novel coronavirus

California Shuts The Bars As Coronavirus Cases Surge

June 29, 2020 4:06 am

California ordered some bars to close on Sunday, the first major rollback of efforts to reopen the economy in the most populous U.S. state as novel coronavirus cases nationwide soar to record levels day after day.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s order for bars to close in Los Angeles and six other counties followed moves by Texas and Florida to shut all their bars on Friday.

Public health officials in California and throughout the United States have identified bars as the riskiest non-essential businesses currently open.

Consuming alcohol reduces inhibitions, which leads to less mask-wearing and social distancing, health officials warn.

Patrons …

Trump Warned About Virus Repeatedly In Jan. And Feb.

April 28, 2020 6:26 pm

US President Donald Trump was repeatedly warned about the dangers of the novel coronavirus in intelligence briefings in January and February, The Washington Post reported late Monday.

The warnings — more than a dozen included in classified briefings known as the President’s Daily Brief — came during a time the president was mostly downplaying the threat of a COVID-19 pandemic.

The Post, citing unnamed current and former US officials, said the warnings were contained in the daily classified summary of the most important global issues and security threats.

For weeks, the Daily Briefs traced the spread of the virus, said …

Orthodox Easter Services Hit By Virus As Many Stay Home

April 19, 2020 6:10 pm

More than 260 million Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter Sunday, with church leaders urging worshippers to stay at home to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus.

Yet while many watched services online or on television, some sidestepped virus fears to attend churches on the most important date in the Orthodox calendar.

In Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko, who has cast doubt on the seriousness of the pandemic and allowed events such as football matches to go ahead, visited a church without a face mask.

“I don’t approve of those who closed people’s way to church,” he said, quoted by Belta state news agency, …

Black Saturday In UK As Coronavirus Death Toll Soars

April 18, 2020 2:20 pm

The number of deaths linked to the novel coronavirus has hit passed 156,000 worldwide, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. The number of US deaths has exceeded 31,000.

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee has accused US President Donald Trump of “fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies” after the latter urged supporters to “LIBERATE” three states led by Democratic governors.

Britain’s health ministry has said that hospital death toll from COVID-19 in the country rose by 888 to 15,464 as of 16:00 GMT on April 17.

Read Also: U.S. Coronavirus Cases Top 700,000, Deaths Above 37,000

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti …

Lockdown Leads To Massive Looting In South Africa

April 15, 2020 12:50 pm

A number of food and liquor stores have been looted in South Africa amid a strict national lockdown that was put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Incidents were reported in several locations on the outskirts of Cape Town near the Gugulethu township, where many people lived in poverty even before the lockdown restricted people’s movements and affected their livelihoods.

“It is a struggle for many to put food on the table,” Albert Fritz, minister of community safety for the Western Cape province, said in a statement issued late on Tuesday.

“At present, we find ourselves …

Public Distrust Hampers Africa Fight Against Virus Misinformation

Africa’s Harsh Battle Against Virus Misinformation

March 26, 2020 6:14 pm

African nations fighting the novel coronavirus face a foe as stealthy and dangerous as the microbe itself: misinformation and apathy, fuelled by deep distrust of government.

Bogus news and indifference to official warnings are emerging as giant obstacles in a region where poor healthcare infrastructure, sanitation and overcrowded slums provide fertile ground for COVID-19 to spread.

Africa has recorded nearly 2,800 cases and at least 70 deaths, according to an AFP compilation as of Thursday.

The tally may lag far behind that of other continents, but the World Health Organization (WHO), backed by the top names in medicine, has bluntly …

Arizona Man Dies After Taking Wrong Type Of Chloroquine

March 24, 2020 11:57 am

A Phoenix-area man is dead and his wife is under critical care after the two took chloroquine phosphate in an apparent attempt to self-medicate for the novel coronavirus, according to hospital system Banner Health.

It does not appear they took the pharmaceutical version of the drug, but rather “an additive commonly used at aquariums to clean fish tanks,” Banner Health said in a statement.

Though Banner did not provide additional details, NBC News spoke to the wife, who said they learned of chloroquine’s connection to coronavirus during a President Donald Trump news conference, which “was on a lot actually.”

…

Uganda Records High Spike In Coronavirus Cases

March 24, 2020 5:47 am

Uganda authorities confirmed eight new cases of the novel coronavirus late Monday.

This takes the national total to nine in three days.

Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng announced the latest figures at a press conference in the capital, Kampala.

The new cases were found after 35 samples were tested Monday.

“All eight cases are Ugandan nationals who travelled back from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates — two on March 20 and six on March 22,” she said.

Aceng said that to date, 2,661 travellers identified as potential risks, including Ugandans, are under either self-quarantine or institutional quarantine.

Appealing for calm, …