BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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BRUSSELS -- Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes announced the gradual de-confinement measures in three phases at the end of a National Security Council meeting on Friday.
An agreement was reached at a 7-hour meeting by the National Security Council (NSC), which decided on the lockdown measures to contain the new coronavirus as well as their extensions until May 3.
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PARIS -- France on Friday registered 389 deaths caused by the coronavirus, bringing the tally to 22,245, the world's fourth-highest after the United States, Italy and Spain, Director-General of Health Jerome Salomon told a daily conference on the epidemic.
The number of people who succumbed to the COVID-19 increased by 1.8 percent on a daily basis, lower than 2.4 percent on Thursday and 2.6 percent on Wednesday.
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ROME -- In another sign of encouragement and hope, Italy reported 420 new deaths related to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the smallest daily increase since March 18, fresh figures showed on Friday.
The new deaths raised the nationwide fatalities to 25,969 since the pandemic first broke out in northern Italy on Feb. 21, according to figures from the country's Civil Protection Department.
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BEIJING -- Equatorial Guinea's ambassador to China German Ekua Sima Abaga has spoken highly of China's efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
In an interview with Xinhua, the ambassador said China had adopted a series of comprehensive, strict and thorough measures, which have been effective in reducing transmission risks.
"We salute the Chinese government's efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak," he said.
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KIEV -- Ukraine on Friday has reported a total of 7,647 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 193 deaths, the country's health ministry said.
In the past 24 hours, 477 people have tested positive for COVID-19, while 505 patients have recovered. Currently, a total of 2,489 coronavirus patients are hospitalized, including 109 children and 244 health workers. Among them, 103 people, including one child, are using ventilators.
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JERUSALEM -- Doctors from a southern Israeli medical center turned to their Chinese colleagues in the city of Wuhan for experience in dealing with COVID-19.
Israeli medical experts from Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital and Chinese medical experts from Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital held a video meeting on Thursday.
The meeting was initiated by Ashdod mayor Yechiel Lasry and head of external relations at the municipality Aryella Rosenthal.
"It was important for me that our hospital in Ashdod would learn from our colleagues in Wuhan," Aryella Rosenthal said, "I believe this is just the beginning of the cooperation." Enditem
