Coronavirus global news summary: cases and deaths - 30 April
Global coronavirus update at 03:30 CEST on Friday 1 May
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 3,256,570 cases have been detected worldwide, with 233,363 deaths. 1,014,524 people have now recovered.
Plaque unveiled at Strawberry Field in Liverpool to thank NHS workers
A plaque was unveiled on Thursday at the Strawberry Field childrens home in Liverpool to thank doctors, nurses and carers who have been involved in treating those who have contracted Vovid-19. The plaque will be formally laid once the centre resumes business. Strawberry Field was an old Salvation Army home where John Lennon used to play as a child and immortalised in the Beatles song of the same name.
Northern Territory first in Australia to lift major restrictions
Australia's Nothern Territory, which has recorded just 28 positive cases of coronavirus infection, says that it will ease all lockdown measures by June.
Covid-19 vaccine "could be ready by January"
Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on CNN's town hall that "if everything falls into place right" there could be a coronavirus vaccine by January". Fauci said that developing a vaccine without being absolutely certain that it works first is "risky" but he said it "certainly is worth the risk given what's at stake."
In pictures: Yemeni people walk amid disinfectant being administered at a market on April 30, 2020 in Sana'a, Yemen.
Yemen reported its first two deaths from the COVID-19 virus in the southern province of Aden leading to fears that the coronavirus will spread in the war-ravaged country where health facilities still functioning are desperately ill-prepared to deal with the pandemic. (Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
Coronavirus was not man made
The US intelligence community has determined Covid-19 "was not manmade or genetically modified", though it is still investigating the virus' origins, the BBC reports...
IMF approves $411 mln in coronavirus aid for Ethiopia
The International Monetary Fund approved $411 million in emergency assistance for Ethiopia on Thursday to help the east African country with the coronavirus pandemic. The IMF said in a statement that it also approved Ethiopia's request for a suspension of debt service payments to the Fund, of about $12 million through Oct. 13. The suspension could be extended up to April 13, 2022, subject to the availability of resources in the IMF's Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust for poor countries.
With the approvals, disbursements under Ethiopia's existing $2.9 billion IMF loan programs approved in December 2019 would get a 're-phasing.' Access to the Extended Fund Facility would be reduced to 'maximize' financial support under the Rapid Financing Facility loan, the IMF said. 'The COVID-19 pandemic has created severe health risks and weighed heavily on the Ethiopian economy. If the pandemic is not contained, it will put severe pressure on the health system with devastating social consequences,' the IMF said. (report by Reuters)
Amazon posts record $75bn quaterly sales
Amazon is one of the companies that has seen profits sore during the coronavirus pandemic, thanks to surging e-commerce sales as people across the globe shop online to stave off boredom, buy books, gadgets, games, music and home excercise equipment during lockdown.
And such has been the impact that Amazon has registered record quaterly profits of $75 billion. The "current crisis is demonstrating the adaptability and durability of Amazon's business as never before, but it's also the hardest time we've ever faced," read a statement by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man who just got richer. (Photo: AFP)
In pictures: Volunteers prepare special desserts for Ramadan to deliver before Iftar time in Wuppertal, Germany, 30 April 2020. Adherents of Islam across Germany were unable to take part in the habitual collective prayers this year, as mosques have closed down due to the ongoing pandemic of the COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Muslims around the world celebrate the holy month of Ramadan by praying during the night time and abstaining from eating, drinking, and engaging in sexual acts between sunrise and sunset. Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and it is believed that the revelation of the first verse in the Koran occurred during its last 10 nights. (Photo: EFE/EPA/SASCHA STEINBACH)
900 workers test positive at Tyson Food plant in Indiana, US. Tyson had taken out an ad in several newspapers earlier this week to warn that 1 million tons of meat cound be wiped off the food supply due their factory closures...
South Africa sees jump in positive cases
South Africa reported another 297 positive cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, another big jump after cases climbed by their most in single day on Wednesday, bringing the total in the country to 5,647, the health department said in a statement.
"The total number of tests conducted to date is 207,530 of which 10,403 were done in the last 24 hours," said the Ministry of Health. Deaths still totalled 103. Wednesday's increase of 354 in infections was the highest in a 24-hour cycle. South Africa's five-week strict national lockdown ends on Friday, but with only a clutch of industries being allowed to operate in a bid to keep the economy going while keeping the spread of the virus at bay. The Treasury said today that it predicts South Africa's economy will contract by 5.8% in 2020, with job losses projected between 3 million and 7 million due to productivity lost to the coronavirus. (report by Reuters/photo:AFP)
Brazil reports record 7,218 new cases
Brazil has seen a record 7,218 confirmed new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing its total to 85,380. The death toll rose by 435 to 5,901, it said.
Newly recovered UK leader Johnson joins applause for coronavirus carers
Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined in a nationwide round of applause on Thursday to thank hospital and care workers battling the coronavirus pandemic, as many Britons also sang happy birthday to centenarian war veteran Tom Moore. The applause has become an emotional weekly ritual in Britain since it first took place on March 26, but Johnson had not been seen publicly taking part since before he was taken to hospital with a bad case of COVID-19 on April 5.
The 55-year-old prime minister spent three nights in intensive care, then convalesced for two weeks at his country residence and returned to work on Monday. He appeared on the doorstep of his Downing Street office, clapping and paying tribute to Moore, a World War Two veteran who has become a national hero after raising millions for the National Health Service (NHS) by walking in his garden.
'Tonight I proudly clapped outside 10 Downing Street for our fantastic NHS and carers. Thank you all for everything you are doing,' Johnson said on Twitter shortly after the applause. His fiancee, Carrie Symonds, who gave birth to the couple's son on Wednesday in an NHS hospital, also paid tribute to key workers.
'Clapping again for our tremendous carers tonight and wishing hero Captain Tom Moore a very happy birthday,' she wrote on Twitter.
'I also have another wonderful reason to thank the NHS this week too.' People across the United Kingdom applauded, cheered, banged pots and pans and played musical instruments, with some singing Happy Birthday to Moore, including in the small village of Marston Moretaine, where he lives and was celebrating his 100th birthday on Thursday. (Report by Reuters)