Friday, August 28, 2020

Europe is grappling with a second Covid-19 surge

begin quote from:LIVE UPDATES Europe is grappling with a second Covid-19 surge

CDC changes guidelines on Covid-19 testing after pressure 
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4 hr 38 min ago

All you need to know about Europe's outbreak

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy
Europe is grappling with a second coronavirus surge. Here's how it's playing out across the continent:  
Spain
The country recorded its highest number of cases since the lockdown lifted on Thursday, with 9,658 new infections. Fernando Simón, director of the country's Center for Health Emergencies, attempted to allay concerns, saying the "situation is completely different to the one we had in March or April." 
Simón explained that "in March, 12% of the cases died, now [it is] 0.4%." He added that "during the peak of the pandemic only 1.6% of the cases were asymptomatic," while in the past week, 56% showed no symptoms.
Extra measures have been put in place to bolster the school system, including mask mandates for all students over the age of six. Other new measures announced on Thursday includes a bubble system in schools, students having to disinfect their hands five times a day, and regular classroom sanitization. Some Spanish regions have placed a cap of 20 students per classroom.
France
A compulsory mask rule came into force in Paris and its suburbs on Friday, which means over 7 million Parisians will have to wear a face covering in public -- even when on a bike or scooter.
On Thursday, France saw the highest number of new cases since March 31 -- the peak of the epidemic -- with 6,111 new cases. Prime Minister Jean Castex also declared 21 "red zones" across the country, which refers to areas where the active cases have exceeded 50 per 100,000 people.
A face mask mandate began in the Paris region on Friday.
A face mask mandate began in the Paris region on Friday. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
UK
The UK continues to be hit by local outbreaks, with 75 positive cases in a poultry factory in Norfolk, eastern England. Hundreds of workers at the Banham poultry facility have been told to self-isolate as a result of the 22% infection rate. 
The UK removed the Czech Republic, Jamaica and Switzerland from its travel corridor list on Thursday, in a bid to keep infections down. Yet cases are also rising in the country, which reported 1,522 new infections on Thursday, the highest number since June 12.
Italy
Italy is also observing an upward trend with 1,179 positive new cases reported on Thursday, the highest number since May 6, and five deaths.
Ireland
Some 93 new cases were recorded by Ireland's Health Protection Service Surveillance Center on Thursday. The Irish government remains watchful after a spike in cases during the last fortnight prompted a tightening of social distancing measures.
Germany
Germany recorded 1,507 cases on Thursday, according to the Robert Koch Institute, which noted the marked rise in cases in a number of federal states.
The institute also predicted that by early 2021 there will be a successful vaccine candidate ready for production. It noted, however, that there will not be enough initial doses available for the entire population.
4 hr 32 min ago

Deaths and cases double in a few weeks in Argentina

From CNN's Tim Lister
People protest the government's Covid-19 quarantine policies in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Aug. 17, 2020.
People protest the government's Covid-19 quarantine policies in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Aug. 17, 2020.
Argentina's coronavirus outbreak shows no sign of easing. According to figures from its health ministry, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases there has doubled since July 31, and its death toll has doubled since August 4.
On Thursday, 10,104 new cases were reported -- bringing the total of cases to 380,292. The health ministry also reported 106 deaths but, over the past week, the daily average of deaths has been over 200. 
Argentina has reported a total of 8,050 deaths, the majority recorded in the capital, Buenos Aires, and its surrounding province of the same name. The same applies to the number of cases recorded: 327,000 of the 380,000 cases identified so far are in Buenos Aires city and province. 
The government has extended lockdown measures in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. 
5 hr 15 min ago

Philippines reports nearly 4,000 new infections

From Isaac Yee in Hong Kong
The Philippines reported 3,999 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, according to data from its health department.
This brings the country's tally to 209,544 confirmed cases -- 71,745 of which are active cases, according to the health department.
There were 91 virus-related deaths recorded there on Friday, pushing the national death toll up to 3,325 since the outbreak began. More than 2.3 million coronavirus tests have been done in the country.

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