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Covid-19 cases worldwide have now topped 491,000, with 22,000 dead and 118,000 recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Italy reported its biggest jump in new cases in the past five days, with most infections in the hard-hit northern region near Milan even after weeks of rigid lockdown rules.
Europe now accounts for 70 per cent of known fatalities, said the World Health Organisation.
In the United States Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell vowed to support the flow of credit in the economy after the Senate passed a $2 trillion (€1.8 trillion) package.
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress will move swiftly Friday to give final congressional approval to the rescue plan and then pivot to considering additional steps to bolster the hobbled economy. "We'll have a strong bipartisan vote and hopefully by noon be finished," said Ms Pelosi. The legislation then would go to US president Donald Trump for his signature.
The Senate passed the unprecedented package of loans, tax breaks and direct payments on a 96-0 vote late Wednesday night, an illustration of unity in Washington as the spread of the virus grinds the economy to a halt.
The civil protection agency reported 6,153 new cases on Thursday, up from 5,210 a day earlier. Fatalities from the outbreak over the past 24 hours totalled 662, down from 683 for the previous day, according to figures provided at the agency’s daily news conference on Thursday. Confirmed cases in the country now total 80,539.
China, where the outbreak began, will temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners holding valid visas and residence permits starting from Saturday.
China will temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners starting Saturday as cases worldwide surge, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Immigration Administration said on its website.
Iran reported 157 new deaths and an additional 2,389 cases. About 29,400 people have been infected in total, of which 2,234 have died and more than 10,000 recovered. The country has banned travel between cities and ordered people to return to their home towns or face fines after millions defied calls to stay indoors and went out to celebrate the Persian new year.
President Hassan Rouhani warned of a second wave of the disease after new cases surged followed the holiday period. Emergency services and cargo vehicles are exempt from the travel ban, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Iran’s police chief as saying.
In Britain the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will be felt keenly, according to commentators. The budget deficit could easily exceed £200 billion in the coming fiscal year as the coronavirus crisis hammers the economy and forces the government to unleash a huge package of fiscal stimulus. The warning came Thursday from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Portugal rose to 3,544 on Thursday, up from 2,995 on Wednesday, said the government’s Directorate-General of Health said. The total number of deaths increased to 60 on Thursday from 43 reported through Wednesday morning; 43 patients have now recovered, up from 22 on Wednesday.
Germany is in the early stages of the coronavirus epidemic and medical staff there are preparing for their biggest challenge since the second World War, according to health minister Jens Spahn. “Policymakers are in crisis mode,” said Mr Spahn said in Berlin. “This is still the calm before the storm and nobody can say what will happen in coming weeks.”
Germany has more than 37,000 confirmed cases and 203 deaths, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from regional governments.
Total cases in Spain rose to 56,188 from 47,610 and fatalities jumped by 655, fewer than on Wednesday, to 4,089. Hospitals in the country are struggling to cope with the surge.
The number of cases rose threefold in the past week in Europe, with the disease spreading faster in Spain, France, Germany and Switzerland, said Hans Kluge, the World Health Organisation’s director for Europe. While Italy’s infection rate has slowed slightly, it’s too early to say if the disease has peaked there, he said. The country has 6,200 infected healthcare workers, he added. - Agencies