Scores of flights to and from Beijing were cancelled, schools shut and some neighbourhoods blocked off as officials ramped up efforts to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has fanned fears of wider contagion.
Deaths and infections across the globe* More than 8.21 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 443,428? have died, a Reuters tally showed as of 0940 GMT on Wednesday.
Europe
* Britain's health minister on Wednesday hailed the use of a steroid called dexamethasone for treating coronavirus patients as the best news so far of the outbreak.
* Germany's smartphone app to help trace coronavirus infections has been downloaded 6.5 million times in the first 24 hours since its launch, the CEO of software company SAP said on Wednesday.
* Russia on Wednesday reported 7,843 new cases of the coronavirus, its lowest daily caseload registered since April 30, pushing the nationwide total to 553,301.
* Access to credit in the Polish economy could be limited by the coronavirus crisis, but the risks of a crunch have been lessened by actions already taken, the central bank said.
Americas
* New coronavirus infections hit record highs in six US states on Tuesday, marking a rising tide of cases for a second consecutive week as most states moved forward with reopening their economies.
* The Trump administration said it would extend existing restrictions on non-essential travel at land ports of entry with Canada and Mexico.
* Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said he had been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, is receiving treatment and will work remotely and through his aides.
* Mexico went into the coronavirus outbreak insisting it would beat the pandemic without mass testing, but with deaths surging as it prepares to exit lockdown, the strategy looks increasingly untenable.
Asia-Pacific
* Scores of flights to and from Beijing were cancelled, schools shut and some neighbourhoods blocked off as officials ramped up efforts to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has fanned fears of wider contagion.
* Japanese researchers confirmed the presence of the coronavirus in wastewater plants, a finding that could serve as a signal for future outbreaks.
* Delhi's local health minister checked into hospital and was being tested for the coronavirus as India reported more than 10,500 new infections.
Middle East and Africa
* Israel signed an agreement with Moderna Inc for the future purchase of its potential vaccine should the company succeed in its development.
* Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos has suspended plans to reopen places of worship after a review of the new outbreak, the state governor said.
Medical developments
* Shares in Japanese generic drug maker Nichi-Iko Pharmaceutical Co, whose products include steroid drug dexamethasone, jumped nearly 5% on Wednesday after trial results showed it helped reduce death rates of Covid-19 patients.
* A cheap and widely used steroid called dexamethasone has become the first drug shown to be able to save the lives of Covid-19 patients in what scientists said is a "major breakthrough" in the coronavirus pandemic.
* US President Donald Trump's administration is narrowing its list of promising experimental coronavirus vaccines to about seven from 14, the US Department of Health and Human Services said.
* China National Biotec Group said its experimental vaccine has triggered antibodies in clinical trials and the company plans late-stage human trials in foreign countries.
Economic fallout
* Europe's shares added to their best gains in almost a month as safety plays lost their lustre on Wednesday, with hopes of a rapid economic recovery standing firm against a resurgence of global coronavirus cases.
* Worries about the deepening impact of the coronavirus kept Japanese business confidence depressed in June, as firms braced for a prolonged global economic downturn, the Reuters Tankan survey showed on Wednesday.
* China's meat importers fear clearing delays and a hit to demand after one of the country's major ports started requiring Covid-19 tests for all meat and seafood containers to prevent contamination from the coronavirus that causes the disease.
* Japan's oil imports slumped in May to the lowest in almost three decades, official figures showed on Wednesday, as the coronavirus outbreak hit demand for crude and fuel.
from Gulf Times https://ift.tt/37Fx2xH
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