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19-04-2020
By SJA Jafri + Agencies + Bureau Reports + Int’l Monitoring Desk
HOUSTON/ WASHINGTON/ NEW YORK/ LONDON: In the United States, New York reported the lowest daily death toll in more than two weeks with Governor Andrew Cuomo expressing hope the hard-hit state may now be “past the plateau”.
In Washington state, Governor Jay Inslee accused President Donald Trump of “fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies” after the latter encouraged protests against Democratic governors who have imposed virus-related restrictions.
Globally, more than 2.3 million people have been infected and more than 159,000 people have died, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.
Health authorities in China are reporting 16 new coronavirus cases in the mainland, the lowest number since March 17 and down from 27 a day earlier.
Hundreds of people are protesting the virus-related lockdowns in the US, too, with rallies in states including Texas, Maryland, New Hampshire and Ohio.
In Washington DC, Trump tells reporters that some state governors have gotten “carried away” and imposed “unreasonable” restrictions.
Of the new cases, nine are imported from abroad. There are no new deaths.
The latest figures bring the total number of cases in the mainland to 82,735.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting eight new cases of the coronavirus, marking the first time infections in South Korea fall to a single digit since the outbreak peaked in February.
Of the eight, five involve travellers from overseas.
The nation’s total tally is 10,661 cases and 234 deaths.
Europe now accounts for a total of 100,510 coronavirus deaths – nearly two-thirds of the 157,539 fatalities worldwide, according to an AFP tally.
Many countries are testing only the most serious cases and the number of confirmed infections is likely to be a fraction of the true total.
Italy and Spain remain the hardest-hit countries in Europe, with 23,227 and 20,043 fatalities respectively, followed by France with 19,323 deaths. Britain’s overall death toll is officially 15,464.
Turkey reported 82,329 confirmed coronavirus cases, overtaking neighbouring Iran for the first time to register the highest number of infections in the Middle East.
Iran partially reported its capital, Tehran, allowing “low-risk businesses” including shops, factories and warehouses to resume operations but Algeria, Morocco, Croatia and Spain extended lockdowns, while Uzbekistan prolonged social distancing measures.
Nigerian president’s chief of staff died from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. Abba Kyari’s was the highest-profile death in the West African country.
