Coronavirus global news summary: cases and deaths - 13 May
Coronavirus live global: latest Covid-19 news - Wednesday 13 May
This global Covid-19 daily feed is now closed. For the latest news and updates on the pandemic follow our Thursday 14 May live blog here.
China reports three new Covid-19 cases, down from seven yesterday
China reported three new coronavirus cases for 13 May - down from seven cases a day earlier, the country's health commission said. All of the new cases were locally transmitted - two in the northeastern Liaoning province and one in Jilin province that borders Liaoning, the National Health Commission said in a statement on Thursday.
The number of new asymptomatic cases rose to 12 from eight a day earlier. The total number of cases now stands at 82,929 while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,633.
Japan to end state of emergency for most regions - but not Tokyo
Japan is expected to lift the state of emergency for 39 of its 47 prefectures on Thursday, local media reported, while the capital Tokyo is set to keep restrictions in place until it sees a convincing containment of the coronavirus. The world's third-largest economy declared a nationwide state of emergency a month ago, urging citizens to reduce person-to-person contact by 80% in an effort to slow the pace of new infections and ease the strain on medical services.
Japan has reported 16,100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, excluding those from a cruise ship previously quarantined in Yokohama, and 696 deaths to date from the disease it causes, Covid-19, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Brazil registers record 11,385 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday
Brazil confirmed a daily record 11,385 new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, as well as 749 new deaths, according to data from the country's health ministry.
Brazil has now registered 188,974 cases since the outbreak began, passing France's tally of 177,700 confirmed and suspected cases to become the sixth hardest-hit country in the world.
Trump: Democrat's Hero Act, DOA
President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House said the new rescue package put forward by the Democrat's yesterday, the Hero Act, was "DOA. Dead on Arrival. And Nancy Pelosi knew that".
Peru President says coronavirus has peaked
Peru's rate of coronavirus cases is peaking and will begin a slow decline, President Martin Vizcarra said today, as the country moves into a final stage of lockdown more than two months after the first case was detected in the country. Lockdown is due to be lifted on 24 May.
Peru, which has the second highest rate of coronavirus cases in Latin America, will continue to enforce social distancing, particularly in markets, banks and public transportation.
Coronavirus cases in Peru rose to 76,306 on Wednesday, up by 4,247 from a day earlier. The death toll was 2,169, up by 112, according to data from the Ministry of Health. Only Brazil has a higher infection rate in Latin America, at 177,589 confirmed cases.
Hot weather does not kill Covid-19, scientist claims
It was thought that the novel coronavirus could not survive temperatures over 36°C, but those claims have been refuted by Professor Albert Rizvanov, director of the Clinical Research Center for Precision and Regenerative Medicine at Kazan Federal University.
"Low temperatures do increase the virus’ability to survive - the optimal temperature for the virus is 4-8°C. When air temperature increases, the virus becomes less stable, but not by a significant amount. However, the virus is most often transmitted by air (through talking, sneezing, coughing or just breathing), body contact or contact with recently contaminated surfaces. Those actions happen too fast for the virus to decompose even in summer temperatures," Rizvanov explained to TASS.
Coronavirus may become endemic, says WHO
The World Health Organisation has warned that the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, could be come endemic, like HIV.
"It is important to put this on the table: This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away," said Mike Ryan, the WHO's emergencies expert.
"I think it is important we are realistic and I don’t think anyone can predict when this disease will disappear. I think there are no promises in this and there are no dates. This disease may settle into a long problem, or it may not be," continued Ryan.
He noted that while there were great hopes for a vaccine, there are many other illness, such as measles, where vaccines exist but the disease has not been eliminated.
France's death toll now over 27,000
France's cumulative death toll from coronavirus infection rose by 83 or 0.3% to 27,074 on Wednesday, with the rate of increase slowing after accelerating the three previous days, pulling the country back behind Spain in the fatalities ranking order.
The health ministry said in a statement the number of people in hospital with coronavirus infectionfell again to 21,071 from 21,595 on Tuesday, continuing an uninterrupted downward trend now entering its fifth week.
On the third day after the end of a 55-day lockdown, the number of people in intensive care also continued a similar downtrend and fell by 114 or 4.7% to 2,428. Confirmed cases were up 0.4% at 140,374.
Testing 11 million people in Wuhan
The entire population of Wuhan, where the coronavirus pandemic started, is to be tested for the virus after a further outbreak. The city in Hubei province had reported no cases since early April but a cluster of six new patients was confirmed at the weekend. The authorities are now planning "10 days of battle" to stamp out the new cases.
Catalan capital to stay in phase '0'
The Catalan health board have requested that the metropolitan area of Barcelona remain in the initial 'phase 0' deeming that the city is not yet ready to advance as lockdown restrictions ease in other parts of Spain.
Bundesliga: return date, kick-off times, TV schedule, how and where to watch
Bundesliga returns on Saturday
With global sports fans desperate for live football on TV, the Bundesliga is the first major European league to restart after the coronavirus lockdown.
Here's how you can stay abreast with all the info for following the German top flight this weekend.
Consternation in Japan as sumo wrestler dies
Shobushi is reported to have been the first sumo wrestler to die from the virus and the first person in his 20s to succumb to the virus.
Three-day-old baby dies in UK after mother infected
A three-day-old baby has died at a hospital in Bridgend, Wales, after his mother tested positive for the coronavirus. Maternal Covid-19 was listed as a secondary cause of death, the BBC has reported. He is believed to be the youngest coronavirus victim in the United Kingdom.
UK registers 494 new coronavirus deaths
The UK's Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed that 494 people died of Covid-19 between Tuesday and Wednesday, taking the country's total death toll to 33,186. Overall, there have been 229,705 positive coronavirus tests in the UK so far.
"He doesn’t even care how many people die"
Speaking on BBC Newsnight, actor Robert de Niro has laid into Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, branding the American president a “lunatic” and describing the 73-year-old’s handling of the crisis as "appalling".
A security guard uses a handheld scanner to take the temperature of a customer wanting to enter an Asian supermarket in the Chinatown district of London, as life in Britain continues during the coronavirus pandemic. Britain implemented its Covid-19 lockdown - which is only just starting to be slowly eased - on 23 March. Britain's economy shrank in the first quarter at the fastest pace since the 2008 financial crisis as the country went into lockdown, official data showed Wednesday, leaving it on the brink of recession with a far worse contraction to come. (Photo: ISABEL INFANTES/AFP)
Slight rise in Spain's daily death toll
Spain's daily coronavirus death toll edged up from 176 on Tuesday to 184 on Wednesday, the country's health ministry has confirmed. In all, 27,104 people have died of Covid-19 in Spain, where there have been a total of 228,691 confirmed cases.
Russia records over 10,000 new cases again
Russia registered more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases for the 11th consecutive day on Wednesday, bringing the country's total infections count to over 240,000. Only the United States has recorded more total cases than Russia, where around 2,200 people have died of Covid-19.
A health agency official, seen alongside his disinfectant dispenser, rests by the entrance to a public toilet as other colleagues (not pictured) conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for the coronavirus at a bus station in Bandung, West Java. (Photo by TIMUR MATAHARI / AFP)
How easing of lockdown restrictions varies throughout UK
As of today in England, people are being allowed out for unlimited exercise and limited socialising, while businesses are being encouraged to reopen. Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, however, the lockdown measures are not being eased to the same extent.
Here, courtesy of the Guardian, is a guide of how lockdown rules vary in each country in the UK:
"Decoding the Indian government's economic package"
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has announced a $266 billion stimulus package, worth about 10% of the country’s GDP, aimed at helping labourers and small businesses. Here, the BBC’s Arunoday Mukharji takes a closer look at exactly what should be expected from the initiative:
Second stimulus check: Democrats announce $3 trillion coronavirus aid package
Democrats pushing for $3 trillion Covid-19 relief bill
US Democrats have proposed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill that includes funding for state and local governments and more direct stimulus payments for Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Full story:
US senators threaten China sanctions over Covid-19
US Republican senators have proposed legislation that would enable Donald Trump to hit China with sanctions if the country does not give a "full accounting" for the outbreak of the coronavirus.
"The Chinese Communist Party must be held accountable for the detrimental role they played in this pandemic," said Senator Jim Inhofe, one of the backers of the ‘COVID-19 Accountability Act’.
"Their outright deception of the origin and spread of the virus cost the world valuable time and lives as it began to spread," Inhofe added.
Brazil records deadliest day yet
Brazil’s total of just over 12,400 coronavirus deaths is the six-highest in the world, after the South American country registered a record 881 fatalities in 24 hours on Tuesday. In all, there have now been more than 178,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Brazil, where president Jair Bolsonaro is nevertheless pushing for the reopening of businesses such as gyms and hair salons despite resistance from state governors.
Coronavirus live coverage: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which has now registered just over 4.25 million cases and nearly 300,000 deaths.
We'll endeavour to bring you the latest developments and statistics as they emerge throughout the day.