SUNDAY OCTOBER 18 - CORONAVIRUS GLOBAL UPDATE

 in-cyprus 18 October 2020 - by Annie Charalambous

More than 39.51 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,105,938​ have died, according to a Reuters tally.

In the meantime, global coronavirus cases rose by more than 400,000 for the first time late on Friday, a record one-day increase as much of Europe enacts new restrictions to curb the outbreak.

A divided world has failed to rise to the challenge of fighting the pandemic, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday and warned concerted action was needed to prevent millions of people being pushed into poverty and hunger.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

EUROPE

* Europe surpassed 150,000 daily coronavirus cases on Friday just a week after reporting 100,000 cases for the first time, according to Reuters tally, with countries such as France, Germany reporting record daily numbers of infections this week.

* The foreign ministers of Austria and Belgium have tested positive for coronavirus after attending a meeting with EU colleagues earlier this week, raising concerns the gathering may have been a so-called “super-spreader” event.

* Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will announce on Sunday another set of measures to counter the new wave of COVID-19 cases, his office said, after the country registered a new daily record in infections on Saturday.

AMERICAS

* President Donald Trump called for a big economic stimulus as U.S. infections surpassed eight million, with record spikes in several states.

* Mexico’s health ministry on Friday reported 6,751 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 419 additional fatalities, bringing the country’s total to 841,661 cases and 85,704 deaths.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered the biggest election victory for her centre-left Labour Party in half a century as voters rewarded her for a decisive response to COVID-19. Her “go hard, go early” approach has eliminated locally spread coronavirus in the nation.

* India’s infections rose by another 62,212 cases over the previous day and a local media report said on Saturday the government had begun identifying about 300 million people who would be given a vaccine first when it is ready.

* Australia’s coronavirus hotspot of Victoria recorded a single case on Saturday – the lowest daily number since early June – and no deaths, with the state’s top health official calling the figures “one-der-ful”.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* Iran, the hardest hit Middle Eastern country, extended coronavirus restrictions and closures in Tehran into a third week on Saturday as its death toll rose above 30,000.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* China’s disease control authority said on Saturday that contact with frozen food packaging contaminated by living new coronavirus could cause infection.

* The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd have received renewed approval to conduct late-stage clinical trials in India of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, the sovereign wealth fund said on Saturday.

* Pfizer Inc said it could file in late November for U.S. authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine it is developing, suggesting that a vaccine could potentially be available in the country by the end of the year.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* The risk that the second wave of the pandemic could derail the euro zone’s recovery from deep recession makes ultra-easy monetary policy all the more necessary, European Central Bank board member Fabio Panetta has told a Greek newspaper.