COVID-19 Live Updates: US Coronavirus Cases Top 950,000, Deaths at Over 54,000 - JHU

SEOUL (Sputnik) - South Korea registered only 10 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours; one person died from COVID-19 in that period, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

The total number of coronavirus cases in South Korea now stands at 10,738 while the death toll is 243, KCDC said on Monday. In the past 24 hours, 47 people recovered from COVID-19 in the country; the total number of recovered individuals now stands at 8,764.

Out of the 10 new cases, seven are imported, KCDC said. The country has performed over 582,000 coronavirus tests.

On Sunday, South Korea reported 10 new coronavirus cases and 82 new recoveries. On Saturday, KCDC said that there were ten new coronavirus cases in South Korea and the death toll was 240. A day earlier, South Korea registered six cases of COVID-19 and no fatalities.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Mexico registered less than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours with the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country approaching 5,000 according to the country’s Health Ministry.

Jose Luis Alomia, the director general of epidemiology at Mexico’s Health Ministry, said at a Sunday press conference broadcast on Twitter that "14,667 COVID cases have been registered from the time the first diagnosis was confirmed, but there are only 4,972 active cases where symptoms were displayed in the past 14 days."

In the past 24 hours, 825 new coronavirus cases were registered in Mexico, while the number of active cases increased by 172. The country’s COVID-19 death toll stands at 1,351 with 46 new deaths having been registered in the past 24 hours.

On Saturday, Alomia reported a total of 4,798 active cases and 13,842 coronavirus cases in total, with 970 new COVID-19 cases registered in a 24 hour period. On Saturday, 84 new deaths from the coronavirus were reported in Mexico.

According to Mexico’s health ministry, an increase in cases within a 7-10 percent range has been observed over the past week. The share of active cases has been decreasing in Mexico and currently stands at 40 percent.

BEIJING (Sputnik) - China registered only 3 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, 80 COVID-19 patients recovered in that period, the country’s National Health Commission said on Monday.

Out of the 3 new cases, two are imported. According to the commission, China now has 82,830 confirmed coronavirus cases. The country’s death toll is 4,633.

Over 77,400 COVID-19 patients have been released from hospitals in China. More than 700 are being treated for COVID-19, over 50 of them are in grave condition.

China registered 25 asymptomatic coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, one of them imported. The total number of imported coronavirus cases in China stands at 1,636.

On Sunday, China’s health authorities said 11 new coronavirus cases had been registered, five of them imported, while 48 more people had recovered from COVID-19.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The wearing of face masks will be made mandatory in some public places in Mexico starting from Monday, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum announced amid the spread of COVID-19.

"The general recommendation for the entire population is to use medical masks in public places starting from tomorrow. It will be mandatory in some places," Sheinbaum said at a Sunday press conference broadcast on Twitter.

The mayor did not specify in which public places face masks would be mandatory but recommended that people wear them everywhere outside of their homes, not just on public transport.

Starting from 23 April, people in Mexico are not allowed to use private means of transportation once a week and 20 percent of subway and bus stations are closed.

Jose Luis Alomia, the director general of epidemiology at Mexico’s Health Ministry, said at a Saturday press conference that there were 4,798 active coronavirus cases in the country.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States has surpassed 950,000, and over 54,000 people with COVID-19 have died, Johns Hopkins University Center data showed on Sunday.

In total, 957,016 people have been infected since the onset of the pandemic. Of these, 54,435 patients have died.

The US is the world leader in terms of both coronavirus cases and related fatalities. The country has also conducted a record of 5.2 million tests.

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey has registered 2,357 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, which is the lowest number since April 1, with the total count now surpassing 110,000, Minister of Health Dr. Fahrettin Koca said Sunday.

On Saturday, the country reported 2,861 new cases, which is also one of the lowest figures in April. The record increase in daily new cases, 5,138, was recorded on 11 April.

"Today, 2,357 new cases have been detected. In total, 110,130 have been infected. We have lost 99 patients today, with the death toll totaling 2,805," Koca wrote on Twitter.

Another 3,558 patients have recovered over the past day, taking the total to 29,140. Daily recoveries have been exceeding the number of new cases for a third consecutive day.

According to the minister, the number of people who have come into contact with those infected has decreased, and the country has reduced the number of tests conducted daily from 50,000 to 30,000.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The global number of those infected with the coronavirus has increased by almost 85,000 in the past 24 hours, climbing to 2,804,796 COVID-19 cases, the World Health Organisation showed on Sunday.

The death toll stands at 193,722 people, with 6,018 deaths recorded in the given period, according to the WHO dashboard.

The European region is still leading the count with 1,341,851 confirmed cases and 122,218 deaths, followed by the Americas with 1,094,846 cases and 56,063 fatalities.

WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11 March.

"After serving at the Ministry of Health for a decade and implementing the strategy to overcome the coronavirus crisis in Israel as well as in anticipation of the formation of a new government, I decided not to return to the Ministry of Health for the fourth term", Yaakov Litzman said.

Litzman previously contracted COVID-19 but recuperated from the disease without complications.

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Egypt has started negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) asking for financial support in a joint program for the implementation of structural reforms in the wake of the pandemic, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said on Sunday.

"We need to continue [cooperation] with the IMF after the completion of the previous program ... We asked the IMF for a new program earlier this year, before the epidemic, the programme was technical in nature and did not involve financial assistance", Madbouly said at a press conference.

Due to the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Egypt wants to ensure that the "joint program included financial support, not just technical support."

The prime minister noted that the country's economy, thanks to structural reforms already implemented in a number of areas, was currently stable and "able to overcome" the consequences of the epidemic.

In 2016, the IMF approved a total of $12 billion in aid for Egypt in exchange for the implementation of a series of economic reforms, aimed at stabilizing the country's economy and creating new jobs. In the same year, the Central Bank allowed the pound to float freely, which resulted in its sharp devaluation.

ROME, April (Sputnik) - Italy has recorded 260 coronavirus-related deaths over the past 24 hours, which is the lowest number of daily deaths registered since March 14, Italy’s Civil Protection Department said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the death toll now stood at 26,644.

On Saturday, Italy registered 415 new deaths. On March 27, Italian authorities reported a record of daily deaths, which amounted to 969.

Over 1,800 patients have recovered in the given period, bringing the total number of recoveries to 64,928.

The cumulative number of all COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the outbreak in the country is 197,675.

According to the new statistics, the number of patients in intensive care units is 2,009, which means there has been a decrease of 93 patients.

By June, the DoD intends to reach its goal of being able to perform 60,000 tests per day, Associated Press reported citing Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

BELGRADE (Sputnik) - The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Serbia has increased by 263 to 8,042 in the past 24 hours, and the death toll has risen by five to 156, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

On Saturday, the country reported 296 new cases and seven fatalities.

"In the past 24 hours, another 263 infected people have been detected, with the total number of patients standing at 8,042. A total of 3,044 people are in hospitals, including 85 patients on artificial ventilation", the ministry said.

Five more people with COVID-19 have died in the given period, taking the toll to 156.

In total, 1,182 coronavirus patients have recovered, with the death rate totaling 1.94 percent.

During May holidays, Serbia is set to introduce a curfew from 6 p.m. (16:00 GMT) Thursday until 5 a.m. (3:00 GMT) Monday. Only those having permits will be allowed to go outside.

The Australian government on Sunday released an app to track possible contacts with COVID-19 patients, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

"The COVIDSafe app is about assisting, finding those cases which may be undiagnosed in the community, helping people get early treatment, helping people have early diagnosis and to ensure that our doctors and nurses, our health workers, our families and friends are protected and that will save lives and protect lives," Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt was quoted as saying by the media outlet.

Hunt noted that the app was available for download on Google Play and App Store starting Sunday.

According to the Australian government website, with the help of the COVIDSafe app, health care professionals will be able to swiftly contact people who may have contracted the coronavirus.

Users are guaranteed that their data will be protected.

"The COVIDSafe app is the only contact trace app approved by the Australian Government." the statement read.

So far, Australia has registered 6,711 cases of the disease, including 83 fatalities and 5,539 recoveries, according to government statistics.

Coronavirus cases in Singapore’s migrant worker communities continue to grow, accounting for 916 out of the city-state’s 931 new infections registered over the past day, the Health Ministry said Sunday.

"As of 26 April 2020, 12 pm [04:00 GMT], the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed an additional 931 cases of COVID-19 infection in Singapore, the vast majority of whom are Work Permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories. 15 cases are Singaporeans/ Permanent Residents," the ministry said in its daily update.

This takes Singapore's tally to 13,624 in total with just over 12,500 active cases as 1,002 have recovered and 12 have died, according to the ministry's data.

The infection clusters in the densely packed migrant living quarters have propelled Singapore to have the highest number of active coronavirus cases in all of South East Asia.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan has exceeded 14,000 on Sunday, media reported.

The tally, compiled by Japan's NHK public broadcaster from official figures provided by local authorities, includes 712 infected people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and nearly 150 infections on board the Costa Atlantica cruise ship, which docked in Japan’s western Nagasaki prefecture in late March.

Tokyo accounts for the biggest number of cases, 3,908, followed by Osaka with 1,475 cases.

The broadcaster added that for the first time in almost two weeks, the number of new infections in the Japanese capital was below 100.

The coronavirus-related death toll in the country has risen to 374 people.

Iran has recorded 60 coronavirus-related deaths over 24 hours, which is the lowest number of daily new deaths registered since March, Health Ministry Spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on Sunday, adding that the total death toll reached 5,710 people since February 19.

"Sixty of our compatriots became victims of the coronavirus and its consequences, but I must say that in the last 46 days there were more deaths per day," Jahanpur said live on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network TV channel.

He added that so far, 69,657 patients have fully recovered.

"In the last 24 hours, 1,153 new coronavirus cases have been detected across the country. Thus, a total of 90,481 cases have been detected," Jahanpur noted.

In the meantime, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Sunday that the country would be divided into several zones depending on the risks of coronavirus spreading in order to lift or impose restrictions.

"The country will be divided into different zones, not based on province, east and west, north and south, but based on the spread of coronavirus. We divide the country on the basis of white, yellow and red, and it says that some cities are white, and if the people observe the protocols, they will remain white until the end. But if this is not the case, white zones may turn yellow or even red," Rouhani said, speaking at the session of the National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus.

According to the president, authorities plan to reopen mosques and religious sites as well as resume Friday prayers while observing health protocols inside the white zones.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths in Spain continues to decline, with 288 people having died in the past 24 hours, the Spanish Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Spain has registered a total of 23,190 deaths since the beginning of the epidemic. On Saturday, the authorities said they had recorded 378 deaths over 24 hours.

Over the past 24 hours, polymerase chain reaction tests revealed 1,729 new cases of infection, bringing the total to 207,634. Over 3,000 patients have recovered in a day, bringing the total of recoveries to 98,732.

The country ranks second in terms of COVID-19 cases after the United States and third in deaths after the US and Italy. According to the Health Ministry, the epidemiological curve has passed its peak.

On Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said people would be allowed to go for walks and exercise outdoors starting May 2 unless the coronavirus situation worsens.

Starting on Sunday, children under 14 years old will be able to go outdoors while being accompanied by adults. This can be done once a day for an hour and within one kilometer (0.6 miles) from home.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia has registered record 6,361 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 80,949, the national coronavirus response centre said on Sunday.

"Over the past 24 hours, 6,361 COVID-19 cases have been registered in 83 regions. Of these, 45.9 percent have been detected actively, with people showing no clinical symptoms," the centre said in a statement.

Of all the new cases, 2,971 have been registered in Moscow, 576 in the Moscow region and 153 in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

The country's COVID-19 death toll has increased by 66 to 747.

As many as 517 patients have recovered over the given period, bringing the total number of cured people to 6,767.

Ukraine has registered 492 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 8,617, and eight fatalities registered in the past day brought the death toll to 209 people, the country’s Health Ministry said Sunday.

"As of April 26 at 9:00 a.m. [06:00 GMT], there have been 8,617 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine, of which 209 were fatal and 840 patients have recovered; 492 new cases were recorded within 24 hours," the ministry said in its daily update.

The Chernivtsi region in the country’s west bordering Moldova and Romania remains the worst affected with some 1,300 cases while capital Kiev counts 1,188 cases.

The country is under lockdown until at least May 11, when the mitigation measures and epidemiological situation will be reviewed by the government.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered to lift the coronavirus-related curfew across the country, except for the city of Mecca and a number of other designated areas, starting on Sunday until May 13, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported, citing an official decree.

The decree also stipulated the reopening of retail stores, shopping centers and the resumption of construction works.

The document re-emphasized the importance of social distancing and other precautionary measures but left it upon "relevant authorities" to decide whether to shut down restaurants, cinemas, beauty salons and other facilities if such measures were not observed.

Earlier this week, the Saudi authorities announced the closure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in the city of Medina, which are the two holiest sites in Islam, during the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday and will last through May 23 this year.

As of Saturday, Saudi Arabia has recorded some 16,300 and 136 deaths from COVID-19 with a stable increase of about 1,000 cases daily throughout the week.

An additional 128 patients in Moscow have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from COVID-19, taking the total number of recoveries to 3,175, Anastasia Rakova, the deputy mayor of the Russian capital for social development, said on Sunday.

"The number of people who have recovered continues to grow. Over the past day, another 128 people have recovered from the coronavirus after undergoing treatment. The total number of people who have recovered from the infection has increased to 3,175," Rakova said.

A day prior, Rakova said that the number of recoveries in the Russian capital increased by 312.

Moscow has the most cases nationwide, nearing 40,000 and 366 fatalities as of Saturday.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China's original epicenter of the disease, has dropped to zero, Health Commission Spokesman Mi Feng said on Sunday.

"Thanks to the joint efforts of Wuhan doctors and medical workers helping them from all over the country, as of April 26, there were zero patients with coronavirus in hospitals in Wuhan," the spokesman said at a briefing in Beijing.

The Hubei province, surrounding Wuhan, was the first region to go into lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus. However, the restrictions have already been eased as the situation in the area improved.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has increased by 1,990 in the past day to 26,496, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, released on Sunday.

The ministry’s daily update showed that there are currently 19,868 active cases in the country and 5,803 people have recovered from the coronavirus while 824 people have died, including 49 victims registered in the past day.

Earlier in the month, the Health Ministry published a list of 170 districts it designated as hotspots of infection. However, some 400 regions where no cases of infection were registered were labeled green zones.

The regional governments in the "green zones" began to slowly relax lockdown measures over the weekend, while people in the hotspots were still told to stay indoors.

The number of coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,737 and 140 patients with the disease died as of midnight Sunday (22:00 GMT), according to the Robert Koch Institute’s tally.

The overall number of cases has reached 154,175 with 5,640 fatalities since the pandemic reached Germany, the leading health institute’s data showed.

Approximately 2,200 people have been registered as recovered, taking the total discharged to about 112,000.

The southern state of Bavaria remains the most highly infected, with nearly 41,000 cases, while neighboring state Baden-Wurttemberg as well as North Rhine-Westphalia both crossed the 30,000 infections mark over the weekend.

The numbers show a continued deceleration in the country, down from the average of 6,000 daily cases earlier this month.

States heads began relaxing measures and allowing some establishments to reopen over the weekend, but Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the country remained “on thinnest of ice.”