The entire world is grappling with the coronavirus epidemic, which now counts a cumulative total of 585,040 cases, which includes 26,819 deaths and almost 130,000 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th March, 2020) The entire world is grappling with the coronavirus epidemic, which now counts a cumulative total of 585,040 cases, which includes 26,819 deaths and almost 130,000 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The United States has 97,028 confirmed coronavirus cases including 1,475 deaths and 816 recoveries, and has now overtaken China and Italy as the country with the largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases.
France has 32,964 active cases of the coronavirus infection, up from 29,155 announced a day earlier, Jerome Salomon, the head of the country's public health service, said Friday. Germany records a increase of 5,780 new cases in 24 hours, bringing the total up to 42,288 cases, according to Robert Koch Institut. Italy has 66,414 positive cases,� 10,950 recoveries and 9,134 deaths, as of Friday.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Minister Matt Hancock have tested positive for the coronavirus, while Chief Medical Officer for England Chris Whitty is self-isolating over COVID-19 symptoms. Meanwhile, the cumulative total of cases in the UK has reached 14,743.
The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund has received over $108 million in donations from some 200,000 donors in just the first two weeks of its existence, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.
However, the vaccine is still 12-18 months away, Tedros said, adding that this meant there was an urgent need for medication.
"In the meantime, we call on all individuals and countries to refrain from using therapeutics that have not been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19," Tedros added.
The global economy has entered a recession and a sizeable recovery is possible next year upon the defeat of the novel coronavirus everywhere, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told reporters on Friday.
The IMF will discuss a crisis response package in the coming weeks, Georgieva and International Monetary and Financial Committee Chair Lesetja Kganyago said. They warned in a joint statement that emerging markets and developing countries would be hit particularly hard in the crisis.
The governments across the world continue looking into ways to support the economy amid the COVID-19 shock.
"Our current estimate for the overall financial needs of emerging markets is $2.5 trillion," Georgieva said during virtual press briefing.
The US House of Representatives on Friday passed a $2 trillion coronavirus (COVID-19) rescue package, which will head to President Donald Trump for signature. The package includes funding for companies and local governments as well as cash for ordinary Americans.
The Bank of Canada cut the overnight rate by 50 basis points to 0.25 percent in an effort to stimulate the country's the economy.
