Health

Daily COVID-19 pandemic roundup: April 26

(Updates: Adds WHO, US, Tourism, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy, Latin America)

Miami Desk, Apr 26 (efe-epa).- Here’s a roundup of stories around the world related to the novel coronavirus pandemic:

WHO: The World Health Organization on Sunday said that 93,109 new confirmed cases of coronavirus had been reported, bringing the worldwide total to some 2.8 million, with an official death toll of 193,722, 5,747 of those deaths occurring in the past 24 hours.

US: The US Navy hospital ship Comfort, dispatched to the Big Apple to provide support to local hospitals at the peak of the coronavirus crisis in that city, released its last patient on Sunday after having treated 182 people for assorted health problems, including Covid-19. The ship, which has been docked in New York Harbor since March 30, will return to its home base in Virginia in the coming days, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

US: US and French Presidents Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, respectively, agreed Sunday on the need to reform the World Health Organization during a telephone call, the White House said in a statement.

TOURISM: The world tourism and travel sector could suffer a loss of some $2.7 trillion due to the impact of the coronavirus, with the pandemic also putting at risk some 100 million jobs, according to estimates by the World Travel and Tourism Council.

GAZA: The Economy Ministry in the Gaza Strip said Sunday that all restaurants and cafes will be opened to the public starting Monday and lasting through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan after no new cases of the coronavirus have been detected in the zone in almost a week. A total of 17 people are reported to have been infected with Covid-19 in the Gaza Strip but no deaths have occurred.

SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia on Sunday signed a contract with China valued at $264.6 million that includes the purchase of some nine million coronavirus laboratory tests, the assistance of 500 Chinese technicians and experts and the establishment of six large laboratories that will conduct the testing.

FRANCE: French authorities reported that the number of daily deaths from Covid-19 fell on Sunday to 242, the lowest figure in recent days, raising the total fatalities during the coronavirus pandemic in France to 22,856. A total of 124,575 confirmed cases have been detected so far.

ITALY: Italian authorities reported 260 deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, the country’s lowest daily figure in the past six weeks, bringing the death toll to 26,644. A total of 197,675 confirmed virus cases have been detected so far.

BRAZIL: A total of 189 Covid-19 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours in Brazil, bringing the total number of fatalities to 4,205, while the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 61,888, the Brazilian government said.

COLOMBIA: The Colombian Health Ministry reported 237 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total case load so far to 5,379, while 11 new deaths were reported for a total death toll so far of 244.

COLOMBIA: The number of inmates infected with the coronavirus at the Villavicencio prison rose to 144 on Sunday, Colombian authorities said, of whom three have died.

CUBA: A total of 1,369 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in Cuba, with 54 of them having died, the Cuban Public Health Ministry reported on Sunday. Some 40,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted nationwide to date.

BOLIVIA: Work by Bolivian authorities to destroy illegal coca crops has been paralyzed furing the coronavirus pandemic, Interior Minister Arturo Murillo acknowledged on Sunday, although – he added – security forces are still clamping down on illegal drug trafficking.

EL SALVADOR: Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele authorized the use of “lethal force” by security forces to defend their lives and the public amid the rise in murders registered since Friday and attributed to local gangs who, he said, are “taking advantage of the fact that almost all … the security forces are handling the (coronavirus) pandemic.”

AUSTRALIA: The Australian government has launched a tracking app to identify Covid-19 infections. The COVIDSafe app can be used on a voluntary basis as the country relaxes measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.

THE NETHERLANDS: Coronavirus has been found in two mink fur farms in The Netherlands after the animals suffered from gastrointestinal issues and respiratory problems, the government said in a statement.

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