Healthcare

Covid-19 Bulletin Malta – Tuesday 31st March 2020

Updated 1811 Restrictions for Malta-Gozo travel Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri announced a number of restrictions for travelling between Malta and Gozo. It will only be possible, as from this Friday,…

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Vicar general of Diocese of Rome, first Cardinal to test positive for Coronavirus

Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome, has tested positive for coronavirus. He is the first cardinal known to have the virus. The National Catholic…

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Irish private hospitals set to be treated as public

Private hospitals are set to be treated as public amid the coronavirus pandemic in Ireland, the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar has announced. Euronews reports that the public-private agreement will see…

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Italy’s number of infected cases passes the 100,000

Italian News Agency ANSA reports that Italy has registered 812 coronavirus deaths on Monday but the data presented by the civil protection department also seemed to back the impression that the spread…

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UK’s Covid-19 death toll reaches 1,418

The number of people who have died in the UK after contracting the coronavirus has hit 1,415, following 180 more deaths. he announcement was made by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab…

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Olympics postponement day announced

The rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will open on July 23 next year, with the Closing Ceremony taking place on August 8. Agreement was reached by Tokyo 2020 and the…

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Montenegro introduces lockdown

Montenegro introduced a lockdown on Monday to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected dozens in the small Adriatic republic. In a statement, the government said the lockdown will…

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Poland should consider presidential elections postponement

Poland should consider postponing presidential elections scheduled for May 10 if health and safety conditions can't be guaranteed, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said on Monday. However he said if it was…

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Finland to extend containment measures until May

Finland will extend most of its measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak by one month until May 13 from April 13, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Monday. In recent weeks,…

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Czech Republic extends Covid-19 measures till April 11

The Czech government said on Monday it would order most shops and restaurants to stay closed and restrict people's movement until April 11, extending by 10 days measures it has…

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France records worst daily coronavirus death toll

France recorded its worst daily coronavirus death toll on Monday, exceeding 3,000 for the first time, and army helicopters transported critical patients from the east to hospitals overseas as the…

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Fraud,Cybercrime and Intimidation – The Coronavirus ‘criminal’ side-effect

The COVID-19 pandemic has "sparked new crime trends", the head of Interpol told Euronews on Monday, warning that organised crime groups have adapted their activities to benefit from the global…

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Cyprus imposes curfew and stricter measures

Cyprus imposed a curfew on Monday to contain the spread of coronavirus, extending a broad lockdown introduced two weeks ago after a weekend surge in recorded cases. From March 31,…

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A total of 168 persons die in Turkey

As many as 37 more people died of the novel coronavirus in Turkey in the past 24 hours, according to figures released by the country's Health Ministry on Monday, bringing…

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Why are the death rates different between countries?

Many are tracking the daily coronavirus infection and death rates. One may have noticed that the death rates differ greatly from country to country. The World Health Organization (WHO) says…

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Indian doctors targeted over coronavirus fears

Doctors and medical workers in India are being ostracised from communities, evicted from their homes and forced to sleep in hospital bathrooms and on floors over fears they may be…

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Belarus president in denial over coronavirus pandemic

Few measures have been enforced to curb coronavirus in Belarus - instead, people are being urged to drink vodka and go to saunas. The country - specifically its president -…

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Microsoft joins effort make ventilators for the NHS

A consortium of major UK industrial, technology and engineering businesses from across the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors has come together to produce medical ventilators for the NHS. Companies including…

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MSF calls for no patents or profiteering on COVID-19 drugs and vaccines

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for no patents or profiteering on drugs, tests, or vaccines used for the COVID-19 pandemic, and for governments to prepare to suspend and override…

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Madeira to limit passengers allowed to disembark on islands to 100 per week

Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, said it would limit the number of people allowed to enter its islands to 100 per week from Tuesday onwards, with freed up hotel…

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Photo Story: Children’s playgrounds closed in Croatia

Two men wearing protective face masks walk in Ban Josip Jelacic Square in downtown Zagreb, Croatia, 30 March 2020. Croatian authorities have decided to order the closure of cafes, restaurants…

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Photo Story: Drones fly over Porto city

Drones operated by the Municipal Civil Protection of Porto, fly over marginal areas of the city, from Foz do Douro to Matosinhos, sending messages that recommend citizens to comply with…

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Peak in Italy expected in 7-10 days

The peak of Italy's coronavirus outbreak should come "in 7-10 days", Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Sileri said Monday. He said infections would "reasonably" fall off after that. Sileri also stressed…

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Photo Story: Covid-19 public awareness campaign in South Korea

Members of the Environmental Health Citizens' Association of Korea, wearing masks representing the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, take part in a public awareness campaign to prevent the spread of the pandemic COVID-19…

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Election plans in Poland amidst coronavirus pandemic cause friction

Opposition candidates for Poland’s upcoming presidential election are squabbling over how to stop the ballot because of the pandemic, but the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party isn't giving ground.…

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Two-thirds of Britons want UK to request Brexit extension to focus on pandemic

Two-thirds of people in the UK want the government to request an extension to the Brexit transition period in order to focus on the coronavirus outbreak, a new opinion poll…

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Prince Charles out of self-isolation

Prince Charles is out of self-isolation, following his coronavirus diagnosis last week. His self-isolation lasted 7 days in accordance with government and medical guidelines. The royal displayed "mild symptoms" last…

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Global coronavirus infections pass 730,000

Covid-19 infections worldwide have risen to 732,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. The US had the most cases, with over 142,000; Italy was second with nearly 98,000; and Spain…

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Juventus players to forgo €90 million to help club through coronavirus crisis

Italian league leaders Juventus have announced players and manager have agreed to forgo €90 million in wages to help the club through the coronavirus crisis. In the first agreement of…

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Photo Story: Italian Premier Conte meets Pope Francis

A handout picture provided by the Vatican Media shows Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (R) speaks with Pope Francis during a meeting in library of the Apostolic Palace, in Vatican…

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Concerns over faulty medical supplies from China

Dutch officials have recalled tens of thousands of masks imported from China and distributed to hospitals battling the coronavirus outbreak because they do not meet quality standards. They received…

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Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics likely postponed to July 2021

A view of the Olympic Rings monument in front of the Japan Olympic Committee headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, 24 March 2020 (reissued 30 March 2020). According to latest media reports…

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UK epidemic is slowing and antibody test could be ready in days

The coronavirus epidemic in the United Kingdom is showing signs of slowing and antibody tests could be ready in days, Neil Ferguson, a professor of mathematical biology at Imperial…

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Number of coronavirus cases in Germany rises to 57,298

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany has risen to 57,298 and 455 people have died of the disease here, statistics from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)…

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Spain Covid-19 deaths rise by 812 to 7,340

Spain has logged a slight fall in the number of people dying from the coronavirus after days of record death tolls. According to the latest figures, released just now by the…

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Mercedes F1 to make breathing aid

A breathing aid that can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care has been created in under a week. University College London engineers worked with clinicians at UCLH and…

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New fears Netanyahu could be infected

An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Monday, but it was not immediately clear if the 70-year-old leader had been exposed…

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Boris Johnson makes second video appearance

Britain’s prime minster, Boris Johnson, has made his second appearance since going into self isolation last week after testing positive for coronavirus, saying in a message posted on Twitter that some…

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First day of a more restrictive lockdown in Spain, flags fly at half mast

Spain is beginning its first day of even more restrictive lockdown after the government banned all non-essential workers from leaving their homes in a bid to arrest the spread of the…

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The Mossad on the forefront of Israel’s fight against the coronavirus

The Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, purchased 10 million masks to deal with the coronavirus more than a week ago under the leadership of Director Yossi Cohen, The Jerusalem…

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Plácido Domingo hospitalised in Mexico with coronavirus

Veteran opera star Plácido Domingo has been hospitalised with complications linked to Covid-19, US media are reporting. The 79-year-old is receiving hospital treatment in Mexico, with his spokesman cited as…

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Syria reports first coronavirus death

Syria’s health ministry said on Sunday that a woman who died after being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment was found to have been infected by coronavirus in the country’s…

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Novartis steps up coronavirus fight as part of new collaboration

Several big pharmaceutical companies have joined forces with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to scale up solutions and support health systems in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Basel-based pharmaceutical…

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EasyJet grounds its entire fleet

Britain’s biggest airline by passenger numbers, easyJet, has grounded its entire fleet of 344 aircraft. The Luton-based airline says its last flight operated on Sunday 29 March and there will…

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Large increase in new confirmed cases in Cyprus

The Cypriot Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou on Sunday said the large increase in new confirmed cases of Covid-19 was of particular concern. In a written statement shortly after ministry…

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Pressure in the UK to accelerate the supply of protective equipment to vulnerable medical staff

The deaths of the first British doctors from Covid-19 have intensified pressure on ministers to accelerate the supply of protective equipment and address growing fears among frontline staff that they risk catching…

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Hungary introduces jail terms for spreading coronavirus misinformation

Hungary is set to pass a new law on coronavirus that includes jail terms for spreading misinformation as critics warn that the nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán could be given…

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Japan to ban travellers U.S., China, Europe

Japan will step up its efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus by banning the entry of foreign citizens traveling from the United States, China, South Korea and most of…

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Moscow tightens coronavirus rules

Moscow authorities will on Monday impose tighter restrictions on residents in an attempt to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Muscovites will only be allowed…

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Cases of coronavirus in Libya increase amid fears that it could ‘overwhelm’ the country

Libya confirmed five more cases of the coronavirus bringing the total to eight. Many observers are fearing the worst after the first coronavirus case was recorded in Libya on March…

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Tightening of measures for people entering Italy

Italian authorities have tightened the rules for anyone entering the country. These will include quarantine and self-certification on where it will be spent for all those who enter Italy. The…

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Australia limits public gatherings to only two people

Australian officials will use fines and the threat of jail to enforce a new rule limiting public gatherings to two people, as the country’s coronavirus infection rate slowed but the…

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China sees drop in new coronavirus cases, none in Hubei

Mainland China reported a drop in new coronavirus cases for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday, as Beijing seeks to stamp out the risk of a second wave of infections…

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Trump expects US death rate to peak ‘in two weeks’ amid warning it could kill 200,000

Donald Trump has said coronavirus deaths in the US are expected to peak in two weeks - as his top scientific adviser warned the outbreak could kill up to 200,000…

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Covid-19 Bulletin Malta – Monday 30th March 2020

Update 2101 This evening Government sought Parliamentary approval authorising it to secure a 2 billion euro loan required to provide the necessary assistance related to the health and economic impact…

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Infant under one year becomes youngest Covid19 victim

An infant who tested positive for the coronavirus has died in Chicago, USA, Illinois authorities announced. It was the first known death of a child younger than a year old…

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A collective individual effort as a tribute to Malta’s heroes

Members of St Paul Metropolitan Orchestra and choir ‘came together’ during a stay at home period to play the National Anthem in tribute to healthcare workers on the frontline of…

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