Health

Daily COVID-19 pandemic roundup: March 21

Miami Desk, Mar 21 (efe-epa).- Here’s a roundup of stories from around the world related to the coronavirus pandemic:

WHO: The World Health Organization said that the number of Covid-19 infections worldwide reached 266,073, while the global death toll climbed to 11,184. China continued to lead in cases, with 81,000, though the Asian nation has not reported any new local infections for three days running.

BOLIVIA: Bolivia’s interim government imposed a nationwide quarantine a few hours before the Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced that the general election set for May 3 would be postponed due to the pandemic and held at a date to be determined later. Bolivians were supposed to go to the polls to elect a permanent successor to President Evo Morales, who was ousted last October.

CHILE: Chile reported its first coronavirus fatality, an 83-year-old woman. The country’s first case was detected on March 3 and since then, the number of confirmed infections has climbed to 537. The government has declared a state of emergency and told people to venture out of their homes as little as possible.

GERMANY: Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski and his wife, Anna, said they will donate 1 million euros ($1.73 million) toward the battle against Covid-19. The Polish international joined teammates Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich in contributing to Bayern’s “We Kick Corona” initiative.

PERU: Peru suspended a program that saw health care workers visit the homes of people over 60 to administer the pneumonia vaccine. The Health Ministry said the move was to protect the health of the medical professionals at a time when they are desperately needed to cope with Covid-19 cases.

ITALY: Juventus striker Paulo Dybala disclosed that both he and girlfriend Oriana Sabatini tested positive for coronavirus. The Argentine international said that neither he nor Sabatini were experiencing any symptoms.

SRI LANKA: At least one prisoner has died and four others were wounded in a Sri Lankan jail after a riot broke out on Saturday. The brawl erupted over fears the coronavirus could spread within the jail. So far 77 infections have been recorded in the country.

FRANCE: The Eiffel Tower has joined the collective applause for healthcare personnel treating coronavirus patients by prolonging the flickering of its lights at night.

French luxury group LVMH said it would deliver 10 million face masks in the coming days to help with the shortage, while telecoms operator Bouygues offered another million.

JORDAN: The Jordanian government imposed a three-day nationwide curfew to combat Covid-19 following the declaration of a state of emergency earlier this week.

KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyz Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev declared a state of emergency on Saturday to halt the advance of the coronavirus after the number of cases more than doubled in one day.

UKRAINE: A Ukrainian scientific expedition which was heading to Antarctica failed to reach the icy continent and was forced to return to Kiev due to the quarantine measures imposed in countries on route, the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science reported on Saturday.

GEORGIA: The eastern European nation has declared a month-long state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak. Any gatherings of over 10 people have been banned.

AUSTRALIA: The Sydney government closed the iconic Bondi Beach in a bid to contain Covid-19 contagion.

OECD: The intergovernmental economics organization warned that the impact of the coronavirus was exceeding its worst economic forecasts and insisted on the urgent need for a coordinated effort between governments and central banks to overcome the crisis.

SINGAPORE: The city-state registered its first two coronavirus deaths – a Singaporean woman, 75, and an Indonesian man, 64, the health ministry said on Saturday, confirming 40 new Covid-19 cases and bringing the total number of infected patients to 385.

BANGLADESH: The South Asian nation reported its second death due to complications caused by COVID-19, Health Minister Zahid Malik said, adding that four more coronavirus patients were detected on Saturday and pushing the total number of infected people in the country to 24.

COLOMBIA: President Ivan Duque has tested negative for the coronavirus, the second time after a similar examination earlier following his participation at an American-Israeli conference in New York on March 2 attended by some suspected infected people.EFE

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