ZCZC
BFF-49
HEALTH-VIRUS-WORLD FACTS
Coronavirus: latest global developments
PARIS, Aug 24, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments in
the coronavirus crisis:
– Plasma treatment –
US authorities announce an emergency authorisation for doctors to
use blood plasma from recovered coronavirus patients as a treatment.
The plasma is believed to contain powerful antibodies that can help
fight off the disease faster and help protect people from being
seriously hurt by it.
European stock markets surge on hopes of a vaccine, with London
rallying 2.0 percent, Frankfurt 2.4 percent and Paris 2.3 percent at
the half-way stage.
– More than 809,000 dead –
The pandemic has killed at least 809,255 people worldwide since
surfacing in China late last year, according to a tally from official
sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Monday.
More than 23.4 million cases have been registered in 196 countries
and territories.
The United States has recorded the most deaths with 176,809
followed by Brazil with 114,744, Mexico with 60,480, India with 57,542
and Britain with 41,429 fatalities.
– China’s Xinjiang protests lockdown –
Residents in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region complain on
social media about what they say are harsh coronavirus lockdown
measures after a local outbreak.
A new cluster in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi in mid-July prompted
fresh restrictions, with 902 cases officially reported. Officials said
this month they had “effectively contained” the cluster, and there
have been no new cases reported in the past eight days.
– Deadly Peru party –
At least 15 people out of 23 arrested for taking part in a party in
the Peruvian capital in violation of a coronavirus ban on large
gatherings tested positive for the coronavirus, police say.
The discovery comes after 13 young people suffocated in a crush
during a raid on the nightclub where the party was being held.
– New Zealand extends lockdown –
New Zealand extends the lockdown of its biggest city Auckland to
Sunday as it battles a small but persistent outbreak.
Auckland went into lockdown on August 12, a day after the virus
re-emerged in the city and ended New Zealand’s run of 102 days without
local transmission.
– Bali keeps out foreign visitors –
Bali’s governor says foreign tourists will not be able to visit the
Indonesian island for the rest of 2020 due to coronavirus concerns,
scrapping a plan to open up from next month.
The opening plan has been cancelled over concerns about Indonesia’s
mounting virus cases and with many foreign nationals subject to travel
bans in their home countries.
– Dutch royals sorry –
The Dutch king and queen apologise after they are pictured breaking
coronavirus social distancing rules while on holiday in Greece.
A photograph on the internet showed King Willem-Alexander and Queen
Maxima up close to a man said to be a restaurant owner on the island
of Mykonos.
BSS/AFP/MRU/2058hrs