Health

PUTRAJAYA, March 28 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia is among several countries selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) to carry out the clinical trial on the use of the novel antiviral medicine, Remdesivir, on COVID-19 patients.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Malaysia was chosen for the trial because of the Health Ministry’s ability to conduct tests and its good medical system.

ABU DHABI, Mar 28 (NNN-WAM) – The Ministry of Interior has clarified that the National Disinfection Programme, slated for execution over the weekend starting from Thursday, Mar 26, will take place from 8.00 pm to 6.00 am every day.

The movement of traffic and people will go on as usual during the day, but will be restricted during the time of disinfection, and public transport and metro trains will be fully stopped during the disinfection.

TUNIS, March 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Employees at a Tunisian factory are churning out 50,000 face masks a day and other protective medical gear after opting to go into lockdown at work.

The 150 workers, mainly women, have isolated themselves at the Consomed factory for a month.

They were spurred on by patriotism as the country battles coronavirus, their manager Hamza Alouini said.

Employee Khawla Rebhi said she greatly missed her family, but her colleagues’ good cheer provided some compensation.

ADDIS ABABA, March 28 (NNN-XINHUA) — The death toll from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the African continent has reached 83 as confirmed positives cases surpassed 3,243 as of Friday, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, specialized agency of the 55-member African Union (AU), in its latest situation update said the cases were spread across 46 African countries.

ISTANBUL, Mar 28 (NNN-ANADOLU) — Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that, all international flights would be cancelled, as part of the fight against COVID-19.

Announcing new measures against the spread of the outbreak during a televised live broadcast, Erdogan also noted that, inter-city travel across the country would be subject to the permission of governors in each province.

“A flexible working system will be implemented with minimum personnel both in private and public sectors,” Erdogan said.

BELGRADE, March 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three people have been given hefty prison sentences of up to three years in Serbia for breaking self-isolation rules imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Serbia has declared a state of emergency and adopted strict measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has seen 530 people infected and eight die in the Balkan nation.

BUDAPEST, March 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hungary is imposing a two-week lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, which is expected to peak in the country in June or July, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

Citizens will be allowed to go to work, shop and take limited exercise outside during the lockdown, which starts on Saturday, but should keep distance from each other, Orban said on public radio, adding that restrictions would be enforced by police.

PARIS, March 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — As Europe and the United States struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic, aid groups warn that without measures millions could die in low-income countries and war zones such as Syria and Yemen, where hygiene conditions are already dire.

The outbreak has infected some 580,000 people and killed over 26,000 around the world after emerging in China in December last year.

WASHINGTON, March 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States now has more than 100,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed.

There have been 100,717 cases including 1,544 deaths as of 6 pm Eastern time (2200 GMT).

The biggest cluster by far is in New York, home to almost half the cases, overwhelming the hospital system.

The United States has around 15,000 more confirmed cases then the second country on the list, Italy, and 20,000 more than China, where the disease was first identified but has since peaked.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Mar 28 (NNN-BBNEWS) – A new National Isolation Centre (NIC) is being constructed in the Tutong District, to accommodate patients positive for COVID-19. The Ministry of Development (MoD) is collaborating with the Ministry of Health (MoH) in coordinating the construction of the new NIC.

This was stated by Minister of Development, Ir Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar, during a press conference at the MoH yesterday.