COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 17 July

Jul 17, 2020

Mayu adjusts Koiku's kimono, both of who are geisha, as Koiku wears a protective face mask to pose for a photograph, before working at a party being hosted by customers, where they will entertain with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020. "My father really didn't understand geisha, he thought it was like the sex trade. He opposed me so violently I thought it would tear the family apart", said Mayu. "After six years I just gave up and left", she added. "When he saw our first performance, and how hard we work, he came backstage and went to his knees and bowed really low ... Now he's a huge fan." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC26UH9QNJP8

Geisha Mayu adjusts Koiku's kimono as they prepare to work at party in Tokyo. Image: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "GEISHA COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC26UH9QNJP8

Kate Whiting

Senior Writer, Forum Stories

Brazil and India pass new milestones.
EU leaders hold face-to-face summit.
WHO Africa calls for global solidarity to fight COVID-19.

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1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have risen to 13.8 million around the world, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths now stands at more than 590,000.
The US shattered it's daily coronavirus record with more than 77,000 cases reported in the past 24 hours.
Total confirmed cases in Brazil have passed 2 million. The death toll stands at more than 76,000.
India has become the third country in the world to record more than 1 million cases, after it confirmed 34,956 new infections on 17 July. But epidemiologists say the country could still be months off hitting its peak.
Israel has imposed a weekend shutdown, with malls, shops, pools, zoos and museums shutting from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning. Full weekend lockdowns that see people confined to their homes could come in on 24 July.
EU leaders will hold their first face-to-face summit since the pandemic began, to agree a $854 billion COVID Recovery Fund.
British Airways is retiring its entire fleet of Boeing 747 jumbo jets with immediate effect and four years early, due to the global slump in air travel.
Queen Elizabeth II will come out of lockdown today to present Tom Moore with a knighthood at Windsor Castle, England, after the elderly army veteran raised £32 million for National Health Service charities.

How to wear a non-medical fabric face mask safely

How to wear a fabric face mask safely. Image: WHO

2. WHO Africa: Global solidarity needed to tackle COVID-19, Ebola resurgence

The world must keep focusing on other health threats beside COVID-19, the head of the World Health Organization in Africa has warned.

Cases of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo have reached 56 - higher than the previous outbreak between May and July 2018.

“Responding to Ebola in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is complex, but we must not let COVID-19 distract us from tackling other pressing health threats,” Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said.

Speaking at a press briefing hosted by the World Economic Forum, Dr Moeti said there have been 640,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa, with more than 14,000 lives lost.

She highlighted the plight of refugees, who are "the most vulnerable people in the world to the COVID-19 pandemic".

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The region hosts more than 26% of the world’s refugees and around 19 million internally displaced people who have fled their homes due to violence and conflict.

Dr Moeti said: "In crowded and sometimes very-low-resource settings, such as camps and settlements, the basic preventive measures for COVID-19 of physical distancing and frequent hand hygiene can be incredibly challenging to implement."

The UN has called for $10.3 billion to help vulnerable populations in Africa access life-essential services for health, water and sanitation, and food and nutrition.

Dr Moeti said: "This action is urgently needed. Already funding shortages have resulted in reduced food rations in some settlements and imminent threats of increases in acute malnutrition, stunting and anaemia.

"Global solidarity is needed more than ever in fighting this epidemic."

3. Australia COVID-19 test breakthrough

In what they are calling a 'world-first' breakthrough, scientists in Australia have devised a blood test for coronavirus that takes just 20 minutes.

Researchers at Monash University said their test can determine if someone is currently infected and if they have been infected in the past, Reuters reports.

“Short-term applications include rapid case identification and contact tracing to limit viral spread, while population screening to determine the extent of viral infection across communities is a longer-term need,” the researchers said in a paper published in the journal ACS Sensors.

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