Coronavirus digest: French patients transferred to Germany

Europe

Hospitals in Germany are once again taking in COVID-19 patients from France. Patients in critical condition from the French border region of Grand Est were transferred to Saarbrücken and Völklingen on Thursday and Friday, the Metz-Thionville regional hospital said in a statement.  

Eight patients were transferred, French lawmaker Christophe Arend wrote on Twitter.

Last week, a hospital in the Netherlands transferred some of its critically ill patients to Germany for treatment.

In spring, when the pandemic first broke out, numerous patients from neighboring countries were treated in German hospitals. A total of 130 patients from French hospitals were transferred.

France, meanwhile, continues to see a huge rise in infections. On Friday, more than 60,000 new cases were recorded, the highest one-day infection rate since authorities started large-scale testing. 

Around 400 people died in hospitals with Covid-19 during the same time period. Another 400 died in retirement or care homes, but this figure is not recorded on a daily basis. 

Data on new infections could be even higher, as a technical error has delayed full reporting, the AFP news agency reported, citing the national health authority. 

Read more: Coronavirus: Germany braces for anti-lockdown protests

Germany too has seen a new daily record of infections. Some 23,399 new cases were recorded in the previous 24 hours, the Robert Koch Institute said Saturday.

The number of coronavirus-related deaths rose to 11,226 — 130 more than the previous day.

Austria and Poland also reported record high daily infection rates on Saturday. 
 

Britain has banned entry to all non-resident foreigners coming from Denmark after a mutated version of the coronavirus linked to mink farms was found in humans.

The abrupt ban was announced by the Transport Department shortly after 0200 GMT/UTC on Saturday, and took effect two hours later.

"This decision to act quickly follows on from health authorities in Denmark reporting widespread outbreaks of coronavirus in mink farms," Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Twitter.

Denmark on Wednesday announced the mutation had jumped from minks to humans and infected 12 people in the country's north.

It has warned that the mutation could threaten the effectiveness of any future vaccine for COVID-19 and has ordered the slaughter of all of the country's roughly 17 million minks.

Read more: Russia: Volunteers are a driving force to help doctors

In Spain, Real Madrid stars Eden Hazard and Casemiro have tested positive for coronavirus, the La Liga club announced on Saturday. 

"All of the other first-team players and coaching staff, as well as the club employees who work directly with the squad, tested negative in yesterday's tests," a statement from the club said.

Neither player will feature in the side to take on Valencia on Sunday. Nor will they be able to join up with their respective Belgian and Brazilian national teams during the coming international window as both are required to go into isolation. 

It marks another setback for Hazard who missed the start of the season owing to a series of ankle injuries.

Italy has announced a new round of relief measures for businesses and workers affected by recent coronavirus containment measures.

Four Italian regions were forced into lockdown on Friday, and other restrictions were introduced across the nation, including a night-time curfew.

Overnight, the cabinet approved an aid package including tax breaks, credits and deferrals, grants and welfare schemes such as a voucher for babysitting expenses for parents facing school closures.

While the government did not say how much money was earmarked, the ANSA news agency reported the package was worth around €2.5 billion ($3 billion).

This is additional to other coronavirus economic relief measures worth €5.4 billion approved on October 27.

On Friday, Italy set a new record for daily infections — 37,809 — and reported 446 Covid-19-related deaths, the highest daily figure since May 2.

Portugal has declared a state of emergency to tighten restrictions and control the virus, which will come into effect next week, and will last two weeks.

The president said it would "pave the way for new measures such as restricting traffic to certain times and certain days, in highest risk municipalities." The government will decide upon precautionary measures in a meeting on Saturday. 

In Bosnia, Prime Minister Zoran Tegeltija has tested positive for COVID-19 and is self-isolating at home, the cabinet said in a statement on Saturday.

Tegeltija is in a stable health condition with mild symptoms of the coronavirus, the statement added. 

Bosnia on Friday reported a record number of 49 deaths from the infection and 28,000 active cases.

Latvia will enter a lockdown starting Monday for four weeks, after infections rose during the past month. The Baltic nation reported 367 new cases on Friday, bringing the total number to 7,119 with 87 deaths.

New social distancing rules have been put in place. A maximum of 10 people from no more than two households will be allowed to gather indoors. Shops have been asked to limit the number of customers, and restaurants will only be allowed to serve takeaway. 

Read more: Coronavirus trend: The pandemic is far from over

Americas

The US recorded 127,000 new infections on Friday, setting a third straight daily record, said Johns Hopkins University. There were 1,149 deaths during the same 24 hours. 

While the death rate is not as high as springtime, the country has not seen a daily mortality rate of more than 1,000 since August. The US remains to be the worst affected nation during the pandemic, with more than 236,000 coronavirus-related fatalities and 9.7 million known infections.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, meanwhile, vowed to act against the pandemic immediately if he wins the White House.

"I want everyone, everyone to know on day one we're going to put our plan to control this virus into action," he said.

President Donald Trump, who survived a bout of Covid-19 in October and has been widely criticized over his handling of the crisis, continues to trail his rival in the vote count.

The White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to officials. It was not immediately clear how he had contracted the virus. He is the latest among the White House inner circle to have tested positive.

Brazil reported 18,862 cases and 279 death in the past 24 hours. The health ministry said that the country has now seen 5,631,181 cases since the pandemic began, while the official death toll has risen to 162,015. 

Asia

The International Monetary Fund has approved a $370 million (€311.5 million) loan for Afghanistan, as the conflict-ravaged nation tries to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The 42-month loan will help the country stabilize the economy, strengthen the COVID-19 response and encourage donor support. 

"Should downside risks, including from the pandemic and the security situation, materialize, the recovery could falter and financing needs increase," said IMF deputy managing director Mitsuhiro Furusawa in a statement. 

In the Philippines, health officials have urged the public from using karaoke machines outside their homes because singing could spread the virus.

"A study has shown that when a person is singing, the viral load that one can transmit is highest," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire warned.

She said people should only sing together with people from the same household, while singing with guests, even relatives or friends, and at large gatherings should be avoided, she added.

Karaoke is a favorite past-time of Filipinos, while Karaoke bars, which have been closed as part of lockdown measures since March, are also popular.

Oceania

The Australian state of Victoria has marked its eighth day in a row of no new virus cases or deaths, as limits on travel outside of Melbourne were set to be lifted.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to announce another relaxation of rules on Sunday, including the removal of the 25-kilometer (15-mile) radius "ring of steel" around the country's second-largest city.

Travel freedom is expected to expand again when the border with New South Wales state reopens to Victorians on November 23.

On Monday, the state will see the resumption of direct flights from New Zealand, the first international flights into Melbourne since June 30.

Victoria's latest virus wave, which resulted in more than 18,000 infections and 800 deaths, has been traced to outbreaks among staff at two hotels that were acting as quarantine locations for arriving overseas passengers.

tg/mm (AFP, AP, Reuters)