Health

WASHINGTON, May 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector plunged to an 11-year low in Apr, amid mounting COVID-19 fallout and weak global energy markets, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell by 7.6 percentage points to 41.5 percent in Apr, the lowest since Apr, 2009. Any reading below 50 percent indicates the manufacturing sector is generally contracting.

SAO PAULO, May 3 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) – A total of 96,559 COVID-19 cases have been reported, with 6,750 deaths as of Saturday, the health ministry reported.

In the past 24 hours, Brazil registered 4,970 more cases and 421 deaths, becoming the hardest-hit Latin American country, with the highest number of cases and deaths.

The southeast state of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s epicentre of the outbreak, reported 31,174 infections and 2,586 deaths, followed by the state of Rio de Janeiro with 10,546 infections and 971 deaths, according to the ministry.

CAPE TOWN, May 3 (NNN-BUANEWS) – South Africa reported 385 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest daily surge, since the country recorded its first case in early Mar.

The newly-added cases brought the total number of infection to 6,336, Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, said in a statement.

The Western Cape province leads with 2,700 confirmed cases, followed by Gauteng province with 1,598 and KwaZulu-Natal province with 1,051.

ROME, May 3 (NNN-XINHUA) – As a national lock-down to fight the virus pandemic draws to a close, Italy posted a decrease in new infections, according to the latest numbers released by the Civil Protection Department.

The number of new infections were 1,900 in the last 24 hours, a drop from Friday’s figure, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities, and recoveries to 209,328.

The death toll registered on Saturday was 474, bringing the total to 28,710, since the pandemic first broke out on Feb 21.

LONDON, May 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Another 621 COVID-19 patients died in Britain, bringing the total virus-related death toll in the country to 28,131, Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, said Saturday.

Chairing Saturday’s Downing Street briefing, Jenrick said, 182,260 people have tested positive for the virus in Britain.

Meanwhile, 105,937 tests were carried out on Friday, Jenrick said. British Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said that, the country has met the goal of 100,000 tests per day.

PARIS, May 3 (NNN-XINHUA) – The French government decided to extend the state of health emergency until July 24, to fight against the virus pandemic, Minister of Health, Olivier Vrran, announced.

The state of health emergency, installed since Mar 24, is to be extended because lifting it, as previously scheduled on May 23, “would be premature” as the risks of an epidemic resurgence are present, the minister told a press conference.

ANKARA, May 3 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Health Minister, Fahrettin Koca, reported 1,983 new COVID-19 cases and 78 more deaths in Turkey.

The total number of confirmed cases in the country climbed to 124,375, while the death toll surged to 3,336, Koca tweeted.

Turkey conducted 36,318 tests for the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of tests carried out to 1,111,366, he stated.

In addition, 58,259 patients have recovered, while 1,445 are being treated at intensive care units and 778 are intubated, the minister said.

New Delhi, May 1 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Karol Bagh Vishesh Ravi on Friday said he has tested positive for coronavirus.

Ravi said his brother has also tested positive for the disease.

"I am currently in home quarantine. I am asymptomatic but I have tested positive for coronavirus," he told PTI.

MOSCOW, May 2 (NNN-Xinhua) — Russian Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities Vladimir Yakushev and his deputy Dmitry Volkov have tested positive for COVID-19, the TASS news agency reported on Friday, citing the press service of the ministry.

“I will undergo treatment under the supervision of doctors in one of the city hospitals. I will stay in touch,” Yakushev said.

On Thursday, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Russia has registered 114,431 cases of COVID-19 as of Friday, up by a new daily record of 7,933.

WASHINGTON, May 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The IMF renewed a nearly $11 billion credit line for Colombia as a backstop amid the growing economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Colombia has had a Flexible Credit Line (FCL) since May 2009, and the IMF board has renewed it every two years, providing the country with money that could be deployed to head off a crisis.

But Bogota has never drawn on the funds, treating it as a precaution.