Health

WELLINGTON, Mar 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) – New Zealand reported 78 new confirmed and five probable cases of COVID-19 on Saturday morning, bringing the total number of infections to 451 in the country.

Director of New Zealand Civil Defence Emergency Management, Sarah Stuart-Black, gave the update.

Some 50 people have recovered, while 12 people are in hospital. Two people are in intensive care, one of whom is on a ventilator, said Stuart-Black.

BEIJING, Mar 28 (NNN-XINHUA) – Chinese health authority, today (Saturday), said that, no new domestically transmitted cases of the COVID-19 disease were reported, on the Chinese mainland on Friday.

The National Health Commission received reports of 67 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, on the Chinese mainland on Friday, all of which were imported.

MADRID, March 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The death toll in Spain soared over 4,800 Friday after 769 people died in 24 hours, in what was a record one-day figure for fatalities in the country, the government said.

Spain has the world’s second-highest death toll after Italy, and has so far suffered 4,858 deaths, while the number of cases jumped to 64,059. Although the figures showed a daily increase of nearly 8,000 new infections, the uptick comes as Spain moves to dramatically increase its rate of testing, ordering millions of new kits from around the world.

27 Mar 2020; MEMO: Following the global outbreak of the highly contagious coronavirus, a Palestinian sewing company is producing surgical masks and other protective gear instead of clothing, reports The Times of Israel.

UniPal 2000 factory in the Karni Industrial Zone in Gaza City is a merger of four sewing factories with a capital of $1.2 million and 200 workers.

Moscow, Mar 27 (AFP/PTI) The Russian government has ordered all cafes and restaurants to close for a week from Saturday to stem the spread of the coronavirus infection.

Russian regions are to "halt the activities of public food service organisations," except for delivery services, a government decree said on Friday.

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) In view of the coronavirus outbreak, the Delhi government has provided masks and hand sanitisers to the staff of public transport buses that are serving as the lifeline of the city during the lockdown by transporting people associated with essential services.

Delhi's Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Friday said the drivers, conductors and marshals in all the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses were provided with masks and hand sanitisers.

London; 27 March 2020 (UMM): UK PM Boris Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19. He is self-isolating in Downing Street.

In a video on his Twitter account, Mr Johnson wrote: "I'm working from home and self-isolating and that's entirely the right thing to do.

"But, be in no doubt that I can continue thanks to the wizardry of modern technology to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus.

Kolkata, March 26 (PTI) Discontent has been brewing among doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals over shortage of protective gear in hospitals, with many of them threatening to cease work if not provided with necessary kits to guard against Covid-19.

Several nurses at the Beliaghata ID Hospital had on Wednesday said they would attend to the patients only after receiving personal protection equipment (PPE) masks, gloves and full body suits - following which authorities promised to look into their concerns.

MALMO/COPENHAGEN, March 27 (NNN-Agencies) — Only an 8-kilometre bridge separates neighbours Sweden and Denmark, but while the streets of the Danish capital Copenhagen lie deserted, life in Swedish city Malmo rumbles on as the countries adopt starkly different approaches in fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

BEIJING, March 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — China and the United States should “unite to fight” the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the globe, said President Xi Jinping in a call with his US counterpart on Friday, according to state media.

The two countries have clashed in recent weeks over the virus, but Xi told President Donald Trump that China “wishes to continue sharing all information and experience with the US,” said state broadcaster CCTV.