Coronavirus Global Updates, June 16: Over 1 lakh cases reported daily for past two weeks, says WHO

Global Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases Updates: In the past two weeks, countries have reported more than 100,000 new cases almost every day, and 75% are coming from 10 countries, the WHO said.




Coronavirus Global Updates: Global cases surpassed 8 million, while over 4.36 people have succumbed to the infection. While European borders reopened, China is scrambling to control the spread of a fresh outbreak of coronavirus in Beijing, amid fears of a second wave of the infection in the country. Reopening continued in Mexico and Brazil despite cases climbing in the two largest nations in Latin America. And New Zealand, which had eased the curbs, reported its first new cases since May 22.

A Lancet research has found that one in five people worldwide have an underlying health condition that puts them at risk for severe Covid-19 illness if they contract the virus. An estimated 1.7 billion people suffer from conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes to heart disease, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health. About 349 million of them would probably need to go to the hospital for treatment if they were infected.

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Here are the other COVID-related news from across the globe

Coronavirus tracing app a test for privacy-minded Germany

Germany launched a coronavirus tracing app Tuesday that officials say is so secure even government ministers can use it.

Smartphone apps have been touted as a high-tech tool in the effort to track down potential COVID-19 infections. Experts say finding new cases quickly is key to clamping down on fresh clusters, especially as countries slowly emerge from lockdowns and try to avoid a second wave of infections and deaths. But governments in Europe have run into legal and cultural hurdles, trying to reconcile the need for effective tracing with the continent’s strict data privacy standards.

Germany, where a person’s right to their own data even after death is rooted in the constitution, has proved a particular challenge. Early government suggestions about using location data including cell tower information and GPS coordinates for the app prompted a swift backlash.

Ten nations account for most COVID cases: WHO

In the past two weeks, countries have reported more than 100,000 new cases almost every day, and 75 per cent are coming from 10 countries, mostly in the Americas and South Asia, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said at a briefing in Geneva. That means every day there are more cases reported than during the first two months of the outbreak. There are many hot spots in Latin America, and cases are also increasing in Africa, the Mideast and Central Europe.

US revokes emergency use of malaria drugs to treat Covid-19

The Food and Drug Administration revoked emergency-use authorization for two malaria drugs — Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — touted by President Donald Trump as Covid-19 treatments after determining they were unlikely to work against the virus and could have dangerous side effects. Citing reports of heart complications, the FDA said the drugs pose a greater risk to patients than any potential benefits. They quickly came under fire from US President Donald Trump, who said only US agencies have failed to grasp its benefit in fighting the coronavirus.

United Airlines to ban passengers who refuse masks

United Airlines said it will strengthen mandatory mask policies by placing passengers who fail to comply on an internal travel restriction list. Customers on the list will lose their travel privileges on United for a duration of time to be determined pending a comprehensive incident review. The mandatory mask policy is expected to remain in place for at least the next 60 days.

Oscars 2021 delayed by two months; to be held in April now

For the fourth time in its history, the Oscars are being postponed. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network said on Monday that the 93rd Academy Awards will now be held April 25, 2021, eight weeks later than originally planned because of the pandemic’s effects on the movie industry.

Beijing reinstates virus controls as another outbreak grows

Beijing is imposing further control measures in an attempt to prevent a new outbreak in the capital from spreading to other parts of the country. In addition to locking down communities and ordering mass testing, China’s capital is banning residents of areas considered at high risk from leaving the city, health authorities say. Those from such areas who have already left must report to local health bureaus as soon as possible. Beijing officials reported on Tuesday 27 new confirmed COVID-19 cases for June 15, taking the cumulative number of infections in the city’s current outbreak to 106.

New Zealand report two new cases

New Zealand is no longer free from the coronavirus after health officials said they had found two new cases, which they said were imported from recent travel to the United Kingdom. Officials said the two cases were connected. Until Tuesday, New Zealand had gone more than three weeks without any new cases and had declared that everybody who had contracted the virus had recovered, aside from the 22 people who died. In total, New Zealand has had just over 1,500 cases.

Philippines puts city back under virus lockdown

Philippine officials have placed a central city back under strict lockdown and retained quarantine restrictions in the capital for another two weeks as coronavirus infections continue to spike alarmingly. President Rodrigo Duterte approved in a televised meeting Monday night with key Cabinet officials a recommendation to lock down Cebu city anew and retain quarantine restrictions in metropolitan Manila where many of the nearly 26,500 infections and more than 1,000 deaths have been recorded. First imposed in mid-March, the COVID-19 restrictions in Metro-Manila, the seat of government of more than 12 million people, have been among the longest in the world.

Second UK vaccine to begin human testing

A second experimental Covid-19 vaccine from the U.K. is starting tests in humans this week, relying on cutting-edge technology that scientists hope will allow hundreds of millions of doses to be produced quickly. Imperial College London’s vaccine is backed by 41 million pounds ($52 million) in U.K. funding along with another 5 million pounds of donations, including contributions from the public, the government said on Monday. The work is based on technology called self-amplifying RNA. If the vaccine yields a promising immune response, larger trials would begin later in the year with about 6,000 volunteers.

Ukraine president’s wife hospitalized with moderate COVID-19

The wife of Ukraine’s President, Olena Zelenska, was hospitalized after contracting coronavirus and her condition was stable, the presidential office said on Tuesday, adding a fresh test of her husband showed he remained negative. Zelenska said last week she had tested positive for coronavirus, while her husband Volodymyr Zelenskiy and their two children had tested negative. The President also cancelled all meetings and visits.

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