Elderly people wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus walk during their allocated time slots for age groups and activities in Madrid, Spain, May 13, 2020. (PAUL WHITE / AP)

OTTAWA / WASHINGTON / MEXICO CITY / CAPE TOWN / BRASILIA / PARIS / ROME / SOFIA / TUNIS / TRIPOPLI / STOCKHOLM / ALGIERS / LONDON / MADRID / BRUSSELS / CAIRO / NAIROBI / THE HAGUE / NEW YORK / LJUBLJANA / KAMPALA / AMSTERDAM - A vaccine to counter the new coronavirus could be approved in about a year in an "optimistic" scenario, a agency which approves medicines for the European Union (EU) said on Thursday.

The European Medicines Agency, in communication with 33 developers, was doing all it could to speed up the approval process, the EMA's head of vaccines, Marco Cavaleri, said, but he was skeptical of claims any could be ready by September.

If a vaccine is first developed outside Europe, we must do everything possible to ensure that the vaccine is actually available to all countries.

Peter Liese, a EU lawmaker and also a prominent member of Germany's Christian Democratic Union party

"For vaccines, since the development has to start from scratch ... we might look from an optimistic side in a year from now, so beginning of 2021," he told journalists.

ALSO READ: Nations progressing with COVID-19 vaccine tests

He ruled out the possibility of skipping the third phase of a vaccine trial, which he said would be needed to be sure a vaccine was safe and effective.

The EMA is also looking at 115 different therapeutics, or treatments, for the coronavirus. Cavaleri said some of those therapeutics could be approved in Europe as early as this summer, but he did not specify which.

A leading EU lawmaker said the EUn should circumvent pharmaceutical companies' intellectual property rights if a vaccine were developed outside the bloc, a new sign of EU fears of lagging behind in the global race.

"If a vaccine is first developed outside Europe, we must do everything possible to ensure that the vaccine is actually available to all countries," said Peter Liese, who is a prominent member of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, the same as Chancellor Angela Merkel's.

A woman plays with two children on a road, closed to vehicular traffic during a pilot program to provide more space for social distancing amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, in Queens borough of New York City, May 13, 2020. (JOHANNES EISELE / AFP)

US

The US state of New York is investigating around 102 cases reported statewide of children diagnosed with a rare inflammatory syndrome possibly related to COVID-19, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday.

A 5-year-old in New York City, a 7-year-old in Westchester county and a teenager in Suffolk county have died of the syndrome, which displays various symptoms including persistent fever, severe abdominal pain, bloodshot eyes and skin rash, said the governor at his daily briefing.

Out of the 82 cases in New York City, 53 have either tested positive for COVID-19 or had COVID-19 antibodies, said Mayor Bill de Blasio

Seventy-one percent of the cases have resulted in ICU admission, 19 percent have resulted in intubation and 43 percent remain hospitalized, according to Cuomo.

Eighty-two of the 102 cases are in New York City. Out of the 82 cases, 53 have either tested positive for COVID-19 or had COVID-19 antibodies, said Mayor Bill de Blasio at his briefing on Wednesday.

ALSO READ: 'This virus may never go away,' WHO says

Also on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump described as not acceptable a warning given by top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Tuesday about the dangers of reopening the economy and schools too quickly.

"We want to do it safely, but we also want to do it as quickly as possible. ... We have to get it open. I totally disagree with him on schools," Trump said in an interview earlier on Wednesday with Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria".

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the economy will be reopened slowly but he cautioned that waiting too long risked severe economic damage.

Governors from both major political parties on Wednesday urged lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to cast aside partisanship and deliver relief to US cities and states facing economic ruin. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell also called for additional spending to mitigate the effects of lockdowns.

The plea followed the unveiling on Tuesday of a US$3 trillion-plus coronavirus relief package by Democrats in the US House of Representatives. 

Trump said the new relief package had no chance of becoming law.

Meanwhile, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city was extending its stay-at-home order through June 8.

US Customs officers stand beside a sign saying that the US border is closed at the US/Canada border in Lansdowne, Ontario, on March 22, 2020. (LARS HAGBERG / AFP)

Canada-US border

Canada and the United States appear likely to extend a ban on non-essential travel until June 21 amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a Canadian government source and a top US official said on Wednesday.

The two neighbors had agreed on April 18 to extend border restrictions until May 21 as cases of the disease continued to rise in both nations. Canada is now pressing for the measures to remain for another month.

"It's too early to lift the restrictions, so we're working toward an extension," said one Canadian government source, describing the talks with Washington as positive.

Chad Wolf, acting US Department of Homeland Security secretary, said later on Wednesday that restrictions across the borders with Canada and Mexico would likely be extended.

On Tuesday, the chief Canadian public health officer said the United States - where cases are increasing steadily - presented a risk. 

News of the request for a 30-day extension was first reported by Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper.

The total Canadian death toll edged up by just over 3 percent to 5,209 from 5,049 on Tuesday, official data showed on Wednesday.

Global toll

Global COVID-19 deaths surpassed 297,000 and the global tally of confirmed cases topped 4.3 million on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

Confirmed cases have been reported in 188 countries and regions across the world, according to the CSSE.

The United States reported the most COVID-19 deaths and confirmed cases, with a death toll of more than 84,000 and a tally nearing 1.4 million, according to the CSSE. Other countries with over 20,000 fatalities included Spain, Italy, Britain and France, according to the CSSE.   

Italy

The Italian government has approved a long-delayed, 55 billion-euro (US$59.6 billion) stimulus package aimed at helping Italy's battered businesses and struggling families survive the coronavirus crisis.

"This decree provides the prerequisites so that this phase of reopening can immediately offer the prospect of an economic and social recovery," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday following a Cabinet meeting. The decree takes immediate effect.

Rome has forecast that the economy will contract by at least 8 percent this year as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The stimulus package, which follows an initial 25 billion-euro package introduced in March, includes a mix of grants and tax breaks to help firms ride out the downturn. It also offers help to families, including subsidies for childcare and incentives to boost the ravaged tourism sector.

Italy's COVID-19 death toll climbed by 195 on Wednesday, against 172 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency said, but the daily tally of new cases fell to 888 from 1,402 on Tuesday.

The total death toll now stands at 31,106, the agency said, while the number of confirmed cases amounts to 222,104. 

Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora announced that gyms and fitness centers may reopen on May 25.

France

France on Thursday announced measures worth 18 billion euros (US$19 billion) to support its tourism sector, which has been hammered by the coronavirus crisis and resulting shutdown in beaches, leisure attractions and hotels.

Nearly 90 million foreign tourists visited France in 2019, making it the most visited country in the world, according to government data. Tourism accounts for almost 8 percent of the country’s 2.3 trillion euro economy.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that with 95 percent of hotels closed, the government’s priority was to avoid bankruptcies and job cuts.

To prevent job losses, the government is reimbursing companies for 70 percent of the gross wages of workers they put on furlough, and Philippe said that it will extend this measure until at least the end of September.

Measures outlined by Philippe to rescue the sector, which he said totalled a “massive and unprecedented” 18 billion euros, included a 1.3 billion euros investment plan for direct cash injections into businesses by state banks.

Businesses with up to 20 employees and 2 million euros in annual revenue in the tourism, hotel and restaurant sector will also be able to tap a solidarity fund until the end of the year, to receive grants of up to 10,000 euros.

There will also be a social security tax break for May and June payments. The amnesty will continue as long as businesses have to remain shut. Tax exemptions will in total amount to 2 billion euros, Philippe said.

France's daily death toll from the coronavirus dropped on Wednesday to 83 from 348 the day before, bringing the death toll to 27,074 and putting it just behind Spain in terms of overall fatalities from the disease.

Three days after ending a 55-day lockdown, the number of additional confirmed cases was also lower than on Tuesday, easing fears of a new wave of infections. The health ministry said in a statement that confirmed cases increased by 507 to 140,734, a smaller rise than the 708 cases logged a day earlier.

Including 37,326 suspected cases in nursing homes, down 672, the total number of confirmed and suspected infections dropped by 0.3 percent to 177,700, putting France seventh worldwide by that measure behind Brazil. It was the first decline in this measure since April 29.

Nursing homes not only registered a fall in probable cases but also 15 fewer deaths than on Tuesday, taking the total to 9,973.

A health ministry spokesman told Reuters these decreases were due to corrections made in databases of several nursing homes in the Paris region.

Spain

Spain’s daily coronavirus death toll rose on Thursday to its highest in a week as authorities warned that a second wave of the outbreak was possible after a nationwide antibody survey showed about 5 percent of the population had contracted the virus.

The number of fatalities caused by the disease reported each day rose on Thursday to 217 up from 184 on the previous day, the health ministry said. The number rose above 200 for the first time since May 8.

The overall death toll from the disease rose to 27,321, while the number of diagnosed cases rose to 229,540 on Thursday, although the antibody testing of 60,000 people across Spain had pointed to as many as 2.3 million people having had the disease.

The preliminary results have shown a 5 percent prevalence ratio in Spain’s 47 million population, much below the levels needed to attain “herd immunity”, which means a second wave of contagion is possible all over the country if the measures to stem the pandemic are not observed, Simon said.

Spain is one of the worst-hit countries by the pandemic. The number of daily fatalities has fallen dramatically over the past six weeks from a peak of 950 in early April. The strict lockdown imposed on the country, now being phased out, has helped to curb the contagion in the country.

Hungary

Indefinite emergency powers obtained by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to fight the coronavirus crisis could be retracted in late June depending on the evolution of the pandemic, his chief of staff said on Thursday.

Orban secured a right to rule by decree in March, drawing criticism from rights groups and the European Commission. He said his powers could be withdrawn by parliament - where his party holds a two-thirds majority - at any time.

Under the legislation, anybody deemed to be deliberately spreading false information that could upset people or hinder the fight against the novel coronavirus could face up to five years in jail.

Police said they had launched 87 proceedings on grounds of spreading disinformation related to the COVID-19 crisis.

Mexico

Mexico's government on Wednesday announced that it will begin to ease the nationwide lockdown from May 18 to reactivate an economy that grounded to a halt two months ago to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the plan, titled "The New Normal," restrictions would be eased in three stages, Economy Minister Graciela Marquez said at a press conference.

The first stage will see economic activity resume in 269 municipalities that have registered zero or a low number of COVID-19 infections. From May 18 to May 31, the second stage will see certain economic sectors begin to prepare to resume activity, including construction, mining and automotive manufacturing.

The third stage will begin on June 1, with a color-coded alarm system (red, orange, yellow and green) put in place to monitor public health by region as the reopening continues. Schools will not reopen completely until the system permanently signals green, Education Minister Esteban Moctezuma said.

Mexico's health ministry confirmed 1,862 new cases on Wednesday, along with 294 additional deaths, bringing the country's tally to 40,186 and and the death toll to 4,220.

Roberto Velasco, the chief spokesman for Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, has tested positive for the coronavirus and an official in the president's office has died of the disease. The official who died was an employee of the president's office who worked in an area responsible for providing attention to citizens.

ALSO READ: Lesotho becomes last country in Africa to record COVID-19 case

Brazil registered a record number of new cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, surpassing France's tally to become the sixth worst-hit country, as the disease sends the economy toward its worst year since at least 1900.

The government confirmed 11,385 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing its total count to 188,974 cases. A total of 749 more deaths were recorded, bringing the overall toll to 13,149.

On Wednesday, the economy ministry predicted the Brazilian economy would contract 4.7 percent in 2020, the biggest annual fall since records began more than a century ago. The ministry estimates every additional week of quarantine measures costs the economy 20 billion reais (US$3.40 billion).

Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populous state and with the most cases of the virus, will not comply with Bolsonaro's decree, Governor Joao Doria said on Wednesday, echoing comments made by at least 10 other governors.

Russia

Moscow will begin free mass testing of citizens for the coronavirus from May 15, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his website on Thursday, with a target of 100,000 people a day by the end of the month.

Around 70,000 blood analysis tests will be offered every few days, in the initial roll-out, Sobyanin said.

Russia on Thursday reported 9,974 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, its lowest daily rise since May 2, bringing its nationwide tally to 252,245.

Russia has reported record levels of infections averaging more than 10,000 new cases per day since May 3, though the spread has been slowing. 

Russia's coronavirus response center said 93 people died overnight, bringing the official death toll to 2,305.

Moscow, the country's worst-hit region, confirmed 4,712 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking its total to 130,716.

Moscow said on Wednesday it had ascribed the deaths of more than 60 percent of coronavirus patients in April to other causes as it defended what it said was the superior way it and Russia counted the number of people killed by the novel virus.

Moscow's Department of Health acknowledged in a statement that the number of deaths in April, 11,846, had been 1,841 higher than the same month last year and almost triple the number of people registered as having died of the virus. It said 639 people in Moscow had died in April as a direct result of the coronavirus and its complications like pneumonia.

But it flatly denied it had been dishonestly lowering the Russian capital's coronavirus death toll. Tatyana Golikova, Russia's health minister, has also denied any falsification of the statistics.

READ MORE: Russia has world's 2nd highest tally, Putin spokesman infected

Poland

Schools in Poland will stay closed until the end of the academic year on June 26, the deputy education minister said on Thursday, with only day care for young children provided as the country tries to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In recent weeks, Poland, the largest economy among the EU’s eastern states, has sought to loosen some restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus. Restaurants and hairdressers will reopen on Monday.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday that schools would partially reopen to provide day care for children in the first three years of primary school.

“It is clear that until the end of classes...there is no decision to start the work of other classes in primary or secondary schools,” Deputy Education Minister Maciej Kopeć said in an interview with website wp.pl.

The education ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Finland

Finland’s government is rolling out a support package to businesses suffering a significant drop in revenue and reluctant to take out loans during the COVID-19 crisis. 

“We want to stop a wave of bankruptcies and job losses,” Economy Minister Mika Lintila told reporters. The total cost of the package is estimated at just under 1 billion euros (US$1.1 billion), according to the minister.

Businesses will be eligible for support for two months, regardless of the industry they operate in. While their size has yet to be decided, payments will be capped somewhere between 100,000 euros and 200,000 euros per company, Lintila said.

The government initially supported businesses through loan-based packages, but decided to come up with this new form of aid after realizing that companies have been reluctant to take out loans in such an uncertain environment, Lintila said. A key criteria for eligibility is that companies have fixed costs they cannot reduce.

A heath worker takes a break during a screening and testing campaign aimed to combat the spread of COVID-19, at Alexandra township in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 13, 2020. (THEMBA HADEBE / AP)

South Africa

South Africa will assign levels of lockdown restrictions for each of the country’s roughly 50 districts, depending on the number of active coronavirus infections there, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Thursday.

The National Coronavirus Command Council, the government body overseeing efforts to contain the virus, will review the restrictions for each district every two weeks, Mkhize added, saying the country was moving away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

It was not immediately clear whether there would be restrictions on movement between districts, which vary widely in size and in population.

South Africa imposed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns in late March, only allowing people to leave their homes under a narrow set of circumstances, such as buying food or seeking medical help.

Restrictions were eased slightly on May 1, and President Cyril Ramaphosa said in an address to the nation on Wednesday that further easing would happen cautiously.

South Africa had recorded 219 coronavirus deaths as of Wednesday, with 12,074 confirmed cases. Almost 70 percent of those were in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.

The parts of the country with the highest rates of infection, including metropolitan areas, are likely to remain under stringent restrictions into June, Ramaphosa said on Wednesday.

That will take a heavy toll on the economy, which was already in recession before COVID-19 struck, and increase daily hardships for millions of poor South Africans.

Switzerland

With the positive development in containing COVID-19, Switzerland plans to reopen its borders with France, Germany and Austria on June 15, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday.

Karin Keller Sutter, federal councilor as well as head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, said at a press conference that the decision was taken jointly with the three countries concerned, and the condition was that the pandemic curve remained positive in the following days.

France, Germany and Austria are currently in a period of deconfinement and present a situation similar to Switzerland at the epidemiological level, noted the official, but Italy is in a different situation where circulation within the country is still restricted, thus the reopening of borders with Italy could only be considered later.

As of Wednesday, Switzerland reported 30,413 confirmed COVID-19 cases in total, 33 more than the previous day. The death toll stands at 1,564. 

READ MORE: As COVID-19 ebbs, EU seeks to unlock borders for summer

Slovenia

The Slovenian government on Wednesday decided to lift more restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus epidemic.

According to the government spokesman Jelko Kacin, all shops will be allowed to open on Monday, while restaurants and bars will be able to serve customers indoors again. Tourist accommodation with less than 30 rooms will be allowed to resume operations, but spas, discos and nightclubs will remain closed, he said.

The government also announced its plan to gradually reopen kindergartens and certain grades in primary and secondary schools across the country.

A majority of sports activities, including trainings and competitions in team sports, are allowed to resume from May 23.

Slovenia has so far reported a total of 1,463 coronavirus cases, with 103 deaths, according to the latest government data. 

Bulgaria

Bulgaria's government on Wednesday declared an epidemic emergency until June 14, allowing the health minister to extend restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus outbreak.

The measure replaces a state of emergency introduced in the middle of March, under which the Balkan country imposed travel bans, prohibited socializing in public spaces and closed schools, restaurants and bars.

Schools and shopping malls will remain closed, Health Minister Kiril Ananiev said, and infected people or those who have been in contact with them will have to stay in quarantine.

Bulgaria has started easing the lockdown, opening up inter-city travel and access to parks, but still requires people to wear protective face masks on public transport and advocates social distancing.

As of Wednesday, Bulgaria had registered 2,069 confirmed infections including 96 deaths among its 7 million people.

Uganda

Uganda's Health Minister Ruth Aceng said Wednesday 13 new COVID-19 had been reported, taking the country's tally to 139.

Of the 139 confirmed cases, at least 55 patients have recovered, according to ministry data. 

Tunisia

Tunisia shortened its nightly curfew on Wednesday after three consecutive days without recording any new coronavirus cases and as the government relaxes a general lockdown.

President Kais Saied has cut the curfew hours to 11 pm to 5 am instead of 8 pm to 6 am, state news agency TAP reported, 10 days after the start of a gradual reopening of the bureaucracy and economy.

It follows the government's announcement that no new coronavirus cases have been recorded for three days in a row, with 1,032 confirmed cases in total and 45 deaths.

Only five patients with COVID-19 are still in hospital in Tunisia, Jalila Ben Kelil, a member of the government's advisory committee on the coronavirus crisis,  said.

Peru

Peru's rate of coronavirus cases is peaking and will begin a slow decline, President Martin Vizcarra said on Wednesday, as the country moves into a "final stage" of lockdown more than two months after the first case was detected in the South American nation.

Peru, which has the second highest rate of coronavirus cases in Latin America, will continue to enforce social distancing, particularly in markets, banks and public transportation, Vizcarra said.

Coronavirus cases in Peru rose to 76,306 on Wednesday, up by 4,247 from a day earlier. The death toll was 2,169, up by 112, according to data from the Ministry of Health. 

The lockdown is scheduled to end on May 24. Until then, Peruvians will be under a nightly curfew with military surveillance to ensure compliance, a situation not seen in Peru for three decades.

A soldier walks between market vendors who are waiting for their COVID-19 results during a testing operation by the Health Ministry outside the "Ciudad de Dios," or City of God market in Lima, Peru, May 11, 2020. (MARTIN MEJIA / AP)

Libya

Libya's UN-backed government said Wednesday that schools will gradually reopen in mid-June, after nearly two months of closure as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.

An integrated health program will be developed for students, which includes sterilizing schools periodically, the education ministry said.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Libya has reached 64, including 28 recoveries and three deaths, according to the National Center for Disease Control. 

Algeria

The Algerian presidency on Wednesday warned that violations of the extended lockdown rules would ruin the progress in reducing death cases.

"Algeria is registering stability regarding the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, as shown by the daily official figures, but any violation of the quarantine rules would ruin all efforts made so far by authorities," Mohamed Belaid Oussaid, a spokesperson for the Algerian Presidency, said at a press conference.

Oussaid stressed that Algeria "was close to exit the danger zone, which prompted the government to relax the lockdown, but the rush of citizens to markets without complying with social distancing rules forced authorities to re-tighten the measures."

Earlier on Wednesday, Djamel Fourar, the head of the COVID-19 Detection and Follow-up Commission, announced that 186 new confirmed cases were recorded during the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 6,253. Fourar said that seven more deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 522.

Sweden

The Swedish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday extended its travel advisory for non-essential trips abroad to July 15, and the government said Swedes should travel no further than two hours by car from their homes from now on.   

The new recommendations were presented during a press conference held by Foreign Minister Ann Linde and Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

"Decisions may be extended, amended or repealed before July 15 should assessments of the situation change. But it is not possible to say in advance when that will happen or what the changes may entail," said Linde.

Sweden's COVID-19 death toll rose to 3,460 on Wednesday, and a total of 27,909 confirmed cases has so far been reported.

Netherlands

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday urged people in the Netherlands to remain vigilant amid positive figures from the coronavirus crisis.

The number of reported deaths from COVID-19 increased by 52 to 5,562 on Wednesday, according to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). The number of positive cases grew by 227 to 43,211, while hospital admissions went up by 52 to a total of 11,430.

“The figures on the number of coronavirus infections are still moving in the right direction, but we must remain vigilant," Rutte said at a press .

Belgium

The National Security Council of Belgium on Wednesday launched "phase 2" of the country's deconfinement plan. Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes outlined the upcoming measures, which will be implemented from May 18.

Phase 2 entails the resumption of classes for primary school students in the sixth grade and secondary school students in their final year, Wilmes said.

Museums, libraries and places of cultural interest will also be able to reopen their doors from May 18. Close-contact services (beauticians, hairdressers) can restart under certain conditions, and regular sports trainings and outdoor and club courses will be allowed to resume with a limit of not more than 20 athletes in a group.

Weddings and funerals will also be allowed to have a maximum of 30 people.

With 202 new coronavirus cases reported over the past 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases in Belgium has reached 53,981, with 8,843 deaths, according to the Sciensano national public health institute.

South Sudan

South Sudan's number of confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed 200 after nine more people tested positive, bringing the tally to 203 countrywide.

Lithuania

Lithuania's government decided on Wednesday that the wearing of protective masks will not be mandatory in all public places as of Thursday, with additional easing rules adopted, including the reopening of schools and the resumption of catering services and public events.

Groups of five people, instead of two, will be allowed to gather in parks and other open public spaces from Monday.

Lithuania's capital Vilnius and port-city Klaipeda municipalities announced they will not reopen schools until the end of the school year at the end of June.

From May 30, professional sports events will be allowed in Lithuania without spectators.

According to the Ministry of Health, Lithuania has a total of 1,505 confirmed COVID-19 cases by Wednesday morning. So far, 54 people have died and 908 have recovered.

Passengers wearing face masks queue to check-in for a flight to Frankfurt at Vilnius International Airport in Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 13, 2020, as German airline Lufthansa began flying from Vilnius to Frankfurt. (MINDAUGAS KULBIS / AP)

Morocco

The Moroccan health ministry on Wednesday announced 94 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 6,512.

The number of recoveries rose by 140 to 3,131, Mohamed El Youbi, director of epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, said at his daily briefing.

El Youbi said that 188 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported so far.

Egypt

Egypt confirmed on Wednesday 338 new COVID-19 cases and 12 more deaths, raising the tally to 10,431 and the death toll to 556.

The country saw a record number of recoveries for the second day in a row, as 160 patients were discharged from hospitals on Wednesday, bringing total recoveries to 2,486, said the Egyptian health ministry in a statement.

Somalia

Somalia’s health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 49 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total of infections to 1,219.

Health Minister Fawziya Abikar said four more patients have recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 130.

The minister said the death toll remained at 52.

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone announced 49 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily rise in the country, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 387, said its Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

The West Africa country has so far recorded 97 recovery cases of COVID-19 and 21 deaths, EOC added.

Kailahun Leone, eastern Sierra Leone, recorded its first two cases, which were linked to the Western Urban area despite inter-district lockdown.

Kenya

All the 40 people who have died due to COVID-19 in Kenya had other underlying medical conditions, a senior health ministry official confirmed on Wednesday.

Speaking during a question and answer session conducted online, Patrick Amoth, director General for health in the Ministry of Health, said Kenya currently has 234 COVID-19 patients in hospital. 

Kenya has so far confirmed 737 COVID-19 cases, with 281 recoveries.

So far, Kenya has not recorded any case of re-infection. According to the Ministry of Health, there has been a noted success in the county of Kilifi in the coastal region, which had high cases of infections but interventions among them a lock-down has helped stop further spread.