Health and Healthcare Systems

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 13 August

A woman wearing a face mask walks past empty terraces of bars at Plaza Reial (Reial Square), after Catalonia's regional authorities announced restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Barcelona, Spain August 7, 2020. Picture taken August 7, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce - RC2OCI928YPZ

Spain continues to grapple with new cases.

Image: REUTERS/Nacho Doce

  • This daily round-up 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.
  • Top stories: India reports record rise; Peru announces new restrictions; new field hospital in Spain.

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now reached more than 20.6 million globally, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths now stands at more than 749,000.

Confirmed cases in Mexico have nearly reached half a million, although the actual figure is likely much higher. More than 50,000 people have lost their lives to the virus in the country.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern says she expects the COVID-19 cluster in the country to grow further: "As we all learnt from our first experience with COVID, once you identify a cluster, it grows before it slows. We should expect that to be the case here.”

German companies expect a return to normal in an average of 11 months, according to the ifo economics institute.

India has reported a record daily rise in COVID-19 infections – 66,999. It brings the country's total confirmed cases to nearly 2.4 million. The death toll has passed 47,000.

Italy has increased travel rules and restrictions amid concerns over rising transmissions. It now requires travellers arriving from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain to be tested for COVID-19 and has also added Colombia to its list of countries under a total travel ban.

India confirmed coronavirus cases COVID-19
Confirmed cases in India, as of yesterday. Image: Our World in Data

2. Family gatherings banned in Peru

Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra has announced further restrictions in the country, following a fresh spike in cases. Family gatherings are banned and lockdowns have been extended to five more regions.

“Now those who are infecting us are the people we know, the relatives who come to visit us, the friends who get together to kick a ball around or enjoy a barbecue,” Vizcarra said in a speech broadcast from the Government Palace in Lima. “It is a problem that together we have to solve.”

There has been a 75% surge in infections among children and adolescents. As a whole, Peru has recorded a daily average of 7,000 confirmed cases and 200 deaths in recent days. There have been nearly 500,000 confirmed cases, with more than 21,000 deaths in the country.

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3. Spain builds field hospital

A military field hospital has been built in the Aragon region of Spain, as cases jumped by nearly 1,700 across the country yesterday.

That figure doesn't include Madrid, which didn't provide new data because of technical difficulties.

The field hospital in Zaragoza, Aragon's capital, will serve as a triage centre and temporary ward for the city's University Clinic hospital. It is set to open tomorrow in the country's hardest-hit region.

Meanwhile, Galicia – in the northwest of the country – has issued a blanket ban on smoking in the street and on restaurant terraces, if a two-meter social distance cannot be respected.

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