As of 9 am, May 9, 2020:
World count: 3,932,896 cases, 274,422 deaths, 1,313,004 recoveries
There are now 3,932,896 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 worldwide. There have been 274,422 deaths. The United States has the highest number of cases, with 1,316,092 infections, followed by Spain (222,857) and Italy (217,185). The US also accounts for the highest number of deaths out of all countries with infections (78,185), followed by the United Kingdom (31,241) and Italy (30,201).
1,313,004 people worldwide have recovered from Covid-19.
Singapore: 768 additional cases, 5 new clusters
The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on May 8 that there are 768 new Covid-19 cases in the country. Singapore now has a total of 21,707 confirmed cases, with an additional 328 discharged from hospital. A total of 2,040 individuals have recovered.
Among the active cases of the coronavirus, 1,245 are still under medical treatment in hospitals, of whom 22 are in intensive care units. There are 18,402 people with Covid-19 in isolation in community facilities. Twenty people have died from complications of the coronavirus, and six others who tested positive for Covid-19 died of other causes.
MOH also announced five new infection clusters: 25 Kaki Bukit Industrial Terrace, 63 Senoko Drive in Sembawang, 53 Sungei Kadut Loop, 11 Tech Park Crescent in Tuas, and 57 Tuas View Walk 2.
Coronavirus detected in semen – new study
Findings from a study showed that coronavirus was detected in the semen of several infected men, according to scientists from China. This was published in the JAMA Network Open medical journal on May 7. Whether Covid-19 can be sexually transmitted still requires further research, however. Researchers at the Shangqiu Municipal Hospital in China’s Henan Province tested the semen of 38 infected males from the ages of 15 to 50. They found evidence of the coronavirus in six of the men, two of whom were in the recovery stage and four at the “acute stage of infection.”
EU Commission urges external borders to be closed till mid-June
In a statement on May 8, the European Commission urged its member states to keep their borders closed until the middle of next month. “While some EU and Schengen Associated States are taking preliminary steps towards easing the measures for fighting the spread of the pandemic, the situation remains fragile both in Europe and worldwide. This calls for continued measures at the external borders to reduce the risk of the disease spreading through travel to the EU. The lifting of travel restrictions should be phased,” it said.
UN Sec-Gen: Pandemic unleashing a “tsunami of hate and xenophobia”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that the current coronavirus pandemic is unleashing “a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering.”
In a tweet, Mr Guterres said, “Covid-19 does not care who we are, where we live, or what we believe, I’m appealing today for an all-out effort to end hate speech globally.”
He called on political leaders to step up their efforts, as well as for the media to more actively remove “racist, misogynist, and other harmful content.”
The UN Chief added, “And I ask everyone, everywhere, to stand up against hate.”
Japan sees less than 100 new daily cases for the first time since March 31
Only 95 new cases and were identified in Japan on May 7, the first time cases dropped below 3 digits in over a month. Japan is still under a state of emergency at present, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel, as 34 out of its 47 prefectures are getting ready to begin to ease restrictions. -/TISG
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