New York reels as 630 die in a day; confirmed cases in US top 300,000
Coronavirus-related illnesses killed 630 people in the last day in New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, in the bleakest 24 hours yet for the US state hit hardest by the pandemic.
The novel coronavirus has now killed 3,565 people in the state and the situation is particularly worrying on Long Island, east of New York City, where the number of cases "is like a fire spreading," Cuomo told a news conference.
Health experts calculate that New York, home both to bustling Manhattan and hilly farm country stretching to the Canadian border, might be around a week away from the worst point in the health crisis which has killed about 60,000 people worldwide.
"We're not yet at the apex, we're getting closer ... Our reading of the projections is we're somewhere in the seven-day range," Cuomo said. "It's only been 30 days since our first case," he said. "It feels like an entire lifetime."
Trump says thousands of military personnel to be sent to help US states battle coronavirus
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday the US government would be deploying thousands military personnel to states to help them deal with the coronavirus epidemic.
"We're going to be adding a tremendous amount of military to help," Trump said in a daily briefing with reporters.
He added that 1,000 military personnel are being sent to New York City, including military doctors and nurses.
Opec+ meeting delayed as Saudi Arabia and Russia row over oil price collapse
Opec and Russia have postponed a meeting due on Monday to discuss oil output cuts until April 9, Opec sources said on Saturday, as a row between Moscow and Saudi Arabia over who is to blame for plunging crude prices intensified.
The delay came amid pressure from US President Donald Trump for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries led by Saudi Arabia and its allies, a group collectively known as Opec+, to urgently stabilise global oil markets.
Oil prices hit an 18-year low on March 30 due to a slump in demand caused by lockdowns to contain the coronavirus outbreak and the failure of Opec and other producers led by Russia to extend a deal on output curbs that expired on March 31.
UK extends condolences to family of 5-year-old who died from coronavirus
British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said his thoughts went out to the family of a five-year-old child who died in hospital after being infected with the novel coronavirus.
The United Kingdom's hospital death toll from the coronavirus rose by 20 per cent to 4,313 on Friday, the health ministry said. There were 41,903 confirmed cases as of Saturday, up 3,735.
The toll has been steadily increasing by more than 500 deaths a day this week and the country is bracing for an expected peak in the next week to 10 days.
Liverpool furlough staff amid coronavirus pandemic
Premier League leaders Liverpool have furloughed some of their staff due to the Covid-19 pandemic and are holding talks about the prospect of salary deductions for players and senior staff, the club said on Saturday.
Liverpool added on their website that the furloughed staff would continue to receive 100 per cent of their salaries.
Several English top-flight clubs, including Bournemouth and Newcastle United, have already put non-playing staff on furlough, with the return of football in England now contingent on medical guidance and government support.
