Health

BRASILIA, May 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil, one of the world’s emerging coronavirus hot spots, registered a record number of cases and deaths on Wednesday, prompting the health minister to flag the possibility of strict lockdowns in particularly hard-hit areas.

According to health ministry data, the nation registered 10,503 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, well above the previous record of 7,288 cases on Apr 30. Brazil also registered 615 deaths, up from the previous record of 600 on Tuesday.

UNITED NATIONS, May 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations has appealed for a further $4.7bn in funding to “protect millions of lives and stem the spread of coronavirus in fragile countries”.

It follows the $2bn requested when the UN launched its global humanitarian response plan in March, of which around half has been received.

In a statement, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said the “most devastating” effects of the coronavirus pandemic would be felt in the world’s poorest countries.

SANAA, May 7 (NNN-SABA) – The health authorities in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, said on Wednesday that, they would build a 3,000-bed field hospital in Sanaa, given the potential spread of COVID-19, the Houthi-run al-Masirah television reported.

DUBAI, May 7 (NNN-WAM) – Within four days of the World’s Tallest Donation Box launch, Burj Khalifa shone bright with 393,000 lights, as donations continue pouring in to support COVID-19-hit communities in the UAE.

The light donations of individuals and companies across the country will secure 393,000 meals to the ’10 million meals’ campaign that aims to provide food support for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

6 May 2020; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates has been criticised by Pakistan for allowing migrant workers infected with Covid-19 to leave the country. As many as 50 per cent have tested positive for the virus on their return from the Gulf state, which had been applying pressure on Islamabad to repatriate thousands of its citizens during the coronavirus pandemic.

Washington, May 6 (PTI) A fired American scientist has alleged that the Trump administration ignored the concern of doctors in the US over the importation of hydroxychloroquine from "uninspected factories" in India and Pakistan and flooded the country with the "unproven and potentially dangerous" anti-malarial drug.

Washington, May 5 (PTI) President Donald Trump and the White House on Tuesday rejected a report suggesting the daily US death toll due to the coronavirus could reach 3,000 in June.

The US death toll from the coronavirus was nearing 70,000 on Tuesday, and there were more than 1.2 million confirmed cases.

Jodhpur, May 6 (PTI) Thirty BSF jawans, forming part of a company deployed earlier in the Walled City area in Delhi on internal security duty, tested positive for Covid-19 here on Wednesday, an official of the border guarding force said.

According to the BSF official, all these jawans were the part of a BSF company comprising 65 jawans, which had been sent to Delhi from Jaipur on internal security duty and had been put up at the Jama Masjid in the national capital.

Silvassa, May 6 (PTI) Seeking to return home amid the coronavirus lockdown, a group of over a 100 migrant workers turned violent near Silvassa town of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli on Tuesday night, police said.

One hundred workers, most of them from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested from the spot for rioting and stone-pelting, an official said on Wednesday.

Ahmedabad, May 6 (PTI) To control the spread of coronavirus in Ahmedabad city, civic authorities on Wednesday ordered the closure of all the shops except those selling milk and medicines for a week.

As per the order signed by municipal commissioner Mukesh Kumar, the shops will remain closed from May 7 midnight till 6 am on May 15.

While milk outlets and medical stores can remain open, all other shops, including thoses selling fruits, vegetables and grocery items, will remain closed, the order said.