Coronavirus live updates: data, infections, deaths USA, India, UK...
Coronavirus live: latest Covid-19 updates - 8 April
For all the latest updates on the Covid-19 pandemic, here's today's live blog.
A pause
We're going to take a break from our live coronavirus coverage for a few hours, but we'll be back before you know it to keep you abreast of the latest developments in the unfolding Covid-19 crisis. Many thanks for reading.
Kroos clarifies pay-cut comments
Toni Kroos has sought to clarify comments he made in the German media this week in which he appeared to say he was not in favour of Real Madrid's players taking a pay cut as a result of the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis.
Madrid announced today that the first-team squad have accepted a salary drop of between 10% and 20%.
“It’s possible that my comments weren’t translated correctly or that some people misunderstood them,” Kroos said in a tweet this evening.
“Right from the outset, you all know me well and my opinion has been as follows: if we can help workers and areas of the club, I think it’s logical to give up part of our salaries, as has been demonstrated today.”
Covid-19: Who is Charles Lieber, the man conspiracy theorists say created the coronavirus?
The man at the centre of a particularly wild conspiracy theory
The January arrest of a US scientist over his ties to China led to bogus claims that he was behind the emergence of the coronavirus.
Full story:
Trump on hydroxychloroquine: "I hope it works"
Donald Trump says his administration has begun distributing “large amounts” of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, of which the US has a stash of around 29 million doses.
“I hope it works,” the American president told his daily press briefing.
Although hydroxychloroquine has been shown to be effective in alleviating some of the symptoms of the coronavirus, top medical experts have urged caution after Trump described the drug as a potential “game changer”.
You’ll find the full lowdown on hydroxychloroquine here.
Four-day old baby dies of Covid-19 in Brazil
A four-day old baby diagnosed with Covid-19 has died in Brazil, it has been revealed.
Brazilian health officials confirmed to the agency EFE that the baby, who was born prematurely on Friday, died in the city of Natal on Tuesday after suffering from breathing difficulties.
The death is now under investigation, said Petronio Spinelli, the head of the health ministry for the state of Rio Grande do Norte, because “it isn’t yet known whether the infection took place before or after birth”.
The baby’s mother was admitted to a maternity hospital in Natal the day before the birth, at which point she was also suffering from breathing difficulties. She is currently in isolation and receiving treatment.
Johnson "doing better", says Trump
US president Donald Trump has told his daily press briefing that UK prime minister Boris Johnson “seems to be doing better”. “We send our regards to Boris and his family and his friends,” Trump added, per CNN reporter Daniel Dale.
Having been admitted to hospital over ongoing coronavirus symptoms, Johnson, 55, was moved into intensive care on Monday after his condition worsened.
Global Covid-19 cases move past 1.5 million
The number of registered coronavirus cases across the world has now passed the 1.5-million mark. According to the Johns Hopkins University live tracker, a total of 1,500,803 people had been infected by midnight CEST, with the death toll at 87,706.
Coronavirus: Fall in phone users fuels China death-toll doubts
Fall in phone users fuels China death-toll doubts
Chinese mobile-phone companies lost millions of users in February, fuelling suggestions that the country’s official coronavirus death toll is far higher than officially reported.
Full story:
Premier League players organise #PlayersTogether initiative
Premier League players have come together to create a voluntary initiative that will see the distribution of funds quickly and efficiently to the places hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis. In a statement released on Wednesday night, it was announced that the initiative will be called #PlayersTogether.
Belgian health minister caught picking nose in video conference
So much for not touching your face...
Belgian health minister Maggie de Block seemed to forget she was on camera during this video conference broadcast live on television:
Latest global coronavirus numbers
Here, correct at 22:00 CEST, is a selection of the latest worldwide coronavirus numbers, according to Johns Hopkins University:
Spain: 146,690 cases; 14,673 deaths
UK: 61,474 cases; 7,110 deaths
US: 419, 975 cases; 14,262 deaths
Italy: 139,422 cases; 17,669 deaths
France: 113,951 cases; 10,884 deaths
Germany: 110,698 cases; 2,192 deaths
China: 82,809 cases; 3,337 deaths
India: 5,916 cases; 178 deaths
Nigeria: 254 cases; 6 deaths
World: 1,495,051 cases; 87,469 deaths
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
All the information you need to understand the coronavirus and ways to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic:
Rodríguez Uribes, Spain's minister for Sport says experts will tell us when to return to football
The minister for sport and culture has given an interview to AS and spoken about the pandemic Spain and the world is currently dealing with. "Football won’t return when Tebas says so or when I say so, or when anybody says so. Only when the health services recommend it. The final decision will come from the experts because the first thing is to save people’s lives," he said. Uribes says the discussions between the federations and LaLiga will be fundamental. but until we can be sure that nobodies life is at risk, there will be no football.
France and Germany sink into historic recessions
France and Germany have sunk into historic recessions and the current situations are likely to erase years of favourable growth in the countries according to the Financial Times.
France saw over 1,000 new deaths from the coronavirus, which brings their total over 10,000. Germany have seen over 7,000 deaths and lose over 200 people on Wednesday as the numbers continue to rise.
Coronavirus: Wuhan free after 76 days of lockdown
Wuhan free...but big challenges remain
China sealed off Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, on 23 January, a drastic step but one that has now been lifted, although the threat is by no means over.
Official: Real Madrid lower salaries
The players and coaches of the first team squads of Real Madrid football and basketball, led by their captains, together with the main executives have voluntarily agreed to lower their remuneration for this year to somewhere between 10% and 20%.
What is Favipiravir, the drug used in China to fight Covid-19?
Favipiravir, another drug in the fight against Covid-19
The director of the National Centre for Biotechnological Development of China, Zhan Xinmin, has recommended the use of this antiviral.
The new Covid-19 graphic shows the global rise of the USA
How the spread of Covid-19 has happened
EU to agree largest financial support package
Tomorrow it is expected that the European Union's governments and institutions will agree steps that could boost its fiscal response to the coronavirus pandemic to €3.2 trillion, the biggest such package in the world.
Hydroxychloroquine: what is it and can it help fight Covid-19?
What's to know about hydroxychloroquine?
With the President of the USA, Donald Trump, pushing the anti-malaria drug, some people think this may have a role to play in combating the effects of coronavirus. But is that true?
Czechs eye lockdown lift
The number of cases of the new coronavirus in the Czech Republic has risen past 5,000, although a slower growth rate allowed the health minister to say he was confident the state had prevented an uncontrolled spread as it starts easing lockdown measures, Reuters reports.
Why the UK is where it is
This is worth a read if you are interested in developments in the United Kingdom.
Most senior EU scientist resigns
President of the European Research Council, Mauro Ferrari, sent the following letter of resignation.
"I have been extremely disappointed by the European response to Covid-19, for what pertains to the complete absence of coordination of health care policies among member states, the recurrent opposition to cohesive financial support initiatives, the pervasive one-sided border closures, and the marginal scale of synergistic scientific initiatives.
I have lost faith in the system itself. And now the times require decisive, focused, and committed actions – a call to responsibility for all those that have an aspiration to make a difference against this devastating tragedy."
It should be noted that the ERC have accused Ferrari of being 'economical with the truth' at best, and that he had been asked to resign in March by all active members. Two sides to every story and all that...
Spain to relax lockdown after April 26?
Speaking to Spanish national television network Antena 3 on Wednesday, the Spanish finance minister and government spokesperson María Jesús Montero affirmed that 'normal life' would resume to Spain but only progressive stages.
Montero added that the 'different scenarios' were being studied on how the confinement measures could be eased after 26 April when the current lockdown period expires but refused to add further detail claiming that 'experts and governmental' advisors would suggest as how the nation should proceed.
USA suffers 1,858 fatalities in 24 hours
With almost 50% of the daily deaths coming from New York, the USA recored the highest daily death toll since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The cumulative total of recorded deaths from coronavirus is just short of the 13,000 mark and the country trails only Spain and Italy in overall global deaths relating to the virus.
Afghan health minister asks Taliban for ceasefire
Ferozuddin Feroz, the minister of public health Afghanistan, told the paramilitary group that the coronavirus doesn’t know “friend or enemy, so let’s work together and fight against the virus”.
To date, Afghanistan has recorded 15 fatalities from the Covid-19 virus.
Covid-19 reporting doubts
As with all countries, the official figures that are being reported are very much in doubt and we will continue to follow how this is reconciled.
20:00 applause continues to add positivity
El País' famous cartoonist has turned his focus again to the evening clap in support of the incredible efforts of the medical teams in Spain. Some neighbourhoods add music to the occasion, and it has become a staple in the confinement day.
85% of jobs to be temporarily cut in Portuguese hotels
Around 85% of hotel workers in Portugal will be temporarily laid off in April due to the impact the coronavirus is having on the country's economy, Hotels Association AHP said on Wednesday.
AHP said 93.8% of Portuguese hotels will or have already applied to be able to temporarily lay off workers. AHP President Cristina Siza Vieira said this was a way to "keep jobs".
Coronavirus antibody test: what is it and how does it work?
Spain's single-day death toll rises for the second day running
After the recent dip in both the number of positive covid-19 infections and coronavirus-related deaths, Spain announced this afternoon that numbers had risen for both new cases and fatalities. The number of deaths from coronavirus in Spain between Tuesday and Wednesday was reported at 757 - slightly up on the 743 deaths confirmed between Monday and Tuesday. It is the second consecutive day that the single-day death toll has risen with the official number of fatalities at 14,555 although the real figure is believed to be higher.
Wuhan celebrates as city's borders are reopened
Ships on the Yangtze River sounded their foghorns when the clock struck midnight and buildings on the waterfront were lit up in blue light as Wuhan celebrated the end to a blockade which prohibited people from entering or leaving the city. Wuhan had been completely closed off since 23 January. Watch the video here:
Wuhan lockdown restrictions partially lifted
At midnight local time, Wuhan, the epicentre of the Coronavirus pandemic, reopened its borders after 76 days of confinement. Lockdown restrictions remain in place however, only one member from each family is allowed out of the house to perform essential tasks such as shopping for food and citizens are still monitored for the virus with a personal QR code. Ships on the Yangtze River sounded their foghorns and building were lit up on the stroke of midnight as the city celebrated, what hopefully will be the start of a return to normal life. The city's Tianhe International airport has reopened and the city's train network and motorways are also back up running once again.
Wuhan was sealed off from the outside world on 23 January in an attempt to try and contain the coronavirus epidemic. China has seen a drop in positive cases of infection since lockdown measure were enforced across the country at the end of January. Luo Ping, who works for the Epidemic Control department, told CCTV that the lifting of movement restrictions in Wuhan "does not mean the all-clear, neither does it mean a relaxing of epidemic prevention and control measures".
New cases continue downward trend in Madrid
The situation in Madrid has started to stabilise after almost a month of lockdown. When a state of emergency was declared on 14 March, an average of 1,300 patients required medical attention per day in the capital. Those figures have now dropped to 300-400. Health authorities have started concentrating treatment of patients at the makeshift field hospital at the Ifema exhibition centre to relieve pressure on the city's hospitals.
The number of patients being treated for Covid-19 infection in Madrid is under 14,000 for the first time since the end of March. In total, there have been 40,469 positive cases of coronavirus registered in Madrid up to 8 April with 5,371 deaths related to the virus. Leganés and Alcalá de Henares are the districts which have most been affected by the crisis
Boris Johnson 'stable' in intensive care
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a second night in intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital in London where his condition is described as 'stable'. The Prime Minister, who tested positive for coronavirus on 27 March, is said to be conscious and has been given oxygen although he is not on a ventilator. While Johnson is in hospital, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been deputising, handling his affairs in his absence.
A further 786 lost their lives in the UK as a result of the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday. with the death toll now standings at 6,159.
Japan officially in state of emergency
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared that the country is in a state of emergency on Tuesday and asked residents to stay at home, describing the coronavirus pandemic as the biggest crisis since the Second World War. Lockdown measures were late coming to Japan who have 4,257 positive cases of Covid-19 infection confirmed and 93 deaths to date. The Japanese PM pleaded with the public to maintain social distancing while confinement measures are in place, likely to be beyond 6 May. He asked citizens “to protect other people’s as well as your own” by always wearing a protective mask when going outside and reducing the amount of interaction with other people in public.
Japan's government have increased the number of public testing for coronavirus to 20,000 per day and have doubled the number of hospital beds in anticipation of more cases of infection.
US hits new single-day fatalities high
The coronavirus situation continues to escalate in the United States who recorded the most deaths in a single day on Tuesday since the crisis started with 1,736 lives lost on Tuesday according to official reports. That brought the total number of deaths in the US to 12,857. The number of confirmed cases also continues to rise and broke through the 400,000 barrier on Wednesday morning with 400,540 positive cases confirmed - more than any other country in the world.
As of 8.00 hours CEST this morning, a total of 21,711 patients have recovered from covid-19 infection in the United States.
Covid-19 (at a glance figures)
Cases-Deaths
USA: total confirmed cases 400,540 / total Covid-19 deaths: 12,857
Italy: total confirmed cases 135,586 / total Covid-19 deaths: 17,127
Spain: total confirmed cases 141,942 / total Covid-19 deaths: 14,045
Germany: total confirmed cases 107,663 / total Covid-19 deaths: 2,016
France: total confirmed cases 109,069 / total Covid-19 deaths: 10,328
*source (Worldometer 0830 CEST)
Good morning and welcome to our live coronavirus blog. Over the course of the day, we will be bringing you all of the latest news relating to the Covid-19 virus from around the world on 8 April. At the time of writing, the virus has claimed over 82,000 lives with close to 1.5 million positive cases currently confirmed around the world.