This post provides highlights of the Covid-19 Pandemic during the 10 days 10 - 19 April 2020.
I've decided to do posts on the Pandemic every 10 days.
My last post (Post #219) covered the first 100 days of the Pandemic (from 1 January to 9 April 2020), but it contained a mountain of information. There is so much happening every day; hopefully doing it in 10 day chunks will make it a bit easier to absorb / understand.
Covid-19
pandemic: 10 – 19 April 2020 (days 101 – 110)
(Compiled
from various sources by Alex Olah)
Day
|
Date
|
Event / Announcement
|
101
|
10
April 2020
|
UK: PM Boris
Johnson out of intensive care.
European
Union:
announced support package E540 billion (US$590b).
USA: 16.8 million
applied for unemployment in last 3 weeks.
The
Dow Jones Index rose 13% over 5 days to 23,434.
|
102
|
11
|
USA: Latest
modelling estimated that US deaths would total around 60,000, much lower than
previous estimates, and that the curve was starting to flatten.
Governor
Cuomo of New York State said daily ICU admissions had fallen for the first
time.
|
103
|
12
|
USA grim
milestones: cases pass 500,000 and
deaths pass 20,000 (more than 2,000 deaths yesterday).
|
104
|
13
|
OPEC+ countries
reached agreement to cut oil production by 10% (9.7 million barrels per day)
to stabilise prices, (but demand has already fallen 20%).
|
105
|
14
|
WHO: published
guidelines to assist countries decide when to start relaxing restrictions.
Europe: Some
countries cautiously started to ease restrictions: Spain, Italy, Denmark, Czech Rep,
Austria.
Turkey announced nation-wide
lock-down.
France extended
lock-down for another 3 weeks, until 11 May.
USA: President
Trump claimed “total power” in relation to the pandemic and when to ease
restrictions (suggested opening the country by 1 May). But under the US
Constitution the States (ie Governors) are responsible for health, education,
public safety. So far 42 Governors have introduced ‘stay-at-home’
restrictions in their States.
Last
week Bernie Sanders quit the race and today he formally endorsed Joe Biden as
the Democratic candidate for the 2020 Presidential election in November.
|
106
|
15
|
USA: President
Trump suspended US funding for the WHO (US$400m in 2019) pending review of
performance re Covid-19.
IMF: predicted
the world economy will contract by 3% this year – a recession – biggest
contraction since the 1930s.
Australia: Treasury predicted
unemployment will double, to 10% (would have been much higher without the JobKeeper
package).
China: New research
showed that in the early days of the virus in Wuhan, carriers infected on
average 5.7 other people (double the number originally thought).
UK: admitted
that CV19 death numbers have been understated by more than 10% as they did
not include deaths in nursing homes (France, Italy and Spain similar).
|
107
|
16
|
Global: new milestone
2 million cases of CV19. By my calculation it took 110 days to reach 1 million (16 December 2019 - 3 April 2020) and just 14 days to reach 2 million (3 - 16 April). Most cases were
in Europe (1.01m) and the USA (607,000).
China: reported 46
new cases (89 the previous day); mainly arrivals from overseas, and near
border with Russia.
Thailand: extended ban
on international flights to 30 April.
New
Zealand:
leaders announced a 20% cut in salaries for 6 months.
USA: Governor of Virginia extended restrictions to 8 May.
Protests
in some US cities called for easing of restrictions.
IEA forecasts big
drop in global oil demand; 26% of active oil rigs already halted in USA; oil
futures below US$20 /barrel.
|
108
|
17
|
Australia: PM Morrison
said the National Cabinet was looking at easing restrictions “in about 4 weeks”, depending on medical advice (new cases have numbered less than 60 per day for the last 5 days)
Qantas
and Virgin provided with $165m to support continued flights.
USA: 5.25m people
registered for unemployment in the week ending 11 April, bringing the total
to 22m in past 4 weeks.
The
$349billion “Paycheck Protection Program” for small business, part of the $2trillion
support package, has been fully subscribed.
President
Trump issued guidelines to assist States determine reopening schedules; he
said 29 States with few cases could ease restrictions soon.
Governor
Cuomo of NY extended shut-down to 15 May; ordered masks be worn when people
are outside; yesterday 17,735 were hospitalised in NY, the lowest number
since 6 April.
The
USA – Canada border will remain closed to non-essential travel past
19 April, for another 30 days.
|
109
|
18
|
USA: President
Trump tweeted “LIBERATE MICHIGAN, VIRGINIA, MINNESOTA” in support of
protesters.
Oil
price fell to US$18/barrel (down 36% in two weeks).
US
allocated an additional $19 billion to support farmers.
UK: extended
lock-down for another 3 weeks.
Germany (142,325 cases,
4,426 deaths): “CV19 under control” as infection rate dropped below 1:1.
|
110
|
19
|
USA: new rallies
against lock-down restrictions took place in various States; President Trump described
the protestors as ‘responsible’.
Spain: stay-at-home
restrictions introduced on 27 April extended to 9 May.
Turkey: with 82,329
cases overtook Iran as the highest in the Middle East.
China
(now
83,730 cases, 4,632 deaths): original number of deaths in Wuhan revised up by
about 50%.
Preliminary figures show China's GDP fell by over 6.5% in the first quarter of 2020; the first negative result since quarterly estimates started in 1992. CV19 has hit the Chinese economy very hard. |
Covid-19
by the numbers (cumulative)
Source: JHU/WHO from SCMP (I started keeping daily figures on 3 April 2020)
Date 2020
|
Global
|
Australia
|
||
Infections
|
Deaths
|
Infections
|
Deaths
|
|
3
April
|
1,002.159
|
51,485
|
5,116
|
24
|
10
April
|
1,606,782
|
95,990
|
6,108
|
51
|
19
April
|
2,302,152
|
158,220
|
6,547
|
67
|
Date
|
USA
|
Italy
|
Spain
|
|||
Infections
|
Deaths
|
Infections
|
Deaths
|
Infections
|
Deaths
|
|
3
April
|
236,339
|
5,648
|
115,242
|
13,915
|
110,238
|
10,096
|
10
April
|
452,582
|
16,129
|
143,626
|
18,279
|
152,446
|
15,238
|
19
April
|
726,645
|
37,938
|
175,925
|
23,227
|
191,726
|
20,043
|
Date
|
Iran
|
India
|
Indonesia
|
|||
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
|
3
April
|
50,468
|
3,160
|
2,356
|
72
|
1,790
|
170
|
10
April
|
66,220
|
4,110
|
6,653
|
199
|
3,293
|
280
|
19
April
|
80,868
|
5,031
|
14,792
|
485
|
6,248
|
535
|
Date
|
Brazil
|
Russia
|
Nigeria
|
|||
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
Cases
|
Deaths
|
|
3
April
|
7,910
|
299
|
3,548
|
30
|
||
10
April
|
16,474
|
839
|
10,131
|
76
|
276
|
6
|
19
April
|
34,485
|
2,181
|
36,793
|
313
|
442
|
13
|
...
In the meantime Vera & I are fine. Staying pretty close to home, just venturing out for essential things like shopping and exercise. Maintaining social-distancing.
We are so lucky that Australia seems to have Covid-19 under control at this stage. Our health system is coping, unlike many other countries.
There is a shortage of toilet paper and face masks, but otherwise the shops seem to have plenty of supplies especially food.
The economy has been hit hard, many businesses have closed and many people are unemployed or under-employed. Again, we are lucky not to be in that cohort but our hearts go out to all those affected by the CV19 scourge.
...
Here are photos of some activities in which we have been involved.
Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling (if you can in these grim times).
Here are photos of some activities in which we have been involved.
 |
| Sandy organised a "virtual drinks get-together" via ZOOM for the Guys & Dolls Group. It went well. |
 |
| Fuel price at Costco. First time in many years Unleaded 91 has been below a dollar/liter. |
 |
| Golf Clubs are still allowed to operate in Canberra, but only two can play at a time. I've had a couple of games with Noel (here hitting off on the 5th hole of Capital Golf Club - he got a par!). My lack of practice means I'm all over the course - why can't I hit the ball straight??? |
 |
| We are fortunate to live close to beautiful Lake Burley Griffin; Vera & I often walk here (it's popular with Canberrans). From our apartment over the two bridges and back is 7.5km, takes me 75 minutes at a fast clip. We've had nice autumn weather, but definitely getting cooler now. |
 |
| The view from our balcony, along Printers Way. The leaves are turning, it's autumn. |
 |
| We've been using the BBQ a lot - here pork loin - delicious!!! |
 |
| Good friend Richard Roberts died last week. He was Jen's father-in-law (ie Tom's father). He was a delightful person, always doing something interesting. Strong social conscience, very active in community affairs. He made a difference. May he Rest-in-Peace. |
...
Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling (if you can in these grim times).
Vera & Alex Olah
Canberra, Australia
Sunday 19 April 2020
(day 110 of the Pandemic)
