Covid index - March 2020 (and before) - May 2020
1 Apr 2020: Wed US more than 4000 - more than China (declared!)
Spain 849 deaths in a day, new high
UN chief saying greatest test since WWII (economic effects)
Wimbledon cancelled for first time since World War Two
The official death toll in Iran is now more than 3,000
There are now more than 800,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 around the world
The focus of the White House briefing on Covid-19 continues to be the illegal drugs trade. (You what?)
2 Apr 2020: Nearly 950,000 universal credit claims in past two weeks
Rows about face masks - UK still says No.
The death toll from the coronavirus in the US has passed the 5,000 mark, after a record 884 people died in 24 hours
US unemployment claims have surged to a record-breaking 6.6 million
Global cases pass a million, worldwide death toll has passed 50,000
8pm clap for NHS, teachers, supermarket staff, etc.
Diary "We join in 8pm clapping for NHS"
3 Apr 2020: UK death toll passes China
US ship's captain gets fired raising concerns about infections on ship, cheered off his ship
Prince Charles opens new hospital The Nightingale
Boris still showing symptoms
Health Secretary Matt Hancock calls for medical trial volunteers
White House is expected to advise Americans to wear masks (Trump won't!)
Diary "There is a Brexitcast to watch, plus a self-isolating 'Have I Got News For You' which doesn't really work"
4 Apr 2020: Spain has now overtaken Italy as the country with the highest number of cases in Europe
Spain reports another 809 deaths but it is the lowest for a week
Mobile phone masts have been set on fire over “baseless” theories linking 5G to coronavirus
IMF says the pandemic has stalled the global economy, causing a recession worse than 2008
5 Apr 2020: Good weather! Brighton and Lake District saying people staying away (as they're supposed to!)
Queen's speech
Sunbathing in public spaces is against social distancing rules - health secretary
Scotland's chief medical officer has resigned after apologising for visiting her second home during the coronavirus lockdown.
Boris Johnson admitted to hospital over virus symptoms
Worldwide cases pass 1.2m, at least 65,000 people have died and 252,000 recovered
Donald Trump has warned Americans to prepare for the "toughest week" of the coronavirus pandemic yet, predicting a surge in deaths.
6 Apr 2020: New infections and deaths have fallen in Spain and Italy in recent days - suggesting lockdowns are working
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to announce state of emergency
Nearly 1.3 million people cases have now been confirmed worldwide with close to 70,000 deaths
Debenhams filing for administration
Parks told to only close as a last resort
Boris Johnson moved to intensive care
US death toll passes 10,000
7 Apr 2020: Boris Johnson stable and not on ventilator. He does not have pneumonia
China reports no Covid-19 deaths for first time
NHS volunteers to start receiving tasks (3/4 million)
Paris bans outdoor exercise
8 Apr 2020: Deaths in Spain rise for second consecutive day, to 14,555
In Germany, infections have passed the 100,000 mark
There are more than 1.4 million confirmed cases worldwide
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "responding to treatment" as he spends a third day in hospital
London Mayor Sadiq Khan says of the UK: "We are nowhere near lifting the lockdown"
Planned review of UK lockdown (supposed to be Monday) postponed
Diary "Do a bike ride to take photo of Union Street mural that I missed before plus better ones of old buildings opp. Catholic Church (despite 2 police cars there!)" {We were only allowed out for exercise and shopping, but I wanted to photograph some buildings on a busy road as there was not traffic. But when I turned up, so did the police cars! Luckily they moved on without arresting me! The lack of traffic really was bizarre.]
9 Apr 2020: Worries about the Easter weekend (25 deg on Saturday!) [We were not supposed to go out and enjoy the sunshine.]
90,000 people have died world-wide with the virus
Row between Trump and WHO. Trump threatens not to pay and says WHO is pro-China.
Johnson 'continues to improve'.
Spain death toll passes 15,000, but new cases fall
10 Apr 2020: Jonson out of intensive care. Father says he ought to rest!
Fatalities globally near 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins University
US expels thousands of migrants under powers to stop coronavirus spread
Singapore suspends Zoom in teaching after pupils receive pornographic images
Boris taking short walks, still in hospital
Some 1.7 million cases and 100,000 deaths have been confirmed globally
New York cases more than any country
11 Apr 2020: Row about Matt Hancock saying that NHS being wasteful with protective gear
US becomes the first country to report more than 2,000 deaths in a single day
WHO warns of a "deadly resurgence" in infections if restrictions are lifted too early
Sweden has not done enough, admits their PM. [Sweden had no compulsory lockdown, trusting its citizens to be sensible. There has been much debate about this.]
12 Apr 2020: Boris out of hospital
UK could be 'worst affected' country in Europe
Ethnic minorities 'are a third' of patients (in UK)
The United States has now overtaken Italy to have the highest death toll from coronavirus in the world.
13 Apr 2020: Aides reportedly expecting Boris to be out of action for up to a month
Spain has started easing strict lockdown measures; its daily death toll has fallen again
More than 1.8m people have been confirmed infected globally
More than 22,000 people have now died with coronavirus in the US
Staff in the UK National Health Service are facing a limited supply of protective gowns, a manager warns
China on Sunday reported 108 new cases, its highest number in weeks - almost all were imported
14 Apr 2020: Trump claims he can lift lockdown (governors disagree) and does campaign video!
1 in 10 coronavirus deaths in England and Wales outside hospital in the week to 3 April
More than 1.9 million people worldwide have been confirmed to have the virus
Nearly half of London deaths linked to Covid-19
UK driver hits 151mph, as police say speeding is up
Deaths week ending 3 April > 16,000 - record high and 6,000 more than expected at this time of year
Sinn Fein president 'was very unwell' with coronavirus
Nearly two million cases recorded globally
Report by the OBR says the economy could shrink by 35% before bouncing back
15 Apr 2020: Coronavirus cases close to 2 million around world
President Trump says US will stop funding the World Health Organization, accusing it of mismanagement
His announcement is widely condemned, with Bill Gates calling it "as dangerous as it sounds"
Trump's name to appear on US relief cheques
First sailor on virus-stricken USS Roosevelt dies
Army veteran Tom Moore, 99, raises £4m for NHS
16 Apr 2020: UK lockdown to continue for another 3 weeks
Trump saying US expected to relieve restrictions
French aircraft carrier getting worse
Captain Tom (99 year old) completes his 100th lap, with guard of honour - over £12 million raised.
17 Apr 2020: Wuhan, where the virus emerged, revises its death toll up by 1,290 to 3,869 - an increase of 50%
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock is pressed by MPs on reports of gown shortage and testing
The US, with more than 32,000 deaths, announces plans to start opening up its economy again
There have now been more than 2.15 million confirmed cases worldwide and 145,000 deaths
18 Apr 2020: Spain's coronavirus death toll has risen above 20,000
Queen Elizabeth has asked that there be no gun salutes to mark her birthday on Tuesday (first ever)
As world coronavirus deaths pass 150,000, more than 4.5 billion people are under containment to slow the pandemic
US has seen more than three times as many confirmed cases as any other country.
19 Apr 2020: No plans for UK schools to open over the summer period
One World: Together At Home show included more than 100 artists playing live from their homes
The New York governor said the outbreak was "slowing, not growing" in his state
Asda is cancelling a quarter of orders with clothing suppliers
20 Apr 2020: Germany starts to reopen smaller shops after deciding the outbreak is coming under control
US oil prices drop to 21-year low as demand dries up - WTI crude ends up negative!
The UK is to try to use the blood of survivors to treat patients
The number of deaths in the US now exceeds 41,000
There are more than 2.4m infections worldwide, with more than 165,000 deaths
For first time, Italy records one-day fall in number of people currently infected
Chancellor Rishi Sunak says emergency pay scheme will help pay wages of more than a million furloughed workers
9 out of 10 UK coronavirus deaths are in hospital, says Public Health England official
21 Apr 2020: Donald Trump says he will suspend immigration to the US to fight virus and protect jobs
Deaths in England and Wales are at a 20-year high (not all Covid-10). [People were afraid to go to hospital or edoctor.]
Virgin Australia, which Sir Richard Branson's group part-owns, enters administration
Sir Richard is also seeking loans for Virgin Atlantic and has offered an island as collateral
Cases continue to grow exponentially in Singapore, mostly among the migrant worker community
Global coronavirus cases exceed 2.5m
More than 2.5 million coronavirus infections worldwide, death toll currently stands at 171,810.
22 Apr 2020: The mid-western state of Missouri files a civil lawsuit in a US court, accusing China of deception
In Australia, the Chinese embassy accuses Australian politicians of anti-China attacks
UK denies that not taking part in EU medical equipment scheme was a "political decision"
Singapore extends its "lockdown" until 1 June and tightens restrictions
The World Food Programme says the virus could cause "biblical" famines
New customers for Netflix almost double in the first quarter of the year
23 Apr 2020: Up to half European Corvid-10 deaths in care homes
Australia calls on G20 nations to ban wet wildlife markets over public health concerns
China reports no new Covid-19 deaths for the eighth day in a row
Children to be allowed to play outside in Spain
The total number of cases in US is now above 840,000 with more than 46,700 deaths
US unemployment claims hit 26.4 million - more than 15% of the workforce
The UK's budget deficit is set to see "an absolutely colossal increase to a level not seen in peacetime"
24 Apr 2020: Outcry after Trump suggests injecting disinfectant as treatment
UK website for testing crashes
EU leaders agree to inject billions of euros of emergency aid into Europe's struggling economies
Most Muslims will observe the holy month of Ramadan by fasting under lockdown but clerics in some countries push back
25 Apr 2020: UK's Captain Tom tops the charts aged 99
World Health Organization says people who have recovered may not be protected against reinfection
UK virus testing website runs out of slots within an hour of reopening on Saturday
Global confirmed cases stand at more than 2.8m, with close to 200,000 deaths
26 Apr 2020: The UK military is to begin testing essential workers in mobile units in "hard to reach" areas
Care homes looking after thousands of vulnerable residents say no staff have been tested.
27 Apr 2020: Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the UK is at point of "maximum risk" and he won't ease restrictions too quickly
His return after serious Covid-19 illness comes as pressure mounts to deliver testing and relax the lockdown
Although UK has flattened the peak of the virus, priority is to avoid a second outbreak, he says
Some countries where cases have been falling are starting to ease restrictions on economic activity
Italy outlines plans to ease restrictions from 4 May as it records its lowest daily death toll since mid-March
Germany makes it mandatory to wear masks outside
New Zealand says it has eliminated local transmission - it moves out of its toughest lockdown level at midnight
There are over 3 million confirmed cases and more than 206,000 deaths globally, according to Johns Hopkins University
Belgians are being urged to eat more chips
28 Apr 2020: 25,000 UK deaths from all causes in week of the Easter bank holiday - 108% above expected number for time of year
Separate figures show a third of all virus deaths in England and Wales are now occurring in care homes
29 Apr US 2020: has a million cases. Trump says it's worse than Spanish flu (it isn't).
With more than 58,000 deaths, more Americans have died with Covid-19 than died in the Vietnam War.
President Trump has ordered meat processing plants, which have become virus hotspots, to remain open
All staff and residents of UK care homes will be tested for the virus whether or not they have symptoms. Plus others.
2,000 coronavirus care home deaths in the week ending 17 April - 1/3 of all coronavirus deaths
30 Apr 2020: Captain (now Colonel) Tom's 100th birthday
'Probable' government will miss 100,000 tests a day target but done 50,000
South Korea recorded no new domestically transmitted cases
The US economy had its most severe contraction in more than a decade in the first quarter of the year
More than 3.1 million confirmed cases worldwide and a quarter of a million deaths of people with Covid-19
Covid index - March 2020 (and before) - May 2020
Return to Covid index
© Jo Edkins 2024