Russian Prime minister tested positive for Covid-19

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday, according to The Moscow Times.

Mishustin announced the diagnosis on a video conference call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the country's state-run Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Since becoming the prime minister in January, Mishustin, 54, has played a central role in leading Russia's response to the pandemic, but he is now self-isolating and taking a temporary step back from his duties as prime minister.

Putin signed a decree Thursday appointing First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov as acting prime minister.

The news comes as Russia's total number of confirmed cases surpassed 100,000 after the country experienced a record one-day surge in new cases. More than 1,000 people in Russia have died from the disease.

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Source: The Moscow Times

Greta Thunberg donating $ 100,000 for children during the Covid-19 pandemic

      Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg is donating $100,000 to UNICEF toward efforts to protect children from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the agency announced on Thursday. 

Thunberg is donating the $100,000 prize she was awarded for her global activism by Human Act, and the organization is donating a similar amount to UNICEF. 

"Like the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic is a child-rights crisis," Thunberg said in the announcement. "It will affect all children, now and in the long-term, but vulnerable groups will be impacted the most. I'm asking everyone to step up and join me in support of UNICEF's vital work to save children's lives, to protect health and continue education."

The funds will go toward UNICEF's emergency programs to fight COVID-19, including providing soap, masks, gloves, hygiene kits, protective equipment and other support to health care systems.

 The United Nations released a report this month warning that children are at risk of being among the biggest victims of COIVD-19, even though they have largely been spared from the most dire direct health effects of the disease. 

The U.N. report found that the coronavirus crisis is having a profound effect on children's overall well-being. The report found that children in particular are facing the socio-economic impacts of the crisis and, in some cases, facing impacts of mitigation measures that may "inadvertently do more harm than good." 

"Children and young people are among the most severely impacted by the knock-on effects of COVID-19, so it is only natural that they would want to do something about it," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement on Thursday.

"Through her activism, Greta Thunberg has proven that young people are ready to take a stand and lead change in the world. UNICEF is very pleased that Greta and her supporters have not only chosen to take a stand against this pandemic, but to do so in partnership with UNICEF," Fore added.

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An anti-lockdown protests leader has now tested to be infected with Covid-19

The Covid-19 Pandemic News - USA

One of the people behind the large anti-lockdown protest movement in North Carolina says she’s tested positive for COVID-19 — and thinks her subsequent quarantine order violated her civil rights.

Audrey Whitlock, an administrator of the ReOpen NC Facebook page, posted about her condition in the group, which has nearly 70,000 members, on Sunday morning, a local CBS affiliate first reported. She described herself as an “asymptomatic COVID19 positive patient” and stated that her two-week quarantine ends Tuesday.

Whitlock, along with two other mothers, formed the private ReOpen NC Facebook group on April 7. Since then, they’ve helped lead the charge for two protests, both in Raleigh, on April 14 and April 21. Around 100 people showed up to the first protest, and well over 300 showed up to the second. Many protesters were frustrated Americans who are eager to get back to work. Others carried signs calling coronavirus a “scam-demic” or promoting fringe conspiracy theories, such as 5G wireless causing COVID-19.

Whitlock didn’t respond to VICE News’ request or comment about whether she attended those events. ReOpenNC co-founder Ashley Smith told WXII12 that Whitlock tested positive three weeks ago and has not attended any protests (if she had broken quarantine to attend, that would be considered a criminal offense, according to the CDC).

READ: Berlin's Anti-Lockdown Protests Are Getting Way Bigger, Crazier and More Far-Right

Still, Whitlock’s condition is troubling given her central role in an anti-lockdown protest movement that demands an end to scientifically-informed measures designed to contain the spread of the virus that’s killed nearly 55,000 people in the U.S. so far. On Saturday, North Carolina reported 571 new COVID-19 cases, the largest day-to-day increase that the state has seen so far. Since March 27, North Carolinians have been under a stay-at-home order. That order was set to expire on April 29, but last week Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper extended it until May 8.

In the Facebook post, Whitlock claimed that members of her family developed flu-like symptoms in late February but were never tested for coronavirus. She said she got a test earlier this month for antibodies to see if she’d already had the virus. The test showed her as negative for antibodies — and positive for current infection of COVID-19.

Whitlock is using her alleged plight to rail against quarantine measures, which she says violated her constitutional rights by prohibiting her from attending protests and denied her “freedom of religion.”

“The reality is that modern society has not been able to eradicate contagious viruses. A typical public health quarantine would occur in a medical facility,” Whitlock wrote on the private Facebook page, CBS reported. “I have been told not to participate in public or private accommodations as requested by the government, and therefore denied my 1st amendment right of freedom of religion.”

Another ReOpen NC event is scheduled to take place Tuesday. At least 45 states have already held or will soon hold their own anti-lockdown protests.

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Source: Vice News

DOLE on it's move for deportation of Filipina caregiver for cyber defamation vs President Duterte

THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)  in a statement revealed that it has acted for the deportation of a Filipina caregiver in Taiwan for posting nasty and malevolent materials against President Rodrigo Duterte on Facebook.

The full DOLE statement reads:

“We are constrained to act for the deportation of a Filipina working as caregiver in Taiwan for the crime of cyber libel for willful posting of nasty and malevolent materials against President Duterte on Facebook intended to cause hatred amidst the global health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic."

The caregiver, Elanel Egot Ordidor, is employed in Yunlin County, Taiwan.

On April 20, 2020, we went to her workplace to enlighten her that her actions amounted to a crime for which she might be prosecuted both in Taiwan and the Philippines.

Ordidor was cooperative and cordial at first and committed to delete all her uploaded videos against the President and promised not to do it again. She also promised to upload a video of her public apology to the President and to the people in the government at 9 pm of the same day.

However, hours after the visit, several posts were seen on the POLO Taichung’ Facebook page from several fake accounts assuring Ms. Ordidor’s cause and further giving her assurance of support.

It has come to our knowledge that Ms. Ordidor is using several social media accounts, among which are Lenale Elanel Egot, Mha Lan Dee, Linn Silawan and Hampas Lupa and has a group organized to discredit and malign the President and destabilize the government.

Due to her acts, POLO coordinated with her broker and employer on her deportation on the basis of the gravity of Ordidor’s offense under Philippine Law. The sharing and posting of such videos are punishable under Cyber libel under Republic Act No. 10175. “

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Source: CNN/Journal

UV ray from sunlight destroys Covid-19 quickly, according to US agency

WASHINGTON -- The new coronavirus is quickly destroyed by sunlight, according to a new study announced by a senior US official on Thursday, offering hope that its spread may ease over the summer.

William Bryan, science and technology advisor to the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told reporters at the White House that government scientists had found ultraviolet rays had a potent impact.

"Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus, both surfaces and in the air," he said.

"We've seen a similar effect with both temperature and humidity as well, where increasing the temperature and humidity or both is generally less favorable to the virus."

He then showed a slide summarizing the results of the experiment that were carried out at National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center.

It showed that the virus's half life -- the time taken for it to reduce to half its amount -- was 18 hours when the temperature was 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 24 degrees Celsius) with 20 percent humidity on a non-porous surface.

This includes surfaces like door handles and stainless steel.

But the half-life dropped to six hours when humidity rose to 80 percent -- and just two minutes when sunlight was added to the equation.

When the virus was aerosolized -- meaning suspended in the air -- the half-life was one hour when the temperature was 70 to 75 degrees with 20 percent humidity.

In the presence of sunlight, this dropped to just one and a half minutes.

Bryan concluded that summer-like conditions "will create an environment with a transmission can be decreased."

But he cautioned that reduced spread did not mean the pathogen would be eliminated entirely and social distancing guidelines cannot be fully lifted.

"It would be irresponsible for us to say that we feel that the summer is just going to totally kill the virus and then if it's a free-for-all and that people ignore those guides," he said.

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Source: Nexu Science Communication
               Reuters
               ABS-CBN

Singapore now leads the Covid-19 cases in South East Asia

The Covid-19 Pandemic News - Singapore

Singapore surpassed Indonesia and the Philippine and now leads the South East Asian region with Covid-19 cases after the city state detected hundreds more infected among low-wage foreign workers.

    Singaporean authorities said an additional 596 were confirmed on Sunday afternoon of April 19 that brings to the total of 6,588 cases with 11 deaths.  According to the health ministry,  those who were found infected with Corona virus are Singaporean residents.

     Since March, the south east asian nations have been struggling to curb the widespread of the Covid-19 infections but to no avail, the cases kept on increasing.  Among those who were infected, majority were from obscured areas, dormitories and slum places where in adhering to the social distancing are compromised. Indonesia and the Philippines have the most number of quaratine violators so their cases are high in an alarming manner and authorities struggle to curb the pandemic.

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Source: Bloomberg

Families will be allowed to say goodbye to their dying love ones

Families with loved ones dying with the coronavirus should be allowed to say a final goodbye to their relatives "wherever possible", the health secretary has said.

Matt Hancock announced new procedures so that "wherever possible" people will be given the "chance to say goodbye" to loved ones dying with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

He said "wanting to be with someone you love at the end of their life is one of the deepest human instincts", adding that he wept at reports of a 13-year-old body called Ismail dying without a parent at his bedside.

"I'm pleased to say that working with Public Health England, the care sector and many others, we are introducing new procedures so we can limit the risk of infection while wherever possible giving people's closest loved ones the chance to say goodbye," Mr Hancock said.

Meanwhile, fears are growing that hundreds of people are dying with coronavirus in care homes but not being included in daily government updates.

"This must always be a personalised process, as it always has been," he said.

Meanwhile, fears are growing that hundreds of people are dying with coronavirus in care homes but not being included in daily government updates.

Britain's biggest care home operator, C-One, has revealed that two-thirds of its homes have been affected and more than 300 people have died in them.

Meanwhile, Care England said there have been thousands of cases and deaths in the homes it represents.

Tests have now been pledged to all who need them in care homes - including staff and residents - with the Care Quality Commission charged with coordinating who will get them and when.

Currently the government's daily deaths update only includes patients who die after testing positive for the virus in hospital.

In its latest update on Wednesday, the Department of Health said another 761 patients with COVID-19 have died in UK hospitals, taking the total to 12,868.

Amid criticism of the government being slow to act in tackling a "growing crisis" in care homes, Mr Hancock set out a package of measures aimed at combating the spread of virus in social care settings.

This includes increased testing and improved access to protective equipment, as well as measures designed to help social care workers enjoy similar benefits to NHS staff.

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China's new Covid-19 cases

BEIJING -- China reported the highest number of new daily coronavirus cases in nearly six weeks, driven by a rise in infected travelers arriving from overseas and underscoring challenges Beijing faces in preventing a second wave of COVID-19.

A total of 108 new coronavirus cases were reported on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier and marking the highest number of cases since 143 cases were reported in March 6.

The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China now stands at 82,160, while the death toll rose by two to 3,341.

The National Health Commission said on Monday that 98 of the new cases were imported involving people entering China from another country, a new record and up from 97 a day earlier. The number of asymptomatic cases fell to 61 from 63 a day earlier.

Though the number of daily infections have dropped sharply from the height of the epidemic in February, China has seen the daily toll creep higher after hitting a trough on March 12 as the virus spread globally. Beijing is concerned that infected people entering the country could trigger a second wave and push the country back into a state of near paralysis.

The northeast Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia, reported 56 new cases -- 49 from Russia
.

Chinese cities near the border with Russia said on Sunday they would tighten border controls and quarantine measures on arrivals.

The border city of Suifenhe and Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, said they would require all arrivals from abroad to undergo 28 days of quarantine, as well as nucleic acid and antibody tests.

Harbin will also lock down residential units where confirmed and asymptomatic coronavirus cases are found for 14 days.

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Source: Reuters