US jobless claims soar past 30m, Europe reeling

ISLAMABAD: Bleak new figures underscored the worldwide economic pain inflicted by the coronavirus: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has climbed past a staggering 30 million, while Europe’s economies are in an epic slide, international media reported.

In the US, the government reported that 3.8 million laid-off workers applied for jobless benefits last week, raising the total to about 30.3 million in the six weeks since the outbreak took hold. The layoffs amount to 1 in 6 American workers and encompass more people than the entire population of Texas.

Meanwhile, joblessness in Europe has reached 7.4 percent, the statistics agency Eurostat reported. France has confirmed it has officially plunged into recession. Spain´s economy has contracted by 5.2 percent in the first quarter, according to provisional figures by the national statistics agency INE.

The jobless total in Germany jumps sharply in April, to 2.6 million from 2.3 million in March, according to data from the federal labour agency BA.

The Italian government on Thursday announced a slew of new measures to save its struggling economy amid fears the coronavirus pandemic could force a contraction of more than 10 percent of gross domestic product this year.

Italy, home to the eurozone’s third-largest economy, has been hard-hit with almost 28,000 deaths due to the virus, with the economy shrinking 4.8 percent in the first quarter compared to a eurozone average of 3.8 percent.

Italy was the first country in Europe to be hit by the pandemic, in particular its economic heartland in northern regions Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna.

Together those regions represent 45 percent of Italy´s GDP, driven by exports including cars and luxury goods.

Italians have been on nationwide lockdown since March 10, with all non-essential production shut down since March 22, essentially paralysing the economy.

Last week businesses were allowed, little by little, to start work again but economic activity remains extremely limited.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told parliament that the government was revising down its economic forecast with a budget deficit increased by 55 billion euros ($60 billion) and a series of aid measures, including 25 billion euros for employment and income support and 15 billion euros for businesses.

At least 231,576 people have died worldwide since the epidemic surfaced in China in December, according to international media reports.

More than 3,275,475 cases have now been reported in 193 countries and territories.

In the United States, which has now passed the one-million-case mark, 62,535 people have died, the most of any country. Italy is the second hardest-hit country, with 27,767 dead, followed by Britain on 26,771 deaths, Spain 24,543 and France 24,087. Belgium is the country with the most deaths per capita.

United Kingdom's death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped to 26,771 — the second-highest in Europe behind Italy and third-highest in the world — as the government took into account fatalities outside hospital, including care homes, for the first time.

The increase came after surprise news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had become a father again at age 55, several months earlier than expected, and just weeks after he was taken to hospital with COVID-19.

Downing Street announced that his partner, Carrie Symonds, 32, gave birth to a healthy baby boy, prompting messages of congratulation from across the political spectrum at home and abroad.

The rare good news was soured however by the additional 4,419 deaths in the overall coronavirus death toll, just as Johnson, who returned to work on Monday, is under pressure to ease a month-long lockdown.

Until now, Britain had reported only deaths of people who had tested positive for COVID-19 in hospital but there has been mounting concern about high numbers of unreported victims in the wider community.

On Tuesday, the Office for National Statistics said deaths registered in England and Wales in the week ending April 17 were running at roughly double the five-year average and were the highest weekly total since 1993.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Wednesday said there were an additional 3,811 deaths included in the outbreak since the start of March, on top of figures from the last 24 hours.

"They don't represent a sudden surge in the number of deaths," he told reporters.

China -- excluding Hong Kong and Macau -- has to date declared 4,633 deaths and 82,862 cases. It has 77,610 recovered cases.

Since Wednesday, the Maldives has announced the first death on their soil.

Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and will hence self-isolate.

"I have just learned that the test on the coronavirus I took was positive," Mishustin said in a video meeting with President Vladimir Putin, suggesting a deputy takes his place while he self-isolates.

"I have to observe self-isolation and follow orders of doctors. This is necessary to protect my colleagues," he said, promising to be in constant contact "on all the main issues."

He suggested that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov takes his place as an "acting" prime minister.

"What is happening to you now can happen to anyone," Putin reassured him in the televised meeting.

"I hope that you stay able to work and will actively participate" in government decision-making, he said.

"Without your opinions and your participation these decisions will not be made," Putin told Mishustin, wishing him a quick recovery

Cases surged past 100,000 in Russia as officials warn infections have not yet peaked and they extend lockdown measures across the country. The country´s latest official death toll is 1,073.

Iran´s health ministry said on Thursday that 71 new deaths from the novel coronavirus took the country´s overall toll past the 6,000 mark.

"The number of deaths from this disease effectively crossed 6,000 today," ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said in televised remarks.

"Considering that we lost 71 of our countrymen in the past 24 hours, a total of 6,028 of those infected with COVID-19 have passed away to date," he added.

He added that another 983 people tested positive for the virus during the same period, bringing the total to 94,640.

More than 75,100 of those infected had already been released from hospital after recovering.

About 500 Chinese workers have been blocked from entering Indonesia over fears they could be carrying the coronavirus even though they had permits to enter the country.

They were due to work at a nickel smelter in Marosi, southeast Sulawesi, but the governor rejected their arrival. Authorities also refused permission to dock to a Chinese vessel carrying 1,500 cement pipes destined for the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Aceh.

The 18 crew members from China and Vietnam have been stranded onboard for a month and are reportedly running out of food and clean water.

Meanwhile, health officials declared Australia´s capital free of the virus while the country´s Northern Territory announced the most comprehensive easing of restrictions in the nation.

India’s federal health ministry Thursday said 66 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 1,263 positive cases, were reported since Wednesday evening across the country, taking the number of deaths to 1,074 and total cases to 33,050.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation’s European office warned Thursday that to keep other infectious diseases in check, vaccination programmes must remain a priority even during the coronavirus pandemic.

The warning came as the UN body noted that while the spread of the novel coronavirus seemed to be "plateauing in western Europe, the gradient of the epi-curve steepens as we look east".

"Immunisation services are essential. If they have been interrupted, catch-up measures must be taken as quickly as possible," WHO regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, told a press conference.

"We cannot allow the impact of COVID-19 to be amplified by neglecting other vital health protection measures," Kluge added.

WHO´s European branch was particularly concerned about a resurgence of measles, which affected 6,000 people on the continent in the first two months of this year.

"Immunisation has never been more important," said Siddhartha Datta, programme manager for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisation at WHO Europe.

"Measles and other infectious diseases are very much here amongst us and the time to prevent them is now," Datta added.