Report about covid 19 pandemic

JAKARTA, July 24 (Xinhua): Indonesia's Health Ministry reported on Saturday that the coronavirus cases across the archipelago rose by 45,416 within the past 24 hours to 3,127,826 with the death toll adding by 1,415 to 82,013. Additional 39,767 recovered patients were discharged from hospitals, raising the total number of recoveries from the pandemic in the South-East Asian country to 2,471,678, according to the ministry. The virus has spread to all the country's 34 provinces and the more transmissible virus Delta variant has contributed to the surges in Covid-19 cases in some of the country's regions. The South-East Asian nation is accelerating its massive vaccination program while maintaining restrictions on public mobility in several regions amid its deteriorating second Covid-19 wave. The government considers relaxing the restrictions on Monday next week if coronavirus cases decrease significantly. - Xinhua ... » Learn More about It keeps rising! Indonesia reports 45,416 newly-confirmed Covid-19 cases, 1,415 more deaths

JAKARTA, July 24 (Reuters): Indonesia's central bank held its key interest rate at a record low this week to support the economy amid a growing COVID-19 crisis, but said recent anti-virus measures had hit activity less than expected. Bank Indonesia (BI) kept the benchmark 7-day reverse repurchase rate at 3.50%, where it has been since February, as expected by all 31 economists in a Reuters poll. The central bank also left its two other main policy rates unchanged. Indonesia has one of the world's worst coronavirus outbreaks due to a rapid spread of the Delta variant, reporting around 1,000 deaths from the respiratory disease each day in the past week. The government extended pandemic-linked restrictions to July 25 as the number of infections remained high, but is hoping for a gradual easing of curbs next week if cases drop, President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday (July 20). BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said the policy decision was consistent with the need to support the economy ... » Learn More about Indonesia central bank holds rates amid growing Covid-19 crisis

ARROYOMOLINOS, Spain: A cooling dip in the mid-July swelter of central Spain no longer requires owning a private pool, or risking COVID-19 contagion at crowded public swimming facilities, Aura Cenet discovered. The 21-year-old waitress from Madrid and her three friends hired a private pool in the garden of a house in Arroyomolinos, a town 28 km (18 miles) southwest of the capital city, using the Swimmy app. "You are better protected here, without anyone to bother you. It's a good idea, I don't think I will go back to a municipal pool," Cenet told Reuters as she relaxed in the pool. The pandemic has buoyed businesses such as pool manufacturing and maintenance across the world, as more people chose to avoid community pools and beaches. Spain's Fluidra, the world's largest swimming pool equipment maker, in May posted a 40-fold jump in profit and said demand for residential pools was likely to remain strong. Owners using the Swimmy app can earn up to 1,200 euros (US$1,413) ... » Learn More about As Spain swelters and COVID cases grow, pool renting app thrives

A federal appeals court late on Friday, July 23, reversed course and let stand a lower court order prohibiting the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from enforcing coronavirus-related cruise ship rules in Florida. The decision is a win for Florida that had filed a lawsuit arguing the CDC curbs made it tough for the cruise industry to recover from the pandemic. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta had only on Saturday voted 2-1 to block the lower court decision. But in its latest brief statement, the three-judge appeals panel said it had withdrawn its earlier order on its own and was now rejecting the government's request because it had "failed to demonstrate an entitlement to a stay pending appeal." The CDC said that even though it cannot require cruise ships to abide by the sail order, it will enforce its separate transit mask requirements on cruise ships in Florida that opt not to follow the now voluntary program. All ... » Learn More about US appeals court lifts CDC cruise ship restrictions in win for Florida

PUTRAJAYA: The recent case where a nurse performed a vaccination using an empty syringe was due to human error resulting from exhaustion, revealed Khairy Jamaluddin, who called on the public not to diminish the “sacrifice” of all frontliners due to such isolated incidents. Khairy said that while the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) view public claims on empty vaccination seriously, he hoped that the public would continue to support the hard work of frontliners. “We need to preserve the integrity of the national immunisation programme and also the integrity of the thousands of frontliners, doctors and nurses who are risking their lives, vaccinating thousands of people every day. “Human errors or one or two cases of negligence should not taint the entire programme. We don’t blame all frontliners who are sacrificing themselves on a daily basis for us to control this pandemic,” he said during his weekly joint media briefing with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba. On ... » Learn More about ‘Exhaustion led to empty syringe case’

PUTRAJAYA: As new variants of Covid-19 continue to emerge, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has urged Malaysians not to let their guard down against infectious mutations. The Prime Minister spoke of how he had started wearing double masks as a precaution. “This new variant situation is very worrying. Some countries have had to reinforce lockdowns after infections went up. This is of serious concern to the community. “Individually, we need to play our own part to protect ourselves from being infected. The Health Ministry has advised us to double our masks. “Maybe we can put on face shields. Continue practising good hygiene,” he told a special media interview here yesterday. Muhyiddin reminded the people not to take things for granted when the pandemic situation starts to improve. “We must be vigilant and not let our guard down. Malaysians, whenever things start improving a bit, they begin to take it easy. “When they are not allowed to balik kampung, they try to sneak their way ... » Learn More about ‘New variants a concern so don’t let your guard down’

Pope Francis has ordered a residence for altar boys who serve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica to move out of the Vatican, after the home became the subject of a sexual abuse trial. In a statement on Tuesday, the Vatican did not mention the current trial. It said the Pope had told its rector, Father Angelo Magistrelli, to find new premises in Rome outside the Vatican walls by September as it would be more convenient for the pupils. Magistrelli, who could not immediately be reached for comment, is not involved in the abuse allegations. The St. Pius X Pre-seminary was founded by in 1956 by Pope Pius XII to house altar boys who serve Mass in St. Peter's and are thinking of becoming priests. They live in a building in the Vatican while attending schools outside its walls in Rome. In this file photo, Pope Francis leads a rosary prayer for the beginning of the month of May, a month of daily rosaries prayed at Catholic shrines around the world for the end of ... » Learn More about Pope Francis ousts Vatican youth residence caught up in sex abuse trial

HANOI (Reuters) -Vietnam will extend a strict lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City until Aug. 1, its health ministry said on Friday, as the Southeast Asian country battles one of its most challenging and unpredictable COVID-19 outbreaks to date. After successfully containing the virus for much of the pandemic, Vietnam has been facing a complicated outbreak of the virus, with southern business hub Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces accounting for most new infections. "Due to the rapid and unpredictable nature of the Delta variant and in order to protect people and minimise deaths, city authorities have decided to strengthen a number of measures to control the outbreak," Ho Chi Minh City's governing body said in a statement. The number of services permitted to operate during the lockdown will be reduced, the health ministry said, citing Duong Anh Duc, deputy chairman of Ho Chi Minh City. The current measures, which had been in place since July 9, include a stay-home order, a ban ... » Learn More about Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City extends coronavirus lockdown