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From Mexico to Argentina, a growing number of Latin American nations are confirming Covid-19 infections and related deaths. With autumn arriving in the southern hemisphere, the region that is home to about 8.5 per cent of the world’s population could be among the worst affected by the disease. In Brazil, far-right P…
People in New York City are flocking to hospitals to try and get tested for Covid-19 as the coronavirus death toll in the city reached 385 on March 26, 2020. Hospitals in the city are now reportedly at full capacity and in beginning to become overwhelmed with patients.
"Stay at home or stay inside" is the message fixed to coffins and skulls displayed on public roads in the Philippines. Authorities in Santo Tomas, north of Manila, are using the grim method to remind people about the consequences of ignoring home-quarantine orders put in place to fight the spread of the deadly coron…
The United States became the nation with the most coronavirus cases on March 27, 2020, after reporting that it had confirmed 85,505 Covid-19 infections in the country. The US is now the new epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic, with its case number more than any other country in the world, including China wh…
After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown starting this week, some of the country’s poor, including daily wage labourers and migrant workers, were suddenly put out of work.
China has closed the first inpatient ward at one of two temporary hospitals built to handle Covid-19 patients in Wuhan, the Chinese city that was the initial epicentre of what is now a global pandemic. The Leishenshan hospital ward was closed on March 25, 2020, after there was an increase in the number of patients b…
About 60 per cent of Covid-19 patients in Wuhan, the first epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, were not reported to authorities, according to a study led by a group of Chinese doctors. Those unreported cases include patients who were asymptomatic or had very mild symptoms.
Spain’s coronavirus-related death toll passed a grim milestone on March 25, 2020, surpassing that of China, the original epicentre of what is now a global pandemic. As of March 26, Spain had confirmed 47,610 cases and 3,434 deaths. The country now has the second largest number of deaths reported, following Italy. Th…
Ear, nose and throat medical specialists say anosmia, a loss of the sense of smell, as well as dysgeusia, an inability to taste things, are being reported as symptoms by patients diagnosed with Covid-19. Scientists in the US and UK each released statements on March 21, 2020, mentioning the growing evidence pointing …
In 1949, English comedian Richard Hearne recorded this explainer to teach people how best to prevent the spread of influenza. The decades-old advice from the actor best remembered for his character “Mr Pastry”, is still useful today alongside lockdowns and stay-at-home orders being imposed around the world to fight …
Months into the Covid-19 pandemic that grips the world, many countries and regions are struggling to contain local outbreaks of the deadly coronavirus that causes the disease. Authorities must find a way to manage not only the health implications but also the economic impact of measures they take. For China, lockdow…
China’s Great Wall reopened its famous Badaling section to tourists on March 24, 2020, after the historical border was closed for two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Carlo Navarro, a Filipino tax lawyer tested positive for Covid-19 in early March 2020 after travelling to Japan with his family. After his recovery, the 48-year-old decided to share his experiences fighting the disease caused by the deadly coronavirus. Navarro says he was aware of others dying from the disease in th…
New Zealand declared a state of national emergency on March 25, 2020, as the country prepared to go into lockdown at midnight to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on March 24, 2020, the world's largest lockdown of 1.3 billion people would begin at midnight on the same day in an attempt to fight Covid-19. Panic buying erupted in the capital New Delhi almost immediately after the three-week nationwide curfew was announced to slow th…
In the Russian capital Moscow, 100,000 surveillance cameras were equipped with facial-recognition technology just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since February 2020, thousands of Muscovites have been confined to their homes under 14-day compulsory quarantines for those with a history of travel to coronav…
Among the people striving to stay healthy amid the global coronavirus pandemic is 50-year-old Nasa astronaut Chris Cassidy. The American astronaut has been in quarantine and is about to leave Planet Earth behind on April 9, 2020, for a mission to the International Space Station.
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo has officially been postponed over the coronavirus pandemic. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he had asked for a one-year postponement and the International Olympic Committee had agreed.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought demand for flowers to a standstill. Those working in the Dutch floriculture industry say they are left with no choice but to destroy up to 80 per cent of total production at the peak season for Holland’s famed tulips.
International health officials say they were very worried about the spread of the coronavirus in Africa, where many health systems had already been struggling even before the pandemic. Though many nations on the continent are taking measures to try to control local outbreaks, 43 of 54 African countries had reported …
Israel’s government ramped up measures to fight the spread of Covid-19 as the country saw its number of confirmed coronavirus infections jump to 1,238 and one death related to the disease as of March 24, 2020. In the occupied Palestinian territories, though Gaza had been free from the coronavirus, it reported its fi…
A man was filmed kneeling and bowing at the roadside as he was sending off medical workers from a different province who had travelled to central China’s Hubei to join the fight against the coronavirus. Reports said 11 members of his family had been infected, and workers from Guizhou had helped to treat them.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, some in Washington are still going out to enjoy the famed cherry blossoms, which peaked last week. Local officials are asking people to stay home to help slow the spread of Covid-19. Streets and subway stations were also closed temporarily to limit the cherry blossom-watching crowds ov…
The number of coronavirus “silent carriers” – people who are infected but show delayed or no symptoms – could be as high as one-third of those who test positive, according to classified Chinese government data seen by the South China Morning Post. The news comes as a leading infectious disease expert in Shanghai war…
Streets are largely empty in major cities around the world as business and leisure activities are suspended or dramatically reduced in an effort to fight the spread of the deadly coronavirus behind the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, the UK is among nations where concerns are rising about how to tackle the health crisis in community hospitals. Two social media videos that have been widely shared online feature remarks from a Covid-19 patient and a National Health Service (NHS) nurse who each urge people in Br…
In 2003, severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) killed 300 people in Hong Kong, causing deep psychological scars for many city residents. Now 17 years later, those Hongkongers are recalling the lessons learned from Sars as they deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Those lessons are reflected in the policies being intr…
Only weeks after the coronavirus sparked panic buying and shortages of masks in their city, Hongkongers are now queuing up outside post offices to send masks, hygiene items and medical supplies to loved ones overseas as the pandemic escalates around the world.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many people around the globe are stuck at home. Among them are celebrities and public figures who are posting videos and sending messages of encouragement to their fans around the world from a safe “social distance”.
Satellite images provided by Planet Labs, a company operating Earth-imaging satellites, show empty sites around the world as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Indonesia has halted a mass congregation of nearly 9,000 Muslim pilgrims in an effort to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Health officials started doing health checks on devotees, putting some into quarantine, after the gathering was suspended on March 19, 2020.
Italy has surpassed China as having the most deaths related to Covid-19, the deadly disease caused by the new coronavirus that has spread to become a global pandemic infecting more than 200,000 people. The Italian government has put the country under lockdown in an effort to contain the virus, but a Chinese medical …
The global search for treatments and a vaccine for the highly contagious disease Covid-19 has been underway since the world first became aware of the threat posed by the deadly coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Medical institutions in China and around the world have invested huge amounts of time and money looking fo…
US President Donald Trump has initially downplayed the threat of the coronavirus outbreak and blamed the media for “not reporting fairly” on Washington’s response to the global health crisis. Now the leader of one of America’s worst-hit cities, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, has publicly criticised Trump for hesitat…
Michelin starred chef Campbell Mickel is fighting to keep his Edinburgh restaurant alive after a massive drop in bookings amid the new coronavirus pandemic. As the Scottish capital and cities around the UK and the world discourage social contacts that would spread Covid-19, he has launched a delivery menu that allow…
Temporary morgues were set up in London as the city grappled with the coronavirus outbreak. The temporary building will provide additional space for the fatalities of the Covid-19 pandemic.
British glass artist Luke Jerram has made a sculpture of the coronavirus that is about two million times larger than the real thing. His team has made about 20 oversized models of viruses and bacteria since 2004 for medical institutions. Measuring 23cm (9 inches) in diameter, the piece was commissioned by Duke Unive…
Hong Kong health officials say they will investigate the possible spread of infection in the bars, restaurants and gyms of Lan Kwai Fong after at least five coronavirus patients confirmed in the last two days had links to the nightlife hub, and as the city recorded 16 new cases on March 19.
A hospital in South Korea’s Seoul has introduced phone booth-style coronavirus testing facilities that allow medical staff to examine patients safely and efficiently.
Italy reported 475 deaths as a result of Covid-19 on March 18, 2020, the nation’s biggest single-day increase since its outbreak began. Italian health officials also recorded more than 3,500 new infections, as Germany and Spain each reported more than 4,000 new cases. Globally, the number of new Covid-19 infections …
Police in India’s southern Kerala state have come with a novel to remind the public about cleaning their hands properly amid the coronavirus outbreak. The officers perform a handwashing dance in hopes of encouraging proper hand hygiene which health experts say is critical to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Food delivery companies in Hong Kong have seen a significant increase in sales since January 2020, as people across the city shun restaurants to avoid the deadly coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
With business and factories reopening, China is gradually getting back on track after being hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak, which was first discovered in Wuhan, Hubei province, in December 2019. After months under lockdowns, communities are going back to their daily routines as restaurants and shops reopen for…
Spanish King Felipe’s call for unity amid the Covid-19 pandemic has fallen flat as the nation becomes the newest coronavirus epicentre. Spaniards under lockdown protested from their balconies by banging pots and pans to demand that the king donate money to the country’s health system. Spain has become the world's fo…
Medical engineers in Mexico have developed a special isolation pod to transport coronavirus patients without putting frontline responders at risk.
Thousands of partying university students have made their way to Florida, United States for spring break despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Officials have announced a shutdown of all bars and nightclubs in the state, while some of the most popular beach destinations are also closed.
Beijing reopened the Xiaotangshan hospital on March 16, 2020, to cope with Covid-19 cases imported into China. The facility was rushed together in about a week in 2003, and was used to care for people infected with another deadly coronavirus – the one which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars). China has …
France entered a 15-day lockdown on March 17, 2020, as the nation’s entire population was ordered to stay home unless absolutely necessary. Some people quarantined at home stepped onto balconies or opened windows to join rounds of applause for health sector workers and emergency services.
Chinese travel enthusiast Liu Weilong was evacuated from Iran earlier this month because of the coronavirus pandemic. He noticed a lack of healthcare measures in Iran, the worst-hit country in the Middle East, with 15,000 confirmed cases and 1,053 deaths as of Monday. Locals glared at him for being Chinese and weari…
Spanish graphic designer Juan Delcan created an animated video to demonstrate how social distancing can stop the spread of Covid-19. He hopes the video will encourage the viewers to stay home amid the pandemic.
