Live COVID-19 updates: Rwanda plans to employ robots in COVID-19 treatment centers, India's total cases reach 59,662

Source: Xinhua| 2020-05-09 13:16:23|Editor: huaxia

BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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KIGALI -- Rwandan Health Minister Daniel Ngamije on Friday said the health ministry plans to employ robots in coronavirus treatment centers and other public places.

The five imported robots that have been given Rwandan names will serve as an interface between the doctor and the patient, thereby reducing human contacts and risks of the virus's transmission, the minister said in a news program of national Radio Rwanda.

Besides being applied in the treatment centers, the robots will also be used to measure temperatures in other public places such as bus stops and entrances of shopping arcades, he said.

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NEW DELHI -- India's federal health ministry Saturday morning reported 95 more deaths and 3,320 new COVID-19 cases since Friday in the country, taking the number of deaths to 1,981 and total cases to 59,662.

On Friday morning the number of COVID-19 cases in the country was 56,342, and the death toll was 1,886.

According to ministry officials, 17,847 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

"The number of active cases in the country right now is 39,834," read the information.

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CANBERRA -- Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has praised Australians for their response to the COVID-19 as the nation prepares to ease restrictions.

Hunt told reporters on Saturday morning that by abiding by the government restrictions introduced to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Australians have made the country "the envy of the world."

"You have made Australia the envy of the world and it's been difficult, it's been tough," he said. "We have started on the road to recovery for our health, our economy, and for our jobs. Thank you."

As of Friday afternoon there had been 6,914 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Australia.

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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported one confirmed case and one probable case of the COVID-19, taking the number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 1,492, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

Both of the new cases are linked to an aged care facility in Auckland, which had a COVID-19 cluster outbreak.

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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil's death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 9,897 with 751 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the country's Ministry of Health said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases reached 145,328 with 10,222 new cases registered in the last 24 hours.

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NEW YORK -- A five-year-old boy in New York City (NYC) has died from a rare syndrome potentially associated with COVID-19, raising new concerns about the pandemic's full impact on children.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily briefing that the boy died on Thursday, and there have been 73 reported cases of children with the syndrome in New York State.

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CAPE TOWN -- South Africa on Friday reported 663 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the highest number since March 5 when the country reported its first case, raising the total number of cases in the country to 8,895.

Meanwhile, 17 more COVID-19 related deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 178, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in his daily update.

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BEIJING -- China saw a current account deficit in the first quarter this year due to mounting pressure from the COVID-19 epidemic.

The deficit in the current account stood at 29.7 billion U.S. dollars in the first three months, data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) showed Friday.

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MEXICO CITY -- Mexico reported 1,906 new COVID-19 cases and 199 more deaths during the last 24 hours, bringing the total cases in the country to 31,522 cases and the death toll to 3,160, the country's health ministry said on Friday.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that he will receive a proposal on Monday from his cabinet on reopening the country, including the economy. Enditem

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