Covid-19 Highlights: France reports 108 new coronavirus deaths in last 24 hours

Greece is ready to inject 10 billion euros to support its economy through tough times in the coming months due to the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday, according to a news report in Reuters.

Greece confirmed 46 new coronavirus cases on Thursday bringing its total to 464.

The coronavirus epidemic has killed 108 more people in France over the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll from the outbreak in the country to 372, according to news agency AFP.

Italy on Thursday overtook China's coronavirus death toll, with 427 new fatalities taking its total since the first case was registered in February to 3,405.

China has officially reported 3,245 deaths since registering the first infection at the end of last year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a video conference with chief ministers of various states on ways to deal with the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Sources in the government said the video conference could take place on Friday evening.

The prime minister has been pitching for involvement of people and local authorities to check the spread of the virus.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital on Thursday rose to 14, according to the Delhi Health Department. The four new cases include, two people from West Bengal, who had returned from Italy, and were quarantined at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Chhawala facility.

"Two cases, already under isolation at Rajiv Gandhi Super specialty Hospital, tested positive toady," the Delhi Health Department said in a statement.

The Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged reported no new homegrown cases Thursday, while the death toll in Italy was poised to overtake China's in a stark illustration of how the crisis has pivoted toward Europe and the US.

The outbreak spread to at least one European head of state, 62-year-old Prince Albert II of the tiny principality of Monaco.

The CPI(M) on Thursday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for proposing "symbolism" in his address to the nation on coronavirus and questioned his silence on the government's preparations to deal with the pandemic.

"It is unfortunate that the PM has not spelt out in his much advertised address, anything about the government's preparation and actions taken to help people fight the coronavirus pandemic," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in a tweet.

Singapore on Thursday confirmed 32 new coronavirus cases, including 24 imported ones, taking the total number of infections in the country to 345. All the imported coronavirus cases were returning residents and long-term pass holders who had travelled to Europe, currently the epicentre of the virus, as well as to North America and ASEAN countries.

According to the health ministry, 15 of the 221 patients in hospitals are in critical condition. A total of 124 people have fully recovered and have been discharged from hospitals.

The US has approved the anti-malarial drug chloroquine for use as a treatment against the new coronavirus, President Donald Trump said Thursday.

“We’re going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that’s where the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has been so great,” Trump told reporters.

“They’ve gone through the approval process -- it’s been approved. They took it down from many, many months to immediate. So we’re going to be able to make that drug available by prescription.”

The Congress on Thursday said it will support every effort of the government in the battle against the coronavirus.

Senior spokesperson of the opposition party Ajay Maken suggested creation of more testing facilities and conducting more tests in the country, while noting that there should be no shortage of any protective equipment for those engaged in combatting the virus.

He also pitched for creation of new containment zones and treatment facilities, besides increasing the number of ICU beds in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

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