WHO sees infections rise by record 228k in one day
Rising Covid cases across America drive worldwide surge
WASHINGTON/ GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total rising by 228,102 in the last 24 hours.
In the US, which is driving the global surge in numbers, President Donald Trump has decided to no longer resist wearing a mask even as the country continued to witness a rise in new Covid-19 infections, which went up by a record 65,551 in one day.
Trump told Fox News that he will wear a mask during a likely visit to the Walter Reed military hospital in Bethesda, in the adjoining state of Maryland, on Saturday. “You’re in a hospital, so I think it’s a very appropriate thing (to wear a mask),” he said.
The US president had been refusing to use a facial covering since early March.
The US has a total caseload of more than 3.1 million, with at least 133,000 deaths.
REMDESIVIR LINKED TO 62% FALL IN DEATH RISK
Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir reduced mortality risk for Covid-19 patients by 62% compared to standard care, according to a new analysis of trial data released by the drugmaker.
The analysis compared latestage trial data with real-world treatment. Gilead will present the findings at the Virtual Covid-19 Conference as part of the 23rd International AIDS Conference.
The analysis showed the death rate for patients treated with remdesivir was 7.6% on day 14 compared with 12.5% among patients not taking remdesivir. The analysis found 74.4% of remdesivir-treated patients recovered by day 14, as against 59% of patients receiving the standard of care alone.
The WHO said on Friday that it is still possible to bring coronavirus outbreaks under control, even though case numbers have more than doubled in the past six weeks. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the examples of Italy, Spain, South Korea and India’s biggest slum showed that however bad a outbreak was, the virus could still be reined in through aggressive action. “In the last six weeks cases have more than doubled,” Tedros told a virtual press conference in Geneva. However, “there are many examples that it can still be brought back under control”, said Tedros.
In Singapore, a general election was held on Friday under the cloud of the pandemic.