Coronavirus: Live updates

CNN says Covid-19 has now infected more than 2.5 million people and killed at least 177,000 worldwide according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 45,000 people have died in the United States.

The US Senate approved a roughly $480 billion relief package with funds for small businesses, hospitals and testing.

Read the full story on CNN

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Coronavirus second wave could be even worse says US health chief

France24 says a second wave of the novel coronavirus in the US could be even more destructive because it will likely collide with the beginning of flu season, one of the country’s top health officials said Tuesday. 

Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, called on Americans to use the coming months to prepare – and get their flu shots. “There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” he was quoted as saying in the Washington Post.

Read the full story on France24

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Spread of Covid-19 in Japanese prisons spurs calls for release

Japan Times says as coronavirus infections continue to spread nationwide and grave risks loom for detainees in correctional and detention facilities, judicial authorities are stepping up measures to stop the spread. 

Three correctional facilities  – in Osaka, Tokyo and Hokkaido – have already been affected by the virus. A total of 10 people have tested positive, putting staff and inmates at risk.

Read the full story on Japan Times

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Fresh questions emerge over EU equipment claims

BBC News says the government is facing fresh questions over the time it took to join an EU scheme to source medical equipment. Officials say the UK did not receive an initial invitation in time because of communication problems. 

But Brussels sources told the BBC the UK was given ample opportunity to take part in the scheme. On Tuesday, a senior civil servant retracted claims the UK had taken a “political decision” not to join.

Read the full story on BBC News

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Government misses out on 16m face masks for NHS in four weeks

The Guardian says the government missed opportunities to secure at least 16m face masks for NHS staff in the past four weeks, amid growing frustrations from companies who say Britain is losing much-needed equipment to other countries. 

As ministers face relentless questions over a shortage of PPE in hospitals, suppliers said their offers to deliver UK-standard face masks were being met with silence from No 10. 

Read the full story on The Guardian

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Attack on WHO vehicle that killed Myanmar driver condemned

Aljazeera says top officials at the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other aid groups have condemned an attack on a WHO team that killed a driver who was helping transport coronavirus tests in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state. 

The WHO’s Director-General called the death of the driver “tragic” and “devastating news”, while United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar said what happened was “unacceptable” and demanded an independent international investigation into the attack.

Read the full story on Aljazeera