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Coronavirus latest: Hunger killing 10,000 children per month, says UN

  • July 28, 2020
  • Germany is imposing mandatory tests on those returning from high-risk locations
  • The UN has said more than 10,000 children are dying per month from coronavirus-related hunger, and the long-term consequences for poverty-stricken regions could be catastrophic
  • Almost 16.4 million people have contracted the virus across the globe, resulting in more than 650,000 deaths

All updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC/GMT)

03:32 The number of confirmed coronavirus cases over a 24-hour period in Germany has almost doubled in comparison with yesterday’s figure.

The number of infections has gone up by 633, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. Yesterday’s daily total was 340.

Germany has reported 206,242 infections since the first case in the country was recorded on January 27 in the southern state of Bavaria. The latest reported death toll has risen by 4 over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities from the novel virus to 9,122.

03:12 Authorities in Pakistan are urging people to buy sacrificial animals online, or at least wear face masks when visiting cattle markets, as they are concerned that arrangements for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha could prompt a spike in infections.

Pakistan has reported over 270,000 coronavirus infections in total, resulting in nearly 6,000 fatalities. Daily cases are down to around the 1,200 mark from a peak of almost 7,000 last month.

“In the last four weeks there has been significant slowdown in the pandemic’s spread, with an 80% decline in deaths,” State Minister of Health Zafar Mirza said, three weeks after he himself tested positive for the novel virus.

Nevertheless, Mizra urged citizens to stick to the restrictive measures aimed at curbing the spread of infection, with the Muslim festival due to start on July 30. “People should take it very seriously and act responsibly. There is a chance that cases might go up again, like Spain.”

02:43 Vietnam has announced the suspension of all flights to Danang for 15 days after 14 new cases of the virus were reported. All passenger trains and buses to and from the city have also been suspended.

Physical distancing measures have been imposed across the tourism hotspot after the first locally transmitted cases were reported in a period of over three months. The government is looking to evacuate nearly 80,000 people, mostly domestic tourists, from the area to prevent the spread of the virus.

Vietnam has kept its coronavirus caseload limited to 431 confirmed infections and no deaths with the help of strict quarantine measures and widespread testing.

02:06 New cases are still rising in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang, with 57 infections confirmed in the area’s latest update.

Beijing also reported its first case of domestic transmission in more than two weeks, while the northeastern province of Liaoning confirmed six new infections.

Another four coronavirus infections were discovered among Chinese travelers arriving from outside the country, bringing the daily total over a 24-hour period to 68 nationwide.

01:32 Bolivia’s interim president, Jeanine Anez, has said she has recovered after testing positive for the coronavirus, thanked well-wishers, and is now back at work.

“Thank you with all my heart for the love and support during my coronavirus illness,” Anez tweeted. “Bolivians are a great family. We will move forward.”

Anez, 52, said on July 9 that she had tested positive for the virus and would go into quarantine at her presidential residence.

Several government officials, including the health minister, have also tested positive in the South American country. Bolivia has registered 69,429 infections, with 2,583 people dying as a result of contracting the coronavirus, according to the most recent government data.

01:20 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro removed his mask in public as he greeted supporters in Brasilia, just days after announcing he had recovered from COVID-19.

Bolsonaro tested positive for the virus earlier this month and went into quarantine as a result. However, on Saturday he revealed his latest test had come back negative.

“I didn’t have any problems,” Bolsonaro said during his public appearance in the Brazilian capital. “For people who have prior health problems and are of a certain age, anything can be dangerous.”

Brazil has the highest number of infections in the world outside of the United States and Bolsonaro has been criticized for his lackadaisical approach to restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

Standing outside the Alvorada Palace, the president’s official residence, Bolsonaro took off his mask after supporters asked that he remove it so they could take pictures and selfies with him. Initially, Bolsonaro seemed reluctant, saying he would end up “on the frontpage of tomorrow’s newspapers” if he did, before relenting to his supporters’ demands.

Brasilien Jair Bolsonaro (picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres)

Earlier this month, The Brazilian Press Association filed a criminal complaint against the president because he removed his mask in the presence of reporters just as he announced he had tested positive for the novel virus. The group alleges Bolsonaro’s actions put journalists at risk.

00:35 The Australian Open golf tournament has been postponed indefinitely, the sport’s governing body announced on Tuesday. The 105th edition of the tournament will not be held until 2021, authorities said.

“These are very challenging times for all Australians and the uncertainty the global pandemic has caused makes it very difficult to be definitive in relation to future dates at this time,” Golf Australia operations manager Simon Brookhouse said.

“Unfortunately, it is not a simple matter of whether or not we could co-ordinate any international stars to visit. The uncertainty of the quarantine requirements for any players coming from outside Australia needed to be considered.”

The tournament was to be held in Melbourne, which has seen a spike in infections since June. The city is currently under lockdown.

00:05 COVID-19 and its ramifications are pushing children who already live in hunger to beyond breaking point, killing an estimated 10,000 more youngsters a month as meager farms have no way of delivering produce to markets, while villages are isolated from food and medical supplies, the United Nations has warned.      

Furthermore, more than 550,000 additional children each month are being struck by what is called wasting, which manifests in spindly limbs and distended bellies, according to the UN. 

In the call to action shared with news agency The Associated Press prior to its release, four UN bodies said that increasing malnutrition would have long-term consequences, with individual tragedies likely to turn into a generational catastrophe.

“The food security effects of the COVID crisis are going to reflect many years from now,” said Francesco Branca, the World Health Organization’s head of nutrition. “There is going to be a societal effect.”

00:00 Catch up on Monday’s coronavirus news here.

In reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, unless otherwise specified, DW uses figures provided by the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Coronavirus Resource Center in the United States. JHU updates figures in real-time, collating data from world health organizations, state and national governments, and other public official sources, all of whom have their own systems for compiling information.

Germany’s national statistics are compiled by its public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). These figures depend on data transmission from state and local levels and are updated around once a day, which can lead to deviation from JHU.

jsi/sri (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-hunger-killing-10-000-children-per-month-says-un/a-54342473?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf

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