PARIS, Aug 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments in
the coronavirus crisis:
– World tops 20 million cases –
A horrific milestone of 20 million recorded cases of infection is
reached, with another staggering landmark looming in a matter of days
of surpassing 750,000 deaths.
– More than 736,500 dead –
The pandemic has killed at least 736,828 people worldwide since it
surfaced in China late last year, according to a tally from official
sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Tuesday.
At least 20,122,700 cases have been registered in 196 countries and
territories.
The United States has recorded the most deaths with 163,465,
followed by Brazil with 101,752, Mexico with 53,003, Britain with
46,526 and India with 45,257 fatalities.
– New cases in New Zealand –
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces the country’s first locally
transmitted infections after 102 days and issues a stay-at-home
lockdown order for the country’s largest city Auckland. Four cases
have been detected in a single family from an unknown source.
Auckland will be locked down for at least three days from Wednesday
and some social distancing restrictions will be reintroduced in the
rest of the country.
– Russia claims ‘Sputnik’ virus vaccine a ‘first’ –
“This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against
the new coronavirus was registered” in Russia, President Vladimir
Putin says during a televised video conference call.
Moscow dubs it “Sputnik V”, after the Soviet satellite.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which
finances the vaccine project, says Phase 3 trials will start
Wednesday, following others already underway elsewhere in the world.
Industrial production is expected from September with 20 countries
having pre-ordered more than a billion of the Russian doses.
– Bhutan first lockdown –
The remote Himalayan kingdom, largely shielded from the virus until
now, goes into lockdown for the first time. Only essential services
will be allowed for an initial five to six days.
The announcement comes after a Bhutanese woman who had returned from
Kuwait and released from quarantine after 30 days tested positive 10
days later.
– Egypt-Gaza crossing opens –
The crossing between Gaza and Egypt opens for 72 hours, allowing
people to leave the densely-populated Palestinian enclave for the
first time since the start of the pandemic.
– Football troubles –
The Scottish government threatens to call a halt to the new
top-flight football season due to a breach of the strict quarantine
rules by a Celtic player who said he had not observed protocols to
self-isolate for two weeks after returning from a trip to Spain.
And in Spain, top-flight club Valencia announces two positive cases
just a day after players and staff return for pre-season. The two are
both isolating at home.