US nears China’s virus death toll

New York governor pleads for help, says more healthcare workers needed

The mounting death toll from the virus outbreak in the United States had it poised to overtake China’s grim toll of 3,300 deaths, with New York governor Andrew Cuomo saying up to one million more healthcare workers were needed. “Please come help us,” he urged.

Hard-hit Italy and Spain have already overtaken China and now account for more than half of the nearly 38,000 Covid-19 deaths worldwide, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

But the World Health Organization warned yesterday that while attention has shifted to epicentres in Western Europe and North America, the coronavirus pandemic was far from over in Asia.

“This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard,” said Dr Takeshi Kasai, the WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.

“We need every country to keep responding according to their local situation.”

In Japan, the countdown clocks were reset and ticking again for the Tokyo Olympics after organisers announced new dates following the postponement from this summer.

The clocks read 479 days to go, with the games now scheduled to kick off on July 23, 2021.

In New York City, Cuomo and health officials warned on Monday that the crisis unfolding there is just a preview of what other US communities could soon face.

New York State’s death toll climbed by more than 250 people in a day Monday to more than 1,200, most of them in the city.

“We’ve lost over one thousand New Yorkers,” Cuomo said. “To me, we’re beyond staggering already.”

Even before the governor’s appeal, close to 80,000 former nurses, doctors and other professionals were stepping up to volunteer, and a Navy hospital ship had arrived with 1,000 beds to relieve pressure on overwhelmed hospitals.

News also came of the first US service member to die from the disease.

Secretary of Defence Mark Esper said the death of the New Jersey Army National Guardsman strengthened their resolve to work more closely with partners to stop the spread of Covid-19.

More than 235 million people – about two of every three Americans – live in the 33 states where governors have declared state-wide orders or recommendations to stay home.

In California, officials put out a similar call for medical volunteers as coronavirus hospitalisations doubled over the last four days and the number of patients in intensive care tripled.

“Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days, and this is a very vital 30 days,” President Donald Trump said on Monday.

In contrast, the crisis is continuing to ease in China. Yesterday, officials in the world’s most populous nation reported just 48 new Covid19 cases, all of them brought from overseas.

In Wuhan, people were ready to jump, cry and “revenge shop” as the Chinese city once at the centre of the global virus outbreak reopened.

“I’m so excited, I want to cry,” said one woman at the Chuhe Hanjie pedestrian mall, where about 75% of the shops had reopened. Shopkeepers were limiting the number of people they were letting in, dispensing hand sanitiser and checking customers for signs of fever.

More than three-quarters of a million people worldwide have become infected and over 37,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms like pneumonia.

More than 160,000 people have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins.

Italy and Spain saw their death tolls climb by more than 800 each on Monday, but the WHO’s emergency chief, Dr Michael Ryan, said cases there were “potentially stabilising”.

At the same time, he warned against letting up on tough containment measures. — AP