New Zealand records new COVID-19 cases, brings back restrictions

Wellington: New Zealand on Tuesday confimed new cases of locally acquired COVID-19 after going for 102 days without any domestic transmission.

New Zealand director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said,  "We actually have four confirmed caes of COVID-19 in one family acquired from an unknown source. The first case to present was a person in their fifties who lives in South Auckland. That person was swabbed yesterday when they presented to their general practitioner with symptoms. That test was processed twice and returned positive and a second swab today also returned a positive result. Importantly, the person has no history of overseas travel. And as per our usual protocol, we would, very closely with Auckland regional public health, to interview the person. We've sprung into action and in fact, all those family members residing in the same household, there were another six, were all tested and three of the six have returned positive test results. The other three were negative."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said four people from one family in South Auckland had been confirmed to have acquired the coronavirus. Ardern announced that Auckland will move to alert level 3 restrictions from noon on Wednesday for three days. The rest of the country was also be moved to alert level 2 restriction from Wednesday, she said.

Corona crisis: Spain surpasses UK to register most cases in Western Europe

Madrid: Spain's government defended its response to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday after official data showed on Friday the country had overtaken Britain to register the highest total number of cases in Western Europe.

Spain's health ministry on Sunday reported a total a cumulative total of 314,363 cases whilst the UK reported 310,825. During the first half of April, Spain was second only to the United States in total cases before reining in its soaring infection rate through a strict nationwide confinement. However, the virus has rebounded sharply since the state of emergency ended six weeks ago, with average daily infections surging from 132 in June to 1,499 in the first 10 days of August.

On Friday data published by Johns Hopkins University showed

In a letter published in the Lancet last week a group of Spanish health experts called for an independent evaluation of the government's handling of the crisis and highlighted a litany of flaws.

One of the letter's signatories, Ildefonso Hernandez Aguado, a public health professor at Alicante's Miguel Hernandez University, said a lack of qualified tracing staff was letting the disease spread unseen. He also pointed the finger at Spain's highly social culture and longstanding tradition of big family gatherings, which he said would be tough to give up.

The United States response to the virus is met with incredulity abroad

Rome, Italy: The United States' failure to contain the spread of the coronavirus has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe, as the world's most powerful country edges closer to a global record of 5 million confirmed infections.

Perhaps nowhere outside the US is America's bungled virus response viewed with more consternation than in Italy, which was ground zero of Europe's epidemic. Italians were unprepared when the outbreak exploded in February and the country still has one of the world's highest official death tolls at 35,000. But after a strict nationwide 10-week lockdown, vigilant tracing of new clusters and general acceptance of mask mandates and social distancing, Italy has become a model of virus containment.

Don't they care about their health a mask-clad Patrizia Antonini asked about people in the United States as she walked with friends along the banks of Lake Bracciano, north of Rome. They need to take our precautions ... They need a real lockdown."

Much of the incredulity in Europe stems from the fact that America had the benefit of time, European experience and medical know-how to treat the virus that the continent itself didn't have when the first COVID-19 patients started filling intensive care units.

Yet, more than four months into a sustained outbreak, the US is about to hit an astonishing milestone of 5 million confirmed infections, easily the highest in the world. Health officials believe the actual number is closer to 50 million, given testing limitations and the fact that as many as 40% of all cases are asymptomatic.

We Italians always saw America as a model," said Massimo Franco, columnist with daily Corriere della Sera. But with this virus we've discovered a country that is very fragile, with bad infrastructure and a public health system that is nonexistent."

Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza hasn't shied away from criticising the US, officially condemning as wrong Washington's decision to withhold funding from the World Health Organization and marveling personally at President Donald Trump's virus response.

After Trump finally donned a protective mask last month, Speranza told La7 television: I'm not surprised by Trump's behavior now; I'm profoundly surprised by his behavior before."

With America's list-leading 160,000 dead, politicized resistance to masks and rising caseload, European nations have barred American tourists and visitors from other countries with growing cases from freely traveling to the bloc.

France and Germany are now imposing tests on arrival for travelers from at risk countries, the US included.

I am very well aware that this impinges on individual freedoms, but I believe that this is a justifiable intervention, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said in announcing the tests last week.

Mistakes were made in Europe, too, from delayed lockdowns to insufficient protections for nursing home elderly and critical shortages of tests and protective equipment for medical personnel.

The virus is still raging in some Balkan countries and thousands of maskless protesters demanded an end to virus restrictions in Berlin earlier this month. Hard-hit Spain, France and Germany have seen infection rebounds with new cases topping 1,000 a day, and Italy's cases inched up over 500 on Friday.

The UK is still seeing an estimated 3,700 new infections daily, and some scientists say the country's beloved pubs might have to close again if schools are to reopen in September without causing a new wave.

In the US, new cases run at about 54,000 a day an immensely higher number even when taking into account its larger population. And while that's down from a peak of well over 70,000 last month, cases are rising in nearly 20 states, and deaths are climbing in most.

In contrast, at least for now Europe appears to have the virus somewhat under control.

Had the medical professionals been allowed to operate in the States, you would have belatedly gotten to a point of getting to grips with this back in March, said Scott Lucas, professor of international studies at the University of Birmingham, England.

But of course, the medical and public health professionals were not allowed to proceed unchecked, he said, referring to Trump's frequent undercutting of his own experts.

When the virus first appeared in the United States, Trump and his supporters quickly dismissed it as either a hoax or a virus that would quickly disappear once warmer weather arrived. At one point, Trump suggested that ultraviolet light or injecting disinfectants would eradicate the virus. (He later said he was being facetious).

Trump's frequent complaints about Dr. Anthony Fauci have regularly made headlines in Europe, where the U.S. infectious diseases expert is a respected eminence grise. Italy's leading COVID-19 hospital offered Fauci a job if Trump fired him.

Trump has defended the U.S. response, blaming China, where the virus was first detected, for America's problems and saying the U.S. numbers are so high because there is so much testing. Trump supporters and Americans who have refused to wear masks against all medical advice back that line.

There's no reason to fear any sickness that's out there, said Julia Ferjo, a mother of three in Alpine, Texas, who says she is vehemently against wearing a mask. Ferjo, 35, teaches fitness classes in a large gym with open doors, where she doesn't allow participants to wear masks.

Samsung launches Galaxy Note Z Fold 2, foldable smart phone as pandemic shrinks market

Seoul, South Korea: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd unveiled its latest Galaxy Note smartphone and new version of its foldable phone, the Z Fold 2, on Wednesday, hoping to regain ground against rivals Huawei and Apple Inc as the smartphone market begins to recover from its COVID-19 slump.

Samsung launched its previous premium model, the S20, in February at the start of the pandemic but since then has ceded its top ranking in the smartphone market to China's Huawei, as people opt for cheaper models in tough times. The Z Fold 2 has a 6.2-inch (15.75-cm) screen when folded to provide a full smartphone experience even when it is closed, Samsung announced during a livestreamed event. Its unfolded display measures 7.6 inches (19.3 cm).

The new iteration is thinner than the first Fold, and the hinge is improved to be more resilient, Samsung said. Samsung did not disclose the phone's price, but said more details and preorders will be available on Sept. 1. The new Note 20 boasts a larger screen at 6.7 inches (17 cm), 5G connectivity, enhanced writing features with its S-Pen stylus, and access to more than 100 console and PC games via a tie-up with Microsoft Corp's Xbox cloud service.

It will go on sale on Aug. 21 in about 70 countries, including the United States, where the basic version will retail for $999 (USD), compared with its predecessor's $949. Apple fans are unlikely to jump ship to the new Samsung model as the 5G iPhone is likely to be launched later this year, analysts say.

Samsung posted a 29% on-year drop in shipments in the June quarter, the biggest fall among top vendors, according to researcher IDC. Apple, which launched the budget-friendly SE during the period, remained resilient with 11% on-year shipment growth, while Huawei posted only a 5% fall.

The global smartphone market shrank about 16% on-year in the April-June quarter due to COVID-19 lockdowns and consumer caution, a larger contraction than in the first quarter, and is expected to improve only slightly in the second half, IDC said.

Pizza restaurant launches Spain's first virtual waiter app as COVID-19 bites

Palafrugell, Spain: A restaurant on Spain's northeastern Mediterranean coast is pioneering a dining experience that allows customers to avoid most face-to-face contact with staff and minimise the risk of coronavirus contagion.

Customers at Funky Pizza, in Palafrugell on the Costa Brava popular with tourists, can browse the menu, order and pay via the "Funky Pay" app on their phones - the first time a purpose-designed app has been integrated into a restaurant's ordering system in Spain. A waiter does bring the order to the table. "Through this system we have tried to keep physical distance with our clients, which is what people are looking for during COVID," said restaurant owner Carlos Manich. Staff manage the orders from screens behind the bar.

The restaurant has had to adapt to social distancing rules by becoming table service only and reminding customers on entry they must wear face masks at all times when not at their tables. "The application is very user-friendly ... and you can also track your order and see when it is in the kitchen or when it will be arriving," said Claudia Medina, 26, eating at the restaurant. But some customers disagreed. "I think we lose the feeling with the waiter, for example when you order you can't ask about different preferences or quantities," said customer Javier Comas, 26.

Corona Crisis: Philippines capital returning to lockdown as COVID-19 virus surges

Manila: The Philippine president has agreed to place the capital and outlying provinces back under a lockdown after medical groups warned that the country was waging a losing battle against the coronavirus amid an alarming surge in infections.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Monday that metropolitan Manila, the capital region of more than 12 million people, and five densely populated provinces will revert to stricter quarantine restrictions for two weeks starting Tuesday. The move, which finance and economic officials oppose, will again prohibit non-essential travel outside of homes. President Rodrigo Duterte relaxed the country's lockdown on June 1 in a bid to restart the stagnant economy.

Under the new restrictions, police checkpoints will return to ensure only authorized people, including medical personnel and workers in vital companies, venture out of their homes, Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano said. Other businesses previously allowed to partly reopen, including barbershops, internet cafes, gyms, dine-in restaurants, massage and tattoo shops, drive-in cinemas and tourist destinations, will again be closed.

Authorised companies, including banks, health and food processing firms, can operate partly but need to shuttle their employees from home and work. Workers can travel by bike, motorcycles and private cars, but mass transit will be closed. Businesses in the capital and outlying regions comprise about 67 per cent of the national economy and the Duterte administration has walked a tightrope between public health and economic revival.

The economy contracted slightly in the first quarter but is likely facing a deep recession from the massive business closures that started when Duterte declared a strict lockdown in mid-March. Leaders of nearly 100 medical organizations held a rare online news conference Saturday and warned that the health system has been overwhelmed by infection spikes and may collapse as health workers fall ill or resign from exhaustion and fear.

They asked Duterte to reimpose a tight lockdown in the capital to allow the government to give health workers a time out and allow the government to recalibrate its response to the pandemic. We are waging a losing battle against COVID-19 and we need to draw up a consolidated, definitive plan of action, the groups said in a letter to Duterte that they read publicly.

They expressed fears to Duterte that the Philippine coronavirus crisis may worsen like in the United States. The Department of Health reported a record-high daily tally of 5,032 confirmed coronavirus cases Sunday, bringing the country's total to 103,185, including more than 2,000 deaths.

The Philippines has the second-highest number of confirmed cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia, and has had more reported infections than China, where the pandemic began late last year. While he granted the demand, Duterte appeared irritated after the medical groups went public with critical remarks, saying they could have talked to him first.

If you will stage a revolution, you will give me the free ticket to stage a counter-revolution. How I wish you would do it, Duterte said in televised remarks Sunday night.You yourself don't have any solution. What are you babbling about?" Duterte asked.
He floated the idea of tapping civilian reservists to be placed under military control, including his daughter who is a city mayor and police nurses and medics, if exhausted doctors and nurses leave their anti-pandemic work.