Coronavirus update: The latest COVID-19 news for Thursday 23 April | ABC News

There’s been another coronavirus death in Australia overnight. A man in his 60s died in Victoria, taking the state’s toll to 16 and the national toll to 75.

And the World Health Organisation has warned the coronavirus pandemic is about to hit large parts of Africa, Central and South America and Eastern Europe.

More than 2.5m people have the illness worldwide, and 182.000 have died.

In this update:

0:28 The Ruby Princess cruise ship will leave Australia this afternoon, five weeks after it was allowed to dock in Sydney, triggering hundreds of coronavirus cases and 21 deaths. More witnesses will give evidence today to the special inquiry into the outbreak on the ship.

0:44 Prime minister Scott Morrison says Australia needs to work with like-minded countries to “get to the bottom” of the origins of the coronavirus. He’s called for WHO inspectors to be given more powers to root out infectious disease outbreaks.

1:00 The Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy is appearing before a senate select committee investigating the government’s response to the pandemic.

1:08 Singapore now has more than 10,000 cases after another surge in infections among migrant workers. 11 people have died in Singapore and the country has extended a partial lockdown until June.

1:20 Face masks are to become compulsory throughout Germany, while some states will not make them mandatory for people while shopping, everyone will have to wear coverings on public transport.

1:35 Reporter Timothy Fernandez has more on the Ruby Princes departure.

4:56 The New South Wales Premier has faced a grilling from journalists over the Ruby Princess inquiry which began hearings yesterday.Gladys Berejiklian says it would have been inappropriate for her to know about the proceedings before anyone else.

6:45 The Australian government is pushing for greater scrutiny of wildlife markets in response to coronavirus. It comes as the Prime Minister urges other global leaders to give the World Health Organisation more power to investigate future pandemics. Political reporter Jade Macmillan joins us now from Canberra.

9:55 Another 2,300 people have died in the US just in the past 24 hours, the total death toll for the US now stands close to 48,000. US President Donald Trump is pushing to re-start the economy, congratulating a handful of Southern States for re-opening non-essential industries.
North america correspondent, Kathryn Diss, reports.

11:55 A clearer picture is emerging of the impact of coronavirus on care homes across the UK. To date, the official count has only factored in deaths in hospitals.
Europe correspondent, linton besser reports from london.

13:15 Singapore now has more than 10,000 cases of coronavirus – after another surge in infections among migrant workers. Scores of crowded dormitories housing, around 20,000 foreign workers have become breeding grounds for COVID-19. Migrant workers account for more than three quarters of Singapore’s infections.

13:47 There are signs that the Brazilian city of Manaus in the Amazon basin is struggling to deal with the number of deaths from coronavirus. The mayor’s office says workers in the city’s largest cemetery have been forced to dig mass graves to deal with a 50 per cent increase in demand.

14:21 More than 70,000 troops will be deployed in South Africa to help enforce coronavirus lockdown measures. South Africa has recorded 3,500 coronavirus cases and 58 deaths.

The country has some of the most stringent lockdown restrictions in the world, but security forces have struggled to enforce them.

14:40 Spain’s Parliament has approved a request from the Prime Minister to extend the coronavirus lockdown until the 10th of May. The country, one of the worst hit in the world, has been under severe restrictions for more than five weeks. Spain’s outbreak has stabilised, but the Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has warned that any easing of the measures needs to be done extremely carefully.

15:05 There’s expected to be a 6% drop in global carbon emissions this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The world meteorological organisation believes the reduction will be short lived and is warning higher emissions growth could be on the cards. The world has marked its 50th Earth Day, with conservationists saying we should stop taking the planet for granted.

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In This Story: COVID-19

Covid-19 is the official WHO name given to the novel coronavirus which broke out in late 2019 and began to spread in the early months of 2020.

Symptoms of coronavirus

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

  • a persistent new cough (non productive, dry)
  • a high temperature (e.g. head feels warm to the touch)
  • shortness of breath (if this is abnormal for the individual, or increased)

Latest News about Covid-19

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In This Story: Ruby Princess

Ruby Princess is a Crown-class cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises. The Ruby Princess was built in 2008 by Fincantieri in Trieste, Italy, as a sister ship to Crown Princess and Emerald Princess. She was turned over to Carnival Corporation and Princess Cruises in late October 2008.

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