TIG Post

Tag: COVID-19

  • Almost third of Australians have tracing app

    That’s five million people of the targeted 16 million mobile phone users in Australia, says Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

    He said this was a good response, but “we would like to see a bit more”. The government had previously said a 40% uptake is needed.

    The app, released just over a week ago, shares users’ codes with each other via a Bluetooth signal. It’s designed to speed up the contact-tracing process and quickly isolate at-risk people.

    “The first job of the COVIDSafe app is to keep you safe and that is its best reason why I would encourage people to continue to do that,” Mr Morrison said.

    “The more people we get, the better protection we all have as we go back to work.”

    Mr Morrison has stressed that wide usage is almost a prerequisite to the nation exiting lockdown. A review of freedoms is due this Friday. For over a month now, Australia has reported very low daily case numbers after success in containing the spread.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Stock markets boosted by remdesivir drug hopes

    Shares in the US and Asia have risen on hopes that an experimental drug could help treat symptoms of Covid-19.

    A leading US infectious disease expert said that early results of a clinical trial on anti-viral treatment remdesivir were “quite good news”.

    Investors are betting the drug could help countries emerge from lockdowns aimed at curbing the outbreak.

    Gilead Sciences, which is developing the drug, saw its shares rise by more than 5.5% New York trading.

    White House health advisor Anthony Fauci said a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) study showed that the drug had a “clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery” from the coronavirus.

    Markets had already begun to rise after Gilead said preliminary indications from a remdesivir trial showed that it helped patients recover more quickly.

    A potential medical breakthrough like this is seen as a key step towards governments being able to ease the tight restrictions they have imposed on the movement of people as they try to slow the spread of the infection.

    Lockdowns across the world have frozen economic activity, led to hundreds of millions of people being put out of work and raised concerns of a long, deep global recession.

    Shares also got a boost from a promise by the US central bank that it would continue to shore up the American economy against the impact of the pandemic.

    At the end of its two-day monetary policy meeting, the Federal Reserve left key interest rates near zero, while Chairman Jerome Powell warned that the US economy would drop at an “unprecedented rate” in the current quarter.

    But he also said growth would pick up as restrictions were lifted and vowed that the Fed would continue to support the recovery.

    Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was up by 2.1% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 2.4% higher.

    That came on the back of strong gains for US stock markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 2.2% higher, the S&P 500 ended up by 2.7% and the Nasdaq gained 3.6%.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Untold suffering awaits Sudan unless it receives help – Michelle Bachelet

    The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday expressed serious concerns about the crisis facing Sudan’s transition in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. She said that untold suffering awaits Sudan unless donors act fast.

    The promise of economic and social development, democracy, justice and peace is being threatened by acute resource constraints on the transitional government of Sudan, Bachelet said.

    These resource constraints are exacerbated by a combination of the practical effects of ongoing unilateral sanctions, the failure of international institutions to provide debt-relief, and a deficit of international support, she added.

    “The tipping point,” the UN Human Rights Chief and former Chilean president said, “could be Covid-19.”

    Medical sources have warned there is a serious shortage of equipment and protective gear. As of 27 April, 275 people had been tested positive with COVID-19, 22 of whom have died, and 21 recovered.

    “The health system is simply not equipped to handle an outbreak on the scale we have seen elsewhere in the world. There is only one way to prevent a humanitarian disaster, and that is for the donors to step up and extend a helping hand to Sudan,” said Bachelet.

    “We must act swiftly and generously to provide financial support. Otherwise, we run the risk of a country which held such promise relapsing back into political instability and potential conflict. The only way Sudan will ever be able to break out of this cycle of poverty and desperation is to be freed from the impediments of sanctions imposed at the time of the previous government. This would enable Sudan to attract investment for its much-needed economic reforms, and to fully access funds of the international financial institutions,” Bachelet said.

    Source: allafrica.com

  • Coronavirus lockdown: Zimbabwean govt stops home evictions over unpaid rent

    Cabinet has resolved to stop any pending evictions on tenants in both residential and commercial lodgings over unpaid rentals during the month-long Covid-19 induced lockdown period.

    Speaking at a post-cabinet media briefing Tuesday, Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said there was need for parties to understand the dire situation brought by the world pandemic.

    Tenants who are currently struggling to pay will however have to meet their rentals arrears in installments post COVID-19 lockdown.

    “In view of the foregoing, cabinet resolved that His Excellency, the President will consider the promulgation of presidential regulations to give relief to both tenants and landlords during the lockdown period. The cabinet resolved that the residential and commercial properties be accorded a moratorium on evictions in respect of applicable lease obligations due for the period from April to the end of the lockdown including payment of rentals due for those months,” Mutsvangwa said.

    She also said: “Any unpaid rentals due for the period from April up to the end of the lockdown be paid in equal installments after the declaration of the end of the lockdown period together with the rentals due to those months”.

    Speaking at the same briefing, Industry and Commerce minister, Sekai Nzenza said parties should find each other.

    She acknowledged this could create chaos and result in piling of court cases, hence the need for dialogue between landlords and tenants.

    “We are living in very unusual situations. People are not able to pay rent. So, to address the problems, we can’t say we have the answer right there, but I would say we should come to a table and have a dialogue that is done in good faith,” she said.

    However, Mutsvangwa said those who defy the directive could find themselves in trouble with the law.

    “… If somebody doesn’t follow on what the government is doing in trying to help in terms of bringing in a moratorium on both tenants and landlords… the courts will certainly deal with them,” said Mutsvangwa.

    The move by government comes at a time most Zimbabweans are struggling to put food on the table due to the prolonged job stay-away.

    Payment of rentals has been a nightmare for many who survive on informal deals and have not generated a single penny since the introduction of the lockdown.

    Source: allafrica.com

  • Man Utd may be pushed into Pogba decision by coronavirus crisis

    Ed Woodward’s admission that it would not be “business as usual” for Manchester United during the next transfer window should come as little or no surprise to anyone.

    The club will find itself in a better position than most when the market reopens but the impact of Covid-19 on the global economy is undoubtedly going to have an effect on football’s finances.

    Indeed, right now, it represents a trip into the unknown.

    Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said earlier in the month that he hopes to “exploit” the transfer market to strengthen his squad and financial experts are of the opinion that United will be one of the few clubs in a position to spend.

    However, certain deals are already being ruled out due to the biggest financial crisis the game has ever faced.

    Tottenham striker Harry Kane was under consideration but senior figures at United had already abandoned the idea of signing the England captain before Woodward addressed the fans’ forum on Friday.

    “Nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of the challenge facing everyone in football and it may not be ‘business as usual’ for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market this summer,” the executive vice-chairman said.

    “As ever, our priority is the success of the team, but we need visibility of the impact across the whole industry, including timings of the transfer window, and the wider financial picture, before we can talk about a return to normality.

    “On this basis, I cannot help feeling that speculation around transfers of individual players for hundreds of millions of pounds this summer seems to ignore the realities that face the sport.”

    Those realities are unavoidable, even at United. It’s now possible that the club will entertain ideas that would previously have been dismissed out of hand.

    Last summer, United valued Paul Pogba at £180 million ($224m). However, with so much uncertainty now surrounding the market due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the World Cup winner would now be lucky to fetch even half of that figure.

    Paul Pogba Man Utd PS

    Pogba’s present contract expires in 2021 but United have the option to extend it for a further year. They have yet to do so, though, and the Covid-19 crisis leaves them with a trickier decision to make this summer than they were expecting.

    Cash in now before Pogba’s value falls even further? Or trigger the extension and hope that prices return to something resembling their previous levels next year?

    Pogba has already made it clear he wants a challenge away from United and his agent Mino Raiola has been doing his best to try and engineer a move for the 27-year-old France international.

    So, does Solskjaer even want to retain a player that isn’t committed to his rebuilding project? If not, then selling the France international this summer, even at a knockdown price, would make sense, as it would still generate a considerable amount of money for new signings.

    England winger Jadon Sancho remains a priority, given his youth and pace, but striking a deal with Borussia Dortmund won’t be easy.

    “There is no new situation. Currently no club will risk anything in making a big-money move – not even in England,” BVB chief Michael Zorc said on Monday. “We have a long-term contract with Jadon Sancho and that is why we are totally relaxed.”

    The former Manchester City star would likely cost around £100m ($124m) a sum that Woodward has conceded is no longer a legitimate price to pay so it’s easy to understand why Zorc and the Dortmund hierarchy feel relaxed over a potential transfer.

    However, United are still going to be one of a handful of clubs who will be able to spend, while some of their cash-strapped rivals may be forced to accept cut-price deals for their stars.

    So, if United offload players they deem surplus to requirements, such as Pogba, it may be possible to land a top target after all.

    Source: goal.com

  • Buhari imposes 8pm to 6am curfew nationwide beginning may 4th

    As part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria, President Buhari this evening, imposed an 8pm to 6am nationwide curfew. The curfew is to begin on Monday, May 4th.

    The President announced this during his nationwide broadcast on April 27.

    He said:

    In line with the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on COVID nineteen, the various Federal Government committees that have reviewed socio-economic matters and the Nigeria Governors Forum, I have approved a phased gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos and Ogun States effective from Monday, 4th May, 2020.

    However, this will be followed strictly with aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures while allowing the restoration of some economic and business activities in certain sectors.

    Furthermore, new nationwide measures are to be introduced as

    follows,

    a. There will be an overnight curfew from 8pm to 6am. This means all movements will be prohibited during this period except for

    b. There will be a ban on non-essential inter-state passenger travel

    c. Partial and controlled interstate movement of goods and services essential services; until further notice will be allowed for the movement of goods and services from producers to consumers, and

    d. We will strictly ensure the mandatory use of face masks or coverings in public in addition to maintaining physical distancing.

    Furthermore, we also discussed how to safely transport food items from rural production areas to industrial processing zones and ultimately, to the key consumption centers. earlier, these steps were necessary and personal hygiene. Furthermore, the restrictions on social and religious gatherings shall remain in place. State Governments, corporate organisations and philanthropists are encouraged to support the production of cloth masks for citizens.

    For the avoidance of doubt, the lockdown in the FCT, Lagos and Ogun States shall remain in place until these new ones come into effect on Monday, 4th May 2020.

    The Presidential Task Force shall provide sector specific details to allow for preparations by Governments, businesses and institutions.

    In respect to the above are guidelines, State Governors may choose to adapt and expand based on their unique circumstances provided they maintain alignment with the guidelines issued above”

    Source: aljazeera.com

  • Nigeria records 64 new cases of coronavirus, total now 1337

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday confirmed 64 new cases of COVID-19 outbreak in the country, bringing the total number of infections in Nigeria to 1337.

    The centre said no deaths were recorded in Nigeria in the last 24 hours and no new state has reported a case.

    “On the 27th of April 2020, 64 new confirmed cases and no deaths were recorded in Nigeria.”

    No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours.

    “Till date, 1337 cases have been confirmed, 255 cases have been discharged and 40 deaths have been recorded in 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory.”

    “The 64 new cases are reported from five states- Lagos (34), FCT (15), Borno (11), Taraba (2), Gombe (2).”

    “A multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, continues to coordinate the national response activities.”

    Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday approved a phased and gradual easing of the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

    The President announced this during his third nationwide broadcast on COVID-19.

    He said; “Based on the above and in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the various Federal Government committees that have reviewed socio-economic matters and the Nigeria Governors Forum, I have approved a phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos and Ogun States effective from Monday, 4th May 2020.”

    “However, this will be followed strictly with aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures while allowing the restoration of some economic and business activities in certain sectors.”

    The president also declared a nationwide curfew, effective from Monday, 4th May 2020.

    Source: vanguardngr.com

  • Nigeria risks production shutdown, fiscal crisis – Experts

    Except extreme measures are taken by the Federal Government in the light of the dwindling crude oil prices and the looming global economic downturn, the Nigerian economy would be faced with disastrous fiscal consequences, while oil producers might be forced to suspend production activities.

    These were the views of experts in the petroleum industry who spoke on the issue in Abuja.

    In separate interviews, the experts were unanimous in their views that the impact of the dwindling crude oil prices on the Nigerian economy would be far-reaching and in worst-case-scenarios, could lead to shutting down of oil wells in Nigeria.

    In his own submission, Engr. Chinedu Onyeizu, an oil industry expert and former senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, disclosed that the future looks terribly bleak for Nigeria.

    He said, “When I say the impact could be devastating, I am thinking about the worst-case scenario exchange rates will go south because the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will not have funds to support devaluation; oil wells will start shutting down because of lack of storage capacity, and oil-related jobs will start going higher unemployment rates in every related sector: banks, oil service companies, among others.”

    “However, if we assume COVID lockdown in many countries is relaxed and the factories start consuming petroleum by-products again, the good side of the news is that we can turn the economy around for exponent growth with this golden opportunity.”

    “If you recall, about three years ago, I had made a strategic recommendation to the federal government to immediately unbundle the NNPC and give the private sector an operating stake. In my recommendations, the government should focus on its oversight function.

    If we did that, we would have privately managed functioning modular refineries all over Niger Delta. We would have had petrochemical companies, plastic and fertilizer companies churning out plastic products and fertilizers from by-products of our crude oil.

    “The business sense was transforming us to a multi-product economy from the abundant mono-product; crude oil. At negative or low crude oil price, your feedstock is almost free but you will be adding value to crude by enabling production of by-products in the country. Employment opportunities will be created, more foreign exchange earnings for the country, Nigeria will start exporting petroleum by-products in large quantities and the economy will even rebound stronger.”

    “The country needs to gather his best brains and forget tribal sentiments at this period in time. From my intervention, you can imagine where we would have been if I was invited to discuss details of my three- node model that was developed in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).”

    Also speaking, Joe Nwakwue, Chairman, Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), said: “It is really terrible but this day was foretold. Oil prices have had a cyclical trend over the past 100 years, so no surprises. It was however compounded by the COVID-19 epidemic.”

    “The impact is fiscally disastrous for our country. I am not sure we will be able to meet our obligations if this trend is sustained for months. The earlier we rein in the virus and restore global oil demand, the better for Nigeria.”

    “Measures can be categorised into short term, near term and long term. Short term is to try to rein in government spend, especially recurrent expenditure and seek opportunities to renegotiate or secure debt service reliefs.”

    “Medium and long term measures should focus on moving away from crude oil export to midstream processing and value addition, using the oil-industrial complex to pre-industrialize Nigeria.”

    Source: vanguardngr.com

  • UN warns against ‘excessive force’ in covid-19 response

    The United Nations Human Rights Office has warned countries against using excessive force during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The agency urged governments to “recognize that the threat is a virus, not people”.

    South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda are among countries where security forces have used repressive measures to enforce restrictions to movement.

    The UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said countries should not use emergency powers as a weapon to quash dissent and control the population.

    She said shooting, detaining or abusing people for breaking curfew because they are desperately searching for food is unacceptable and unlawful.

    The UN body she heads said more than 17,000 South Africans have been arrested as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.

    In Kenya, 27 human rights organisations have written an open letter to the government demanding that it stops punishing curfew offenders by forcefully sending them into quarantine centres.

    About 32,100 coronavirus cases have been reported in 52 African countries, with 1,428 deaths and 9,741 recoveries.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Malawi gives cash to virus-hit households

    Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika has announced an emergency cash transfer for the people worst affected by COVID-19.

    Eligible households will receive a monthly payment of 35,000 Malawian Kwacha ($47; £38) starting in May.

    The announcement came after the High Court in Malawi extended an order preventing the government from implementing a three-week total lockdown.

    Human rights groups had complained there was no safety net for the poorest people whose livelihoods would be affected.

    Malawi has recorded 36 cases of coronavirus, including three deaths.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Top NYC doctor takes her own life

    A top New York City doctor who was on the front line of the US fight against coronavirus has taken her own life.

    Dr Lorna Breen, who was medical director of the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Manhattan, died of self-inflicted injuries on Sunday, police said.

    The 49-year-old’s father, Dr Philip Breen, told the New York Times: “She tried to do her job and it killed her.”

    New York accounts for 17,500 out of America’s coronavirus 56,000 deaths.

    The elder Dr Breen said his daughter had had no history of mental illness. She died in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she had been staying with her family.

    Lorna Breen herself had fallen ill with the coronavirus during the course of her work and returned to the job after about a week-and-a-half of recuperating, said her father.

    The hospital had sent her home again, before her family “intervened” to bring her to Charlottesville, said her father.

    He said that when they last spoke, his daughter had seemed “detached” and told him how Covid-19 patients were dying before they could even be removed from ambulances. Dozens of patients have succumbed to coronavirus at the 200-bed hospital in Manhattan.

    “She was truly in the trenches on the front line,” her father told the Times.

    “Make sure she’s praised as a hero. She’s a casualty just as much as anyone else who has died.”

    According to the newspaper, Dr Lorna Breen was a devout Christian who was very close to her family. She was an avid skiier who also enjoyed salsa dancing. She volunteered once a week at a home for old people.

    New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital said in a statement: “Dr Breen is a hero who brought the highest ideals of medicine to the challenging front lines of the emergency department.”

    In a press release confirming her death, the Charlottesville Police Department also described Dr Breen as a “hero”.

    The police department said that after a call for help on 26 April, Dr Breen was taken to a local hospital for treatment “where she later succumbed to self-inflicted injuries”.

    Police chief RaShall Brackney said in a statement: “Frontline healthcare professionals and first responders are not immune to the mental or physical effects of the current pandemic.

    “On a daily basis,” she added, “these professionals operate under the most stressful of circumstances, and the coronavirus has introduced additional stressors.”

    New York state has recorded almost a third of the country’s nearly one million confirmed Covid-19 cases.

    On Monday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said random antibody tests indicated that a quarter of New York City (24.7%) – America’s most populous city with 8.3 million people – had been infected with coronavirus.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Dr. Prince Pambo dropped from GFA medical committee

    Celebrated medical practitioner and sports physician, Dr. Prince Pambo has been dropped from the Ghana Football Association’s medical committee.

    The doctor was excluded from the committee that will meet the FA on Tuesday, April 28, to discuss various issues including the Covid-19 pandemic and its related matters.

    Despite his omission from the committee, the experienced physician keeps his place on the medical committee of Africa’s football governing body CAF.

    Dr Pambo is the first Ghanaian doctor on the CAF Medical Committee. He was in charge of medical duties at the Nations Cup in Egypt last year, supervising Group E in Suez which featured Tunisia, Mali, Angola and Mauritania.

    The highly-respected medic has served as a medical manager for the various Ghana national teams, spanning over a decade.

    Meanwhile the FA’s three-man medical committee is chaired by former Black Stars Team Doctor Dr. Baba M. Adam with Dr. Kofi Ablorh and Dr. Percy Annan the other members.

    Source: Ghana Soccernet

  • French police seize 14,000 face masks bound for black market

    French police have seized 140,000 face masks intended for the black market in a record haul since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

    It is the largest seizure since the French government banned the resale of protective masks to prioritise their distribution to health workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Two individuals were arrested while they were unloading boxes in Saint-Denis, just north of Paris, a police source said on Sunday.

    One of them said he was a business owner and had bought the masks, including 5,000 high protection FFP2 masks, in the Netherlands for a total of 80,000 euros ($87,000).

    The masks were to be sold to construction workers for a large profit, according to police.

    In March, 32,500 masks from China were seized from a warehouse near Paris and 28,800 masks were discovered in a shop in a district of Chinese wholesalers, also in the Paris region.

    Source: france24.com

  • Coronavirus: Chile to introduce controversial certificate

    Chile’s government has said it will go ahead with a controversial plan to issue certificates to people who have recovered from Covid-19.

    The documents would be given to people to allow them to return to work, Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza said.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has said there is “no evidence” that people who contract coronavirus are immune from being infected again.

    The body said “immunity” certificates could help the virus spread.

    Chile has reported 189 virus-related deaths and more than 13,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

    “There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection,” the WHO said in a briefing note on Friday.

    The body argued that so-called “immunity certificates” could even be harmful, because they could lead people to ignore public health advice and therefore increase the risk of transmitting the disease.

    However, MS Daza told reporters on Sunday: “One of the things that we know is that a person who has had the illness has a lower probability of becoming ill again.”

    She added that the certificates would not confirm that people had immunity to Covid-19, but rather state that they had recovered from the disease and had completed a period of isolation.

    At least 200,000 people have died with the coronavirus across the world, and many governments are now trying to find ways to ease their lockdown restrictions.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Government directs trotro drivers, food vendors others to wear mask always

    The Minister of Health has directed all food vendors, commercial vehicle drivers and other selected group of individuals to always wear face mask as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

  • Samini donates coronavirus relief items to Wa Government Hospital (PHOTOS)

    High Grade Family Fans in Wa have made some donation to the Wa Government Hospital as part of support to fight the global pandemic, COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus.

    The fans who made the donation did it on behalf of Samini, Head of High Grade Family. Samini who hails from Wa, in the Upper West Region was made a Youth Chief (Pebilii Naa) in December 2018.

    Samini since then has been making periodic trips back home and is still connecting more with his people back home in Northern Ghana. This donation is in line with future projects he seeks to execute in Wa and its environs.

    Dr Nabil, Acting Medical Director who received the items on behalf of the Wa Government Hospital was elated by the kind gesture from the multiple award winning Musician.

    The items included 21 boxes of hand sand sanitizers, 3 boxes of hand gloves, 20 packs of face masks, among others.

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Spotify allows fans to pay musicians directly

    Spotify has introduced a new feature allowing artists to receive “tips” or donate money to charity.

    Bands can pin an “Artist Fundraising Pick” badge to the top of their Spotify profile, highlighting a fundraising destination where fans can send cash.

    As well as fundraising for themselves, artists can give money to charity or to road crews who are out of work while tours are on hold due to Covid-19.

    Spotify said it hoped the feature would help artists affected by the lockdown.

    “First and foremost, this feature enables artists who are interested in raising money to support themselves, their bands, or their crews, to get the word out to their fans on their Spotify artist profiles,” it said in a blog post announcing the initiative.

    “Given the urgency and impact of the Covid-19 crisis, we’re working as quickly as we can to develop this new product and get it out to as many artists as possible. However, we’ve never built a fundraising feature like this before.”

    “We consider this a first version that will evolve as we learn how to make it as helpful as possible for the music community.”

    Dance act Marshmello was one of the first to sign up, encouraging his 33m monthly listeners to donate to the Musicares coronavirus relief fund, set up by the Grammys to support out-of-work musicians.

    “So many of us have been affected by the Covid-19 virus, and now more than ever we need to stand together and help each other,” he said.

    Singer-songwriter Taylor Vick, who releases music under the moniker Boy Scouts, is using the feature to try to remain solvent.

    “Like so many others right now, I am out of work as our tours have been cancelled or postponed because of Covid-19,” she said. “Any help is appreciated as we keep in our efforts to find new ways to get by.”

    Online “tipping” has become commonplace on streaming sites like Twitch and the podcast app Himalaya.

    In China, the feature is baked into streaming services like QQ Music, Kugou and Kuwo and the karaoke app WeSing – which are all run by tech conglomerate Tencent.

    Writers can also be tipped for their stories through WeChat and podcasters for their episodes on Himalaya, China’s biggest spoken-word audio platform.

    Artists broadly welcomed Spotify’s foray into the world of tipping, but some suggested the site could make a bigger impact by increasing the royalties it paid musicians.

    Last month, a petition was set up by Evan Greer asking Spotify to triple its royalty payments following the loss of earnings that has arisen through the coronavirus pandemic.

    The Swedish company has not responded to those demands; but has separately pledged up to $10 million in donations to organizations supporting artists in need, including MusiCares and the UK charities Help Musicians and the PRS Foundation.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Controversy over ‘India’s first virus fatality’

    Muhammad Husain Siddiqui’s family do not believe he died of COVID-19. His family say he was fine, that he looked good after having spent a month with his younger son in Saudi Arabia.

    But 10 days after returning, he was dead – India’s first official COVID-19 fatality.

    Anxious family members had ferried him between two cities and four hospitals – all had rejected him. He died on his way to the fifth, where he was declared “brought dead”.

    The day after Siddiqui died, authorities announced that he had tested positive for the virus.

    “We still do not believe he died of COVID-19. We haven’t even got the death certificate,” his son, Ahmed Faisal Siddiqui, told me.

    In many ways, the story of his father’s death underlines the chaos and confusion often marring the treatment of COVID-19 patients in India.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Italy’s daily coronavirus death toll climbs, new cases also up

    Deaths from the COVID-19 epidemic in Italy climbed by 534 on Tuesday, up from 454 the day before and the largest daily tally since Friday, the Civil Protection Agency said.

    The number of new infections also increased to 2,729 from 2,256 on Monday.

    The total death toll since the outbreak came to light on Feb. 21 was 24,648, the agency said, the second-highest in the world after that of the United States.

    The number of officially confirmed cases was 183,957, the third-highest global tally behind those of the United States and Spain.

    People registered as currently carrying the illness declined to 107,709 from 108,237 on Monday, a second consecutive daily decline.

    There were 2,471 people in intensive care on Tuesday against 2,573 on Monday, maintaining a long-running decline. Of those originally infected, 51,600 were declared recovered against 48,877 a day earlier.

    Source: reuters.com

     

  • Air pollution linked to raised COVID-19 death risk

    High levels of air pollution could raise the risk of dying from COVID-19, two studies suggest.

    Dr. Maria Neira, of the World Health Organization (WHO), told BBC News countries with high pollution levels, many in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, should ramp up their preparations.

    Those with underlying pollution-related conditions have developed severe COVID-19 in countries with high levels.

    But medical professionals say it is too early to prove a direct relationship.

    “We will be doing a map of most polluted cities based on our database to support national authorities in these regions so that they can prepare their epidemic response plan accordingly,” Dr Neira said.

    A US study suggests Covid-19 death rates rise by about 15% in areas with even a small increase in fine-particle pollution levels in the years before the pandemic.

    “Patterns in Covid-19 death rates generally mimic patterns in both high population density and high [particulate matter] PM2.5 exposure areas,” the Harvard University report says.

    These particles, one-30th the diameter of a human hair, have previously been linked to health issues including respiratory infections and lung cancer.

    The Harvard study has not yet been peer-reviewed but Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Chair of epidemiology Air pollution linked to raised COVID-19 death riskProf Annette Peters told BBC News its findings “are in line with earlier reports on hospitalization and mortality due to pneumonia”.

    “It is one of the first studies substantiating our suspicion and the hypothesis that severity of the COVID-19 infection may be augmented by particulate matter air pollution,” she said.

    Report author Prof Francesca Dominici said: “We hope it will help stop the air quality from getting worse, particularly when we are hearing about authorities trying to relax pollution rules amid this pandemic.”

    Another study, at the University of Siena, in Italy, and Arhus University, in Denmark, suggests a possible link between high levels of air pollution and COVID-19 deaths in northern Italy.

    The Lombardy and Emilia Romagna regions had death rates of about 12%, compared with 4.5% in the rest of Italy.

    The study, published in Science Direct, says: “The high level of pollution in northern Italy should be considered an additional co-factor of the high level of lethality recorded in that area.”

    Population, age, differing health systems, and a variation in prevention policies across regions should also be taken into account.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Idris Elba: ‘Food will run out if farmers can’t farm’

    Actor Idris Elba has called on world leaders to ensure that an international food shortage crisis does not follow in the wake of the COVID-19 virus.

    The actor, in his role as UN ambassador, helped to launch its $40m (£32,2m) International Fund for Agricultural Development on Monday.

    The fund is intended to help support farmers and food producers in rural areas globally during the pandemic.

    “It is about food,” the Luther star told BBC News.

    “It is about the basic necessity for human beings, and that will run out if the farmers can’t farm

    Idris, and his wife, model and fellow activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba, have been quarantined in their London home since last month, having tested positive for coronavirus.

    They only suffered mild cases but said they were still “humbled to be alive” following the unsettling experience, which inspired them to begin the fund.

    ‘No man is an island’ The couple now hope to lobby governments to raise $200m (£161m) more to help agricultural workers in poorer parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, who might well be hit harder by the virus financially and in terms of healthcare.

    Elba, whose parents hail from Sierra Leone and Ghana, also noted how the effects of such a decline in international farming could have a knock-on effect on food availability and standards in the UK.

    “What we’ve learnt from Covid is that no man is an island,” he said.

    “We’re all part of this world, so if we can help each other [with] forward-thinking – that’s going to save a lot of lives and some livelihoods.”

    Dhowre Elba warned that world officials need to “start thinking past the health crisis” and on to the potentially looming financial one, which she said could send “half a billion people” into poverty.

    “There’s going to be a lot of people who are going to be suffering from the economic fallout,” she added.

    “With Ebola, more people actually died from the economic aftermath than the actual disease itself.”

    In a separate interview, her husband told AP: “I think that the world should take a week of quarantine every year just to remember this time. Remember each other. I really do.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus patients recovering quickly after getting experimental drug remdesivir

    Covid-19 patients who are getting an experimental drug called remdesivir have been recovering quickly, with most going home in days, STAT News reported Thursday after it obtained a video of a conversation about the trial.

    The patients taking part in a clinical trial of the drug have all had severe respiratory symptoms and fever, but were able to leave the hospital after less than a week of treatment, STAT quoted the doctor leading the trial as saying.

    “The best news is that most of our patients have already been discharged, which is great. We’ve only had two patients perish,” Dr. Kathleen Mullane, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago who is leading the clinical trial, said in the video.

    Mullane did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN. The university said it would comment once the official results of the trial were ready.

    There is no approved therapy for the Covid-19, which can cause severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome in some patients. But the National Institutes of Health is organizing trials of several drugs and other treatments, among them remdesivir.

    The drug, made by Gilead Sciences, was tested against Ebola with little success, but multiple studies in animals showed the drug could both prevent and treat coronaviruses related to Covid-19, including SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

    Back in February, the World Health Organization said remdesivir showed potential against Covid-19.

    STAT said it obtained and viewed a copy of the video discussion Mullane had last week with colleagues about the trial.

    “Most of our patients are severe and most of them are leaving at six days, so that tells us duration of therapy doesn’t have to be 10 days,” she was quoted as saying.

    However, the trial does not include what’s known as a control group, so it will be difficult to say whether the drug is truly helping patients recover better. With a control arm, some patients do not receive the drug being tested so that doctors can determine whether it’s the drug that is really affecting their condition.

    Trials of the drug are ongoing at dozens of other clinical centers, as well. Gilead is sponsoring tests of the drug in 2,400 patients with severe Covid-19 symptoms in 152 trial sites around the world. It’s also testing the drug in 1,600 patients with moderate symptoms at 169 hospitals and clinics around the world.

    Gilead said it expected results from the trial by the end of the month.

    “We understand the urgent need for a COVID-19 treatment and the resulting interest in data on our investigational antiviral drug remdesivir,” the company said in a statement to CNN. But it said a few stories about patients are just that — stories.

    “The totality of the data need to be analyzed in order to draw any conclusions from the trial. Anecdotal reports, while encouraging, do not provide the statistical power necessary to determine the safety and efficacy profile of remdesivir as a treatment for Covid-19,” Gilead said.

    Source: cnn.com

     

  • India coronavirus: Tablighi Jamaat leader on manslaughter charge over Covid-19

    The leader of a prominent Muslim group has been charged with manslaughter in India after a meeting it held in Delhi spawned numerous COVID-19 clusters.

    Police say Muhammad Saad Khandalvi ignored two notices to end the event at a mosque in the capital in March.

    The event has been linked to 1,023 cases across 17 states – believed to have been spread by infected foreign attendees.

    Mr. Saad and his Tablighi Jamaat group have denied any wrongdoing.

    Delhi police said that Mr Saad had been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which means he will not be able to apply for bail.

    The charges were brought against him while he was in self-isolation.

    Police say the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area, which began on 3 March, was not ended even when India announced a lockdown on 24 March.

    However, the organization says they had suspended the event and asked everyone to leave as soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that there would be a day-long national curfew on 22 March.

    While many were able to leave, they say, others were stranded because states began to seal their borders the following day, and two days later, India went into lockdown, suspending buses and trains.

    The mosque’s premises include dormitories that can house hundreds of people.

    The organizers say they informed the local police about all of this and continued to co-operate with medical officers who came to inspect the premises.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Morgan Stanley profit plunges 32% on COVID-19 impact

    Morgan Stanley (MS.N) posted a 32% fall in quarterly profit on Thursday as its advisory and wealth management businesses took a hit from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The bank said earnings attributable to common shareholders fell to $1.59 billion, or $1.01 per share, in the first quarter ended March 31, from $2.34 billion, or $1.39 per share, a year ago.

    Analysts had expected a profit of $1.14 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. It was not immediately clear if the numbers were comparable.

    Source: reuters.com

  • Coronavirus: Trump says peak is passed and US to reopen soon

    President Donald Trump says the US has “passed the peak” of new COVID-19 cases and predicted some states would reopen this month.

    At the daily White House virus briefing, Mr Trump said new reopening guidelines would be announced on Thursday after he speaks to governors.

    “We’ll be the comeback kids, all of us,” the president said. “We want to get our country back.”

    The US has more than 638,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and over 30,800 deaths.

    “The data suggests that nationwide, we have passed the peak of new cases,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden on Wednesday.

    “Hopefully that will continue, and we will continue to make great progress.”

    Asked why the US accounted for such a significant proportion of the global death toll of 136,908, Mr Trump accused other countries of lying about their mortality rate.

    “Does anybody really believe the numbers of some of these countries?” he said, naming China.

    He also said the US was looking into unverified reports that the coronavirus emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan rather than in a market.

    US media have reported that the US embassy in Beijing raised concerns about safety at two laboratories in Wuhan. However, on Tuesday General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that US intelligence services believed it was more likely that the virus occurred naturally.

    The Trump administration has previously pencilled in 1 May as a possible date to reopen the nation, but the president said some states may be able to return to normalcy earlier than that.

    When questioned about the dangers of reopening the nation too soon, Mr Trump said: “There’s also death involved in keeping it closed.”

    He cited mental health issues, saying suicide hotlines were “exploding” as the economy freezes.

    Millions of Americans have lost their jobs due to lockdown measures across the country, and unemployment numbers are at record levels.

    Retail sales dropped by 8.7% in March, the biggest decline since tracking began in 1992, according to government data released on Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, the governors of Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania each issued orders or guidelines that residents should wear face masks as they venture into society in the coming weeks.

    “We are going to be getting back to normal – it will be a new normal,” Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said.

    On Wednesday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said large gatherings such as sports events and concerts would probably not be allowed in the city until 2021.

    US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meanwhile said China must show “full transparency” on coronavirus, during a call with his Beijing counterpart, Yang Jiechi, the Department of State said.

    Mr Pompeo has repeatedly accused Beijing of covering up the scale of the outbreak in the early days, which China denies.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Coronavirus: Patients have suffered strokes and other neurological symptoms, says study

    Patients with COVID-19 have suffered strokes and other neurological symptoms, according to the first scientific study to analyse the effects of the disease on the brain.

    The study found that neurological effects were seen in just over a third of all cases of hospitalised COVID-19 patients, but affected more than 45% of those with severe infections.

    It isn’t yet clear if the coronavirus is causing the strokes directly or as a result of the body’s inflammatory response, and leading neurologists say more research is needed.

    They warn that as well as respiratory symptoms, doctors need to consider potential neurological effects when assessing new patients.

    The study was carried out by researchers at Huazhong University in Wuhan, and the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona.

    The team analysed cases in Wuhan in China, the original epicentre of the outbreak, between 16 January and 19 February – including 214 hospitalised patients whose diagnoses were laboratory-confirmed.

    Just over a third of these patients, 78 (36.4%), had neurological symptoms as well as respiratory symptoms.

    “Compared with patients with non-severe infection, patients with severe infection were older, had more underlying disorders, especially hypertension, and showed fewer typical symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever and cough,” they found.

    The study, in the journal JAMA, was published alongside an editorial by leading neurologists which notes the similarity of the coronavirus to SARS – which researchers have shown caused strokes.

    However, unlike in SARS patients, the new study found that neurological symptoms could occur very early within the infection.

    Some patients presented at hospital without a fever but had neurological issues including losing their taste or smell, as well more significant impacts such as impaired consciousness, headaches and dizziness.

    The scientists warn that the disease may infect the “nervous system and skeletal muscle as well as [the] respiratory tract” which could provide healthcare workers with an additional way to diagnose patients.

    COVID-19 has “now reached pandemic status and is common all over the world” said the neurologists in their editorial.

    “With so many affected patients, we can expect as neurologists to be confronted with these patients commonly in coming months and years.”

    Source: sky.com

  • Asamoah, Agyemang-Badu and Duncan to be tested of COVID-19 in May before Serie A restarts

    Players in the Serie A including the Ghanaian contingent will be tested for COVID-19 next month before the season restarts.

    The Italian serie A has been on suspension since March 9 following the spread of the coronavirus, with the European country being one of the hardest hit after thousands of death recorded.

    Inter Milan’s Kwadwo Asamoah, Hellas Verona’s Emmanuel Agyemang Badu and Fiorentina’s Alfred Duncan are all expected to be tested before the season continues.

    President of the federation revealed there are plans for testing to commence in May.

    “As soon as the conditions are right, we’ll finish the championship,” said federation president Gabriele Gravina.

    Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, he added: “Soon, there will be a meeting. We will establish the procedure which we will then communicate.

    “We will start, I hope, at the beginning of May with tests to ensure that players are negative and training can follow.

    “Will we play through the summer? We don’t have a deadline but the idea is to finish the championships.”

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • Coronavirus found in air samples up to 13 feet from patients

    A new study examining air samples from hospital wards with COVID-19 patients has found the virus can travel up to 13 feet (four meters) — twice the distance current guidelines say people should leave between themselves in public.

    The preliminary results of the investigation by Chinese researchers were published Friday in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    They add to a growing debate on how the disease is transmitted, with the scientists themselves cautioning that the small quantities of virus they found at this distance are not necessarily infectious.

    The researchers, led by a team at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing, tested surface and air samples from an intensive care unit and a general COVID-19 ward at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan. They housed a total of 24 patients between February 19 and March 2.

    They found that the virus was most heavily concentrated on the floors of the wards, “perhaps because of gravity and air flow causing most virus droplets to float to the ground.”

    High levels were also found on frequently touched surfaces like computer mice, trashcans, bed rails and door knobs.

    “Furthermore, half of the samples from the soles of the ICU medical staff shoes tested positive,” the team wrote. “Therefore, the soles of medical staff shoes might function as carriers.”

    Airborne threat?

    The team also looked at so-called aerosol transmission — when the droplets of the virus are so fine they become suspended and remain airborne for several hours, unlike cough or sneeze droplets that fall to the ground within seconds.

    They found that virus-laden aerosols were mainly concentrated near and downstream from patients at up to 13 feet — though smaller quantities were found upstream, up to eight feet.

    Encouragingly, no members of the hospital staff were infected, “indicating that appropriate precautions could effectively prevent infection,” the authors wrote.

    They also offered advice that bucks orthodox guidelines: “Our findings suggest that home isolation of persons with suspected COVID-19 might not be a good control strategy” given the levels of environmental contamination.

    Aerosolization of the coronavirus is a contentious area for scientists who study it, because it is not clear how infectious the disease is in the tiny quantities found in ultrafine mist.

    The World Health Organization has so far downplayed the risk.

    US health authorities have adopted a more cautious line and urged people to cover their faces when out in public in case the virus can be transmitted through normal breathing and speaking.

    Source: France24

  • Covid-19: Soldier “mistakenly” shoots female police officer at Tema

    Information reaching Atinkaonline.com indicates  that a military officer  has  mistakenly shot a female police officer at a Covid-19 operation duty point at  Tema New Town.

    According to reports, the incident happened  on Thursday morning and the injured police officer is currently receiving treatment  at the Tema General Hospital.

    According to sources,  the police officer ” was manning the checkpoint only to realise  that a bullet had pierced  through her kneecap.”

    The soldier in question  has explained to his superiors  that  the incident ” was a mistaken discharge of weapon.”

    He further explained that  “the weapon was hanging around my neck when it mistakenly fired.”

     

    Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Philip Azu

     

  • Ghana records one more COVID-19 death; total now 6

    Ghana has recorded an additional death from COVID-19 as cases in Ghana crossed the 300 mark.

    The total number of deaths as of April 8, 2020, is now six.

    No details have been provided on the latest death.

    The known cases of COVID-19 in Ghana now stand at 313.

    The Central Region has also recorded its first case of the virus.

    Greater Accra Region has most cases with 274 followed by the Ashanti Region with 25, Northern Region with 10 and Upper West Region, Eastern Region, Upper East Region and Central Region with one apiece.

    Find below the latest update from the Ghana Health Service

    SITUATION UPDATE, CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES IN GHANA AS AT 07 APRIL 2020, 14:40 HRS

    Enhanced contact tracing and testing is ongoing in Ghana and has resulted in increased number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

    As at 7th April 2020, 23:30 hr, a total of 313 cases of COVID-19 with six (6) deaths have been recorded. The regional distribution of the cases are as follows: Greater Accra Region has most cases (274) followed by the Ashanti Region (25), Northern Region (10), Upper West Region (1), Eastern Region (1), Upper East Region (1) and Central Region (1).

    A total of 161 cases were reported from the routine surveillance, 37 from enhanced surveillance activities and those from travellers under mandatory quarantine in both Accra and Tamale are 115.

    The period for mandatory quarantine for travellers who arrived 21-22 March 2020 has ended. In all, a total 1,030 travellers were quarantined during the period. Out of these, 79 (7.7%) were positive during the initial testing whilst 951 were negative. Twenty-six (26) among those that were initially negative were found to have converted to be positive at the exit screening, bringing to a total of 105 which constitutes 10.2% among the travellers that were quarantined.

    With regards to enhanced contact tracing and testing, as at 7th April 2020, a total of 11,016 samples from contacts have been processed and 37 (0.34%) have been confirmed positive for COVID-19.

    Source: citinewsroom.com

  • Coronavirus: Separated parents in South Africa allowed to move kids between houses

    Separated parents are now allowed to move their children between houses during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, provided they meet certain legal requirements.

    While government had previously been unclear about the issue, new regulations regarding the matter were gazetted on Tuesday.

    Separated or divorced parents who want to move their children between them during the lockdown, will need a court order or an agreement that is registered with the family advocate, such as a parental responsibilities and rights agreement or a parenting plan.

    The responsible parent transporting their child or children must have these documents, or a certified copy, in their possession when travelling.

    Another requirement parents will have to meet, is to ensure that no person in the household has come into contact with a person who is known or suspected to be infected with Covid-19.

    Previously, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu said children must remain with one parent throughout the lockdown and that movement between parents was prohibited, News24 reported.

    Source: allafrica.com

  • Kwame Bonsu trains with foreign players at Esperance despite lockdown

    Ghanaian international Kwame Bonsu has begun training with his fellow foreign players at Tunisian side Esperance de Tunis despite being in lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

    The COVID-19 has forced the suspension of the football season in Tunisia just as in all other parts of the African continent.

    As players of Esperance continue to stay at home in waiting for the COVID-19 storm to pass, the technical handlers have developed a plan for players to train while in isolation.

    Former Kotoko defensive midfielder Kwame Bonsu has been made to join his fellow foreign players at the club to train in a small group.

    The other foreign players include Ivorian Ibrahim Wattara, Nigerian Samuel Atafiti, and Junior Junior Lucosa.

    Staying at the same residence, these players come together and follow a training program sent to them on a daily basis on WhatsApp from physical trainer Sabri Bouazizi.

    Source: footballghana.com

  • Italian grandmother, 104, survives coronavirus

    Earlier we reported on signs that Italy’s outbreak may have passed its peak – its daily death toll on Sunday was the lowest in two weeks.

    Also this weekend, media are reporting the story of 104-year-old grandmother Ada Zanusso who survived Covid-19 in Lessona, in northern Italy.

    She was living in a nursing home where 20 residents died from the virus.

    “She has lost none of his lucidity and intelligence. Her recovery is a great joy and a reward for all those who have looked after her in these difficult days, ” her doctor Carla Furno Marchese told La Repubblica newspaper.

    She’s not the only very old survivor, but her story provides some hope as we report on the global death toll.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Premier League 30 April restart date to be pushed back; Uefa warning for clubs

    The restart date for the Premier League will be pushed back on Friday.

    All 20 Premier League clubs will meet via video and it is accepted by all that there is no hope of professional games being played immediately after the current 30 April deadline.

    The Premier League could shift the date back into May or opt to follow Spain and France, who have shut down their leagues for an indefinite period.

    Italy have talked of Serie A returning in late May, but that seems optimistic.

    European governing body Uefa has written a joint letter with the European Clubs’ Association and the European Leagues urging domestic bodies not to abandon their competitions.

    Leagues across Europe have been told that ending competitions early could result in them forfeiting Champions League and Europa League places.

    Pushing the date back would allow Premier League clubs the chance to offer their stadiums and medical staff to the National Health Service, knowing they would not be required in the short term.

    That would at least correct some of the negative publicity that has accompanied news that four clubs, including Tottenham, are already using the government’s furlough scheme to compensate laid-off workers by up to £2,500-a-month, despite their players and manager Jose Mourinho, some of whom earn in excess of £100,000-a-week, remaining on full pay.

    Talks between the Premier League, Football League and both the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and League Managers’ Association (LMA) are continuing, with clubs expected to be updated on this at Friday’s meeting.

    Explanation for the delay in players accepting pay cuts or, more likely, wage deferrals – including the fact they are financial assets of their clubs in addition to employees and have watertight contracts which, in some cases, expire on 30 June – has cut little ice with many within the general public and also some politicians, who have made their displeasure clear.

    Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe and Brighton counterpart Graham Potter have both taken the personal decision to accept significant cuts without waiting for any central directive from the LMA.

    Talks about a resumption are also anticipated, when the prospect of games being played behind closed doors, potentially in a limited number of locations, will be discussed.

    Training grounds have been mentioned as potentially hosting games, although it is difficult to work out how this would be a safer environment than stadiums, which, evidently, are built to host matches that, by definition, need to be broadcast in order to avoid the £750m repayment to TV companies that would be triggered by a failure to complete the current season.

    That such a scenario has even been discussed underlines the overwhelming desire among Premier League clubs, which remains to complete the season in its entirety.

    However, Premier League sources are equally adamant nothing will be agreed that places any unnecessary strain on medical resources at a time of national crisis.

    Even in a sterile environment it is acknowledged how bad it would look for the game if a player needed hospital treatment for a broken leg at a time when significant numbers of the general population were dying of coronavirus.

    So, alternative options are being discussed, in England and across Europe.

    Insiders at European football’s governing body Uefa have confirmed that places reserved in next season’s Europa League for domestic cup winners would revert to league positions if those tournaments were not completed.

    The Belgian League has become the first to declare its season over, although with 29 games out of 30 in the regular league programme already played, effectively it has abandoned the play-off system that should have followed and is seen as a special case.

    Of more consequence for the major leagues is the massive financial hit taken by Ligue 1 after their domestic rights holders Canal+ and beIN Sports confirmed an intention to withhold the latest payment, which was due on 5 April.

    Should France, Italy or Spain close their leagues down for the season, that is likely to have far reaching consequences for the game given, together with England, 16 out of the 28 teams remaining in the Champions or Europa Leagues come from one of those four countries.

    Source: bbc.com

  • These celebs died from coronavirus

    COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, has brought the world to a standstill. With confirmed cases increasing at a rapid rate, many countries are taking drastic measures in order to stem the time of the global pandemic. While cities and even entire countries are sheltering in place and practicing social distancing to stop the spread, essential workers and medical personnel and staff are on the front lines proving once again that they are the real heroes.

    However, despite their valiant efforts, the novel coronavirus has taken its toll, particularly on more vulnerable members of the population. Since the first reported cases in late 2019, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of thousands worldwide, including some famous faces.

    During this time, some celebrities have attempted to help and spread positivity, while other high-profile stars believe the coronavirus is a hoax. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has tragically taken the lives of several celebrities, including legendary musical artists — and even a member of a royal family. It is with sad hearts that we report the celebrities who have died from the coronavirus.

    Spain's Princess Maria Teresa

    Spain’s Princess Maria Teresa becomes the first royal to pass away from the novel coronavirus. She was 86. Her death was announced on Facebook by her brother, Prince Sixto Enrique de Borbon, the Duke of Aranjuez.

    “SAR Don Sixto Enrique de Borbón communicates that this Thursday, March 26, 2020, has passed away in Paris, at eighty-six years old, his sister Maria Teresa de Bourbon-Parma and Bourbon Busset, victim of coronavirus COVID-19,” the statement read. “Don Sixto Enrique is very sorry and begs for prayers for his sister’s eternal rest.”

    Known as the “Red Princess” for her lifelong socialist activism and advocate for women’s rights, Maria Teresa was the cousin of Spain’s King Felipe IV (via People). According to the publication, the outspoken royal was a “distinguished professor at Paris’ Sorbonne and an outspoken professor of Sociology at Madrid’s Complutense University.” Two other royals, U.K.’s Prince Charles and Monaco’s Prince Albert, are among the many other celebs who have also have tested positive for COVID-19.

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/spains-princess-maria-teresa/?utm_campaign=clip

    Manu Dibango

    Manu Dibango, a Cameroonian jazz artist whose celebrated career spanned decades, passed away from complications due to the novel coronavirus (via ABC News). He was 86. The legendary multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who influenced everything from disco to hip-hop died in a Paris hospital according to a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

    “It is with deep sadness that we announce the loss of Manu Dibango, our Papy Groove, who passed away on March 24, 2020, at 86 years old, further to covid 19,” the statement, written in French, reads. “His funeral service will be held in strict privacy, and a tribute to his memory will be organized when possible.”

    Dibango’s 1973 hit “Soul Makossa” inspired everyone from Michael Jackson, who used the song’s refrain on “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” to Rihanna, who sampled the dance floor smash on her 2007 single “Don’t Stop the Music.” (via The New York Times).

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/jazz-legend-manu-dibango/?utm_campaign=clip

    Floyd Cardoz

    Celebrity chef and international restaurateur Floyd Cardoz passed away on March 25, 2020, at Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, N.J. from the novel coronavirus. He was 59. “It is with deep sorrow that we inform you of the passing away of Chef Floyd Cardoz,” Hunger Inc. Hospitality, where Cardoz served as culinary director, said in a statement (via CNN).

    The winner of Bravo’s third season of Top Chef Masters, Cardoz admitted himself to the hospital on March 17, 2020 when he felt ill after returning from India where he was filming the Netflix series Ugly Delicious. His last Instagram post was a selfie taken in the hospital the same day in which he wrote, “I was feeling feverish and hence as a precautionary measure, admitted myself into hospital in New York.”

    The India-born chef’s Manhattan restaurant, Tabla, elevated Indian-American modern cuisine like no other chef before him. “I adored him. A great chef, groundbreaking in so many ways, a generous human, resilient of spirit and loved his family, his garden and our restaurant world so much. I’m stunned. I know what I’m eating tonight for dinner,” Andrew Zimmern, the host Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods tweeted, accompanied with a link to a Cardoz recipe.

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/celebrity-chef-floyd-cardoz/?utm_campaign=clip

    Terrence McNally

    Five-time Tony Award-winner Terrence McNally passed away due to complications from coronavirus on March 24, 2020 (via The Hollywood Reporter). He was 81. The creative mind behind Kiss of the Spider-Woman, Ragtime, and Love! Valour! Compassion!, McNally routinely brought gay characters to mainstream audiences, and wrote about homophobia and AIDS when those topics were still considered socially taboo.

    His publicist Matt Polk told the publication that McNally died in a hospital in Sarasota, Fla. McNally survived lung cancer in the late 90s, but “the disease cost him portions of both lungs.” He also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is survived by his husband, producer Tom Kirdahy (via Broadway).

    News of McNally’s death led many Broadway stars to pay their respects. “Heartbroken over the loss of Terrence McNally, a giant in our world, who straddled plays and musicals deftly,” Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted, adding, “Grateful for his staggering body of work and his unfailing kindness.” Actor Patrick Wilson tweeted: “My first acting award at a one-act festival in high school. My first Tony nomination was for Full Monty. Both shows written by Terrence McNally. He had a monumental impact on my career and will be missed. Rest In Peace, my friend.”

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/terrence-mcnally/?utm_campaign=clip

    Mark Blum

    Actor Mark Blum died at the age of 69 on March 25, 2020, due to complications of the coronavirus after testing positive a week prior (via Los Angeles Times). His wife of 15 years, Janet Zarish, said that Blum suffered from asthma, but had not, as the publication put it, “traveled recently or knowingly been in contact with anyone with the virus.”

    Perhaps best known for film and television roles in Crocodile Dundee, Desperately Seeking Susan, Mozart in the Jungle, and the Netflix series You, Blum also starred in several Broadway productions over the course of 40-plus years, such as Lost In Yonkers, The Best Man, and Gus and Al, according to Playbill. “With love and heavy hearts, Playwrights Horizons pays tribute to Mark Blum, a dear longtime friend, and a consummate artist who passed this week,” Playwrights Horizons, a theater company in New York City, tweeted following the news of his passing. “Thank you, Mark, for all you brought to our theater, and to theaters and audiences across the world. We will miss you.”

    Dozens of members of the entertainment industry have since mourned Blum’s passing on social media, including the likes of Bernadette Peters, Judith Light, and Madonna. Meanwhile, actress Rosanna Arquette, who starred in Desperately Seeking Susan alongside Blum and Madonna in the mid-’80s, offered her condolences on Twitter, writing in part, “I’m so deeply sad for his family and for his fans. [He] was a wonderful actor and a very good and kind man.”

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/mark-blum/?utm_campaign=clip

    Joe Diffie

    Country music singer Joe Diffie was diagnosed with COVID-19, his publicist, Scott Adkins, told The Associated Press on March 27, 2020. In a statement released to Rolling Stone, the 61-year-old musician revealed: “I am under the care of medical professionals and currently receiving treatment. My family and I are asking for privacy at this time. We want to remind the public and all my fans to be vigilant, cautious, and careful during this pandemic.”

    However, two days after the announcement, Diffie sadly passed away. “Grammy-winning country music legend Joe Diffie passed away today, Sunday, March 29 from complications of coronavirus (COVID-19),” a statement posted to his official Instagram read. “His family requests privacy at this time.”

    According to his Grand Ole Opry profile, in which he was inducted in 1993, Diffie had “four gold and platinum albums, 17 Top 10 hits and more than 6 million in record sales.” Diffie, who previously cancelled shows amid the coronavirus outbreak, was best known for a string of ’90s hits, including “Pickup Man,” “Honky Tonk Attitude,” “Third Rock From The Sun,” “Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox,” and “John Deere Green.”

    A number of Diffie’s peers have since taken to social media to express their condolences. Trace Adkins called Diffie “one of the all-time GREAT vocalists,” while Granger Smith wrote, “Here’s to you Pickup Man. You inspired an entire generation of country singers and accepted us all with kindness, gratitude and buckets of talent.”

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/joe-diffie/?utm_campaign=clip

    Andrew Jack

    Actor Andrew Jack passed away from complications related to COVID-19 in a Chertsey, England hospital on March 31, 2020, Deadline reports. He was 76.

    His dialect coach wife, Gabrielle Rogers — who was in self-quarantine in Australia at the time (via TMZ) — announced the news on Twitter, writing in part, “Andrew Jack was diagnosed with coronavirus 2 days ago. He was in no pain, and he slipped away peacefully knowing that his family were all ‘with’ him.” In a lengthy statement to Deadline, Jack’s agent, Jill McCullough, said in part, “Andrew lived on one of the oldest working houseboats on the Thames, he was fiercely independent but madly in love with his wife.”

    Having most recently played Major Ematt in the latest Star Wars trilogy, Jack was also a dialect coach and worked with A-list actors on major films like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars, and Avengers: Endgame. He had been coaching Robert Pattinson for The Batman at the time of his death. Several stars have since reacted to Jack’s passing on social media, including TLOTR actors Elijah Wood and Sean Astin and Star Wars director JJ Abrams. “He was a joy to be with on the new trilogy,” Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO in Star Wars, tweeted. “As dialect coach, he helped the cast get it right through his talent and humour. As an actor, his distinguished features made him stand out in any scene.”

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/andrew-jack/?utm_campaign=clip

    Adam Schlesinger

    Fountains of Wayne co-founder and Emmy and Grammy-winning songwriter Adam Schlesinger passed away on April 1, 2020, his lawyer confirmed to AP News. He was 52. Schlesinger had been sedated on a ventilator in a New York hospital for several days after contracting coronavirus, according to Variety.

    In addition to his work with Fountains of Wayne, Schlesinger received Emmy, Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, and Tony nominations for his soundtrack work — most notably for writing the title track to Tom Hanks’ 1997 film That Thing You Do. He also nabbed two Emmys for the 150-plus songs he wrote for the CW series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

    Stars who worked with Schlesinger on those projects paid their respects to the prolific songwriter on social media. “I remember the day all the Oneders, @LivTyler and @tomhanks sat in a room and played about 6 submitted tracks from different bands for That Thing You Do,” actor Ethan Embry tweeted. “When we heard Adam Schlesinger’s cassette it was instantly clear which track we would need to learn.” Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom called him a “genius,” and shared some of his work from the show. She also tweeted: “I have so much to say about Adam Schlesinger that I am at a complete loss for words. He is irreplaceable.”

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/adam-schlesinger/?utm_campaign=clip

    Ellis Marsalis Jr.

    New Orleans jazz legend, pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr., passed away on April 1, 2020, due to complications of COVID-19, his son Branford Marsalis (another jazz legend) told the The New York Times. He was 85.

    “It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Ellis Marsalis Jr.,” Branford said in a statement (via USA Today). “My dad was a giant of a musician and teacher, but an even greater father. He poured everything he had into making us the best of what we could be.” He added that his father had been in the hospital for less than a week and “died peacefully.”

    During his tenure as a teacher at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, Marsalis taught such notable future musicians as film composer Terence Blanchard and pianist Harry Connick, Jr. He was also named a “Jazz Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2011, which the Times notes “is considered the highest honor for an American jazz musician.” Marsalis is also the patriarch of one of the greatest musical families that includes four sons with illustrious careers, one of whom is nine-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

    Read More: https://www.nickiswift.com/197759/these-celebs-died-from-coronavirus/sl/ellis-marsalis-jr/?utm_campaign=clip

    Source: www.nickiswift.com

     

  • Pandemic forces polio eradication group to suspend campaigns

    The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt an unprecedented blow to the world’s battle against polio, the head of the global organisation to combat the disease told AFP Thursday after it suspended vaccination campaigns for the first time in three decades.

    With the Coronavirus marching swiftly across the world and nations imposing strict travel restrictions to slow its spread, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has announced that its health workers cannot continue their immunisation drives — and warned this risks a resurgence of the poliovirus.

    “We’re devastated by the fact that we have to stop the activities for a disease that we were working so hard to eradicate,” said the World Health Organisation’s Michel Zaffran, who heads GPEI.

    There are only two nations remaining where the wild version of the poliovirus continues to spread — Pakistan and Afghanistan — but a strain that has mutated from the vaccine itself has also caused outbreaks in several nations in Africa.

    Immunisation campaigns protect against both wild and vaccine-derived outbreaks of the virus, which spreads in areas of poor sanitation and contaminated water and can cause irreversible paralysis. Children under five are particularly vulnerable.

    – Polio could advance again –

    Zaffran told AFP that beyond travel restrictions put in place by governments, the new coronavirus itself was considered too great a risk for health workers and the community to continue vaccination drives.

    “Many of these activities have been suspended because they bring people together, they increase the mass gathering effect and also the delivery of the vaccine uses a dropper which could actually get contaminated, either by the recipients, or by the health worker,” he said.

    An announcement last week by GPEI said it would halt immunisations until at least June, but Zaffran said it was impossible to predict when they will resume, with decisions likely made on a country-by-country basis.

    In the meantime, a devastating disease that the world had come achingly close to snuffing out will be free to spread.

    Zaffran said the group was “extremely concerned” that the poliovirus could now start to advance again within Afghanistan and Pakistan and warned that in Africa it could cross borders into countries currently unaffected.

    ‘Terrible pandemic’

    When the GPEI was set up in 1988, polio paralysed more than 1000 children worldwide every day in dozens of endemic countries.

    In the last decade, GPEI says more than 10 billion doses of oral polio vaccine have been given worldwide, estimating that this prevented some 6.5 million children from being paralysed by the virus.

    While the vaccine-derived outbreaks have presented a grave setback, causing hundreds of cases, GPEI had put its hopes in a new vaccine that is awaiting WHO pre-licence approval for emergency use later this year.

    Despite halting some services, GPEI will continue to try to monitor outbreaks and thousands of people in its network will be redeployed to help with the COVID-19 response in the countries where they work.

    “Because we’ve got this infrastructure of very competent epidemiologists and surveillance officers and laboratories and logistics networks and so on on the ground, we believe that we have a role to play in supporting the response to this terrible pandemic,” he said.

    ‘Substantial amount of time’

    Zaffran said the weeks and months of suspension will be used to ensure that manufacturers keep sufficient stocks of the existing vaccine to deploy quickly once it is possible to resume immunisations.

    But he cautioned that the suspension in some countries could last a “substantial amount of time”, leaving remote communities potentially in need of an array of vaccines and medical help.

    “Keeping in mind that we do want to eradicate polio, but we cannot go to remote communities and only offer polio drops if those communities are also affected by the lack of health services over the next several months,” he said.

    Source: AFP

  • Isolated and afraid: How the pandemic is changing pregnancy

    Jamie Chui has been a virtual prisoner in her Hong Kong home for most of her nine-month pregnancy.

    Trapped intially by violent pro-democracy protests and tear gas, and then by the coronavirus — she now faces giving birth alone, with her husband unlikely to see his child until days later.

    Asia is facing a second wave of Coronavirus infections and as cases spiral globally with one million confirmed positive and half the planet on lockdown, women are having to give birth in unprecedented circumstances.

    Hong Kong and China have imposed some of the world’s strictest measures to prevent infections in maternity units: birthing partners are banned from labour units, delivery rooms and post-natal wards in public hospitals.

    That has left many women struggling not only with normal pregnancy anxieties and infection fears, but also the new reality of hospital deliveries, at a time when experts warn resources are more stretched than ever.

    “The most stressful part for me is that hospitals have suspended the visiting arrangements and accompanied labour,” says Chui, adding: “I will need to fight alone.”

    “I’m nervous, to be honest. But I don’t know what else I could do.”

    Hong Kong’s protests began as Chui fell pregnant.

    Fearful of the violence and tear gas might do to her unborn child, she stayed indoors. Now she is doing the same thing because of the coronavirus.

    “I have been staying at home for almost my whole pregnancy,” the 33-year-old photographer explains.

    – Women should have choices –

    Banning labour companions goes against the World Health Organization’s ‘Safe Childbirth Checklist’ recommendations that women should have a trusted person with them during the process.

    A similar move was attempted by some hospitals in New York but governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order to ensure ‘no woman would give birth alone’, after a huge public outcry and 600,000-strong petition.

    In China and Hong Kong, women are instead left having to choose between spending upwards of HKD 100,000 (US$10,000) for private hospital delivery, where partners are still allowed to attend, or going it alone in the public system.

    “I have had to mentally and physically prepare to deliver without my husband’s support,” says 36-year-old Lidia Inês Cardoso Ribeiro, adding that she has written to the Hospital Authority to urge them to reconsider.

    “I believe all women should have the choice to have a person they trust to empower and support them through labour,” she explains.

    Christina Kimont, a Canadian midwife and public health researcher, now in Macau, which operates similar restrictions, agrees the situation could be problematic.

    “The human body cannot easily do what it is designed to do while in a state of stress,” she says.

    She warned that adding extra anxiety to people already worrying about their baby contracting the virus or exhausted medical teams, could make labour “longer, more difficult and likely to end up in unplanned surgical procedures.”

    Irma Syahrifat, a trained doula in Indonesia, says women there have had to attend appointments with physicians in full-suited hazard gear — an instantly distressing situation.

    Currently, Indonesian hospitals allow one birth support person but, with rules constantly changing as cases spike, she insists “mental preparedness” for delivery without an advocate is a necessary addition to ante-natal classes.

    There has been little research into the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women, but the WHO says current evidence suggests that while vulnerable to respiratory infections, they are no more at risk of serious illness than the general population.

    A small Chinese study following 33 expectant mothers in Wuhan found it was possible, though rare, to pass the infection in utero after three newborns tested positive for the virus.

    While infants and children account for a low proportion of documented infections and deaths, a six-week-old baby in the US died this week from complications relating to the disease.

    – Begging for help –

    Across Asia, it has become the norm for routine pregnancy check-ups to be replaced with telehealth consultations, while traditional ante-natal group sessions have been replaced by online courses.

    As infections soar in America and Europe the knock-on effects for maternity and postpartum care are already visible, with wards in California being used for virus cases instead.

    Britain’s Royal College of Midwives reported that one in five midwife posts are now empty in maternity units — double the figure before the virus crisis started as staff fall sick, self-isolate, or are redeployed to care for COVID-19 patients.

    WHO has warned dwindling supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers will put lives at risk.

    At Manila’s Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, where women are sometimes three to a double bed, doctors now worry about a lack of isolation units and rely on donations for protective gear.

    Cynthia Anzures, who chairs the obstetrics department, says: “If we don’t have enough donations, like for our n95 masks, we reuse them. We use raincoats if we don’t have PPEs.”

    There are fears this will soon be the reality in many more Asian cities, as a recent surge in cases creates fresh waves of panic-buying, while new country-wide lockdowns could impact supply chains.

    Chui says she has no choice but to stay inside even after delivery to protect her newborn.

    “I think it is better to just stay at home. Just like what I’m doing right now.”

    Source: AFP

  • Coronavirus vaccine which can neutralise virus could be approved for human trials ‘within months’

    A new COVID-19 vaccine that fires proteins in the body that destroy the virus within two weeks is just a few months from human trials.

    The ‘highly scalable’ vaccine is the first peer-reviewed antidote to the coronavirus that currently has much of the world in lockdown or isolation.

    Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh say the new treatment would be delivered through a ‘painless jab’ similar to the annual flu vaccine.

    The team from the US have tested the vaccine on mice and estimate that it should be able to neutralise the deadly virus for at least a year.

    It will be between 12 and 18 months before the test is publicly available but when it is approved tens of thousands of doses could be produced every day.

    The vaccine is delivered into the skin through a fingertip-sized patch of microscopic needles made from sugar - which scientists describe as 'painless' and feeling like velcro

    The vaccine is delivered into the skin through a fingertip-sized patch of microscopic needles made from sugar – which scientists describe as ‘painless’ and feeling like velcro

    An industrial-style production process has been used to produce the Pittsburgh Coronavirus Vaccine – PittCoVacc – making it ‘highly scalable’.

    This is the first COVID-19 candidate vaccine that’s been scrutinised by independent scientists. The findings are published in The Lancet’s EBioMedicine journal.

    The researchers are now applying for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and aim to start the first human trial and hope to be able to begin those trials within months.

    Senior study author Professor Louis Falo, from the University of Pittsburgh, said getting to human tests stage would usually require at least a year or more.

    ‘This particular situation is different from anything we’ve ever seen, so we don’t know how long the clinical development process will take.

    ‘Recently announced revisions to the normal processes suggest we may be able to advance this faster.’

    The Pittsburgh team were able to act quickly because they had already laid the groundwork during earlier coronavirus epidemics.

    Senior study author Professor Andrea Gambotto, also at Pittsburgh, said they knew exactly where to go in terms of ways to fight the virus.

    ‘We had previous experience on SARS-CoV in 2003 and MERS-CoV in 2014,’ the study author said.

    ‘These two viruses, which are closely related to SARS-CoV-2, teach us that a particular protein, called a spike protein, is important for inducing immunity against the virus.’

    Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

  • Global virus cases near million as US records youngest death

    A six-week-old baby died of Covid-19 and global agencies warned of food shortages as coronavirus infections around the world neared one million Wednesday.

    Governments expanded lockdowns to affect about half of the planet, with funeral parties banned in the Democratic Republic of Congo, New York locking up its famed street basketball courts and hard-hit Italy extending its economically-crippling lockdown until April 13.

    More than 900,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus and nearly 46,000 have died since it first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, according to an AFP tally.

    HIT A MILLION

    World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number would hit one million “in the next few days.”

    “I am deeply concerned about the rapid escalation and global spread of infection,” he said.

    “The entire world is shut down,” said US President Donald Trump. “It’s very sad.”

    Cases in the United States soared, rising to more than 213,000, and deaths neared 4,800, according to the Johns Hopkins University database.

    SIX-YEAR-OLD DEAD

    Among the victims was a six-week-old in Connecticut who was brought unresponsive to a hospital late last week, believed to be the youngest victim yet of the virus.

    “Testing confirmed last night that the new-born was Covid-19 positive,” Governor Ned Lamont wrote on Twitter. “This is absolutely heart-breaking.”

    The victims of the coronavirus have been disproportionately elderly, but a number of recent cases have highlighted that the disease can befall even youngsters with seemingly strong immune systems.

    The dead have included a 13-year-old in France, a 12-year-old in Belgium, and 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdullah in Britain, whose family said the “gentle and kind” boy had no underlying health issues.

    US NUMBERS RISE

    The US numbers continued to outpace the rest of the globe, though Washington made clear it believes China, with a reported 82,000 cases, is deliberately masking its figures.

    “How do we know” if they are accurate, Trump asked at a press conference, not denying a Bloomberg report that US intelligence has concluded China is concealing the extent of the coronavirus pandemic there.

    “Their numbers seem to be a little bit on the light side,” Trump said.

    Densely populated New York continued to be the US epicentre.

    REFRIGERATED TRUCKS

    Across the city refrigerated trucks grimly parked outside hospitals to deal with the surge in bodies.

    New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he was closing all playgrounds and basketball courts to enforce “social distancing” to halt transmission.

    “You still see too many situations with too much density by young people,” he said. “No density, no basketball games.”

    In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis ordered all 21 million residents of the Sunshine State to stay inside for one month, after having resisted a lockdown for weeks.

    Germany extended to April 19 its bans on gatherings of more than two people outdoors, with Chancellor Angela Merkel warning that families may not be able to visit during Easter celebrations.

    “A pandemic does not recognise holidays,” she said.

    CHURCHES CLOSED

    In Greece, too, the Orthodox Church’s Holy Synod said all churches are to remain closed over the Easter period, the biggest celebration of the year which culminates on April 19.

    The global crisis wiped more major events off the calendar with Wimbledon, the signature event of tennis, cancelled for the first time since World War II.

    And in a sign of shifting focus, Britain said that UN climate talks due in November in Glasgow were being postponed.

    Lockdowns have been especially challenging in developing countries, with some of the world’s poorest fearing they could lose their livelihoods entirely.

    SOUTH AFRICA

    Dwellers of South Africa’s townships say it is simply impossible to stay at home.

    “We don’t have toilets… we don’t have water, so you must go out,” said Irene Tsetse, 55, who shares a one-bedroom shack in Khayelitsha township with her son.

    The Food and Agriculture Organisation, WHO and the World Trade Organisation warned in a joint statement that panic buying already seen in parts of the world could threaten food supplies.

    “Uncertainty about food availability can spark a wave of export restrictions, creating a shortage on the global market,” they said.

    ITALY

    In Italy, half a million more people require help to afford meals, adding to the 2.7 million already in need last year, according to the country’s biggest agricultural union Coldiretti.

    “Usually we serve 152,525 people. But now we’ve 70,000 more requests,” said Roberto Tuorto, who runs a food aid association.

    It is crucial to “ensure that the economic crisis unleashed by the virus doesn’t become a security crisis,” he warned.

    BRITAIN, FRANCE

    Britain and France both reported their highest daily death tolls from Covid-19, although there were signs that the epidemic could be peaking in Europe.

    Italy’s death toll, the highest in the world, climbed past 13,000 and the government extended its lockdown until April 13.

    “If we start loosening our measures now, all our efforts will have been in vain,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told the nation in a televised address.

    In Spain, deaths passed 9,000 on Wednesday, but the rate of new cases continued to slow.

    Fernando Simon, head of the health ministry’s emergency coordination unit, said it appeared the country may have passed the peak.

    Source: allafrica.com

  • UK delays mass testing after discovering some test kits contained traces of COVID-19

    The United Kingdom has reportedly delayed its plan to embark on mass testing of people after some test kits were found to be carrying the virus.

    The UK has been one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe with some high ranking members of the Royal Family and Government including Prime Minister Boris Johnson contracting the virus.

    The government has come under pressure to control the spread by mass testing the public to identify and isolate infected persons like the US and Germany have done.

    However, reports indicate that some test kits from firms tasked to produce the resources for the UK had traces of the virus on them making them unfit for use and further delaying the mass testing exercise.

    Source: www.abcnewsgh.com

  • Ghanaian clubs seek bailout from government amid coronavirus pandemic

    Ghanaian football clubs are seeking a bailout from government as the industry staggers in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The clubs are calling for immediate relief in the form of direct aid and monetary support.

    Clubs are now facing bankruptcy amid the coronavirus outbreak which is sweeping the world.

    Local football has come to a halt as scientists race against time to find a vaccine for the deadly virus.

    Clubs have been forced to take action after breaking camp amid the financial downturn affecting owners in the West African nation.

    The suspension of football in Ghana has brought untold hardship on owners, players, staff, sponsors and fans.

    There are widespread fears clubs could go bankrupt if it proves impossible to resume the calendar on time.

    The loss of revenue is both enormous, unplanned for and, in the case of force majeure, usually uninsured.

    They are now turning their attention to government for some financial relief amid fears of going into administration.

    Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

  • FDA advises public to stay away from self-testing kits on COVID-19

    The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says it has neither registered nor recognised any rapid diagnoses test (RDT) kits for self-testing in the country.

    It said not even the World Health Organisation (WHO) had approved any RDT for use and, therefore, cautioned the public to be wary of any RDT kits.

    Speaking in an interview in Accra today, the Head of Medical Devices Department of the FDA, Mr Joseph Yaw-Bernie Bennie, said for now, only the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test was the recommended one and that was what the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Kumasi were using.

    Request for registration

    He said currently, over 100 companies and institutions had approached the FDA to allow them to bring in RDTs from China, South Korea and other places with one of them requesting to be allowed for local mass production of the RDT kits in partnership with a foreign partner.

    “Since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country, a lot of people have made enquiries and the possibility of bringing in the RDT kits for testing on the COVID-19. Ordinarily, it is a good thing because the WHO is recommending that we should do mass testing.

    “But we do not want to do test and give false positives and false negatives. So, there is the need to make sure that the tool you are using for testing is correct,” Mr Bennie explained.

    He added that the COVID-19 was a novel virus which the scientist community was not very conversant with, “and almost everybody relies on good test cases.”

    Mr Bennie expressed concern that there was a lot of information being churned out, most of which was not correct, adding that Ghana was doing a lot of international collaboration to ensure that whatever the Ghanaian scientists were doing was good.

    “Let me tell you that as of now that we are talking, WHO has not come out with any pre-qualified RDT that we can run with because it is not available as of now,” he said giving the assurance that if there was any RDT, Ghana would have been the first to go for them.

    Mr Bennie said the RDT kits were available, but explained that they had limitations and that it was not advisable to patronise them because even after using it, “you still have to go for a confirmation test using the PCR, which gives precise results as to whether the person has it or not.”

    He said while the PCR gave accurate information of the presence of the virus in a person, the current RDT kits available gave an indication and, therefore, required a confirmation test as to whether the person had it or not.

    No registration

    “So the Ministry of Health says for now, it is only PCR and so now, the ministry says we should not register any RDT for now,” he stated, adding that things could change in the course of time.

    Mr Bennie, therefore, asked Ghanaians to tread cautiously and remain calm while those mandated to find solutions too play their part, adding that when it becomes necessary for the use of the RDT based on the recommendations from the WHO, it would be done.

    He stated that the current state of the RDT would create anxiety and fear since the kits could not give full confirmation of the virus in people.

    Mr Bennie said the use of RDT could be counterproductive since it could indicate negative when in actual fact the person would be positive and the vice versa.

    Observation of protocols

    He mentioned that for now, the testing was restricted to only suspected cases and not mass testing as an option and advised Ghanaians to rather concentrate more on the frequent hand washing under running water and the observation of all the protocols.

    Additionally, he recommended that people should observe the social distance the President announced and when it was not pressing, people should limit movement, “since we are told that the virus does not move, people move it. We stop moving, the virus stops moving, the virus dies.”

    Source: www.graphic.com.gh

  • US regulator gives anti-malaria drugs emergency approval to treat coronavirus

    A limited emergency-use authorization for two antimalarial drugs touted as game-changers by President Donald Trump has been issued by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat coronavirus patients.

    In a statement published Sunday, the US Department of Health and Human Services detailed recent donations of medicine to a national stockpile including chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, both being investigated as potential COVID-19 treatments.

    It said the FDA had allowed them “to be distributed and prescribed by doctors to hospitalized teen and adult patients with COVID-19, as appropriate, when a clinical trial is not available or feasible.”

    Trump said last week that the two drugs could be a “gift from God,” despite scientists warning against the dangers of overhyping unproven treatments.

    Many researchers including Anthony Fauci, the United States’ leading infectious disease expert, have urged the public to remain cautious until larger clinical trials validate smaller studies.

    Two US medical bodies the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority are currently working to plan such trials.

    Some in the scientific community fear Trump’s endorsement of the medicines could create shortages for patients who need them to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, diseases for which they are approved.

    The US has more than 140,000 novel coronavirus cases and 2,489 deaths, according to a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University.

    Source: France24

  • Plácido Domingo hospitalised

    Veteran opera star Plácido Domingo has been hospitalised with complications linked to Covid-19, US media are reporting.

    The 79-year-old is receiving hospital treatment in Mexico, with his spokesman cited as saying he’d “remain in the hospital as long as the doctors find it necessary” for a full recovery.

    On 22 March, he announced he’d tested positive and said he was “grateful and moved by the wave of messages I have received from so many people”

    The singer had recently resigned from the Los Angeles Opera after he was accused of sexual harassment.

    Source: bbc.com

  • We are going to overcome this coronavirus outbreak in Jesus name Moesha Boduong prays

    Ghana has recorded four more cases of Covid-19, the Ghana Health Service has said in its web updates. According to the Service, as of Saturday, March 28, a total of 2,519 persons have been tested for coronavirus in Ghana.

    Actress Moesha Boduong is praying that we all overcome this noble Coronavirus outbreak.

    She posted,

    We going to over come this illness in Jesus name 🙏AMEN!!

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    We going to over come this illness in Jesus name 🙏AMEN!!

    A post shared by Moesha Babiinoti Boduong (@moeshaboduong) on

    Among the tested, 1,276 (50.7%) were persons under mandatory quarantine with 1,243 (49.3%) from routine surveillance activities.

    Source: www.ghgossip.com

  • Stay at home, your family needs you – John Boye appeals to Ghanaians

    Ghana Black Stars and FC Metz defender, John Boye has advised Ghanaians on how to prevent the pandemic COVID 19.

    Speaking on Accra based television station Kingdom Tv, the 32year old defender, John Boye detailed the situation in France and urged Ghanaians to adhere to the protocols.

    “They shouldn’t go out and they shouldn’t think the coronavirus is not serious because it is a very serious thing. For now that the thing has increased to 52 in Ghana, please stay in the house and take care of your family because it is the most important thing. The virus is very bad so be in the house and take care of your self.”

    He also claimed that everyone is in the house and waiting for the time virus fever to die down so that they can start general training but for now everyone is doing individual training in the house. He also said, policemen are in town and you have to pick forms on internet before you can go to some places like shopping mall.

    “They don’t want to see more than three people together but you can only go out with your wife to buy your needs. If it is more than three or four people you be dealt with.”

    Source: kingdomfmonline.com

     

  • U.N. seeks total ceasefire in Syria, prisoner releases, to combat coronavirus

    The U.N. Special Envoy for Syria called on Tuesday for an immediate nationwide ceasefire across Syria to enable an “all-out-effort” to stamp out COVID-19.

    In a statement, Geir Pedersen also appealed on humanitarian grounds for “large-scale releases of detainees and abductees” in Syria and access for medical workers to detention facilities to help ensure that adequate medical care is provided to inmates.

    The spread of coronavirus to Syria brings the prospect of a deadly outbreak to a population devastated by nine years of war, with ravaged hospitals and tightly packed camps likely to accelerate infection, doctors and aid workers said on Monday.

    The Assad government announced on Sunday its first case after unconfirmed reports suggested the virus had been detected but covered up, a charge official denied.

    Source: reuters.com

  • Earthquake rocks Croatia’s capital Zagreb

    An earthquake has rocked Croatia’s capital Zagreb, damaging buildings and leaving cars crushed by falling chunks of masonry.

    A teenager is in a critical condition after a roof collapsed, local media say. The spire of the city’s cathedral also snapped off.

    After Sunday’s tremor, Zagreb’s mayor urged people to return to their homes given fears about the coronavirus.

    The 5.3-magnitude quake is the largest to affect the city in 140 years.

    Aside from the teenager, another sixteen people were injured.

    Panicked residents ran out into the streets when it struck around 06:00 local time and were initially told to stay out by authorities.

    “Keep your distance. Don’t gather together. We are facing two serious crises, the earthquake and the epidemic,” Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said.

    However Mayor Milan Bandic later said they should return home. “Eighty per cent of Zagreb residents live in structures that have reinforced concrete structures,” he said.

    Several buildings were damaged, including the parliament. It will be out of action until further notice. Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic described the damage as “quite extensive”.

    The BBC’s Guy Delauney in the region says the earthquake acted as a cue for some residents to head for their holiday homes on the coast.

    But by early afternoon police had closed motorway toll booths and set up control points to prevent people entering coastal districts because of fears of spreading coronavirus, our correspondent reports.

    Croatia has more than 200 Covid-19 infections.

    People in southern Austria and Slovenia also felt the tremor.

    Source: bbc.com

     

  • Sanders to ‘assess’ campaign after Biden sweeps latest primaries

    Leftist Bernie Sanders was under fresh pressure Wednesday to bow out of the race for the Democratic White House nomination after losing the three latest primaries in contests hobbled by the coronavirus pandemic.

    Political moderate Joe Biden swept all three of Tuesday’s contests, building a solid lead in delegates to the party’s July nominating convention as Democratic voters appeared to coalesce around him as the best chance to defeat President Donald Trump in November.

    Sanders, once the race’s frontrunner, was considering his options as more states postponed their primary votes amid a national shutdown for the COVID-19 emergency.

    “The next primary contest is at least three weeks away,” said Sanders’ campaign manager Faiz Shakir in a statement.

    “Sen. Sanders is going to be having conversations with supporters to assess his campaign.”

    Biden handily trounced Sanders in each of Tuesday’s battlegrounds. In the biggest prize of Florida, the 77-year-old former vice president grabbed 62 percent of the vote against 23 percent for 78-year-old Sanders.

    In Illinois, Biden topped 59 percent to Sanders’ 36 percent, and in Arizona, Biden came in with more than 43 percent to Sanders’ nearly 32 percent, while former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has already withdrawn from the race, came in a distant third.

    Biden has now won 19 of the 24 contests, with just over half to be held.

    The victories underscored Biden’s position as the party’s frontrunner and the eagerness of Democratic leaders and party rank and file to come together around a moderate flag bearer, to challenge Trump.

    According to a count by RealClearPolitics, Biden has racked up 1,147 delegates to Sanders’ 861, with 1,991 needed to capture the nomination.

    Given Biden’s solid lead in national opinion polls among Democrats and in many of the states yet to hold primaries, Sanders faces a very steep battle to overtake his rival.

    “Our campaign has had a very good night,” Biden said in televised remarks from his home in Delaware.

    “We’ve moved closer to securing the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, and we’re doing it by building a broad coalition that we need to win in November.”

    – Trump taunt –

    From the White House Trump taunted the Democrats, repeating his accusation that the party elite sabotaged the campaign of Sanders — whom the president’s own campaign views as the weaker opponent in the November contest.

    The Democratic National Committee “will have gotten their fondest wish and defeated Bernie Sanders, far ahead of schedule,” Trump tweeted.

    “Now they are doing everything possible to be nice to him in order to keep his supporters. Bernie has given up, just like he did last time. He will be dropping out soon!” he said, referring to Sanders’ failed fight for the nomination in 2016.

    By all accounts it is an astonishing reversal of fortune for Biden, whose campaign was left for dead just one month ago after poor showings in early voting states.

    But following a string of victories in high-profile contests starting with South Carolina in late February, and continuing into his latest show of strength Tuesday, Biden now has a commanding lead in the all-important race for delegates.

    Political analyst David Axelrod concluded that Sanders was a mortally wounded candidate.

    “No Dem has ever come back from anything like this deficit,” tweeted Axelrod, chief strategist for Barack Obama’s two successful presidential campaigns.

    Source: France24

  • Speaker orders fumigation of Parliament amid COVID-19 fears

    The Speaker of Parliament has ordered the immediate fumigation of the precincts of the House.

    This forms part of measures to prevent a spread of Coronavirus in the House.

    “The fumigation of every inch of Parliament where we operate should be done immediately. Tomorrow we should see progress in that regard.”

    “This is rather important. Some have made very serious arrangements and rearrangements and we should continue to consider these…Even in the matter of state of emergency, Parliament must be around to take steps,” the Speaker said.

    Speaker advises against handshaking among MPs

    The Speaker of Parliament had early on also advised MPs to shun greeting by handshaking and physical contact.

    Prof. Oquaye also said the House had placed hand sanitizers at vantage points in a bid to strengthen measures against the pandemic.

    “Transmission has been identified particularly through handshaking and using the hands on the face. Sanitizers have been put at vantage points. We [parliamentarians] need to keep sanitizing our hands,” the Speaker said.

    Coronavirus cases in Ghana now 7

    The Ghana Health Service on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, confirmed one new case of Coronavirus in the country.

    The case was reported in the Greater Accra Region bringing to 7, the total number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Ghana.

    A tweet from the Ghana Health Service said, “…we have received report from NMIMR that indicated one (1) more confirmed case as positive for COVID-19 in Greater Accra Region.”

    The patient is a 35-year-old male and a Ghanaian citizen who returned to Accra from France.

    Coronavirus patients in Ghana getting better 

    The Ghana Health Service however says all patients who have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) are getting better.

    Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service in an interview on Eyewitness News on Tuesday said the patients are recovering and will be discharged once they are cleared.

    He said none of the patients had deteriorated since they were isolated and started receiving treatment.

    “They are all doing very well. They are recovering because they are much better than we saw them. When they are fully off, we will let them go home. All of them are better today than they were when we saw them. We have not seen any of them deteriorating. We review them every day so based on the condition, we will discharge them once we see that they have fully recovered and cleared,” he said.

     

    Source: citinewsroomÂ