Health

PRETORIA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — At least 40,000 people could die with coronavirus in South Africa by the end of the year, scientists have warned.

The projections were made by a group of academics and health experts advising the government.

They assume tough lockdown restrictions will be eased from June, as President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced.

The curbs – which were introduced in March and include a ban on tobacco and alcohol sales – have been credited with slowing the spread of the virus.

JUBA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Vice-President of South Sudan, Riek Machar, who was part of a task force to fight coronavirus, is in self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.

Machar said as several other members of the task force were infected a new team was taking over their work.

His wife, who is Defence Minister Angelina Teny, some bodyguards and other staff also have the virus.

Experts worry that decades of conflict has left South Sudan incapable of dealing with a surge in new infections.

RENNES (France), May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — More than 100 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at a slaughterhouse in western France, the regional health authorities said.

The cases follow coronavirus outbreaks at meat plants not only in France but also in Germany, Spain, Australia, the United States and Brazil — where people tend to work in close proximity.

ATHENS, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) —The Greek tourist season will kick off next month, with international charter flights to popular locations resuming in July, the prime minister says.

“The tourism period begins on 15 June, when seasonal hotels can reopen,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address.

“Let us make this summer the epilogue of the [Covid-19] crisis,” he added.

The coronavirus pandemic threatens to ruin Greece’s tourism industry, which is vital to the country’s economy.

LIMA, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Peru has become the second Latin American country after Brazil to reach 100,000 coronavirus cases, according to health ministry figures.

The number of dead from COVID-19 has also passed 3,000, with only Brazil and Mexico having suffered more.

Both cases and deaths have tripled since April 30.

The dire statistics come even though Peru has been in lockdown for nine weeks, paralyzing the economy.

The vast majority of cases are in Lima and its port Callao, where one third of the country’s 32 million people live.

ABU DHABI, May, 21 (NNN-WAM) – Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, received a phone call from Iranian Health Minister, Saeed Namaki, wherein they exchanged views over the measures taken by the two countries in the fight against COVID-19.

Al Owais said, the UAE recently developed a rapid coronavirus laser testing technology, that enables mass-scale screening with results made available in seconds.

Beed, May 19 (PTI) A case was registered against a BJP MLC for allegedly entering a COVID-19 containment zone in Ashti area in Maharashtra's Beed district, police said on Tuesday.

A case was registered against Suresh Dhas, a member of the Legislative Council from Ashti, for allegedly entering a containment zone in the city on Monday, an official said.

"Dhas entered Patan Sangvi, a containment zone in his constituency, and met residents of the sealed area on Monday morning," Ashti police station in-charge Madhav Suyavanshi said.

Mumbai, May 20 (PTI) Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar says he is happy that his consignment of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits were sent to city-based Cama Hospital.

The actor had recently announced that he will be donating 1000 PPE kits for the healthcare professionals leading the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

He has also partnered with celebrity shout-out platform Tring to raise money for additional 1000 PPE kits.

Chandigarh, May 20 (PTI) Public bus services resumed in Punjab on Wednesday almost two months after their suspension in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Buses of the state-owned Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) plied on select routes in non-containment zones within the state, officials said.

Punjab Transport Minister Razia Sultana had on May 18 announced resumption of point-to-point bus services between major cities and district headquarters from May 20 with 50 per cent occupancy.

MOSCOW, May 19 (NNN-TASS) – The World Health Organisation (WHO) should not be used as a puck to settle political accounts, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Tuesday.

“WHO should not become a puck to be passed back and forth, pursuing goals other than those of building most efficient international cooperation against the pandemic,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying.