More than 400,000 people worldwide — including more than 50,000 people in the United States – have been infected with the new coronavirus, and the number of deaths from the outbreak continues to rise. Officials are attempting to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. as schools, businesses and public events are closed or canceled.
China’s National Health Commission reported 47 new confirmed cases and four more deaths as of March 24. It said all new cases were all imported, meaning they traveled from overseas.
Malaysia has reported another 172 cases of the coronavirus, taking the country’s total confirmed cases to 1,796, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a televised address.
The White House and Senate leaders reached a deal on a massive $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill to combat the economic impact of the outbreak.
More than 170,000 people in Britain have reportedly signed up to become volunteers to help the country’s National Health Service (NHS). It comes less than a day after the U.K. government appealed for 250,000 “people in good health” to help the NHS cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
Appealing to the public Tuesday evening, Health Minister Matt Hancock said the network of volunteers will help around 1.5 million people deemed vulnerable to the coronavirus due to pre-existing health conditions, and who have been told to “shield” themselves for 12 weeks.
Sweden’s economy is forecast to contract 4% this year, banking group Swedbank said in its latest economic outlook, as the coronavirus hits growth in the Scandinavian country.
“The downturn in the Swedish economy is broader and faster than during the financial crisis. Unemployment will reach 10% already by summer, despite unprecedented fiscal stimulus,” Swedbank said in its report released Wednesday.
“Most sectors in the Swedish economy are bleeding. In the services sector, several companies are completely without demand, abandoned as cautious households have gone home. Manufacturing is struggling with broken supply chains and falling demand.”
