Key Points:
- Confirmed cases 597 458
- Deaths 27 370
Live CoronaVirus Monitor here
- The United Nations says 86 staff members around the world have reported cases of COVID-19.
- Tokyo restricts movement to combat virus but some carry on as usual
- South Korea reports 146 more cases of new coronavirus
- Brunei reports first coronavirus death
- More than 9,000 health workers infected in Spain
- Mexico reports 717 cases, 12 deaths
- US FDA clears new coronavirus rapid test
- Jordan reports first COVID-19 death
- Cruise ship with coronavirus outbreak blocked from transiting Panama Canal
- Trump says US will make 100,000 ventilators in 100 days
US FDA clears new coronavirus rapid test
The United States Food and Drug Administration has cleared a new rapid test from Abbott Laboratories, which the company says can detect the coronavirus in about five minutes.
Medical device maker Abbott announced the emergency clearance of its cartridge-based test on Friday night. The company says that its test delivers a negative result in 13 minutes when the virus is not detected.
South Korea reports 146 more cases of new coronavirus
South Korea has reported 146 more cases of the new coronavirus in the country, bringing the total to 9,478.
As of Friday, there were at least 139 deaths reported in the country.
Tokyo restricts movement to combat virus but some carry on as usual
Residents in greater Tokyo and the Osaka area in western Japan hunkered down on Saturday as officials urged citizens to stay indoors to prevent a potential emergency, but some were carrying on as normal, according to Reuters news agency.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s plea for the tens of millions of people in the capital and surrounding regions to avoid non-essential, non-urgent outings until April 12, and particularly this weekend, followed a surge in coronavirus infections this week, which she said puts Tokyo on the brink of a state of emergency.
Koike urged the public to avoid the national pastime of congregating to drink and watch the cherry blossoms as they hit their peak in the capital, saying on Friday,
The cherry blossoms will bloom again next year.”
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