World Coronavirus Dispatch: Google-Apple join hands for contact-tracing

From two Silicon Valley giants joining hands, to WHO's warning against lifting lockdowns, to Russians having some fun at home

A rare partnership

Silicon Valley giants Apple and Google are developing technologies into their smartphone platforms that will alert users if they have come into contact with a person with Covid-19.

This will be out by mid-May, and users will have to ‘opt-in’. It’ll also have the ability to wirelessly exchange anonymous information with and via apps run by public health authorities.

This could be the most powerful initiative, significantly more impactful than local government apps, as over 95 percent smartphones in the world run on either Android or iOS. It has the potential to monitor a third of the world’s population. Read all about it here (https://bre.is/BRm3KCRC)

Let’s look at the global statistics:

Total Confirmed Cases: 1,712,674

Change Over Yesterday: 100,028

Total Deaths: 103,796

Total Recovered: 388,910

Nations hit with most cases: US (466,299), Spain (157,022), Italy (143,626), France (118,785), and Germany (118,235)

Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

Cases rise in Russia: The country reported 1,667 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the national tally of confirmed cases to 13,584. The authorities in Moscow have admitted that coronavirus cases are increasing rapidly here. So far only Moscow, the epicentre, and a few other main cities are under lockdown. Read more here

US outbreak starting to level off: Experts on the White House Covid-19 task force say the outbreak is starting to level off across, "as encouraging as they are, we have not have reached the peak." Donald Trump also said he expects the US to see a lower death toll than the initial predictions of 100,000. Read more here

WHO warns against lifting lockdowns: Lifting coronavirus curbs and lockdown measures too early could spark a "deadly resurgence" in infections, WHO chief has said. Europe's worst hit countries, Spain and Italy, are both relaxing some measures, while their lockdowns continue. Read more here

South Korea will tie on you a tracking device, if you step out: Anyone defying quarantine orders will be instructed to wear a tracking device on their wrist, the government said. The country has been relatively successful in containing the outbreak. Total cases in South Korea currently stand at 10,480. Read more here 

Lockdown easing in Italy: The European nation was the first western democracy to be hit by the virus, and it has suffered the most deaths of any nation: nearly 19,000. Now, as infections ease, it prepares to lift broad restrictions. The so-called Phase II is being described as a cautious reopening. Read more here

Specials

Mass graves in New York - See here

Covid-19 didn’t stop this Czech man: After testing positive for coronavirus, this Czech billionaire spent 12 hours a day running his businesses by phone, and even found time to search for new investments. This is Daniel Kretinsky, owner of Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding AS, a $7.7 billion conglomerate with interests ranging from power plants to media. “There are opportunities here”, he says. Read more here 

Humoue: Some Russians are recreating artworks with objects found at home and posting their imitations on social media. See this photo-trail 

Long read

With Covid-19, predicting the future: Not only are the epidemiology models hard to lay down, that may give some sense of the spread of the virus, there are many unforeseen consequences. The hardest thing to model is human behaviour. Read more here

Opinion:

Philippines took virus head on: Benjamin Diokno, the central bank governor of Philippines, explains how his team prepared the economic reforms-- arsenal of relief measures that he think will see country through (This is most popular column on Nikkei in the past week). Read it here

Interactive:

Don’t horde: Use this visual food calculator to find out if you have enough food in your kitchen to last you a week, a month or longer. Experience it here

Twitter: @elnovw