Coronavirus updates, May 15: Latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from Pakistan and around the world
Nationwide death toll goes past 820, confirmed cases cross 38,000; Global coronavirus death toll exceeds 300,000
Updated Friday May 15 2020
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 38,290 on Friday after new infections were confirmed in the country.
The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of 4:26pm, May 15, is as follows:
Total confirmed cases: 38,290
• Sindh: 14,916
• Punjab: 13,914
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 5,678
• Balochistan: 2,310
• Islamabad Capital Territory: 866
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 501
• AJK: 105
Deaths: 822
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 291
• Sindh: 255
• Balochistan: 30
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4
• Punjab: 234
• Islamabad Capital Territory: 7
• AJK: 1
Officials have recorded more than 4.43 million cases and more than 301,000 deaths since the virus emerged in China in December.
Read on for the latest updates from Pakistan and around the world.
Disclaimer: There may be some discrepancy in the number of confirmed cases reported at the country level due to differences in figures quoted by federal and provincial authorities.
Geo News is constantly gathering fresh information from concerned authorities and striving to keep our readers up to date with the most accurate information available.
Orange: General updates coming in from Pakistan
Red: Reports on new cases in Pakistan
Maroon: Reports on new deaths in Pakistan
Green: Reports on recovered patients in Pakistan
LIVE UPDATES
6:35pm – Karachi, Pakistan — Minister says cannot allow public transport on roads
Sindh minister Owais Shah has said that while respecting the request of the prime minister, the provincial government cannot allow public transport on roads.
He said the cases are rising on a daily basis and SOPs are not being followed.
5:00pm - London, UK — Britain may ease restrictions at different speeds: PM spokesman
United Kingdom might ease the restrictions imposed to halt the spread of coronavirus at different speeds in particular regions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said on Friday.
“It could lead to some of the measures being eased at different rates in different parts of the country and at the same time it could lead to some measures being re-imposed in some parts of the country but not in others,” the spokesman said.
“I’m not aware of any plans at the moment to do that in regards to schools,” he added.
04:26pm — Peshawar, Pakistan — KP reports seven more deaths, 255 new cases
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has notified seven more deaths in the province, taking the total number to 291.
A rise in the number of cases by 255 was also reported, bringing the total number of infected to 5,678.
On a positive note, 108 new patients were also reported to have recovered, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,613.
4:20pm — Tbilisi, Georgia — Coronavirus state of emergency to come to an end after May 22
Georgia will cancel the state of emergency it declared over the new coronavirus after May 22, the TASS news agency cited Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia as saying on Friday.
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4:10pm — Rome, Italy — Free movement across the country to be allowed from June 3: draft decree
Italy is set to allow free travel across the country from June 3, according to a draft decree seen by Reuters, as the government moves to unwind its coronavirus lockdown and revive the battered economy.
The draft decree, which is expected to be approved later on Friday but could still be modified ahead of time, said all movement within separate regions would be allowed from May 18, with inter-regional travel bans due to be lifted on June 3.
The end to travel curbs will represent a major milestone on Italy’s road to recovery, with the government hoping to salvage the forthcoming holiday season, when Italians traditionally escape the cities for their annual summer breaks.
4:05pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh Coronavirus Relief Ordinance approved
Governor Sindh Imran Ismail has approved the Sindh Corona Relief Ordinance after which it will come into force immediately.
Under the ordinance, those affected by the coronavirus will be able to get socio-economic relief.
Earlier, Ismail had objected to the Sindh Emergency Relief Ordinance while raising his concerns over the concessions in electricity and gas bills, stating that it fell under the domain of federal government.
3:50pm — Washington, USA —USA issues alert over illness in children said to be linked to coronavirus
US health authorities issued an alert Thursday over a rare but sometimes deadly autoimmune condition among children that is believed to be linked to COVID-19.
"Healthcare providers who have cared or are caring for patients younger than 21 years of age meeting MIS-C criteria should report suspected cases to their local, state, or territorial health department," said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
3:36pm — Moscow, Russia — Russia reports 10,598 new coronavirus cases
Russia continues to report numerous coronavirus cases as 10,598 cases of the novel virus were reported over the past 24 hours. This brings the total number of coronavirus cases to 262,843 in the country.
One hundred and thirteen people died over the past 24 hours from the coronavirus. This raises the death toll to 2,418 in the country.
3:15pm — Berlin, Germany — German economy goes through worst contraction since 2009
The German economy recorded its steepest slump as it contracted by 2.2& in the first quarter on Friday. The slump was witnessed owing to the closure of factories and shops in the country for a few weeks due to the novel coronavirus.
On the year, gross domestic product in Europe's largest economy fell by 2.3% from January to March.
3:00pm — Lisbon, Portugal — Economy shrinks by 3.9%
Official data by the government showed that Portugal's economy shrank by 3.9% compared to the preceding three-month period. Much of the damage was done in the month of March, as per data.
The National Statistics Institute said that the country's GDP decreased by 2.4% compared to a year earlier of the same period.
2:40pm — Karachi, Pakistan — 870 new cases reported in Sindh over past 24 hours, 12 dead
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday confirmed that 870 new cases of the novel coronavirus had been reported in the province over the past 24 hours.
In a video message, he also confirmed that 12 people had passed away due to the virus over the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 255.
2:27pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — Rs0.5mn donated for Corona Relief Fund
Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani on Friday presented a cheque to PM Imran of Rs0.5mn for the Corona Relief Fund, reported the APP.
The cheque was donated on behalf of the Ibrahimi Trust Peshawar.
2:17pm — Cats capable of spreading coronavirus, say researchers
International researchers have said that felines have the capability to be a "silent intermediary host" from cats.
"This is of particular importance given the potential for SARS-CoV-2 transmission between family members in households with cats while living under 'shelter-in-place' orders," wrote researchers in a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.
2:05pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance imposed throughout province
Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab confirmed in a video statement that the Sindh Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance has been imposed throughout the province.
"Citizens, shopkeepers, factory owners and every individual will have to adopt the safety precautions [against coronavirus]," he said.
Wahab said that violation of the ordinance will result in heavy fines and penalties. "Those who violate the SOPs will be fined up to Rs1 million," he said, urging citizens to follow the procedures issued by the home department to contain the virus.
1:55pm — Karachi, Pakistan — 40-49 age bracket most affected by coronavirus in Sindh
According to statistics revealed by the Sindh health department, more than 1,800 persons belonging to the age bracket 40-49 years have contracted the coronavirus in the province.
The statistics further revealed that 466 persons aged above 70 years old have contracted the virus while more than 688 children in the age group of 1-9 years have been affected by the virus throughout the province.
1:30pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — International flight suspension extended to May 31
The Civil Aviation Authority tweeted that the suspension of international flight operations, according to the directions of the government, has been extended to May 31.
1:14pm — Lahore, Pakistan — Punjab allows shopping malls to open from Monday
The Punjab government has allowed large shopping malls across the province to reopen from Monday.
The provincial government has allowed malls across the province to reopen provided coronavirus safety precautions in the form of a set of SOPs will be followed.
A meeting has been called by the Punjab chief minister to determine the SOPs according to which the malls will be reopened.
1:00pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh coronavirus death toll hits 254
Death toll from the novel coronavirus climbed to 814 after new deaths were reported in Sindh.
According to Murtaza Wahab, 11 new deaths were reported in the province in the last 24 hours.
Death toll of the province now stands at 254.
12:40pm - Islamabad, Pakistan — Exports plunge in April due to lockdown
Exports took a hit in April due to the ongoing coronavirus lockdown in the country, documents showed on Friday.
According to the documents, April saw a 54% decrease in exports in the country. It also showed that the textile exports decreased by 64.52% and exports for raw cotton stood at zero.
Meanwhile, readymade garments saw a decrease of 77.44% while food exports decreased by 26%.
The documents also showed that exports in April 2020 stood at $950.7 million compared to last years $2.8 billion.
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12:10pm - Islamabad, Pakistan — MNA Orkzai falls ill in NA after recently recovering from virus
Lawmaker Munir Khan Orakzai who had recently recovered from the coronavirus fell ill during the ongoing National Assembly session.
Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri summoned the doctor after seeing the health of the lawmaker deteriorate.
12:05pm - New Delhi, India — India's total COVID-19 cases surpass 80,000 mark deaths rise to 2,649
The total number of COVID-19 cases in India surpassed the 80,000 mark, reaching 81,970 in the country, and the number of COVID-related deaths rose to 2,649 on Friday, said the official data issued by the federal health ministry.
The ministry said 100 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 3,967 positive cases were reported since Thursday in the country.
"As on 8:00 am (local time) Friday, 2,649 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," reads information released by the ministry.
On Thursday morning the number of COVID-19 cases in the country was 78,003, and the death toll was 2,549. According to ministry officials, so far 27,920 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.
12:00pm - Islamabad, Pakistan — PM Imran summons meeting to review coroanvirus situation in country
Prime Minister Imran Khan has summoned a meeting to review the coronavirus situation in the country after the easing of the lockdown in the country.
According to sources, the meeting will be attended by federal minsters, special assistants, health department and NDMA officials. They added that PM Imran will brief the nation on the coronavirus situation after the meeting.
11:50am - Islamabad, Pakistan — Aviation minister says PIA flight to leave for Wuhan on May 18
Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan announced that a PIA flight will depart on May 18 to bring back stranded Pakistani students from the Chinese city of Wuhan.
“We have launched 181 flights to 27 countries,” said the minister while explaining his ministry’s performance in the National Assembly. He told the lawmakers that 7,000 Pakistanis will be brought back to the country before Eid.
The minister also shared that the CAA was also incurring losses of Rs2.5 billion in losses, while PIA is incurring losses of Rs5 billion.
11:40am - NCOC meeting underway in Islamabad
11:20am - Lahore, Pakistan — 564 shops sealed in Lahore for violating SOPs
Deputy Commissioner Lahore announced that the authorities have sealed 564 shops in the provincial capital for violating the SOPs.
“Cases have been registered against 10 shopkeepers and have been arrested,” said the DC.
11:20am - Bangkok, Thailand — Thailand reports 7 new coronavirus cases, all from overseas
Thailand reported seven new coronavirus cases on Friday, while the number of deaths remained unchanged at 56.
The new cases were all patients who arrived from Pakistan last week and have been in state quarantine, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration.
Thailand has confirmed a total of 3,025 cases since the coronavirus outbreak started in January and earlier in the week reported zero new daily cases for the first time in two months.
11:15am - Coronavirus impact could reach $8.8 trillion globally: ADB
10:55am - Human rights ministry seeks young people's view on coronavirus
10:40am - Second batch of supplies from Jack Ma foundation arrives in Karachi
10:30am - Islamabad, Pakistan — Fawad Chaudhry decides not to attend virtual session after reporters, senators test positive
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has decided not to attend the ongoing National Assembly sessions after three reporters and two lawmakers tested positive for the virus.
“On the request of deputy speaker, I had decided to attend today’s parliament session but three parliamentary reporters and two senators have tested positive for the virus,” said the minister in a tweet. He added that it was evident that the reporters had contracted the virus from the Parliament building.
“Due to this, I have decided not to postpone my decision and I hope a virtual session is called,” said the minister.
10:25am - Singapore — Coronavirus forces HSBC to cut global growth forecasts, again
Europe’s biggest bank, HSBC has cut already bleak global growth forecasts even further, as lockdown restrictions extended through April and tentative economic re-openings drag on a return to business, trade and spending.
The bank lowered its 2020 global gross domestic product forecast to a contraction of 4.8%, according to a note from chief economist Janet Henry dated May 12 and published on Friday.
It had forecast a 3.3% contraction for the year in early April. Many large banks last published growth forecasts around then and the cut could signal another round of dire predictions.
HSBC has downgraded its 2020 forecasts for the developed world from a contraction of 5.9% to a contraction of 7.1% and for emerging economies from 0.5% growth to a 1.7% contraction. It forecasts full year U.S. GDP at -7.0% and China’s at 1.7% growth.
“Most countries under our coverage have either tightened lockdown restrictions or extended the duration of them,” Henry wrote in the note, co-authored with economist James Pomeroy.
Where reopening has begun, it has also been slower and more tentative than had been expected a few weeks ago, they said.
“It is not just the pace of opening up and possible behavioural shifts that is damping the pace of activity, but consumer sentiment and employment prospects too.
10:00am - Islamabad, Pakistan — American drug company to manufacture coronavirus drug in Pakistan: SAPM Dr Zafar Mirza
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza announced on Friday that an American company which has developed a drug for coronavirus patients has agreed to manufacture it in Pakistan.
Dr Mirza, in a press conference, announced that American company Gilead has given a voluntary licence to five companies and one of them is a Pakistani drug manufacturing company
“Prime Minister Imran Khan held a video conference with Gilead on March 7 and convinced them that they should manufacture the drug in Pakistan,” said the SAPM. He added that in the coming weeks Pakistan will register the drug in the next six weeks and the production will start in eight weeks.
SAPM Dr Mirza shared that Pakistan will also export this drug to 127 countries once the production starts.
Dr Mirza stated that the drug is called Remdesivir and the trials conducted in the US showed that the drug led to a 30% decrease in coronavirus patients.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood stated that it was a big day for Pakistan and was in line with the government’s strategy to diversify the country’s exports.
“Our trade and investment offices will be informed at once about this and will be included in their economic strategy,” said Dawood.
9:40am - Washington, USA — US faces 'darkest winter' if pandemic planning falters: whistleblower
A whistleblower who says he was removed from his government post for raising concerns about coronavirus preparedness told a congressional hearing on Thursday that the United States could face “the darkest winter” of recent times if it does not improve its response to the pandemic.
Hours after President Donald Trump railed against him on Twitter, whistleblower Rick Bright testified to a US House of Representatives panel about readiness for the outbreak.
Bright was removed last month as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services responsible for developing drugs to fight the coronavirus.
“What we do must be done carefully with guidance from the best scientific minds. Our window of opportunity is closing. If we fail to improve our response now, based on science, I fear the pandemic will get worse and be prolonged,” Bright said during his testimony.
The pandemic has infected nearly 1.4 million people in the United States, gutted the economy and killed more than 82,000.
Bright testified to the subcommittee on health that he would “never forget” an e-mail he got in January from a US supplier of medical-grade face masks warning of a dire shortage.
“He said ‘we are in deep shit. The world is. We need to act,’” Bright said. “And I pushed that forward to the highest level that I could of HHS and got no response.”
Bright testified that the U.S. still lacked a comprehensive plan for ensuring a supply of basic supplies like swabs needed to administer coronavirus tests.
Trump, who has been pushing for the U.S. economy to reopen quickly, dismissed Bright as a “disgruntled employee” on Twitter on Thursday morning before the hearing begun.
Later on Thursday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he had watched some of Bright’s hearing.
“To me he’s nothing more than a really disgruntled, unhappy person,” Trump said, adding that he did not know Bright.
“Everything he’s complaining about was achieved,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar told reporters.
Earlier this week, leading U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci warned a Senate committee that a premature lifting of lockdowns could lead to additional outbreaks of the deadly coronavirus. Trump on Wednesday described Fauci’s warning as not acceptable.
In a whistleblower complaint filed with a government watchdog last week, Bright said that he warned about the virus in January and was met with hostility from HHS leaders.
Bright, who was reassigned to a new government job last month, said he was ousted from BARDA because he resisted efforts to push the drugs hydroxychloroquine and the related chloroquine as cures for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
Bright said in the statement last month that the U.S. government has promoted the medicines as a “panacea” even though they “clearly lack scientific merit.”
HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley has disputed Bright’s account, saying in a statement on Tuesday that he was transferred to a job where he was entrusted to spend around $1 billion to develop diagnostic testing.
“We are deeply disappointed that he has not shown up to work on behalf of the American people and lead on this critical endeavor,” Oakley said.
Bright testified that he has not started his new government job because he has hypertension and took a medical leave.
The House subcommittee was also hearing on Thursday from Mike Bowen, co-owner of Prestige Ameritech, the largest U.S. surgical mask producer.
It was Bowen who sent Bright an email in January warning that the United States would run out of medical-grade face masks if it did not ramp up production, according to documents included in Bright’s whistleblower complaint.
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9:20am - Islamabad, Pakistan — PIMS to launch first training course on PPEs today
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9:10am - Mexico City, Mexico — Brazil and Mexico report record surge in coronavirus cases as Latin America reels
Brazil and Mexico on Thursday reported a record one-day rise in new coronavirus cases, just as leaders of both countries intensified attempts to reopen their economies even as the spread of the virus in Latin America is seemingly gathering pace.
Brazilian right-wing populist President Jair Bolsonaro and Mexico’s leftist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador have frequently swum against the tide of scientific opinion since the crisis broke out, first by playing down the threat of the virus and more recently by focusing on reopening their economies despite rising cases.
The surge in virus cases across chunks of Latin America comes at a time when other regions, especially Europe and China, are seeing a downward trajectory of new infections.
Brazil, the hardest-hit country in Latin America, registered a daily record of 13,944 new cases, bringing its total to 202,918 confirmed cases of the virus and 13,933 deaths since the outbreak began, according to health ministry data.
Mexico, the second most impacted nation in the region, reported 2,409 new infections on Thursday, to bring its total confirmed coronavirus cases to 42,595. An additional 257 coronavirus deaths brought total fatalities to 4,477.
9:05am - Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh to be under complete lockdown till 3pm: Nasir Shah
Sindh Information Minister Nasir Shah announced that a complete lockdown will be in place across the province till 3pm today.
“Vegetable, milk shops, general and medical stores will also remain closed till 3pm,” said the minister. He clarified that no businesses will be allowed to operate till 3pm in the province.
9:00am - Berlin, Germany — Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 913 to 173,152
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 913 to 173,152, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday.
The reported death toll rose by 101 to 7,824, the tally showed.
8:55am — Islamabad, Pakistan — Islamabad, AJK report new cases
Confirmed cases in the country rose to 37,218 after new cases were detected in Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the national dashboard, 44 new cases were recorded in the federal capital while 14 new cases were recorded in AJK.
So far 14,099 cases have been recorded in Sindh, 13,914 in Punjab, 5,423 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2,310 in Balochistan, 866 in Islamabad, 501 in Gilgit Baltistan and 105 in Azad Kashmir.
8:50am - Chicago, USA — Global coronavirus death toll exceeds 300,000
Global coronavirus deaths passed 300,000 on Thursday as infections approached 4.5 million, according to a Reuters tally, with the United States responsible for more than a quarter of all fatalities.
8:45am - Beijing, China — China's Wuhan says tested almost a third of residents for coronavirus since April
Wuhan, the original epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak in China, has tested over 3 million residents for the pathogen since April, and will now focus its testing efforts on the rest of its 11 million population, according to state media.
Wuhan will conduct tests on everyone in the city, with the goal of getting a clear number of asymptomatic cases as businesses and schools reopen, the official Xinhua News Agency reported late Thursday.
The priority will be residents who have not been tested before, people living in residential compounds that had previous cases of the virus, as well as old or densely populated estates, Xinhua said, citing a Wuhan government meeting.
Wuhan reported a cluster of infections over the weekend, the first since a virtual lockdown on the city was lifted on April 8, raising fears of a second wave. The latest infections were previously asymptomatic cases, people who had the virus but showed no symptoms such as a fever.
Reuters, citing an internal document to district officials, reported on May 11 that the city planned to conduct the campaign of city-wide nucleic acid tests over 10 days.
Wuhan has conducted 1.79 million tests from April 1 to May 13, according to Reuters calculations based on daily reports published by the city’s health commission.
For our May 14 coverage of coronavirus click here.
