Re: Coronavirus Updates

[The Invisible]

86,655 new cases higher than previous 24 hours
7,284 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours.

USA continue to have highest fatalities having 1,900 for last 24 hours & 33,536 new cases identified
France had 1,341 deaths
Spain & Italy again have 600+ deaths
UK 881 deaths

[nihal123Top contributor]

කොරෝනා වයිරසයේ ප්‍රභේද 3 ක් ගැන පර්යේෂණයකින් තහවුරු වෙයි


මාරාන්තික කොවිඩ් - 19 වයිර‍සයේ ප්‍රභේද තුනක් ලෝකයේ පැතිරෙමින් තිබෙන බව බ්‍රිතාන්‍යයේ කේම්බ්‍රිජ් විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය කරන ලද පර්යේෂණයකින් තහවුරු වී ඇත.

එම විශ්වවිද්‍යාල‍යේ පර්යේෂකයන් පිරිසක් දෙසැම්බර් සිට මාර්තු මාසය දක්වා සිදුකරන ලද වයිරසයේ ජාන ඉතිහාසය අධ්‍යයනයෙන් මෙම නිගමනයට එළැඹ ඇත. ඔවුන් පවසන්නේ කොවිඩ් - 19 වයිරසයේ එකිනෙකට සුළු වෙනස්කම් සහිත ප්‍රභේද තුනක් හඳුනාගත් බවයි.

පැන්ගෝලියන් සත්ත්වයකු හරහා වවුලන්ගෙන් මිනිසාට සම්ප්‍රේෂණය වන්නට ඇතැයි දැනට විශ්වාස කරන මුල් ප්‍රභේදය කේම්බ්‍රිජ් විශ්වවිද්‍යාල පර්යේෂකයන් විසින් හඳුන්වා ඇත්තේ (ඒ) ප්‍රභේදය ලෙසිනි. එසේ වුව ද එය චීනයේ සුලභ ප්‍රභේදයක් වී නැත. චීනයේ වසංගතය පැතිරයාමට ප්‍රධාන වශයෙන් හේතු වී ඇත්තේ (බී) ප්‍රභේදයයි. එය දෙසැම්බර් මාසයේ අවසානය දක්වා චීනයේ සංසරණය වී තිබේ.

එසේ වුව ද පර්යේෂණයේ ප්‍රතිඵල අනුව පැහැදිලිවන්නේ මේ වනවිට ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාවේ සහ ඇමෙරිකා එක්සත් ජනපදයේ පැතිරෙමින් පවතින්නේ (ඒ) නමැති ප්‍රභේදය බවයි. එම ප්‍රභේදය ආසාදනය වීමෙන් රෝගී වූ 400,000කට වඩා වැඩි පිරිසක් සිටින බවත් ඔවුන් පවසයි. ඇමෙරිකාවේ ආසාදිතයන් අතරින් තුනෙන් දෙකක කොටසක් ආසාදනය වී ඇත්තේ කොවිඩ් - 19 වයිරසයේ A ප්‍රභේදය හේතුවෙනි. එම රෝගීන් වැඩි පිරිසක් වාර්තා වී ඇත්තේ බටහිර වෙරළ තීරයෙනි. නිව්යෝර්ක්වලින් එම ප්‍රභේදයෙන් ආසාදනය වූ රෝගීන් වාර්තා වී ඇත්තේ සුළු වශයෙනි.

කේම්බ්‍රිජ් විද්‍යාඥයන් පවසන්නේ ඇමරිකාවෙන් ලබාගත් සාම්පල 310 ක් අතරින් රෝගීන් තුනෙන් දෙකක් ආසාදනය වී ඇත්තේ (ඒ) ප්‍රභේදයෙන් බවයි.

එසේ වුව ද නැව්වල දී රෝගී වූ ඇමෙරිකානුවන් ගේ බහුලව දක්නට ඇත්තේ (බී) ප්‍රභේදයයි.

පර්යේෂණ කණ්ඩායමේ ප්‍රධානි ආචාර්ය පීටර් ෆෝස්ටර් පවසන්නේ බ්‍රිතාන්‍යයේ වැඩිපුර දක්නට ලැබෙන්නේ (බී) ප්‍රභේද හේතුවෙන් ආසාදනය වූවන් බවයි. ස්විට්සර්ලන්තය, ජර්මනිය, ප්‍රංශය, බෙල්ජියම සහ නෙදර්ලන්තය යන රටවල ද වැඩිපුර දක්නට ලැබෙන්නේ (බී) ප්‍රභේදයෙන් ආසාදනය වූවන් බව ඔහු පවසයි.

බ්‍රිතාන්‍යයෙන් වාර්තා වූ පළමු රෝගියා සහ ඔහුගේ මව ආසාදනය වී ඇත්තේ (ඒ) ප්‍රභේදයේ වයිරසයෙනි. මොවුන්ට ආසාදනය චීනයෙන් පැමිණි බව ද දැනට තහවුරු වූ කරුණකි.

එංගලන්තයේ, ස්කොට්ලන්තයේ හෝ වේල්සයේ සාම්පලවල (ඒ) ප්‍රභේදය බහුලව නොමැති අතර වයිරස ආසාදිතයන් 40ක් අතරින් 30කට ආසන්න ප්‍රමාණයක් B ප්‍රභේදයෙන් ආසාදනය වී තිබිණි.

බ්‍රිතාන්‍යයෙන් වාර්තා වී ඇති අනෙකුත් සිද්ධීන් (සී) ප්‍රභේදයේ වන අතර එම ප්‍රභේදය නැගෙනහිර ආසියාව දක්වා පැතිර පවතින බව තහවුරු වී තිබේ. බ්‍රිතාන්‍යයේ පළමු රෝගියා සිංගප්පූරුවේ ව්‍යාපාරික සමුළුවකට ගොස් පැමිණ සසෙකස් හි විශාල සංඛ්‍යාවක් ආසාදනය කර ඇති බව වාර්තා වෙයි.

පර්යේෂකයන් පවසන්නේ කොවිඩ් - 19 වයිරසයේ (බී) ප්‍රභේදය වෙනස් වී (සී) ප්‍රභේදය නිර්මාණය වී තිබෙන බවයි. (සී) ප්‍රභේදය සිංගප්පූරුව හරහා යුරෝපය දක්වා පැතිර පවතී.

ජාත්‍යන්තර PNAS සඟාරාවේ ප්‍රකාශයට පත්කර ඇති දත්තවලින් පැහැදිලි වන්නේ (සී) ප්‍රභේදය යුරෝපයේ වඩාත් සුලභ බවයි. නමුත් දත්ත අනුව (සී) ප්‍රභේදයට වඩා වේගයෙන් (බී) ප්‍රභේදය ව්‍යාප්තවන බව පෙනීයයි. මේ බව තහවුරු කරගෙන ඇත්තේ නිව්යොර්ක් හි වැඩි දෙනකු යුරෝපයෙන් පැමිණි බව සොයාගත් පසු සිදුකෙරුණු අධ්‍යයනයකිනි.

පර්යේෂකන්ගේ අදහස වී ඇත්තේ සාර්ස් රෝගයට හේතු වූ SARS-CoV-2 වයිරසය විවිධ රටවල දී වෙනස් වූ ආකාරයටම කොවිඩ් - 19 වයිරසය ද වෙනස් නිරන්තරවම වෙනස් වෙමින් පවතින බවයි. විවිධ රටවල ඒ ඒ ජන කොටස්වල ප්‍රතිශක්තීකරණ පද්ධතියේ ඇති ප්‍රතිරෝධයන් මඟහරවා වයිරසය එලෙස වෙනස්වන බව ඔවුහු කියති.

එසේ වුවත් ඇතැම් පර්යේෂකයන් මෙම තොරතුරු අභියෝගයට ලක්කරමින් පවසන්නේ අධ්‍යයනය සඳහා යොදාගෙන ඇත්තේ ඉතා සීමිත දත්ත ප්‍රමාණයක් බැවින් ඉන් ස්ථිර නිගමනයට එළැඹිය නොහැකි බවයි. මෙම පර්යේෂණය සඳහා යොදාගෙන ඇත්තේ ලොව පුරා රෝගීන් 160 දෙනකුගේ සාම්පල පමණි.

ඒ සම්බන්ධ පැහැදිලි අවබෝධයක් ලබාගැනීමට නම් කො‍රෝනා ආසාදිතයන් 1,000කට වැඩි පිරිසකගේ දත්ත ලබාගෙන ඒවා විශ්ලේෂණය කිරීමට සිදුවන බව මෙම පර්යේෂණයේ සමාලෝචනයේ ම දැක්වේ.

කෙසේ වෙතත් වූහානවලට පිටතින් විවිධ ප්‍රදේශවලට සිටි මිනිසුන්ගේ සිරුරු තුළ මේ වයිරසය වේගයෙන් විකෘති වී තිබේ. මෙයින් තහවුරු වන්නේ බටහිර රවටල ජනතාව තුළ ඇති ප්‍රතිශක්තීකරණය ජයගැනීම සඳහා වයිරසය විකෘති වෙමින් වෙනස් වී ඇති බවයි.
චීනය විසින් කොවිඩ් - 19 ආසාදිතයන් වාර්තා කිරීමටත් පෙර වයිරසය විකෘති වී ඇති බව දැනට සොයාගෙන තිබේ. චීනය හඳුනානොගත් වයිරසයක් පැතිරෙමින් තිබෙන බව මුලින්ම නිවේදනය කළේ 2019 වර්ෂයේ දෙසැම්බර් 31 වැනි දා ය.

ආචාර්ය ෆෝස්ටර් මෙසේ පවසයි. ''වූහාන් හි බහුතරයක් (බී) ප්‍රභේදයේ ආසාදිතයන්. පසුව (සී) ප්‍රභේදය බිහිවී එය සිංගප්පූරුව හරහා ව්‍යාප්ත වී තිබෙනවා. මේ (සී) වර්ගය විකෘතියක් නොවෙයි. නමුත් නියැදිය ඉතා කුඩායි. මේ ගැන අපි ප්‍රවේශම් විය යුතුයි. අපි මේ පර්යේෂණය සඳහා යොදාගත් දත්ත ඉතා කුඩායි. සෑම රටකම වාර්තා වී සිටින රෝගීන් දස දහස් ගණන් සැළකූ විට එය ඉතා කුඩා අගයක් වනවා. රෝගීන් සියලු දෙනාගේ දත්ත නැහැ. විශේෂයෙන්ම චීනයේ විශ්ලේෂණය කළ දත්තවලින් අපිට පැහැදිලි වුණේ (බී) ප්‍රභේදය බහුලයි කියා. නමුත් සියලු දෙනා විශ්ලේෂණය කළා නම් අපිට කියන්න වෙන්න ඉඩ තිබුණා (ඒ) ප්‍රභේදයේ රෝගීන් වැඩියි කියලා. අපිට පර්යේෂණ සඳහා සියලු දෙනා යොදා ගන්න බැහැ අපි ගන්නේ නියැදියක් විතරයි. මේ ප්‍රතිඵලය අපි විශ්ලේෂණය කරන්නේ එලෙස ලබාගත් නියැදියට අනුව."

(ඬේලි මේල් ඇසුරිණි - 085)

[The Invisible]

Sri Lanka Coronavirus burglary cluster takes Covid-19 count to 197

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka has confirmed 197 Coronavirus by late night on April 10, the Health Ministry said after several people in a cluster relating to a burglar was found be infected with Covid-19.

Earlier in the week a person who allegedly tried to burgle a house in Sri Lanka’s Ja-Ela area was caught by residents and beaten and the person ended up in Ragama hospital, media reports said.

Sri Lanka’s Navy and the Police Special Task Force then cordoned and searched area to find his contacts.

“This person did not have a telephone so it was difficult to find his associates,” Sri Lanka’s Army Commander Shavendra Silva told Derana TV, a privately run television Channel

His associates had been found and because they were running around during home isolation 28 were taken to a quarantine centre in Oluvil by the Navy.

Of them 05 were found to be infected.

The wife of the index case was also confirmed to have the Covid-19.

The area in Ja-Ela remains under close watch with movements restricted he said.

Sri Lanka has been aggressively chasing contacts of infected persons and kept down community transmission.

The Ja-Ela area which is in Sri Lanka’ Western Province is under indefinite curfew as a designated high risk area.

The island has also been put under curfew with Jaffna, Kandy, Colombo, Kaluthara, Puttalam and Gampaha, put under curfew to stop the clusters from expanding.

It was not clear how the Ja-Ela person got infected. Persons who have not come abroad, or are not connected to previously identified persons is evidence that there may be other infected persons running loose. (Colombo/Apr11/2020)

[The Invisible]

Global Coronavirus deaths top 100,000 ahead of locked-down Easter

AFP – The global coronavirus death toll topped 100,000 Friday as Easter celebrations around the world kicked off in near-empty churches with billions of people stuck indoors to halt the pandemic’s deadly march.

The grim milestone came as the World Health Organization issued a dire warning that prematurely lifting lockdown restrictions — affecting more than half the planet’s population — could spark a dangerous resurgence of the disease.

Extraordinary measures from New York to Naples to New Delhi have seen businesses and schools closed in a desperate bid to halt the virus’s spread, and the IMF has said the world now faces the worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

More than 1.6 million people have been infected globally and the death toll hit 100,859 on Friday — with nearly 70 percent of fatal cases in hard-hit Europe.

The United States, now the pandemic’s epicenter, became the first country to record more than 2,000 virus deaths in one day, with 2,108 fatalities according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.

The US has seen 18,586 deaths overall and is closing in on the toll of 18,849 dead in Italy, which has the most fatalities so far in the pandemic.

America is also approaching half a million confirmed cases of COVID-19, by far the most of any country.

Officials in the US and Europe nevertheless expressed some hope the curve could be starting to flatten.

US President Donald Trump said that with his country’s infection trajectory “near the peak” and social distancing working well, he was considering ways to open up the world’s biggest economy “as soon as possible.”

“Without question it’s the biggest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Trump said.

He acknowledged the “risk” of increased death tolls if shuttered businesses re-open too soon.

“But you know what? Staying at home leads to death also,” he said, highlighting the massive economic cost to millions of Americans.

Easter celebrations that would normally see churches packed with parishioners were replaced by an eerie emptiness Friday.

Even such hallowed traditions as the pope’s Easter message are being revamped — Pope Francis will live-stream from the seclusion of his private library.

“We have to respond to our confinement with all our creativity,” the pontiff said. “We can either get depressed and alienated… or we can get creative.”

Worshippers in Germany embraced social distancing orders to celebrate Good Friday at a drive-in service in Dusseldorf.

“It was a sad feeling at first,” Catholic priest Frank Heidkamp told AFP, as hundreds gathered in a parking lot.

With this car service we’re trying to create a little bit of community.”

– ‘Deadly resurgence’ –

More than four billion people are confined to their homes as governments worldwide have imposed never-before-seen measures to halt the virus.

This week, China started to ease months-old lockdown orders in Wuhan, where the outbreak started in December.

Like Trump, governments in Europe are facing pressure to strike a balance between keeping their populations safe and battering economies already bruised by widespread shutdowns.

The WHO issued a stern warning Friday.

“I know that some countries are already planning the transition out of stay-at-home restrictions,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence. The way down can be as dangerous as the way up if not managed properly.”

Some countries, especially in Asia, worry about a possible second wave of infections imported from travellers as life creeps back to normal.

Trump said he would name a new “opening our country task force” on Tuesday as he seeks a rapid return to economic stability.

But the government’s top infectious disease specialist, Anthony Fauci, said that despite signs of progress, “this is not the time… to be pulling back at all” on social distancing efforts.
– Boris Johnson walking –

In some countries, glimmers of hope may be emerging.

Spain, the third hardest-hit country, saw its lowest 24-hour toll in 17 days, after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the “fire started by the pandemic is starting to come under control”.

France reported nearly 1,000 new deaths Friday, but the number of patients in intensive care fell for the second straight day.

Italy’s toll neared 19,000 Friday, the highest in the world, but daily rises in new infections have slowed dramatically.

Still, the government said it would extend lockdown orders until May 3.

Britain’s toll climbed too, with 980 new deaths, and the government resisted calls to ease lockdown measures.

But spirits were lifted there Friday when virus-stricken Prime Minister Boris Johnson showed signs of recovery after a three-day stay in intensive care following his COVID-19 diagnosis in late March.

“The Prime Minister has been able to do short walks, between periods of rest,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
– Oil prices –

The fallout is shaking every corner of the financial world, and the IMF, which has $1 trillion in lending capacity, said it was responding to calls from 90 countries for emergency financing.

G20 energy ministers pledged to work together to ensure oil “market stability” and major oil producers agreed to cut output. A dramatic slump in demand, exacerbated by a Saudi-Russia price war, has sent prices crashing to a near two-decade low.

In much of the developing world, there are fears the worst is still to come.

War-torn Yemen, which has been experiencing one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises, reported its first case.

Authorities in Brazil, which on Friday became the latest country to record 1,000 coronavirus deaths, confirmed the first fatalities in Rio de Janeiro’s slums, where overcrowding and poor sanitation have raised fears of a catastrophe.

[The Invisible]

As of now ...

Coronavirus Cases:
1,699,632

Deaths:
102,734

Recovered:
376,330

[The Invisible]

95,882 new cases higher than previous 24 hours
7,009 more deaths slightly lower than previous 24 hours.

USA continue to have highest fatalities having 2,035 for last 24 hours & 33,752 new cases identified. USA is the first country to report more than 2,000 deaths in a day. And USA became the first country to report half a million infections so far.
France had 987 deaths
UK 980 deaths their highest so far for a day
Spain 634 new deaths

[The Invisible]

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
1,780,312

Deaths:
108,826

Recovered:
404,029

[The Invisible]

80,680 new cases lower than previous 24 hours
6,092 more deaths lower than previous 24 hours.

USA continue to have highest fatalities having 1,830 for last 24 hours & 20,577 total deaths becoming the country with highest deaths surpassing Italy. Further 30,003 new cases identified making total cases in USA to 532,879.
France had 635 deaths
UK 917 deaths slightly less than their highest
Italy 619 new deaths

[The Invisible]

Coronavirus: latest global developments, US worst hit, mass graves in New York

AFP – Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– US becomes the worst hit country –

The United States becomes the country worst hit by the coronavirus, both in terms of recorded cases and deaths.

– Toll tops 107,000 worldwide –

More than 107,000 people have died worldwide from the coronavirus in 193 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally around 1900 GMT Saturday based on official sources.

There have been more than 1.7 million reported infections, although the true number is probably significantly higher, as many countries are only testing the most serious cases.

The United States now has the highest recorded death toll with 19,882 according to the AFP tally. It is followed by Italy with 19,468 Spain with 16,353, France with 13,832 and Britain with 9,875.

– Mass graves –

Unclaimed bodies of victims are being buried in unmarked mass graves on Hart Island in New York, officials confirm.

Authorities have used the site for more than 150 years to bury unclaimed bodies, unidentified people and residents whose families could not afford a private burial.

The New York Times reports that around 25 people are being buried there a day. Before the outbreak it was 25 a week.

– Confinement goes on –

The World Health Organization warns that prematurely lifting lockdown restrictions could spark a dangerous resurgence of the disease.

– Iran loosens restrictions –

Iran allows small businesses outside the capital to reopen, and Iranians in several provinces report a significant increase in cars on the roads as people go back to work.

The measure has been criticised by medical experts.

– India extends lockdown –

India announces an extension of its nationwide lockdown, keeping citizens in the world’s second-most populous country confined for two more weeks.

– Easter on screen –

Celebrations for Easter weekend around the world kick off as billions of people are stuck indoors, traditional ceremonies are cancelled and churches lie empty.

Pope Francis will livestream his Easter message from the seclusion of his private library.

– Flights postponed –

Latin America’s biggest airline, the Brazilian-Chilean group LATAM, announces it is suspending all international flights until May.

– Apple and Google join forces –

Google and Apple announce they have teamed up for a joint initiative to develop a coronavirus smartphone “contact tracing” tool that could potentially alert people when they have crossed paths with an infected person.

[The Invisible]

Virus cases, deaths rise in India’s biggest slum

AFP – Coronavirus cases in Mumbai’s densely populated Dharavi slum — one of Asia’s biggest — have risen to 43 including four deaths, officials said Sunday, as they ramp up testing in a race to contain its spread.

Since the first virus death in early April, Indian authorities have stepped up measures to close off areas where cases have emerged in Dharavi, which is home to around a million people.

But 15 new cases and one death were reported overnight, taking the number of infections to 43 in the neighbourhood made famous by the 2008 Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”, Mumbai council spokesman Vijay Khabale-Patil said Sunday.

Testing sites have also been set up in recent days to pick up asymptomatic carriers of the virus, Khabale-Patil said, adding that “as a result more positive cases have emerged”.

“We have been running extensive medical camps in Dharavi and other areas of Mumbai to test more people for coronavirus and make sure carriers are not ignored just because they don’t display symptoms,” he told AFP Saturday.

Local officials also closed all shops, except pharmacies, near so-called “containment zones” in Dharavi from Friday to limit the number of people in public spaces.

India has been in a nationwide lockdown since March 25.

Some states including Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, said Saturday that the strict measures — due to be lifted on April 15 — would be extended until the end of the month.

“The state will show the way to the country even in these tough times,” Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said on extending the lockdown in his state.

“On Monday, we will complete five weeks since the first case of coronavirus was reported in the state. We can say that till now we have been successful in preventing the multiplication of the number of cases up to some extent.”

Maharashtra has the highest number of cases among India’s states and territories, at 1,761 including 127 deaths. India’s overall toll on Sunday stood at 8,356 infections including 273 deaths.

The Indian Council of Medical Research, the scientific agency leading the government’s response, on Sunday said testing was increasing, with more than 15,500 samples taken daily since last week.

The health ministry added that India now had 105,000 dedicated COVID-19 beds in 601 hospitals across the vast nation of 1.3 billion people, official Lav Agarwal said.

“As numbers grow in India… (we are) being overprepared, being extra-cautious,” Lav Agarwal told reporters.

Experts have warned that coronavirus could spread like wildfire in slums where social distancing and self-isolation are all but impossible.

Dharavi’s population density is thought to be 270,000 people per square kilometre, according to the World Economic Forum.

[The Invisible]

Sri Lanka universities to open starting from May 04, Coronavirus count reaches 210 – Updated

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s Coronavirus count reached 210 on April 12, with 7 new persons being confirmed as officials ramped up testing of contacts in quarantine in a bid to stop community transmission of Covid-19.

By April 12, 58 infected persons had recovered.

The seven new confirmed cases were from people already in quarantine centres, the head of Sri Lanka’s health service Anil Jasinghe said.

On Saturday 208 samples were taken from the Punani quarantine centre, the head of Sri Lanka’s health service Jasinghe said said on Sunday morning, which was the highest from a single location.

From Colombo 63 samples were taken, from Colombo 06, Amparai 10, Gampaha 06, Jaffna 03, where results were expected on Sunday.

Tests of 58 persons who had contact with a gem merchant in Ratnapura had been negative.

Jasinghe said while testing had been ramped up, the number of new cases had not been going up.

Almost all of the confirmed cases up to Saturday had been those connected to confirmed cases.

Sri Lanka said Universities would be opened in stages from May 04 for academic and non-academic staff being asked to report for work.

On May 11 final year students would be asked to come. All students are to come on May 18.

The April holidays for schools and been extended till May 10.

Sri Lanka has been aggressively testing and tracing contacts like Korea and Vietnam.
(Colombo/Apr12/2020)

[The Invisible]

Coronavirus: latest global developments, 112,000 deaths, 1.8mn infections

Facts Health | virus | world

Paris, France | AFP | Sunday 4/13/2020 – 03:39 UTC+5 | 490 words

UPDATES toll, ADDS OPEC deal

Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis:

– China imported cases rise –

China records its highest daily toll of imported virus cases, confirming 97 new infections.

– Over 112,000 dead worldwide –

At least 112,510 people have died worldwide from the coronavirus in over 190 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally around 1900 GMT Sunday based on official sources.

There have been 1,824,950 reported infections since the virus emerged in China in December

The United States has 21,489 deaths, making it the hardest-hit country. It also has the highest number of reported infections with 546,874 cases.

With 77,129 deaths out of 932,205 diagnosed cases, Europe is the hardest-hit continent. Italy has 19,899 deaths, Spain 16,972, France 14,393 and Britain 10,612.

– Spectre of recession –

The World Bank warns South Asia is on course for its worst economic performance in 40 years, with decades of progress in the battle against poverty at risk.

It slashes its growth forecast for the region this year to 1.8-2.8 percent from its pre-pandemic projection of 6.3 percent, with at least half the countries falling into “deep recession”.

– ‘Easter of solitude’ –

Pope Francis livestreams Easter Sunday mass to the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics, from an empty Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

He calls for a reduction or forgiveness of poor nation’s debts and an “immediate” ceasefire in global conflicts.

In Jerusalem, a handful of priests celebrate Easter at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest site in Christianity, closed this Easter for the first time in at least a century.

– Confinement goes on –

Lebanon extends its lockdown until April 26.

Syria extends the closure of schools and universities until May 2.

Argentina extends its obligatory confinement until April 26 in big cities, but considers relaxing the measures in rural areas.

– UK PM out of hospital –

Britain’s virus-stricken Prime Minister Boris Johnson is discharged from hospital after spending three days in intensive care.

Downing Street says that on the advice of his medical team, he will not immediately return to work and will recover at Chequers, the country estate for British prime ministers.

Johnson had earlier praised staff treating him in a state-run hospital.

– Aid –

Canadian lawmakers pass a wage subsidy programme heralded as the largest economic measure in the country since World War II, to help businesses and their employees.

The British government says £200 million (228 million euros) additional aid will go to British charities and international organisations to assist developing countries fight COVID-19 and help prevent a second wave.

– Oil deal –

Top oil-producing countries agree to record output cuts in order to boost plummeting oil prices due to the coronavirus crisis and a Russia-Saudi price war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump hail the new OPEC-plus oil deal as if “great importance”.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo describes the cuts as “historic”.

[The Invisible]

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
1,853,155

Deaths:
114,247

Recovered:
423,625

[The Invisible]

72,843 new cases lower than previous 24 hours
5,421 more deaths lower than previous 24 hours.

USA continue to have highest fatalities having 1,528 for last 24 hours & 22,105 total deaths . Further 27,421 new cases identified making total cases in USA to 560,300 despite president Trump continue to inject money to the economy rather than the country's health system and not taking measures to lock down the country like China did.
France had 635 deaths
UK 737 deaths slightly less than previous 24 hours
Spain 603 new deaths
France 561 new deaths
Italy 431 new deaths and 4,092 new cases their lowest in many days.

[The Invisible]

Four more COVID 19 cases detected – all associates of Beruwela patient

ECONOMYNEXT – Four people who had closely associated with the COVID 19 patient detected in Beruwela have tested positive for the virus the Health Department said.

The Director-General Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe is quoted in a press release issued by the government this evening as saying that the total number detected as confirmed cases since the outbreak is now 214.

The four new cases are currently in quarantine at the Punani Centre, the release added.

As 56 patients have been discharged after making a full recovery the number of active COVID 19 cases in the hospitals is 151. Sri Lanka has recorded 7 deaths from the virus.

The number of patients who are in hospital under observation are 117.

The state sector health service has since this week aggressively increased the number of tests it is conducting on patients entering a hospital for other ailments as well.

This is in an attempt to thwart a possible secondary outbreak of the disease. (Colombo, April 13)

[The Invisible]

Police collect nearly 800 bodies from Ecuador’s virus epicenter

AFP – Ecuador said police have removed almost 800 bodies in recent weeks from homes in Guayaquil, the epicenter of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, after the disease overwhelmed emergency services, hospitals and funeral parlours.

Mortuary workers in the Pacific port city have been unable to cope with a backlog, with residents posting videos on social media showing abandoned bodies in the streets.

“The number we have collected with the task force from people’s homes exceeded 700 people,” said Jorge Wated, who leads a team of police and military personnel created by the government to help with the chaos unleashed by COVID-19.

He later said Sunday on Twitter that the joint task force, in operation for the past three weeks, had retrieved 771 bodies from homes and another 631 from hospitals, whose morgues are full.

Wated did not specify the cause of death for the victims, 600 of whom have now been buried by the authorities.

Ecuador has recorded 7,500 cases of the coronavirus since the first diagnosis was confirmed on February 29.

The coastal province of Guayas accounts for over 70 percent of those infected in the country, with 4,000 cases in the capital Guayaquil, according to the national government.

The military and police began removing bodies from homes three weeks after the mortuary system in Guayaquil collapsed, causing delays in forensic services and funeral homes under a 15-hour long daily curfew.

Guayaquil residents posted videos on social media of bodies abandoned in the streets, along with messages asking for help to bury their family members.

The Ecuadorian government has taken on the task of burying bodies, given the inability of relatives to do so for various reasons, including financial ones.

In early April, Wated said “medical experts unfortunately… estimate that COVID-19-related deaths in these m

[The Invisible]

As of now...


Coronavirus Cases:
1,924,679

Deaths:
119,692

Recovered:
445,005

[The Invisible]

71,524 new cases lower than previous 24 hours
5,445 more deaths slightly higher than previous 24 hours.

USA continue to have highest fatalities having 1,535 for last 24 hours with a slight increase over previous 24 hours with 23,640 total deaths . Further 26,641 new cases identified making total cases in USA to 586,941 despite president Trump continue to inject money to the economy rather than the country's health system and not taking measures to lock down the country like China did.
UK had 717 deaths slightly less than previous 24 hours
France had 574 deaths
Italy had 566 new deaths higher than previous 24 hours
Spain 547 new death
Belgium 303 new deaths

Overall we can see reduction in new cases and deaths compared to one week before from European countries but it doesn't mean that the situation is becoming improved.

[The Invisible]

US eyes Coronavirus ‘plateau’ as world weighs cautious reboot

AFP – Coronavirus deaths in the hard-hit United States were flat for a second consecutive day, with New York’s governor saying the “worst is over” as many countries weigh a gradual reopening of their shattered economies.

Since emerging late last year, the coronavirus pandemic has killed around 120,000 and infected nearly two million, tipping the world towards a fierce economic recession as more than half of the globe hunkers down at home.

As countries reach different stages of the coronavirus curve, debate is raging over whether to return to normal life and possibly risk a second wave of infections.

While President Emmanuel Macron extended a tight lockdown in France by another month, Italy and Austria are reopening some shops and Spain is restarting construction and factory work.

In Washington, Trump stunned reporters by playing a campaign-style self-congratulatory video and lashing out at the media during a briefing in which he claimed to have saved “tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of lives”.

The US death toll has hit 23,200 — by far the worst-affected country — but the president said: “It looks like we’re plateauing, and maybe even in many cases coming down.”

He has repeatedly stressed he wants to open the world’s largest economy as swiftly as possible and is expected to announce a plan this week on how to jump-start stalled business.

The president appeared to be supported by the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University showing 1,509 deaths in the country over the past 24 hours — almost identical to the previous day.

In New York, where the virus has killed more than 10,000 people and seen unclaimed victims buried in unmarked mass graves, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the nightmare might be coming to an end for the city.

“The worst is over if we continue to be smart going forward. I believe we can now start on the path to normalcy,” Cuomo told reporters, as Trump said only the president had “the ultimate authority” to reopen businesses.

The economic impact of the crisis in the US and elsewhere could be seen as officials in the southern city of Houston wrapped food in plastic bags and threw them into cars.

“We went to the stores and they are closed. Yes, we had problems to buy food,” said sales assistant Catalina Mendoza Cabrera.

– ‘Opening a valve’ –

In France, one of Europe’s worst-hit countries, Macron said in a televised address the epidemic there was “beginning to steady… (and) hope is returning.”

However, he said a strict lockdown in force since March 17 would continue until May 11 — after which schools and businesses could gradually reopen at a “progressive” rate.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told his citizens they must “endure a little longer” as he also extended a lockdown in key cities saying: “We must not lose the gains achieved thus far.”

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, caught between growing fears over a surge in cases and the need to get the economy moving again, was to make a nationwide statement at 0430 GMT to address the issue.

And in Britain, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recovering after three days in intensive care with the virus, officials warned the peak was still to come and the lockdown there was likely to endure.

In countries seen as further along in the epidemic, life was very gradually beginning the long process of returning to normal, with officials handing out masks to commuters returning to work in Spain.

“It’s wonderful because it’s so necessary and it helps those of us who have to use public transport,” said office worker Jose Antonio Cruces.

Italy will reopen some bookshops and laundries on a trial basis Tuesday, as its number of critically ill patients dropped for the 10th straight day despite the death toll topping 20,000.

Cuomo stressed that rebooting New York’s economy was a “delicate balance”, likening it to “opening a valve”.

“It’s not going to be, we flip the switch, and everybody comes out of their house, gets in their car, waves and hugs each other, and the economy will start.”

And World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned against rushing headlong into reopening everything, stressing that only a vaccine can fully halt the spread.

“Control measures must be lifted slowly… It cannot happen all at once,” he said, noting the coronavirus was 10 times deadlier than the 2009-10 swine flu outbreak.

Australia and New Zealand appeared to be heeding the warning, steeling their citizens for longer restrictions, despite some success in flattening the virus curve.

“We’ve been relatively successful — I don’t want to squander that success or the sacrifices New Zealanders have made,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when asked when the lockdown would be eased.

But there were cautionary tales that the virus is not easily defeated. In China, where the outbreak first reared its head and the government says it has largely curbed the spread of the virus, officials announced scores of new imported infections.

[The Invisible]

Doctors divided over the testing of patients for COVID 19

ECONOMYNEXT- Medical specialists in Sri Lanka are divided about the efficacy of the testing being done in this country to detect patients infected with the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID 19).

The dispute is raging while the government health sector ramps up testing particularly of patients entering some 38 hospitals around the country.

In a recent Television interview, the President of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) Dr Anuruddha Padeniya said only 70 out of 100 people who have the virus could be confirmed as the sensitivity of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test which is currently in use is found to be 70%.

Padeniya also points out that the World Health Organization (WHO) is now asking countries to do multiple tests to identify patients accurately.

This view is contested by Consultant Virologist Dr Jude Jayamaha of the Medical Research Institute.

Speaking to EconomyNext Jayamaha claimed that the “analytical sensitivity and specificity of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is 100% but the clinical sensitivity can differ depending on the patient, illness, quality of the sample and transportation of the sample.”

Jayamaha who is the Head of the National Influenza Laboratory of the Medical Research Insititute said that the Chinese study which is relevant to this statement was done on the
Detections of SARS-CoV-2 in Different Types of Clinical Specimens and it revealed that the nasopharyngeal swab positive rate is 68%.

But it was wrongly interpreted saying that PCR sensitivity is 70% and it can miss 30%,” he added.

Further, he said based on suspicion they have retested over 100 samples even of the dead based.

For example, the husband of the Chinese women was retested as he was found negative in the first instance.

Regarding the two tests which are used worldwide to identify COVID-19 patients, through PCR the virus RNA or DNA, in other words, the genetic material of the virus can be directly tested in respiratory phlegm or respiratory swab.

The other test detects antibodies formed after the patient is infected are found in blood samples.

The PCR needs to be conducted by a highly trained medical officer or medical technician while the antibody test can be done by a pharmacist with a few hours training. It can be offered over the counter in pharmacies to the general public and costs comparatively little.

“PCR is tested early in the disease whereas antibody is tested after some time, so to detect acute cases or control measures maybe it’s not the ideal tool,” Jayamaha said.

But he said after 7 days or 14 days when the PCR cannot detect the virus the antibody test can detect it.

“The main obstacle of the antibody test is tests kits available in some markets are not sensitive,” he said. The Director-General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe is on record as saying the antibody test kits that his department has received “cannot be validated.”

Other reports from the United States and Europe have said some of the Chinese supplied antibody tests were not reliable.

Also, regarding the patients who were found to be infected with COVID-19 after completing the general quarantine period, he said that there could be two reasons for finding infected patients beyond the general observation period of 2-14 days.

The first reason could be since everyone is together in quarantine centres and some stay for 7 days in centres after being self-quarantined for 7 days, those individuals can get exposed as they get on to the bus with the other patients, he said.

“The other reason could be the very rare possibility of going beyond 14 days to show symptoms,” he added.



Dr Jayamaha also said “According to the available data at present, a patient who is cured of COVID-19 would be immune to the virus since the virus RNA will be there in the cured patient and unlike hepatitis B there is no Chronic condition in this.”

But he added that this can change in the next ten days and the most accurate answer for this could be given in six months’ time. (Colombo/Apr14/2020)

[nihal123Top contributor]

එකවර කොරෝනා රෝගීන් 14 ක් හමුවෙයි


ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ කොරෝනා වයිරසය ආසාදිත මුළු සංඛ්‍යාව 233 ක් දක්වා ඉහළ ගොස් තිබේ.

අද (14) මේ වනවිට කොරෝනා වයිරසය අසාදනය වූ රෝගීන් 14 දෙනෙකු වාර්තා වී ඇති බව සෞඛ්‍ය සේවා අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් විශේෂඥ වෛද්‍ය අනිල් ජාසිංහ මහතා පැවසීය.

අද දිනයේ මේ දක්වා වාර්තා වූ මුළු රෝගීන් සංඛ්‍යාව 15 ක් බවද ඒ මහතා සඳහන් කළේය.

මේ වනවිට වාර්තා වී රෝගීන් 14 දෙනාම කොරෝනා ආසාදිත රෝගීන් ළඟින් ඇසුරු කළ පුද්ගලයන් බව සෞඛ්‍ය සේවා අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල්වරයා පැවසීය.

පුත්තලම නිරෝධායන මධ්‍යස්ථානයෙන් එක් අයෙක් ද , පලාලි නිරෝධායන මධ්‍යස්ථානයෙන් 8 දෙනෙක්ද , මුලංකෝවිල් නිරෝධායන මධ්‍යස්ථානයෙන් 4 දෙනෙක් සහ තවත් නිරෝධායන මධ්‍යස්ථානයකින් එක් අයෙකු වශයෙන් ආසාදිතයන් වාර්තා වූ බව විශේෂඥ වෛද්‍ය අනිල් ජාසිංහ මහතා පැවසීය.

මේ වන විට පුද්ගලයින් 7 දෙනෙකු මියගොස් ඇති අතර 59 දෙනකු සුවය ලබා පිටව ගොස් තිබේ.

[The Invisible]

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
1,999,019

Deaths:
126,708

Recovered:
478,932

[The Invisible]

74,340 new cases higher than previous 24 hours
7,016 more deaths higher than previous 24 hours.

USA seen another huge increase in fatalities reporting 2,407 more deaths, their highest per day reported so far. Previous highest was 2,035 recorded on 10th April. This hit came one day just after the president Trump has once again reveal his only intention of opening up the country's economy for business soon but then announced his decision to hold the funds to WHO. USA is yet to lockdown the entire country hoping this virus will contain naturally somehow.

France & UK have higher fatalities than previous 24 hours having 700+ deaths.

Italy reported 602 deaths and Spain reported 499 deaths.

[The Invisible]

Number of COVID 19 patients surge to 233 as 15 new cases are found

ECONOMYNEXT – The number of confirmed cases of COVID 19 patients has surged to 233 with the addition of 15 new cases detected yesterday April 14, the government announced last night.

A press release issued by the Department of Information said that all the new cases have been found at various quarantine centres.

Fourteen of the new cases are people “who have closely associated with COVID 19 patients,” the statement released at 10.30 pm last night said.

Eight of them were at the Palali Quarantine Centre while four were at the Mulankovil centre.

One was from the Puttalam centre, the release said.

The others were also from unidentified quarantine centres.

This brings the total number of identified cases in Sri Lanka since the outbreak to 233. The number of active cases, that is the patients receiving treatment in government hospitals for the disease to 165

Sixty-one persons have recovered and been discharged while 142 remain under investigation.

Seven patients have died since the outbreak.

Aggressive testing of at-risk individuals are taking place in many parts of the country and the detections are expected to rise as a result.

Health officials were taking samples from communities where lockdowns are in force even during the Sinhala Tamil New year period, reports said.

Sri Lanka’s fatality rate for the disease is half of the global rate and the recovery rate three percentage-points above the world average. (Colombo, April 15, 2020)

[The Invisible]

As of now...

Coronavirus Cases:
2,083,048

Deaths:
134,603

Recovered:
510,187