Coronavirus digest: Brazil death toll tops 100,000

Brazil has 100,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus, according to the latest numbers from the Ministry of Health. The virus took three months to kill the first 50,000 victims, and only 50 days to kill the next 50,000. 

Dr. Jose Davi Urbaez, a senior member of the Infectious Diseases Society, said Brazilians were not taking the pandemic seriously: “We should be living in despair, because this is a tragedy like a world war. But Brazil is under collective amnesia.” 

The ministry said there were 100,477 deaths and more than 3 million confirmed cases, making it the second-hardest hit country in the world after the United States.

Here is the latest coronavirus news from around the globe:

Americas

The US economy has been hard-hit by the pandemic, with many businesses filing for bankruptcy

The United States has reported a total of 5 million confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a Reuters tally on Saturday. Just hours earlier, President Donald Trump signed executive orders on the partial restoration of unemployment payments, as Congress remains deadlocked over a stimulus package that would extend economic aid.

“This is the money they need, this is the money they want, this gives them an incentive to go back to work,” Trump said, signing an executive order that will provide an extra $400 per week in unemployment payments. 

The new number is lower than the $600 per week that was passed during the initial stage of the pandemic.

Trump also signed orders providing eviction protection and student loan repayment relief, as well as one suspending payroll taxes for people earning less than $100,000 (€85,000) per year.

Africa

Experts fear South Africa’s true caseload is much higher than the official figure of 1 million

South Africa’s coronavirus deaths have crossed the 10,000 mark, accounting for over half of the total number of confirmed cases reported across the African continent. 

“The peak is here, the peak is where we are,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said during an inspection of hospitals on Saturday.

With 553,188 confirmed cases of the virus, the country has the world’s fifth-largest coronavirus caseload, behind the US, Brazil, India and Russia. 

While Africa has just over 1 million confirmed infections, experts say that the number could be several times higher.

Oceania

New Zealand has marked 100 days with no community transmission, the director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, said on Sunday.

“We have seen overseas how quickly the virus can re-emerge and spread in places where it was previously under control, and we need to be prepared to quickly stamp out any future cases in New Zealand,” he said, warning against complacency.

The country recorded its first case on February 26 and the last infection related to community transmission was detected on May 1. New Zealand has 23 active cases of the virus but all of these were detected at the border.

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Compulsory testing for people arriving in Germany from coronavirus risk areas came into force on Saturday, with the list of risk areas updated every day by the Robert Koch Institute disease control agency. Daily infections of COVID-19 in Germany rose by over 1,000 for the third day in a row, reflecting a trend not seen since May. 

Read more: Germany’s mandatory coronavirus testing at airports off to smooth start

French authorities have mandated that Parisians wear face masks in crowded areas and tourist hotspots as coronavirus infections once again surge in the region.

Masks will be obligatory for all those aged 11 and over “in certain very crowded zones,” according to a police statement.

Read more: Paris imposes mandatory face masks amid rising infections

see, kbd/dr (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-digest-brazil-death-toll-tops-100-000/a-54499997?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf