Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Ukraine reports record daily high deaths
The number of daily deaths in Ukraine jumped to 113 from the previous record of 109 deaths registered last week, the national security council said.
The council said a total of 309,107 cases had been registered in Ukraine as of October 20, with 5,786 deaths and 129,533 people recovered.
India posts lowest daily new cases in nearly three months
India posted its lowest daily caseload in nearly three months, data from the health ministry showed, as new cases maintained decreasing trend from a peak in September.
The country reported 46,790 new infections in the last 24 hours, taking its tally to nearly 7.6 million – the second highest behind the United States. It also reported 587 deaths, taking the total to 115,197.
Experts have warned that infections could rise in India as the holiday season nears, with celebrations for the Hindu festivals of Durga Puja and Diwali due this month and in mid-November, respectively.
Australia evacuates crew from infected livestock vessel
Australian officials were evacuating workers from a Kuwaiti-flagged livestock ship docked off the country’s west coast after at least half the 52 crew tested positive.
The cluster of cases is the fourth outbreak detected onboard a ship arriving at a Western Australia port over the last month, in a state that has otherwise been free of the coronavirus for weeks.
“It is becoming clear that ships arriving with Covid-19 on board is one of the weakest links and the biggest risk to our way of life in Western Australia,” state Premier Mark McGowan told reporters in Perth.
The workers, from various countries, were taken from the Al Messilah ship directly into hotel quarantine, leaving just a skeleton staff on board the ship, officials said.
Germany’s confirmed cases rise by 6,868 to 373,167 – RKI
The number of confirmed cases in Germany increased by 6,868 to 373,167, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed.
The reported death toll rose by 47 to 9,836, the tally showed.
Fishing crews arriving in New Zealand have virus
A number of fishing crew who flew into New Zealand on chartered planes have Covid-19.
Health officials said that 11 have tested positive so far and another 14 cases are being investigated.
The crew members have been in quarantine at a Christchurch hotel since they arrived, and tested positive during routine testing, officials said.
The news could deal a blow to New Zealand’s efforts to restart its fishing industry, which has struggled to find local workers to crew vessels.
Jeremy Helson, the chief executive of Seafood New Zealand, said all the men tested negative before flying to New Zealand.
Ireland sets new virus restrictions for 6 weeks
Ireland’s government is putting the country at its highest level of restrictions for six weeks in a bid to combat a rise in infections.
Premier Micheal Martin said the measures take effect at midnight on Wednesday and run until December 1.
People are being asked to stay at home, with exercise allowed only within a 5-kilometre (3-mile) radius of their home. Only essential stores can open. Restaurants and bars can provide only takeaway service.
No social or family gatherings will be allowed in homes or private gardens, but schools will remain open to prioritise education.
Argentina’s health system strained as cases cross one million
Argentina has become the fifth country with more than one million coronavirus cases, its Health Ministry said, making it the smallest nation by far to reach the grim milestone after infections accelerated in recent weeks.
There were 1,002,662 confirmed cases of the virus in the South American country by Monday night, the ministry said in a statement. During the past 24 hours, there were 12,982 new cases reported and 451 deaths, it said.
The latest figures put it alongside the United States, India, Brazil and Russia, all with populations greatly exceeding Argentina’s 45 million people.
Argentina is also grappling with low levels of testing. But for those getting tested, more than 60 percent of recent tests are coming back positive, one of the world’s highest positivity rates.
The explosion in cases has strained hospitals and healthcare works, with intensive care unit beds in the country more than 64 percent occupied. In some provinces, healthcare systems are on the brink of becoming overwhelmed.
Australia’s Victoria state eyes accelerating easing of curbs
Australia’s Victoria state may accelerate the easing of social distancing restrictions after reporting just one new Covid-19 case on Tuesday, Premier Daniel Andrews said.
Case numbers were down from four on Monday, extending a run of single-digit daily increases to almost a week, and are well down from a peak of more than 700 cases in a single day in early August.
Melbourne’s roughly 5 million residents were granted some more freedom to move about on Monday after a months-long lockdown, with time limits on exercising outdoors removed and allowed travel limits extended to 25 kilometres (15 miles) of their homes.
Australia has recorded just over 27,300 infections. Victoria accounts for more than 90 percent of the 905 deaths nationally.
Mainland China reports 19 new cases
China has reported 19 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for Oct. 19, up from 13 cases a day earlier, the health commission said on Tuesday.
All of the new infections were imported, the National Health Commission said in a statement.
China reported 24 new asymptomatic patients, compared with 33 a day earlier.
As of Monday, mainland China had 85,704 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The Covid-19 death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.
Mexico reports 3,699 new cases, 171 more deaths
Mexico’s health ministry has reported 3,699 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and 171 more deaths in the country, bringing the official number of cases to 854,926 and the death toll to 86,338.
Health officials have said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.
