Deaths likely to pass 750,000 this week, says WHO; Trump considers blocking Americans who may have Covid-19 from coming home; EU health agency calls for new lockdowns; Follow the latest updatesGlobal cases pass 20mFrance extends mask use as Greece says it is in second waveGlobal report: Covid cases worldwide near 20 millionWorld map: which countries have the most cases and deaths?See all our coronavirus coverage 2.37am BST Charlotte Graham-McLay reports for the Guardian:In New Zealand, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, the country’s beloved director-general of health, has taken a Covid-19 nasal swab during a live news conference in order to encourage the public to accept the tests if offered.The government is facing a complacency problem, as we wrote about last week, in a country with no known community transmission of the virus, and all 22 active cases diagnosed in travellers returning to the country – who are quarantined in managed isolation facilities. Officials are urging free tests for anyone with cold and flu symptoms as a means of checking there is not undetected community transmission in New Zealand – but many patients are declining. Bloomfield, a mild-mannered public servant, has been fêted as a hero for his handling of the crisis, with his visage featured on tea towels and bottles of hot sauce, and tattooed on people’s legs.He took the test without incident at the end of a news conference in Wellington on Monday, saying he was “not expecting anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”It made his eyes water, but was not painful, he added. “It’s way less uncomfortable than when fizzy drink goes up the back of your nose.”New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, has also takena live, televised coronavirus test. New Zealand has recorded 102 days with no reported community transmission of Covid-19 from an unknown source. 2.36am BST NSW reports 22 cases in the past 24 hours, which is slightly higher than average for the last month. Four of the 22 people are in hotel quarantine, two are in quarantine after returning from the state of Victoria:22 new cases of #COVID19 have been diagnosed in NSW between 8pm on 9 August and 8pm on 10 August.For the latest list of COVID-19 locations, visit: https://t.co/pqkRdfh3cR pic.twitter.com/3taGQZzP27 Related: NSW and Sydney Covid trend map: where coronavirus cases are rising or falling Continue reading…
Via: Coronavirus live news: Global cases top 20m as WHO chief says ‘it’s never too late to turn outbreak around'
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