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COVID-19 news update for 3/4/2020
Hello everyone who reads these. I have found a wonderful site for real-time up to date information on the COVID-19. It is run by a seventeen year old kid! The map here is the best inter-active map I have yet seen. It also wouldn't hurt to give the kid some extra 'coffee' money.
https://ncov2019.live/data
Okay, so let's read the news about this virus from around the world. As usual, I'm not including the US as those are covered well here on the DU already.
The Times of Israel:
Israel dramatically widens coronavirus rules, adds EU nations to quarantine list
Foreigners from 5 countries who can’t home quarantine in Israel will be barred; no special rules announced for arrivals from US; handshakes advised against, large gatherings banned
...All Israelis returning from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland were instructed to enter self-quarantine for a period of 14 days after their last day in those countries, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at a Health Ministry press conference alongside Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and other top officials.
The decision applied retroactively to all who have come from those nations in the last 14 days.
Foreign citizens arriving from those countries will not be allowed into Israel unless they can show a proven ability to self-quarantine at a home during their stay.
...Netanyahu told a press conference Wednesday that the virus was “a global epidemic,” possibly “one of the most dangerous in the past century.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-dramatically-widens-coronavirus-rules-adds-eu-nations-to-quarantine-list/
Virus is biological attack on China and Iran, Iranian civil defense chief claims
Brigadier general says analysis and ‘certain news reports’ point to the source of the virus being a hostile state ‘with economic goals’
The Head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization, Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali, said Tuesday that media fear-mongering over the new corornavirus and the spread of the disease in his country bolsters claims that the virus is a biological attack on China and Iran.
The virus is known to have killed dozens and infected thousands in Iran.
“A study of the consequences of the virus in terms of tolls or the extent of the epidemic and the type of media propaganda over this issue that is aimed at increasing fear and panic among people strengthens the speculations that a biological attack has been launched against China and Iran with economic goals,” Jalali told Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency. (Oh FFS!
)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/virus-is-biological-attack-on-china-and-iran-iranian-civil-defense-chief-claims/
Foreigners from 5 countries who can’t home quarantine in Israel will be barred; no special rules announced for arrivals from US; handshakes advised against, large gatherings banned
...All Israelis returning from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland were instructed to enter self-quarantine for a period of 14 days after their last day in those countries, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at a Health Ministry press conference alongside Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and other top officials.
The decision applied retroactively to all who have come from those nations in the last 14 days.
Foreign citizens arriving from those countries will not be allowed into Israel unless they can show a proven ability to self-quarantine at a home during their stay.
...Netanyahu told a press conference Wednesday that the virus was “a global epidemic,” possibly “one of the most dangerous in the past century.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-dramatically-widens-coronavirus-rules-adds-eu-nations-to-quarantine-list/
Virus is biological attack on China and Iran, Iranian civil defense chief claims
Brigadier general says analysis and ‘certain news reports’ point to the source of the virus being a hostile state ‘with economic goals’
The Head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization, Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali, said Tuesday that media fear-mongering over the new corornavirus and the spread of the disease in his country bolsters claims that the virus is a biological attack on China and Iran.
The virus is known to have killed dozens and infected thousands in Iran.
“A study of the consequences of the virus in terms of tolls or the extent of the epidemic and the type of media propaganda over this issue that is aimed at increasing fear and panic among people strengthens the speculations that a biological attack has been launched against China and Iran with economic goals,” Jalali told Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency. (Oh FFS!
)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/virus-is-biological-attack-on-china-and-iran-iranian-civil-defense-chief-claims/
DW:
Coronavirus in Iraq: Bullets, repression, Iran trump COVID-19
Activists say Iraq's political system is the real virus, without an apparent cure. Political deadlock, violent repression and decades of corruption all outweigh fears of a transfer of the coronavirus from Iran.
As Iraqi authorities reported at least 31 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday (earlier reports of a corona-related death could not be confirmed) — all traced to Iran — the deepening political crisis is complicating efforts to tackle the virus in a country that is already particularly vulnerable. Demonstrations that have already seen more than 600 people killed by thugs and security forces, according to the Iraqi Commission for Human Rights, entered their sixth month on Sunday.
A week after health authorities banned public gatherings in an effort to contain the virus, protesters in Baghdad refused to leave Tahrir Square. "We see [COVID-19] as a small threat when we are being killed with guns and live bullets. We have been facing death, poverty and corruption since 2003. This is the real virus and I don't think we will find a cure," activist and journalist Alqasem Ahmed said.
Despite determined efforts to contain the outbreak, Iraq's health system has been undermined by decades of sanctions, neglect and corruption and protest camps are exposed.
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-in-iraq-bullets-repression-iran-trump-covid-19/a-52624119
Coronavirus is now a 'worldwide pandemic,' German health minister says
Health Minister Jens Spahn has warned that the outbreak of COVID-19 has "not yet reached its peak in Germany." The number of cases in the country rose to 240 on Wednesday.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Wednesday said that the new coronavirus has become a "worldwide pandemic" that has yet to "reach its peak" in Germany.
As of Wednesday, Germany has confirmed 240 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease, up from 196 the day before. The infection has reached 15 of Germany's 16 federal states, with the highest concentration of cases in North Rhine-Westphalia, where there are 111 cases.
Here's what else he said:
Authorities were aiming to slow and contain the spread of the virus, Spahn said, reiterating that:
"The health of the population takes precedence over economic interest."
"No one can seriously say when the peak will be reached. But it's important to say that it is coming, so that we can be prepared."
"In the current situation, it is particularly important that we remain level-headed, that we hold together, and that we're ready to trust each other, even under stress."
By characterizing the outbreak as a pandemic, Spahn breaks rank from the World Health Organization, who have thus far stopped short of classifying it as such.
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-is-now-a-worldwide-pandemic-german-health-minister-says/a-52634082
Activists say Iraq's political system is the real virus, without an apparent cure. Political deadlock, violent repression and decades of corruption all outweigh fears of a transfer of the coronavirus from Iran.
As Iraqi authorities reported at least 31 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday (earlier reports of a corona-related death could not be confirmed) — all traced to Iran — the deepening political crisis is complicating efforts to tackle the virus in a country that is already particularly vulnerable. Demonstrations that have already seen more than 600 people killed by thugs and security forces, according to the Iraqi Commission for Human Rights, entered their sixth month on Sunday.
A week after health authorities banned public gatherings in an effort to contain the virus, protesters in Baghdad refused to leave Tahrir Square. "We see [COVID-19] as a small threat when we are being killed with guns and live bullets. We have been facing death, poverty and corruption since 2003. This is the real virus and I don't think we will find a cure," activist and journalist Alqasem Ahmed said.
Despite determined efforts to contain the outbreak, Iraq's health system has been undermined by decades of sanctions, neglect and corruption and protest camps are exposed.
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-in-iraq-bullets-repression-iran-trump-covid-19/a-52624119
Coronavirus is now a 'worldwide pandemic,' German health minister says
Health Minister Jens Spahn has warned that the outbreak of COVID-19 has "not yet reached its peak in Germany." The number of cases in the country rose to 240 on Wednesday.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn on Wednesday said that the new coronavirus has become a "worldwide pandemic" that has yet to "reach its peak" in Germany.
As of Wednesday, Germany has confirmed 240 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease, up from 196 the day before. The infection has reached 15 of Germany's 16 federal states, with the highest concentration of cases in North Rhine-Westphalia, where there are 111 cases.
Here's what else he said:
Authorities were aiming to slow and contain the spread of the virus, Spahn said, reiterating that:
"The health of the population takes precedence over economic interest."
"No one can seriously say when the peak will be reached. But it's important to say that it is coming, so that we can be prepared."
"In the current situation, it is particularly important that we remain level-headed, that we hold together, and that we're ready to trust each other, even under stress."
By characterizing the outbreak as a pandemic, Spahn breaks rank from the World Health Organization, who have thus far stopped short of classifying it as such.
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-is-now-a-worldwide-pandemic-german-health-minister-says/a-52634082
BBC:
Coronavirus: Italy to close all schools as deaths rise
Italy has confirmed that it will shut all schools from Thursday for 10 days as it battles to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
And all professional sport, including Serie A football matches, will be played behind closed doors for a month.
A total of 107 people have now been killed by the coronavirus in Italy, which has the most serious outbreak in Europe.
PM Giuseppe Conte said the health service risked being overwhelmed.
Most of the more than 3,000 cases are in the north but others have been confirmed in 19 of Italy's 20 regions.
Globally about 3,200 people have died and more than 90,000 have been infected, the vast majority in China, where the virus emerged late last year.
The World Health Organization has so far stopped short of declaring a pandemic - an epidemic spreading across the world through local transmission - but on Wednesday Germany's health minister said the coronavirus now met the definition.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51743697
Release of James Bond film No Time To Die delayed amid coronavirus fears
he release of the new James Bond film has been put back by seven months as coronavirus continues to spread.
The producers said they had moved the release of No Time To Die from April to November after "careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace".
The announcement comes days after the founders of two 007 fan sites called on the film studios to delay its release.
It will now come out in the UK on 12 November, and in the US on 25 November.
No Time To Die, which is due to be Daniel Craig's final appearance as the British secret service agent, had been due for release on 3 April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51744374
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: The Ethiopian at the heart of the coronavirus fight
What a challenge to be the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the time of the coronavirus.
The entire planet hanging on your every word, addressing daily press conferences at the headquarters in Geneva to detail an ever increasing number of cases in an ever increasing number of countries.
This is the lot of Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first African head of the WHO, who took office two-and-a-half years ago promising to reform the organisation, and to tackle the illnesses that kill millions each year: malaria, measles, childhood pneumonia, or HIV/Aids.
And yet, while the WHO is undoubtedly working hard on those illnesses, Dr Tedros' time in office has been dominated first by Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and now by Covid-19.
Both have been declared Public Health Emergencies of International Concern, or PHEICs.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51720184
Italy has confirmed that it will shut all schools from Thursday for 10 days as it battles to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
And all professional sport, including Serie A football matches, will be played behind closed doors for a month.
A total of 107 people have now been killed by the coronavirus in Italy, which has the most serious outbreak in Europe.
PM Giuseppe Conte said the health service risked being overwhelmed.
Most of the more than 3,000 cases are in the north but others have been confirmed in 19 of Italy's 20 regions.
Globally about 3,200 people have died and more than 90,000 have been infected, the vast majority in China, where the virus emerged late last year.
The World Health Organization has so far stopped short of declaring a pandemic - an epidemic spreading across the world through local transmission - but on Wednesday Germany's health minister said the coronavirus now met the definition.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51743697
Release of James Bond film No Time To Die delayed amid coronavirus fears
he release of the new James Bond film has been put back by seven months as coronavirus continues to spread.
The producers said they had moved the release of No Time To Die from April to November after "careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace".
The announcement comes days after the founders of two 007 fan sites called on the film studios to delay its release.
It will now come out in the UK on 12 November, and in the US on 25 November.
No Time To Die, which is due to be Daniel Craig's final appearance as the British secret service agent, had been due for release on 3 April.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51744374
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: The Ethiopian at the heart of the coronavirus fight
What a challenge to be the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the time of the coronavirus.
The entire planet hanging on your every word, addressing daily press conferences at the headquarters in Geneva to detail an ever increasing number of cases in an ever increasing number of countries.
This is the lot of Ethiopian Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first African head of the WHO, who took office two-and-a-half years ago promising to reform the organisation, and to tackle the illnesses that kill millions each year: malaria, measles, childhood pneumonia, or HIV/Aids.
And yet, while the WHO is undoubtedly working hard on those illnesses, Dr Tedros' time in office has been dominated first by Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and now by Covid-19.
Both have been declared Public Health Emergencies of International Concern, or PHEICs.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51720184
CBC:
Canada's military ordered to begin 'pre-pandemic planning'
Canada's top military commander issued a detailed set of "pre-pandemic planning" orders on Wednesday for units both at home and overseas.
The orders give base commanders the authority, among other things, to cancel large gatherings on bases in the event of a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.
They also outline "additional precautions," ranging from personal hygiene to strict reviews of all non-essential travel and leave for soldiers, sailors and aircrew.
"The intent of this is to look at all of the things we need to do to preserve the force, should this become a pandemic," said Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of the defence staff, at a defence conference in Ottawa.
The military needs to preserve its ability to function and support the government if there is a full-blown health emergency, he added.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-vance-pandemic-planning-1.5486243
Containment efforts will delay, not prevent, COVID-19 outbreak in Canada, Hajdu warns
Robust efforts are underway to delay the spread of the new coronavirus that is spreading around the world, but Canadians should prepare for the "eventuality" of a domestic COVID-19 outbreak, says Health Minister Patty Hajdu.
Speaking at a briefing on the government's response to the health crisis, Hajdu said the pressing goal is to contain and delay an outbreak to give the health-care system time to get through a "significant" influenza season.
"If we can delay community transmission to beyond the normal typical flu season, then we can provide some slack in the health-care system to address things like shortages of beds and the burden on health-care systems that often times flu season exacerbates," she said.
But Hajdu warned efforts can only delay the inevitable.
"This is a virus that knows no borders, and that is growing. Each day there are countries that have new cases and new outbreaks and new situations," she said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cabinet-government-coronavirus-covid19-1.5485005
Canada's top military commander issued a detailed set of "pre-pandemic planning" orders on Wednesday for units both at home and overseas.
The orders give base commanders the authority, among other things, to cancel large gatherings on bases in the event of a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases.
They also outline "additional precautions," ranging from personal hygiene to strict reviews of all non-essential travel and leave for soldiers, sailors and aircrew.
"The intent of this is to look at all of the things we need to do to preserve the force, should this become a pandemic," said Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of the defence staff, at a defence conference in Ottawa.
The military needs to preserve its ability to function and support the government if there is a full-blown health emergency, he added.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid-vance-pandemic-planning-1.5486243
Containment efforts will delay, not prevent, COVID-19 outbreak in Canada, Hajdu warns
Robust efforts are underway to delay the spread of the new coronavirus that is spreading around the world, but Canadians should prepare for the "eventuality" of a domestic COVID-19 outbreak, says Health Minister Patty Hajdu.
Speaking at a briefing on the government's response to the health crisis, Hajdu said the pressing goal is to contain and delay an outbreak to give the health-care system time to get through a "significant" influenza season.
"If we can delay community transmission to beyond the normal typical flu season, then we can provide some slack in the health-care system to address things like shortages of beds and the burden on health-care systems that often times flu season exacerbates," she said.
But Hajdu warned efforts can only delay the inevitable.
"This is a virus that knows no borders, and that is growing. Each day there are countries that have new cases and new outbreaks and new situations," she said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cabinet-government-coronavirus-covid19-1.5485005
That's all I'm going to do for today as I have not been feeling well for the last couple of days. Until next time dear friends.
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Thank you for this information.
Take care,... Be Well,... hope you bounce back quickly to restored health and feeling chipper.
