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Coronavirus: Latest global developments
PARIS, April 26, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:
– Aid sent to India –
The US and Britain rush ventilators and vaccine materials to India as the country battles a catastrophic, record-breaking wave that has overwhelmed hospitals and set crematoriums working at full capacity.
The White House however does not specify whether it will send any of the 30 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses it currently holds in surplus, sparking accusations of hoarding.
– Lockdown Delhi –
India’s capital New Delhi extends its lockdown by one week as the country records 349,691 new cases and 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours — the highest since the start of the pandemic.
– ‘Let bodies pile high’ –
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a call to resign after claims he dismissed the prospect of thousands dying from Covid-19 in an escalating row over government “sleaze”.
In a front-page headline, the Daily Mail newspaper reports Johnson had said he would rather see “bodies pile high in their thousands” than impose a third lockdown.
– Thais toughen measures –
New restrictions come into force in Thailand to try to halt an outbreak that has seen deaths hit a record single-day high over the weekend.
– Philippines tops one million cases –
The Philippines reports nearly 9,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s caseload to 1,006,428 — the second-highest in Southeast Asia.
– J&J in S.Africa –
South Africa announces it will shortly resume using Johnson & Johnson vaccines, two weeks after the jab was suspended to check risks over blood clots.
– Fiji’s fateful funeral –
Fiji’s capital Suva enters a 14-day lockdown after the Pacific island nation detects the first community transmission cases in 12 months following a “superspreader” funeral.
– Italy begins to open –
Bars, restaurants, cinemas and concert halls can partially reopen across Italy in a boost for pandemic-hit businesses, as parliament debates the government’s 220-billion-euro ($266-billion) EU-funded recovery plan.
– Marching on –
Military expenditure worldwide rose to nearly $2 trillion in 2020 despite the pandemic, says the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
– Peru’s Vizcarra positive –
Former Peruvian president Martin Vizcarra, 58, says he and his wife have tested positive and are symptomatic. They were vaccinated six months ago with the Chinese-developed vaccine Sinopharm.
– EU welcomes vaxed Yanks –
Vaccinated US tourists will be able to visit the European Union in the coming months, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says.
– Shot in arm for under-50s –
The UK government launches a new campaign urging under-50s to get vaccinated as it shifts to the second stage of a rapid jabs drive.
– Quarantine leak –
Australian authorities lift a snap three-day lockdown of Perth but face pointed questions about how the virus leaked from a quarantine hotel.
– Travel bubble –
Hong Kong and Singapore announce plans to resurrect their travel bubble — abandoned late last year when Hong Kong was hit by a new wave — starting special flights between the two cities on May 26.
– No bull-run –
Spain’s best-known bull-running festival in the northern city of Pamplona is cancelled for the second year in a row because of the pandemic.
– Fans in the grandstands? –
A limited number of spectators could be allowed to attend the Monaco Grand Prix on May 23, Formula One says.
– More than three million deaths –
At least 3,109,991 people have died of Covid-19 around the world since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
The US is the worst-affected country with 572,200 deaths, followed by Brazil with 390,797, Mexico 214,947, India 195,123 and Britain 127,428.
BSS/AFP/IJ/1722 hrs