According to the calculation established by Agence France-Presse from official sources, Friday, April 24, the pandemic caused by the coronavirus has killed at least 197,000 people on the planet.
More than 2.8 million cases have been diagnosed in total in 193 countries and territories. This figure, however, only reflects a fraction of their actual number, with many countries testing only carriers of the virus requiring hospital care. Among these cases, at least 766,000 people are today considered to be cured.
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Europe, the most bereaved continent
Europe remains the most mourning continent with more than 120,000 deaths, but the assessment, which continues to increase less rapidly, gives hope for a gradual passage from the first epidemic peak:
– TheGermany there were 2,055 additional cases of contamination on Saturday, a daily decline in numbers two days in a row after three successive days of increases, and 179 new deaths, according to the Robert-Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. In total, Germany has registered 5,500 deaths and 152,438 confirmed cases of coronavirus contamination.
– TheItaly Friday evening identified 25,969 deaths out of 192,994 confirmed cases. The death toll of 420 in one day is the lowest since March 19. The number of intensive care patients increased from 2,267 to 2,173 between Thursday and Friday.
– In Spain, too, the daily toll has worsened slightly, with 378 new deaths compared to 367 on Friday – which was the lowest figure in a month. 22,902 Spaniards have died since the start of the epidemic in the country, according to the official count. Spain has been subject to extremely strict confinement since March 14, which has been extended to May 9 inclusive. This confinement must be slightly relaxed from Sunday with the permission to walk granted to children under 14 years of age.
– The death toll in the UK, however, increased by 684 hospital deaths on Friday, more than the previous day (+ 616), bringing the total number of deaths to 19,506. According to the health ministry, 143,464 people (+5,386) tested positive in the country, one of the hardest hit in Europe. The authorities’ assessment does not, however, take into account retirement homes where, according to sector representatives, several thousand elderly people have died.
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Over 50,000 dead in the United States
The United States, which recorded its first death linked to the coronavirus in early February, is the most affected country in absolute terms, both in number of deaths and cases, with 51,017 deaths for more than 890,000 cases, according to Johns-Hopkins University count which refers to.
With 1,258 additional deaths caused by the Covid-19 in twenty-four hours, the country nevertheless recorded its lowest daily balance on Friday in nearly three weeks. This temporary drop does not indicate any trend and will have to be repeated in the coming days to confirm a real improvement in the situation in the country. On Thursday, the United States had, on the contrary, recorded one of its heaviest daily reports, with more than 3,170 deaths in one day.
Donald Trump has enacted a new, nearly $ 500 billion (about $ 460 billion) aid package to support American businesses and hospitals. But stuck in the heat by a polemic that does not go away, the president ended Friday after only twenty minutes at his press conference on the pandemic, without taking questions, while this daily exercise extends usually in length.
The American president had aroused many reactions Thursday by suggesting that the injection of disinfectant to the patients could be a track to explore, ensuring finally having expressed himself in a way “Sarcastic”.
Many people and entities had previously stepped up to the plate. The manufacturer of the disinfectant Lysol, used by tens of millions of Americans, felt compelled to make a point: “Our disinfectant products must not, under any circumstances, be administered into the human body. “
As for Joe Biden, Donald Trump’s Democratic opponent in the November presidential election, he tweeted:
“I find it hard to believe I have to say that, but please don’t drink bleach. “
I can’t believe I have to say this, but please don’t drink bleach.
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Mobilization to find a vaccine
Overcoming the pandemic requires “The most massive public health effort in history”, said the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. The international organization and its health agency, WHO, have presented an initiative “Historic” for the production of remedies against Covid-19.
The race is already underway between laboratories to find the right product with half a dozen clinical trials, notably in the United Kingdom and Germany. But the challenge is to get a vaccine and treatment “Affordable, safe, effective” and available “For everyone, everywhere”, hammered Antonio Guterres, warning against a solution that would exclude the poorest.
This initiative involves several European countries. However, neither China, where the pandemic started, nor the United States, associated with its presentation.
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WHO warns of “immune passports”
There is no evidence that people who test positive for coronavirus are immune and protected from re-infection, WHO warned on Saturday, saying that the issuance of “Immune passports” risks promoting the continued spread of the pandemic.
“There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 and who have antibodies are immune to a second infection”, the World Health Organization said in a statement.
After the Christian Easter and Jewish Passover, Muslims entered Ramadan for a month of fasting without collective prayers or shared meals.
Like the esplanade of the great mosque in deserted Mecca, almost all Muslim countries have closed the mosques and asked the faithful to pray at home, sometimes imposing curfews to prevent the spread of the virus.
The first break in the Ramadan fast took place calmly in Niamey, Niger, after riots in protest against the curfew and the ban on collective prayers. But the tension persists. The government has been calming down by cutting curfew hours.
Our selection of articles on the coronavirus
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