As of 8 am, July 28, 2020:
World count: 16,360,298 cases, 9,454,796 recoveries, 650,918 deaths
There are now 16,360,298 confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide. The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases, with 4,363,574 infections, followed by Brazil (2,443,480) and India (1,435,453).
There have been 650,918 deaths from the coronavirus all over the globe since the pandemic began. The US has the highest number of deaths in the world, with 150,222 fatalities from Covid-19, followed by Brazil (87,679), and the United Kingdom (45,779).
9,454,796 people worldwide have recovered from Covid-19.
Singapore: Country case count surpasses 50,000 with 469 new infections, 15 imported cases
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on July 27 that there are 469 new Covid-19 cases in the country, of which two are community cases and 15 are imported cases. These individuals have been placed under Stay Home orders. The other 452 cases are of Work Permit holders living in dormitories. Singapore now has a total of 50,838 confirmed cases, with an additional 171 discharged from hospital. A total of 45,692 individuals have recovered.
Of the active coronavirus cases in Singapore, 179 are in hospital, and none are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 4,940 are in community facilities. Twenty-seven people in Singapore have died of complications due to the Covid-19 infection.
US: Over 150 experts urge another shut down
A letter has been signed by more than 150 health experts, front liners, scientists, teachers and others asking the US government to shut down and start again in order to contain the spread of Covid-19. It read, “The best thing for the nation is not to reopen as quickly as possible, it’s to save as many lives as possible.”
Local government units have said they are considering a second stay-at-home order, with hospitals at capacity and delays in testing. Last week, the US reported 1,000 daily deaths for four consecutive days.
China to help build temporary hospital in Hong Kong as cases rise
The central government of China has agreed to build a temporary hospital in Hong Kong as the city grapples with a third wave of infections, with 145 new cases reported on July 26. Hong Kong Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said, “The country [China] has agreed to help build a ‘Fang-cang’ hospital in the Asia Expo Airport next to the airport within a short period of time. It is expected to be able to provide at most 2,000 hospital beds when finished.”
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection said 142 of the new cases were locally transmitted, of which 59 could not be traced. Two additional deaths have brought the city’s death toll to 20, with the total case count now at 2,778. The city has made wearing masks in public mandatory, with fines of as high as $645 imposed on those who do not comply.
India: Almost 50,000 new cases reported
On July 26, 49,931 new cases were reported in India, the largest single-day spike recorded in the country since the pandemic began. This brings India’s total to 1,435,453 infections, including over 485,000 active cases, and its death toll stands at 32,771. Over 16.8 million samples have been tested across India as of July 27, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised the country’s efforts to contain the outbreak, saying, “The way Indians came together to fight against coronavirus in the last few months, we have proved the world wrong. We need to remain vigilant. We have to remember that coronavirus is still as dangerous as it was in the beginning.”
Other Covid-19 news updates from around the world:
Victoria, Australia reported 532 new cases on July 26, a record high so far. Despite being three weeks into a 6-week lockdown, cases continue to rise, mainly due to people reporting for work while they are infectious. Outbreaks have also been reported in numerous aged-care facilities.
Japan recorded 840 new cases, bringing the country’s case total to 30,701. For six straight days, hard-hit Tokyo has reported more than 200 new cases, and the coronavirus has spread to US military bases in Okinawa as well.
Coronavirus patient who entered North Korea was on the run from the law in South Korea, police say. The first suspected Covid-19 case in North Korea was a man who defected to South Korea in 2017 but re-entered North Korea illegally on July 17. The South Korean police say that he was wanted for a sex crime and had not been registered as a coronavirus patient in South Korea.
China sees biggest number of infections since March. 57 new infections were confirmed in China on July 26, the largest number of cases since March, said the National Health Commission. Of the new cases, 41 were reported in the far western region of Xinjiang, which saw new cases again on July 15, after five months of no new infections.
80,000 tourists evacuated from Da Nang, Vietnam, after 3 Covid-19 cases were recorded. The tourists are mostly domestic travellers, and authorities say it will take four days to evacuate them all. The country has reported 11 new locally transmitted cases, all linked to a hospital in Da Nang. The new cases were discovered after a 57-year-old man in Da Nang tested positive for the virus on July 25. Previous to this, the country had reported no local transmissions for 100 days. -/TISG