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 Grim forecast for U.S.
Nearly 300,000 Americans could be dead from COVID-19 by Dec. 1,
University of Washington health experts forecast, although they said
70,000 lives could be saved if people were scrupulous about wearing
masks.
The latest predictions from the university’s widely cited Institute
for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) came as top White House
infectious disease advisers warned that major U.S. cities could
erupt as new coronavirus hot spots if officials there were not
vigilant with counter-measures.
“We’re seeing a rollercoaster in the United States. It appears that
people are wearing masks and socially distancing more frequently as
infections increase, then after a while as infections drop, people
let their guard down,” Dr Christopher Murray, director of the IHME,
said in announcing the university’s revised forecast.
India cases pass 2 million
India, the country hardest hit in Asia by the pandemic, reported a
record daily jump in infections, taking its total number of cases
over 2 million. It is the third nation to pass that milestone, after
the United States and Brazil.
With infections spreading further to smaller towns and rural areas,
experts say the epidemic is likely to be months away from hitting
its peak in India, putting more strain on an already overburdened
healthcare system.
Facebook's dilemma
Since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus an
international health emergency in January, Facebook has removed more
than 7 million pieces of content with false claims about the virus
that could pose an immediate health risk to people who believe them.
The company said that in recent months it had banned such claims as
"social distancing does not work" because they pose a risk of
"imminent" harm. Facebook took down a video post on Wednesday by
U.S. President Donald Trump in which he said that children are
"almost immune" to COVID-19.
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In most instances, Facebook does not remove misinformation about COVID-19
vaccines that are still under development, according to the company's vaccine
policy lead Jason Hirsch, on the grounds that such claims do not meet the
imminent harm threshold. Hirsch told Reuters the company is "grappling" with the
dilemma of how to police claims about vaccines.
No 'false hope' from UK finance minister
Extending Britain’s furlough scheme would leave some workers trapped in false
hope that they could return to their jobs after the coronavirus pandemic,
British finance minister Rishi Sunak said.
With redundancies mounting, opposition politicians and think tanks have said
Sunak should extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - due to expire at the
end of October - until the economy is strong enough to support more at-risk
workers.
“It’s wrong to keep people trapped in a situation and pretend that there is
always a job that they can go back to,” Sunak said.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said on Thursday that some parts of the
economy would no longer be viable once the fallout of the pandemic clears - with
hospitality and leisure looking especially vulnerable.
Free testing for all in Hong Kong
Hong Kong will offer free voluntary coronavirus testing for residents, Chief
Executive Carrie Lam said on Friday, as the city races to contain a resurgence
of the virus over the past month.
The plan, which will enable citywide testing for the first time, is likely to be
implemented in two weeks at the earliest, Lam said.
The announcement comes less than a week after China sent a team of health
officials to Hong Kong to carry out widespread COVID-19 testing. It is the first
time mainland health officials have assisted Hong Kong in its battle to control
the virus.
(Compiled by Linda Noakes; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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