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Amnesty report says governments should be held accountable for healthcare worker deaths
From CNN’s Zahid Mahmood in London
More than 3,000 healthcare workers have died from the coronavirus globally and governments must be held responsible for their deaths, rights group Amnesty International said today.
Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States topped the list of countries with the most healthcare worker deaths, the report “Global: Health workers silenced, exposed and attacked,” said.
Out of 79 countries examined, Amnesty found that:
“Countries yet to see the worst of the pandemic must not repeat the mistakes of governments whose failure to protect workers’ rights has had devastating consequences,” said Sanhita Ambast, Amnesty International’s Researcher and Advisor on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Threatened for speaking out: The report said that healthcare and essential workers have faced retaliation from authorities after being threatened with arrest, violence, a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and in some cases not being paid for their job.
Two female Russian doctors are facing retaliation after complaining about a lack of PPE, with one being charged under Russia’s fake news laws and being fined up to $1,443, and the second facing disciplinary proceedings that could result in her dismissal, Amnesty found.
Choosing "between death and jail": An unidentified Egyptian doctor told Amnesty that doctors who speak out against their conditions were faced with threats to their life and interrogations by the National Security Agency and penalties.
Amnesty said the 3,000 deaths is likely to be underestimated due to under-reporting and differences in how countries count and collect data.
Here's what we know about the WHO team in China investigating Covid-19 origins
From CNN's Kristie Lu Stout
The World Health Organization (WHO) has sent a two-person advanced team to China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus.
"The experts will develop the scope and terms of reference for a WHO-led international mission. The mission objective is to advance the understanding of animal hosts for Covid-19 and ascertain how the disease jumped between animals and humans," said Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout said this is what we know so far:
According to the WHO, these two individuals will try to get answers to two very critical questions:
This comes at a time of fraught political tension between the US, China and the WHO:
"So there’s a lot fo scrutiny and pressure on this two-person advance WHO team in China to see whether or not they’re going to get access to data, to samples, to files from Chinese authorities to Chinese scientists as well as, critically, answers just to find out what happened."
More than 100 beach-goers in Rio fined for not wearing masks
From journalist Marcia Reverdosa in Sao Paulo
More than 100 beach-goers in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro were fined over the weekend for not wearing masks, according to Rio's Municipal Guard.
The guards carried out health inspections Saturday and Sunday on beaches in Arpoador, Ipanema Park, Copacabana and Leme, resulting in fines for 135 people not wearing masks.
The mask mandate went into effect on May 21, and inspections began June 5. Since then, 1,377 fines have been issued for people violating the mask order, the city's municipal guard said. Those fined must pay 107 Brazilian reais ($22).
Rio state has the second highest number of cases in Brazil, just after Sao Paulo, with nearly 130,000 and 11,415 deaths. The city of Rio de Janeiro tallies more than 64,000 and 7,310 deaths.
India records another highest-daily jump in coronavirus cases
From CNN's Swati Gupta in New Delhi
A civic authority worker sprays sanitizer on the main door of the residence of Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan as he tested positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai on July 12. Sujit Jaiswal/AFP/Getty ImagesIndia has recorded its highest 24-hour jump in Covid-19 cases yet, with 28,701 infections announced on Monday morning by India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The latest jump brings the total positive cases in the country to 878,254 -- the third highest in the world, after the United States and Brazil, the health ministry said.
In total India currently has 301,609 active cases; more than 550,000 people have recovered since testing positive.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 11.8 million tests have been conducted across the country.
Movement restricted at all US Marine Corps bases in Okinawa, Japan
From CNN’s Junko Ogura and Kaori Enjoji in Tokyo and Brad Lendon in Hong Kong
All US Marine Corps personnel on the Japanese Island of Okinawa have had their movements restricted in an effort to combat the spread of Covid-19, according to the US 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force.
Since 6 a.m. Saturday local time, all off-base movement requires the permission of an officer of the rank of lieutenant colonel or above.
US Marines are among 62 cases detected on US military bases in Okinawa between July 7 to 12, according to the Okinawa prefecture local government.
The 62 cases are all US personnel and their families, according to the Okinawa prefecture local government.
US Forces in Okinawa reported 39 cases in Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and 22 cases in Camp Hansen, according to the local government. A single additional case was reported at Camp Kinza on Sunday.
The limitations on movement extend to the US Kadena Air Base, the hub of US air power in the Pacific.
“Many of you are aware our joint community has experienced multiple new positive cases of Covid-19 over the last several days,” wrote US Air Force Brig Gen Joel L Carey in a statement posted online on July 10.
CNN is reaching out to the US military for comment.
Australia's Victoria sees weekend of rising coronavirus cases
From CNN's Angus Watson in Sydney
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media at a press conference at Treasury Theatre on July 13, in Melbourne, Australia. Quinn Rooney/Getty ImagesThe Australian state of Victoria reported 177 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, Premier Daniel Andrews said today.
The state now has 1,612 active cases, with 72 people in hospitals and 17 in intensive care units.
After weeks of keeping the virus under control, Victoria is battling a rise in cases. Last week, the state closed its borders in order to stop the spread.
On Saturday, 273 new cases and one death were reported.
Andrews warned that the “virus will defeat us if we don’t have the best information and of course, Victorians following the rules.”
Residents of Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire in Victoria state are subject to a stay home orders. Last week, Australia made the drastic decision to isolate 6.6 million people in the state from the rest of the nation as the new outbreak emerged.
A total of 1,148,357 tests have been completed in Victoria since the start of the pandemic, which Premier Andrews described as an “enormous amount of testing” that he was “very, very grateful for."
Concerns are also mounting for the neighboring state of New South Wales, where locally-transmitted cases accounted for 10 of 14 new infections on Sunday.
Mexico surpasses Italy's Covid-19 death toll as President Lopez Obrador says the virus "is losing intensity"
From journalist Karol Suarez in Mexico City
Mexico has surpassed Italy's number of deaths relating to the coronavirus, according to numbers released by the Mexican Health Ministry and Johns Hopkins University on Sunday.
The ministry recorded 276 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing Mexico's death toll to 35,006 and making it the fourth highest death toll in the world.
Italy's death toll from the virus currently stands at 34,954, according to data held by John’s Hopkins University.
Mexico also reported 4,482 newly confirmed cases Sunday, bringing the country's total to 299,750.
Earlier in the day, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said he met with the health cabinet to discuss the pandemic, saying it "is losing intensity." The President made the comments before Sunday's figures were released, but the country has reported consistent daily increases in cases throughout the pandemic.
"We have availability to receive patients. The other pandemic is the sensationalism from the conservative media, that's why we need to continue informing, they compare Mexico with other countries. Today I want to transmit tranquillity because we're improving facing professionally this pandemic," the President added.
Bolivian economy minister tests positive for Covid-19
From CNN's Claudia Dominguez in Atlanta
Bolivia's Economy Minister Oscar Ortiz is the country's latest Cabinet member to test positive for coronavirus, a list that includes interim President Jeanine Anez.
The Economy Ministry released a statement on Sunday announcing that Ortiz had tested positive for the virus, adding that he is in good health.
The ministry tweeted a video message from Ortiz, where he confirms he tested positive after feeling ill around noon on Saturday.
"I started feeling tired, feeling down and feeling muscle pain," he said, adding that later that night he was tested and the results came back positive.
Ortiz said that the Minister of Production Development Abel Martinez would take over his tasks during his absence.
Bolivia's stand-in President Jeanine Anez, who also tested positive for the virus on July 9, wished Ortiz "a speedy recovery" and said he was "essential for the country's economic reactivation."
At least four other top Bolivian government officials have tested positive in recent days, including Health Minister María Eidy Roca, Minister of the Presidency Yerko Nunez Negrette, Minister of Mines Jorge Fernando Oropeza, and the commander of the armed forces, Gen. Sergio Orellana.
Bolivia has at least 47,200 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,754 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Colombia tops 150,000 Covid-19 cases
From CNN's Stefano Pozzebon in Bogota, Colombia
Colombia surpassed 150,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Sunday after its health ministry reported 5,083 new infections in the past 24 hours.
The country's total number of Covid-19 cases is now 150,445 -- the 5th highest number of cases in Latin America, following Mexico, Chile, Peru and Brazil, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The health ministry also recorded 188 new deaths on Sunday, bringing Colombia's death toll from the virus to 5,307.
On Friday, officials implemented new lockdown measures, based on geographic zones for the capital city, Bogota, where 49,644 cases have been registered so far.
Additionally, the national government announced the extension of the nationwide quarantine through August 1.
