Month: March 2020
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Indonesians seek to get tested for COVID-19 as tally rises; govt says unnecessary to test everyone
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JAKARTA: Mr Fachri Muchtar developed a cough and had difficulty breathing after staying in a packed lodging in Jakarta’s Old Town for an event in early March. He visited a referral hospital for COVID-19 in Jakarta on Sunday (Mar 15) and was immediately taken to the emergency ward for a blood test and X-ray. Advertisement
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
WHO chief calls COVID-19 ‘enemy against humanity’
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GENEVA: The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday (Mar 18) called the new coronavirus an “enemy against humanity”, as the number of people infected in the pandemic soared past 200,000. Worldwide fatalities topped 8,000 and more deaths have now been recorded in Europe, the new virus epicentre, than in Asia since the outbreak first
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
As coronavirus moves west, China offers medical kit to Europe
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BRUSSELS: China will send 2.2 million masks and 50,000 testing kits to the EU to cope with the spread of coronavirus, reciprocating similar assistance Europe provided Beijing when it was at the centre of the pandemic, the bloc’s chief executive said on Wednesday. The support from China is timely as the European Union has been
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Merkel calls coronavirus ‘biggest challenge since WW2’
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BERLIN: Germany is facing its biggest challenge “since the Second World War” in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a television address urging citizens to heed sweeping confinement measures. In a dramatic appeal, Merkel urged everyone to play a part in slowing down a virus that has raced across the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
UK faces ‘massive shortage’ of ventilators: Swiss manufacturer
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EMS, Switzerland: Britain faces a “massive shortage” of ventilators that will be needed to treat critically-ill patients suffering from coronavirus, after it failed to invest enough in intensive care equipment, a leading ventilator manufacturer said on Wednesday (Mar 18). “England is very poorly equipped,” said Andreas Wieland, chief executive of Hamilton Medical in Switzerland, which
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
First virus death in Sub-Saharan Africa, WHO warns ‘prepare for worst’
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OUAGADOUGOU: Sub-Saharan Africa on Wednesday (Mar 18) recorded its first coronavirus death, a high-ranking politician in Burkina Faso, as the head of the World Health Organisation urged the continent to “prepare for the worst”. “Africa should wake up,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference in Geneva, pointing out that “in other countries we have
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Ireland’s call for retired medics to return to work gets huge response
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DUBLIN: Ireland’s health service was inundated by offers from former healthcare professionals prepared to return to frontline service to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, a day after the government made its call to arms. Some 24,000 people responded to a call for retired doctors, nurses, therapists and university students with sufficient skills to register with the
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Patients with breathing, lung problems at highest risk with COVID-19
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LONDON: Patients with existing illnesses that cause breathlessness, wheezing or lung problems run a higher risk of developing severe cases of COVID-19 infection due to the new coronavirus, according to a pooled analysis study published on Wednesday (Mar 18). It also found that shortness of breath – also known as dyspnoea – is the only
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Venice canals clear as coronavirus leaves city tourist-free
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VENICE: The city of Venice is enjoying crystal clear waters in its world-famous canals due to a lack of debris from tourists and near-zero boat traffic under Italy’s ongoing coronavirus lockdown. The clear waters are a tiny bright spot in the beleaguered but beautiful city, whose economy has been virtually wiped out since tourists fled
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
Biden’s wins in US states set stage for duel with Trump
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WASHINGTON: With Bernie Sanders on the ropes in the race for the Democratic Party nomination, Joe Biden can turn his attention now to a November matchup against Republican Donald Trump, backed by momentum in states that decide US presidential elections. Biden dominated Sanders in Tuesday’s contests in three states, including Florida and Arizona, both known as
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
COVID-19: Is Italy peaking yet? Experts urge patience
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ROME: The world is watching Italy to see when the number of deaths from COVID-19 and infections peak – and whether its coronavirus lockdown works. But experts with the theoretical and medical background needed to make sense of these numbers are cautious about making forecasts. Advertisement Advertisement Italian data, rising nationwide by hundreds of deaths and
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 19, 2020
‘Just stay at home’: PM Muhyiddin to Malaysians amid movement control order
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia may extend the restricted movement order by “maybe another two weeks or even longer” if the current measures fail to contain the spread of COVID-19, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Wednesday (Mar 18). He urged Malaysians to just stay at home during the two-week control order, which is enforced from Wednesday until
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 18, 2020
COVID-19 outbreak could last 2 years in Thailand but there is still time to limit impact: Expert
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BANGKOK: Half of Thailand’s population – about 33 million people – could be infected by COVID-19 over the next two years in the worst case scenario described by deputy director of the Disease Control Department Dr Thanarak Phaliphat. “We’ve forecast three scenarios of widespread transmission. If Thais coordinate well, infections will be limited over the next
Written by Gabriel HerveyMarch 18, 2020
‘Sufficient flexibility and buffer’ in Singapore’s capacity to care for COVID-19 patients: Gan Kim Yong
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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s healthcare system has “sufficient flexibility and buffer” to manage the expected increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Wednesday (Mar 18), who also said that the outbreak could last beyond the year. “I would say there is sufficient flexibility and buffer to allow us
