with a fever, her party’s spokeswoman said

* The UK’s chief medical officers have said children should return to school after the summer holidays, warning that missing out on their education poses much bigger risks to them than catching COVID-19.

* Germany should temporarily ban private parties, several lawmakers suggested, after the country’s coronavirus infections reached a four-month high.

AMERICAS

* Peruvian government officials condemned the owner of a nightclub after at least 13 people were crushed to death or asphyxiated as partygoers tried to flee a party raided by police because it violated coronavirus restrictions.

* U.S. President Donald Trump accused members of the “deep state” at the Food and Drug Administration, without providing evidence, of working to slow testing of COVID-19 vaccines until after the November presidential election.

* The scale of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico is “under-represented” and “under-recognised” and testing is limited, the World Health Organization’s Dr Mike Ryan said.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* The number of coronavirus infections in India crossed the 3 million mark with 69,239 new cases reported on Sunday even as the country opened up various sectors from lockdown.

* Australia recorded a further 17 new coronavirus deaths on Sunday but infections in the hard-hit state of Victoria, the site of all the latest deaths, are showing a downward trend, authorities said.

* South Korean authorities reported the highest daily rise in cases since early March, saying tougher social distancing rules may be needed as outbreaks continued to spread from a Seoul church and other gatherings.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Saudi public sector employees will return to on-site work on Aug. 30, state TV reported, quoting the human resources ministry, further relaxing coronavirus restrictions.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* The World Health Organization (WHO) said children aged 12 and over should wear masks to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic under the same conditions as adults, while children between six and 11 should wear them on a risk-based approach.

* Around 1,500 volunteers equipped with face masks, hand disinfectant and tracking gadgets attended an indoor concert in Germany on Saturday as part of a study to simulate how the novel coronavirus spreads in large gatherings.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the country’s economy could grow this year, state radio reported on Sunday, despite the impact of the pandemic.

* Effective unemployment in Australia will climb above 13% by the end of September, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said, as nearly half a million people lose their jobs due to a full lockdown of the country’s second most populous city.

* German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil is seeking to extend by one year the period during which the state will pay short-time work allowances – a supplement for people put on reduced work hours – weekly newspaper Bild am Sonntag (BamS) reported.