The UK’s COVID-19 death toll rose by 621 to 4,934 as of 4pm on Saturday, the British Department of Health and Social Care said yesterday, a few hours ahead of a special nationally televised address from Queen Elizabeth II.
A total of 195,524 people had been tested, of whom 47,806 tested positive, the department said
In a pre-recorded video shot at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth urged people to rise to the challenge posed by the coronavirus, and personally thanked frontline healthcare workers.
Photo: AFP
“I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge,” she said, according to extracts released on Saturday.
Her address came after the British government warned it might ban outside exercise if people flout stringent guidelines aimed at curbing virus transmission, as warmer weather stoked fears people could congregate in parks and open spaces.
The day before, US President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a “very horrendous” number of deaths in the coming days, as the number of confirmed cases there surged past 312,000 — the highest in the world.
“This will probably be the toughest week,” Trump said at the White House on Saturday. “There will be a lot of death.”
With more than 1.2 million people confirmed to be infected, the virus is also putting massive pressure on healthcare services in nations both rich and poor, which are struggling to find enough staff and equipment.
Despite Trump’s bleak warning for the US, there were glimmers of hope in hard-hit Italy, ground zero for COVID-19 in Europe, and in Spain.
Italy, which has registered more than 15,000 deaths, cheered after seeing the number of intensive care virus cases drop for the first time on Saturday.
Even some of the most cautious Italian health officials seized on the figures as evidence that the tide might be turning in the deadliest disaster the country has faced since World War II.
Spain, which is under a near-total lockdown, saw a third successive daily fall in coronavirus-related deaths, with 647 fatalities, taking its total to more than 12,400.
Although the number of new cases also slowed, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced an extension of a lockdown until April 25.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from