Health

The Netherlands' number of confirmed coronavirus cases has risen by 655 to 37,845, health authorities said on Sunday, with 66 new deaths.

Two mink farms in the Netherlands have been put into quarantine after animals were found to be infected with the new coronavirus, the agriculture ministry said on Sunday, urging people to report any other likely cases in the animals.

Global deaths linked to the coronavirus passed 200,000 on Saturday, while confirmed cases of the virus are expected to hit 3 million in coming days, according to a Reuters tally.

New York will on Saturday begin conducting antibody tests for workers at four hospitals hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic and will allow local pharmacies to begin collecting samples for diagnostic tests, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced an easing of lockdown restrictions on Saturday, as children prepared to go outside for the first time in six weeks and figures confirmed a daily coronavirus death toll running well below the peak seen early this month.

Russia reported 6,361 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, pushing its national tally to 80,949.

Indonesia reported on Sunday 275 new coronavirus cases, raising the total to 8,882, data provided by health ministry official Achmad Yurianto showed.

Tokyo registered 72 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, Kyodo news agency reported, the lowest daily tally since April 1.

Malaysia reported 38 new coronavirus cases on Sunday with no new deaths, Noor Hisham Abdullah, the secretary general of Malaysia's Ministry of Health, told reporters at a news conference.

The Philippines' health ministry on Sunday reported seven more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, taking the death toll in the Southeast Asian country to 501.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to citizens to strictly comply with a nationwide lockdown and maintain social distancing norms, as cases of coronavirus mounted steadily despite over a month-long curfew.

The Australian government launched a controversial coronavirus tracing app on Sunday and promised to legislate privacy protections around it as authorities try to get the country and the economy back onto more normal footing.

Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 1,737 to 154,175, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Sunday.

Singapore registered 931 new coronavirus infections, its health ministry said on Sunday, taking the city-state's total number of COVID-19 cases to 13,624.

(This April 23 story clarifies that masks are disinfected, not sterilized, in paragraph 2)

Singapore is rapidly building bed space for coronavirus patients in cavernous exhibition halls and other temporary facilities as it faces a surge in cases, mainly among its large community of low-paid migrant workers.

Thailand on Sunday reported 15 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths, bringing the total number of cases since its outbreak in January to 2,922 cases and 51 deaths.

Health Canada cautioned on Saturday against the use of malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to prevent or treat COVID-19.

The group of 20 rich and emerging economies on Sunday launched an international initiative to accelerate access to health tools needed to fight the new coronavirus.

Confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Panama reached 5,538 on Saturday, a rise of 200 from the previous day, while related deaths increased by five to 159, the health ministry said.