Coronavirus Global Roundup, April 10: Recovered patients test positive in South Korea, ceasefire in Yemen, WHO warns that African cases will rise

There are now over 1.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world. Over 97,000 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, and around 364,000 have recovered and been discharged. The United States now has a death toll of 16,600, including 1,783 deaths from the last 24 hours. While this is an alarmingly high number, it is a decrease from the preceding, record-breaking days. New York alone now has more confirmed cases than Italy and Spain, with over 160,000 cases and over 7,000 deaths. However, the Governor, Andrew Cuomo has said that hospitalization rates are gradually falling, bringing some respite to the dire situation. Spain, which is one of the worst affected countries, saw 605 deaths yesterday - the lowest daily death toll since March 23. [caption id=“attachment_7940891” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.[/caption] The European Union signed a €500 billion relief plan to assist its member states in combating the economic devastation. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in a grim statement, said that COVID-19 will spark the worst economic crisis in the world since the Great Depression.  

Reactivation in South Korea

Daegu, once the worst affected city in South Korea, reported no new cases for the first time since late February. Of all the confirmed coronavirus cases in South Korea, more than half are in Daegu. The country reported 27 new cases on April 10, a new low.   On the other hand, country officials reported that 91 recovered COVID-19 patients have tested positive again. In a briefing, the director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said that this may be due to the virus reactivating in the body, rather than the patients contracting the virus again.

Boris Johnson out of ICU, in the general ward now

The British PM spent three nights in intensive care after his COVID-19 symptoms had taken a turn for the worse. Diagnosed almost two weeks ago, he had a high fever that didn’t break and was having trouble breathing. He was not put on a ventilator but doctors involved with his care said that it would be a while before he went back to work since he was very sick and just in the initial stages of recovery. The foreign secretary, Dominic Saab has taken over in the meantime. The UK has tightened restrictions this Easter weekend in an effort to keep people home and control further spread of the disease.

Global concern as African cases  

The WHO warned that the African continent had seen a substantial increase in cases just this week and that some countries could hit their peak in the coming weeks. While the number of cases is still low — over 11,000 across the continent and over 500 deaths — they have doubled in the last 4 days. These statistics give rise to the fear that the continent will follow the trajectory of Europe and the US, as cases begin to pile up suddenly. The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that if testing and assistance are not stepped up immediately, the consequences could be dire.

Arab coalition imposes two-week ceasefire in Yemen

After Saudi Arabia initially moved to unilaterally stop its contribution to the war in Yemen, the rest of the Arab coalition fell in line and agreed to a two week stop in proceedings. Saudi Arabia’s decision was driven by a need to stem COVID-19 in the country; over 150 members of the royal family have been infected as well. The UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan were amongst the countries who lauded the decision.   Yemen, which has been ravaged by war for over 5 years, confirmed its first COVID-19 case today. For more information, read our article on   Face covers to battle COVID-19_._ Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.