Year Four children wash their hands in their classroom after a break at Greenacres Primary Academy in Oldham, northern England on Sept 02, 2020. (OLI SCARFF / AFP)
MEXICO CITY / LONDON / ATHENS / SANTIAGO / PARIS / MINSK / OTTAWA / ADDIS ABABA / MOSCOW / PRAGUE / AMSTERDAM / OSLO - Children have 44 percent lower odds of catching COVID-19 than adults, according to an analysis led by the president of Britain’s Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Belarus reported 337 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking its total to 77,946, according to the country's health ministry
“In this systematic review and meta-analysis including 32 studies, children and adolescents younger than 20 years had 44 percent lower odds of secondary infection with SARS-CoV-2 compared with adults 20 years and older,” the analysis said.
“There is preliminary evidence that those younger than 10 to 14 years have lower susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection than adults, with adolescents appearing to have similar susceptibility to adults.”
The analysis was led by Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
The British government is mulling tougher restrictions in England to tackle a swiftly accelerating second wave of the novel coronavirus outbreak, possibly outlawing more inter-household socializing, a junior health minister said on Monday.
The Times newspaper had reported that ministers were preparing to enforce a total social lockdown across much of northern England and potentially London. The paper said all pubs, restaurants and bars would be ordered to shut for two weeks.
Meanwhile, the government has said it would have large stockpiles in place to provide a continuous flow of protective items, such as masks, to health workers tackling the pandemic, after criticism earlier in the year that supplies were too low.
Separately, the House of Commons is planning a vote Wednesday on renewing legislation that allows ministers to impose new rules to combat the pandemic without first seeking parliamentary approval. But a growing band of Tory rebels want to amend the law to put a check on the government’s power.
Infections in the UK increased by 5,693, pushing the tally to 434,969. Another 17 people deaths were reported, taking the death toll to 41,988.
Global tally
Coronavirus cases worldwide surpassed 33 million on Monday while the global death toll topped 997,000, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
ALSO READ: WHO warns of 1m more COVID-19 deaths
Africa tally
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded across Africa surpassed 1.44 million as of Saturday afternoon while the death toll topped 35,000, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Albania
Albania will reopen indoor spaces of bars, restaurants and swimming pools from Oct 1, Minister of Health and Social Protection Ogerta Manastirliu announced on Sunday.
Manastirliu said that discos, pubs and nightclubs, however, will remain closed.
The announcement came as health authorities reported 106 new coronavirus cases, bringing the tally to 13,259, including 7,534 recoveries and 377 fatalities.
Algeria
Algeria reported on Sunday 153 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily increase since June 29, bringing the tally of infections to 51,067, the Ministry of Health said.
The ministry also reported three additional fatalities, raising the death toll to 1,714.
Meanwhile, 104 more patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 35,860.
Belarus
Belarus reported 337 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking its total to 77,946, according to the country's health ministry.
There have been 47 new recoveries in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 74,167, the ministry added.
So far, 822 people have died of the disease in the country, including four over the past 24 hours, it said.
As of Monday, 1,835,232 tests for the virus have been conducted across the country, including 9,751 over the past 24 hours, according to official figures.
Brazil
Brazil recorded 14,318 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, and 335 deaths from the disease, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.
Brazil has registered 4,732,309 million confirmed cases while the official death toll has reached 141,741, according to the data.
People wearing face masks walk along a street in Montreal, Canada, on Sept 27, 2020. (GRAHAM HUGHES / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP)
Canada
Canada has so far reported a total of 153,125 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Sunday evening, including 9,268 deaths, according to CTV.
Quebec province posted 896 fresh infections on Sunday, the highest daily increase since May 6, bringing the tally in the province to 71,901 with 5,825 deaths.
Ontario province reported 491 new cases. The provincial heatlh authorites also reported that there were 112 people hospitalized.
The country's number of COVID-19 cases could have been higher as some provinces and territories, including two populous provinces British Columbia and Alberta, have not reported new cases over the weekend.
Chile
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced on Sunday the launch of US$2 billion in subsidies aimed at creating new jobs or recovering those lost during months of lockdown aimed at stemming the coronavirus pandemic in the globe's top copper producer.
The package, which seeks to create 1 million new jobs, is the latest round of stimulus aimed at revitalizing Chile's frail economy.
Chile has so far reported 457,901 confirmed cases of the virus, of which 1,923 infections were newly reported on Sunday. The death toll rose to 12,641 after 50 more deaths were reported.
Chile has conducted a record number of tests in recent days to detect COVID-19, Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris said Sunday. In total the country has conducted 3,228,414 tests since March, he added.
Colombia
Colombian health authorities said Sunday that the number of novel coronavirus infections rose to 813,056 after tests detected 7,018 new cases.
The death toll climbed to 25,488 after 192 more fatalities were reported in recent days.
According to Colombian doctors, clinical trials using stem cell therapy on seriously ill patients will start next month to see if it can effectively combat the disease.
"We will initially include 40 patients, of these 20 will receive therapy and 20 will receive the best care available so far. And we will make a comparison between these groups to see how we can impact mortality," epidemiologist Santiago Saldarriaga said.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic reported 1,305 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday and 15 related deaths, health ministry data showed on Monday, as the country battles one of the highest recent infection rates in the world.
The figures brought the total number of cases to 64,597 and the death toll to 606 in the country of 10.7 million people. There were 32,723 active cases.
The number of people in hospitals dipped to 802 from 809 as of Saturday, the latest data available.
France
France registered 11,123 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday, above the symbolic threshold of 10,000 but below a daily record of 16,096 set earlier this week.
The total number of cases now stands at 538,569, Health Ministry data showed. The number of people who have died from the infection increased by 27 to 31,727.
Health Minister Olivier Veran rejected the idea of a preemptive, three-week lockdown to enable people to spend Christmas together.
“We don’t want to bring the economic, social, cultural, sports and family life of the French people to a complete standstill,” he said on LCI television. “That’s why we take decisions that are adapted to the seriousness of the moment, region by region.”
Spectators sit in the stands ahead the German Bundesliga football match between FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund in Augsburg, southern Germany, on Sept 26, 2020. (CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP)
Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the leadership of her party on Monday that coronavirus infections could hit 19,200 per day in the country if the current trend continues but stressed that the economy must be kept running, Bild newspaper reported.
The mass-selling daily, which did not cite its source for the information, quoted Merkel as saying: "We must quickly contain the infections and intervene."
She added: "We must set priorities, namely keeping the economy running and keeping schools and nurseries open. Soccer is secondary to that for now."
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,192 on Monday compared to Sunday, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed. The reported death toll rose by three to 9,460.
Greece
A male migrant died of COVID-19 on Sunday, the first reported death of an asylum seeker since the pandemic broke out in Greece in late February, a government official told Reuters.
The 61-year-old Afghan, a father of two children, who lived at the migrant camp of Malakasa north of Athens, was treated and died at a hospital in Athens, the official said, adding that authorities were tracing his contacts.
The Malakasa camp, which hosts about 3,000 migrants, has been quarantined since Sept 7 after positive tests for the new coronavirus.
Nationwide, Greece reported 218 COVID-19 cases on Sunday and three deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 17,444, including 379 deaths.
ALSO READ: WHO: Global virus toll could hit 2m before vaccine in wide use
Migrants make their way inside a migrant facility at Malakasa village, north of Athens, April 5, 2020. A Greek government official said a male migrant who lived at the migrant camp of Malakasa died of COVID-19 on Sept 27, 2020. (YORGOS KARAHALIS / AP)
Ireland
Ireland recorded 430 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, the most in five months, with Dublin accounting for around half the cases. The government has reintroduced restrictions in the Irish capital, as well as in a region along the border, to try and curb the spread of the virus.
Italy
Italy reported 1,766 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, down from 1,869 on Saturday, with 87,714 daily tests.
The country reported 17 deaths, the same as Saturday. Patients in intensive care units rose to 254, from 247 a day earlier.
Total cases reported since February increased to 309,870.
Lesotho
Lesotho will reopen the border with South Africa on Thursday for business people, students, workers and those with medical appointments, Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro said.
People entering the country will be screened for COVID-19 on arrival and those traveling to South Africa will be given certificates, but will have to return within seven days. Majoro said in a broadcast speech on Sunday. Schools, tourism and entertainment will also be allowed to reopen.
South Africa plans to reopen its international borders the same day, Oct 1.
Libya
The National Center for Disease Control of Libya reported on Sunday 536 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number fo confirmed cases in the country to 32,364, including 18,128 recoveries and 520 deaths.
Mexico
Mexico's confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 730,317 on Sunday, according to updated data from the health ministry, along with a total reported death toll of 76,430.
Authorities reported 3,886 new cases along with 187 deaths on Sunday, but the true figures are likely significantly higher due to little testing.
Morocco
Morocco reported on Sunday 2,444 new COVID-19 infections, taking the tally to 117,685.
The number of recoveries increased by 1,441 to 95,591 while the death toll rose by 28 to 2,096, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
Netherlands
The number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands remained at near-record levels on Monday as the country’s second wave continued, with 2,914 new cases registered in the previous 24 hours, data released by health authorities showed.
That was just shy of the record 2,995 cases reported on Sunday, according to data published by the National Institute for Health (RIVM).
Local and municipal health authorities are gathering on Monday afternoon to consider new regional measures including making masks mandatory and closing bars early. Prime Minister Mark Rutte is due to address the nation on Monday evening.
Norway
Norway plans to develop a COVID-19 tracking app based on Google and Apple technology as part of its efforts to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Bent Hoeie said on Monday.
“This app is purely for tracking infection, it doesn’t store data centrally,” Hoeie said.
Norway’s previous application, which was shut down in June, will be permanently scrapped.
People get their temperatures checked before entering the Chekhov'v theater in the center of Moscow, Russia, Sept 25, 2020. (ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO / AP)
Russia
Russia's new coronavirus cases rose to their highest since June 16 on Monday as authorities confirmed 8,135 new infections in the last 24 hours, pushing the national total to 1,159,573.
Authorities said 61 people had died, bringing the official death toll to 20,385.
Moscow has started to reopen temporary hospital wards after daily coronavirus infections in the Russian capital soared. The region reported 2,217 new cases in the last day, with the number of daily infections up 3.5 times since the start of September.
City hall ordered eight hospitals in the capital, which is the epicenter of the virus in Russia, to reequip themselves to handle patients by early next week, the Interfax news service reported. Moscow began demobilizing its temporary wards in late May.
The number of new coronavirus infections in Russia will reach a plateau at the beginning of October before a small decline, the RIA news agency cited a scientific adviser to consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor as saying on Monday.
"I think that infections are going to rise now and we will approach a plateau, and then a gradual decline will begin, there is unlikely to be a peak," said Victor Maleev from the Russian Academy of Sciences. "The plateau will probably be at the start of October."
Tunisia
Tunisia's Health Ministry reported on Sunday 786 new COVID-19 cases and 16 more deaths, raising the total number of infections to 15,178 and the death toll to 207.
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Ukraine
The total number of coronavirus cases in Ukraine has exceeded 200,000 with a death toll of 3,996, the country's security council said on Monday.
US
New York City health officials said they’re alarmed at a continuing spike in COVID-19 virus transmission in sections of south Brooklyn and Queens with large Orthodox Jewish communities, on the eve of the Yom Kippur holiday.
Seven of the eight neighborhoods saw increases from the previous report on Saturday, based on preliminary data, the city health department said in a statement.
Mask-wearing compliance in the neighborhoods has been much lower than elsewhere in the city and cases have outpaced the citywide average “at an alarming rate” — more than threefold — over the past 14 days, according to the department.
Meanwhile, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said on Sunday she thinks a deal can be reached with the White House on a coronavirus relief package and that talks were continuing.
On COVID-19 vaccine, Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said vaccines now in development are likely to be “partially protective” but won’t prevent everyone who’s inoculated from becoming infected.
The US has so far reported more than 7.1 million confirmed cases and more than 204,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
