Coronavirus Global Latest Updates, April 22: Trump halts immigration for 60 days as US reports over 2,750 deaths on single day

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Global Latest Updates: According to John Hopkins tally, at least 2,553,853 have been infected worldwide and over 1,76,000 people have died since the outbreak began.




Coronavirus Latest Updates: On Tuesday alone, the Covid-19 toll in US increased by more than 2,750 deaths to take overall casualties over 45,000 deaths — by far the highest in the world. At least 2,553,853 have been infected worldwide and over 1,76,000 people have died since the outbreak began. The US also tops in the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases with over 8,10,000 cases, almost four times as many as Spain(200,210), the country with the second-highest number. It is followed by Italy (181,228), France (156,480) and Germany (147,065).

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The World health Organisation, late on Tuesday confirmed that all available evidence suggests the novel coronavirus originated in animals in China late last year and was not manipulated or produced in a laboratory.

Key developments in the global coronavirus outbreak today include:

Trump pauses green card issuance for 60-days

Trump said he would be placing a 60-day pause on the issuance of green cards in an effort to limit competition for jobs in a US economy wrecked by the coronavirus. The order would include “certain exemptions,” he said, but he declined to outline them, noting the order was still being crafted.

“By pausing immigration we’ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens, so important,” Trump said at the White House. “It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labor flown in from abroad.”

Trump agrees to help expand coronavirus testing in New York

President Donald Trump and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo have made an apparent deal on increasing testing. Cuomo, a Democrat whose state is the epicenter of the US  coronavirus epidemic with nearly 20,000 deaths, said the Republican president agreed on a plan for doubling New York’s coronavirus screening capacity to 40,000 tests per day.

Under that plan, Cuomo said, the federal government will procure and furnish the test kits and related materials, including the chemical reagents that have sometimes been in short supply.The state will be responsible for expanding the capacity of some 300 laboratories conducting the tests and hiring the necessary staff.”

China reports no new deaths again

China on Wednesday again reported no new deaths from the coronavirus, but registered 30 more cases –23 of them brought from abroad. Of the domestic cases, all seven were reported in Heilongjiang province near the Russian border where a field hospital has been set up to deal with a new flare-up related to people coming home from abroad. Just over 1,000 people are hospitalized for treatment, while about the same number are under isolation and monitoring as either suspected cases or after testing positive but showing no symptoms. China has reported a total of 4,632 deaths among 82,788 cases, the bulk of them in Wuhan where officials recently raised the death toll by 50% after a review of records.

Meanwhile, the state of Missouri filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government over the coronavirus, alleging that nation’s officials are to blame for the global pandemic.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court by the state’s top lawyer, alleges Chinese officials are “responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians.”

Saudi approved performing Tarawih in mosques amid coronavirus

Saudi king Salman approved performing Tarawih in the two holy mosques and reducing them with the continued suspension of entry of pilgrims, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques’ Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia plans to ease curfew hours it imposed on several cities during the month of Ramadan to allow people more time to shop for essential needs within the boundaries of their neighborhoods, state news agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday. A total of 11,631 people have been infected in the country while 1,640 recovered. The toll, meanwhile reached 109.

India moves to procure more Covid-19 test kits from Korean firms

With Chinese testing kits having come under the scanner, India is stepping up procurement and production of testing kits from South Korean companies. Officials on Tuesday said that a South Korean company has agreed to make and supply 5 lakh rapid antibody testing kits at its facility in Manesar, Haryana.

UK funds for vaccine trial

The UK’s health secretary, Matt Hancock, said a team from the University of Oxford would begin trials for a vaccine on people from Thursday. He said the government had made £20m available to the team to accelerate their efforts, which were first announced last week, as well as making £22m available to researchers at Imperial to support their phase-two trials.

The country’s hospital deaths rise by 823 The Department for Health and Social Care published the latest UK hospital death figures.

There were 823 new deaths, taking the total to 17,337. Official figures also show Covid-19 fatalities in care homes in England and Wales more than quadrupled in a week, rising to 1,043.

Italy reports fall in infections

Italy records first significant fall in infections Italy reported 534 new deaths on Tuesday, 80 more than on Monday, bringing the death toll to 24,648. But the number of people currently infected with the virus fell by 528 to 107,709, the first significant fall since the outbreak began. Italy’s total cases to date, including victims and survivors, rose by 2,727 to 183,957.

Virus cancels world events

The worldwide cancellation of major events that weren’t scheduled to be held for months is signaling just how gradual a process reopening economies could be amid the coronavirus pandemic. Spain called off the Running of the Bulls in July, the U.S. scrapped the national spelling bee in June and Germany canceled Oktoberfest five months away, making it clear Tuesday that the effort to beat back the coronavirus and return to normal could be a long and dispiriting process. Amid growing impatience over the shutdowns that have thrown tens of millions out of work, European countries continued to reopen in stages, while in the U.S., one state after another _ mostly ones led by Republican governors _ began taking steps to get back to business.

With deaths and infections still rising around the world, the push to reopen has set off warnings from health authorities.

Japan’s Nagasaki confirms 33 coronavirus cases on cruise ship docked for repairs

Japan’s Nagasaki prefecture said on Wednesday it had confirmed 33 cases of coronavirus infection on an Italian cruise ship docked for repairs and would carry out further testing on other crew members. Those who test positive but are asymptomatic will remain on board for monitoring, while others will be transferred to medical institutions, Nagasaki Governor Hodo Nakamura told a news conference. Those who test negative will be sent back to their countries, he said.The ship, the Costa Atlantica, is carrying 623 crew members and no passengers, local media reported. The confirmed number of cases rose to 11,512 and 281 people have died so far.


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