China reports no new coronavirus deaths, as New York figures offer cautious hope; Boris Johnson remains in ICU

[-Sn!PeR-]

 

China on Tuesday reported no new coronavirus deaths the previous day for the first time since January, offering hope for other nations still grappling with the devastating pandemic.

 

The virus has killed more than 10,500 people in the United States, nearly half of them in New York. But Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said Monday that the daily death toll fell under 600 for two days in a row, suggesting a “possible flattening of the curve," though the hospital system remains overwhelmed. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in intensive care with covid-19 after his condition worsened.

 

Meanwhile, legal battles erupted over Wisconsin’s Tuesday presidential primary and local elections, which Gov. Tony Evers (D) tried to postpone, citing the threat of coronavirus.

Here are some significant developments:

 

• The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday blocked a plan to extend mail-in ballot deadlines in Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the governor’s calls for Tuesday’s vote to be postponed until June, leaving voters and poll workers scrambling hours before voting is now set to take place.
• A survey of hospitals across the country showed health-care workers are facing shortages of tests, masks, face shields, ventilators and staff. President Trump rejected the results of the report, which was compiled by the Inspector General of Health and Human Services, suggesting it was political.
• China announced 32 new cases, all of them imported, but no new deaths for the first time since it began regularly reporting figures in January.
• Italy announced 3,599 new coronavirus cases on Monday, its lowest daily increase in around three weeks. Spain confirmed 4,273 new cases, suggesting a downward trend in two of Europe’s hardest-hit countries.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told fellow Democratic lawmakers Monday that the next coronavirus relief bill could “easily” pass $1 trillion in cost. Congressional leaders and the White House are converging on the need for a new assistance package.

 

China reports 32 new cases but no deaths for first time since January

 

 

China on Tuesday confirmed 32 new coronavirus cases the previous day but recorded no new deaths, officials there said, marking the first time since shortly before authorities locked down Wuhan, the original epicenter of the outbreak, that the country reported no deaths linked to the virus. All of the new cases confirmed in the past day were imported in people who recently entered mainland China, the National Health Commission said.

 

China also confirmed an additional 30 asymptomatic cases, which the government is categorizing separately from other cases. Nine of those cases were imported, officials said.

 

China has taken extreme measures in recent weeks to limit foreigners from entering the country, as concerns mounted that as Chinese officials started to control their outbreak, people who may have contracted the virus abroad could now reignite widespread community transmission after returning. Mainland China has reported a total of 81,740 cases and 3,331 deaths since the outbreak started late last year.

 

Wuhan, the original epicenter of the outbreak, is set to reopen its airport this week. Residents will be allowed to leave the city for the first time since Jan. 23.