Country, Other	Total Cases	New Cases	Total Deaths
World	30,342,039	+314,752	950,280
USA	6,874,596	+46,295	202,213
India	5,212,686	+96,793	84,404
Brazil	4,457,443	+35,757	135,031
Russia	1,085,281	+5,762	19,061
Peru	750,098	+5,698	31,146
Colombia	743,945	+7,568	23,665
Mexico	680,931	+4,444	71,978
South Africa	655,572	+2,128	15,772
Spain	625,651	+11,291	30,405
Argentina	601,713	+12,701	12,460
Chile	441,150	+1,863	12,142
France	415,481	+10,593	31,095
Iran	413,149	+2,815	23,808
UK	381,614	+3,395	41,705
Bangladesh	344,264	+1,593	4,859
Saudi Arabia	328,144	+593	4,399
Iraq	307,385	+4,326	8,332
Pakistan	303,634	+545	6,399
Turkey	298,039	+1,648	7,315
Italy	293,025	+1,585	35,658
Philippines	276,289	+3,375	4,785
Germany	269,042	+2,177	9,457
Indonesia	232,628	+3,635	9,222
Israel	175,256	+4,791	1,169
Ukraine	166,244	+3,584	3,400
Canada	140,867	+1,120	9,200
Bolivia	128,872	+586	7,478
Qatar	122,693	+244	208
Ecuador	122,257	+732	11,029
Romania	108,690	+1,679	4,312
Kazakhstan	107,056	+72	1,671
Dominican	106,136	+615	2,022
Panama	104,138	+672	2,213
Egypt	101,641	+141	5,715
Kuwait	97,824	+825	575
Belgium	95,948	+1,153	9,935
Morocco	94,504	+2,488	1,714
Oman	91,753	+557	818
Netherlands	88,073	+1,753	6,266
Sweden	87,885	+310	5,864
China	85,223	+9	4,634
Guatemala	83,664	+740	3,036
UAE	82,568	+786	402
Japan	77,009	+561	1,473
Poland	76,571	+837	2,253
Belarus	74,987	+224	771
Honduras	69,660	+1,040	2,102
Ethiopia	66,913	+689	1,060
Portugal	66,396	+770	1,888
Venezuela	64,284	+868	520
Bahrain	63,189	+705	217
Costa Rica	60,818	+1,302	666
Nepal	59,573	+1,246	383
Singapore	57,532	+18	27
Nigeria	56,735	+131	1,093
Uzbekistan	49,627	+612	413
Algeria	49,194	+228	1,654
Armenia	46,671	+295	925
Ghana	45,714	+59	294
Kyrgyzstan	45,153	+81	1,063
Moldova	44,983	+622	1,170
Czechia	44,155	+3,123	489
Azerbaijan	38,777	+119	571
Kenya	36,576	+183	642
Austria	35,853	+780	758
Palestine	33,843	+837	244
Serbia	32,695	+82	738
Ireland	32,023	+224	1,789
Paraguay	31,113	+694	584
El Salvador	27,249	+86	801
Australia	26,813	+34	832
Lebanon	26,768	+685	263
Libya	25,822	+886	409
S. Korea	22,657	+153	372
Denmark	21,393	+453	635
Cameroon	20,303	+32	415
Ivory Coast	19,158	+26	120
Bulgaria	18,544	+154	749
North Macedonia	16,274	+186	675
Madagascar	15,925	+54	216
Hungary	15,170	+710	663
Senegal	14,618	+50	300
Greece	14,400	+359	325
Croatia	14,279	+250	238
Zambia	13,928	+41	326
Sudan	13,535	+0	836
Norway	12,644	+146	266
Albania	11,948	+132	347
DRC	10,442	+28	267
Namibia	10,078	+114	108
Malaysia	10,052	+21	128
French Guiana	9,623	+28	65
Maldives	9,494	+67	33
Tajikistan	9,214	+43	73
Finland	8,799	+49	339
Tunisia	8,570	+470	133
Zimbabwe	7,633	+35	224
Luxembourg	7,541	+147	124
Montenegro	7,503	+212	129
Mozambique	6,161	+167	39
Slovakia	6,021	+161	39
Malawi	5,711	+7	179
Uganda	5,380	+114	60
Eswatini	5,191	+36	103
Hong Kong	4,994	+9	102
Nicaragua	4,961	+0	147
Suriname	4,671	+26	95
Rwanda	4,653	+19	23
Jamaica	4,374	+210	51
Jordan	4,131	+279	26
Slovenia	4,058	+104	136
Myanmar	4,043	+222	60
Angola	3,789	+114	144
Syria	3,691	+37	165
Lithuania	3,504	+62	87
Thailand	3,490	+7	58
Aruba	3,382	+54	23
New Zealand	1,809	+7	25
Cyprus	1,558	+10	22

 

Retrieved from:  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

 

 

Europe lockdown: New coronavirus rules country-by-country

 

Measures to deal with new coronavirus outbreaks are being imposed across Europe.
Many involve the reintroduction of restrictions which had been eased following the initial lockdown.

 

France: Masks worn outdoors in some areas

Following fresh outbreaks in July, the French government made face masks compulsory in enclosed public spaces.
The government wants to avoid a new national lockdown, so the new measures have been imposed by local authorities.
Face masks must be worn in public in Paris and surrounding areas by anyone aged 11 and over. Hundreds of other municipalities across France have also introduced this rule, including in Toulouse, Nice, Lille and Lyon and some beach resorts.
Masks also have to be worn in most workplaces. The rule applies in offices and factories wherever people are sharing space.

 

Spain: Schoolchildren asked to wear masks
Masks have to be worn by anyone over the age of six on all forms of public transport in Spain and in many other indoor public spaces. Most regions in Spain have made masks obligatory outdoors as well.
The new school year has started and Spanish schools are asking children as young as six to wear masks at school.
 

Germany: Compulsory airport testing
The ban on large gatherings in Germany has now been extended to the end of the year, so the new Bundesliga football season will also start behind closed doors on Friday.
 
Testing at airports is now compulsory for all travellers arriving from high-risk countries and a minimum fine of 50 euros (£46) has been introduced for people failing to wear face coverings in shops or on public transport.

 

Italy: Nightclubs and dance venues closed
With infections rising again in Italy, authorities ordered closures of all dance halls and nightclubs, including outdoors ones, from 17 August.
Face masks must also be worn from 18:00 to 06:00 local time in all public spaces across Italy, where social distancing isn't possible.
Children have gone back to school, after more than six months, despite schools in several regions saying that they are not ready to reopen.

Denmark: Bars forced to close early

Denmark was one of the first countries in Europe to reopen schools in April.
However, in late August the number of cases started rising sharply.
The government has responded by making face masks compulsory on public transport.
In Copenhagen and surrounding areas, which have seen a spike in cases, bars, restaurants and nightclubs must now shut at 22:00. Private parties, such as weddings, also have to end by the same time and masks must be worn in restaurants, bars and cafes.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-53640249

 

 
A Very Serious Situation': WHO Says Coronavirus Cases Are Rising In Europe Again

 
The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that weekly coronavirus case numbers are rising in Europe at a higher rate than during the pandemic's peak in March.
At a virtual news conference, Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director of WHO in Europe, warned, "We do have a very serious situation unfolding before us."
"Weekly cases have exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in March," he said. "Last week, the region's weekly tally exceeded 300,000 patients."
Wearing a green face mask, Kluge said, "Strict lockdown measures in the spring and early summer yielded good results. Our efforts, our sacrifices paid off. In June, cases hit an all-time low."
Reported cases in Spain, France and the U.K. were in the hundreds in June and July.
However, Kluge said the early September case numbers "should serve as a wake-up call for all of us." He said the numbers reflect more comprehensive testing but also "alarming rates of transmission across the region."
"More than half of European countries have reported a greater than 10% increase in cases in the past two weeks," said Kluge. "Of those, seven countries have seen newly reported cases increase more than twofold in the same period."
"Where the pandemic goes from here is in our hands. ... We have fought it back before, and we can fight back again," he said.
Kluge said quarantines should remain in place.
So far, Europe has seen 4,893,614 confirmed cases, and the death toll is at 216,005 during this pandemic. Spain has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Europe at 625,651, followed by France at 454,099, the United Kingdom at 384,075 and Italy at 293,025, according to the Johns Hopkins University dashboard.

Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/17/914103938/-a-very-serious-situation-who-says-coronavirus-cases-are-rising-in-europe-again?t=1600416396841

 

 

Police Fire Tear Gas At Refugees Protesting To Leave Greek Island

 

Just days after fire tore through the Moria refugee camp in the Greek island of Lesbos and displaced more than 12,000 people, some of those same people were tear-gassed by police while protesting the construction of a replacement camp.
Protesters say they want to leave the island altogether.
Hundreds of refugees gathered Saturday, some chanting "freedom" and carrying signs, while bulldozers cleared debris in preparation for a new tent settlement, Reuters reported. Police fired tear gas after some protesters tried to march to Mytilene, the island's main city.
The new Lesbos camp, set up at an army firing range, will host about 3,000 people, according to local media. Families and members of "vulnerable groups" will get priority, government officials said. It's not clear what will happen to the other 9,000 or so refugees.
After the fires, Greek officials relocated more than 400 unaccompanied children to mainland Greece, according to CNN. But authorities have refused mass transfer off the island, despite the pleas of refugees. Officials promised to provide safe and sanitary conditions at the new tent encampment.
The Moria camp was built to house 3,000 people but at least four times as many people have been living there.
Complicating the resettlement are fears of the coronavirus. Authorities have lost track of 35 camp residents who had tested positive for the virus, Reuters reported. And the displaced refugees have had no access to basic sanitation in the days since the Moria camp burned.
"This is a health bomb," Matina Pagoni, president of Athens and Piraeus hospital doctors' union, told Skai television, according to the wire service. "These people haven't even had access to water all these days, they cannot even wash their hands."

Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/2020/09/12/912327167/police-fire-tear-gas-at-refugees-protesting-to-leave-greek-island

 

 

Live updates: Three-quarters of Americans worry over vaccine haste, as global coronavirus cases top 30 million

 

Public disputes between top White House officials over the timing of an eventual coronavirus vaccine have undermined public trust, experts say. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
By Antonia Noori Farzan and Jennifer Hassan
The share of Americans who would be willing to get a coronavirus vaccine if it were available today has dropped significantly from a few months ago, according to a new survey from Pew Research Center. An overwhelming 78 percent expressed concerns that the approval process will be too hasty, without fully establishing that the vaccine is safe and effective.
Health and science experts say that President Trump’s repeated swipes at government scientists have undermined public trust, and reduced confidence in an eventual vaccine.

 

 

Ninety-minute covid-19 test proved accurate 94 percent of time, study says

A new coronavirus test that takes just 90 minutes and does not need to be processed at a laboratory was able to identify 94.4 percent of cases correctly, according to a study published Thursday in the medical journal Lancet.
Developed by the British company DnaNudge, the test was approved in April and has been in use in some British hospitals since May. The kit uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, which is believed to be more accurate than rapid response tests but “usually requires a centralized laboratory and significant infrastructure,” the study notes. Allowing time for handling and processing can mean that PCR test results take a day to complete, though the testing procedure itself only takes four to six hours.
DnaNudge circumvents that problem by allowing health workers to insert swabs from PCR tests in a single-use cartridge, which is then plugged into a shoebox-sized, WiFi enabled device that processes the results. The method of quickly extracting ribonucleic acid from the sample is based on similar technology used by DnaNudge’s main product, a wearable bracelet that offers health advice customized to an individual’s DNA.
Health officials in Britain have already ordered 5.8 million of the tests for use in National Health Service hospitals and nursing homes.
The study’s release comes amid mounting anger over apparent failures in the country’s test-and-trace infrastructure. Officials revealed on Thursday that almost 90 percent of covid-19 tests took more than 24 hours to deliver results, despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising months earlier that they would be ready within a day. Meanwhile, Britain is potentially facing a second lockdown amid a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.
Johnson believes that a “moonshot” plan to drastically increase testing capacity to 10 million tests a day is the only way to avoid another lockdown before a vaccine is developed, according to leaked government documents obtained by the Guardian.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/09/18/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/

 

 
Peru’s president faces impeachment vote amid lethal coronavirus outbreak

By Simeon Tegel

 
A man sells newspapers bearing headlines on a corruption scandal involving President Martín Vizcarra in Lima. (Rodrigo Abd/AP)

LIMA, Peru — President Martín Vizcarra faces a fast-track impeachment vote Friday in what critics have described as an attempted coup d'etat, while Peru struggles with one of the world's deadliest outbreaks of the coronavirus.
Lawmakers moved to censure Vizcarra after recordings emerged last week in which he coordinated his government’s response to an influence-peddling scandal. His opponents claim the tapes indicate he ordered a visitors log to the presidential palace to be falsified to distance himself from a singer, known as Richard Swing, who received contracts, including as a motivational speaker, from Vizcarra’s administration.
Voters in Peru have a rare opportunity to replace a corrupt Congress with reformers. Will they?
If two-thirds of the 130-member Congress approve the impeachment motion, the popular anticorruption centrist will be immediately removed from office.
But the push to oust him is being criticized by constitutional experts and democracy activists, who see a rush to judgment, violating due process on vague charges.
“The situation with the pandemic is really serious right now,” said Samuel Rotta, who heads the Peruvian branch of the anti-corruption group Transparency International. “The last thing Peruvians need is this slap in the face.”
Vizcarra remains popular. Despite complaints that he has mishandled the country’s coronavirus outbreak, recent polls show he retains the support of a majority of Peruvians.
Peru has reported more than 738,020 coronavirus cases, the fifth most in the world. Its cumulative death rate of 95 per 100,000 people is the worst of any nation.
Peru took early, aggressive measures against the coronavirus. It’s still suffering one of Latin America’s largest outbreaks.
Rotta said the recordings are ambiguous. “The president owes us an explanation,” he said. “But these recordings are a matter for prosecutors to look at once he is no longer in office.”
On Thursday, Peru’s constitutional court agreed to hear the government’s appeal against the impeachment. But it rejected a request that it do so before the vote Friday. That means that even if the court, which typically takes a month or two to hear a case, does rule for the president, it could be weeks after he has already been sacked and the country has moved on.

 
Vizcarra arrives to supervise coronavirus response efforts in the Villa Maria del Triunfo district of Lima on Tuesday. (Paolo Aguilar/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Critics have questioned the lawmakers’ motives seven months ahead of general elections. Diego García-Sayán, a former justice minister and former president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, described them as “wannabe coup-mongers.”
The government says several members of Congress have requested that the elections be pushed back by two years as the country grapples with the coronavirus.
The head of the congressional oversight committee, Edgar Alarcón, who released the tapes, represents the small extremist Union for Peru party, led by Antauro Humala, the jailed brother of former president Ollanta Humala, and could be facing prosecution himself when his parliamentary immunity expires in July.
Alarcón resigned as comptroller general in 2017 amid claims of corruption, including falsifying his accounting degree, nepotism and profiting from his official position.
Prosecutors have charged him with crimes including embezzlement and “illicit enrichment”; they’re asking he be sentenced to 17 years in prison. Were it not for his parliamentary immunity, Alarcón might already be in pretrial detention.
Antauro Humala, meanwhile, is serving a 25-year sentence for leading a military uprising against the elected government of President Alejandro Toledo in 2005. He has called for corrupt officials to be summarily shot. His party has repeatedly pushed for his liberation.
The tapes also capture Vizcarra’s secretary, Karem Roca, talking with other members of the president’s team. In some, Roca claims that Vizcarra directed anticorruption prosecutors, including chief prosecutor Zoraida Ávalos, to target his political opponents.
García-Sayán, who now serves as the U.N. special rapporteur on judicial independence, dismissed those claims as “uninformed rumors.” “There is nothing inappropriate about the president meeting the chief prosecutor,” he said. “What is clear is that the president’s team is made up of people with mean motives, and he did not choose them well.”
The speaker of Congress, Manuel Merino, accepted the impeachment motion within 48 hours of the recordings’ publication, without any debate in the oversight committee or investigation to ascertain their authenticity.
Because Peru currently has no vice president — Vizcarra stepped up from the role to become president in 2017 — Merino is next in line to lead the country.
The speaker apologized after it emerged over the weekend that he had contacted the heads of the armed forces before the impeachment motion was even drafted. The officers reported the contact to the defense minister. Some here are describing Merino’s conduct as “sedition.”
The government has appealed to the constitutional court to suspend the impeachment vote and clarify the meaning of “moral incapacity,” the accusation leveled against Vizcarra. The term has appeared in Peruvian constitutions since 1834 but has never been clearly defined. Constitutional experts say it was originally intended to cover physical and mental infirmity, not misconduct.
Peru’s current cohort of lawmakers was elected in January to complete the five-year congressional period after Vizcarra used an extreme constitutional mechanism to dissolve the previous parliament for resisting his anticorruption agenda. Many had hoped the special election would usher in a new dawn of badly needed political and judicial reforms.
But lawmakers have repeatedly delayed debating many of the president’s proposals while passing populist economic measures that critics warn undermine basic principles, including property rights and legal certainty.
Peru’s four previous presidents were implicated in Latin America’s extensive Odebrecht scandal.
In Peru, coronavirus patients who need oxygen resort to black market and its 1,000 percent markups
From the Andes to Tibet, the coronavirus seems to be sparing populations at high altitudes
The coronavirus has gutted the price of coca. It could reshape the cocaine trade.

 

Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/peru-vizcarra-impeachment-vote/2020/09/16/d45829c6-f78b-11ea-a275-1a2c2d36e1f1_story.html