Cincunri Sakia

Senin, 06 April 2020

U.S. enters 'peak death week' for coronavirus, British PM in intensive care - Reuters

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States was preparing on Monday for what one official called the “peak death week” of the coronavirus, while across the Atlantic British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the most prominent person with COVID-19, was taken to intensive care.

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson applauds outside 10 Downing Street during the Clap For Our Carers campaign in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, London, Britain, March 26, 2020. Picture taken March 26, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

Johnson was admitted to hospital on Sunday after 10 days of symptoms, but said at the time he was continuing to work.

“Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” Downing Street said on Monday, adding that the foreign secretary would deputize.

Globally, the coronavirus figures remain stark, and show no sign of plateauing yet. A Reuters tally at 1400 GMT put the number of confirmed cases at 1.27 million - just three days after it crossed the 1 million mark - and deaths up by 17,000 over the same period to 70,395.

But a ray of hope came from European nations, including hardest-hit Italy and Spain, which have started looking ahead to easing lockdowns after steady falls in their coronavirus-related fatality rates.

The United States had by far the most confirmed cases at more than 355,000 by Monday, with deaths exceeding 10,000.

“It’s going to be the peak hospitalization, peak ICU week and unfortunately, peak death week,” Admiral Brett Giroir, a physician and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” TV program on Monday.

Roughly twice as many people a day are now dying in the United States as in Spain or Italy, and hospitals report chaotic shortages of beds, ventilators and protective gear.

While New York City accounts for almost a third of U.S. coronavirus deaths, more than 90 percent of Americans are under stay-at-home orders.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday cited tentative signs the coronavirus outbreak was “flattening” in his state but warned against complacency.

‘LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!’

In Spain and Italy, which account for over 40% of the world’s fatalities, the death rate has been declining for several days and public discussion has turned to how and when to ease weeks of drastic curbs on personal and economic activity.

A University of Washington model, one of several cited by U.S. and some state officials, projected that the peak need for hospital beds in the United States would come on April 15, and that daily deaths would peak, at 3,130, on April 16.

President Donald Trump, whom critics have accused of playing down the epidemic and trying to rush an end to the devastating economic paralysis, on Monday tweeted “LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!”

On Sunday, Neil Ferguson, a professor at Imperial College in London who has helped shape the British government’s response, said he expected Britain’s epidemic to plateau in seven to 10 days.

“What’s critically important then is how quickly case numbers go down: do we see a long flat peak or do we, as we hope, see a much faster decline, and that really depends on how effective the current measures are,” he told the BBC.

Spain saw its daily deaths fall from Thursday’s peak of 950 to 637 on Monday, for a total of more than 13,000 deaths; Italy on Sunday reported 525 deaths, its lowest daily death toll in more than two weeks, for a total of more than 16,000.

As the numbers have flattened in Italy, there has been increasing discussion about rolling back a lockdown that has closed most businesses and slammed the brakes on an already fragile economy.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at the weekend that Spain’s lockdown would remain in place until April 26, but opened the door to easing some restrictions after Easter on April 12.

Stock markets around the world jumped on Monday, encouraged by the slowdown in cases. [MKTS/GLOB]

WHEN TO EASE UP?

Central to most countries’ planning is the need to “flatten the curve” to avoid exhausting their supply of intensive care beds at overwhelmed hospitals.

Austria said on Monday it was turning a corner and would start reopening shops from next week, although it widened a requirement to wear face masks.

However, the global use of medical masks by the public could exacerbate shortages for healthcare workers, the World Health Organization warned. U.S. officials recommended use of makeshift masks or bandanas for Americans when they leave their homes.

Measures to prevent a new upsurge in cases will be crucial to most countries’ ability to relax their lockdowns.

The blueprint may come from Germany which, despite being Europe’s most populous country, has recorded only 1,448 deaths from 98,000 confirmed cases.

Slideshow (13 Images)

A draft action plan compiled by the Interior Ministry and seen by Reuters says it should be possible to keep the average number of people infected below one per person - the measure of an epidemic in retreat - even as public life and economic life are gradually allowed to resume.

Germany, with Europe’s largest economy, has been under lockdown, with restaurants and most shops closed, since March 22 - and the document assumes the pandemic will last until 2021.

But the plan says measures foreseen, including mandatory mask-wearing in public, limits on gatherings, the rapid tracing of infection chains and selective quarantining, should allow a phased return to something approaching normal life.

Reporting by Reuters bureaux worldwide; Writing by Kevin Liffey and Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Bill Berkrot

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2020-04-06 20:40:23Z
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In a first, State Department designates Russian white supremacists as global terrorists - CNN

Nathan Sales, the department's coordinator for counterterrorism, announced Monday the designation of the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) and three of its leaders: Stanislav Anatolyevich Vorobyev, Denis Valliullovich Gariev, and Nikolay Nikolayevich Trushchalov.

Sales described RIM as "a terrorist group that provides paramilitary-style training to neo-Nazis and white supremacists."

"And it plays a prominent role in trying to rally like-minded Europeans and Americans into a common front against their perceived enemies," he said.

"This is the first time the United States has ever designated white supremacist terrorists, illustrating how seriously this administration takes the threat," Sales said.

Monday's designation comes as officials have warned that the threat from white supremacist terror is on the rise at home and abroad and deadly attacks have claimed dozens of lives and wrought fear in communities around the globe.

Although the State Department doesn't "have the authority to designate groups with a substantial connection to the United States," Sales noted that the designation was meant to prevent the spread of RIM's dangerous tactics to America.

Incidents of white supremacist propaganda distribution doubled in the last year, ADL finds

"We see what RIM-trained terrorists can do in Europe and we want to make sure that RIM is not able -- or any terrorist group is not able -- to accomplish something similar here in the United States. That is to say, providing training that could enable violent attacks and deadly attacks here in the homeland," Sales said. "That is why we are designating RIM today, because it enables us to better protect our borders to keep these terrorists out of our country and to deny them resources they might use to plan additional training that could harm our interests."

Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order which gave the US government greater latitude to go after groups who train terrorists, not only groups that carry out terrorist attacks. Monday's designation will deny RIM members from accessing the US financial system, with the intention of making it more challenging for them to move money through the international system and fund their efforts.

According to Sales, RIM was responsible for training two Swedish men in 2016 who carried out a series of bombings in Gothenburg, Sweden. He not detail more recent attacks associated with the group -- which currently has two training facilities in St. Petersburg -- but said they are still actively training and recruiting.

"RIM is still very much in the business of providing training to like-minded neo-Nazis and white supremacists across Europe," Sales said. "We know that they have recruited individuals from other countries in Europe and continue to do so."

He said the department was aware of reports that the white supremacist group had made outreach to Americans, and that RIM fighters fought in Ukraine among pro-separatist forces. The counterterrorism coordinator would not speak about potential connections between the Russian government and RIM, saying only that, "we encourage the Russian Federation, to live up to the commitments that it has made to countering terrorism."

"We have identified this group as a terrorist organization and we encourage all partners around the world, including the Russian government to take that threat as seriously as we take it," Sales said.

Sales did not preview any additional white supremacist groups that could be designated as terrorists using this same new justification but indicated that additional designations are possible.

Sales said that the US government is "always on the lookout" for other groups that meet the designation requirements and pose a threat to Americans.

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2020-04-06 19:54:57Z
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Coronavirus: Boris Johnson moved to intensive care as symptoms 'worsen' - BBC News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to intensive care in hospital after his coronavirus symptoms "worsened", Downing Street has said.

A spokesman said he was moved on the advice of his medical team and is receiving "excellent care".

Mr Johnson has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputise "where necessary", the spokesman added.

The prime minister, 55, was admitted to hospital in London with "persistent symptoms" on Sunday evening.

The Queen has been kept informed about Mr Johnson's health by No 10, Buckingham Palace said.

A No 10 statement read: "The prime minister has been under the care of doctors at St Thomas' Hospital, in London, after being admitted with persistent symptoms of coronavirus.

"Over the course of [Monday] afternoon, the condition of the prime minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital."

It continued: "The PM is receiving excellent care, and thanks all NHS staff for their hard work and dedication."

Mr Raab said there was an "incredibly strong team spirit" behind the prime minister.

He added he and his colleagues were making sure they implemented plans Mr Johnson had instructed them to deliver "as soon as possible".

"That's the way we'll bring the whole country through the coronavirus challenge," he said.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said his thoughts were with the prime minister and his pregnant partner, Carrie Symonds, and that Mr Johnson would "come out of this even stronger".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described it as "terribly sad news".

"All the country's thoughts are with the prime minister and his family during this incredibly difficult time," he added.

Mr Johnson was initially taken to hospital for routine tests after testing positive for coronavirus 10 days ago. His symptoms included a high temperature and a cough.

Earlier on Monday, he tweeted that he was in "good spirits".

After very, very little information was shared today, the prime minister was taken into intensive care at around 19:00 BST.

We've been told he is still conscious, but his condition has worsened over the course of the afternoon.

And he has been moved to intensive care as a precaution in case he needs ventilation to get through this illness.

The statement from Downing Street makes clear he is receiving excellent care and he wants to thank all of the NHS staff.

But something important has changed, and he has felt it necessary to ask his foreign secretary to deputise for him where needs be.

That is a completely different message from what we have heard over the past 18 hours or so, where it was continually "the prime minister is in touch" and "he is in charge" - almost like everything is business as usual.

But clearly being in intensive care changes everything.

Last month, the prime minister's spokesman said if Mr Johnson was unwell and unable to work, Mr Raab, as the first secretary of state, would stand in.

It comes as the number of coronavirus hospital deaths in the UK reached 5,373 - an increase of 439 in a day.

The Department of Health and Social Care said there were now 51,608 confirmed coronavirus cases.

Intensive care is where doctors look after the sickest patients - his admission to ICU is the clearest indication of how ill the prime minister is.

We do not know the full details of Mr Johnson's condition, but he is conscious and not being ventilated.

Not every patient in intensive care is ventilated, but around two-thirds are within 24 hours of admission with Covid-19.

This is a disease that attacks the lungs and can cause pneumonia and difficulty breathing.

This leaves the body struggling to get enough oxygen into the blood and to the body's vital organs.

There is no proven drug treatment for Covid-19, although there are many experimental candidates.

But the cornerstone of the prime minister's care will depend on getting enough oxygen into his body and supporting his other organs while his immune system fights the virus.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "sending [Mr Johnson] every good wish", while Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster added she was "praying for a full and speedy recovery".

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his thoughts were with the prime minister and his family, and thanked NHS staff for "their hard work and dedication".

French President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped Mr Johnson "overcomes this ordeal quickly."

And Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted that St Thomas' Hospital had "some of the finest medical staff in the world" and that the prime minister "couldn't be in safer hands".

Speaking during the government's daily coronavirus briefing earlier on Monday, Mr Raab stressed that the prime minister had been continuing to run the government from hospital.

Asked whether that was appropriate, Mr Raab said Mr Johnson would "take the medical advice that he gets from his doctor".

"We have a team... that is full throttle making sure that his directions and his instructions are being implemented," he said.

The foreign secretary added that he had not spoken to the prime minister since Saturday.

On Saturday, Ms Symonds, who is pregnant, said she had spent a week in bed with the main symptoms. She said she had not been tested for the virus.

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2020-04-06 19:49:46Z
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