Coronavirus News August 5: More than 5 million cases of covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean

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1 hour ago

The government of the Dominican Republic "will intervene" after 44 hospital employees tested positive

By Jessica Hasbun and Claudia Domínguez

(Photo by Erika SANTELICES / AFP) (Photo by ERIKA SANTELICES / AFP via Getty Images)

The Dominican Republic government said Tuesday it "will intervene" at a hospital in the northern city of Nagua after 44 staff members tested positive for covid-19.

The announcement comes after Antonio Yapor Heded Hospital director Dr. Emmanuel Oscar Pérez said Monday that at least seven doctors, 18 nurses and 19 hospital administrative staff have tested positive so far.

The minister said a possible "biosecurity failure" could have caused the outbreak in the hospital.

He added that experts from the capital, Santo Domingo, along with members of the Emergency Operations Center and local authorities will go to the hospital to help contain the outbreak.

CNN has contacted the hospital for comment.

The Dominican Republic has so far recorded 74,295 coronavirus cases and 1,213 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

2 hours ago

The United States records almost 1,400 new deaths from covid-19

By CNN

The United States recorded 57,540 new cases of coronavirus and 1,399 coronavirus-related deaths Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

That brings the national total to at least 4,771,080 infections and 156,801 deaths.

Totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

California continues to be the state with the highest number of cases, with 526,685. Florida follows, followed by Texas, New York and Georgia.

But New York still has the highest number of covid-19 deaths, at 32,725. Only one other state, neighboring New Jersey, has crossed the 10,000-dead mark.

2 hours ago

Japan reports more than 1,200 new cases as the country struggles to contain the peak

By Yoko Wakatsuki

Japan recorded 1,240 new cases of coronavirus and six virus-related deaths Tuesday, as the country grapples with a recent spike in infections.

Tuesday's figures bring the national total to 41,841 cases and 1,035 deaths.

Of the new cases on Tuesday, a quarter came from the country's capital Tokyo. This is the eighth consecutive day that the city registers more than 200 new cases daily.

Two-thirds of Tuesday's cases in Tokyo are untraceable, meaning authorities could not find the source of the infection, the metropolitan government said.

Other major cities like Osaka also saw a large number of new cases, sparking concern among local politicians. The governor of Tokyo-based Kanagawa prefecture said she hoped that the increase in cases in the capital would also extend to her prefecture.

For months, Japan seemed to have the virus largely under control. During most of May and June, daily case numbers ranged from around 20 to 60 per day.

But the number of cases went from 100 on June 30 and has only continued to increase since then, jumping by hundreds in a matter of weeks.

3 hours ago

The Australian state of Victoria reports 725 new cases on the third day of confinement

By Jadyn Sham

The Australian state of Victoria, the current center of the outbreak in the country, registered 725 new cases of coronavirus and 15 new deaths on Tuesday, state Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said.

The state has three days in a stage 4 confinement. In early July Melbourne, the state capital, had been subject to a soft lockdown as cases increased. Victoria re-imposed total confinement after declaring a "state of disaster" on Sunday.

Of Tuesday's new cases, 164 have been linked to known cases and outbreaks. The remaining 561 cases are still under investigation by origin of infection.

Twelve of the 15 new deaths reported are related to nursing homes. A man in his 30s died after contracting the virus, Andrews said.

At a press conference Tuesday, Andrews thanked residents for abiding by the new restrictions and appealed to those who are not complying with them.

He also announced that elective non-urgent surgery in public and private hospitals will be suspended until further notice to preserve capacity in the health system.

"We cannot have a situation where the sickest patients wait longer because we are treating totally worthy and important conditions, but not necessarily critical time conditions," he said, calling it an unfortunate but necessary decision.

3 hours ago

Mexico reports more than 6,000 new cases of covid-19

By Karol Suárez

Mexico reported 6,148 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to almost 450,000, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

The ministry also recorded 857 new related deaths, bringing the total death toll to 48,869.

On Monday, Mexico's Secretary of Education Esteban Moctezuma announced that the 2020-21 school year will begin with remote learning on August 24.

"It will start with remote learning because we don't have the conditions to do it in person," he said, adding that "we all want to return to schools with our friends and teachers that we miss; however, the health risk remains high. "

4 hours ago

Kosovo Prime Minister tests positive for coronavirus

By Sharon Braithwaite

(Photo by Armend NIMANI / AFP) (Photo by ARMEND NIMANI / AFP via Getty Images)

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti tested positive for covid-19, his press office told CNN on Tuesday.

Hoti is in good health and will stay home for the next two weeks, following her doctor's recommendation, her press office reported.

"In fact, we have a difficult situation here, but the government and health institutions are doing everything possible to manage and prevent this pandemic," the press office told CNN in an email.

4 hours ago

Latin America and the Caribbean exceed 5 million cases of covid-19

By Tatiana Arias and Tim Lister

Latin America and the Caribbean have reached more than 5 million cases of covid-19, according to a CNN count based on data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

As of Tuesday morning, the region has reported 5,021,760 coronavirus cases and 203,589 deaths, according to data released by JHU.

Brazil remains the second most affected country worldwide after the United States and the first in the Latin American region with 2,750,318 cases reported on Monday, according to JHU.

Among the top 10 countries with the most cases worldwide, five are from Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia, according to JHU.

Several Latin American countries, including Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, and Peru, have seen an acceleration in the number of new cases in the past two to three weeks.

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