In COVID Briefings, Trump Again Relies On Both Shock And Strategic Retreat
President Trump’s nightly briefings on COVID-19 this week have featured stunning pronouncements and reversals. Take the widespread response to the president’s assertion on Monday that he could reopen local businesses by fiat — even against the wishes of governors: “When somebody is the president of...
Trump claims U.S. coronavirus cases have peaked. Not so fast, doctors say.
President Donald Trump, seizing on recent signs of progress in hard-hit areas like Seattle and New York City, has said coronavirus cases in the U.S. have peaked, suggesting that the worst of the pandemic is over as he encourages states to ease up on restrictions...
Contamination Likely Caused Critical Delay Of CDC Coronavirus Testing: Report
A contamination of the first round of COVID-19 testing kits made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention slowed the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post and CNN confirmed Saturday. The Food and Drug Administration told CNN that the CDC...
This 16-year-old student pilot is flying medical supplies to rural hospitals during the pandemic
On a crisp spring day, the Cessna touches down near a rural hospital in Virginia with a slightly awkward bounce. On board, desperately-needed medical supplies for a community hard-hit by the coronavirus. The plane didn’t stay down very long. The pilot had to get home...
Experts warn ‘normal’ is still far off
For many, hearing officials discuss reopening the country comes as a relief. It means there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, that after weeks of staying home, the world will eventually return to normal — even if “normal” looks a little different than...
Coronavirus: Supply of protective gowns ‘critical’, say hospitals in England
Many frontline doctors treating coronavirus patients in the UK are suffering from a shortage of basic protective equipment, according to research by the British Medical Association (BMA). Meanwhile, the body representing hospital trusts in England, NHS Providers, has warned that the supply of clinical gowns...
Spain’s death toll passes 20,000
The death toll from Covid-19 in Spain moved past 20,000 on Saturday, the country’s health ministry said. A total of 20,043 people have now died there, with 565 deaths in the past 24 hours. That figure is down on the 585 reported on Friday. Spain...
Longest period with no mountain rescue in 19 years
Scottish Mountain Rescue (SMR) says its teams have not been called to a mountain rescue since 22 March. The organisation said it was the longest time between call outs since the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001. The crisis, the worst to hit agriculture in...
Nigerian president’s chief of staff dies
The Nigerian president’s chief of staff, Abba Kyari, has died after contracting coronavirus. A statement from President Muhammadu Buhari’s office said it “regrets to announce the passage” of Kyari. “The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging Covid-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he...
Virus-hit cruise ship leaves Australia after stand-off
After more than three weeks stranded in Australian waters, the German cruise ship Artania set sail for Europe on Saturday to cheers by locals and relief from officials who had been keen to see the virus-stricken vessel leave the country. The ship had docked in...
A holy ceremony without the usual crowds
An ancient ritual has gone ahead at the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem for Orthodox Easter, without the usual crush of thousands of pilgrims. During the Holy Fire Ceremony, a handful of Orthodox priests wearing face masks were present for what is seen as a...
Coronavirus: Concern over protective kit guidance change
Concerns have been raised that updated government guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) could put hospital staff and patients at risk. Healthcare workers have been advised to reuse gowns or wear different kit if stocks in England run low. Unions representing doctors and nurses have...
Hong Kong: High-profile democracy activists arrested
Police in Hong Kong have arrested 15 of some of the city’s most high-profile pro-democracy activists. The group includes 71-year-old media tycoon Jimmy Lai as well as a number of prominent lawmakers. They are accused of organising, taking part in or publicising unauthorised assembles during...
Coronavirus: Japan doctors warn of health system ‘break down’ as cases surge
Doctors in Japan have warned that the country’s medical system could collapse amid a wave of new coronavirus cases. Emergency rooms have been unable to treat some patients with serious health conditions due to the extra burden caused by the virus, officials say. One ambulance...
‘Liberate!’: Trump accused of fomenting COVID-19 rebellion with anti-lockdown tweets
Donald Trump has defended a series of tweets in which he seemed to back protests against coronavirus lockdowns in Democrat-led states. The US President urged supporters to “liberate” three states with Democratic governors: Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia. At a White House briefing he said some...
Universal basic income: Will it become a reality after lockdown is lifted?
Pope Francis, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and European Central Bank vice president Luis Guindos all agree: it is time to think about a universal basic income in the face of the unprecedented economic abyss caused by the coronavirus health crisis. Daniel Susskind, an economist from...
Georgia disinfects capital’s streets to combat spread of COVID-19
Tbilisi city hall cleaning teams took to the streets of the Georgian capital alongside firefighters to carry out overnight disinfection works as strict new measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 came into force. New restrictions were imposed Friday, April 17 on the movement of...
Coronavirus: Supply of protective gowns ‘critical’, say hospitals in England
Many frontline doctors treating coronavirus patients in the UK are suffering from a shortage of basic protective equipment, according to research by the British Medical Association (BMA). Meanwhile, the body representing hospital trusts in England, NHS Providers, has warned that the supply of clinical gowns...
Europe’s week: Apologies, exit strategies and solidarity
In the coronavirus crisis, it’s all about the truth: the numbers, the science, the outlook, but also about political actions. These were the words of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, speaking before an almost empty European Parliament this week Then Von der Leyen, president...
Jerusalem police clash with worshipers as they defy social-distancing rules
Riots shook Jerusalem yesterday night (April 16) after police attempted to disperse a religious gathering that was infringing social-distancing rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The confrontation began when police broke into a house of worship filled with a number of people, a number much higher...
Coronavirus latest: Global deaths pass 150,000 as countries look towards relaxing restrictions
The global death toll due to COVID-19 passed 150,000 as daily death tolls continued to be in the hundreds for many of the worst affected countries in Europe. According to data published by the Coronavirus Resource Center at the US Johns Hopkins University, the number...
Coronavirus: Is pandemic being used for power grab in Europe?
Some of Europe’s leaders have been accused of taking advantage of a public health crisis to clamp down on dissent and bolster their power. As Turkey arrests hundreds for social media posts and Russians are threatened with jail for anything considered fake news, there are...
Coronavirus: Germany says its outbreak is ‘under control’
Germany’s health minister says the month-long lockdown has brought his country’s coronavirus outbreak under control. Jens Spahn said that since 12 April the number of recovered patients had been consistently higher than the number of new infections. The infection rate has dropped to 0.7 –...
Coronavirus: President Trump defends tweets against US states’ lockdowns
President Donald Trump has defended tweets in which he appeared to endorse protests against stringent lockdown measures in several US states. At his Friday briefing, he said some measures imposed by Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia had been “too tough”. Earlier, he wrote in a series...
Wildfires blanket Kyiv in thick smog
Acrid smoke from wildfires, including blazes near the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant, has blanketed Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, making its air pollution among the worst in the world. Kyiv’s pollution now ranks alongside that of several Chinese cities, Swiss monitoring group IQAir reports. The coronavirus lockdown...
Coronavirus: Number of deaths rises to 530 in Ireland
Another 44 people with coronavirus have died in the Republic of Ireland, it was confirmed on Friday. It was the worst day of fatalities linked to the virus so far and brought the total number of deaths to 530. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre also...
Coronavirus: Concern over protective kit guidance change
Medical staff have been advised to reuse personal protective equipment and wear plastic aprons with coveralls, rather than the full-length gowns, if stocks in England run low. Unions representing doctors and nurses have expressed concerns about the updated Public Health England guidance. There have been...
Coronavirus: China outbreak city Wuhan raises death toll by 50%
The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus originated last year, has raised its official Covid-19 death toll by 50%, adding 1,290 fatalities. Wuhan officials attributed the new figure to updated reporting and deaths outside hospitals. China has insisted there was no cover-up. It has...
India coronavirus: Navy says 21 sailors test positive at key Mumbai base
Indian defence officials have reported a coronavirus outbreak at a key naval base in the western city of Mumbai. Twenty-one personnel have tested positive for Covid-19 at INS Angre, which is the seat of the force’s western command, the navy said in a statement on...
U.S. Intelligence Agencies Haven’t Agreed on Any Coronavirus Origin Theory
America’s intelligence agencies have not come to a conclusion on how the virus known as SARS-CoV-2 began spreading from China’s Wuhan province, a U.S. Intelligence Community official told Newsweek on Friday. Earlier this week, Fox News reported that U.S. intelligence agencies were conducting an investigation...
