Cincunri Sakia

Selasa, 12 Mei 2020

Coronavirus: Dr Anthony Fauci's warning against rush to reopen puts him on collision course with Trump - Sky News

Dr Anthony Fauci is America's top leading infectious diseases expert. He has been a reassuring, constant voice of caution and balance in an often hyperbolic, hyper tense environment.

It was clear in his testimony before the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, he wanted to issue a warning - a rush to re-open could have grave consequences for the country.

If "states or cities or regions" disregard the government's "checkpoints" on when it's safe to pull back from mitigation measures, Fauci said: "I feel if that occurs, there is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you might not be able to control, which, in fact, paradoxically, will set you back, not only leading to some suffering and death, that could be avoided, but could even set you back on the road to trying to get economic recovery.

"We would almost turn the clock back, rather than going forward."

As for the next school year, the senior scientist said there are new, unusual cases involving children getting sick that need to be understood first.

The idea he could tell parents that it's safe for kids to return in the autumn to school he say, "might be a bridge too far at this time."

Dr Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also conceded the death rate is likely higher than the 80,000 reported. But with his sombre analysis, also came words of hope.

He told the committee that scientists aim to know if a successful coronavirus vaccine has been found by late fall and early winter. He added that he was "cautiously optimistic" about a vaccine.

There are eight currently being accelerated. "We have many candidates and hope to have multiple winners," Dr Fauci explained to senators.

Administration officials said a massive increase in testing is on the way - 25 to 30 million tests a month, along with tracing to better determine the spread. But until then Dr Fauci says, it is very conceivable there will be a second wave.

It is not a surprising assessment - there have been warnings of that for weeks. But the tone is at odds with that of Donald Trump who has sounded very positive notes about the readiness of America to re-open and its success in overcoming the pandemic.

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The concern among those he's working alongside is that states and people aren't following the guidelines the Coronavirus Taskforce has laid out.

Scenes of beaches and parks packed with people not wearing masks have alarmed those like Dr Fauci who put together the recommendations.

The president is not alone in his frustrations - far from it. Some states have been incredibly vocal in their desires to return to normality.

But the man at the coalface of the medical and scientific response has made clear - he doesn't think a return to normal is or should be imminent.

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2020-05-12 21:56:15Z
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Afghan attack: US secretary of state condemns shooting at Kabul maternity ward - BBC News

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has condemned a militant attack on a maternity ward in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Two babies and 12 mothers and nurses were killed when several gunmen stormed the hospital on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, a bombing at a funeral killed at least 26 people.

Mr Pompeo said: "Any attack on innocents is unforgiveable, but to attack infants and women in labour... is an act of sheer evil."

"Terrorists who attack mourners lining up for prayer at a funeral are only seeking to tear apart the bonds that hold families and communities together, but they will never succeed."

He added: "During the holy month of Ramadan and amidst the threat of Covid-19, these dual attacks are particularly appalling."

In the wake of the attacks, President Ashraf Ghani said he was ordering the resumption of offensive operations against the Taliban and other groups.

He accused the militants of ignoring repeated calls for a reduction in violence.

The Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack on a police commander's funeral in Nangarhar, in the east of the country. It is still not clear who carried out the attack at the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital, and the Taliban have denied any involvement.

What happened at the hospital?

The Kabul attack began at about 10:00 (05:30 GMT) on Tuesday, and locals described hearing two blasts then gunfire. One doctor who fled during the assault told the BBC about 140 people were in the hospital when the gunmen attacked.

A maternity ward in the hospital is run by the international medical charity Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and some of those working there are foreigners.

Another doctor told AFP news agency that "total panic" took hold as the assault unfolded.

Ramazan Ali, a vendor who saw the attack begin, told Reuters news agency: "The attackers were shooting at anyone in this hospital without any reason... It's a government hospital, and a lot of people bring in their women and children for treatment."

Afghan special forces rescued 100 women and children, including three foreigners, an official told the BBC. The attackers, who reportedly had gained access dressed as police officers, were all killed by security personnel after a battle lasting hours.

Images from the scene showed soldiers carrying one newborn baby to safety, swaddled in a blood-stained blanket.

Many foreign staff live in a guesthouse behind the Dasht-e-Barchi Hospital and a doctor who fled the building told the BBC he saw an explosion there too.

In the past, similar attacks in this mostly Shia area of the capital have been attributed to IS. The group's leader in South Asia and the Far East was arrested in Kabul on Tuesday, with two other high profile members, Afghan intelligence said.

In 2017, IS gunmen disguised as medical staff attacked Kabul's main military hospital, prompting widespread shock and anger and raising questions about security. The authorities later confirmed about 50 people had been killed.

But the Taliban also attack hospitals. Last September, 20 people died after a truck packed with explosives was detonated by militants from the group outside a hospital in southern Zabul province.

On TV, Mr Ghani said: "In order to provide security for public places and to thwart attacks and threats from the Taliban and other terrorist groups, I'm ordering Afghan security forces to switch from an active defence mode to an offensive one and to resume their operations against the enemies."

Fragile hope shaken

Even in a country which has seen the worst of the worst, this savage attack on newborn babies and their mothers has shocked, and shaken fragile hope this would be the year Afghanistan would finally start to turn towards peace.

Images of special forces in bulky body armour, carrying infants to safety, will remain long in the memory of those who have repeatedly called for a ceasefire - especially when Afghans are battling another deadly enemy in Covid-19.

Despite Taliban denials that this ghastly attack was their work, President Ghani's denunciation reflects the anger and frustration of many. Some worry that groups like Islamic State, trying to drive an even greater wedge between Taliban and the government, have also killed for now what were slow uncertain steps toward peace talks.

And for those who have never trusted the Taliban's commitment, this latest attack solidifies their resolve to keep fighting.

What happened at the funeral?

According to survivors, thousands of people had gathered in Nangarhar province for a local police commander's funeral, and the bomb detonated about half-way through. Ataullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor, said 68 people were injured.

A member of the provincial council was among the at least 24 killed.

Tuesday's attacks were widely condemned by countries around the world and human rights groups, with Amnesty International saying: "The unconscionable war crimes in Afghanistan today... must awaken the world to the horrors civilians continue to face."

On Twitter, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "I'm horrified by the appalling terrorist attacks in Afghanistan today - including on a maternity hospital. Targeting mothers, their newborns and medical staff is despicable."

Meanwhile, in northern Balkh province, at least 10 people were killed and many others injured in an air strike by US forces, reports said. Residents and the Taliban claimed the victims were all civilians, but the Afghan Defence Ministry said all those killed were militants.

What's going on with Afghan peace talks?

Since a February troop withdrawal agreement signed between the US and the Taliban, talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have broken down over a prisoner swap and violence has continued unabated.

The agreement was aimed at ending more than 18 years of war since US-led forces ousted the Taliban from power following the 9/11 attacks on the US, whose mastermind Osama Bin Laden had been given sanctuary by the hardline Islamist group.

Tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict. Many more have been injured or displaced from their homes.

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2020-05-12 23:02:57Z
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China prepares to test all of Wuhan’s 11 million residents for coronavirus in just 10 days as it reports ZERO - The Sun

FEARS of a second coronavirus wave smashing China will see each of Wuhan's 11 million residents tested in just 10 days despite no new domestic cases.

A major worry is asymptomatic cases, where people show no clinical signs of infection but spread the bug, authorities admit.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Chinese nurses take a selfie on International Nurses Day at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, May 12Credit: EPA

China’s National Health Commission reported 17 new cases on Monday, five of them in Wuhan where the killer bug first emerged before rampaging countries across the world.

Seven of the new cases were imported, says The Guardian.

Worryingly, over the weekend Wuhan, capital of Hubei, reported its first cluster of infections since a lockdown on the city was lifted a month ago.

As a result, authorities declared they would hold mass testing of all citizens over a period of ten days, reports Reuters.

This will be in the form of city-wide nucleic acid testing, used to identify small amounts of DNA or RNA in a sample.

Every district was ordered to submit a detailed testing plan to Wuhan officials by Tuesday.

All of the latest cases in Wuhan were previously classified as asymptomatic - people who test positive for the virus and are capable of infecting others but do not show clinical signs.

We must resolutely contain the risk of a rebound.
Wuhan official

On average, the city has conducted about 47,000 nucleic acid tests each day since the lockdown was lifted on April 8.

Although China reported zero new domestic coronavirus infections today, nervous authorities remain concerned about a sudden wider resurgence of the killer bug, which has so far taken the lives of about 290,000 people worldwide, says Worldometers.

Wuhan's health bosses said: “We must resolutely contain the risk of a rebound."

There have been concerns about further peaks for some weeks, which late last month resulted in re-imposed lockdown measures on public sports facilities.

The Chinese government, concerned over a spike in imported cases, also imposed a 14-day quarantine at designated hotels for anyone arriving in Beijing.

New confirmed cases reported in China since April have been low compared with the thousands every day in February, thanks to a nationwide regime of screening, testing and quarantine.

CLUSTERS

Yet new clusters have emerged, resulting in the northeastern city of Shulan being placed under lockdown on Sunday.

Today Chinese health authorities called for vigilance to be maintained, even though the peak of the epidemic has passed in the country.

In the past two weeks, new cases have been reported in seven provinces, including Hubei, the original epicentre of the deadly outbreak late last year.

As of Monday, mainland China had 115 confirmed cases, while 5,470 people were under medical observation for signs of infection.

However, US President Donald Trump has queried China's figures and suggested it would be punished for the outbreak.

His administration is considering retaliatory measures against it over the Covid-19 outbreak.

Chinese authorities reported on Sunday what could be the beginning of a new wave of coronavirus cases in northeast China, with one city in Jilin province being reclassified as high-risk.

Eleven new cases in Shulan were confirmed on May 9, all of them members of one woman's relatives or people who came into contact with her or family members.

Shulan has increased virus-control measures including a lockdown of residential compounds, a ban on non-essential transportation and school closures, the Jilin government said.

Beijing said last Friday that cinemas, museums and other venues would gradually be reopened, though restrictions including mandatory reservations and a limit on numbers of visitors would be in place.

Thumbs-up: kids are happy to have returned to classrooms in ChinaCredit: Getty Images - Getty

But temperatures are still being taken in public, as fears mount over a looming second peakCredit: AFP or licensors

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2020-05-12 17:56:00Z
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Unidentified gunmen attack maternity hospital in Kabul - The Telegraph

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Unidentified gunmen attack maternity hospital in Kabul The Telegraph
Afghan attack: Babies killed as gunmen storm maternity ward BBC News
Babies among dozens dead in attacks on Afghan hospital and funeral The Guardian
Mothers and newborn babies killed in Kabul maternity hospital attack Sky News
Gunmen kill newborn babies, mothers and nurses in attack on Afghan maternity clinic Telegraph.co.uk
View Full coverage on Google News

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2020-05-12 15:50:06Z
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Coronavirus Russia: Kremlin spokesman infected, cases hit 232k - Daily Mail

Putin's spokesman tests positive for coronavirus as Russia overtakes Britain with 232,000 cases and sees record 107 deaths in a day

Long-term spokesman Dmitry Peskov is reportedly in a hospital in Moscow
He was last seen with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on April 30
Russia reported a further 10,899 Covid-19 cases today, taking it past the UK total
Today marks the tenth day in a row that Russia has seen over 10,000 new cases
But the statistics may mask an even more serious situation in Russia
Yesterday, Putin ordered millions of Russians to return to work starting today
Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By Will Stewart In Russia and Chris Jewers and Ryan Fahey For Mailonline

Published: 14:17 BST, 12 May 2020 | Updated: 15:36 BST, 12 May 2020

One of Vladimir Putin's most trusted aides Dmitry Peskov was today confirmed as suffering from coronavirus.

Peskov is the Russian leader's long time spokesman and also deputy head of the presidential administration.

He is believed to have been hospitalised in the elite Kremlin clinic known as Moscow Central Clinical Hospital.

Meanwhile, Russia saw its total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country reach 232,243, surpassing the number of cases in both the United Kingdom and in Spain.

Russia is now the country with the second highest number of coronavirus cases, second only to the U.S.

A record number of 107 coronavirus deaths were also reported in Russia today.

Long-term Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov (pictured in December) has confirmed that he is suffering from the coronavirus, and is believed to have been hospitalised in Moscow

On Tuesday, Russia reported a further 10,899 cases of the coronavirus, taking Russia's total to 232,243, surpassing the total in the UK

According to journalists, Peskov, 52, was last seen with Putin on 30 April. 'I got sick. I'm getting treatment,' he said according to RIA Novosti.

He told TASS he had not been in personal touch with Putin for one month.

Peskov himself said that major efforts had been taken to ensure Putin did not become infected.

Peskov's wife Tatiana Navka , 45, former Olympic champion figure skater and twice World Champion is also infected and is also in hospital.

'He brought it from work,' she said.

The former diplomat's infections follows that of Russian prime minister Mikhail Mishustin who is also hospitalised.

A Kremlin spokesman confirmed Peskov was in the hospital. Russian culture minister Olga Lyubimova and construction minister the head of the Ministry of Construction Vladimir Yakushev are also infected.

Putin was today seen with his close ally Igor Sechin with neither wearing protective masks. Sechin is now head of energy giant Rosneft.

Dmitry Peskov, left, is Vladimir Putin's, right, long-term spokesperson and has confirmed that he has the coronavirus. Yesterday, Putin told millions of Russians to return to work today despite rising numbers of the virus

On Tuesday, Russia also recorded 107 coronavirus related deaths, a record high for the country in a single day since the crisis began

Russia announced a record number of deaths today as the country's official infection cases passed those of Britain.

This comes amid reports that the Kremlin's daily figures may be underestimating fatalities by as much as 70 per cent.

Russia today reported 10,899 new cases with a record 107 new deaths. This brings Russia's Covid-19 death toll to 2,116.

Today marks the tenth day in a row that Russia has seen more than 10,000 new cases, after the number of new cases per-day rose dramatically in the second half of April. Putin has attributed this steep rise to an increase in testing.

A quarter of a million people are under medical surveillance due to being suspected of suffering from coronavirus.

But the statistics may mask an even more serious situation in Russia.

An analysis by The Financial Times showed 2,073 more deaths in April in Moscow and St Petersburg compared to the average figure for the past five years.

Official Russian figures show 629 Covid-19 deaths for the same month, meaning an excess of 1,444 deaths compared with normal mortality levels.

'If added to the reported national figure of 2,009 Covid deaths as of Monday morning, this would mean a 72 per cent increase in Russia's national death toll,' stated the newspaper.

On Tuesday, the mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin made it mandatory for people using public transport, taxi passengers and shoppers to wear face masks

The same figures from civil registry offices show that in April in Moscow there were 1,980 additional deaths in Moscow compared the an average over ten years.

Until now, Russian experts have suggested they are less seriously hit than many Western countries.

But it also seems clear Russia is not listing Covis-19 as a cause when there are complicating factors in deaths such as cancer or heart trouble.

The revealing excess death statistics from the Moscow civil registry office suggest that either the real number of Covid-19 deaths are higher than have been officially acknowledged, or there has been a rise in non-coronavirus fatalities at a time when hospitals are under pressure from the pandemic - or a combination of both factors.

Russian deputy premier Tatyana Golikova has claimed that infections are growing significantly more slowly in Russia than in Western countries.

Russian deputy premier Tatyana Golikova, pictured on May 12 during a briefing on counter coronavirus measures, has claimed that infections are growing significantly more slowly in Russia than in Western countries

Yesterday, Putin told millions of Russians to return to work today despite recording a record number of infections and deaths from coronavirus in the 24 hours running up to his public announcement.

On May 11, Putin spoke about the deadly pandemic in a televised address from the Kremlin and announced measures to support the Russian economy.

'Starting from tomorrow, May 12, the national period of non-working days will be over for all sectors of the economy,' Putin said, adding that Russia's regions will be able to keep in place any necessary anti-virus measures.

The Russian premier went on to criticise businesses for the doubling of unemployment rates since the start of the pandemic, adding they should have held on to their employees during the crisis.

Putin stressed that the rapidly increasing number of coronavirus cases was largely down to the high rates of testing in the country. He said that Russia began the pandemic with 2,500 tests per day, which has now risen to 170,000. Officials plan for this number to be double by next month.

During the address, Putin asked regional government heads to take responsibility for enforcing social distancing measures and for delivering the money promised by the government to those in need.

However, the low death toll and Russia's methods of logging fatalities have been questioned by the opposition, while doctors have said initial test kits often returned false negative results.

With the majority of cases in and around Moscow, some regions have begun to relax restrictions which have seriously affected the economy.

Sparcely-populated Yakutia, Magadan and Yamal lifted restrictions on being outside and allowed the reopening of some businesses, requiring people to self-distance.

In Moscow, the mayor announced some industries and construction sites can begin work, but masks and gloves will be mandatory starting Tuesday.

More than half of all cases and deaths are in Moscow, the epicentre of Russia's outbreak.

Five coronavirus patients are killed in Russian hospital fire after ventilator short circuits

Five coronavirus patients died in a Russian hospital blaze early today due to a short circuit igniting a ventilator machine.

An inferno swept through an intensive care Covid-19 ward at St. George City Hospital in St Petersburg. A total of 150 patients were evacuated.

All five people who died were connected to ventilators at the time, it is understood.

Eleven in the same sixth floor ward were rescued and taken to lower floor of the hospital.

'An electric equipment malfunction, short-circuit failure, is seen as the preliminary reason,' said an emergency services spokesman.

Fire destroyed 108 square feet inside the hospital after the sudden blaze at 6.20am (4.20am UK time).

The emergency services later said the fire had been localised.

Smoke was seen pouring from the window at the hospital which had been recategorised to cope with coronavirus patients during the pandemic.

It is the second similar fire in three days in Russia.

On Saturday a 95-year-old woman Evdokia Butryakova died in a Moscow hospital when an oxygen balloon supplying a ventilator exploded causing a fire major which led to 295 patients being evacuated.

The charred body of the pensioner was found after the blaze was extinguished at Clinical Hospital 50.

The authorities are examining the causes of both fires.

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2020-05-12 14:52:35Z
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Kremlin spokesman reveals he has coronavirus as Russia overtakes Britain with 232,000 Covid-19 cases - Daily Mail

Putin's spokesman tests positive for coronavirus as Russia overtakes Britain with 232,000 cases and sees record 107 deaths in a day

Long-term spokesman Dmitry Peskov is reportedly in a hospital in Moscow
He was last seen with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on April 30
Russia reported a further 10,899 Covid-19 cases today, taking it past the UK total
Today marks the tenth day in a row that Russia has seen over 10,000 new cases
But the statistics may mask an even more serious situation in Russia
Yesterday, Putin ordered millions of Russians to return to work starting today
Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

By Will Stewart In Russia and Chris Jewers and Ryan Fahey For Mailonline

Published: 14:17 BST, 12 May 2020 | Updated: 15:24 BST, 12 May 2020