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Coronavirus latest: UN Security Council discusses pandemic

Times of News

02:00 The United States reported 32,385 new confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 1,700 people died on Thursday. The number of new deaths is slightly lower than the previous day’s toll.

The total number of infections in the US, according to the Johns Hopkins University, is now 461,437, with fatalities up to 16,478 deaths.

01:40 Mainland China reported 42 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, another fall from 63 the day before. Most of the new infections are among travelers from overseas.
 
Despite the decreasing numbers, China remains concerned about a second wave of infections, potentially triggered by travelers. As city and travel restrictions are lifted this week, many people within China will be travelling for the first time in months.

The northeastern Heilongjiang province has reported a spike in new cases recently due to Chinese nationals entering the province from neighboring Russia.

01:10 Here’s a round-up of the latest from the Americas:

Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country will not return to normal until a vaccine for coronavirus is developed.

“The initial peak, the top of the curve, maybe in late spring with the end of the first wave in the summer,” he said, shortly after health officials projected the pandemic could kill 11,000 to 12,000 people in the country.

“There will likely be smaller outbreaks for a number of months after that. This will be the new normal. Until a vaccine is developed,” Trudeau said, adding that Canadians will have to be vigilant for a year.

By the time the pandemic ends, Canada could see between 934,000 to 1.9 million COVID-19 cases, according to projections released by the federal government. So far, Canada has more than 19,000 confirmed cases, 407 have died.

Brazil: Rio de Janeiro confirmed the first coronavirus-related deaths in the city’s favelas or slums, where poverty, poor sanitation, and overcrowding could lead to widespread transmission. These include two deaths in Rocinha, Latin America’s largest slum. Brazil has been the hardest hit by COVID-19, with more than 800 deaths so far.

Brazil’s Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta once again defied his boss, President Jair Bolsonaro by refusing to endorse the use of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug, to treat COVID-19. Mandetta almost lost his job on Thursday for supporting strict social distancing measures.


Chile: The country will be issuing certificates to people who have recovered from COVID-19, allowing them to move freely, the country’s health minister said. “Those given a medical discharge certificate will be freed from all types of quarantine or restriction, specifically because they can help their communities enormously since they pose no risk,” Jaime Manalich said. The certificate will be issued to people who suffered from COVID-19 but tested negative two weeks later. More than 1,200 people have been identified as recovered patients. Chile has 5,546 confirmed cases, and 48 people have died.

Ecuador Hundreds of Ecuadorian prisoners will be making coffins to help as Guayaquil, the epicenter of one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Latin America faces a shortage. The Andean country has confirmed 4,965 cases of the coronavirus, with 272 dead. About 68% of the cases are in Guayaquil.

00:45 The United Nations Security Council has met for the first time to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. The virtual meeting was hosted by Germany and took place after nine of the council’s 10 non-permanent members called for a meeting to discuss their inaction.
 
The body is charged with maintaining international peace and security, but its member states have disagreed on what form this should take when dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak.

“The pandemic also poses a significant threat to the maintenance of international peace and security — potentially leading to an increase in social unrest and violence that would greatly undermine our ability to fight the disease,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the council in the closed-door meeting.

Both the United States and China have been reluctant to get the council involved in dealing with the global pandemic. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted on referring to the virus’s Chinese origin in discussing it, annoying Beijing.

Germany described the pandemic as an “international peace and security issue,” but several other countries, notably China, Russia and South Africa, said health matters were not part of the Security Council’s brief.

00:30 The United States has by far the most cases of any country in the world. More than 460,000 people have been infected and 16,478 have died.
 
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious-diseases expert, said the need for hospitalization of COVID-19 cases in the country has seen a sharp decline.

“At the same time as we’re seeing the increase in deaths, we’re seeing a rather dramatic decrease in the need for hospitalizations,” Fauci said. “What we are doing is working.”


 
New York City continues to be especially badly hit, with a record death count of 799 reported on Thursday. “You can’t relax,” warned Governor Andrew Cuomo, while also expressing hope that social distancing measures may be working. New York City also announced it has hired contract laborers to help bury the dead on Hart Island, a place traditionally used to bury those with no known next of kin.
 
The state of Michigan has extended a stay-at-home order through to April 30, amid widespread belief that other states would follow suit. Gatherings and travel remains significantly limited in the state.
 
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has joined calls for a release of comprehensive racial data on the coronavirus pandemic, to put a spotlight on “structural racism.” With Biden set to win the Democratic nomination, many Democrats are calling for a postal vote system to be more widely introduced ahead of November’s presidential election, in case social distancing measures are still in place.
 
New figures show that nearly 17 million Americans have lost their jobs since mid-March as a result of the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. About 6.6 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week, data released by the US Labor Department showed. This is in addition to the more than 10 million in the weeks before that.

00:00 Welcome to DW’s coverage of the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic. Catch up on all of Thursday’s developments here: Coronavirus — Boris Johnson moved out of intensive care

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.

ed/ rc (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa, EFE)

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Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-un-security-council-discusses-pandemic/a-53083675?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf