COVID-19: 330 Juta Penduduk Amerika Dinasihatkan Pakai Topeng Muka

WASHINGTON: Amerika Syarikat (AS) semalam menasihati semua penduduknya agar memakai topeng muka di tempat awam bagi melindungi diri daripada dijangkiti COVID-19 yang dikhuatiri boleh tersebar melalui pernafasan normal.

Cadangan itu seiring rekod baharu angka korban dalam sehari akibat virus berkenaan di AS membabitkan 1,480 kematian, iaitu tertinggi berbanding mana-mana negara lain sejak pandemik berkenaan tercetus, malah ia mengatasi bilangan 1,169 kes sama pada hari sebelumnya di negara ini.

Presiden Donald Trump berkata, saranan kepada seluruh 330 juta penduduk AS supaya memakai topeng muka bukan perubatan di tempat seperti kedai runcit, akan berterusan untuk ‘suatu tempoh masa tertentu’.

“Ia adalah secara sukarela. Anda tidak perlu berbuat sedemikian dan saya memilih untuk tidak melakukannya.

“Namun, sesetengah orang mungkin mahu melakukannya dan itu tidak mengapa,” katanya kepada pemberita.

Ketua Pakar Bedah AS, Jerome Adams, menjelaskan cadangan itu timbul berikutan ramai orang yang positif COVID-19 tidak menunjukkan simptom, namun memberi amaran bahawa amalan penjarakan sosial masih penting.

Pengumuman itu dibuat selepas Anthony Fauci yang mengetuai tindak balas saintifik kerajaan, menyokong penemuan baru-baru ini bahawa virus berkenaan boleh terkandung dalam wap ultrahalus yang terbentuk apabila manusia menghembuskan nafas.

Hasil penyelidikan mendapati ‘virus itu sebenarnya boleh tersebar, malah ketika orang sekadar bercakap,” kata Fauci dalam Fox News.

Akademi Sains Kebangsaan menghantar sepucuk surat ke Rumah Putih, 1 April lalu, merumuskan penyelidikan baru-baru ini berhubung perkara itu dengan menyatakan bahawa ia masih belum konklusif, namun ‘hasil berkenaan... konsisten dengan aerosolisasi virus daripada pernafasan normal’.

Sejak virus itu mula dikenal pasti di China, akhir Disember tahun lalu, pakar kesihatan memaklumkan bahawa penyebaran utamanya ialah melalui batuk dan bersin.

Cadangan itu bagaimanapun dilihat memburukkan lagi masalah kekurangan topeng muka yang sedang kritikal di AS dan Eropah di mana kedua-dua negara terbabit begitu bergantung pada import dari China.

Trump menggesa penduduk AS untuk ‘sekadar menghasilkan sesuatu’ atau menggunakan skarf untuk tujuan itu, sekali gus menjimatkan topeng muka klinikal untuk kegunaan petugas kesihatan dan pesakit.

Penularan wabak COVID-19 sudah meragut lebih 57,000 nyawa di seluruh dunia, setakat ini.

Eropah telah mencatatkan 40,000 kematian, dengan Sepanyol melaporkan lebih 900 korban dalam tempoh 24 jam lalu. 

SUMBER: AFP/ 4 APRIL 2020

How Many Times Was Hajj Cancelled In History?

“Under the current circumstances, as we are talking about the global pandemic, from which we have asked God to save us, the kingdom is keen to protect the health of Muslims and citizens,” Minister of Hajj and Umrah Muhammad Salih bin Taher Banten

Though Hajj has been cancelled several times over the centuries, since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's foundation in 1932 it has never missed a year, nor even during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1917-18 that killed millions of people worldwide.

But if Saudi Arabia cancels 2020's Hajj, it will be added to a list of almost 40 dramatic cancellations since the first in 629. Middle East Eye takes a look at some of the most striking cancellations in history:

865: Massacre on Arafat Mountain
During his conflict with the Abbasid Caliphate based in Baghdad, Ismail bin Yousef, known as Al-Safak, launched an attack on the holy Arafat Mountain overlooking Mecca in 865, massacring pilgrims there. The raid forced Hajj to be cancelled.

930: Qarmatian attack
In 930, Abu Taher al-Janabi, the chief of the Qarmatians heterodox sect based in Bahrain, launched an attack on Mecca.

Historical accounts say the Qarmatians killed 30,000 pilgrims in the holy city and dumped bodies in the sacred Zamzam well. They also looted the Grand Mosque and stole the Black Stone from its Kaaba, taking it to the island of Bahrain.

Hajj was then suspended for a decade until the Black Stone was returned to Mecca.

The Qarmatians were an Ismaili Shia sect who believed in an egalitarian society and considered pilgrimage a pagan ritual.

983: Abbasid and Fatimid Caliphates
Politics, too, has disrupted Hajj. In 983 political disputes between the rulers of two caliphates - the Abbasids of Iraq and Syria and the Fatimids of Egypt - got in the way of Muslims travelling to Mecca for pilgrimage. It would be eight years until Hajj was held again, in 991.

1831: Plague
Not only conflicts and massacres have cancelled Hajj. A plague from India hit Mecca in 1831 and killed three-quarters of the pilgrims there, who had endured weeks of travel through dangerous and barren lands to perform Hajj.

1837-1858: Series of epidemics
In a span of almost two decades, Hajj was halted three times, leaving pilgrims unable to head to Mecca for a total of seven years.

In 1837, another plague hit the holy city, putting things on hold until 1840.

Then in 1846 a bout of cholera hit Mecca, killing more than 15,000 people, and plagued its inhabitants until 1850. Outbreaks returned in 1865 and 1883.

In 1858, another global cholera pandemic arrived in the city, prompting Egyptian pilgrims to run away en masse to Egypt's Red Sea shores, where they were held in quarantine.

SOURCE: Haramain Sharifain

The Australian Government Wants To Put The Economy Into 'Hibernation'

BY: JACK DERWIN 

Here's what it means.

To throw in a different analogy, the Federal Government essentially plans on getting the economy into neutral and effectively letting it motor on while minimising the fallout to its most exposed parts – namely, workers and businesses.

“In an ideal world you’d just freeze the economy where it was at March 1, with unemployment at 5.1% and GDP growth at 2.1%, and flick the switch back on when the virus is behind us, but of course we can’t do that,” economist and former Gillard advisor Stephen Koukoulas told Business Insider Australia.

“So the challenge for the government right now is to get through the virus and not emerge on the other side with unemployment in double digits. We already know GDP growth will be negative but we can still keep it from being minus 10% and try to keep it at maybe minus 2% instead. This ‘hibernation’ phase is really just to minimise the downside risk.”

What does hibernation look like for the Australian economy?

It might be about the best Australia can do given the coronavirus uniquely poses twin crises: a health pandemic wrapped up with an economic shutdown.

It’s why the government has moved to keep Australians in work with its ‘JobKeeper’ wage subsidy to businesses and keep those who do lose their jobs afloat financially with the ‘JobSeeker’ allowance.

Even if there is financial pressure, homeowners can defer their mortgage repayments while tenants can rely on a nationwide six-month moratorium to keep a roof over their heads at the very least.

Importantly, all those measures attempt to ensure Australians by and large don’t need to go outside unnecessarily either, to look for work or to move house for example, and thus help minimise further spread of COVID-19.

Hibernation is an economic treatment, not a cure

But the question remains: can a developed economy like Australia’s simply hibernate until the worst is over? Not entirely, according to Koukoulas.

“The fact is we’re not shopping like we used to, we’re not working like we used to, and some businesses aren’t able to open at all. Discretionary spending like on travel, restaurants, weekend excursions is obviously going to dry up, as will spending on things like petrol with people staying put.”


The government shutdown, while protecting Australia from a health standpoint, will undoubtedly then also hurt its economy.

“We’re going to have a recession, it’s unavoidable,” AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver told Business Insider Australia. “The government can provide support to workers and businesses but there’s going to be a cost to shutting down the economy, and that will be a bigger economic contraction than anything we’ve seen in the post-war period.”

“The worst contraction we saw in Australia was in the early 80s when the economy shrunk 3.5%. The one we’ll see this year will be at least 12% and it’ll happen a lot faster.”

At this stage, that’s only the base case with the current shutdown in place.

“It’s already started but it’ll only intensify through the June quarter,” Oliver said. “It’s going to have a huge impact on parts of retail, accommodation, tourism, hospitality, property, and some parts of personal services, which together is about 25% of the economy contracting by about half.”

There’s no real alternative

Despite the huge costs, the government’s prescribed cure is likely the best option the country has.

“President Trump wants to reopen the US economy by Easter but that looks like a forlorn hope. The UK is toying with the idea of herd mentality but there’s a whole bunch of problems with that,” Oliver said, noting the enormous number of deaths likely to be produced by such a strategy.

“South Korea seems like it’s done a good job, quarantining people but a lot of countries haven’t been able to emulate their level of success. But our rate of infection has slowed down in the last few days suggesting there’s some evidence it’s working in Australia and holding out the hope we might be able to reopen the economy in a month or two’s time.”

The federal government has more work to do to secure the economy

More importantly, there is work yet to be done to fill in some gaps in ‘Operation: Economic Winter’, namely further clarification and safeguarding of tenants and mortgagees.

“The no evictions policy is ok, but what happens at the end of six months for tenants and landlords? Say you pay $500 per week. At the end of this period, you’ll have $13,000 of unpaid rent. Is that accumulated rent payable at the end of the six-month period or is it written off forever?

“When the government does announce details sometime soon, I’d like to see it pay the rent of people, or even just the first $300 or $400 a week so there’s some financial relief for tenants and landlords, not all of who are rich and many of whom rely on rent to meet their monthly obligations.”

The Morrison government is expected to clarify its position on Wednesday.

Hibernation should help keep Australians employed and businesses afloat. But while the measures won’t insulate the economy entirely, it will help people keep their heads above water.

“Before the government announced its wage subsidy, we were forecasting unemployment to rise to about 15%. Now I’m a little hopeful we can keep it below 10%,” Oliver said.

“The problem will be getting it back down from say 9.5% when the shutdown ends. Businesses are typically cautious in rehiring coming out of a recession and I expect we’ll see the same happen when this is over.”

Under the government’s plans, businesses will also be protected from eviction if they can no longer pay rent, will be able to defer loan repayments for six months, draw on new lines of unsecured credit and in some cases have merchant fees waived and reimbursed.

“It means that if 100,000 businesses would have gone out of business before, now maybe only 25,000 will. That’s actually probably a reasonable outcome given how horrendous the current circumstances are,” Koukoulas said.

This is, of course, the bottom line of the coronavirus, that despite welcome government support there will be some unavoidable pain, no matter how effective the ‘hibernation’ phase may be.

The $200 billion question now is just how long Australia’s hibernation will last.

SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER/ 1 APR 2020

COVID-19: Kematian Global Terus Meningkat, Terkini Lebih 45,000 Maut

PARIS: Pandemik COVID-19 sudah mengorbankan 45,719 penduduk dunia sejak ia mula tersebar Disember lalu di China, menurut statistik dikeluarkan AFP daripada sumber rasmi hari ini.

Lebih daripada 905,580 kes jangkitan disahkan di 187 negara dan wilayah sejak bermulanya penularan wabak berkenaan.

Bagaimanapun, angka kes jangkitan itu cuma mewakili sebahagian daripada jumlah sebenar memandangkan kebanyakan negara masih melakukan ujian saringan terhad kepada mereka yang memerlukan rawatan lanjut di hospital.

Berdasarkan statistik dikeluarkan dua hari lalu, lebih 4,708 kematian dengan 77,241 kes baharu direkodkan di seluruh dunia.

Negara yang merekodkan kematian terbanyak dalam masa 24 jam lalu adalah Amerika Syarikat (AS) dengan 1,035 disahkan meninggal dunia, diikuti Sepanyol seramai 864 dan Itali (727).

Itali yang merekodkan kes kematian pertama berkaitan COVID-19 di negara itu pada penghujung Februari lalu, setakat ini melaporkan 13,155 kematian dengan kes jangkitan keseluruhan sebanyak 110,574.

Selepas Itali, negara yang turut terjejas teruk berikutan COVID-19 adalah Sepanyol dengan 9,053 kematian daripada kes keseluruhan sebanyak 102,136, AS dengan 4,476 kematian daripada 203,608 kes, Perancis dengan 4,032 kematian daripada 56,989 kes dan China yang angka korbannya mencecah 3,312 daripada 81,554 kes keseluruhan.

Sejak Selasa lalu, negara seperti Congo, Oman, Slovakia, Botswana, Senegal dan El Salvador turut mengumumkan kematian pertama berkaitan dengan COVID-19.

Ketika ini, kes kematian dan jangkitan di kebanyakan negara terus melonjak, antaranya di Eropah merekodkan 33,245 kematian daripada 490,484 kes.

Bagi kes COVID-19 di Amerika Syarikat dan Kanada, angka kematiannya sebanyak 4,587 daripada keseluruhan 213,134 kes.

Di Asia pula sebanyak 3,942 kes kematian dicatatkan daripada keseluruhan 110,570 kes. Manakala di Asia Barat, lebih 3,160 kematian daripada 59,541 jumlah kes jangkitan.

Di Amerika Selatan dan Caribbean angka kematiannya adalah 538 daripada 20,083 kes.

Selain itu, Afrika turut terkesan dengan 223 kematian daripada 6,198 kes, manakalaOceania mengesahkan 24 kematian daripada 5,579 kes berkaitan pandemik COVID-19. 

SUMBER: AFP

COVID-19: WHO Bimbang Jumlah Kematian Berganda Dalam Seminggu

GENEVA: Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) mendapat kerjasama dari penyelidik seluruh dunia bagi mencari ubat yang berkesan bagi merawat COVID-19.

Tweeter rasmi WHO menyatakan, 74 negara menyertai ujian bagi membandingkan empat jenis ubat dan gabungan beberapa ubat.

“Kami bekerja keras dengan penyelidik seluruh dunia bagi mendapat bukti ubat yang berkesan merawat COVID-19,” katanya.

Dalam ciapan lain, badan itu juga menyatakan mereka mengeluarkan garis panduan baru supaya semua negara menyediakan tempat mencuci tangan di pintu masuk bangunan, pejabat, hentian bas dan stesen kereta api.

Sementara itu, Ketua WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mengajak warga dunia bersatu melawan COVID-19 kerana jumlah jangkitan hampir mencecah sejuta kes.

Katanya, ada peningkatan mendadak wabak itu dengan jumlah kematian berganda dalamm tempoh seminggu.

“Kita memasuki bulan keempat sejak wabak COVID-19 bermula, saya sangat bimbang dengan kadar jangkitan global,” katanya dalam sidang media virtual.


COVID-19: Perancis catat 509 lagi kematian

PARIS: Perancis mencatatkan angka tertinggi kematian COVID-19 sejak wabak itu bermula dengan 509 disahkan meninggal dunia di hospital, menjadikan jumlah korban keseluruhan kepada 4,032.

Jurucakap Kesihatannya, Jerome Salomon, berkata sehingga kini, 24,369 orang dirawat di hospital dengan 6,017 daripadanya menerima rawatan intensif.

Solomon turut memaklumkan angka kematian pada Selasa lalu meningkat kepada 499 orang.

Angka yang diumumkan itu hanya terhad kepada pesakit COVID-19 yang meninggal dunia di hospital dan tidak termasuk kematian di rumah atau yang berada di rumah orang tua.

Katanya, angka kes baharu turut meningkat daripada 4,861 kes kepada 56,989 orang keseluruhannya.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, masih banyak kes yang tidak didaftarkan disebabkan kekurangan kit saringan.

Solomon menambah, angka bagi pesakit yang menerima rawatan rapi sudah melebihi kapasiti sebelum daripada bermulanya krisis itu, iaitu kira-kira 5,000 orang.

Perancis menguatkuasakan perintah berkurung sejak 17 Mac lalu dalam usaha memperlahan penyebaran wabak itu.

Setakat ini, Perancis mejalankan ujian saringan kepada lebih 30,000 rakyatnya setiap hari, angka ini jauh lebih sedikit berbanding negara jirannya, Jerman. 

SUMBER: AFP

COVID-19: Tangguh Dulu Rancangan Kerja Haji

Foto: Haramain Sharifain

RIYADH: Arab Saudi menggesa umat Islam untuk menangguhkan rancangan untuk menunaikan haji sehingga wabak COVID-19 dapat dikawal.

Menteri Haji dan Umrah, Mohammed Saleh Benten, berkata Arab Saudi bersedia menerima jemaah haji dan umrah namun dalam keadaan dunia berdepan wabak COVID-19, kerajaan mahu melindungi kesihatan umat Islam.

“Oleh itu, kita meminta umat Islam di semua negara untuk menunggu sebelum melakukan haji sehingga keadaannya jelas,” katanya kepada stesen televisyen Al-Ekhbariya di negara itu.

Selain menangguhkan haji dan umrah, Arab Saudi juga menghentikan semua penerbangan antarabangsa dan menyekat masuk dan serta keluar pergerakan ke beberapa bandar raya, termasuk Makkah dan Madinah.

Bulan lepas, Arab Saudi menghentikan kemasukan jemaah umrah untuk sepanjang tahun ekoran kebimbangan terhadap penularan COVID-19.

Kira-kira 2.5 juta jemaah haji dari seluruh dunia biasanya berkumpul di Makkah dan Madinah untuk ibadat yang dijadualkan bermula pada akhir bulan Julai.

SUMBER: AFP

Keputusan benar haji paling lewat Jun ini - PAPUH

KUALA LUMPUR: Keputusan berhubung status menunaikan haji dijangka akan dimuktamadkan selepas Aidilfitri atau Jun ini susulan penularan wabak COVID-19.

Pengerusi Persatuan Agensi Pelancongan Umrah dan Haji Malaysia (PAPUH), Datuk Seri Razali Mohd Sham, berkata berdasarkan maklum balas diterima pihaknya, keputusan dibuat kerajaan Arab Saudi sama ada menangguhkan haji atau sebaliknya belum dimuktamadkan sepenuhnya.

“Buat masa ini, kerajaan Arab Saudi hanya menasihatkan bakal jemaah supaya menangguhkan dahulu rancangan untuk menunaikan haji tahun ini dan ia bukan keputusan muktamad, ia sekadar nasihat.

“Bagaimanapun, kita perlu menunggu keputusan rasmi berhubung perkara itu selewat-lewatnya Jun ini kerana buat masa ini, semua penerbangan tidak dibenarkan ke sana sehingga Jun ini. Tetapi tempahan penerbangan untuk Julai dan seterusnya masih dibuka,” katanya ketika dihubungi BH hari ini.

Media antarabangsa melaporkan Arab Saudi menggesa umat Islam untuk menangguhkan rancangan menunaikan haji sehingga wabak COVID-19 dapat dikawal.

Menteri Haji dan Umrah, Mohammed Saleh Benten, berkata Arab Saudi bersedia menerima jemaah haji dan umrah namun dalam keadaan dunia berdepan wabak COVID-19, kerajaan mahu melindungi kesihatan umat Islam.

Mengulas lanjut, Razali berkata, sebarang keputusan kerajaan Arab Saudi wajar dipatuhi demi kepentingan dan melindungi kesihatan umat Islam.

“Kami akan berhubung kerajaan Malaysia dan konsulat Arab Saudi di sini bagi mendapatkan gambaran sebenar berhubung perkara ini.

“Menunaikan haji adalah tuntutan agama bagi mereka yang berkemampuan, tetapi jika dalam keadaan sebegini (penularan COVID-19), urusan itu ada baiknya ditangguhkan terlebih dahulu sehingga keadaan kembali pulih sepenuhnya,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, jika kerajaan Arab Saudi mengeluarkan arahan supaya haji ditangguhkan tahun ini, ia akan memberi kesan kepada hampir 40,000 jemaah Malaysia termasuk yang menggunakan perkhidmatan agensi swasta.

SUMBER: BH ONLINE

COVID-19: Saudi Arabia calls countries to wait before finalising Haj plans

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 : Saudi Arabia Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Banten has called upon countries around the world to wait before finalising their Haj plans this year until after the COVID-19 epidemic situation become clearer.

In an interview with the Al-Ikhbaria TV, the minister also said that those who have obtained Umrah visas but could not perform the religious act due to Saudi Arabia’s ongoing precautionary measures against COVID-19 will have their money refunded, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported today.

The minister also said that the Kingdom was also concerned with the safety of all pilgrims and visitors who were currently in health isolation hotels.

“We have coordinated with the Ministry of Health an inspection tour of hotels that were used for health isolation to ensure that all services and care are provided to Umrah performers in Makkah,” he said.

Saudi Arabia is currently providing care for 1,200 Umrah performers who could not return to their countries, he said.

As precautionary measures to control the spread of COVID-19 in the country, Saudi Arabia has introduced several measures including suspending all international flights to and from the country as well as temporarily suspending the Umrah pilgrimage.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, there have been over 1,500 COVID-19 in the country so far with 10 deaths recorded.


-- BERNAMA

These Are The Australian Job Sectors Still Hiring During The Coronavirus Crisis

AUS JOBS

While hospitality and retail have been brought to the brink of collapse by government policies to stop COVID-19 from spreading, supermarket staff, call centre workers and delivery drivers are among the workers in demand.

BY LIN EVLIN

Federal and state government measures to control the spread of coronavirus have meant thousands of people are now losing their jobs around Australia.

The federal treasury estimates more than one million Australians will be forced onto welfare and economists expect the unemployment rate will jump to 11 per cent in the next few months as COVID-19 shuts down businesses.

But the unprecedented nature of the crisis has led to some industries hiring more workers in big numbers to meet increased demand.

Supermarket giant Woolworths Group announced on Friday it will hire up to 20,000 new roles to keep up supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The roles in its supermarkets, e-commerce, supply chain and drinks businesses are expected to be filled in the next month.

“These are uncertain times for many industries and we have an important role to play in keeping Australians employed through this crisis,” Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said in a statement. 

“These new roles will not only help us better serve the increase in demand we’re seeing in stores right now but also allow us to scale up home delivery operations in the months ahead.”

Woolworths also plans to offer up to 5,000 short-term roles to Qantas employees who are taking leave without pay, including more than 1,500 people in its distribution centres.

Services Australia last week said it would also be ramping up its capacity by 5,000 staff following days of long queues outside Centrelink offices, while Domino's Pizza is also hiring 2,000 ‘delivery experts’ to assist with anticipated home delivery demand in the coming months.

Industries with opportunities

Indeed APAC economist Callum Pickering says while job postings are down around 12 per cent compared with this time last year, there are still opportunities.

“While there's definitely new roles in the healthcare space, there are also jobs created through the indirect impact of COVID-19,” he said. 

“We're seeing strong demand for drivers including delivery and truck drivers, as well as rising demand for warehouse workers and packers, and a lot of that relates to some of the frenzied retail activity we've seen in recent weeks.

“Cleaning is another job that is in hot demand right now, which makes sense given that all of us are paying a little bit more attention to our personal hygiene, both in our homes and in our offices.”

Some delivery drivers are also seeing a spike in demand as Australians are no longer permitted to dine-in at restaurants and cafes.


"Usually for me, the busiest time is from five to eight in the evening but now it is busy all day long," he said. 

In difficult times, couriers and delivery drivers have become part of the country’s lifeline.

The 27-year-old, who is originally from Chile and in Australia on a student visa, said although he worries about the risk of contracting COVID-19, his job is the only way for him to make ends meet.

“I am scared for our health, but Sydney is an expensive city and we have to afford housing and food, we have to do the best we can," he said. 

“We keep people in their houses, right? We help them to stay there and this way the spread of the virus will stop.”

Who is deemed an 'essential' worker under Australia's COVID-19 rules?

Stephen Tuffley, the director of sales and service at Seek in Australia, said its jobs marketplace is also seeing more opportunities for tutoring and nannying jobs becoming available in the resources sector.  

“You've got parents who have got their children home from school and they're looking to either have someone help them with school, or for someone to look after them while they are not at school.

“Because of the virus, grandparents are less of an option than they were in the past.

“The resource and mining sector is probably taking the most advantage of the low Australian dollar at the moment," he added.

"There are jobs out there for mine supervisors, diggers and so on, so skilled and unskilled jobs."

SOURCE: SBS NEWS
LINK: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/these-are-the-australian-job-sectors-still-hiring-during-the-coronavirus-crisis

COVID-19: 2,000 Kes Kematian di AS, Kes Positif Lebih 115,000

Pandemik Covid-19 di Amerika Syarikat: CNN

WASHINGTON: Kes kematian akibat akibat coronavirus (COVID-19) di Amerika Syarikat melonjak melepasi 2,000 kes pada Sabtu, dua kali ganda dalam masa tiga hari, menurut satu kajian oleh Johns Hopkins University.

Jumlah kematian pada Sabtu lalu ialah 2,010 kes, kira-kira satu perempat daripada mereka di New York City, wilayah paling teruk di negara ini, lapor Johns Hopkins.

Sepanjang 24 jam lalu, angka kematian di AS ialah 453 kes yang dikaitkan dengan penyakit COVID-19, menyebabkan jumlah keseluruhan kematian negara itu kepada 1,891 kematian sejak pandemik bermula.

AS sejak Khamis lalu telah mencatatkan bilangan kes tertinggi di dunia.

Ia bagaimanapun kurang daripada 10,023 kematian di Itali, 5,812 di Sepanyol, 3,299 di China atau 2,317 di Perancis.

Sehingga petang Sabtu, Universiti Johns Hopkins mencatatkan 115,547 kes di AS. Ini termasuk kenaikan 23 peratus daripada 21,309 kes dicatatkan sehari.

New York adalah pusat wabak COVID-19 di negara itu, dengan lebih daripada 50,000 kes atau kira-kira separuh daripada jumlah kes di seluruh republik itu.

Presiden Amerika Syarikat, Donald Trump pada Sabtu berkata, beliau sedang mempertimbangkan meletakkan seluruh negeri di bawah kuarantin.

Gabenor New York, Andrew Cuomo pula memberitahu pemberita bahawa dia tidak berfikir langkah sedemikian boleh dilaksanakan mengikut undang-undang dan tidak tahu apa yang akan dicapai daripada perspektif kesihatan awam. 

COVID-19: Kes meningkat di Eropah, Trump cadang kuarantin New York

ROME: Pandemik coronavirus (COVID-19) menyebabkan kematian 20,000 orang di Eropah setakat semalam, dengan Itali dan Sepanyol masing-masing dilaporkan lebih daripada 800 orang meninggal dunia sehari.

Pada masa sama, Presiden Amerika Syarikat, Donald Trump berkata, beliau menimbangkan untuk meletakkan New York dan beberapa negeri lain di negara itu di bawah perintah kuarantin.

Satu pertiga penduduk dunia kini berada dalam perintah berkurung selepas wabak COVID-19 memberikan kesan yang amat dahsyat kepada masyarakat seperti menghapuskan berjuta-juta pekerjaan, memberikan tekanan kepada perkhidmatan penjagaan kesihatan dan menyebabkan penggantungan sepenuhnya kepada perbendaharaan untuk tahun mendatang.

Secara global, angka kematian melonjak melebihi 30,000 - dua pertiga daripadanya di Eropah dan pegawai di beberapa negara mengatakan perkara terburuk masih belum berlaku.

Bagaimanapun, di Wuhan di China, di mana wabak itu bermula, mula kembali kepada normal, dengan perkhidmatan kereta api sudah separa dipulihkan.

Pengumuman Trump bahawa dia sedang menimbangkan perintah ‘kuarantin’ untuk New York, jirannya New Jersey dan sebahagian dari Connecticut, amat mengejutkan.

Malah Gabenor New York, Andrew Cuomo berkata, beliau tidak tahu apa-apa mengenainya.

Pegawai kesihatan menyatakan mereka takut New York boleh mengikuti jalan maut yang dicatatkan oleh Itali, dengan golongan profesional kesihatan yang keletihan dan hospital mengalami kekurangan peralatan pelindung dan ventilator.

New York sahaja mempunyai lebih daripada 50,000 kes yang disahkan.

Jururawat di sebuah hospital di New York mengadakan bantahan kerana mendakwa mereka terpaksa memakai hanya satu topeng pelindung selama seminggu.

CNN pula melaporkan bahawa seorang mangsa termuda di AS iaitu seorang bayi di Chicago meninggal dunia akibat COVID-19.

Malah, menurut laporan Universiti Johns Hopkins, negara Uncle Sam itu kini mempunyai bilangan tertinggi kes COVID-19 yang disahkan di dunia, dengan 115,547 kes, 1,891 kematian, termasuk rekod 453 dalam 24 jam terakhir ini.

Bagaimanapun, negara di benua Eropah paling teruk terjejas dengan 20,059 kematian.

Itali mengeluarkan data baharu semalam, dengan mengumumkan 889 kematian baharu, dengan angka kematian di negara itu kini mencecah 10,023 mangsa dan menjadi satu-satunya negara yang mempunyai kes kematian melebihi 10,000.

Itali kini mempunyai 92,472 kes positif COVID-19.

Sepanyol, yang mempunyai angka kematian tertinggi kedua di dunia, menambah 832 kematian menjadikan jumlah 5,812.

Madrid mengetatkan kawalan di seluruh negara, menghentikan segala aktiviti tidak penting, walaupun pegawai mengatakan wabak di negara ini hampir mendekati puncaknya.

Rusia, yang melaporkan kadar virus yang agak rendah, berkata ia akan menutup sempadannya dalam usaha untuk memperlahankan penyebaran pandemik.

Menurut laporan AFP, 640,770 kes direkod secara rasmi di seluruh dunia sejak wabak itu bermula lewat tahun lalu.

Variasi dalam ujian dan kelewatan dalam menyediakan ujian yang mencukupi di sesetengah negara bermakna bilangan sebenar kes mungkin jauh lebih tinggi.

Di Perancis, yang merekodkan hampir 2,000 kematian, Perdana Menteri, Edouard Philippe memberi amaran bahawa "pertempuran" baharu sahaja bermula.

"Dua minggu pertama pada bukan April akan menjadi lebih sukar daripada dua minggu lalu, katanya.

Di tempat lain, Iran mengumumkan 139 kematian dan India menutup beberapa kampung di Punjab yang dikunjungi oleh seorang guru yang kini dijangkiti dan kemungkinan "penyebar tegar".

Sri Lanka dan Qatar mencatatkan kematian pertama mereka dan Turki mencecah 100 kematian.

Polis Afrika Selatan menggunakan peluru getah di Johannesburg untuk menguatkuasakan penjarakan sosial kepada orang ramai yang beratur untuk bekalan di luar sebuah pasar raya.

SUMBER: AFP

COVID-19: Keputusan Saringan Seawal Lima Minit

WASHINGTON: Makmal berpusat di Amerika Syarikat (AS) memperkenalkan kit ujian saringan COVID-19 mudah alih.

Ia membolehkan ujian dibuat untuk mengenal pasti status sama ada seseorang itu dijangkiti COVID-19 atau tidak, seawal lima minit.

Abbot Laboratories dalam kenyataan Jumaat berkata, Pentadbiran Makanan dan Ubat-Ubatan AS (FDA) memberikan kebenaran kecemasan supaya kit ujian itu dibekalkan kepada penyedia kesihatan seawal minggu depan.

Kit ujian menggunakan teknologi molekul itu membolehkan keputusan ujian negatif didapati dalam masa 13 minit.

Presiden merangkap Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Abbot, Robert Ford, berkata kit ujian yang dihasilkan itu adalah antara usaha penyelesaian diagnostik.

"Pandemik COVID-19 akan dilawan dalam pelbagai cara. Ujian molekular mudah alih dengan keputusan dalam beberapa minit dan menambah kepada keperluan dan penyelesaian diagnostik untuk memerangi virus ini.

"Kit ujian bersaiz kecil bermaksud ia boleh digunakan di luar hospital yang dilanda wabak itu.

"Abbot sedang bekerjasama dengan FDA untuk menghantar kit ujian itu ke pusat wabak," katanya.

Kit ujian itu belum mendapat kelulusan FDA dan hanya dibenarkan untuk kegunaan kecemasan oleh makmal yang diluluskan serta penyedia penjagaan kesihatan. 

SUMBER: AFP