Coronavirus updates: data, infections, deaths USA, India and UK on 28 March
Coronavirus live: latest Covid-19 updates - Saturday 28 March
Social unrest spreads in Italy as coronavirus lockdown nears fourth week
Social unrest brewing in Italy
Just before we actually go, here's some news coming in from Italy, where there are reports of food theft and problems getting money as coronavirus lockdown looks likely to be extended.
A pause
We're going to take a little break from the live feed for a while but will be back very soon to keep you informed of everything that is happening relating to the coronavirus crisis. Thank you for your company today.
We'll leave with you our front page for Sunday morning's paper here in Spain; which leads with our report on how economists and agents believe that the the days of astronomical transer fees could be over, while players salaries could also fall.
UK PM Johnson to send letter to 30 million homes
UK Prime Minister Borris Johnson will send a letter to 30 million British households next week, in which he warns that the worst of the coronavirus crisis is yet to come and that stricter lock down measures could be enforced "if that is what the scientific and medical advice tells us we must do."
The letter reads: "We know things will get worse before they get better. But we are making the right preparations, and the more we all follow the rules, the fewer lives will be lost and the sooner life can return to normal. ...That is why, at this moment of national emergency, I urge you, please, to stay at home, protect the (National Health Service) and save lives."
Johnson was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Friday and is currently in quarantine. (Foto: Agencia EFE)
Here is recap of the latest figures from the 10 worst affected countries. Italy, the U.S., France and the UK all passing grim milestones of 10,000; 2,000; 2,000 and 1,000 deaths, respectively, this Saturday.
Country: cases | deaths
USA: 123,313 | 2,211
Italy: 92,472 | 10,023
China: 81,439 | 3,300
Spain: 73,235 | 5,982
Germany: 57,695 | 433
France: 37,575 | 2,314
Iran: 35,408 | 2,517
UK: 17,089 | 1,019
Switzerland: 14,076 | 264
Netherlands: 9,762 | 639
215 million Americans under stay at home orders
CNN reports that there are now at least 215 million Americans under stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders. The U.S. supassed China a few days ago as the country with the highest number of cases. The figure currently stands at 123,311, with 2,211 deaths.
New York governor blasts Trumps lock-down idea
Speaking to CNN, New York governor Andrew Cuomo called Donald Trump's idea to quarantine New York and New Jersey as "anti-American" and "counter-productive".
New York has been the epicentre of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., which has recorded the highest number of cases in the world with more than 120,000.
“If you started walling off areas all across the country it would be totally bizarre, counter-productive, anti-American," Cuomo said.
“It makes absolutely no sense and I don’t think any serious governmental personality or professional would support it."
Tennis royalty and 76-years-young, Billie Jean King is continuing to work on her technique while cooped up at home...
First infant death in the U.S.
The U.S. has recorded the first coronavirus-related death of an infant in Chicago. The infant was under one year old. It has not been made known at this time if the child had any underlying condtions.
"There has never before been a death associated with Covid-19 in an infant. A full investigation is under way to determine the cause of death," said Illinois Department of Public Health Director, Dr Ngozi Ezike said.
"We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. If not to protect ourselves, but to protect those around us."
The total U.S. death toll currently stands at 2,016.
Earlier on Saturday, President Donald Trump said he is considering imposing a quarantine on New York in an attempt to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Italy exceeds 10,000 deaths
Italy has recorded 889 deaths in last 24-hour period, brining its total dead count to 10,023. Italy has by far recorded the highest number of deaths from COVID-19, well ahead of Spain in second place with 5,820.
There were 5,974 new cases in Italy, bringing the total of 92,472. Italy now has the second highest number of confirmed cases after the U.S. surged into first place a few days ago and now has 120,076 cases.
“We have seen an apparent reduction in the infection curve since March 20 but we are not yet in a downward phase,” President of Italy's Higher Health Institute, Silvio Brusaferro, told the Italian press agency ANSA.
Covid-19 Trump analysis
Donald Trump has been criticised, to the extent of mocking, by many for his handling of the crisis thus far. This piece in the New York Times looks over the early days of the outbreak management by POTUS.
China restriction lowering
Further lifting of restrictions in the Chinese province of Hubei have been confirmed.
The area where the coronavirus outbreak began has seen all outbound traffic highway checkpoints removed, says the Global Times. The only exception to this is the city of Wuhan, although the expectation is that these will be removed on 8 April.
It is also being reported that in Italy the prime minister is bringing in new legislation to make 4.7 billion euros available to cities impacted by coronavirus. The economic minister says Europe needs something similar to the 'Marshall plan' after the Second World War.
With reference to the earlier comments in the update, Sky News has recently reported that by tomorrow, the UK is hoping to be testing around 10,000 people per day (70,000 per week). This compares to the half million test being done each week in Germany.
Coronavirus: when will the vaccine be ready?
With the knowledge already gained from the early information in China and previous epidemics, scientists are working hard to get something in place for Covid-19.
Professor Stephen Powis says the UK can keep deaths under 20,000. "“If we do ensure we are to stay within the NHS capacity everyone has a part to play… and it can work," he says.
Ireland went into lockdown on Friday night and they have announced their 294 new cases and 14 more deaths today. They are coming to the end of the period after Cheltenham when thousands of Irish people travelled to the English racecourse for the week.
World leaders speak
Word from Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom coming up...
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has stated that all 'non-essential workers' must stay home over the next two weeks. They will be paid a full salary over this period.
- Donald Trump has said that he is looking at potentially introducing a quarantine into New York, New Jersey and Connecticut although truckers and trade will not be affected. He also says that "millions and millions" of healthcare supplies are in progress and that four new hospitals have been completed in "record time"
- UK business secretary Alok Sharma led today's brief in place of Boris Johnson. In summary:
- NHS staff testing for Covid-19 is being increased
- the insolvency system will be improved to support businesses on the verge of going bust
- keeping deaths to below 20,000 will be seen as a job 'well done'
- as always, the public were asked to be responsible
Carlo Ancelotti has commented on what the Liverpool manager had to say to him about the Liverpool-Atletico tie on 11 March. The Everton boss recalled a conversation he had with Klopp about the game being open to the public just as the coronavirus crisis was starting to escalate in Spain - with Madrid later to become the epicentre...
Conor McGregor has urged Irish politicians to deploy the army if people don't comply to the lockdown enforced amid the coronavirus pandemic. McGregor hopes that such a bleak situation that won't arise but pleaded with his countrymen to stay indoors while the virus is still at large.
Spanish peak?
Despite another record number of deaths in a single day (832), Spain's health authorities have stated that some areas of the country are seeing improvements.
"We don’t know when we’ll receive confirmation, but we are getting close to the peak of the curve," Fernando Simón said this afternoon. "In some areas of the country they may have even passed it, although we need to be cautious with this preliminary information.
"The increase in cases is coming down compared to that of previous weeks but it could be that there are some cases that have not yet being detected in some regions."
Along with the nose and mouth, the eyes are another entry point to the human body for the Covid-19 virus, and for that reason health authorities have advised against touching the face and to regularly wash hands to prevent getting infected. Eye specialists give their opinion on whether it is safer to wear glasses or contact lenses whilst in quarantine and what you need to do to avoid getting infected through your eyes. Read more here:
Harvard Business Review have published an article on the economic impact of the coronavirus. "Economic contagion is now spreading as fast as the disease itself," they say.
El Pais with some startling images of Madrid and Barcelona's pollution before and after the lockdown.
Over 600,000 cases have now been confirmed worldwide, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 104,000 of those are in the US with 86,000 in Italy and 81,000 in Spain. Over 28,000 people have died from the virus.
The coronavirus graph continues its steep curve in Spain, indicating that the number of infected cases and deaths as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic is showing no signs of levelling out just yet. Spain has recorded its biggest single-day rise of covid-19-related deaths since the crisis started with 832 deaths, taking the country's total of deceased to 5,690. However, it is not all worrying news, there were also encouraging signs as more patients have been recovering and discharged from hospital. More detail in the full story here.
Iranian army sets up field hospital in expo centre
Photos have emerged of a 2,000-bed field hospital that has been set up by Iran's army in the country's capital of Tehran.
Iran is the world's sixth-worst affected nation in the coronavirus crisis, having registered a total of 35,408 cases and 2,517 deaths.
Last week, Madrid's IFEMA expo centre was also converted into a temporary hospital, as Spain battles the spread of a virus that has claimed over 5,000 lives in the country.
Spain records new death-toll record
Spain's health ministry has confirmed that the nation suffered 832 new coronavirus-related deaths between Friday and Saturday, taking the total number of people to have died from Covid-19 in the country to 5,690.
This rise in the death toll is Spain's largest in a 24-hour period, 63 higher than Friday's then-record figure of 769.
In total, says the Spanish health ministry, there have been 72,248 coronavirus cases in Spain, making it the fourth-worst affected country in the world, behind only the United States, Italy and China.
Updated global coronavirus figures
Here, at just after 12:00 CET, is a selection of the latest coronavirus figures, according to the Johns Hopkins University live tracker:
Spain: 65,719 cases; 5,138 deaths
US: 104,837 cases; 1,711 deaths
UK: 14,751 cases; 761 deaths
Italy: 86,498 cases; 9,134 deaths
China: 81,996 cases; 3,299 deaths
India: 918 cases; 20 deaths
World: 602,262 cases; 28,125 deaths
UK response to coronavirus crisis "a national scandal"
The medical journal The Lancet has described the UK government's response to the coronavirus crisis as a "national scandal", saying it has left the country's National Health Service (NHS) "wholly unprepared" for the challenges to come as the spread continues.
"The UK Government's Contain–Delay–Mitigate–Research strategy failed," the publication says. "It failed, in part, because ministers didn't follow WHO's advice to “test, test, test” every suspected case. They didn't isolate and quarantine. They didn't contact trace. These basic principles of public health and infectious disease control were ignored, for reasons that remain opaque.
"The UK now has a new plan—Suppress–Shield–Treat–Palliate. But this plan, agreed far too late in the course of the outbreak, has left the NHS wholly unprepared for the surge of severely and critically ill patients that will soon come."
UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday that he has contracted Covid-19, while health secretary Matt Hancock later revealed that he has also tested positive. In all, there have been 14,751 confirmed coronavirus cases in Britain, leading to 761 deaths.
Worldwide coronavirus cases hit new milestone
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across the world has now moved past the 600,000 mark, according to the figures compiled by the Johns Hopkins University.
In all, 601,478 people have tested positive for Covid-19, leading to 27,862 deaths.
"Not a sprint, but a marathon"
Is a second wave of coronavirus possible? "This is not a sprint, but a marathon", warns the World Health Organisation's regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge.
US cases top 100,000, Italy overtakes China
The amount of confirmed cases in the United States has now surpassed the 100,000 mark, while the total number of infections in Italy - already the globe's worst-affected country in terms of deaths - has overtaken China, where the pandemic began.
According to the figures published by Johns Hopkins University, we're about to hit 600,000 cases of Covid-19 worldwide.
Latest global coronavirus figures
Here is a selection of the latest coronavirus figures, correct at 09:30 CET, courtesy of the Johns Hopkins University live tracker:
Spain: 65,719 cases; 5,138 deaths
US: 104, 837 cases; 1,711 deaths
UK: 14,751 cases; 761 deaths
Italy: 86,498 cases; 9,134 deaths
China: 81,947 cases; 3,299 deaths
India: 906 cases; 20 deaths
World: 598,245 cases; 27,762 deaths
"Temporary Redundancy FC"
This morning's AS front page leads with the news that the economic impact of Covid-19 is forcing LaLiga clubs to tighten their belts: Atlético Madrid, Espanyol and Barcelona have all announced enforced staff and/or salary cuts. The Barça players had earlier rejected a proposed voluntary wage drop.
Coronavirus live: good morning
Hello and welcome to our daily live blog on the coronavirus pandemic. As the ongoing crisis continues to unfold throughout the day, we'll endeavour to keep you updated with all the latest news, comments and numbers relating.