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The death toll from the coronavirus in Latin America is expected to skyrocket to 388,300 by October, with Brazil and Mexico seen accounting for two-thirds of fatalities as other nations in the region contain their outbreaks, according to University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru are each forecast to see over 10,000 fatalities, while 15 nations including Paraguay, Uruguay and Belize are seen with fewer than 1,000 deaths each. Read more here.
Let’s look at the global statistics:
Total Confirmed Cases: 9,430,384
Change Over Yesterday: 66,918
Total Deaths: 482,752
Total Recovered: 4,746,118
Nations hit with most cases: US (2,381,361), Brazil (1,188,631), Russia (606,043), India (473,105) and UK (308,337)
Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center
UK’s postal service to axe 2,000 jobs: Royal Mail will axe 2,000 management jobs as it looks to trim £130m from its wage bill, after profits slumped and the company decided not to pay a dividend next year. The UK postal service said it was undertaking a three-step plan to address the impact of coronavirus that would also involve slashing £300m in capital expenditure and speeding up a modernisation drive. Read more here.
Latin America’s Covid-19 deaths seen hitting nearly 390,000 by October: The death toll from the coronavirus in Latin America is expected to skyrocket to 388,300 by October, with Brazil and Mexico seen accounting for two-thirds of fatalities as other nations in the region contain their outbreaks, according to University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Read more here.
Australia records largest spike in Covid-19 cases since April: Victoria state recorded 33 cases overnight, while neighbouring New South Wales added four. Even with most of the other states and territories largely containing community transmission, the tally is the highest daily total since 41 on April 19. Read more here.
Saudi may see a U-shaped recovery: Samba Financial Group expects Saudi Arabia’s economy to have a slow U-shaped recovery after being hit by the “triple jeopardy” of low oil prices, reduced interest rates and the coronavirus pandemic. The kingdom this month unveiled a second $13.3 billion stimulus package to protect lenders against an expected drop in profits and rise in bad loans. Read more here.
Germany’s infection rate slowest in three months: The reproduction factor — or R value — dropped to 0.72 on Wednesday, from 2.02 the day before. The estimate means that out of 100 people who get infected, a further 72 people are likely to contract the virus. Read more here.
Chuck E. Cheese Pizza chain files for bankruptcy: CEC Entertainment, the parent of Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza, has filed for bankruptcy protection after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered its locations. CEC, acquired by private equity firm Apollo Global Management in a 2014 leveraged buyout, has more than 721 outlets across US. Read more here.
Australian airlines Qantas to slash 6,000 jobs: Qantas Airways will raise as much as $1.3 billion and cut at least 6,000 jobs as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep carriers around the world largely grounded. The Australian airline said Thursday also that 15,000 workers will remain furloughed, particularly those tied to international operations. Read more here.
Specials
Who would be the first to get a Covid-19 vaccine?
About a dozen different vaccines are in various stages of testing worldwide, including in Britain, China and the US. How vaccines are distributed within a country will vary. Last week, U.S. officials said they were developing a tiered system for that. The system would likely prioritize groups at greatest risk of severe complications from Covid-19 and key workers. Read about this and more in AP’s Viral Questions series here.
Refresher: All that you need to know about the coronavirus right now: Vaccine push, shortage of ventilators, and news masks that have smiles on them. Read here.
Why Amsterdam’s red light district may not survive the coronavirus pandemic: For the area’s sex industry, and other local businesses that thrive on tourism, the short-term impact of the lockdown has been tough. National government rules prevent sex workers from returning to work until September 1 at the earliest, even as other workplaces, including bars, hairdressers and massage parlours, reopen, leaving sex workers and the operators of brothel windows in deep financial trouble. Read more here.
