Death toll nears 100,000 but more than 350,000 have recovered; number of hospitalisations drops in some US states.
As some countries report signs of progress in the coronavirus battle, including the slowing down in the number of hospitalisations in parts of the US, authorities urged caution and called for continued observance of measures that help contain the disease, as the global death toll inches closer to 100,000 as of Friday.
In the United States, the death toll has surpassed 16,500. But the number of newly hospitalised patients in the hardest-hit state of New York dropped.
The apparent progress in efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus was also reflected in fresh computer models scaling back on Thursday the projected nationwide death toll to 60,000, down from earlier forecasts of at least 100,000.
In the United Kingdom, the death toll rose by 881 in 24 hours, officials said on Thursday, as PM Boris Johnson was moved out of intensive care but remained in hospital.
Worldwide, there are now more than 1.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus but of that number close to 354,000 have already recovered.
Friday, April 10
01:33 GMT – South Korea coronavirus patients cast ballot in parliamentary polls
Early voting in South Korea’s parliamentary election kicked off on Friday, with coronavirus patients casting ballots at designated stations and candidates adopting new ways of campaigning to limit the risk of contagion.
The National Election Commission (NEC) set up eight polling stations to be used by more than 3,000 coronavirus patients receiving treatment as well as 900 medical staff at treatment centres in hard-hit areas, including the capital Seoul and Daegu city, according to Reuters news agency.
The election itself is on April 15, but officials are hoping that people will take advantage of early voting options to reduce the number of voters crowding polling locations on that day.
01:11 GMT – Chicago prison reports 450 cases of coronavirus
Some 450 inmates and staff have tested positive for coronavirus in the US city of Chicago’s largest jail, county corrections officials said, representing one of the nation’s largest outbreaks of the respiratory illness at a single site so far in the pandemic.
The surge of cases at Cook County Jail marks the latest flare-up of COVID-19 at jails and prisons in major cities across the United States, where detainees often live in close quarters.
00:50 GMT – China-Taiwan word war erupts over WHO’s handling of coronavirus
China has accused Taiwan of “venomously” attacking the World Health Organization (WHO) and conniving with internet users to spread racist comments, after the agency’s chief said racist slurs against him had come from the island.
Taiwan, claimed by China as its sacred territory, has responded angrily to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s assertion that “racist slurs” against him had originated in Taiwan, and demanded he apologise saying the accusations are nonsense.
Taiwan’s exclusion from the WHO, due to China’s objections, has infuriated the Taipei government during the coronavirus outbreak.
00:10 GMT – China reports 42 new coronavirus cases
China on Friday reported 42 new cases, 38 of them imported, along with one additional death in the hardest-hit city of Wuhan.
Another 1,169 suspected cases or those who tested positive but were not showing symptoms, were being monitored under isolation. China now has reported a total of 81,907 cases and 3,336 deaths from the virus. More than 77,000 of those who were infected have recovered.
00:05 GMT – California reports dip in ICU admissions
California saw its first daily decrease in intensive care hospitalisations during the coronavirus outbreak, a key indicator of how many healthcare workers and medical supplies the state needs, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Thursday.
The rate of all virus hospitalisations has slowed this week. Those in the ICU need the highest level of care, and so it was particularly encouraging that the number of patients in those rooms actually dropped 1.9 percent on Wednesday to 1,132, The Associated Press news agency reported.
I’m Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur with Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.
