COVID-19 live updates: Total number of deaths passes 82,000

However, because many people in these countries live in crowded areas and work in the “informal sector,” it is important that they still have access to essential services.To address this, the press release states, “governments must use these measures in a considered, evidence-based manner, and make sure that people can continue to access basic necessities.”According to the WHO, they are already “pursuing innovative solutions to the region’s pressing public health problems.”Read the full news release here.04/07/2020 11:09 GMT — Glucocorticoids may increase COVID-19 riskPeople who take glucocorticoids may be more likely to contract SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus, and develop severe symptoms of COVID-19, suggest members of the editorial board of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.Glucocorticoids are an effective treatment for chronic inflammatory conditions because they reduce inflammation. Read more here.04/07/2020 10:05 GMT — Researchers recommend app-based contact tracingA team from Oxford University, in the United Kingdom, proposes that a mobile app could rapidly speed up the tracing of points of contact among people who develop COVID-19.The researchers suggest that this could help areas transition from lockdown to what they call “intelligent physical distancing.” “The mobile app concept we’ve mathematically modeled is simple and doesn’t need to track your location; it uses a low energy version of Bluetooth to log a memory of all the app users with whom you have come into close proximity over the last few days,” explains Dr. David Bonsall, one of the paper’s authors. The full study can be accessed here.04/06/2020 13:30 GMT — Globally, the number of deaths has surpassed 70,000, and over 270,000 people have recovered04/06/2020 12:15 GMT — 5 countries have now had more confirmed cases than China04/06/2020 10:55 GMT — ‘Urgent plea’ for COVID-19 convalescent plasmaTransferring antibodies from the plasma of people who have recovered from COVID-19 into critically ill patients may increase their chances of recovery.The National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project have recently launched a website, where they call for individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma.Although doctors have used this technique for more than 100 years, scientists need to run large trials using convalescent plasma to assess whether it is a viable treatment for COVID-19. […] Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.”Read more from the CDC here.04/03/2020 17:51 GMT — MNT’s daily video update04/03/2020 12:45 GMT — US makes up nearly a quarter of global confirmed cases04/03/2020 11:45 GMT — China’s early travel ban may have prevented 700,000 new casesA new study estimates that the social distancing measures implemented in China prevented more than 700,000 COVID-19 cases from developing outside of Wuhan between January 23 — when Chinese officials imposed a nationwide travel ban — and February 19.Prof. The countries that have registered the most cases are the United States (over 245,000), Italy (over 115,000), Spain (over 112,000), Germany (over 84,000), and China (over 82,000).To date, Italy has reported the most deaths (nearly 14,000), followed by Spain (over 10,000), and France (more than 5,300).Read the latest coronavirus news here.04/02/2020 18:18 GMT — MNT’s daily video update04/02/2020 15:00 GMT — More than 200,000 people have now recovered globally04/02/2020 11:23 GMT — Researchers report significant drop in social contacts after UK lockdown A team of scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and King’s College London, both in the United Kingdom, compared the number of direct contacts before and after the introduction of the lockdown measures in the U.K. The 1,356 adults taking part in the study self-reported data.The data have not yet been through the peer review process. The study is based on behavioral change, which is a “quick and easy way” of estimating the SARS-CoV-2 virus reproduction number, which is very useful, but would need to be validated by independent traditional methods like community testing.”Read the full study here.04/02/2020 10:28 GMT — CDC report investigates COVID-19 and the role of underlying conditionsA new report investigates the prevalence of underlying health conditions among individuals with COVID-19. Around 38% of these people had one or more underlying conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or a chronic lung condition.The authors write that “persons with underlying health conditions such as diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease appear to be at higher risk for severe COVID-19–associated disease than persons without these conditions.”The full CDC report is here.04/02/2020 10:15 GMT — SARS-CoV-2: Viral shedding is most effective early on when symptoms are mild A new study, appearing in the journal Nature, suggests that shedding of the new coronavirus in the upper respiratory tract is most efficient in the early stages of the disease, when symptoms are still mild. Telecky, Vice President of the wildlife department of Humane Society International, said, “Shenzhen is the first city in the world to take the lessons learned from this pandemic seriously and make the changes needed to avoid another pandemic.”More information here.04/01/2020 12:15 GMT — US now makes up 22% of the global number of cases04/01/2020 11:59 GMT — UK scientists suggest that loss of smell and taste are symptoms of COVID-19A team of scientists from King’s College London, in the United Kingdom, have developed an app that allows individuals to self-report COVID-19 symptoms, or lack of symptoms, on a daily basis. For instance, experts believe that severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) first moved from bats to civet cats before infecting humans.Using larger datasets, the authors of the recent paper identified errors in the earlier analyses and concluded that “the pangolin [is] a missing link in the transmission of [SARS-CoV-2] from bats to human.” However, the authors also explain that we cannot yet rule out other intermediate hosts.Read more about COVID-19 research here.03/27/2020 09:03 GMT — Number of US cases surpasses ChinaAs of yesterday, the United States have registered more cases of COVID-19 than China. We asked about his past experiences with SARS and MERS, what individuals can do to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and how long he thinks the pandemic might last.We also asked whether he thought that the general public has a good understanding of the implications of the pandemic; he said:“People need to understand that they can prevent themselves from getting infected by washing hands and by maintaining a physical distance from each other and that they can protect others by wearing a mask if they’re coughing and sneezing.”Read the full interview here.03/26/2020 13:05 GMT — CDC report community spread of the virus in 41 US states and one territory03/26/2020 12:30 GMT — COVID-19 cases worldwide rise to over 487,00003/26/2020 08:55 GMT — Number of deaths in Spain surpasses that of ChinaTo date, Spain has registered more than 49,500 COVID-19 cases and over 3,600 related deaths, compared with China’s 81,700 cases and almost 3,300 deaths. The probability of dying after developing symptoms was 1.4%, which the authors explain is “substantially lower” than previously thought.03/20/2020 10:09 GMT — Yesterday, the number of COVID-19 cases in the US passed 10,00003/20/2020 09:15 GMT — CDC release preliminary report on US coronavirus casesThe report confirms that the fatality rate is highest in people over 85 (10–27%), followed by those aged 65–84 (1–3%). The findings suggest that contracting SARS-CoV-2 could protect against repeat infection.Read more here.03/19/2020 12:12 GMT — US plans to close border with CanadaFollowing talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Donald Trump has announced the closure of the border between the U.S. and Canada for all but essential travel.Read more here.03/19/2020 09:54 GMT — HIV drug combo fails as treatment for COVID-19A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine tested a combination of HIV drugs against COVID-19. The combination of lopinavir and ritonavir performed no better than standard care.Read more here.03/19/2020 09:27 GMT — Scientists investigate old ways to treat the new virusA recent article published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation asks whether a decades-old technique might become “an option for prevention and treatment of COVID-19.”Read more here.03/18/2020 13:45 GMT — The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide surpassed 200,00003/18/2020 12:18 GMT — Confusion about taking ibuprofenMessages on social media have warned people to avoid using ibuprofen for treating the symptoms of COVID-19. The feature also asks what these details mean for those who are working to create treatments and vaccines.Read more here.03/17/2020 15:52 GMT — CDC report first employee with COVID-19According to a press release published by the CDC, laboratory testing has confirmed that one of their employees has been infected with SARS-CoV-2.They explain that “This individual was not involved in the COVID-19 response, has not been present in the CDC workplace since March 6, and was asymptomatic at that time. The individual in question, who lives in Nuuk, the country’s capital, is in home isolation.Greenland’s officials recommend that people avoid flying to or from Greenland.Read more here.03/16/2020 17:30 GMT — SARS-CoV-2 spreads fast, sometimes before symptoms appearA new study, led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, calculated the “serial interval” of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Today, for the first time since the outbreak began, in January, South Korea has reported a higher number of recoveries than new infections.On Thursday, officials reported 114 new cases; today, they reported 110 new cases, while 177 patients were released from hospitals.Read more here.03/12/2020 16:01 GMT — New study confirms mean incubation periodA recent study featuring in the Annals of Internal Medicine investigates how long it takes for symptoms to appear once a person has contracted SARS-CoV-2.The mean incubation period, according to the authors, is 5.1 days, and about half of the affected people will develop symptoms at that point. The authors also estimate that 97.5% of people will develop symptoms within the first 11.5 days.Based on their findings, the study’s senior author Justin Lessler, Ph.D., writes that “the current recommendation of 14 days for active monitoring or quarantine is reasonable, although, with that period, some cases would be missed over the long term.”Read more here.03/12/2020 13:45 GMT — Pandemic could be “over by June,” according to Chinese officialsAccording to Mi Feng, a spokesperson for China’s National Health Commission, “Broadly speaking, the peak of the epidemic has passed for China. From midnight on Friday, it will not be possible to travel from Europe to the U.S. However, this excludes those traveling from Britain and people who normally reside in the U.S. who have undergone “appropriate screenings.” He also laid out some other proposals designed to assist people in the U.S. affected by the outbreak, including sick pay, medical leave, and family leave.Read more here.03/11/2020 17:32 GMT — The WHO officially classify COVID-19 as a pandemic03/11/2020 16:19 GMT — In a healthcare setting, infection control does workA recent paper published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology has assessed infection control measures implemented by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority.The authors describe how the hospitals proactively worked to reduce the risk of infection in the 6 weeks that followed the start of the outbreak. In total, 413 healthcare workers treated cases of COVID-19, and none contracted the infection.The authors conclude that “Appropriate hospital infection control measures can prevent healthcare-associated transmission of the coronavirus.”Read more here.03/11/2020 12:01 GMT — Comparing the US’ COVID-19 testing rates with those of other countries03/11/2020 11:44 GMT — Is Europe “the new China”?To date, Italy has registered more than 10,000 coronavirus infections and 631 deaths. Yesterday, President Xi Jinping visited the region for the first time since the outbreak began.Now, as the number of new COVID-19 cases in the region continues to fall, the people of Wuhan, China are returning to work.The Hubei provincial government’s website posted a notice advising that those who work on public transport and anyone involved in manufacturing medical supplies or daily necessities could go back to work.Read more here.03/11/2020 08:59 GMT — UK Health Minister has COVID-19Nadine Dorries, a U.K. Health Minister, is the first member of Parliament to test positive for SARS-CoV-19. “The public health and medical communities should recognize the need to alter policy to fit changing circumstances and support consistent and compassionate messaging that recognizes both the benefits and limitations of testing.”Read the full article here.03/10/2020 12:59 GMT — Here are some of the differences between COVID-19 and flu03/10/2020 11:00 GMT — Study says average incubation period is 5.1 daysA new study, appearing in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, finds that the average incubation period for SARS-CoV-2 is 5.1 days. However children are much less likely to develop symptoms.Although the authors explain that their study has numerous limitations, the results warrant further investigation.Read more here.03/09/2020 10:38 GMT — Yesterday, China reported the lowest number of daily cases since reporting beganFor 2 days running, there have been no new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 outside of Hubei province.