I have been having technology issues and only just realised that it is almost the end of June and I havent posted May's update yet ! Oops.
1 May 2020 – Humanitarian actors and health officials are
struggling to get supplies to fragile settings in Africa because of disruptions
to supply chains and travel restrictions, They are concerned that the window of
opportunity to push medical and humanitarian aid in to Africa to curb the
pandemic is closing rapidly.
Three new cases reported in New Zealand
2 May 2020 — Russia records a “one day” record for the
country with 9,623 new cases. In India the number of new daily cases exceed
2,000 for the first time. Meanwhile Iran had it lowest daily count in two
months.
Six more cases are reported as well as another
death linked to the Rosewood Rest Home cluster.
An outbreak announced at a meatworks in Victoria
with 8 cases.
3 May 2020 — Random testing in Kabul returns concerning
results 150/500 positive cases. In West and Central Africa eight countries are
reporting community transmission. The number of cases could potentially double
each week if the trend continues. This region has 54% of the total cases for
the African continent and 35% of the deaths. Globally 3,502,126 cases have been
confirmed and 247,107 deaths.
Two more cases reported.
4 May 2020 – A pledging conference hosted by the EU and attended by dozens of
world leaders raises $8.1billion to fund the research and equitable
distribution of COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. A plane carrying
humanitarian supplies crashed near Baidoa, Somalia, killing 6 people on board.
No new cases reported in New Zealand for the first
time since 16 March. Dr Ashley Bloomfield Director General of Health says the
test will come at the end of the week when new cases could indicate exposure
after the country moved to level three restrictions.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces
the return to school plan for the State’s schoolchildren, beginning with
Kindergarten, Prep and Years 1, 11 & 12 on May 11 with all other years
returning by May 25. A fifteenth resident dies at Newmarch House the Sydney
rest home which is the centre of a COVID-19 cluster. The centre implements a
testing regime for staff arriving on site for the first time since the pandemic
was declared and has taken steps to move healthy residents to a separate area
of the facility.
5 May 2020 – UK coronavirus adviser Neil Ferguson resigns after disobeying the
lockdown rules that he helped to create. WHO, UNICEF and the International
Federation of the Red Cross publish guidance for community-based healthcare in
the context of COVID-19.
Another day with no new cases.
6 May 2020 – At least five years of progress on efforts to control
tuberculosis could be lost because of the pandemic limiting efforts to
diagnose, treat and prevent the disease. There is concern that Somalia is
quickly becoming overwhelmed by a major uptick in cases and that many cases
have been untested, when there seems to be widespread community transmission.
Two new cases reported in Auckland, both linked to
known clusters.
7 May 2020 – The UN increases its Global Humanitarian
Response Plan to nearly $7 billion. In a press release WHO forecast that if
containment measures fail between 29 million and 44 million people could become
infected in Africa with 83,000-190,000 deaths in the first year. The virus
could be a fixture in our lives for several years.
Another new case this time linked to a cluster in
Matamata. The Prime Minister revealed details of life in level two, if cabinet
agrees to loosen restrictions on Monday.
8 May 2020 – The US blocked a vote in the UN Security Council calling for a resolution
for a global ceasefire, over mention of WHO. This follows on from Trump’s
criticism of WHO’s handling of the crisis, their relationship with China and
his announcement that he was suspending US contributions to WHO.
As two more
cases are confirmed, it is revealed that 90% of cases have recovered and there
are just 143 active cases in the country.
The cluster at
Cedar Meats in Victoria has grown to 71, consisting of 57 workers and 13 close
contacts.
9 May 2020 – The
number of cases globally exceeds 4,000,000. In the US alone there are 1.3
million cases. According to John Hopkins University only 34% of cases globally
have recovered. Former President Barack Obama calls Donald Trump’s handling of
the country’s COVID-19 pandemic an “absolute chaotic disaster”.
Two new cases
are reported, linked to the St Margaret’s Hospital and Rest Home cluster.
The Cedar Meats
cluster reached 75 and another new cluster was identified at a McDonalds also
in Victoria, with 2 cases.
10 May 2020 – China reports the first case in Wuhan where the pandemic
originated, since April 3rd. Reports suggest that Ethiopian troops
may have shot down a plane on 4 May carrying humanitarian supplies to Somalia.
Another two
cases are reported, one linked to a known cluster and the other a returning
international traveller.
11 May 2020 – China reports a new cluster in Wuhan, the first since lifting
lockdown restrictions.
Three new cases
are confirmed. Two liked to the St Margaret’s cluster and the third to overseas
travel. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern outlines the staggered move to level two
beginning on 14 May.
12 May 2020 – Five patients in Russia die in a hospital fire thought to have
been caused by a ventilator short circuit. Russia now has the second highest
caseload, following the United States. Brazil and Mexico both report their
highest daily number of deaths.
No new cases
reported
13 May 2020 – WHO warn against lifting restrictions before systems and public
health surveillance measures are in place to ensure the ability to rapidly
manage any spikes or a second wave. The first case is reported in Lesotho, now
the virus is present in every country on the African continent.
Another day
with no new cases reported in New Zealand.
There are now
88 cases linked to the Cedar Meats cluster.
14 May 2020 – The number of deaths globally surpasses 300,000. The first case
is reported in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, home to nearly 900,000
people.
New Zealand
moves to Alert Level 2 – big queues for hairdressers and cafes and takeaway
outlets. No new cases are reported. The Government unveils a $50 billion
recovery package as part of the Budget 2020.
90 cases are
linked to the Cedar Meats cluster.
15 May 2020 – The Asian Development Bank revised its estimates on the economic
impact of the coronavirus for the 3rd time, with a range of $5.8
trillion-$8.8 trillion dependent on the length of containment. These estimates
are more than twice the estimates released in April.
One new case
linked to the Marist cluster is reported
In New South
Wales some restrictions on social gatherings were lifted. Free standing cafes
and restaurants and those inside pubs and clubs were allowed very limited
sit-down dining with a maximum of 10 patrons. Outdoor gatherings of up to 10
were allowed; 10 guests allowed at weddings and funerals could have 20 mourners
indoors and 30 outdoors. South Australia became the second jurisdiction, after
ACT, to be free of active cases.
16 May 2020 – The Kenyan government says 78 foreign truck drivers tested
positive at the border and were denied entry. As a consequence they announced
there will be no passenger traffic through its Tanzania and Somalia land
borders. Uganda also announce similar measures.
No new cases
reported in New Zealand.
Restrictions
lifted across Australia, although each state has adopted their own plan. In
Queensland parks, walkways, beaches reopened and residents can travel up to
150km from their homes – but not stay away overnight. Cafes and restaurants are
able to reopen for a maximum number of 10 diners at a time – appropriately
socially distanced. Groups of up to 10 can gather in outdoor spaces and up to five
adults can visit another person’s home at a time.
17 May 2020 – Chinese officials quarantine 8,000 people in the north eastern
part of the country after a new cluster of infections are reported.
One new case
linked to the Rosewood Rest Home cluster in Christchurch. The Ministry of
Health say 96% of people with COVID-19 have recovered.
Victoria
announced that two business, a Domino’s Pizza store and a mattress manufacturer
have been closed due to a suspected case at each.
18 May 2020 – Over 100 countries back a draft resolution to the World Health
Assembly calling for an independent inquiry into the handling of the
coronavirus crisis and pandemic. The resolution was welcomed by WHO.
Preliminary data from the first COVID-19vaccine trial in humans shows that the
vaccine is creating an immune response.
No new cases
are announced, there are 45 active cases in the country, schools reopened.
The cluster
which began at McDonalds in Fawkner has increased to 12 cases linked to a
delivery driver which prompted the closure of 12 stores.
19 May 2020 – An estimated 20 million people faced acute food insecurity in
Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti and
Eritrea before the crisis. There are concerns that those numbers could double
over the next three months. A study published in the academic journal Nature
Climate Change reveals that carbon emissions have dropped 17% this year,
through April, in comparison to 2019. The Lancet refutes comments made by the
US President that it published reports regarding novel coronavirus in December
2019.
Another day
with no new cases for New Zealand.
A resident of
Newmarch House in Sydney died, bringing the total death in that cluster to 19
and the national total to 100.
20 May 2020 – WHO receives reports of a record 106,000 new cases globally. The
most reported in one day since the outbreak began.
New Zealand
again reports no new cases. The Health Ministry launched a contact tracing app
which allowed users to scan their QR code at businesses, public buildings and
other organisations to track where they have been.
21 May 2020 – Globally there are 5,000,000 cases. According to the Africa Centres
for Disease Control and Prevention, five countries account for 56% of the cases
on the African continent: South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria.
Bars (defined
as on-licensed premises that primarily serve beverages) were able to reopen.
Northern
Territory announced they had no active cases.
22 May 2020 – Brazil surpasses Russia as the country with the second highest
number of cases globally as South America looks to be emerging as a new
epicentre. An estimated 80 million children under the age of 1 are at risk of
diseases including diptheria, measles and polio because the pandemic is
disrupting routine vaccination efforts. The daily death toll in New York City s
the lowest it has been in two months.
23 May 2020 – The first death is reported in the Gaza Strip. Indigenous people
in Brazil are dying at twice the rate of the rest of the country’s population.
24 May 2020 – The first indications of whether a potential vaccine is effective
could be available in the northern autumn.
25 May 2020 – Following an observational study of the drug hydroxychloroquine
and its effects on COVID-19 patients being published in the Lancet on 22 May,
WHO place a temporary pause on its trial of the drug. WHO say that assuming
that a second wave of cases will be tied to a change in the seasons is
problematic.
Prime Minister
Ardern raised the limits on social gatherings including religious services,
weddings and funerals to 100 to come into effect at 12pm 29 May. She also
announced that cabinet would consider a decision to move to level 1 on 8 June.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced a 12 week relief payment scheme for
citizens and residents who had lost full or part time work.
26 May 2020 – The number of cases globally reach 5.5 million. Antibody tests
for COVID-19 are only accurate half of the time and it is still unclear whether
people who have antibodies are protected against contracting the disease again.
A returning
overseas traveller granted an exemption to leave her quarantine hotel in Victoria
and return to South Australia tested positive, becoming the state’s first case for
19 days.
27 May 2020 – The death toll in the US surpasses 100,000. WHO launches an
independent grant-making foundation to broaden its contributor base.
Between 21 May
and 27 May New Zealand reports just one new case linked to a known cluster.
28 May 2020 – The chief executive officer of Pfizer expresses concern that the
distribution of vaccines could be challenging in Africa because of the lack of
widespread infrastructure to deliver them at a cold temperature. The chief
executive of AstraZeneca says they are investigating delivering multidose vials
instead of single dose because there are not enough glass vials available
globally to meet the expected demand.
There are no
new cases in New Zealand but the death toll rises by 1.
29 May 2020 – US President Trump says during a press conference that the
country is “terminating” its relationship with WHO and “redirecting those funds
to other worldwide and deserving global public health needs.” He says this is
because WHO has failed to make requested reforms. Meanwhile WHO and Costa Rica
launch the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool a voluntary mechanism aimed at
making vaccines, tests, treatments and other health technologies universally
accessible and affordable by pooling the scientific knowledge, data and
intellectual property around the tools created to fight COVID-19.
For the seventh
day in a row there are no new cases reported. There is just ONE active case.
30 May 2020 – Brazil reports a record increase of 33,274 cases. A vaccine
developed in China may be available by the end of the year.
No new cases
are reported or confirmed.
31 May 2020 – Cases globally surpass 6 million.
Another day
with no new cases.
Total cases
globally as of May 31, 2020: 6.057,853 and 371,166 deaths
Total cases in Australia: 7185,
deaths 103, 7082 recovered
Total cases in New Zealand: 1154,
deaths 22, 1131 recovered
(figures from WHO)
Sources:
