TIG Post

Tag: Coronavirus

  • Coronavirus: Cinemas around world ponder reopening strategy

    Tens of thousands of cinemas around the world were forced to close by Covid-19. Some are reopening in certain countries and the industry is banking on big summer releases to attract filmgoers back. But will customers feel safe stepping through the doors?

    The original trailer for Christopher Nolan’s $200m fantasy spy epic Tenet ended with a release date of 17 July. The most recent trailer dumps the date totally.

    It’s now uncertain when Tenet will come out – like much else in the film world.

    It’s a Warner Bros release, but even competitors – as well as the big cinema chains – are hoping Tenet will mark the moment when audiences start buying cinema tickets again.

    In March, virtually all cinemas worldwide closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Sweden, Taiwan and South Korea were partial exceptions.

    In recent weeks, other countries have announced that cinemas can start to reopen. Yet Louise Tutt of Screen International magazine says the situation on the ground is complex.

    “What most of the cinemas are showing is a strange mixture,” she says. “Partly it’s films they were showing pre-lockdown and a few library titles.

    “For instance, in South Korea they’ve re-released The Greatest Showman and cinemas in parts of Germany are beginning to show new local comedies.

    “But social distancing and a lack of new films means very little money is being taken. A European country or a US state may lift lockdown, but in most places admissions are a fraction of what they should be.”

    Cinemas in Denmark and Croatia were among those that reopened last month. Italian cinemas are about to open with an audience limit of 200, or 1,000 for outdoor screenings.

    Plans in the UK are still under discussion, but cinemas in England could potentially reopen from 4 July.

    Finnish cinemas were allowed to open at the start of this month. But Tero Koistinen of the Finnish Chamber of Films says only about 10 percent of the country’s 350 screens are in operation.

    “The cinemas which did reopen mainly were single-screen independents and a few arthouse venues screening titles like Parasite and Emma,” he says.

    “But the volume market simply isn’t there yet, whatever is permitted in theory.”

    Koistinen says it’s impossible to exaggerate the importance of Tenet. “It’s not only that Finns want to see the new Christopher Nolan movie, although I think they do. But Tenet has become the great symbol of the return of Hollywood movies.

    “Finns really enjoy local titles on screen. But commercial cinema basically means Hollywood, and until Tenet and a couple of other big films are released our attendances will be quite low.

    “We will have to see how social distancing develops. It may be that multiplexes will play Tenet across several screens but always to a limited audience.”

    Louise Tutt says Warner Bros are having discussions daily on when to release Tenet around the world.

    Bond film No Time To Die has been put back to November (Picture Credit: UNIVERSAL)

    “The cold commercial fact is they need around 80 percent of screens open. And they can’t release it in the US unless the main film-going hubs like New York and Los Angeles are open for business – the places worst hit by Covid-19.

    “I don’t think they can release it in Asia and Europe until America is watching too. The story has been kept pretty shrouded and they don’t want secrets given away before everyone can see it.

    “So a 17 July release is starting to look like a big ask and there’s a back-up date which would probably be 14 August.

    “It’s highly problematic for Warners, but one good thing is that Christopher Nolan is an evangelist for the cinematic experience and he will be good at talking that up.

    “But marketing is all over the place this year, if only because no one is seeing trailers on the big screen.”

    Tutt says other big summer releases will also play their part in persuading audiences to return. They include another Warner release, Wonder Woman 1984 and Disney’s Mulan, a live-action version of its 1998 animation.

    Both films are more female-focused than Tenet. But Tutt thinks the big unknown is whether audience behaviour will have changed.

    “No one can say how willing or not people will be to go into a cinema and sit there for two hours.” she explains.

    “But we saw when the beaches and parks opened up that people dashed there, because they were desperate to get out of the house and feel some kind of normality returning.

    “One thing in cinema’s favour is that films like Mulan and Tenet have a built-in appeal to young audiences. Anecdotally they appear the people least anxious about going out into the world.”

    Source: Peace FM

  • Coronavirus: Lufthansa to cut 22,000 jobs

    German airline Lufthansa has said it will cut 22,000 jobs as it struggles to deal with the slump in air travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

    The carrier predicted a slow recovery in demand and expected to have about 100 fewer aircraft after the crisis.

    Lufthansa said half the job cuts would be in Germany. It hopes to agree the measures with unions by 22 June.

    It added that it hoped to minimise redundancies through short-time working and crisis agreements.

    “The aim is to pave the way for the preservation of as many jobs as possible in the Lufthansa Group,” the company said.

    The airline employs more than 135,000 people worldwide. About half of them are in Germany.

    Lufthansa labour director Michael Niggemann said: “Without a significant reduction in personnel costs during the crisis, we will miss the opportunity of a better restart from the crisis and risk that the Lufthansa Group will emerge from the crisis significantly weakened.”

    Struggling sector

    Last month, Lufthansa agreed a rescue deal worth €9bn (£8bn) with the German government to save it from collapse.

    The German government will take a 20% stake in the firm, which it intends to sell by the end of 2023.

    However, the deal still has to be approved by the firm’s shareholders and the European Commission.

    The company closed its budget airline Germanwings in April.

    Other airlines are implementing similar measures in anticipation of a long, slow return to former levels of demand. Job cuts announced so far include:

    British Airways is proposing to make 12,000 of its 45,000 staff redundant, with more than 1,000 pilot roles at risk Ryanair is set to shed 3,000 jobs – 15% of its workforce – with boss Michael O’Leary saying the planned cuts are “the minimum that we need just to survive the next 12 months” EasyJet has said it will cut up to 30% of its workforce – about 4,500 jobs And Virgin Atlantic, which employs 10,000 people, has said it will cut 3,000 jobs.

    Source: BBC

  • Lets show love to colleague victims of coronavirus – GRNMA

    Mr Thomas Lambon, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has entreated members of the Association to demonstrate love to infected colleagues and those who survived the COVID-19 infection.

    He described the recovery of members as “refreshing news,” and said love, care and compassion were critical components of the nursing profession which must be shown to all patients and recovered victims of the virus devoid of stigma of all forms.

    Mr Lambon, who is also an Anesthetist at the Upper East Regional hospital in Bolgatanga, gave the advice at a ceremony organised at the instance of the facility to welcome 11 recovered COVID-19 staff of the Ghana Health Service. The Chairman said the staff, most of whom were nurses, got infected in their line of duty, and urged members of the Association to thank God for the lives of their recovered colleagues, and work with them to promote quality healthcare services in the Region.

    Mr Lambon said as nurses and midwives, it was important for them to serve as role models and lead the fight against the stigma associated with the virus, “If the public see us working closely with our colleagues who have recovered from the virus, it will change their mindset about stigmatizing victims of the disease.”

    He called on members of the Association in the Region, especially staff of the hospital to “See each other as one, no one should think of stigma because we as health professionals should know better, and rather educate the general public on the effects of stigma on COVID-19 patients as well as other health conditions.”

    He urged the health professionals to prepare themselves to handle cases of COVID-19 as they did in other equally dangerous health conditions they were used to, stressing that in their quest to save lives during the pandemic, they needed to practise their Infection Prevention Control techniques.

    Some members of the GRNMA and staff of the hospital, who spoke to the GNA, said the recovery of their colleagues had boosted their confidence levels to manage COVID-19 cases in the facility which is the designated treatment centre.

    They could not hide their joy and praises to God as they welcomed their colleagues back to work, “We have heard and read about COVID-19 recorded deaths globally, and so we are thankful to God that our colleagues have survived it,” Mr Richard Addah, a nurse at the facility said.

    Source: GNA

  • Iran says virus cases top 180,000

    More than 180,000 people have been infected in Iran’s coronavirus outbreak since it first emerged nearly four months ago, an official said on Thursday.

    As the figures were announced, President Hassan Rouhani called on Iranians to stick to guidelines aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

    “If everyone follows the health instructions exactly, then all jobs can be reopened,” he said in remarks broadcast on state television.

    “We are progressing slowly and step by step (because we don’t want) our people to think that the coronavirus era has passed.

    “This would pose a major health problem for us,” Rouhani said.

    Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 2,238 new infections in the past 24 hours took the total to 180,156.

    She said 78 new deaths brought the overall toll to 8,584.

    Iran reported its first COVID-19 cases on February 19 – two deaths in the Shiite holy city of Qom.

    The government has struggled to contain what quickly became the Middle East’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak.

    Since April, however, it has gradually lifted health protocols in order to reopen its sanctions-hit economy.

    That has coincided with a fresh surge in cases, which the government denies amounts to a second wave, saying they are due to increased testing.

    Source: punchng.com

  • Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli banned for one match over coronavirus post

    Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been suspended for one match by the Football Association over a post on social media about coronavirus.

    Alli, 24, put a video on Snapchat in February in which he joked about the outbreak and appeared to mock an Asian man.

    The England international has also been fined £50,000 and ordered to under take an education course.

    He will miss Tottenham’s match at home to Manchester United on 19 June.

    Alli said: “In response to the FA decision, I would like to apologise again for any offence caused by my behaviour.

    “It was an extremely poorly judged joke about a virus that has now affected us more than we could ever have imagined.

    “I’m grateful that The FA has confirmed that my actions were not racist because I despise racism of any kind. We all need to be mindful of the words and actions we use and how they can be perceived by others.”

    More than 41,000 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, and more than 416,000 worldwide.

    In a statement, the FA said: “The Tottenham Hotspur FC player denied that a social media post breached FA Rule E3(1), as it was insulting and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute, and constituted an “Aggravated Breach”, which is defined in FA Rule E3(2), as it included a reference, whether express or implied, to race and/or colour and/or ethnic origin and/or nationality.

    “However, it was subsequently found proven by an independent Regulatory Commission.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus highlights need to change how food is produced, UN says

    The coronavirus pandemic has signaled an urgent need to change the way food is produced to help contain hunger and develop environmentally sustainable supplies, according to the United Nations.

    The combined effects of the COVID-19 crisis, government measures and the emerging global recession risk a worldwide food emergency and in the long-term could disrupt how food systems function, the UN said in a policy brief. That could lead to consequences for health and nutrition on a scale not seen for more than half a century, it said.

    “There is an urgent need to rethink rapidly how we produce, process, market, consume our food and dispose of waste,” the UN said. “This crisis can serve as a turning point to re-balance and transform our food systems, making them more inclusive, sustainable and resilient.”

    Food and agricultural production is responsible for as much as 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It has been linked the loss of biodiversity — contributing to the mass extinction of species, land degradation and pollution — while helping the spread of zoonotic diseases. At the same time, the coronavirus pandemic risks boosting the number of people suffering from hunger due to supply risks and falling incomes.

    While tackling the effects of coronavirus, policy makers should consider how to create more sustainable food systems balanced with environmental and health needs, according to the UN. Some international financial institutions have already responded with new funding and proposals and are redirecting existing loans to focus on more resilient food systems, it said.

    Source: Bloomberg

  • Hotel, aviation sector hardest hit by coronavirus – ICU leader

    General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) Solomon Kotei has revealed that the hotel and the aviation sectors of the economy are the areas of most affected by the impact of Coronavirus.

    He explained on the Sunrise morning show hosted by Alfred Ocansey on 3FM 92.7 Wednesday that these sectors mostly rely on foreigners and others who travel around the world.

    Therefore, jobs have been lost following the closure of borders and other entry points into the country.

    As part of measures to curtail the spread of the virus in Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Ado closed all entry borders and points into the country “until further notice”.

    Mr Kotei said: “The hardest hit so far is the hospitality sector and the aviation sectors because these businesses they have over 80 percent of their activity being supported by foreigners who come in and those who actually give them the rate of occupancies in their various hotels.

    “As of these times that the planes are not coming in, what we have experienced in this sector is that those who supply the planes with foods and juice have closed down, they been declared redundant and be paid off. So the job losses begin from this particular angle.

    “For them, both the casual workers and the regular workers had been sorted out and we are concluding negotiations to get them paid off.

    “To the big hotels, they are hoping that at least by September some kind of level of activity that can give them self-sustaining operations will take off.

    “We have said as ICU that around September-October, we will see the real impact of COVID-19 in the area of job losses.”

    Source: 3 News

  • Japan MPs pass record coronavirus budget

    Japan’s powerful lower house of parliament approved an emergency budget worth nearly $300 billion Wednesday, doubling the scale of measures to pep up the world’s third-biggest economy after the coronavirus tipped it into recession.

    Consumer spending has slowed to a crawl despite Japan’s relatively low infection numbers and the death toll from the pandemic, prompting the first economic downturn since 2015.

    In response, lawmakers approved a second exceptional budget of 31.91 trillion yen ($297 billion), including subsidies for smaller businesses and cash handouts for medical workers.

    The budget bill will be sent to the upper house and is widely expected to be enacted as early as Friday.

    The cash – to be raised by issuing bonds – will also be used to help finance rescue programmes and loans for struggling businesses.

    The government said the size of the package, including loans and investments in addition to actual fiscal spending, is worth about 117 trillion yen, nearly the same size as the first extra budget enacted on April 30.

    Combined with that initial stimulus package, Japan’s total measures amount to 230 trillion yen when loan schemes are taken into account.

    That is a whopping 40 per cent of GDP – trumpeted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the world’s biggest virus programme – and pushes Japan’s debt-to-GDP ratio up to 257 per cent, noted Naoya Oshikubo, a senior economist at SuMi TRUST.

    “It will be worth it to drive the recovery,” said Oshikubo.

    “The two supplementary budgets alone should push up real 2020 GDP by three points. In addition, the state of emergency has now ended across Japan and the economy is set to improve,” added the economist.

    Rescue measures include subsidies to help small companies pay rent, subsidies for companies paying leave allowances to their employees, grants to medical workers and grants to help drug and vaccine development.

    Japan had recorded 17,251 coronavirus infections and 919 deaths as of Tuesday – a fraction of the toll seen in global hotspots.

    But a spike in infections prompted Abe to declare a nationwide state of emergency, handing regional governors the power to ask people to stay indoors and call for businesses to close.

    He lifted the emergency declaration last month but said it would take “quite a long time” for the country to fully return to normal.

    The first extra budget that passed on April 30 included cash handouts for every resident and money to help boost the production of much-needed masks for medical workers.

    Source: france24.com

  • Coronavirus has frustrated contracts but negotiate in good faith NLC to employers

    The National Labour Commission (NLC) has advised employers to negotiate pay cuts, salary suspension, partial layoffs and others in good faith with their employees, so as to reduce the acrimony that will ensue as a result of frustration of contracts due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

    According to the NLC, there is little resolution for contract frustration; and therefore employers and employees must resort to negotiation to address the employment challenges induced by COVID-19.

    Executive Secretary of the NLC, Samuel Ofosu Asamoah, said without any fault from either party, many contracts in the media, hospitality, private educational institutions and others are incapable of being continued a situation that has already resulted in massive layoffs and pay cuts.

    “What I normally advise is negotiations. This has come as a challenge, and it faces both parties. Everyone knows and understand what is happening. Revenue streams are drying-up, and there is little to be done about that. So, what we are saying is that negotiations are needed to prevent chaos. These negotiations, though, must also be done in good faith,” Mr. Ofosu Asamoah said in an interview with the B&FT.

    He added that the NLC is monitoring situations across the country, and wants to warn booming sectors during the outbreak of COVID-19 not to do anything that would amount to squeezing employees. He believes that players in the garment and pharmaceutical sectors are cashing-in on the outbreak, and therefore it would be heartless if any employee reports an employer to the Commission as a result of salary cuts attributed to COVID-19.

    “The sale of hand sanitisers have gone up in price and quantity. Nose masks have also had price and quantities go up as well. If you are in any of these sectors and say because of COVID-19 you want to slash the salaries of your staff, that is not fair,” Mr. Ofosu Asamoah said.

    He however reveled that, so far, three complaints have been lodged at the Commission. With this, about 500 people are at risk of losing their jobs. He indicated that the Commission is however preparing to listen to the cases and find some amicable resolutions, but the fear of job loss is eminent even after talks are over.

    Meanwhile, the NLC has adjusted its operations to ensure it is able to hear labour cases while protecting the parties in the case from being exposed to the virus. Among the measure the NLC adopted is timing cases resulting in parties being told the exact time for a case to be heard, a means to reduce numbers at their premises to offer enough space to observe the social distancing protocols.

    Also, the number of cases that can be heard in one day has been reduced from 14-20 to less than 10 while representation at every case has been reduced to three.

    Source: B&FT Online

  • Coronavirus: We can assess impact on jobs by September ICU

    The General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) Mr. Solomon Kotei, has said the ICU will be able to assess the impact of the COVID-19 on jobs by September this year.

    He noted that although the pandemic has affected jobs in several ways, a more reliable assessment of the impact could be done in September.

    He revealed that the hotel and the aviation sectors of the economy are the areas of the economy that are most affected by the impact of the coronavirus.

    He explained on the Sunrise Show hosted by Alfred Ocansey on 3FM 92.7 Wednesday, June 10 that these sectors mostly rely on foreigners and others why travel around the world.

    Therefore, they have lost their jobs following the closure of borders and other entry points into the country.

    As part of measures to curtail the spread of the virus in Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Ado closed all the borders and other entry points into the country.

    Mr Kotei said : “The hardest hit so far is the hospitality sector and the aviation sectors because these businesses they have over 80 per cent of their activity being supported by foreigners who come in and those who actually give them the rate of occupancies in their various hotels

    As of these times that the planes are not coming in what we have experienced in this sector is that those who supply the planes with foods and juice have closed down, they been declared redundant and be paid off. So the job losses begin from this particular angle.

    “For them, both the casual workers and the regular workers had been sorted out and we are concluding negotiations to get them paid off.

    “To the big hotels, they are hoping that at least by September some kind of level of activity that can give them self-sustaining operations will take off.

    “We have said as ICU that around September October then we will see the real impact of COVID-19 in the area of job losses.”

    The General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) Mr. Solomon Kotei, has said the ICU will be able to assess the impact of the COVID-19 on jobs by September this year.

    He noted that although the pandemic has affected jobs in several ways, a more reliable assessment of the impact could be done in September.

    Source: laudbusiness.com

  • Coronavirus: 23 million more Africans to slip into poverty World Bank

    The World Bank estimates that the coronavirus pandemic will push 23 million people in sub-Saharan Africa into extreme poverty.

    This will mean they will live on less than US$1.90 (GHS11, 2 pesewas) per day in 2020.

    Accordingly, countries with the largest change in the number of poor include Nigeria (5 million), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2 million) and South Africa (1 million) are expected to witness an increased number of extremely poor people.

    But across the region, overall poverty is likely to rise given that low-income workers are more likely to lose their jobs as a result of COVID-19.

    Fitch Solutions said rising unemployment and higher food prices driven by the pandemic will feed into other drivers of protests, such as high youth unemployment and corruption.

    While the pandemic has temporarily placed a lid on these tensions, they are likely to re-emerge and intensify once lockdown measures are lifted, it added.

    Meanwhile, sub-Saharan African growth will average about 3.2% over the next decade, compared with an average of 4.0% over 2010 2019, with a range of global and domestic factors weighing on growth.

    Source: Class FM

  • Coronavirus: Airlines set for ‘worst’ year on record

    The plunge in travel caused by the coronavirus will drive airline losses of more than $84bn (£66bn) this year, a global industry group has warned.

    The International Air Transport Association, which has 290 member airlines, said revenues would drop to $419bn, down 50% from 2019.

    That is steeper than initially forecast and comes despite recent signs that travellers are returning to the skies.

    This year will go down as the “worst” on record financially, the group said.

    “There is no comparison,” said Alexandre de Juniac, chief executive of the group.

    The group said it expected airlines to lose $230m on average each day this year as the number of travellers falls to 2.25 billion, roughly halving from last year.

    That will erase more than a decade of growth, returning the industry to 2006 levels.

    The association said the industry would see losses again next year, but the damage would drop significantly – to $15.8bn – as revenues start to rebound and passenger numbers climb back to 2014 levels.

    “Provided there is not a second and more damaging wave of Covid-19, the worst of the collapse in traffic is likely behind us,” Mr de Juniac said.

    Slow recovery

    IATA had previously warned that airlines would lose $314bn this year, after air traffic all but disappeared in April, when governments around the world imposed limits on travel to try to control the spread of the virus.

    While there are signs travel is starting to pick up, the recovery has been slow, complicated by economic downturn and government quarantines.

    In the US, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 440,000 people at airport checkpoints on Sunday. That’s up from fewer than 100,000 people in April, but still down more than 80% from last year.

    Companies have responded to the crisis by grounding fleets, scaling back service and cutting thousands of jobs. In coming months, IATA said firms are likely to lower prices in an effort to tempt back travellers, worsening their financial situation.

    Some airlines such as Flybe have already failed, while other have received millions in emergency government aid.

    Mr de Juniac said continued support is needed.

    “Government financial relief was and remains crucial as airlines burn through cash,” he said.

    Industry groups, including IATA, have also called on the UK government to remove the 14-day quarantine on passengers entering the country.

    Keeping such rules in place through the end of the summer could cost the UK $186bn and 2.9 million jobs, the World Travel & Tourism Council warned on Tuesday. That is up from the 1.2 million the organisation had previously said were at risk as a result of the pandemic.

    “The sector’s recovery risks being undermined by heavy-handed restrictions just as it emerges from one of the most punishing periods in its history – and it’s not just airlines who will bear the cost but the entire travel ecosystem,” said Gloria Guevara, the group’s president.

    Source: BBC

  • Masks to be compulsory in Spain until virus ‘permanently’ defeated

    Wearing face masks will be compulsory in Spain until a coronavirus vaccine is found, with police empowered to hand out fines for non-compliance, the government said on Tuesday.

    Health Minister Salvador Illa said the measure would continue after the country’s state of emergency ends on June 21 and will “remain in place until we permanently defeat the virus, which is when we have an effective treatment or vaccine against it”.

    Since May 21, it has been compulsory for everyone aged six and over to wear a mask in public where it is not possible to maintain a two-metre (6.5 feet) distance from other people.

    But when the lockdown formally ends, the measure will remain in place with the government introducing a fine of up to 100 euros ($113) for non-compliance — although the security distance will be slightly reduced to 1.5 metres.

    The new regulations will come into force some 10 days before the country reopens its borders to international tourists on July 1.

    Mask-wearing was initially imposed in early May as a requirement for those using public transport and was later expanded in a country where the virus has killed more than 27,000 people.

    Although not compulsory for very young children, it is “recommended” for those between three and five.

    As well as remaining in force on public transport, the measure will also still be compulsory in private cars unless the occupants live in the same household.

    With Spain’s epidemic now well under control, the government has been cautiously easing out of its mid-March lockdown with Illa confirming that all travel restrictions would be lifted.

    “If the state of emergency is lifted as expected, there will be unrestricted freedom of movement within the country,” he said.

    The decree also envisages new safety measures within the workplace, such as reorganising work stations or ensuring staff rotations to avoid overcrowding.

    It also requires the health authorities in Spain’s 17 regions to be adequately staffed with specialists in epidemic “prevention and control” to quickly manage any new outbreaks.

    And to ensure the “traceability” of any new cases, airlines and transport companies must retain the details of all passengers for “at least four weeks” after they have travelled, the decree said.

    Source: france24.com

  • US records 749 coronavirus deaths in past 24 hours

    The coronavirus pandemic killed 749 people in the United States in the past 24 hours, according to figures released Saturday by Johns Hopkins University.

    The latest deaths bring the total in the United States to 109,791, and there have been more than 1.9 million cases, according to a real-time tally maintained by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Sunday).

    Some 500,000 people have recovered from the disease.

    The United States has suffered by far the largest number of both COVID-19 deaths and infections.

    On a per-capita basis, however, several European countries — including France, Italy and Spain — have a higher death toll.

    President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States was “largely through” the pandemic and renewed his call on governors to ease lockdown measures in their states.

    While the United States was suffering around 3,000 deaths a day in mid-April, that number has declined to around 1,000 deaths and 20,000 new cases a day at present.

    But health care professionals worry about mass demonstrations against police brutality and racism taking place in cities across the US may lead to a new surge in infections in the coming weeks.

    Source: punchng.com

  • Coronavirus: Ghana Health Service recovered staff share experiences

    Three recovered COVID-19 officials of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the Upper East Region have shared their experiences with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after they resumed normal official duties.

    The three, speaking with the GNA in Bolgatanga, on the sideline of a welcome ceremony for 11 recovered staff of the Service included Dr Gillian Bogee, a Senior Medical Officer at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Upper East Regional Hospital.

    Madam Regina Badii, a Senior Midwifery Officer at the Obstetrics and Gynaecological Unit of the same hospital, said “When I was informed I had COVID-19, I was very down-hearted because I was breastfeeding. I was thinking about my baby, whether she is also infected or not, I was brought to the treatment centre together with my baby, but she tested negative.”

    According to her, life in the treatment centre was not easy, “I felt lonely, because my daughter could not wear a mask, we were always restricted to the room. The nurses did their best, they came in to check our vital signs and bring us food. When the second test was done and I was negative, I was so happy.”

    Madam Badii said she and her daughter were subsequently discharged after the third test results turned negative.

    “COVID-19 is real, most people are having it and walking about healthy without any signs and symptoms but may test positive.

    “I was not showing any signs and symptoms, I had other signs and symptoms which I took for a different condition. I suffered headache, muscle pull and joint pains and I thought it was malaria which I was treating. I also had chest pains, so you can have COVID-19 but not show the real signs and symptoms such as high temperature which I did not experience.”

    The Midwifery Officer said she acquired the virus in her line of duty, adding that she could have been infected through any other means apart from managing patients, “Anyone can get it from anywhere, so I want to urge the general public to stop the stigma”.

    Speaking to the GNA in a separate interview, Dr Bogee said she exhibited all the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 after she contracted the virus in her line of duty.

    “I actually had the worst and complicated form of COVID-19 and had to be airlifted to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where I was treated in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for eight days and then moved to the Fevers Unit also for 12 days.”
    “I was given the best of care at the Medical ICU and the Fevers Unit in Korle-bu, and I say thank you to the team who took care of me.”

    Dr Bogee said public health emergencies such as COVID-19 was stressful for people and communities, adding that fear and anxiety could lead to social stigma for recovered persons, which had diverse effects on their emotional or mental health.

    She said it was critical for members of the public to join the fight against stigmatization of both COVID-19 patients and those who had recovered, “You have a role to play as an individual and I also have a role to play as a health worker by helping people cope with stress, and in all, we can learn about the coping strategies in this COVID-19 outbreak”.

    Similarly, Mr Eric Dakura, a Superintendent Field Officer at the Disease Control Unit of the Regional Health Directorate, said he got infected in his line of duty as a member of the Regional Emergency Response Team for COVID-19, after the team interviewed the first suspected COVID-19 pregnant woman who turned out positive, to ascertain at the time whether she met the case management criteria for the virus or not.

    “The first two days after I had contact with the lady, I started coughing, and the cough came between 12midnight and 0100hours. It came for only two days and stopped.”

    He said while in self-isolation, his family, especially his wife was stigmatized, “It was difficult for my wife to even go to the market. Things were actually difficult for her. Contracting the virus was not a big deal for me because I was doing my job and I was actually in the war front ensuring that we tracked persons who showed signs and symptoms to get them isolated and treated to prevent the spread”.

    Source: GNA

  • Volta Region coronavirus case jumps to 162

    The positive case count of COVID-19 in the Volta Region has jumped from 126 on Sunday, June 07 to 162 on Monday, June 08, 2020.

    Out of the 162 cases, 122 are on treatment, 37 recovered and three dead.
    Ho, the Regional capital is leading with 62 cases having overtaken Ketu South, which has 40 cases.

    Adaklu, South Dayi and Kpando Municipal have two cases each while Agotime-Ziope, Akatsi South and Keta, a case each.

    Anloga, eight cases, Central Tongu, nine cases, Ho West, six cases, Hohoe, eleven cases, Ketu North, eight cases, North Tongu, three cases and South Tongu, six cases.

    A COVID-19 Daily Situational Report made available to the Ghana News Agency said a total of 1,167 cumulative contacts had been listed with 1,132 cumulative samples taken.

    It said a total of 625 contacts were being followed up, 707 follow ups completed with 35 samples yet to be taken.

    Source: GNA

  • One in five Iranians may have had the coronavirus – Health official

    Nearly one in five Iranians may have been infected with the novel coronavirus since the country’s outbreak started in February, a health official said Tuesday.

    “About 15 million Iranians may have experienced being infected with this virus since the outbreak began,” said Ehsan Mostafavi, a member of the task force set up to combat COVID-19.

    This meant the virus was “much less lethal than we or the world had anticipated”, the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.

    The figure represents 18.75 per cent of the more than 80 million population of Iran, which on Tuesday announced another 74 deaths from the coronavirus.

    Mostafavi said it was derived from serology tests to identify antibodies in patients who have recovered from the illness.

    These differ from polymerising chain reaction (PCR) tests, which detect the presence of an antigen.

    Iran says it has carried out more than one million PCR tests to “confirm” infections and report them so far.

    Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 74 new coronavirus fatalities in the past 12 hours had raised the overall death toll to 8,425.

    Cases of infection rose by 2,095 over the same period to total 175,927, she added.

    Lari replaced Kianoush Jahanpour as the health ministry’s spokesperson on Tuesday, according to a ministry statement.

    Health Minister Saeed Namaki called on her to “avoid politicisation” of issues and to coordinate with him “before making any remarks on social media or to the press,” it added.

    Jahanpour had come under fire in March after saying China’s reporting of its COVID-19 figures was a “bitter joke”.

    He was slammed on Twitter by the Chinese ambassador to Tehran, Chang Hua, and later retreated by praising Beijing for its support of Tehran during the pandemic.

    Iran-China relations are usually warm as Beijing is one of Tehran’s top trade partners, especially in oil.

    Source: france24.com

  • Holiday firm reverses coronavirus refund policy

    The UK’s Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), which oversees consumer protection laws, has chalked up a significant win for travellers whose holiday bookings have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The CMA stepped in following complaints about the company Vacation Rentals – which operates Hoseasons holiday parks and the short lets website Cottages.com. Customers said that the firm had failed to offer full refunds after bookings were cancelled.

    The company has now voluntarily changed its policy, but the CMA says it is continuing to investigate the actions of other holiday companies through its COVID-19 Taskforce.

    If you’d like to know more about your consumer rights during the pandemic, click here.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus may cost Africa US$4.8 billion in crop exports

    The coronavirus pandemic could cost Africa as much as $4.8 billion in lost agricultural exports and affect the livelihoods of 10 million farmers, McKinsey & Co. said.

    Disruptions ranging from canceled flights to the closure of chocolate factories in Europe have limited exports of crops ranging from nuts to roses, according to the consultancy firm. Livelihoods will be affected through “job loss or price reductions,” McKinsey said.

    Agriculture is key for African economies, accounting for 23% of gross domestic product and jobs for 60% of economically active people in the sub-Saharan region. Agricultural exports from the continent are worth between $35 billion and $40 billion annually.

    McKinsey forecasts the following losses:

    Between $500 million and $2 billion in exports of fruit, vegetables and nuts from countries such as South Africa.

    A fall in demand for chocolate and the resultant decline in prices could reduce cocoa exports by as much as $2 billion.

    About $200 million in exports of coffee, a crop that supports 6.6 million jobs mainly in East Africa.

    Between $400 million and $600 million in revenue from flower exports may be lost.

    The outbreak in Africa, which has about 190,000 confirmed infections and over 5,000 deaths, could also disrupt preparations for the next planting season and hamper efforts to curb an invasion of crop-eating locusts in East Africa.

    Still, bumper harvests from the current season in some countries could cushion the blow.

    Source: Bloomberg

  • New Zealand lifts all Coronavirus restrictions, declaring the nation virus-free

    New Zealand has lifted almost all of its coronavirus restrictions after reporting no active cases in the country.

    At midnight local time (12:00 GMT), all of New Zealand moved to level one, the lowest of a four-tier alert system.

    Under new rules, social distancing is not required and there are no limits on public gatherings, but borders remain closed to foreigners.

    New Zealand has reported no new Covid-19 cases for more than two weeks.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters she did “a little dance” when she was told the country no longer had any active virus cases.

    “While we’re in a safer, stronger position, there’s still no easy path back to pre-Covid life, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild,” Ms Ardern said.

    “While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple, ‘Thank you, New Zealand’.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • WHO head urges world not to let up on Coronavirus battle

    The World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries on Monday to press on with efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, noting the pandemic was worsening globally and had not peaked in central America.

    “More than six months into the pandemic this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online briefing.

    His top emergency expert, Dr Mike Ryan, said cases of infection in central American countries were still on the rise.

    “I think this is a time of great concern,” he said, calling for strong government leadership and international support for the region.

    Maria van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist, told the briefing a “comprehensive approach” was essential in South America.

    Ryan said the need now was to focus on preventing second peaks of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus that has infected more than 7 million people and killed more than 400,000.

    “This is far from over”, Van Kerkhove said.

    Source: reuters.com

  • Man jailed for 5G phone mast arson attack

    A man in the UK who thought 5G technology was linked to Coronavirus has been jailed for an arson attack on a phone mast.

    Michael Whitty, 47, set fire to the mast’s equipment box in Kirkby, north-west England, after reading erroneous internet claims about the virus, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

    Theories claiming that 5G technology helps to transmit coronavirus have been widely condemned by the scientific community.

    Attacks on 5G masts pre-date the coronavirus pandemic. But there are concerns that a surge in the amount of vandalism has been caused by conspiracy theories which falsely claim the deployment of 5G networks has caused, or helped accelerate, the spread of COVID-19.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: UK daily deaths drop to pre-lockdown level

    The UK has recorded its lowest daily rise in the number of Coronavirus deaths since before lockdown on 23 March, the latest government figures show.

    A further 55 people died after testing positive with the virus as of 17:00 BST on Sunday, taking the total to 40,597.

    This included no new deaths announced in both Scotland and Northern Ireland for the second consecutive day.

    However, there tend to be fewer deaths reported on Mondays, due to a reporting lag over the weekend.

    The number of new UK cases on Monday – 1,205 – is also the lowest number since the start of lockdown.

    On the day lockdown began, 23 March, there was a rise of 74 deaths.

    The UK is only the second country – after the US – to pass the milestone of 40,000 deaths.

    Source: bbc.com

  • New Zealand to lift all restrictions as it declares itself virus-free

    New Zealand is set to lift almost all its Coronavirus restrictions within hours as it reports there are no active cases in the country.

    It will move to level one, the lowest of its four-tier alert system, at midnight local time (12:00 GMT).

    Under this, social distancing will no longer be required and there will be no limits on public gatherings, but borders will remain closed.

    New Zealand has reported no new COVID-19 cases for more than two weeks.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters she did “a little dance” when she was told the country no longer had any active virus cases.

    “While we’re in a safer, stronger position there’s still no easy path back to pre-Covid life, but the determination and focus we have had on our health response will now be vested in our economic rebuild,” she said.

    “While the job is not done, there is no denying this is a milestone. So can I finish with a very simple Thank you, New Zealand.”

    ‘A sustained effort’

    New Zealand first went into lockdown on 25 March, setting up a new four-stage alert system and going in at level four, where most businesses were shut, schools closed and people told to stay at home.

    After more than five weeks, it moved to alert level three in April, allowing takeaway food shops and some non-essential businesses to re-open.

    As the number of community cases continued to decline, the country moved into level 2 in mid-May.

    The move to level one comes ahead of plan – the government had originally meant to make the move on 22 June, but it was brought forward after no new cases were reported for 17 days, say local media outlets.

    Under the new rules which will come into place in just a matter of hours, all schools and workplaces will be open. Weddings, funerals and public transport will be able to resume without any restrictions.

    Social distancing will no longer be required but will still be encouraged.

    However, all New Zealanders arriving from abroad will still have to go through a 14-day period of isolation or quarantine.

    Ms Ardern warned that the country would “certainly see cases again”, adding that “elimination is not a point in time, it is a sustained effort”.

    New Zealand has seen 1,154 confirmed cases and 22 deaths from Covid-19 since the virus arrived in late February, but has been widely praised for its handling of the crisis.

    Source: bbc.com

  • India re-opens more public spaces despite record virus infections

    Malls and temples re-opened in several cities across India on Monday despite the country recording a record daily number of new Coronavirus infections, with the pandemic expected to ravage the country for weeks to come.

    After a 10-week lockdown the government has risked lifting some restrictions in a bid to ease the devastating blow to the economy dealt by the Coronavirus.

    But the number of new cases rose by 9,983 to 256,611, according to government figures announced Monday, putting the country of 1.3 billion on course to overtake Britain and Spain among nations with the highest number of infections.

    The reported death toll of 7,135 is much lower than reported in other badly-hit countries, but the epidemic is only expected to peak locally in July, according to health experts.

    Still, in the capital Delhi, shopping malls, restaurants, temples and mosques were allowed to re-open for the first time since March 25.

    The response was tentative, however, and only a trickle of people returned to some places of worship.

    Businessman Mohit Budhiraja, wearing a mask and carrying sanitiser, went to his local temple in eastern Delhi for the first time since the lockdown.

    “It felt like something was missing when I couldn’t come to the temple for all these weeks,” he said.

    “I hope things improve, but now I will come every day.”

    Many temples set up sanitisation tunnels at their entrances and barred worshippers from bringing offerings.

    “People are having their temperature tested twice before they get in,” said Ravindra Goel, a trustee of the Jhandewalan temple, one of the oldest in Delhi.

    The 400-year-old Jama Masjid mosque – one of the biggest in India – planned to allow the faithful in just three times a day instead of the usual five.

    Major hit

    Delhi is one of India’s worst Coronavirus hotspots, accounting for more than 27,600 cases and 761 deaths – although media reports say the real figures are much higher.

    Mumbai, which accounts for around a fifth of India’s cases and hospitals have been overrun, was more cautious. Roadside shops were allowed to re-open, but malls, restaurants and hair salons remained shuttered.

    The Indian government says the tough lockdown it ordered on March 25 has limited the spread of the Coronavirus.

    But it is now braced for a major hit to the economy, with millions of labourers now jobless.

    Rating agencies have said the economy could contract by more than five percent this year, after average growth of about seven percent over the past decade.

    Despite restrictions being eased last month, India’s manufacturing sector is struggling to restart because of an exodus of migrant workers prompted by the virus lockdown.

    Big cities – once an attractive destination for workers from poor, rural regions – have been hit by reverse migration as millions of labourers fled to their village homes.

    “A lot of the manufacturing industry is actually located in the very states where the pandemic’s impact has been great,” Professor Santosh Mehrotra at Jawaharlal Nehru University told AFP last week.

    “Now these are the areas where naturally workers have left in large numbers… They will not return in a hurry.”

    Source: france24.com

  • Scrap quarantine and start testing at UK airports – Labour

    People coming into the UK should be tested for coronavirus “within days” of their arrival, the leader of the Labour opposition party, Sir Keir Starmer, has said.

    From Monday, most people arriving in the country must quarantine for 14 days.

    Starmer said the new rule was a “blunt instrument” used too late, at a time when other countries were lifting travel restrictions.

    “I actually would much prefer to see some sort of testing regime at the airport” or “within days of [people] coming in”, he told LBC Radio.

    The quarantine has also provoked fierce criticism from the aviation and travel industries, with the boss of Ryanair labelling it ineffective and a “political stunt”.

    Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the measures were designed “to prevent a second wave” of coronavirus.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Indian capital’s chief minister ‘unwell’ as city battles virus

    Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has a fever and cough, common symptoms of the Coronavirus, according to media reports. He is expected to be tested later today.

    The news comes as the Indian capital struggles to cope with a spike in infections – it has confirmed more than 27,000 cases and 761 deaths so far.

    And Kejriwal said on Sunday that hospital beds in the city would be reserved for residents amid reports that patients are struggling to get admitted for treatment.

    Meanwhile, India has taken steps to further relax its stringent lockdown – shopping centres, restaurants, temples and offices are open from Monday.

    Delhi is the second-worst affected state in India, which, overall, has recorded 256,611 cases.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: UK travel quarantine rules come into effect

    New rules requiring all people arriving in the UK to self-isolate for 14 days have come into effect.

    Those arriving by plane, ferry or train – including UK nationals – will have to provide an address where they will self-isolate and face fines of up to £1,000 if they do not follow the rules.

    Home Secretary Priti Patel said the laws were designed “to prevent a second wave” of coronavirus.

    But some industries have warned they will be severely impacted by the rules.

    Anyone arriving from the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man does not have to complete the form or enter quarantine.

    There are also exemptions for workers in some industries such as road haulage and medical professionals who are providing essential care.

    All other travellers have to fill in a “public health passenger locator” form on arrival. Failure to do so could lead to a penalty of £100, or travellers may be refused entry.

    If they are unable to provide an address, the government will arrange accommodation at the traveller’s expense. There will also be checks to see whether the rules are being followed.

    The government has faced criticism from the aviation industry and some Tory MPs over the measures, but Ms Patel said the measures were “proportionate” and being implemented “at the right time”.

    “The science is clear that if we limit the risk of new cases being brought in from abroad, we can help stop a devastating second wave,” Ms Patel said.

    Those arriving in England and Northern Ireland could face a fine of £1,000 if they fail to self-isolate for the full 14 days, while they face a £480 fine in Scotland. The maximum fine for repeat offenders in Scotland is £5,000. The enforcement rules in Wales are not clear.

    Source: bbc.com

  • ‘Virus drains no-deal Brexit medicines stockpiles’

    The UK has been warned by the pharmaceutical industry that stockpiles of medical supplies have been “used up entirely” by the coronavirus pandemic.

    A memo seen by the BBC advises the government to buy and store “critical” medicines to treat the virus.

    Drugmakers fear stockpiles cannot feasibly be built back up again, if the UK should fail to strike a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.

    The government said “robust contingency plans are in place”.

    The spokesperson added: “We want a relationship with the EU which is based on friendly cooperation between sovereign equals and centred on free trade.”

    However, firms fear disruption to global supply chains will seriously impact the NHS.

    The internal pharmaceutical industry memo, which was prepared for the government in May, warns that after the pandemic ends, there will be “less or zero product available in the market to allow for stockpiling a broad range of products” than there was in 2019, when stockpiling occurred in preparation for a possible no-deal Brexit.

    At the time, the industry itself paid for six weeks’ worth of stockpiles.

    “Preparations for the end of the transition period must complement plans to secure the supply of coronavirus therapeutic and supportive products,” the memo says.

    The pandemic has led to a massive increase in demand for medicines not previously stockpiled for critical care and respiratory medicines, such as inhalers.

    Source: bbc.com

  • 600 nurses killed by coronavirus worldwide

    Statistics from the International Council of Nurses (I.C.N.) indicates that over 600 nurses across the world have been killed by COVID-19.

    Approximately 230,000 health-care workers have also contracted the virus.

    Howard Catton, the Chief Executive Officer of International Council of Nurses (I.C.N.) noted that, “We need a central database of reliable, standardized, comparable data on all infections, periods of quarantine and deaths that are directly or indirectly related COVID-19.”

    He noted that the death toll could be higher as they were not getting reliable statistics from some countries.

    In Ghana at least 13 doctors have contracted the virus according to the Ghana Medical Association. Close to 30 nurses have the virus.

    Source: firstnewsroom.com

  • Iran says virus uptick due to increased testing

    Iran’s health ministry said Sunday a surge in new reported Coronavirus infections was due to increased testing rather than a worsening outbreak.

    After hitting a near two-month low in early May and a lifting of tough movement restrictions, cases of the COVID-19 illness have been rising in Islamic republic which is battling the Middle East’s deadliest outbreak of the disease.

    “The main reason for rising numbers is that we started identifying (infected people) with no or light symptoms,” said Mohammad-Mehdi Gouya, the health ministry’s head epidemiologist.

    He added that the gradual easing of lockdown measures had also contributed to higher infections “which has more or less happened all over the world,” ISNA news agency reported.

    Authorities have progressively lifted restrictions imposed to tackle the virus, and activity has almost returned to normal in most of the country’s 31 provinces.

    Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the situation had steadily improved with fewer hospitalisations, critical cases and deaths.

    “It is only normal for infections to slightly grow after reopenings,” he said in televised remarks Sunday.

    He confirmed 2,364 new infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 171,789.

    Yet 2,596 of total patients hospitalised were in “critical” condition on Sunday, with the number seemingly on a rising trajectory since Thursday, when Iran reported record high daily infections.

    Jahanpour noted that 72 more people had died in the same period, raising the overall toll to 8,281.

    There has been scepticism at home and abroad about Iran’s official figures, with concerns the real toll could be much higher.

    Rising infection figuress since a low in early May and lax observance of social distancing have worried authorities, which have reiterated calls for strict adherence to health protocols.

    Source: france24.com

  • Churches reopening is ‘great blessing’ – Archbishop

    Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, says it is a “great blessing” that English churches will soon be able to open their doors to worshippers again.

    The government is set to announce next week that all places of worship in England can allow private individual prayer from 15 June.

    Nichols said: “Not every Catholic church will be open on 15 June. Local decisions and provision have to lead this process. But it is a great blessing for individuals and for the benefit of all in society, that church doors will again be open to all who long to pray there for the peace and grace we need today.”

    According to The Sunday Times, the government might soon also allow outdoor weddings, currently limited to Jews and Quakers. The report also claims restrictions on weddings and funerals will be eased to enable up to 10 people to attend such occasions indoors from early July.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus ‘a devastating blow for world economy’

    World Bank President David Malpass has pulled no punches by declaring that the Coronavirus pandemic is a “devastating blow” for the world economy and that the economic fallout could last for a decade.

    In May, Malpass warned that 60 million people could be pushed into “extreme poverty” – living on less than $1.90 (£1.55) per person per day – by the effects of Covid-19.

    However, in an interview on Friday, Malpass said that they could now find themselves with less than £1 per day to live on.

    He has told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: “Both the direct consequences, meaning lost income, but also then the health consequences, the social consequences, are really harsh.”

    He added: “We can see that with the stock market in the US being relatively high, and yet people in the poor countries being not only unemployed, but unable to get any work even in the informal sector. And that’s going to have consequences for a decade.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • No longer coronavirus cases in Vatican City – Holy See

    The Vatican has announced there are no more cases of Coronavirus among Holy See employees – the governing body of the Catholic Church – and others inside Vatican City.

    Matteo Bruni, Holy See press chief, said: “The last person declared sick with Covid-19 in recent weeks has been tested negative. To date, there are no longer any cases of coronavirus among the employees of the Holy See and in the Vatican City state.”

    The last of the 12 positive cases was reported in early May.

    Source: bbc.com

  • US records 749 coronavirus deaths in past 24 hours

    The Coronavirus pandemic killed 749 people in the United States in the past 24 hours, according to figures released Saturday by Johns Hopkins University.

    The latest deaths bring the total in the United States to 109,791, and there have been more than 1.9 million cases, according to a real-time tally maintained by the Baltimore-based university at 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Sunday).

    Some 500,000 people have recovered from the disease.

    The United States has suffered by far the largest number of both Coronavirus deaths and infections.

    On a per capita basis, however, several European countries — including France, Italy and Spain — have a higher death toll.

    President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States was “largely through” the pandemic and renewed his call on governors to ease lockdown measures in their states.

    While the United States was suffering around 3,000 deaths a day in mid-April, that number has declined to around 1,000 deaths and 20,000 new cases a day at present.

    But health care professionals worry mass demonstrations against police brutality and racism taking place in cities across the US may lead to a new surge in infections in the coming weeks.

    Source: punchng.com

  • Coronavirus: US-China virus row flares with senator’s comments

    The row between the US and China over the coronavirus outbreak has flared again with a US senator accusing Beijing of trying to block the development of a vaccine in the West.

    Rick Scott said evidence had come via “our intelligence community” but provided no details to back it up.

    China meanwhile issued a document defending its virus actions, saying it briefed the US as early as 4 January.

    Deaths caused by the virus passed 400,000 worldwide on Sunday.

    The figure is provided in a count by Johns Hopkins University, which also shows confirmed global infections close to the 7 million mark.

    What did Rick Scott say?

    The Republican senator for Florida, who serves on the armed services and homeland security committees among others, was speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

    He said: “We have got to get this vaccine done. Unfortunately we have evidence that communist China is trying to sabotage us or slow it down.”

    Mr Scott was pressed on the issue twice. He said: “China does not want us, and England and Europe to do it first. They’ve decided to be an adversary to America and democracies around the world.”

    Mr Scott, who has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, was questioned again, saying the “evidence” had come through the intelligence community and armed services, adding: “There are things I can’t discuss… I get provided information.”

    He said if “England or the US does it first, we’re going to share. Communist China, they are not going to share.”

    What is the background to this?

    The Trump administration has consistently attacked China over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

    Mr Trump has referred to coronavirus regularly as the “China virus”. He also said he has proof Covid-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was “enormous evidence” to back the theory, which Beijing has dismissed.

    The Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the UK and the US, said there was no such evidence, as did the World Health Organization (WHO).

    But the WHO is another point of contention for Mr Trump’s administration. It has pulled out of the body, accusing it of being China’s puppet.

    Mr Trump accused Chinese officials of covering up the virus early on and saying they could have stopped the disease from spreading.

    This week he threatened to bar passenger flights from China from 16 June, after which Beijing said it would loosen restrictions on international air travel.

    Then there is the backdrop of the US-China trade dispute, which saw the imposition of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tariffs on each another’s goods.

    What is China’s side of the story?

    It has not yet responded specifically to Mr Scott’s accusations but in a new document it has published on its response to the virus, Beijing says it briefed the United States as early as 4 January, when the disease was still largely unknown.

    It lists a telephone briefing given by the head of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to his US counterpart.

    China says in the document it has acted in an open, transparent and responsible manner.

    The WHO has praised China’s actions, saying they helped slow the spread of the virus, particularly with the quick and voluntary sharing of the virus’s genetic code.

     

    China’s foreign ministry has repeatedly accused the Trump administration of trying to distract from its own problems tackling the crisis.

    The US has more infections and deaths than any other nation.

    One Chinese foreign ministry spokesman also promoted the idea – without evidence – that Covid-19 might have originated in the US.

    Where are we with a vaccine?

    Dozens of groups around the world are researching vaccines, with some entering clinical trials.

    The first human trial data appears positive, showing patients produced antibodies that could neutralise the virus.

     

    However, no-one knows how effective any of these vaccines will be.

    A vaccine would normally take years, if not longer, to develop, although given the huge effort some experts believe there could be a vaccine by mid-2021, but again there are no guarantees.

     

    Source: BBC 

  • Coronavirus: AstraZeneca to begin making potential vaccine

    Drug company AstraZeneca is to start producing a potential vaccine for coronavirus, its boss has told the BBC.

    Trials of the drug are under way but Pascal Soriot said the firm must start making doses now so that it can meet demand if the vaccine proves effective.

    “We are starting to manufacture this vaccine right now – and we have to have it ready to be used by the time we have the results,” he said.

    AstraZeneca says it will be able supply two billion doses of the vaccine.

    Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Mr Soriot said manufacturing was beginning already because, “we want to be as fast as possible”.

    “Of course, with this decision comes a risk but it’s a financial risk and that financial risk is the vaccine doesn’t work,” he added.

    “Then all the materials, all the vaccines, we’ve manufactured will be wasted.”

    He said AstraZeneca would not seek to make a profit from producing the drug during the pandemic.

    If it works, the company will be able to produce two billion doses after signing two new contracts on Thursday, one of which was with billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.

    AstraZeneca, which is developing the vaccine with scientists at Oxford University, has agreed to supply half of the doses to low and middle-income countries.

    One of the new partnerships is with the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume. The other is a $750m (£595m) deal with two health organisations backed by Bill and Melinda Gates.

    The two charities, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and GAVI vaccines alliance, will help find production facilities to produce and distribute 300 million doses of the vaccine. Delivery is expected to start by the end of the year.

    Mr Soriot has said he expects to know by August if the AZD1222 vaccine is effective, while CEPI chief executive Richard Hatchett said there is still a possibility the vaccine may not work.

    AstraZeneca’s licensing agreement with India’s SII is to supply one billion doses for low and middle-income countries, with a commitment to provide 400 million before the end of 2020.

    Mr Soirot said the company was building a number of supply chains across the world “to support global access at no profit during the pandemic and has so far secured manufacturing capacity for two billion doses of the vaccine”.

    “Having a vaccine is one thing but you need to produce it at scale and I can tell you that It is not an easy thing to do,” the pharmaceutical boss told Today.

    He has described the coronavirus pandemic as “a global tragedy” and “a challenge for all of humanity”.

    AstraZeneca has already agreed to supply 300 million doses of the potential vaccine to the US and a further 100 million to the UK, with the first deliveries expected in September.

    Governments around the world have pledged billions of dollars for a Covid-19 vaccine and a number of pharmaceutical firms are in a race to develop and test potential drugs.

    “A vaccine must be seen as a global public good – a people’s vaccine, which a growing number of world leaders are calling for,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a video message on Thursday.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coffin-makers booming as Peru virus deaths soar

    As the coronavirus-hit economy of Peru stagnated over the past three months, Lima coffin-maker Genaro Cabrera has seen his sales quadruple.

    “I never imagined working to such an extreme,” Cabrera told AFP at his factory in the rundown district of San Juan de Lurigancho.

    Together with his wife and a staff of 20, he makes a variety of coffins using wood, pressed cardboard and steel, demand for which has soared amid a rising COVID-19 death toll.

    Peru is the second worst-hit Latin American country after Brazil. With a population of 33 million, it has almost 180,000 infections and nearly 5,000 deaths.

    “We are full of orders. People even want to make deposits in advance,” Cabrera’s wife Cesarela said.

    “Before the pandemic, we made 100 coffins a month, now we make that many in just a week.”

    Coffins are selling fast, costing from $118 to nearly $600. Some of Cabrera’s customers have been his own neighbors who succumbed to the disease.

    “I have six neighbors who have died from the pandemic,” said Cabrera, 52.

    Fears of contagion meant “some of my workers stopped coming.”

    But like other operators in the booming death industry, Cabrera can count on a ready pool of labor from among Peru’s estimated 800,000 Venezuelan migrants. He employs four Venezuelans to do the finishing work on his coffins.

    – ‘Tempting death’ –

    The pandemic has left the dreams of many Peruvian small businesses in tatters, but coffin making and funeral services are flourishing, using Venezuelan labor for work Peruvians refuse to do.

    “Every day we tempt death,” said Jhoan Faneite, whose job is to collect the bodies of coronavirus victims and take them to the crematorium.

    “At the beginning we were scared, but now I focus on my work. I blank out my mind so that I don’t have feelings,” said Faneite, 35.

    He is one of 21 Venezuelans who work collecting corpses to transport to Piedrangel crematorium in the south of Lima.

    Having fled the economic crisis in their own country, these Venezuelans dress in black suits and masks to remove corpses of suspected COVID-19 victims from hospitals and homes in Lima’s poorer districts.

    It’s a job no-one else will do.

    “They call us things like the ‘Covid hunt’ or ‘the death squad’ or ‘Covid soldiers’,” said Faneite, who has lived with his wife and three children in the rundown district of Agustino since fleeing Venezuela two years ago.

    – A job no-one wants –

    Roberto Gonzalez, the owner of the private Piedrangel facility, is full of praise for his Venezuelan workers.

    “Ninety-percent of the work of collecting corpses for crematoriums is done by Venezuelans,” Gonzalez said.

    “Our Peruvian workers didn’t want the work of carrying bodies, out of fear. The most seasoned workers are Venezuelans. They have not run away.”

    In addition to the 21 removers, other Venezuelan workers operate the ovens at the crematorium.

    “Thank God they have not been infected. We have no cases, hopefully we can continue like this until the pandemic goes away,” said Gonzalez.

    At the Piedrangel crematorium in the working class district of Chorrillos, there are seven liquefied-gas ovens operating round the clock.

    Gonzalez’s business is contracted by Peru’s health ministry. His employees collect, disinfect and bag the bodies of virus victims, before taking them in a vehicle to the crematorium.

    The company picked up its first coronavirus victim in March, in the wealthy Miraflores district.

    Business has been growing ever since.

    To date, more than 2,000 bodies have been cremated in Piedrangel’s ovens.

    “I never thought I would live through something like this. Every day we collect between 70 and 150 bodies to be cremated,” says Gonzalez.

    Before the pandemic, the average number was just 15.

    Source: france24.com

  • Tens of thousands defy ban to attend Tiananmen vigil

    Tens of thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong have defied a ban to stage a mass vigil for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.

    Officers erected barricades around the city’s Victoria Park, but some pro-democracy protesters knocked them down and held candlelit gatherings.

    Police banned the vigil this year, citing Coronavirus measures.

    Earlier, lawmakers approved a controversial bill making it a crime to insult China’s national anthem.

    Ahead of the vote, two legislators were taken away by security guards after throwing a foul-smelling liquid on to the chamber floor.

    They said they were protesting against China’s growing control over Hong Kong, and also marking the Tiananmen Square anniversary.

    The latest events come as the Chinese government is drawing up a new security law for Hong Kong, a move that threatens to raise tensions even further.

    Why was the Tiananmen vigil banned?

    Hong Kong and Macau are the only parts of China that have been allowed to mark the killings.

    An annual vigil has been held in Hong Kong since 1990. On the mainland, references to the crackdown are banned, and the government mentions it rarely – if at all.

    On 4 June 1989, troops and tanks opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing – estimates of the dead vary from a few hundred to several thousand.

    Tens of thousands of people normally mark the anniversary in Hong Kong, but police told local media that 3,000 riot officers would be deployed to stop smaller or impromptu commemorations.

    At Victoria Park, demonstrators shouted pro-democracy slogans including “Stand with Hong Kong” and “End one-party rule”, referring to the Communist Party’s monopoly on power in China.

    “I’ve come here for the vigil for 30 years in memory of the victims of the June 4 crackdown, but this year it is more significant to me,” one 74-year-old man told AFP news agency.

    “Because Hong Kong is experiencing the same kind of repression from the same regime, just like what happened in Beijing.”

    Candlelit vigils also took place in other parts of Hong Kong. Hundreds gathered in Mong Kok district, where there were brief scuffles between protesters who attempted to set up barricades and police who used pepper spray to disperse them, Reuters reported.

    It was the first time there had been unrest at a Tiananmen vigil in Hong Kong, the news agency said. Police said they had made several arrests.

    In Mong Kok, Brenda Hui held a white battery-illuminated umbrella that read “Never Forget June 4”.

    “We are afraid this will be the last time we can have a ceremony but Hong Kongers will always remember what happened on June 4,” she said.

    Groups of up to eight are allowed to gather in Hong Kong under the territory’s virus rules. But police sources told the South China Morning Post that if different groups gathered for a “common purpose”, they would be moved on.

    The US and Taiwan have both called on China to apologise for the Tiananmen crackdown.

    “Around the world, there are 365 days in a year. Yet in China, one of those days is purposely forgotten each year,” Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted a photo of him meeting prominent Tiananmen survivors.

    China’s foreign ministry said the calls were “complete nonsense”.

    “The great achievements since the founding of new China over the past 70 or so years fully demonstrates that the developmental path China has chosen is completely correct,” spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Professor Mintah opposes football restart

    The Chairman for Ghana Coaches Association, Professor Joseph Mintah has kicked against the restart of the 2019/20 Ghana Football season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    The 2019/20 football season has been suspended since March this year due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country with over 8,500 cases recorded as of June 4.

    Professor Mintah is of the view that Ghana cannot emulate that of the European leagues which are currently underway as our current situation and concept are different.

    Speaking in an interview to discuss the effects of COVID-19 on Ghanaian clubs on Happy Sports on Happy 98.9FM with Ohene-Bampoe Brenya, he said, “Personally I will say no looking at our current situation.

    “There are some protocols that must be adhered to such as testing and camping players. My concern is that an average Ghanaian player is not disciplined unlike the European and it will be difficult for them to even follow the protocols”, he indicated on whether the season should continue or not.

    He further said it will be better for the GFA to take an early decision on the future of the league so measures can be put in place to restart a new season.

    There has been a talk on whether football should return behind closed doors as the Ghana Football Association continues to engage its stakeholders on the future of the 2019/20 football season.

    The GFA has announced it will decide on the future of the season on June 30.

    Source: happyghana.com

  • Coronavirus fiscal easing announcements exceed 7% of world GDP

    Macro policy easing responses to the coronavirus crisis have reached unprecedented levels, with direct fiscal stimulus measures totalling USS5 trillion  (7% of 2019 GDP) for the “Fitch 20” countries covered in its Global Economic Outlook.

    “The scale of fiscal easing announced to date, which could increase further, is significantly larger than the fiscal response seen after the global financial crisis, when the advanced economies saw a fiscal easing of around 3%-4% of GDP. Massive policy easing will undoubtedly help the pace of the post-crisis economic recovery,” said Marina Stefani, Director at Fitch Ratings.

    Central Bank responses have been similarly impressive – with new quantitative easing (QE) asset purchases expected to reach 20% of GDP in the US, 9% in the UK and Canada, and more than 7% in the eurozone – and a wide array of new credit facilities.

    The ECB could also further increase its bond-buying programme.

    “Responses to the crisis have, however, been strikingly uneven, with developed-market countries within the Fitch 20 set to spend an aggregate US$7.6 trillion (11% of 2019 GDP) in overall fiscal-support measures (including guarantees and quasi-fiscal measures), while emerging-market economies have announced a modest USS1.2 trillion (1.8% of 2019 GDP),” added Stefani.

    Responses vary from direct fiscal support to households and businesses to government-granted fiscal guarantees or quasi-fiscal measures borne by public agencies.

    Various central banks have adopted monetary easing, asset-purchase programmes, and the launching of new liquidity or refinancing facilities to support the real economy including via the banking sector.

    The speed and size of macro policy easing will influence both the intensity of the immediate coronavirus-related macro shock and the pace of the post-crisis economic recovery.

    Using a broad definition of fiscal support including direct fiscal-easing measures and guarantees, Germany, Italy and the UK each have announced more than 20% of GDP overall fiscal support, followed closely by France (17.5%).

    For the largest four eurozone countries, as well as for the UK, more than 70% of the total fiscal response is composed of government guarantees. Direct fiscal measures in Europe vary from around 3% in Spain and Poland to 4.5% in France and Italy, 5.5% in the UK and 8% in Germany.

    The European Commission has proposed a EUR750 billion EU joint fiscal package (6.3% of eurozone GDP) to finance the recovery, but this has yet to be agreed at the EU member state level.

    The US also has announced an enormous stimulus package and established a wide range of support instruments. Direct fiscal easing exceeds that announced so far in Europe, at 11.5% of GDP, although the scale of new federal fiscal guarantees has been smaller, at 2.4% of GDP.

    Similarly, Japan has announced a large support package and Fitch estimates that actual new discretionary measures, guarantees and quasi-fiscal measures adopted by the government will account for 32.3% of GDP.

    Source: Class FM

  • Coronavirus: Ibuprofen tested as a treatment

    Scientists are running a trial to see if ibuprofen can help hospital patients who are sick with coronavirus.

    The team from London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital and King’s College believe the drug, which is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller, could treat breathing difficulties.

    They hope the low-cost treatment can keep patients off ventilators.

    In the trial, called Liberate, half of the patients will receive ibuprofen in addition to usual care.

    The trial will use a special formulation of ibuprofen rather than the regular tablets that people might usually buy. Some people already take this lipid capsule form of the drug for conditions like arthritis.

    Studies in animals suggest it might treat acute respiratory distress syndrome – one of the complications of severe coronavirus.

    Prof Mitul Mehta, one of the team at King’s College London, said: “We need to do a trial to show that the evidence actually matches what we expect to happen.”

    Early in the pandemic there were some concerns that ibuprofen might be bad for people to take, should they have the virus with mild symptoms.

    These were heightened when France’s health minister Oliver Veran said that taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, could aggravate the infection and advised patients to take paracetamol instead.

    A review by the Commission on Human Medicines quickly concluded that, like paracetamol, it was safe to take for coronavirus symptoms. Both can bring a temperature down and help with flu-like symptoms.

    For mild coronavirus symptoms, the NHS advises people try paracetamol first, as it has fewer side-effects than ibuprofen and is the safer choice for most people. You should not take ibuprofen if you have a stomach ulcer, for example.

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of backend.theindependentghana.com. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: PFAG advocates stimulus package for smallholder farmers

    The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) has called on the government to roll out a different stimulus package targeting smallholder farmers to revamp their operations.

    Mr Charles Kwowe Nyaaba, Head of Programmes and Advocacy at PFAG, who made the call, said “We think that if we want this country to become food secure next year, government needs to come out with a different funding mechanism that addresses specific needs of smallholder farmers”.

    He made the call at a training on COVID-19 held at Sognayili in the Sagnarigu Municipality for Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) drawn from the Tamale Metropolis, Sagnarigu and Savelugu Municipalities of the Northern Region.

    The training, organised by PFAG, was to equip participants with knowledge on the transmission, symptoms and safety precautions on COVID-19, such that they would also educate farmers on the disease as part of their extension activities to help curb its spread.

    As part of the training, PFAG presented a veronica bucket each including other personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Departments of Agriculture in the Tamale Metropolis and Sagnarigu Municipality to help ensure hygiene.

    Following the emergence of the COVID-19 in the country and its devastating impact on businesses, the government rolled out a GHC600,000,000.00 stimulus package to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to manage the impact of the disease on their operations.

    Mr Nyaaba argued that smallholder farmers would not benefit from the current stimulus package because, they neither registered their operations nor had tax identification numbers, which were key requirements for accessing the funds.

    He said funds under the currents stimulus package were also not enough, adding, a different stimulus package targeting smallholder farmers would help cushion them in this era of COVID-19 as they needed just between GHC500.00 to GHC2,000.oo to revamp their operations.

    He said “We think that farmers bear more of the consequences of COVID-19 than other businesses. Farmers cannot sell their produce because of disruptions in businesses.

    Farmers have cleared their lands waiting for tractors to plough but there are no tractors because borders are closed, yet they are left out of the credit facility meant to cushion businesses. If we do not take a second look at that approach, we may be addressing one problem but the problem will escalate to the agricultural sector”.

    Mr Iddriss Nouridean, an AEA at the Tamale Metropolis, who spoke on behalf of the participants, said the COVID-19 had overstretched resources of the Departments of Agriculture as AEAs had to now make two trips to communities instead of one for their extension activities to farmers.

    Mr Nouridean commended PFAG for the training, saying, it would boost their operations as they and the farmers would keep safe during this era of COVID-19.

    Source: GNA

  • Coronavirus: Labour urges PM to stop ‘winging it’ over easing restrictions

    Boris Johnson’s “mismanagement” of the easing of virus restrictions risks a second wave of infections, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned.

    In a Guardian interview, he urged the PM to “get a grip” and restore public confidence in ministers’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

    But No 10 said it was proceeding with caution to secure a safe recovery.

    It comes as the government is to outline further details of its quarantine plans later.

    Home Secretary Priti Patel is to tell MPs that the proposals – which have been met with criticism from many Conservative MPs – are necessary to avoid the risk of another wave of coronavirus infections.

    From Monday, the majority of those arriving in the UK will be told to self-isolate for 14 days.

    But Portugal’s foreign minister has told the BBC that his government is talking to Home Office officials about a so-called “air bridge” agreement so that tourists returning from his country can avoid the restrictions.

    Health minister Edward Argar said he hopes people will be able to go on holiday this year but cautioned “I’m not going to say a particular date on when that might happen”.

    “We will have to be guided by how the disease behaves, controlling any risk of a second wave and controlling the disease,” he told BBC Breakfast.

    In the Guardian, the Labour leader also said there was a growing concern that Mr Johnson was now “winging it” over moves to reopen schools and relax shielding advice.

    Echoing Sir Keir’s criticism of the government, shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We have seen an exit from the lockdown with no strategy to make it work.”

    The Labour MP said the easing of lockdown restrictions was “the time of maximum danger” and that the party was calling for an “effective” test, trace and isolate strategy, “fast access to testing” and “clear” public messaging.

    In one of his first acts as Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer announced he would not indulge in opposition for opposition’s sake.

    This was seen as a decisive break from his own party’s recent past.

    But now he wants to create more distance between the government and the opposition.

    Some say they have noted a more hostile, less consensual tone towards Boris Johnson from Sir Keir.

    But, in truth, Sir Keir’s stated policy of “constructive criticism” has already tended to emphasise the latter of those two words at Prime Minister’s Questions.

    And his approach today has much in common with his approach before – to put down a marker in case things go wrong.

    The Labour leader is determined to stay one step ahead of the government.

    So, by raising questions now over the easing of lockdown while doubts remain about the alert level and the efficacy of the track and trace system, he is positioning the party to distance itself further from the government’s approach if the R number goes up.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: France’s virus-tracing app ‘off to a good start’

    France’s digital minister has said its coronavirus contact-tracing app has been downloaded 600,000 times since it became available on Tuesday afternoon.

    StopCovid France is designed to prevent a second wave of infections by using smartphone logs to warn users if they have been near someone who later tested positive for the virus.

    But a last-minute launch delay led some citizens to download the wrong product.

    England has yet to confirm when its own app will roll out nationwide.

    Health Secretary Matt Hancock had originally said it would be by 1 June, and then later suggested it would be around the middle of next week.

    But the BBC has learned that it is now unlikely to be before 15 June and could be as late as July.

    That is in part because of delays in releasing a second version of the software to the Isle of Wight, where it is being trialled.

    The update will add symptoms including the loss of taste and smell to a self-diagnosis questionnaire next week, or soon after.

    It will also start giving at-risk users a code to enter into a separate website when they book a medical test. This will allow the result, saying whether they tested positive or negative, to be delivered back to them via the app.

    Rival models
    Both the UK and France have created apps of their own based on a “centralised” design.

    By contrast, Latvia, Italy and Switzerland have released apps based on a “decentralised” technology developed by Apple and Google.

    Advocates of the centralised approach says it gives epidemiologists more data to analyse, helping them better target the contagion alerts. They are also not limited by rules imposed by the two tech companies, such as a ban on being able to gather location data.

    Supporters of the decentralised model say it better protects users’ anonymity and privacy.

    StopCovid France’s rollout has caused controversy.

    Hundreds of academics signed a letter in April raising concerns that gathered data could be repurposed for mass surveillance purposes.

    There was then a row over the government’s refusal to give MPs a vote on the matter, which was only resolved after ministers gave the Senate and National Assembly non-binding votes.

    They both ultimately gave the app the green light. And the country’s data privacy watchdog also approved the rollout after carrying out its own review, although it did ask for some changes to the app’s wording.

    But questions remain about how many people will voluntarily install it – the more that do so, the better it should work.

    Digital Minister Cedric O indicated that he was pleased with the initial uptake.

    “As of this morning, 600,000 people managed to download the app, so it’s a very very good start,” he told the TV channel France 2.

    “We are very happy with his start, but obviously several million French people need to have it.”

    He declined to give an exact target. But he had previously said a publicity campaign would initially focus on city-dwellers – particularly those using public transport, restaurants and supermarkets at peak times – as they were among those most likely to spread Covid-19.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Half of coronavirus deaths from Ashanti Region

    Eighteen people have died from the deadly coronavirus in the Ashanti Region alone out of the total of 38 deaths recorded nationwide.

    The region also has 1,342 cases of the disease out of the 8,548 recorded nationwide.

    Regional Minister Simon Osei-Mensah said this at the launch of anti-stigma campaign on COVID-19 in Kumasi today, Wednesday, 3 June 2020.

    The campaign against the stigmatisation of people living with the deadly coronavirus was launched by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

    Mr Osei-Mensah called for a stop to stigmatisation against people living with the pandemic and advised Ghanaians to adhere to the safety protocols to protect themselves from the disease.

    Otumfuo’s Manwerehene, Baffour Osei Hyiaman Brantuo VI, also advised people in the region to desist from stigmatising those who have recovered from the virus.

    Source: Class FM

  • Ghanas coronavirus recoveries top 3,000

    About 146 patients have recovered from the coronavirus disease in Ghana, taking the total tally of recovered patients to 3,132.

    In the latest update from the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Wednesday, 251 persons have been infected.

    This moves the total case count for the country from 8,297 to 8,548.

    The deaths remain 38 while 15 in total are in “critical” and “severe” cases.

    No details were, however, given on the latest infections but what remains is that 5,378 are now under management at the various treatment facilities.

    Greater Accra Region continues to lead in the regional breakdown with a total of 5,894 cases.

    Ashanti Region follows with 1,342 cases while the Western Region and the Central Region follow with 449 and 438 cases respectively.

    Find the rest below:

    Eastern 134

    Volta 86

    Western North 68

    Upper East 42

    Northern 37

    Oti 26

    Upper West 22

    Bono East 6

    North East -2

    Savannah 1

    Bono 1

    Ahafo 0

    Source: 3 News

  • Its unfair Coronavirus contact tracers write to Akufo-Addo over slashed allowance

    COVID-19 contact tracers have revealed that they are now receiving Gh¢70 as daily allowance instead of the announced Gh¢150.

    “Mr President, on Sunday, the 5th of April 2020, you made a public announcement that Contact Tracers across the country would be given a Gh¢150 daily allowance for their efforts in the fight against Covid-19. This announcement was very timely and welcoming since by then none of us knew how much we were getting even after working for days.

    “However, for the entire month of May, the money was not paid until on the 1st of June when we were asked to come the next day for our monies. We proceeded to our accountants for the money the next day only to be informed that, we are taking Gh¢70 per day and not the announced Gh¢150 per day,” a part of the letter reads.

    They have therefore written an open letter to President Akufo-Addo to address their concern.

    Below is the full open letter:

    Good day sir,

    Accept a warm felicitation from us.

    We pray our letter finds you in a good health condition as you lead your beloved country in this fight against an invisible enemy.

    Mr President, on Sunday, the 5th of April 2020, you made a public announcement that Contact Tracers across the country would be given a Ghc150 daily allowance for their efforts in the fight against Covid-19. This announcement was very timely and welcoming since by then none of us knew how much we were getting even after working for days.

    Mr. President, for the month of April, the money was paid as you announced and we thank you for that.

    However, for the entire month of May, the money was not paid until on the 1st of June when we were asked to come the next day for our monies. We proceeded to our accountants for the money the next day only to be informed that, we are taking Ghc70 per day and not the announced Ghc150 per day.

    So Mr. President, we would like to humbly enquire whether your office has reviewed the amount or some entities within the region want to “cheat” us.

    Mr. President, when the announcement for the recruitment of health professionals to work as Contact Tracers was made, almost everyone was afraid to partake. A few of us showed up for the orientation and training, and a few among those who showed for the training actually showed up for work for fear of contracting the virus. But some of us against all odds sacrificed and contributed our quota in this fight. We faced some stigmatisations and distancing from even family members due to fear. People feared getting close to us just because of the work we do. But that did not deter us in fighting to make Ghana safe again.

    The successes chalked in the fight would not have been possible without our tireless efforts in Tracing and Testing some 153,056 people and recording 4956 positives. This could not have been possible without us.

    Mr. President, it is unfair for us to work all week including Saturdays and Sundays only for us to be denied what is due us. It is unfair sir.

    So we call on your esteemed office to issue a statement, possibly through the daily Ministerial Press Briefings to shed some light on this issue.

    Thank you Mr. President

    Convener

    Coalition of Contact Tracers, Ashanti Region.

    0200983057

    Cc:

    Minister of Health

    Minister of Information

    Director General, GHS

    Source: Daily Mail

  • Global vaccine group urges virus solidarity ahead of summit

    The head of the global vaccine alliance has warned “nobody is safe unless everybody is safe” from the new Coronavirus, urging international solidarity ahead of a fundraising summit as the pandemic threatens to trigger a resurgence of preventable diseases.

    Scientists are racing to identify and test possible vaccines for COVID-19 as nations grapple with the economic and societal consequences of the virus lockdowns.

    Seth Berkley of Gavi, the vaccine alliance, said the international community must ensure all countries will have access to any potential vaccines, regardless of their wealth.

    “This is a global problem that needs a global solution and we have to all work together,” he said.

    He spoke ahead of a virtual summit hosted by Britain on Thursday, where Gavi hopes to raise at least $7.4 billion to continue vaccination programmes against diseases like measles, polio and typhoid that have been severely disrupted by the pandemic.

    The meeting will also see Gavi and its partners launch a financing drive to purchase potential COVID-19 vaccines, scale up their production, and support delivery to developing nations.

    The fundraising goal for COVID-19 is $2 billion, although Berkley said it was an initial sum as they kickstart negotiations with manufacturers and could go up “substantially”.

    The meeting comes as the pandemic exposes new ruptures in international cooperation.

    US President Donald Trump last week announced he would pull out of the World Health Organization and there are fears America may use its economic clout to buy up vaccines.

    Berkley said that countries needed a “different mindset”, adding that sharing access to drugs was not just a humanitarian and equality issue, but a global health security one.

    “Nobody is safe unless everybody is safe. We saw the virus move from somewhere around Wuhan to 180 countries in less than three months, including islands and isolated areas,” he said.

    ‘Perfect storm’

    The World Health Organization, UN children’s agency UNICEF and Gavi warned last month that the pandemic had hindered routine immunisation services in nearly 70 countries, affecting around 80 million children under the age of one.

    Polio eradication drives were suspended in dozens of countries, including those still struggling with the debilitating illness, while measles vaccination campaigns were also put on hold in 27 countries, UNICEF said.

    Recent Gavi-supported modelling from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine estimated that for every COVID-19 death prevented by halting vaccination campaigns in Africa, up to 140 people could die from vaccine-preventable diseases.

    Berkley said the situation was improving, with new guidance on how to carry out immunisation campaigns safely.

    But he said locating all the children who missed out on vaccines before new outbreaks emerge will be a “real challenge”.

    Thursday’s funding drive is for a five-year period in which the organisation aims to reboot halted programmes in the countries it supports — allowing them to access vaccines at a much reduced cost — with the goal of reaching some 300 million children.

    Berkley said he was “cautiously optimistic” that the target would be reached, with more new countries pledging donations despite the economic strains of the pandemic.

    Recalling past episodes when vaccine work was stalled by the outbreak of diseases such as Ebola and SARS, another Coronavirus, he urged nations to move beyond “boom and bust” cycles of crisis planning.

    “I don’t think this Coronavirus is going to go away like SARS did,” he said.

    He also warned of an “unprecedented” level of rumour and conspiracy theory around vaccinations, particularly from the northern hemisphere.

    “Distrust between people in their government, the rumours and the intentional spread of false information is not only at an all time high, but it also is being amplified by social media tools that didn’t exist 20 years ago,” he said.

    “So we have almost a perfect storm of problems.”

     

    Source: france24.com

  • India confirmed coronavirus cases surpass 200,000 peak weeks away

    India’s Coronavirus infections crossed 200,000, the health ministry said on Wednesday, and a peak could still be weeks away in the world’s second most populous country.

    Cases jumped by 8,909 over the previous day in one of the highest single-day spikes, taking the tally to 2,07,615. Six other nations, from the United States, to Britain and Brazil, have a higher caseload.

    “We are very far away for the peak,” said Dr Nivedita Gupta, of the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research.

    Government officials have previously said it could be later this month, or even July, before cases start to fall off.

    The death toll from the disease stood at 5,815.

    Source: france24.com