Covid-19 News & Updates
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
No surprises but I'll post it anyway. 6 cases found, all from state quarantine, returnees from India and Saudi. Day 24 of net-zero cases.
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pharvey
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Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
Another step backwards...... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53087139
"Thousands of people in Germany have been told to go into quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak at an abattoir.
More than 650 people have tested positive for the virus at the meat processing plant in Gütersloh, in the north-west of the country.
Operations at the site have been suspended since Wednesday afternoon.
Over 1,000 workers have been tested so far, with thousands of others still awaiting testing.
They and the people they came into contact with have been told to been told to remain in quarantine until they receive their results.
In response to the outbreak, local authorities have suspended schools and childcare centres in the region until the end of the month.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said she "welcomed" the measures to prevent the further spread of the virus in the area.
A spokesman for the company that operates the site, the Tönnies Group, has apologised."
"Thousands of people in Germany have been told to go into quarantine after a coronavirus outbreak at an abattoir.
More than 650 people have tested positive for the virus at the meat processing plant in Gütersloh, in the north-west of the country.
Operations at the site have been suspended since Wednesday afternoon.
Over 1,000 workers have been tested so far, with thousands of others still awaiting testing.
They and the people they came into contact with have been told to been told to remain in quarantine until they receive their results.
In response to the outbreak, local authorities have suspended schools and childcare centres in the region until the end of the month.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said she "welcomed" the measures to prevent the further spread of the virus in the area.
A spokesman for the company that operates the site, the Tönnies Group, has apologised."
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
'Catastrophic': South Asia reels from virus surge
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/19370 ... irus-surge
ISLAMABAD: Early optimism that South Asia might have dodged the worst ravages of the coronavirus pandemic has disappeared as soaring infection rates turn the densely populated region into a global hot spot.
After several months trailing the US and western Europe, cases of Covid-19 are surging across South Asia -- home to almost a quarter of the world's population -- where the virus is wreaking havoc on fragile medical systems and underfunded health agencies are pushed to breaking point.
Overflowing hospitals from Kabul to Dhaka are turning away suspected virus patients, mortuaries are being overwhelmed as cemeteries and crematoria struggle to cope, and desperate families are searching for help for critically ill loved ones.
"The situation is catastrophic," Abdur Rob, a senior doctor at Bangladesh's Chittagong General Hospital, told AFP.
"Patients are dying in the ambulances on the roads as they shunt between hospitals looking for (intensive care) beds or hospital admission."
Archie Clements, the vice-chancellor of the health sciences faculty at Curtin University in Western Australia, said the situation would likely worsen.
The growth curve "is still in an exponential phase", Clements said.
"We could be heading towards a larger number of deaths in the weeks ahead."
Worldwide more than eight million people have been infected by Covid-19 and over 446,000 have died, with the virus accelerating across South Asia and Latin America.
- Easing lockdowns, rising cases -
Devastating scenarios are playing out as cash-strapped governments choose between enforcing lockdowns or watching low-income families slide deeper into poverty, often with no safety nets to catch them.
India is the fourth worst-hit country in the world with more than 354,000 confirmed cases -- though limited testing means the true number is likely much higher.
The number of fatalities leapt by more than 2,000 to top 11,900 on Wednesday after Mumbai and New Delhi updated their figures.
The government won plaudits in late March for imposing one of the world's strictest lockdowns. But millions of migrant workers were left jobless and, unable to get home, sometimes held in crowded facilities that increased the risk of transmission.
As the government steadily lifts restrictions, cases have surged.
"The problem is that in a country like India, with its large-scale poverty and large migrant community, you can't expect everyone to shelter in place and ride out the storm," said Michael Kugelman, an analyst from the Washington-based Wilson Center.
In neighbouring Pakistan, which has recorded more than 160,000 cases and over 3,000 deaths, Prime Minister Imran Khan resisted a nationwide lockdown, saying the country could ill afford it.
Many there chose to ignore social distancing guidelines and provincial lockdowns were relaxed during last month's Eid al-Fitr holiday, helping fuel the current increase in cases.
"When Eid celebrations came, the public took the ease of the lockdown as a sign that the disease was all over. They swamped the markets, they went to funerals, there was no enforcement of the (social distancing measures)," said Samra Fakhar, a surgeon in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Authorities have warned that Pakistan would likely see more than one million cases by July, and the World Health Organization has called for new lockdowns, a measure Khan rejected.
In Pakistan's overwhelmed hospitals, doctors say national leaders wasted precious early months to brace for a potential onslaught.
"We had a chance to prepare for this but unfortunately it didn't happen. Things are going to get worse," said Saeedullah Shah, a doctor with the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association Covid-19 task force.
"Are we ready for it? Not at all. ... People will start getting violent when they don't find beds."
Further complicating the crisis is limited testing which is skewing data lower.
Last week, burial figures released by nine state-run graveyards in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, as well as dozens of small graveyards in a neighbouring city, showed at least 1,600 additional deaths in April and May, a top Bengali news site reported.
Yet health ministry data show only 450 people died from Covid-19 in the two cities during the period.
Similar anecdotes are emerging in conflict-battered Afghanistan, which has only acknowledged more than 26,000 cases and 500 deaths -- seemingly impossibly low numbers for a country that failed to enforce lockdowns amid ongoing fighting and where impoverished day labourers are unable to stay home.
"We have reports of increasing suspected deaths, people burying dead bodies at night," said Kabul governor Mohammad Yakub Haidary last week, adding that the Afghan capital was suspected of having more than a million infected people.
"There is a disaster coming."
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/19370 ... irus-surge
ISLAMABAD: Early optimism that South Asia might have dodged the worst ravages of the coronavirus pandemic has disappeared as soaring infection rates turn the densely populated region into a global hot spot.
After several months trailing the US and western Europe, cases of Covid-19 are surging across South Asia -- home to almost a quarter of the world's population -- where the virus is wreaking havoc on fragile medical systems and underfunded health agencies are pushed to breaking point.
Overflowing hospitals from Kabul to Dhaka are turning away suspected virus patients, mortuaries are being overwhelmed as cemeteries and crematoria struggle to cope, and desperate families are searching for help for critically ill loved ones.
"The situation is catastrophic," Abdur Rob, a senior doctor at Bangladesh's Chittagong General Hospital, told AFP.
"Patients are dying in the ambulances on the roads as they shunt between hospitals looking for (intensive care) beds or hospital admission."
Archie Clements, the vice-chancellor of the health sciences faculty at Curtin University in Western Australia, said the situation would likely worsen.
The growth curve "is still in an exponential phase", Clements said.
"We could be heading towards a larger number of deaths in the weeks ahead."
Worldwide more than eight million people have been infected by Covid-19 and over 446,000 have died, with the virus accelerating across South Asia and Latin America.
- Easing lockdowns, rising cases -
Devastating scenarios are playing out as cash-strapped governments choose between enforcing lockdowns or watching low-income families slide deeper into poverty, often with no safety nets to catch them.
India is the fourth worst-hit country in the world with more than 354,000 confirmed cases -- though limited testing means the true number is likely much higher.
The number of fatalities leapt by more than 2,000 to top 11,900 on Wednesday after Mumbai and New Delhi updated their figures.
The government won plaudits in late March for imposing one of the world's strictest lockdowns. But millions of migrant workers were left jobless and, unable to get home, sometimes held in crowded facilities that increased the risk of transmission.
As the government steadily lifts restrictions, cases have surged.
"The problem is that in a country like India, with its large-scale poverty and large migrant community, you can't expect everyone to shelter in place and ride out the storm," said Michael Kugelman, an analyst from the Washington-based Wilson Center.
In neighbouring Pakistan, which has recorded more than 160,000 cases and over 3,000 deaths, Prime Minister Imran Khan resisted a nationwide lockdown, saying the country could ill afford it.
Many there chose to ignore social distancing guidelines and provincial lockdowns were relaxed during last month's Eid al-Fitr holiday, helping fuel the current increase in cases.
"When Eid celebrations came, the public took the ease of the lockdown as a sign that the disease was all over. They swamped the markets, they went to funerals, there was no enforcement of the (social distancing measures)," said Samra Fakhar, a surgeon in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Authorities have warned that Pakistan would likely see more than one million cases by July, and the World Health Organization has called for new lockdowns, a measure Khan rejected.
In Pakistan's overwhelmed hospitals, doctors say national leaders wasted precious early months to brace for a potential onslaught.
"We had a chance to prepare for this but unfortunately it didn't happen. Things are going to get worse," said Saeedullah Shah, a doctor with the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association Covid-19 task force.
"Are we ready for it? Not at all. ... People will start getting violent when they don't find beds."
Further complicating the crisis is limited testing which is skewing data lower.
Last week, burial figures released by nine state-run graveyards in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, as well as dozens of small graveyards in a neighbouring city, showed at least 1,600 additional deaths in April and May, a top Bengali news site reported.
Yet health ministry data show only 450 people died from Covid-19 in the two cities during the period.
Similar anecdotes are emerging in conflict-battered Afghanistan, which has only acknowledged more than 26,000 cases and 500 deaths -- seemingly impossibly low numbers for a country that failed to enforce lockdowns amid ongoing fighting and where impoverished day labourers are unable to stay home.
"We have reports of increasing suspected deaths, people burying dead bodies at night," said Kabul governor Mohammad Yakub Haidary last week, adding that the Afghan capital was suspected of having more than a million infected people.
"There is a disaster coming."
- A senior doctor at a Bangladesh hospital said the situation there was 'catastrophic'.
- c1_3665820.jpg (98.15 KiB) Viewed 931 times
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
A long interesting read for anyone interested:
....................................................................................................................
The old-school, the slow and the silver bullet: three options for a vaccine to free the world.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-18/ ... 10814?nw=0
The world is in limbo and it’s unclear which, if any, of the more than 100 vaccine candidates might reach the finish line first.
....................................................................................................................
The old-school, the slow and the silver bullet: three options for a vaccine to free the world.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-18/ ... 10814?nw=0
The world is in limbo and it’s unclear which, if any, of the more than 100 vaccine candidates might reach the finish line first.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
5 more cases today, all from quarantine. Day 25 of net-zero cases.
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pharvey
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Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
Interesting point from the BBC, taken from: - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-53078368
Just a snippet below - is there a similar situation in Thailand, has there been a spike in deaths not reported as Covid - hence the low numbers?
"Peru has registered very few Coronavirus deaths so far compared with the UK. But the total number of deaths tells a different story.
Both countries have seen a huge spike in deaths, with the weekly number peaking at more than double what would be expected had there not been a pandemic. That expected number of deaths is shown by the dashed line.
There is a similar pattern in Chile and Ecuador - a large rise in the total number of deaths that is missed if you look only at "Covid deaths"."
Just a snippet below - is there a similar situation in Thailand, has there been a spike in deaths not reported as Covid - hence the low numbers?
"Peru has registered very few Coronavirus deaths so far compared with the UK. But the total number of deaths tells a different story.
Both countries have seen a huge spike in deaths, with the weekly number peaking at more than double what would be expected had there not been a pandemic. That expected number of deaths is shown by the dashed line.
There is a similar pattern in Chile and Ecuador - a large rise in the total number of deaths that is missed if you look only at "Covid deaths"."
- Capture.JPG (64.37 KiB) Viewed 753 times
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
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dtaai-maai
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Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
^^Agreed. I've always felt that total deaths is a much more relevant comparison. It doesn't alter the UK's dire figures in any way, but it might put into perspective the apparently low numbers in a number of countries around the world.
This is the way
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
On a positive note, my daughter is in a good mood for a change. Cicada is open from today so she's just gone off to work. Never seen someone so excited about going to work!!
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
Thailand also features in that beeb report, which surprised me, because as far as I am aware, the Thai's haven't released such data.
Worth remembering that this data is still based on Government figures and we all know that some are more forthcoming than others:
"The number of deaths in Thailand has been 2% higher than average, with about 2,400 more people dying than usual".
Official Covid-19 deaths 57
Other excess deaths 2,316
Despite being the second country outside China to confirm a case of coronavirus, Thailand's official statistics have recorded a surprisingly low number of deaths from Covid-19.
A sharp rise in confirmed cases in late March led Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to declare a state of emergency, yet the coronavirus death toll never surpassed four fatalities per day.
In a similar pattern, all-cause mortality data have revealed a higher than average number of deaths in March that returned to normal levels in April and May.
Pinocchio or not?
Talk is cheap
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
Visitors to Cambodia must pay $3,000 deposit
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/19377 ... 00-deposit
Payment on arrival to cover cost of Covid-19 tests and related services
Travellers entering Cambodia will be required to pay a US$3,000 deposit by cash or credit card for “Covid-19 service charges” at the airport upon arrival, and have $50,000 in travel insurance cover, the government has announced.
A message posted on the Twitter account of the Office of the Prime Minister and dated June 16 contains a detailed list of related charges approved by the Ministry of Health and the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation.
Upon arrival at the airport, travellers will have to pay a $5 charge for transport to a testing centre, followed by $100 for a Covid-19 test. An overnight stay at a stipulated hotel or “waiting centre” while waiting for results costs $30, and a further $30 per day is charged for three meals.
Other charges include $15 for laundry, $5 daily for medical surveillance and $3 for security services.
The remainder of the deposit will be returned provided the passenger, and the rest of the people on their flight, have negative test results. Even so, they must self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in their chosen accommodation.
Travellers must report daily to medical officers and undergo a second Covid-19 swab test on the 13th day. A valid health certificate to leave the country will cost another $30.
The charges apply to all travellers except those on diplomatic or official government business, authorities said.
A traveller who tests positive and shows symptoms requiring hospital treatment will be taken to a state hospital and undergo up to four tests for Covid-19 costing $100 each. Should the traveller die, a funeral and cremation will cost $1,500.
All of these costs will also be automatically deducted from the $3,000 deposit.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/19377 ... 00-deposit
Payment on arrival to cover cost of Covid-19 tests and related services
Travellers entering Cambodia will be required to pay a US$3,000 deposit by cash or credit card for “Covid-19 service charges” at the airport upon arrival, and have $50,000 in travel insurance cover, the government has announced.
A message posted on the Twitter account of the Office of the Prime Minister and dated June 16 contains a detailed list of related charges approved by the Ministry of Health and the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation.
Upon arrival at the airport, travellers will have to pay a $5 charge for transport to a testing centre, followed by $100 for a Covid-19 test. An overnight stay at a stipulated hotel or “waiting centre” while waiting for results costs $30, and a further $30 per day is charged for three meals.
Other charges include $15 for laundry, $5 daily for medical surveillance and $3 for security services.
The remainder of the deposit will be returned provided the passenger, and the rest of the people on their flight, have negative test results. Even so, they must self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in their chosen accommodation.
Travellers must report daily to medical officers and undergo a second Covid-19 swab test on the 13th day. A valid health certificate to leave the country will cost another $30.
The charges apply to all travellers except those on diplomatic or official government business, authorities said.
A traveller who tests positive and shows symptoms requiring hospital treatment will be taken to a state hospital and undergo up to four tests for Covid-19 costing $100 each. Should the traveller die, a funeral and cremation will cost $1,500.
All of these costs will also be automatically deducted from the $3,000 deposit.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
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handdrummer
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Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
In other words, they don't want people to come into their country, or, at least, only wealthy people. travel for the wealthy, health care for the wealthy, education for the wealthy. Why not just kill off all the poor and be done with it? It would save a lot of money.
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Dannie Boy
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Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
The risk is that Thailand will do something similar - they’ve already indicated a number of restrictions that might be imposed including high medical insurance cover - it will kill off over 90% of tourism and the jobs associated with it. The effect on the economy will be significant, so unless and until a vaccine is developed Thailand and many parts of the world will stagnate at best!!
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
One case found today in quarantine. Day 26 of net-zero.
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
Ditto above! Day 27 of net-zero
Re: Coronavirus (Covid-19) News
Party time in uk July 4th. All open