Health workers stand outside a tent set up to test medical workers for COVID-19 in front of the Kings County Hospital in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, April 2, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)
- COVID-19 cases top 1 mln globally: WHO
- Trump says CDC advises wearing cloth masks to protect against COVID-19
- New study shows critical care capacity insufficient for COVID-19 outbreak in U.S.
- Confirmed COVID-19 cases reach 38,168 in UK, death toll exceeds 3,600
- Finnish gov't orders closure of all restaurants to curb COVID-19 pandemic
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in a battle against COVID-19, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 200 countries and regions.
The following are the updates on the contagious disease.
People from Turkish community in Kuwait queue up to enter the departure hall of Kuwait International Airport in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, April 3, 2020. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua)
GENEVA -- More than one million confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO), including more than 50,000 deaths, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.
Noting the profound social and economic consequences of the pandemic, Tedros stressed the COVID-19 outbreak is much more than a health crisis.
"We are in a shared struggle to protect both lives and livelihoods, " said Tedros.
A resident wearing mask is seen in a metro station in Washington D.C., the United States, March 31, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that Americans wear cloth face covering to protect against COVID-19.
"The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face covering as a voluntary health measure," Trump told a White House briefing. "It is voluntary. They suggested for a period of time."
However, Trump said he would not wear mask.
SOFIA -- The Bulgarian National Assembly on Friday evening approved the extension of the nationwide state of emergency until May 13 in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
The state of emergency was initially implemented on March 13, and since then a number of anti-epidemic measures have been taken, such as closing bars, restaurants, schools and universities, and suspending mass events.
People participate in an event to cheer up the city amid the coronavirus outbreak in Helsinki, Finland, March 20, 2020. (Photo by Matti Matikainen/Xinhua)
HELSINKI -- The Finnish government on Friday ordered all restaurants in the country to close from Saturday, in its latest effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.
According to the order by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, restaurants must remain closed from Saturday until the end of May. Takeaway sales will be allowed -- in a way that avoids contagion.
The U.S. Navy Ship (USNS) Comfort docks at Pier 90 in New York, the United States, on March 30, 2020. (Photo by Guang Yu/Xinhua)
WASHINGTON -- A new study published on Friday suggests that COVID-19 will likely overwhelm the existing critical care capacity in the United States.
Policies are urgently needed to expand intensive care unit (ICU) capacity and encourage self-isolation, according to the study, published on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Galata Tower is lightened in blue in Istanbul, Turkey, April 2, 2020. (Photo by Yasin Akgul/Xinhua)
ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday declared a partial curfew for the citizens under the age of 20 to curb the fast spread of COVID-19.
At a televised address to the nation, Erdogan announced a series of new measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak as the death toll from the virus climbed to 425, and the confirmed cases totaled 20,921 on Friday.
Medical personnel work in the ICU of Istituto Clinico Casalpalocco, in Rome, Italy, March 25, 2020. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)
GENEVA -- A total of 50,325 people had died of COVID-19 around the world as of 10:00 CET (0800 GMT) Friday, according to the situation dashboard by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The number of confirmed cases has surged to 972,640 globally as of Friday morning.
Volunteers work at a distribution hub for distribution of food to vulnerable groups, in London, Britain on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)
LONDON -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Britain reached 38,168 as of Friday morning, an increase of 4,450 in 24 hours, according to the lastest figure from the Department of Health and Social Care.
As of Thursday afternoon, of those hospitalised in Britain who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, 3,605 have died, marking a record daily rise of 684.
Visitors are seen in the crowd in Asakusa in Tokyo, Japan, March 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)
TOKYO -- Japan's Health Ministry on Friday said that local governments will be advised to accommodate coronavirus patients with mild symptoms in hotels, as urban areas in particular are facing a shortage of healthcare facilities amid a spike in COVID-19 cases.
The request has been made owing to an escalation in cases in Tokyo as well as other urban areas, with the Tokyo metropolitan government along with healthcare specialists saying the number of hospital beds available for coronavirus patients will soon reach capacity. ■
