Tag: Epidemics
UK could see new lockdown in days as virus cases surge
LONDON (AP) — The British government is considering imposing a new national lockdown for England, after its scientific advisers warned that hospitalizations and deaths...
The Latest: Greece tightens restrictions as virus spreads
ATHENS, Greece — Greece will shut down restaurants, bars, cafes, cinemas and gyms across a large part of the country, including the capital Athens,...
Asia Today: Australia to spend on vaccines for wider region
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia has announced it will spend 500 million Australian dollars ($351 million) to secure COVID-19 vaccines for the Pacific and...
Italian nurse on coronavirus duty sees the nightmare return
MILAN (AP) — A 54-year-old nurse became convinced the coronavirus “hated” her during the first seven months of Italy’s outbreaks. Those are Cristina Settembrese's...
The Latest: Kentucky sees near-record number of new cases
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky reported a near-record number of new coronavirus cases Friday as the surging outbreak continued sending more people to hospitals, Gov....
Lester, Kluber, Hand boost free agent total to 175
NEW YORK (AP) — Jon Lester, Corey Kluber and Brad Hand were among 15 more major leaguers who became free agents Friday when teams...
State leaders facing 2nd wave resist steps to curb virus
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Even as a new surge of coronavirus infections sweeps the U.S., officials in many hard-hit states are resisting taking...
For many Latinos, virus deaths loom over Day of the Dead
PHOENIX (AP) — Matilde Gomez wants her mother, Gume, to know how much she appreciates her love and sacrifices. So, she's putting her feelings...
Partial lockdown imposed in Belgium, EU’s worst-hit country
BUIZINGEN, Belgium (AP) — Belgium has imposed a partial lockdown in a new bid to gain control of the pandemic that has hit the...
Losses mount for oil companies as pandemic grips economy
NEW YORK (AP) — Exxon Mobil reported its third consecutive quarter of losses as the global pandemic curtailed travel and crippled global economic activity.
...
On pandemic ‘learning loss,’ schools look forward, not back
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A complete picture has yet to emerge of how much learning was lost by students during the pandemic. That’s all...
EU: WHO should have more power to investigate outbreaks
LONDON (AP) — European countries are calling for the World Health Organization to be given greater powers to independently investigate outbreaks and compel countries...
On virus, Trump and health advisers go their separate ways
WASHINGTON (AP) — A multi-state coronavirus surge in the countdown to Election Day has exposed a clear split between President Donald Trump’s bullish embrace...
Coronavirus dims Mexico’s bright Day of the Dead celebration
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration this weekend won’t be the same in a year so marked by death, in...
The Latest: India’s downward trend in new cases continues
NEW DELHI — India has reported 48,648 new coronavirus cases, continuing a downward trend in infections even as the country’s caseload has crossed 8...
Church: California city violated its rights during pandemic
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When other church leaders protested coronavirus shutdown orders, saying they were following the word of the Lord, pastor Joe Garcia...
San Francisco curbs virus but once-vibrant downtown is empty
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Before the pandemic, Señor Sisig food trucks were a common sight in downtown San Francisco, dishing out Filipino fusion tacos...
‘Difficult winter’: Europe divided on lockdowns; cases soar
BRUSSELS (AP) — The World Health Organization’s Europe director expressed deep concern on Thursday after the region again recorded the highest-ever weekly incidence of...
Poland: New protests as PM urges restraint amid virus spike
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — New protests broke out in Polish cities late Thursday against a recent high court ruling that tightens already strict abortion...
WHO: Europe now has more than 10 million COVID-19 cases
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization’s Europe director said Thursday that the 53-country region has again reached a new weekly record for confirmed...
IMF blames resurgent coronavirus for UK growth downgrades
LONDON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund has downgraded its growth forecasts for the British economy for this year and next, following an acceleration...
‘So frustrating’: Grave missteps seen in US virus response
NEW YORK (AP) — A president who downplayed the coronavirus threat, scorned masks and undercut scientists at every turn. Governors who resisted or rolled...
European Central Bank: Just wait until December
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank held off from strengthening its current economic stimulus but its President Christine Lagarde said there was...
Short of medics as virus surges, central Europe sounds alarm
KYJOV, Czech Republic (AP) — Soldiers in Poland are giving coronavirus tests. American National Guard troops with medical training are headed to the Czech...
Asia Today: Virus arrives in once-clear Marshall Islands
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The Marshall Islands has reported its first cases of the coronavirus after two people who flew from Hawaii to...
Jobless claims fall to 751,000, but new infections a threat
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 751,000, the lowest since March, but it's still historically high...
Australia’s pandemic travel ban brings family heartbreak
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Astrid Magenau wasn’t able to keep a promise to hold her father’s hand at his deathbed in Germany because of...
The Latest: China says latest outbreak appears contained
BEIJING — Officials in the northwestern China region of Xinjiang say they believe they have contained the country’s latest coronavirus outbreak.
...
Pandemic politics: Biden shuns ‘false promises’ of fast fix
BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (AP) — Focused firmly on COVID-19, Joe Biden vowed Wednesday not to campaign in the election homestretch “on the false promises...
UK under pressure as COVID-19 epidemic doubling every 9 days
LONDON (AP) — The British government is under pressure to develop a national strategy to combat a surge of COVID-19 cases and “rescue Christmas’’...
Visa 4Q profits plunge as pandemic slows payments worldwide
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Visa Inc. said Wednesday that its fiscal fourth quarter profits dropped 29% due to fewer dollars crossing on its namesake...
France, Germany impose new lockdowns to curb virus spread
BERLIN (AP) — France announced a full nationwide lockdown for the second time this year and German officials imposed a partial four-week lockdown Wednesday,...
Germany heads into November ‘lockdown light’ to slow virus
BERLIN (AP) — German officials agreed Wednesday to a four-week shutdown of restaurants, bars, theaters and other leisure facilities in an effort to curb...
UK vaccine chief warns of over-optimism, early imperfection
LONDON (AP) — Warning that the first COVID-19 vaccines may be imperfect, the head of the U.K effort to develop a vaccine called Wednesday...
Black men’s votes courted as some search for political home
NEW YORK (AP) — For Phillip Agnew, engaging Black male voters ahead of the general election isn’t just about persuading them to choose former...
EU chiefs call for common tests, tracing as virus surges
As European Union countries weigh tougher coronavirus restrictions, top EU officials on Wednesday urged the bloc's 27 nations to introduce common rules to test...
Divided Belgium among Europe’s worst virus hot spots
BUIZINGEN, Belgium (AP) — Small, yet so divided, Belgium has been hit hard again by the pandemic, and now presents some of the most...
Love blossoms amid pandemic, TikTok turmoil for two creators
NEW YORK (AP) — With love and pranks, Ian Paget and Chris Olsen are among millions of U.S. newbies looking to soak up social...
Asia Today: India’s confirmed virus cases near 8 million
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s tally of confirmed coronavirus cases is moving closer to 8 million, with 43,893 new cases reported in the latest...
Maskless pope blames ‘this lady called COVID’ for distance
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has blamed “this lady called COVID” for forcing him to keep his distance again from the faithful during...
Australia’s second-largest city ends 111-day virus lockdown
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Coffee business owner Darren Silverman pulled his van over and wept when he heard on the radio that Melbourne’s pandemic...
The Latest: India capital has its worst 1-day virus caseload
NEW DELHI — India’s tally of confirmed coronavirus cases is moving closer to 8 million, with 43,893 new cases reported for the latest 24-hour...
Biden faces challenges in quickly combating the pandemic
WILIMINGTON, Del. (AP) — If Joe Biden wins next week's election, he says he'll immediately call Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert....
New protests loom as Europeans tire of virus restrictions
MILAN (AP) — Protesters set trash bins afire and police responded with hydrant sprays in downtown Rome Tuesday night, part of a day of...
Peru’s Machu Picchu reopening Sunday after pandemic closure
MACHU PICCHU, Peru (AP) — Except workers repairing roads and signs, Peru's majestic Incan citadel of Machu Picchu is eerily empty ahead of its...
Worst place, worst time: Trump faces virus spike in Midwest
OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) — Gabe Loiacono is the kind of voter President Donald Trump can ill afford to lose. He lives in a pivotal...
Strong sales of drugs, vaccines, propel Merck in 3Q
Drugmaker Merck, bouncing back from a $1.6 billion hit from the coronavirus pandemic in the second quarter, boosted its third-quarter profit by 55% and...
One Good Thing: Wickedly creative pandemic trick-or-treating
CINCINNATI (AP) — Dropping candy down a chute for little costumed Baby Sharks, Mulans and Black Panthers. Flinging full-size candy bars to them via...
‘We’re working on it:’ Pope’s COVID advisers and the mask
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ decision to forgo wearing a mask has been noticed, with some concern, by the commission of Vatican experts he...
Consumer confidence dips to 100.9 as virus spreads in US
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence dipped slightly in October as a new wave of coronavirus cases appeared across the country.
...
As pandemic depresses demand, Caterpillar muscles through 3Q
Caterpillar’s sales fell 23% in the third quarter as the pandemic throttled demand for construction equipment and a trade war with China continues to...
Spanish unemployment rises to 16.3% amid pandemic
MADRID (AP) — Spain says 355,000 more people were left unemployed in the third quarter, bringing the total jobless rate up to 16.3% from...
Can I celebrate Halloween during the pandemic?
Can I celebrate Halloween during the pandemic?
...
The Latest: India’s daily infections at lowest in 3 months
NEW DELHI — Authorities in India are reporting 36,470 newly confirmed coronavirus infections — that’s the lowest one-day tally in more than three months...
Trump, Biden hit battleground Pennsylvania amid pandemic
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden zeroed in on the critical battleground of Pennsylvania on Monday, demonstrating starkly...
The Latest: Trump celebrates expected Barrett confirmation
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the presidential campaign (all times local):
...
Coronavirus deaths are rising again in the US, as feared
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Deaths per day from the coronavirus in the U.S. are on the rise again, just as health experts had feared,...
Angry women block traffic across Poland over abortion ban
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Women’s rights activists and many thousands of supporters held a fifth day of protests across Poland on Monday, defying pandemic...
French doctor warns his country has ‘lost control’ of virus
PARIS (AP) — A French doctor warned Monday that his country has “lost control of the epidemic,” a day after health authorities reported more...
US health official says pandemic clearly can be controlled
WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said “we’re not going to control the pandemic,” a top Trump...
Global pandemic hits home in the West Virginia mountains
WEST UNION, W.Va. (AP) — Many in West Virginia proudly say they live in the original social distancing state.
...
Wary of angering public, Iran has few ways to contain virus
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As coronavirus infections reached new heights in Iran this month, overwhelming its hospitals and driving up its death...
The Latest: Mexico health officials acknowledge higher toll
MEXICO CITY — Mexican health authorities acknowledge the country’s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is far higher than previously thought, saying there...
Trump aide says ‘we’re not going to control the pandemic’
LONDONDERRY, N.H. (AP) — The coronavirus has reached the upper echelons of the White House again, with an outbreak among aides to Vice President...
The Latest: Pence to be in Minnesota on Monday after all
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the presidential campaign (all times local):
...
Italy closes gyms, shuts eateries early to fight COVID-19
ROME (AP) — Italy's leader imposed at least a month of new restrictions across the country Sunday to fight rising coronavirus infections, shutting down...
Lithuania holds parliamentary vote as pandemic hits jobs
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuanians voted Sunday in a parliamentary runoff where the winner will have to tackle a growing health crisis and high...
Fear and anxiety spike in virus hot spots across US
Preslie Paur breaks down in tears when she thinks of her state’s refusal to mandate face masks.
...
Virus is pummeling Europe’s eateries — and winter is coming
HEIKRUIS, Belgium (AP) — As the Friday night dinner service began earlier this month at the De Viering restaurant outside Brussels, it seemed the...
Vaccine storage issues could leave 3B people without access
GAMPELA, Burkina Faso (AP) — The chain breaks here, in a tiny medical clinic in Burkina Faso that went nearly a year without a...
Spain orders nationwide curfew to stem worsening outbreak
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Buckling under the resurgence of the coronavirus in Europe, the Spanish government on Sunday declared a national state of emergency...
Surging coronavirus colors White House race in closing days
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — President Donald Trump assured supporters packed shoulder to shoulder at a trio of rallies Saturday that “we’re rounding the turn”...
The Latest: New outbreak delays easing of rules in Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Australia — A COVID-19 outbreak in the north of Melbourne has led health authorities in Australia’s Victoria state to hold off on any...
The Latest: Pence’s top aide tests positive for coronavirus
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the presidential campaign (all times local):
...
Europe, U.S. watch case totals grow, debate new restrictions
CHICAGO (AP) — Confirmed coronavirus infections continued to soar Saturday in many parts of the U.S. and Europe. In some cases, so did anger...
AP PHOTOS: Virus makes Friday nights empty, quiet in Europe
ROME (AP) — In much of Europe, city squares and streets, be they wide, elegant boulevards like in Paris or cobblestoned alleys in Rome,...
US sets coronavirus infection record; deaths near 224,000
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. coronavirus caseload has reached record heights with more than 83,000 infections reported in a single day, the latest...
The Latest: Mexico’s Chihuahua border state back in lockdown
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s northern border state of Chihuahua returned to the highest level of alert and lockdown Friday after coronavirus cases jumped there...
Some hospitals in crisis as US nears high for COVID-19 cases
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The United States is approaching a record for the number of new daily coronavirus cases in the latest ominous sign...
Dutch hospital airlifts patients to Germany amid virus surge
ALMERE, Netherlands (AP) — A bright yellow helicopter rose into a blue sky Friday carrying a COVID-19 patient from the Netherlands to a German...
Keeping your credit profile healthy during a pandemic
Credit may not be top of mind for many consumers these days. But as the pandemic and its associated economic woes drag on, they...
France surpasses 1 million confirmed virus cases amid spike
PARIS (AP) — French health authorities say France has recorded over 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, becoming the...
US suicide rate fell last year after decade of steady rise
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. suicide rate fell slightly last year, the first annual decline in more than a decade, according to new...
School districts face hard choices amid pandemic-era cuts
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (AP) — The school year in this old industrial city started with a whack of a budget ax. Teachers, classroom aides and...
In hard-hit Peru, worry mounts over both COVID-19 and dengue
PUCALLPA, Peru (AP) — Two of Lidia Choque’s close family members had already gotten sick with the new coronavirus when the mosquitos arrived.
...
Czech health minister breaks virus rules, asked to resign
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s prime minister called on his health minister to resign or be fired after he broke strict government restrictions...
Asia Today: Vaccine promise is election issue in India state
NEW DELHI (AP) — A promise of free COVID-19 vaccination has become an issue in key state elections in India.
...
The Latest: UN chief urges G20 to unite on coronavirus fight
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. chief says it’s “very frustrating” that leaders of the 20 major industrialized nations didn’t come together in March and...
UK boosts business aid amid pressure to ease virus impact
LONDON (AP) — U.K. Treasury chief Rishi Sunak is increasing subsidies for bars, pubs and restaurants hammered by strict new measures to slow the...
French PM says 2nd virus wave is here, vastly extends curfew
PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday a vast extension of the nightly curfew that is intended to curb the...
Europe faces more curfews, restrictions as virus cases swell
ROME (AP) — Curfews were largely expanded Thursday across France, which registered some 41.600 new confirmed virus cases to approach a total of 1...
UN chief appeals for cease-fires, warns pandemic wins wars
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief is appealing for cease-fires in the world’s major conflicts, from Yemen and Libya to Afghanistan and...
US jobless claims drop to 787,000, but layoffs remain high
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of laid-off Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 787,000, a sign that job losses may have eased...
Czechs enter 2nd lockdown to avoid health system collapse
PRAGUE (AP) — Czechs had been assured it wouldn't happen again.
...
5 questions as Trump and Biden prepare for final debate
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, meet on the debate stage for the second and final time...
The Latest: Sri Lanka orders more curfews over virus cluster
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Authorities in Sri Lanka have closed the country’s main fish market and widened the curfew in many parts of the...
Court orders California to cut San Quentin inmates by half
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California appeals court has ordered state corrections officials to cut the population of one of the world's most famous...
Worsening opioid crisis overshadowed in presidential race
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Like millions of Americans, Diane Urban watched the first presidential debate last month at home with her family. When it...
Pandemic relief faces uncertainty in postelection session
WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiations on a COVID-19 relief bill are inching forward, but it's clear the window for action before the Nov. 3 election...
Virus spikes have officials looking to shore up hospitals
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Hospitals across the United States are starting to buckle from a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with several states setting records...
