COVID-19 global death toll breaches 80,000 mark; 4 billion in quarantine

The deaths related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached more than 80,000 worldwide while there are about four billion people confined to their houses as part of government measures to curb the spread of the disease. 

In the Philippines, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 177 as of Tuesday. The total number of COVID-19 cases nationwide, meanwhile, climbed to 3,764, the Department of Health said.

Eleven more people have also recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 84.

At a virtual press briefing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said 274 of the COVID-19-positive patients are considered mild cases, 39 are in severe condition, while 23 are critical.

British PM in intensive care

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting the virus in intensive care after being diagnosed late last month.

The 55-year-old is being given oxygen support but was not put on a ventilator after being admitted on Monday evening. His "condition is stable," his official spokesman says around 1800GMT.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is deputizing.

Japan: state of emergency

Japan declares a month-long state of emergency but stops short of strict lockdown.

The move allows governors in seven affected regions including Tokyo to ask people to stay indoors and request that businesses close.

More than 80,000 dead

At least 80,142 people have died around the world in 192 countries, since the virus emerged in China in December, according to an AFP tally around 1900 GMT Tuesday based on official sources.

The pandemic has killed more 57,351 people in Europe, including 17,127 in Italy and 13,798 in Spain. There are 12,021 deaths in the United States, 10,328 in France and 6,159 in Britain.

The United States have at least 383,256 confirmed infections, the highest caseload in the world.

More than 1.39 million cases have been officially recorded around the world, a toll that represents only a fraction of the actual number of infections.

Trump lashes WHO

US President Donald Trump attacks the World Health Organization, saying it is "China centric" and issued bad advice at the outset of the pandemic.

More than four billion confined

More than four billion people in nearly 100 countries and territories are forced or called on by their authorities to stay at home to fight the coronavirus outbreak, according to an AFP database on Tuesday.

Wuhan lockdown lifted

At midnight (1600 GMT Tuesday) authorities lifted a more than two-month ban on outbound travel from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic first emerged.

China reports no new coronavirus deaths for the first time since it started publishing figures in January.

Confinement not over

Portugal extends its confinement for at least another two weeks

The French government warns confinement rules that came into force March 17 will remain in place as long as necessary as the country has not reached the peak of the epidemic.

Jobs: worst crisis since WWII

The International Labour Organization warns that some 1.25 billion workers are seeing their livelihoods threatened by the pandemic, saying it is the "worst global crisis" since World War II.

WHO: shortage of health workers

The WHO warns of a shortage of health workers in the Middle East and North Africa region and calls for the mobilisation of more medical staff to fight the coronavirus.

Lufthansa to slash fleet

Lufthansa says it is shutting down its low-cost Germanwings unit and getting rid of dozens of planes to survive the impact of the coronavirus on its business.

Ethiopian Airlines is bracing for income loss of half a billion dollars and has axed most of its scheduled passenger flights,

EU aid for poor countries

The European Union is to put up 15 billion euros ($16.4 billion) to help poor countries fight the epidemic. —Agence France-Presse/KG, GMA News