COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 1 May
A boy is seen near to prepared food packages to be distributed to poor families during the holy month of Ramadan in Tehran, Iran Image: REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon - RC24EG9G8ZLH
- This daily roundup brings you a selection of the latest news updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.
- Today’s top news: Russia’s PM tests positive for coronavirus; NYC to halt subways during early mornings to disinfect trains.
What is the World Economic Forum doing about the coronavirus outbreak?
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
- Confirmed cases of coronavirus have risen to more than 3.2 million worldwide, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University. Over 233,000 people are known to have died from the virus. More than 1 million have recovered.
- Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin tested positive for COVID-19.
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK is past the peak of the disease.
- NYC to halt subways daily between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. to disinfect trains.
Testing is key in battling COVID-19, but where is testing the most prevalent? According to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Iceland, Luxembourg and Estonia have tested more of their population for coronavirus than any other countries.
The lowest levels of testing in OECD countries are in Mexico (0.4), Japan (1.8) and Greece (5.8). The average testing rate for all OECD countries is 22.9 tests per 1,000.
Top officials have welcomed announcements to boost testing including OECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría who said increasing testing capacity was essential to start easing lockdowns and to reduce the risk of new outbreaks.
Though passenger planes have seen steep declines, cargo planes are facing a surge in demand to respond to the need for supplies during the COVID-19 crisis. Slowing efforts are a slew of new guidelines, including fast-changing border restrictions and quarantines for crew. Airlines are lobbying for governments to respond with practical exemptions, writes Isobel Fenton, Platform Curator, Aviation & Aerospace, World Economic Forum. “A two-week delay for essential supplies is clearly unacceptable,” she says.
Looking for an escape? Literature instructor Christine Berberich from the University of Portsmouth shared a selection of books to enjoy during lockdown in a recent article for the Conversation. These books, including Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day and Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance engross their readers in their characters’ lives and transport them to another world.
On this week’s World Vs Virus podcast, our colleague David Knowles interviews science Journalist Laura Spinney about her book, Pale Rider, an exploration into the history of the Spanish Flu. The flu changed the world in many important ways, says Spinney, and there are some important lessons for how we respond to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic..
The World Versus Virus podcast is available on Apple Podcasts as part of its Essential Listening collection. The podcast is also available on Spotify and Libsyn.
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