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1 hour ago
Latin America and the Caribbean exceed 5 million cases of covid-19
(JOAQUIN SARMIENTO / AFP via Getty Images)
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 in 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.
2 hours ago
Cuba reports 31 new cases of coronavirus
The Cuban Ministry of Public Health reported 31 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, increasing the total number of infections on the island from 2,071. The authorities indicated that 229 of the positive cases are active.
88 are the total number of people killed in Cuba by covid-19.
8 hours ago
There is still a long way to go in the pandemic, WHO warns
By Christina Maxouris
American leaders have struggled to enforce social gathering rules and face mask mandates as residents push for a return to normal life amid a rampant spread of the coronavirus. But while people may be tired of the pandemic, there is still a long way to go, a global health official said Monday.
We need to stay focused. We need to stay strong, "said World Health Organization (WHO) technical director on covid-19, Maria Van Kerkhove.
"We need to accept that this is a challenge, but let's use these challenges to really steer it towards something positive and fight this pandemic together."
Many US states put new restrictions in place after parts of the country reopened and, several weeks later, saw an increase in cases.
In May, when most states began to lift restrictions and images of crowded bars and parties emerged, experts warned that without social distancing and facial coverage, an increase would likely emerge. Months after those first reopens, states across the south report thousands of new cases every day, and with some appearing to be near a peak in cases, parts of the Midwest are sounding the bells.
The spread of the virus is more widespread than ever, prompting White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx to say over the weekend that the United States has entered a "new phase" of pandemic.
Across the country, more than 4.7 million people have been infected since the start of the pandemic, and at least 155,469 have died. Health officials project that there will be thousands more deaths in the coming weeks.
At least 13 states have reported more than 100,000 coronavirus infections, and four of them, California, Florida, Texas and New York, have registered more than 400,000.
8 hours ago
In the Venezuelan state of Zulia, 22 doctors died of coronavirus
By Stefano Pozzebon
Twenty-two doctors have died from covid-19 in the northwestern Venezuelan state of Zulia, Dr. Daniela Parra, president of the Zulia College of Doctors, told CNN on Monday.
Speaking to CNN from the state capital Maracaibo, Parra said: "In the eyes of everyone, medical personnel are paying the highest price for the pandemic."
Parra added that the College of Doctors presented the recommended measures to both the Maracaibo City Council and the Zulia governor to reduce the risks for doctors on the front line against covid-19.
"We recommend reducing the hospital shift from 12 hours to eight hours, to reduce our doctors' (exposure) to the virus and buy more protective equipment," Parra said.
Located near the border with Colombia, Zulia is the second most affected state in Venezuela, with 3,421 cases reported.
CNN has previously documented the difficult conditions of medical facilities in Venezuela and particularly in Zulia, where most hospitals lack running water, electricity, and basic resources.
Venezuela's communications ministry did not respond to a request for comment from CNN.
9 hours ago
Trump uses campaign email to promote mask use
By Caroline Kelly
United States President Donald Trump sent out a campaign email, commonly used to solicit donations, on Monday to make a different request to his supporters: Consider wearing a face mask.
"We are all in this together and although I know there has been some confusion around the use of face masks, I think it is something we should all try to do when we cannot socially distance ourselves from others," the email read, sent by the Trump campaign and signed by the President.
The rare move comes after Trump avoided wearing a mask in public for months until he tweeted a photo of himself wearing one in July, though later images emerged showing that he wasn't wearing a mask later that day.
The change to encourage the use of facemasks was primarily driven by the instability of the polls, a source familiar with the president's thinking last month told CNN, and it came nearly three months after he publicly announced the new recommendations for the wearing masks by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and two months after he teased his electoral rival Joe Biden for wearing one.
In Monday's email, Trump highlights the use of masks as a potential means of accelerating the return to normal life, lamenting the effects of the coronavirus using a stigmatizing and inaccurate term for the virus.
"I also don't love wearing them. The masks can be good, they can be dry or they can be great, ”continues the email. "They could possibly help us get back to the American way of life that so many of us correctly appreciated before the China virus affected us so much."
Trump added: "My feeling is that we have nothing to lose and possibly everything to gain, including the next chapter for our country, and to keep things open, be they schools or businesses."
9 hours ago
Australia to Deploy 500 More Soldiers in the State of Victoria
By Isaac Yee
The Australian Defense Department will deploy an additional 500 soldiers to enforce confinement orders in the state of Victoria, according to state Prime Minister Daniel Andrews.
"I can confirm that in the next few days more than 500 additional people from the ADF (Australian Defense Force) will come to Melbourne, they will be accompanied by more than 300 additional authorized officials from the health department, they will continue to come out in teams to knock on the door», Andrews said Tuesday morning.
Andrews also announced new penalties for people who violate the health director's instructions, including a recently increased new $ 3,540 on-the-spot fine for people violating isolation orders, the largest instant sentence in Victoria.
Andrews added that people who engage in "particularly selfish behavior" can also be brought to court, where they can be fined up to $ 14,290.
Andrews said the new fines were imposed because when 3,000 infected people, who must remain isolated, were searched in their homes, 800 patients were not at home.
Victoria Police Minister Lisa Neville also warned that the agency will mobilize to find people who violate coronavirus restrictions and said that officers "will not hesitate" to fine people or even arrest them in certain cases.
Victoria recorded 439 new cases of covid-19 and 11 deaths in the past 24 hours, Andrews said. That brings the total number of reported cases in the state to 12,335 and the total number of deaths to 147.
10 hours ago
WHO Director: "There is no silver bullet at the moment and there may never be"
By Naomi Thomas
At a press conference in Geneva on Monday, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, spoke about Friday's meeting of the Emergency Committee on covid-19.
"It was a sobering moment six months after the committee reported, and I agreed, that the outbreak constituted a public health emergency of international concern," said Tedros.
The official detailed the increase in cases since this initial meeting, going from less than 100 infections and no deaths outside of China on January 30, to more than 17.5 million cases and 680,000 deaths.
Tedros said that in addition to the direct cost of the covid-19, the pandemic is also having a social, economic and political impact.
"The committee presented a series of recommendations for countries to continue implementing them to control the virus," he said.
According to Tedros, these range from sharing best practices to improving political commitment and leadership for national strategies.
Tedros also noted that several vaccines are in promising stages of development.
"However, there is no silver bullet at the moment and there may never be," he said. "For now, stopping outbreaks comes down to the basic principles of public health and disease control."
He gave examples that, among others, included testing, isolating and treating patients, informing communities, keeping physical distance and wearing a mask, urging everyone to "do it all."
"And when it's under control, move on," said Tedros.
This week, WHO will also launch a mask use challenge with partners around the world, said Tedros, seeking to encourage people to post photos of themselves wearing face masks.
"In addition to being one of the key tools to stop the virus, the mask has come to represent solidarity," he said.
Wearing a mask sends a powerful message, he said, that we are all in this together.
10 hours ago
Large concentrations of people on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro
By Marcia Reverdosa and Maria Ramirez Uribe
The sunny weather during the weekend in Brazil led to large concentrations of people without social distancing on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
On Saturday, the Rio de Janeiro City Council began phase five of its reopening plan. In this new phase, swimming and water sports are allowed; however, individuals cannot remain in the arena. Despite this, large groups of people defied the order.
The Municipal Guard of Rio de Janeiro asked about 400 people to leave the sand of the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches and more than 100 people were fined after being discovered without wearing masks in public. The fines are for 107 reais (US $ 20).
In phase five, the City Council authorizes the opening of bars, shopping malls and restaurants with extended hours and shops on the street can also open on Sundays.
Vendors of products, food and beverages are allowed on the beaches, but the rental of tents and chairs and the sale of alcoholic beverages are not yet allowed.
In 55 days of inspection, the Municipal Guard has registered 3,677 sanitary infractions.
Rio de Janeiro Mayor Marcelo Crivella said he is looking for a system for residents to reserve spaces in the arena using their phones, according to a City Council statement. The project is being discussed in the Ministry of the Environment and does not yet have an implementation date.
The state of Rio de Janeiro has the second highest number of cases and deaths in Brazil. Of the 167,225 cases, almost 50% belong to the city of Rio de Janeiro. Of the 13,572 deaths in the state of Rio de Janeiro, almost 60% belong to the city of Rio.
11 hours ago
Only 2.5% of Italians have covid-19 antibodies, according to a government study
By Livia Borghese and Mia Alberti
Authorities in Italy have discovered that only 2.5% of Italians, or 1,482,000 people, have covid-19 antibodies despite being one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus in Europe.
According to the results of a national survey published on Monday, the northern region of Lombardy, the most affected by the pandemic, reported the highest number of people with antibodies, 7.5%, while the two main Italian islands, Sicily and Sardinia, had the lowest number, 0.3% of the population.
"The different results of the survey in the country are very relevant. This means that the harsh and rigorous measure taken by central and regional governments and the correct behavior of Italians prevented a more massive spread of the virus, "said Health Minister Roberto Speranza during a press conference on Monday.
According to the survey, almost a third of those who tested positive for antibodies were asymptomatic and the most frequent source of infection, in 41.7% of cases, was from a relative who lived in the same house.
The current number of people with antibodies is six times greater than that recorded during the pandemic, said Linda Laura Sabbadini, director of the National Institute of Statistics (Istat).
The survey, carried out in collaboration with the Italian Red Cross, between May 25 and July 15, analyzed blood samples from 64,660 people from 2,000 villages and towns in Italy, divided by sex, occupation and age group. The survey did not include people living in health centers.
In May, the government had said the survey would include 150,000 people, but "the health emergency made the survey procedure more complicated," albeit "an incredibly useful data source," Sabbadini explained during a press conference. .
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