BEAUMONT, Texas — This article contains ongoing U.S. and international updates on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects. Here are some key updates for Saturday, April 18, 2020. You can find more details by scrolling through the story.
- US-Canada border to remain closed to non-essential travel another 30 days
- Africa now has more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19
- Representatives looking to house homeless in Japan's Athletes Village for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
- Hospitals in Japan are increasingly turning away sick people in ambulances.
- Look back at the Friday, April 17 blog at this link
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Latest updates:
Here are the latest updates from around Southeast Texas, Texas, Louisiana and some from the world (all times are local Central Daylight Time)
April 18, 4 p.m.-- The Beaumont Public Health Department (BPHD) is reporting the 8th COVID-19 related death in the city. The city said the man was between 80-90 years old and had underlying health conditions.
The city asked all residents, especially those at-risk, to continue to minimize contact with others and practice social distancing.
April 18, 12:48 p.m. -- The Port Arthur Health Department reports another coronavirus-related death, the second death in the city. Officials said the individual was an African American woman between the ages of 55 and 60-years-old with underlying health conditions.
April 18, 12:41 p.m. -- Hardin County judge confirms five additional cases of COVID-19 in the city, in addition to one recovery.
There have been 671,331 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States as of 12:30 a.m. ET Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been 33,284 deaths and 56,236 recoveries. More than 3.4 million tests have been conducted.
Worldwide, there have been 2.16 million cases, 144,000 deaths and 544,000 recoveries.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
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Trudeau: Canada-U.S. border to remain closed to non-essential travel another 30 days
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the U.S. and Canada have agreed to keep the border closed to nonessential travel for another 30 days.
Trudeau says it will keep people on both sides of the border safe amid the pandemic. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S.-Canada border will be among the first borders to open. Nearly 200,000 people normally cross the border daily.
The U.S. has more confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any country in the world. The U.S. and Canada agreed last month to limit border crossings to essential travel amid the pandemic. The agreement was due to expire this week.
Spain reaches 20,000 deaths from coronavirus
Spain has reached 20,000 deaths for the coronavirus pandemic and total infections increased to more than 190,000.
Spain’s health authorities reported 565 deaths in the last 24 hours. Only the United States and Italy have more deaths.
New infections rose by nearly 4,500. More than 74,000 people in Spain have recovered.
This week, health authorities said there were discrepancies in the statistics of virus deaths and infections reported by regional administrations. The central government has ordered regions to give more precise data and use the same parameters.
As the outbreak’s spread slows, pressure on hospitals has relaxed. Authorities have closed one part of a huge field hospital with thousands of beds set up by the military in a convention center in Madrid. But strict confinement rules are expected to be extended beyond April 26.
13 countries unite to demand global cooperation
A group of thirteen countries including Britain, Brazil, Italy and Germany is calling for global cooperation to lessen the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a joint statement, the group said it is committed to “work with all countries to coordinate on public health, travel, trade, economic and financial measures in order to minimize disruptions and recover stronger.”
The countries emphasized the need to maintain "air, land and marine transportation links” to ensure the continued flow of goods, including medical equipment and aid, and the return home of travelers.
They want key transport hubs around the world to remain open and for airlines to maintain major routes.
The group — also including Canada, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, South Korea, Singapore and Turkey — stressed “the importance and critical role of the scientific community in providing guidance to governments” and suggested pooling scientific resources.
Africa has more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19
Africa now has more than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A total of 52 of the continent’s 54 countries have reported the virus, with the overall number of cases more than 19,800 as of Saturday morning.
The World Health Organization has noted a 51% increase in cases in Africa and a 60% jump in deaths.
But the WHO chief has warned that because of a shortage of testing “it’s likely the real numbers are higher than reported.”
The Africa CDC has said more than 1 million test kits will be rolled out starting next week.
Tokyo's homeless seek Olympic Athletes Village as shelter
A group representing the homeless is asking to use the Athletes Village for next year’s Tokyo Olympics as a shelter during the coronavirus pandemic.
An online petition addressed to Tokyo Olympic organizers and the city government has drawn tens of thousands of signatures for permission to occupy the massive housing complex going up alongside Tokyo Bay. The village was to be home to 11,000 Olympic athletes and 4,400 Paralympic athletes.
New wave of infections threatens to collapse Japan hospitals
Hospitals in Japan are increasingly turning away sick people in ambulances as the country braces for a surge in coronavirus infections.
The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine and the Japanese Society for Emergency Medicine say emergency medicine has already collapsed with many hospitals refusing to treat people including those suffering strokes, heart attacks and external injuries. Japan initially seemed to have successfully controlled the outbreak by going after clusters of infections in specific places, usually enclosed spaces such as clubs, gyms and meeting venues.
But the spread of infections outpaced this approach and most new cases are untraceable.
South Korea virus cases maintain downward trend
South Korea has reported 18 new cases of the coronavirus, its lowest daily jump since Feb. 20, continuing a downward trend as officials discuss more sustainable forms of social distancing that allows for some communal and economic activity.
Figures released by South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday brought national totals to 10,653 cases and 232 virus-related deaths. The caseload continued to wane in the hardest-hit city of Daegu, where officials say the number of active cases dropped below 1,000 for the first time since a surge of infections in late February.
At least 993 of overall infections have been linked to arrivals from overseas. Most of these cases were detected in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area over the past month as thousands of students and other South Korean nationals returned home amid worsening outbreaks and suspended school years in Europe and the United States.
Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip on Saturday called for vigilance to maintain the hard-won gains against the virus, raising concern over continuing infections at hospitals and local transmissions health workers have been unable to trace. It would also take a week or two to assess the impact of Wednesday’s national parliamentary election, which showed the highest turnout in nearly three decades despite the epidemic.