Coronavirus Pandemic: Latest updates
MORE THAN 97,000 DEATHS
Officials have recorded more than 1.6 million cases and more than 97,200 deaths in 193 countries, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally at 1400 GMT yesterday. The United States with 466,396 is the hardest-hit country in terms of cases, of whom 16,703 have died. Italy has the highest death toll at 18,279 followed by Spain with 15,843. France has 12,228 deaths and Britain 7,993.
EU AGREES ON ECONOMIC RESPONSE
The European Union agrees to a 500 billion-euro ($550 billion) rescue package aimed at reducing pain across the 27-nation bloc, especially hardest-hit Italy and Spain. However, they do not agree on proposals for pooled borrowing, which divide north and south.
OIL PRODUCTION CUT ACCORD
Top oil producers except Mexico agree to cut output in May and June by 10 million barrels per day, OPEC says, after marathon talks at a videoconference, as they seek to deal with a collapse in demand due to the coronavirus and a Saudi-Russian price war.
'GREAT DEPRESSION': IMF
International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva anticipates "the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression" from the pandemic.
JOHNSON OUT OF INTENSIVE CARE
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is recovering in hospital after ending three days in intensive care for COVID-19.
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE OFFER
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi says it will offer 100 million doses of hydroxychloroquine, a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, to governments worldwide if studies show it can safely to be used to treat COVID-19 patients.
SPAIN SEES LOWEST DAILY TOLL
Spain has recorded its lowest daily death toll from the new coronavirus in 17 days, with 605 people dying, the government said. The figures showed the death rate slowing to four percent, down from just under four percent on Thursday in line with a trend which began on March 25 when it stood at over 27 percent.
FRANCE SEES LESS ICU PATIENTS'
The number of people in intensive care units (ICU) for coronavirus infection in France fell slightly for the first time since the start of the epidemic. An official said that the number of people in ICU fell by 82 or 1.1% to 7,066, five days after that number started falling in Italy, which now has 3,605 people in ICU, down from a peak of more than 4,000 six days ago.
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