Iran says it has been “hit hard” by coronavirus but has flattened the curve
Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki acknowledged his country is suffering badly because of the coronavirus pandemic, speaking at the World Health Organization’s virtual 73rd World Health Assembly. “My country has been hit hard by the outbreak,” Namaki said, “however we have managed to flatten the...
South Korea says patients who re-tested positive for coronavirus are not contagious
Patients who re-tested positive for coronavirus after being discharged are not contagious, South Korean health officials said Monday. The Korean Centre for Disease Control (KCDC) made the announcement after conducting a lab analysis of 108 cases and epidemiology investigations on 285 cases to determine whether...
Wuhan has tested more than 400,000 people for Covid-19 since citywide campaign began
The Chinese city of Wuhan has conducted more than 400,000 nucleic acids tests within the first three days of a citywide campaign to test all residents for Covid-19, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said today. The testing drive comes after several new local cases were...
Japan’s economy falls into recession as virus takes its toll
Japan has fallen into recession for the first time since 2015 as the financial toll of the coronavirus continues to escalate. The world’s third biggest economy shrank at an annual pace of 3.4% in the first three months of 2020. The coronavirus is wreaking havoc...
Hong Kong: Lawmakers carried out during parliament mayhem
A number of pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong were dragged out of the chamber during a row about a Chinese national anthem bill. The bill would criminalise disrespect of the anthem. Legislators were arguing over the leadership of a key committee, which would affect the...
India extends coronavirus lockdown by two weeks
India has extended its lockdown for another two weeks as it attempts to curb the spread of coronavirus. The government’s disaster response authority said that new guidelines would be issued, “keeping in view the need to open up economic activities”. The country went into lockdown...
Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead at home
China’s Ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, has died in his apartment in a Tel Aviv suburb, Israeli police and media say. Mr Du, 57, was found dead in his bed and the cause of his death has not yet been reported. He was only appointed...
India has now recorded more coronavirus cases than mainland China
India has now identified and recorded more cases of the novel coronavirus than mainland China, where the global pandemic originated. India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported Saturday that it had identified 85,940 people who tested positive for the virus. It came after China’s...
Koyambedu: India’s coronavirus cluster at a vegetable market
On 5 May, Bharath Gupta, a district collector in southern India, learnt that the sprawling Koyambedu market in Chennai city was being temporarily closed. The reason: several vendors and labourers at the market had tested positive for coronavirus, and were being linked to a spate...
At least 153 cases linked to nightclub cluster in South Korea
At least 153 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been linked to the Itaewon nightclub cluster in the South Korean capital of Seoul, according to the country’s Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC). So far, about 46,000 tests have been conducted in relation to the cluster in the Itaewon...
China calls for stable bilateral ties with US after Trump criticizes Beijing
China has called for stable bilateral ties to be maintained between Beijing and Washington after US President Donald Trump heavily criticized the country on Thursday. “Maintaining stable development of bilateral ties serves the fundamental interests of both the Chinese and US people and is also...
China says Wuhan needs citywide testing so schools and work can resume
Chinese health officials said Friday that citywide testing is needed in Wuhan to identify the scope of the local outbreak there and allow work, school, and business to resume. Eleven new asymptomatic cases were found in Wuhan today, according to city health officials. The city...
11 new asymptomatic cases reported in China come from Wuhan
Wuhan, ground zero for the coronavirus pandemic, reported 11 new asymptomatic cases today, according to the central Chinese city’s Municipal Health Commission. The cases were discovered in multiple districts across the city, a statement from the commission said. An ambitious screening program that aims to...
India’s PM Narendra Modi and Bill Gates discussed how to tackle the pandemic on a video conference
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday to discuss the global coronavirus pandemic, officials said. “We discussed issues ranging from India’s efforts to fight coronavirus, work of the (Gates Foundation) in battling Covid-19, role...
Japan reports nearly 100 new cases, as most of the country rebounds from state of emergency
Japan recorded 99 new cases of the coronavirus and 23 related deaths on Thursday, as the government lifted the state of emergency across most of the country. That raise the national total to 16,905 cases and 723 deaths. Of those, 712 cases and 13 deaths...
China reports new local transmissions as fears rise of virus resurgence
China reported four new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, according to the country’s National Health Commission. The new cases come from Jilin province in the northeast of the country, where a recent cluster of local infections has raised fears of a second...
Coronavirus: Can China test all of Wuhan in only 10 days?
China is drawing up ambitious plans to test the entire population of Wuhan, the city where the Covid-19 pandemic began. The announcement came after the emergence of six new coronavirus cases in the city – the first ones since early April. The authorities had originally...
State of emergency lifted for most of Japan
Japan lifted its state of emergency for 39 of its 47 prefectures on Thursday evening, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced in a press briefing. Tokyo, Osaka, and six urban prefectures will remain under the legislation, with the government assessing their status on May 21. The...
China to expand coronavirus testing to prevent resurgence in cases
Health officials in China said Thursday that they will be stepping up coronavirus testing and screening countrywide amid growing concern of a domestic rebound in cases. “We need to expand Covid-19 testing and screening to quickly find the source of infections and prevent a resurgence...
India plans to bring 30,000 stranded citizens home in a single week
Indian authorities said they will evacuate 30,000 more citizens stranded abroad due to the novel coronavirus pandemic — the second phase of a massive operation to bring Indians home from across the world. Indian Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the citizens will...
Remdesivir: Five India and Pakistan firms to make drug to ‘fight coronavirus’
A US pharmaceutical firm has signed agreements with drug makers in South Asia to expand supply of the drug remdesivir for treating Covid-19. The agreement between Gilead and five generic pharmaceutical companies in India and Pakistan will help make the medicine for 127 countries. Remdesivir...
Thailand reports no new coronavirus cases for first time since January
Thailand today reported no new coronavirus cases for the first time since January 13, according to the country’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration. CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin told reporters that the total number of infections in the country now stands at 3,017. A total of...
South Korea night club cluster rises to 119 cases
South Korean authorities have traced 28 further coronavirus cases to a nightclub cluster in Seoul, bringing the total number of new infections linked to the Itaewon nightlife district to 119. Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said in a news briefing today that around 20,000 people...
India coronavirus: How cake and songs made police pandemic heroes
Inspector Munish Pratap Singh was about to finish his shift around 22:00 when a helpless father called him with an unusual request. “Could you please get a birthday cake for my son? It’s his birthday and he is really sad,” the father said. Insp Singh...
Coronavirus: India announces $264bn economic rescue package
India has announced a 20 trillion rupee ($264bn; £216bn) economic package to help the country cope with its prolonged coronavirus lockdown. In a televised address Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the measures would support farmers and small businesses. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is due to...
Seoul Mayor says new cluster of cases linked to nightclub is “another lesson for us”
In an interview with CNN, the mayor of Seoul called the new cluster of coronavirus cases in the country “another lesson for us” and that “we should always be alert” as the reemergence of the virus can happen any place and any time. In a...
Indian state to parole more than 17,000 prisoners
Around 17,600 inmates in the western Indian state of Maharashtra will be temporarily released from prison in an attempt to control the spread of Covid-19. A special committee ordered the release of the group, which accounts for half of the state’s prison population. Prisoners convicted...
At least 102 coronavirus cases linked to South Korea nightclub cluster
At least 102 coronavirus cases have been linked to nightclub cluster in South Korea, the head of the country’s National Institute of Health, Kwon Jun-wook, said. The cluster emerged in Seoul’s Itaewon district. Two people among the cases first started showing symptoms on May 2,...
India partially resumes rail services despite rise in coronavirus cases
Rail services in India partially resumed on Tuesday despite an ongoing nationwide lockdown. Thirty special trains were operating today in accordance with government guidance, according to the Ministry of Railways. All passengers will be screened, and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed on the trains,...
Wuhan to conduct citywide testing in “10-day battle” to prevent second wave of infection
Wuhan, the central Chinese city at ground zero of the coronavirus pandemic, will conduct citywide testing for all citizens within 10 days amid fears of a second wave of infections. Authorities announced the testing plan in an “emergency notice” yesterday, according to state-run media outlet...
