Coronavirus updates: WHO recommends face masks for older children, Italy sees highest daily cases since May
The WHO says children aged between six and 11 should wear face masks on a “risk-based” approach.(Reuters: Kim Kyung Hoon)
Face masks should be worn by children over 12 under the same conditions as adults when it comes to limiting the spread of coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended.
It said that younger children should wear them under certain circumstances.
Meanwhile, Italy reported more than 1,000 infections over the past 24 hours in its highest caseload since May 12.
This story will be updated throughout Sunday.
WHO recommends face masks for children over 12
The World Health Organization (WHO) says children aged 12 and over should wear masks to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic under the same conditions as adults, while children between six and 11 should use them on a risk-based approach.
Children aged 12 and over should particularly wear a mask when a 1-metre distance from others cannot be guaranteed and there is widespread transmission in the area, the WHO and UNICEF said.
Whether children between six and 11 should use masks depends on a number of factors, including the intensity of transmission in the area, the child’s ability to use them, access to masks and adequate adult supervision.
The potential impact on learning and psycho-social development, and the interactions the child has with people at high risk of developing serious illness, should also play a role.
Children aged five years and under should not be required to wear masks based on the safety and overall interest of the child, the WHO and UNICEF said.
Studies suggest older children potentially play a more active role in transmission of coronavirus than younger children.
The WHO first advised people to wear masks in public on June 5 to help reduce the spread of the disease, but had previously not issued specific guidance for children.
Italy sees highest daily infections in three months
Italy’s health ministry has reported 1,071 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, exceeding 1,000 cases in a day for the first time since May when the Government eased rigid lockdown measures.
Italy, one of Europe’s worst-hit countries with more than 35,000 deaths, has managed to contain the outbreak after a peak in deaths and cases between March and April.
However, it has seen a steady increase in infections over the last month, with experts blaming holidays and night life for causing people to gather in numbers.
The country last recorded a higher figure on May 12, when 1,402 cases were reported, six days before restaurants, bars and shops were allowed to reopen after a 10-week lockdown.
Despite the rise in infections, daily death tallies remain low and are often in single figures.
Saturday saw just three fatalities, compared to nine on Friday and six on Thursday, health ministry data showed.
Death toll passes 800,000 with almost 23 million infections confirmed
There have now been 800,000 confirmed deaths and close to 23 million confirmed cases of coronavirus across the world.
That’s according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Officials believe the true numbers are far higher because of a lack of testing and reporting.
In the US, the nation with the most infections, health officials believe there may be 10 times more cases than the confirmed 5.6 million.
The US also leads the world in deaths, with more than 175,000.
The news comes as South Korea, once considered a coronavirus success story, banned large gatherings, shut nightspots and churches and banned fans from professional sports to slow a viral resurgence.
Germany, which also initially slowed the virus, reported a four-month high of more than 2,000 cases on Saturday.
India cases surge towards 3 million after another record increase
India has reported a new record daily jump of infections, piling pressure on authorities to curb huge gatherings as a major religious festival began.
The 69,878 new infections — coming on the fourth straight day where new cases were above 60,000 — take India’s total cases to 2.98 million, behind only the United States and Brazil.
The country’s death toll, which is the world’s fourth highest, has increased by 945 to 55,794.
For most of western India, especially the financial capital Mumbai, the 11-day festival of Hindu elephant-headed god Ganesh, which begins this month, is usually celebrated with big public gatherings.
Cases have plateaued in Mumbai, which now averages just above 1,000 a day and has recorded more than 134,000 in total.
But strict pandemic regulations have meant the festival season has been lacklustre.
Some 2.2 million people have recovered from the disease in India since the first case was diagnosed in late January.
Ukraine President urges health awareness after record infections
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged people to act on health advice after official data showed daily COVID-19 infections had risen to a record level.
The country saw 2,328 new cases and 37 deaths after infections rose sharply in recent days.
The latest daily total has surpassed the previous record of 2,134, which was set on Thursday, and has pushed the total number of cases to 102,971.
The death toll has risen to 2,244.
Mr Zelenskiy asked people to take seriously the recent jump in the daily tally of new infections, urging them to wear masks and keep social distancing.
He said Ukraine had managed to avoid a big number of infections in March through May thanks to a strict lockdown.
Yet as soon as restrictions had gradually been lifted, numbers of new daily coronavirus cases started rising, from bellow 1,000 in June to above 2,000 this week.
Czech Republic records biggest daily jump in cases
The Czech Republic has recorded 506 new coronavirus cases, the country’s largest single-day jump.
The previous high was 377 cases registered on March 27.
Saturday’s announcement comes a day after neighbouring Slovakia also reported a record daily increase of infected people.
The Czech Republic has had 21,551 cases overall, including 411 deaths.
Source: abc/wires
