Coronavirus world latest updates, April 24: Trump suggests inserting ‘light’ in bodies of COVID patients

Coronavirus latest updates: US President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that researchers should try to apply their findings to coronavirus patients by inserting ‘light or disinfectant’ into their bodies. The theory comes amid shortage of testing kits and medical staff in the US, where nearly 50,000 people have been killed and over eight lakh people  have been infected. The theory suggests that coronavirus could become less contagious in summer months as it appears to weaken more quickly when exposed to sunlight, heat and humidity.

Global infections have passed 2.7 million, with deaths standing at just under 191,000. The US leads the chart with 869,000 cases, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker. The US also leads global deaths at 49,954. The next worst affected countries are Italy on 25,549 deaths, Spain on 22,157 and France on 21,856.

Philippines extends capital’s lockdown to May 15

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the lockdown in the capital Manila until May 15 to curb coronavirus infections. Manila, a heavily congested city of at least 13 million people, accounts for more than two-thirds of the country’s 6,981 infections and 462 deaths.

 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, rear, holds a meeting with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases in Malacanang, Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo)

US is very close to finding a vaccine for COVID-19, says Trump

“We are very close to testing… when testing starts it takes a period of time but we will get it done,” Trump said as he plans phased reopening of economy in the US.  “Safe and phased reopening of our economy — it’s very exciting, but it does not mean that we are letting down our guard at all in any way; on the contrary, continued diligence is an essential part of our strategy to get our country back to work to take our country back,” he told reporters at his daily White House news conference on coronavirus.

 U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington,

The data and facts on the ground suggest that the US is making great progress, he said. In 23 states, new cases have declined. In the peak week, 40 per cent of the American counties have seen a rapid decline in new cases. As many as 46 states report a drop in patients showing coronavirus-like symptoms, he said.

11,000 deaths: Ravaged nursing homes in US plead for more testing

After two months and more than 11,000 deaths that have made the nation’s nursing homes some of the most terrifying places to be during the coronavirus crisis, most of them still don’t have access to enough tests to help control outbreaks among their frail, elderly residents. Neither the federal government nor the leader in nursing home deaths, New York, has mandated testing for all residents and staff. An industry group says only about a third of the 15,000 nursing homes in the US have ready access to tests that can help isolate the sick and stop the spread. And homes that do manage to get a hold of tests often rely on luck and contacts.

US plans to test migrants before deporting them

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to begin testing migrants in detention for COVID-19 before deporting them to other countries. ICE will acquire 2,000 testing kits per month from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to screen deportees, the official said, without mentioning the timing.

The move comes amid criticism from foreign governments about receiving migrants infected with the coronavirus. Guatemala said it would stop receiving deportees from the United States after at least 63 returning migrants tested positive for COVID-19, nearly a fifth of all the reported cases in the Central American country. President Alejandro Giammattei said last week the suspension would remain in place until the United States was able to certify people were being sent back virus-free.

Virus pushes US unemployment toward highest since Depression

Unemployment in the US is swelling to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s, with 1 in 6 American workers thrown out of a job, according to new data released Thursday. In response to the deepening economic crisis, the House passed a nearly $500 billion spending package to help buckled businesses and hospitals. More than 4.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, the government reported. In all, roughly 26 million people _ the population of the 10 biggest US cities combined _ have now filed for jobless aid in five weeks, an epic collapse that has raised the stakes in the debate over how and when to ease the shutdowns of factories and other businesses.

South Korea begins export of masks

 Buddhist believers wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus pray while maintaining social distancing during a service at the Chogyesa temple in South Korea, Friday, April 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korea says it will send one million face masks to foreign veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War as it expands efforts to help other countries deal with the coronavirus epidemics while its own caseload slows. South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun during a meeting on Friday said the country could send more masks overseas at a level that doesn’t disrupt domestic supply. South Korea since early March has banned the exports of masks and channeled most domestically produced masks to pharmacies, where people have been limited to buying two masks per week.

The nationwide rationing program was a drastic attempt at calming public anger over shortages and reduce hour-longs lines that formed in stores across the country in previous weeks as infections soared. But Chung said supply has stabilized and that the government will increase the weekly allowance to three masks from next week. South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported six more cases but no new deaths, bringing national totals to 10,703 and 240 fatalities.

Dubai relaxes lockdown measures

Dubai has become the latest city to ease lockdown restrictions, announcing that cafes, restaurants and shopping malls are to reopen with a maximum capacity of 30%. Public transportation services, including the subway, will resume from 26 April.

40 more people test positive in ship docked in Nagasaki

 Italian-operated cruise ship the Costa Atlantica is anchored at a port in Nagasaki, southern Japan, Thursday, April 23, 2020. The Costa Atlantica docked since late January is struck by an onboard coronavirus outbreak in which dozens of crew members found to have infected, sending health officials in the southern Japanese city almost free of the virus scrambling to find clues to how the infections started on the ship. (Kyodo News via AP)

About 40 more crew of an Italian cruise ship docked in Nagasaki, southwestern Japan, have tested positive for the coronavirus, public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday, bringing the total to about 90. The Costa Atlantica was taken into a shipyard in Nagasaki in late February after the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled plans for scheduled repairs in China. Nagasaki officials have said they hoped to complete testing of all 623 crew soon.