Coronavirus global news summary: cases and deaths - 1 may
Coronavirus live global: latest Covid-19 news on 1 May
Global summary and country reports
Total worldwide confirmed cases: 3.3 million +
Total worldwide confirmed deaths: 235,000 +
China reports just one new Covid-19 case on Friday
China reported one new coronavirus case for 1 May, down from 12 a day earlier, data from the country’s health authority showed on Saturday. The new case was imported, the National Health Commission (NHC) said, down from six imported cases a day earlier. China reported no domestic transmission cases down from six the day before.
The NHC also reported 20 new asymptomatic cases for May, down from 25 a day earlier. The total number of confirmed cases in the country has reached 82,875. With no new deaths on Friday, the toll remained at 4,633.
Remdesivir gets FDA approval to treat Covid-19 patients - Trump
Remdesivir gets approval in US
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorisation for Gilead’s remdesivir drug to treat the coronavirus, the president said on Friday.
Google travel data show lockdown fatigue in U.S. and Australia
More people stayed home in Brazil, Japan and Singapore in April as their novel coronavirus cases surged, while people in the United States and Australia returned to parks and jobs as infection rates flattened, data from Google show.
The latest weekly update of aggregated travel patterns Google collected from its users' phones pointed to increased disobedience with lockdown orders in place since March but rising compliance with those issued last month. The data, posted online by the Alphabet Inc unit late on Thursday, compared daily traffic to retail and recreational venues, parks, train and bus stations, grocery stores and workplaces with a five-week period from 3 January to 6 February.
Singapore had apparently controlled the spread of the virus through rigorous contact tracing and surveillance, but the nation-state went into lockdown April 7 after outbreaks in migrant worker dormitories. Retail and park visits in Singapore fell about 25% in the first weekend of April. They dropped about 70% by April's final weekend. Workplace visits, down just 20% at the beginning of April, sank nearly 70% by last week. Trends were mixed in Brazil, where the virus began appearing in tony neighborhoods and moved to low-income favelas. Declines in visits to bars, cinemas and similar venues held steady into late April, but workplace and parks visits crept back up.
Humanoid robots start work at Covid-19-infected Tokyo hotels
Tokyo Metropolitan Government has deployed humanoid robots in two of the capital's hotels where asymptomatic coronavirus patients are in isolation. Among the robots' tasks will be cleaning and delivering bento lunch boxes to guests. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike paid a visit on Friday - the robots' first day at work. The humanoid robots are programmed to talk and interact with patients - giving them encouragement towards a speedy recovery.
Tokyo authorities began moving asymptomatic patients from hospitals to th city's hotels about a month ago to alleviate the pressure on health services.
Mind the Gap
One of the world's largest apparel retailers, Gap Inc, is scrambling to conserve cash to weather the economic crisis triggered by coronavirus, laying off at least 10% of its corporate workforce.
Apple advice
The Covid-19 screening app developed by tech giant Apple has been updated on Friday with new information about coronavirus symptoms and tips related to face masks.
Remdesivir to the rescue?
The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorisation for Gilead’s remdesivir drug to treat Covid-19 patients, President Donald Trump has announced. This is drug that has already been use in Spain and other countries.
More to follow.
Nat Geo warns of wild animal perception
'As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, more false animal stories are making the rounds. Long-term, the tales could undermine conservation efforts.'
Read the full story and share.
Irish planning
Ireland have announced the first small steps to easing restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus and laid out a roadmap for a gradual re-opening of the economy from 18 May if the virus can be kept under control.
A return to something approaching economic normality will commence with five three-week stages the final stage set for 18 August. If the virus worsens, the economy may go back a phase, Varadkar said.
'While there is still so much that we don't know, tonight there is hope. In the weeks ahead that hope will drive us forward as we plan to emerge safely from this crisis,' Varadkar said in a televised address, as Ireland joined other European countries in a mapping a way out of the crisis.
DreamHack faces nightmare
DreamHack overhauled its 2020 schedule on Friday by postponing four festivals due to the coronavirus crisis. DreamHack Valencia was moved from July 3-5 to Oct. 8-12, while DreamHack Dallas, DreamHack Summer and DreamHack Montreal were pushed back to 2021, reported Reuters.
'The goal for all of us at DreamHack is to provide great experiences at our events, which thrive by bringing communities together for these shared and beloved festival weekends all around the globe,' said DreamHack co-CEO Marcus Lindmark in a news release. 'This was not an easy decision. We have never had to postpone events like this before -- but these are extraordinary times, and the safety of our staff and attendees has never been more important than now.'
The remaining events on the 2020 calendar are as follows: DreamHack Rotterdam, Oct. 16-18 --DreamHack Hyderabad, Oct. 30-Nov. 1 --DreamHack Atlanta, Nov. 13-15 --DreamHack Winter, Nov. 27-29 --DreamHack Madrid, Dec. 11-13.
The company also said three DreamHack Open events -- at Valencia, Montreal and Hyderabad -- will be moved to an online format under the name DreamHack Open Summer, with a $100,000 prize pool.
Coronavirus: can Covid-19 be spread through water?
Covid's water hazard?
Although it has been proven that SARS is transmittable through untreated water, there is currently no evidence that Covid-19 can be considered a waterborne disease.
Trump rallies support for China investigation
According to the Washington Examiner, Australia has joined US President Donald Trump in calling for an investigation into China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. “You're seeing a consensus among America's closest allies that values and national security interests, with regard to the relationship with China, now trumps economics,” former Australian defense ministry adviser Patrick Buchan was quoted as saying.
Madrid IFEMA temporary hospital, symbol of pandemic battle, closes
Spain closed a giant temporary hospital in Madrid that had become a symbol of its fight against the coronavirus pandemic on Friday and people prepared to emerge from their homes for walks in the street after seven weeks of strict lockdown.
The developments showed that Spain was pulling out of the crisis that has now claimed the lives of 24,824 people. The death toll rose by 281 overnight, according to the health ministry, a small rise from the previous day but still one of the lowest daily tolls in weeks.
Ryanair plan cuts
Ryanair is to cut 3,000 jobs reduce staff pay by up to a fifth in response to the Covid-19 crisis, which has grounded flights. The Irish budget airline said it did not expect passenger numbers or pricing to return to pre-coronavirus levels until summer 2022 at the earliest
Greek workers defy ban to mark Workers Day
Greek workers and students wearing masks and gloves lined up outside parliament to commemorate May Day, defying a government ban on movement imposed to fight the coronavirus.
Using colourful plastic markers placed on the ground to help them observe distance rules, hundreds of protesters joined a rally organised by the Communist-affiliated group PAME.
The protesters waved flags, chanted slogans and held banners reading "No sacrifice for the bosses".
Japan look to extend state of emergency
The current Japanese state of emergency was due to expire on 6 May but it's anticipated that PM Shinzo Abe will look to extend the period with analysts suggesting that enforcements may remain in place for another month.
UK National Statistics issue interactive map
The statistics body have issued a quick reference map where coronavirus fatalities can be checked in the UK by searching via postcode.
Spanish daily figures
The Spanish Ministry for Health has confirmed the Covid-19 fatality rate for the past 24 hours with 288 people succumbing to the virus.
Coronavirus: LaLiga restart gets Health Ministry approval
LaLiga restart gets Health Ministry approval for restart
As the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético watch on, along with other European leagues, the return to training on 4 May gets ever closer.
Face masks for flying obligatory
As on next Monday, Lufthansa, Eurowings, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines will insist passengers wear a face mask on board their flights.
UK housing market grinding to a halt after coronavirus lockdown - Nationwide
Britain's housing market is grinding to halt as a result of the government's coronavirus lockdown, mortgage lender Nationwide said, adding its ability to carry on producing the price index depended on there being enough transactions.
Nationwide said on Friday its measure of house prices rose by 0.7% in April from March and was 3.7% higher than a year earlier, stronger than forecasts in a Reuters poll of economists in both cases.
But the lender said the impact of the pandemic was not fully captured in April's figures. "This is because our index is constructed using mortgage approval data, and there is a lag between mortgage applications being submitted and approved," it said.
Coronavirus: How to cut your hair at home amid Covid-19 lockdown
How to cut your hair at home amid Covid-19 lockdown....but only if you really have to !
With Covid-19 lockdown measures ruling out a trip to the hairdresser, here are a few tips for those giving themselves or someone they live with a trim.
Death toll in Argentina rises to 218
The Argentine health authorities confirm that 4,428 positive coronavirus cases have been detected in the nation with the total number of fatalities rising to 218.
Heathrow Airport sees April passenger numbers down 97%
London's Heathrow Airport, traditionally the busiest in Europe, said passenger numbers were expected to be down by around 97% in April and they were likely to remain weak until governments fighting the coronavirus outbreak deem it safe to travel.
For the first quarter, revenue fell 12.7% to 593 million pounds ($745 million) and adjusted EBITDA fell by 22.4% to 315 million pounds.
Heathrow said it had 3.2 billion pounds in liquidity, sufficient to maintain the business at least over the next 12 months, even with no passengers.
1 million global recoveries
According to Covid-19 monitoring resource Johns Hopkins University in the US, over one million people around the world have now recovered from the impact and effects of the virus.
UK 'past the peak'
In a press conference held on Thursday evening, British PM Boris Johnson claims that the UK has seen the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. Over 170,000 positive cases have been confirmed in the United Kingdon.
Covid-19: Anti-coronavirus nasal spray, Neumifil, in works in UK
Anti-coronavirus nasal spray, Neumifil, in works in UK
The UK-based company Pneumagen says it is developing a drug that could be effective in blocking the coronavirus' pathway into the lungs.
Hello and welcome to our Covid-19 daily live feed as we bring you the latest news on the global pandemic with updates, statistics and all the latest breaking news from around the world. At the time of writing, the virus has claimed over 230,000 lives with over two million positive cases currently confirmed around the world.