Coronavirus updates, May 24: Latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from Pakistan and around the world
Nationwide death toll jumps past 1,100, confirmed cases breach 55,000; global coronavirus deaths near 340,000
Updated Sunday May 24 2020
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 55,667 on Sunday after new infections were confirmed in the country.
The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of 8:50pm, May 24, is as follows:
Total confirmed cases: 55,667
• Sindh: 22,491
• Punjab: 19,557
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 7,905
• Balochistan: 3,407
• Islamabad Capital Territory: 1,592
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 619
• AJK: 197
Deaths: 1,155
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 398
• Sindh: 367
• Punjab: 332
• Balochistan: 40
• Gilgit-Baltistan: 7
• Islamabad Capital Territory: 14
• AJK: 1
Officials have recorded more than 5.25 million cases and more than 339,000 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
END OF LIVE UPDATES FOR MAY 24
Live updates for May 25 to continue here.
12:00am — Peshawar, Pakistan — KP government urges masses to celebrate Eid responsibly
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department urged masses to celebrate Eid responsibly and maintain the SOPs set by the government for social distancing.
11:45pm — Quetta, Pakistan — 101 new cases recorded in Balochistan
The number of confirmed coronavirus patients in Balochistan has reached 3,407 after detection of 101 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the provincial health department.
The health authorities have put the death toll from the virus at 40 while 875 patients have recovered from it.
11:30pm — Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan — Death toll from coronavirus rises to seven
Adviser to Chief Minister Shams Mir on Sunday said the deadly virus has claimed three more lives in the Gilgit-Baltistan region taking the death toll to seven.
437 patients have recovered from the disease, Mir said.
10:41pm — London, UK — Death toll from confirmed coronavirus cases rises by 118
The United Kingdom’s death toll from confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose by 118 to 36,793, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, Reuters reported.
8:50pm — Peshawar, Pakistan — KP reports nine deaths, 220 new infections
8:00pm — London, UK — Britain aims to reopen primary schools from June 1, transport minister says
Britain’s government intends to stick with a plan to reopen primary schools to some pupils from June 1, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said.
“That’s certainly the intention,” he told Sky News.
The government faces opposition to the plan from some teachers and labour unions.
7:45pm — Madrid, Spain — Residents eager ahead of this week's reopening
Residents of Madrid and Barcelona are eagerly anticipating the opening of parks, museums, churches and outdoor seating at bars this week, as Spain prepares to ease some of the strictest lockdown measures in Europe in its capital and second city, Reuters reported.
In Madrid, where for two weeks authorities have begun to let runners and cyclists out for exercise for a few hours in the morning and evening, graphic designer Jimena Ruiz jogged near the wrought iron fence of Retiro park, still shut with a chain.
“I can’t wait for it,” she said wistfully. “I’m really looking forward to running, sunbathing and sitting by the fountains.”
Madrid and Barcelona will follow other areas of the country where the lockdown has already been eased further. Bars will be allowed to open terraces at 50% capacity and people will be permitted to meet in groups of a maximum of 10.
7:30pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — Ministry of Heath dedicates this Eid to all the frontline helath workers
6:59pm — Thai scientists begin coronavirus vaccine trials on monkeys
6:43pm — Wuhan, China — Wuhan says conducted 1,146,156 COVID-19 tests on May 23
The city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, conducted 1,146,156 nucleic acid tests on May 23, the local health authority said compared with 1,470,950 tests a day earlier, Reuters reported.
Wuhan began a campaign on May 14 to look for asymptomatic carriers - infected people who show no outward sign of illness - after confirming on May 9-10 its first cluster of COVID-19 infections since the city’s release from a virtual lockdown on April 8.
5:30pm — Quetta, Pakistan — Police take action against festivities of Eid-ul-Fitr
Police took action against festivities and stalls set up to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in Quetta owing to precautionary measures to curb the coronavirus spread.
Police subsequently had the festivities shut down as people were congregating in the streets despite the risk of the novel coronavirus.
4:50pm — Beijing, China — US should stop wasting time in coronavirus battle: Wang Yi
The United States should stop wasting time in its fight against the coronavirus and work with China to combat it, rather than spreading lies and attacking the country, the Chinese government’s top diplomat Wang Yi said, Reuters reported.
State Councillor Wang, speaking at his annual news conference on the sidelines of China’s parliament, expressed his deep sympathies to the United States for the pandemic, where the death toll is expected to surpass 100,000 in the coming days, the highest number of any country.
“Regretfully, in addition to the raging coronavirus, a political virus is also spreading in the United States. This political virus is using every opportunity to attack and smear China,” said Wang, who is also China’s foreign minister.
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“Some politicians have ignored the most basic facts and concocted too many lies about China and plotted too many conspiracies,” he added.
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US announces $6 million contribution to strengthen Pakistan’s response to COVID-19
The US has announced $6 million contribution to strengthen Pakistan’s response to coronavirus by training healthcare workers who take care of virus affected patients.
The announcement was made by US Ambassador to Pakistan Paul Jones in a video message while wishing Happy Eid to the people of Pakistan.
The ambassador said the US was also providing a fourth mobile lab to test and treat Pakistanis living in virus hotspots.
The US government has now committed a total of $21 million since it declared Pakistan a priority country for coronavirus response.
The ambassador also thanked Pakistan for its recent delivery of medical supplies to the United States as a gesture of friendship and partnership between the two countries.
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‘First signs if a COVID-19 vaccine works possible in autumn’
First indications of the effectiveness of a potential vaccine against coronavirus may be available in the autumn, the head of the GAVI vaccine alliance told a Swiss newspaper, forecasting a long road from there to broad availability.
"Unfortunately, we really do not know which vaccine will work and whether there will be one at all. If we're lucky, we'll receive indications in autumn as to (a potential vaccine's) effectiveness," GAVI head Seth Berkley said on Sunday.
"But there will still be a long way to go from there until an approved active substance becomes available in large quantities for the global population."
2:30pm — London, UK — UK aims to reopen primary schools from June 1: transport minister
Britain's government intends to stick with a plan to reopen primary schools to some pupils from June 1, Transport Minister Grant Shapps said on Sunday.
"That's certainly the intention," he told Sky News.
The government faces opposition to the plan from some teachers and labour unions.
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2:00pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Death toll from virus rises to 1,146
The death toll from the novel coronavirus rose to 1,146 on Sunday after Sindh reported new deaths.
Thirteen new deaths were reported in the province in the last 24 hours to take the provincial tally to 367.
2:00pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh reports 846 new cases
Confirmed cases in the county jumped past 55,000 on Sunday after new cases were detected in Sindh.
According to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, 846 new cases were reported in the province in the last 24 hours to take the provincial tally to 22,491.
“Till now we have conducted 157,449 tests in the province,” Shah said, adding of the 846 cases reported, 703 were recorded in Karachi.
He added there were 22,491 patients under treatment in the province at the moment with 156 patients in a critical condition of which 34 were on a ventilator.
1:40pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Increase in cases in children in last 20 days: Murtaza Wahab
Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab has said the province has seen a jump in the number of coronavirus cases in children in the last 20 days.
“On May 2 we had 253 children infected with the virus, today there are 788 children infected with the virus till the age of 10,” he said.
“In the last 20 days we have seen an increase in the number of children being affected with the virus,” Wahab added.
The spokesperson once again appealed to the public to practice social distancing and follow SOPs put forward. “We went outside and brought coronavirus into our homes. The lockdown policies were for our betterment and to keep us safe. I urge everyone to follow the SOPs and keep themselves safe,” he added.
107-year-old Iranian woman recovers from coronavirus
A 107-year-old Iranian woman who was infected with the new coronavirus has recovered, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.
The woman, Saltanat Akbari, was admitted to the Khansari hospital in the central city of Arak. She was released from the hospital after spending "some time" in isolation.
"She defeated the virus with the help of doctors and nurses at the hospital," Fars said.
1:15pm — Peshawar, Pakistan — PML-N’s Amir Muqam tests positive for virus
President PLM-N Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Amir Muqam has tested positive for the virus, his secretary said on Sunday.
“Amir Muqam has quarantined himself at his Islamabad residence,” the secretary added.
Five worst-hit countries by COVID-19
12:50pm — Moscow, Russia — Russia reports 153 coronavirus deaths, highest daily toll yet
Russia on Sunday reported 153 coronavirus deaths over the previous 24 hours, the epidemic's highest daily toll, raising total fatalities to 3,541, the country's coronavirus crisis response centre said
It also said 8,599 new cases had been documented, fewer than on the previous day, pushing the nationwide tally of infections to 344,481.
Wuhan lab had three live bat coronaviruses: Chinese state media
The Chinese virology institute in the city where COVID-19 first emerged has three live strains of bat coronavirus on-site, but none match the new contagion wreaking chaos across the world, its director has said.
Scientists think COVID-19 — which first emerged in Wuhan and has killed some 340,000 people worldwide — originated in bats and could have been transmitted to people via another mammal.
But the director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology told state broadcaster CGTN that claims made by US President Donald Trump and others the virus could have leaked from the facility were "pure fabrication".
In the interview filmed on May 13 but broadcast Saturday night, Wang Yanyi said the centre has "isolated and obtained some coronaviruses from bats."
"Now we have three strains of live viruses... But their highest similarity to SARS-CoV-2 only reaches 79.8%," she said, referring to the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19.
Coronavirus cases pass 5.25 million worldwide: AFP tally
The number of cases of coronavirus recorded worldwide has passed 5.25 million, more than two thirds of them in Europe and the United States, according to an AFP tally.
There are now 5,250,658 cases officially recorded, with 339,172 deaths attributed to the virus. Europe is the hardest-hit continent, with 2,003,510 cases and 173,186 deaths, while the United States is the worst-hit country, with 1,604,879 cases and 96,125 deaths.
These latest figures mean that the number of recorded cases worldwide has doubled in a month, and that 250,000 new cases have been recorded in less than three days.
The region that is seeing the swiftest rise in cases is now Latin America and the Caribbean, which saw 33,719 recorded on Friday — against 28,647 in the United States and Canada, which was previously where new recorded cases were appearing fastest.
New COVID-19 cases in the past week
11:50am — Bangkok, Thailand — Thailand reports no new coronavirus cases for fourth time this month
Thailand on Sunday reported no new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, maintaining the total to 3,040 confirmed cases and 56 fatalities since the outbreak began in January.
Sunday was the fourth day in this month that there were no new daily cases, said Panprapa Yongtrakul, a spokeswoman for the government's coronavirus task force.
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11:20am — Islamabad, Pakistan — Confirmed cases climb to 54,601
Confirmed cases in the country climbed to 54,601 after new cases were detected in Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to the national dashboard, 135 new cases were recorded in the federal capital and 26 new cases in AJK.
Sindh leads the confirmed cases tally in the country with 21,645 infections followed by Punjab which has recorded 19,557 cases. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 7,685 cases have been reported, 3,306 in Balochistan, 1,592 in Islamabad, 619 in Gilgit Baltistan and 197 cases in AJK.
One-hour COVID-19 test being trialed at hospitals around London
A COVID-19 test that gives results in just over an hour and which requires no laboratory, potentially allowing for swifter testing of much larger numbers of people, is being rolled out at a number of London hospitals after getting regulatory clearance.
Faster testing could allow more people to go back to work or permit testing on a more regular basis and could help Prime Minister Boris Johnson achieve his target of 200,000 tests a day, an important element in successfully ending the lockdown.
The new test, based on the design of a DNA test developed by a professor at Imperial College London, received approval for clinical use by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) at the end of April after successful trials.
With a sensitivity of over 98% and specificity of 100%, the DnaNudge test is being rolled out in cancer wards, accident and emergency and maternity departments, as a prelude to possible wider application.
"It is a lab in a cartridge effectively," said Chris Toumazou, a professor of engineering at Imperial College who developed the test. "The key is that with this test you go straight from a saliva swap or a nasal swab into the cartridge with no transport and no laboratory."
Read the full story here.
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10:15am — Sao Paulo, Brazil — Brazil registers 965 new deaths, confirmed cases hit 347,398
Brazil registered 965 new coronavirus deaths taking the total number of fatalities to 22,013, the Health Ministry said.
The country now has 347,398 confirmed cases, according to the ministry, up 16,508 from Friday, when it surpassed Russia to become the world's virus hot spot behind the United States.
The actual number of cases and deaths is believed to be higher than the official figures disclosed by the government, as the testing capacity of Latin America's largest country still lags.
Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine trial has 50% chance of success: Telegraph
The University of Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine trial has only a 50% chance of success as the coronavirus seems to be fading rapidly in Britain, the professor co-leading the development of the vaccine told The Telegraph newspaper
Adrian Hill, director of Oxford's Jenner Institute, which has teamed up with drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to develop the vaccine, said that an upcoming trial, involving 10,000 volunteers, threatened to return "no result" due to low transmission of COVID-19 in the community.
"It's a race against the virus disappearing, and against time", Hill told the British newspaper. "At the moment, there's a 50% chance that we get no result at all."
The experimental vaccine, known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, is one of the front-runners in the global race to protect against the new coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic.
US COVID-19 death toll rises to 97,048
9:30am — Berlin, Germany — Confirmed coronavirus cases rise to 178,281
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 431 to 178,281, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.
The reported death toll rose by 31 to 8,247, the tally showed.
UK PM's adviser Cummings denies making second trip to family in lockdown: Telegraph
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's senior adviser Dominic Cummings denied a report that he made a second trip to his family in the northern English city of Durham during the coronavirus lockdown, describing it as "totally false", the Telegraph newspaper reported.
Cummings told the prime minister's office that he left Durham for London on April 13 and did not go back as he returned to work the following day, according to the newspaper.
The Daily Mirror reported on Saturday that Cummings made a second 400 km (250 mile) trip from London during the coronavirus lockdown and that he was spotted near Durham on April 19, days after he had returned to London from his first trip in late March and early April. Reuters was unable to independently verify the report.
Johnson on Saturday resisted calls from opposition parties to sack Cummings after it was revealed that he had travelled to northern England while his wife showed COVID-19 symptoms, to arrange child care for his young son.
9:00am— Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico reports 65,856 coronavirus cases, 7,179 deaths
Mexican health authorities registered 3,329 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the country and 190 new deaths, a health official said on Saturday, bringing the total number to 65,856 cases and 7,179 deaths.
10:00pm/May 23 — Islamabad, Pakistan — Pak Met Office study links decline in COVID-19 transmission rate to rise in temperature
A study conducted by the Pakistan Meteorological Department has found a link between the virus spread rate and temperature and humidity, according to a Radio Pakistan report.
The PMD apprised the National Command and Operation Centre today that its study has found a decline in COVID-19 transmission rate related to the rise in temperature and humidity.
The PMD official briefed the meeting headed by Minister for Planning Asad Umar through a video link that a deep study show the coronavirus spread mostly occurred in the mid-latitude which had cold and dry weather.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf said that there is 90% local transmission of COVID-19 at the moment and only 10% were foreign induced.
The forum agreed for a strict and proper screening of the passengers arriving at the airports.
09:40pm/May 23 — Humans likely to develop immunity after contracting COVID-19 once
06:07pm/May 23 — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Second virus cluster breaks out at migrant detention centres
A new cluster of coronavirus infections has broken out in Malaysia at a detention centre for undocumented migrants, authorities say.
Malaysia has this month arrested more than 2,000 foreigners for not having permits that allow them to be in the country following raids in areas under lockdown. The centres they are detained in are often crowded, with dozens of migrants packed in a single cell.
The United Nations and rights groups have called on Malaysia to stop the crackdown and criticised authorities for going after a vulnerable community during the pandemic.
The Southeast Asian country has so far reported 7,185 virus infections and 115 deaths.
The health ministry said on Saturday that 21 cases were identified at the Semenyih detention center near the capital Kuala Lumpur, which houses around 1,600 detainees.
It is the second detention centre at which a cluster of virus infections has broken out. Around 60 cases were reported among the 1,400 detainees at the Bukit Jalil center earlier this week.
