Global coronavirus cases top 9.2mn, death toll surpasses 477K

Worldwide, some 9,263,570 million people have so far been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, which also killed 477,584 people across the globe, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The top medical expert in the US administration, Anthony Fauci, has warned of a “disturbing surge” of infections in the country — the hardest-hit — calling on states’ authorities to consider pausing reopening phases.

The US has had 2,347,022 confirmed cases and 121,228 deaths related to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) is considering banning entry to US travelers, because of Washington’s failure in containing the spread of the virus, according to The New York Times.

The following is the latest on the coronavirus pandemic:

EU countries may bar US travelers

European Union (EU) countries eager to revive their economies are prepared to bar entry to Americans because the United States has failed to control the coronavirus pandemic, The New York Times reported from Brussels on Tuesday, citing draft lists of acceptable travelers.

Coronavirus has brought US 'to its knees': CDC director

The coronaviurs has brought the United States “to its knee,” a US public health chief told Congress on Tuesday.

The United States, which has the most coronavirus cases in the world and is experiencing a surge in new infections, would be in the same category as No. 2 hotspot Brazil and Russia, according to the Times, citing the proposal.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

An EU diplomat said the bloc’s executive Commission had proposed three criteria for allowing in passengers from third countries, including the epidemiological situation of that country, but EU member countries would have to determine what the relevant measurements and thresholds should be.

“There’s no list (of countries), just a list of criteria,” another EU diplomat told Reuters.

German minister stresses coronavirus risk despite low infection numbers

German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Wednesday stressed that the coronavirus remains a risk after the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday put two municipalities back into lockdown following an outbreak at a meatpacking plant.

Guetersloh and the neighboring town of Warendorf became the first areas in Germany to fall back under lockdown measures that had been gradually lifted since the end of April.

“We’re seeing that if we make it too easy for this virus, it spreads very, very quickly again — we’re not only seeing that in Guetersloh, we’ve also seen it in Goettingen, in Leer, in Bremen, and at churches and family celebrations,” Spahn told German broadcaster ARD.

“That’s why it’s important to keep making clear that although the numbers were low over many weeks, this virus is still there,” Spahn said.

EU countries reopen borders to each other

Many European countries are reopening borders to each other after three months of coronavirus closures, but what will travel look like in the face of a second wave of infections?

Australia reports first COVID-19 death in more than a month

Australia’s second most populous state on Wednesday said a man in his 80s died overnight of a coronavirus infection, the country’s first death from the virus in more than a month, as concerns about a second wave of infections saw thousands line up for COVID-19 tests and supermarkets impose new restrictions.

Victoria state reported 20 overnight cases, Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters in Melbourne, taking the state tally to nearly 1,900 after recording 17 on Tuesday and 16 the day before.

The upswing in new cases in Victoria has sparked fears of a second wave, with 241 cases in the state so far identified as community transmission, an increase of eight from Tuesday.

Coronavirus surges in Latin America as deaths surpass 100,000

Latin America’s death toll from the coronavirus pandemic surpassed 100,000 on Tuesday, according to a Reuters tally, with few signs of the outbreak easing in a region marked by crowded cities and high poverty levels.

Latin America has seen an alarming spike in cases and deaths even as the tide of infection recedes in Europe and parts of Asia. The number of infections, at 2.2 million, has doubled in less than a month.

Brazil — Latin America’s largest and most populous nation — this week became the second country to reach the 50,000 deaths milestone, after the United States. Mexico on Tuesday registered a fresh one-day record for confirmed infections.

The true scale of the coronavirus damage to Latin America is likely to be much deeper, experts say, as countries across the region have failed to implement rigorous testing programs. Many officials concede the death toll is likely far higher.

Brazil registers 39,436 additional coronavirus cases, 1,374 deaths

Brazil recorded 39,436 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours as well as 1,374 new deaths resulting from the disease, the country’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Brazil has registered more than 1.1 million cases since the pandemic began, while cumulative deaths reached 52,645, according to the ministry.

Honduras president needed oxygen to battle coronavirus, doctor says

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez needed oxygen after being hospitalized with the coronavirus last week, a military doctor said, warning that the leader remained in a “delicate” situation and would need to stay in hospital.

Tuesday’s remarks by Lieutenant Colonel Juan Diaz, who works in the military hospital in the capital, Tegucigalpa, offered the first public glimpse of the seriousness of Hernandez’s medical condition, stemming from treatment for pneumonia.

Diaz said the president’s condition was “somewhere between a good state and feverish with trouble breathing,” adding, “There is a clear improvement.”

Hernandez announced last Tuesday that he had been infected, along with his wife and two aides, saying his symptoms were mild and he would work remotely, but later went to hospital.

(Source: Reuters)

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk