The lack of available tests for COVID-19 means the world is effectively fighting the pandemic blind and may not know the true extent of infection for months if not years, experts said on Thursday.
Because COVID-19 is so infectious -- roughly 2.5 times that of the common cold -- but not everyone presents symptoms, the figure of more than 200,000 confirmed cases tells only a fraction of the story.
Jerry Shaman, a diseases expert at the University of Columbia, told AFP it was "likely" that developed nations are identifying between one in five and one in 10 true infections.
Shaman said there was a variety of reasons, including "test availability, capacity, ignorance (not taking the issue seriously), arrogance (national pride)."
On Tuesday the British government conceded it was likely there were already more than 55,000 COVID-19 infections in the country, far lower than the more than 2,600 confirmed cases so far.
While the number of undetected or non-symptomatic cases likely mean the virus 

With low test rates, COVID-19 spreads in shadows

PTI Automatic

The number of cases of the new coronavirus reported in Europe has surpassed 100,000, according to an AFP tally at 1700 GMT on Thursday.
Europe has at least 100,470 recorded infections, including 4,752 deaths, overtaking Asia with 94,253 cases and 3,417 deaths.
This number of diagnosed cases reflects only a fraction of the actual number of infections as many countries test only those with the most severe symptoms.

Coronavirus cases reported in Europe pass 100,000: AFP

Italy on Thursday overtook China's coronavirus death total and braced for an extended lockdown that could see the economy suffer its biggest shock since World War II.
The Mediterranean country's toll reached 3,405 after it recorded 427 new deaths on Wednesday.
China has officially reported 3,245 deaths since registering the first case at the end of last year.
The number of new COVID-19 cases is yet to plateau despite the Italian government's best efforts.
Army trucks delivered new coffins Thursday to a cemetery in the northern Italian city of Bergamo that suddenly finds itself at the global heart of the unfolding disaster.
Burials were taking place 30 minutes apart to avoid contagion through crowds.
Masked undertakers wrapped from head to toe in white suits carted the coffins on gurneys to speed up the process.
Italy's ANSA news agency said the deaths of two more doctors in the nearby town of Como west of Bergamo on Thursday brought the total number of medics killed by the new disease 

Italy overtakes China's coronavirus death toll

A woman who tested positive for coronavirus gave birth to a healthy baby at an Athens hospital, Greek media reported on Thursday.
The 24-year-old woman and her partner had both tested positive before the delivery on Wednesday, but the first test on the baby came back negative for COVID-19.
"The virus is not transmitted by the placenta," the director of maternity at Attikon Hospital told Greek national broadcaster ERT.
The hospital had prepared for the birth by installing a confined area in the ward and the doctors all wore three pairs of gloves, protective glasses and masks to perform the caesarean section.
"It was a unique experience," an obstetrician told ERT.
The mother must remain in isolation for the next 14 days and will only be able to hold her baby at the end of that period.

Woman with coronavirus gives birth to healthy baby in Greece

The United States has 10,755 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus while 154 people have died from the pathogen, a tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins University showed on Thursday.
This makes the US sixth on the overall list behind China, Italy, Iran, Spain and Germany, and ahead of France and South Korea. Globally, there have been 229,390 cases confirmed and 9,325 deaths, the tracker said.
US health authorities have indicated they expect the number of cases to increase steeply in the coming days because of increased levels of testing after initial delays.

US coronavirus cases now over 10,000, more than 150 dead: tracker

US President Donald Trump charged Thursday that the world is "paying a big price" for China's lack of transparency on the outbreak of the new coronavirus there several months ago.
"It would have been much better if we had known about this a number of months earlier," Trump told reporters at a White House briefing on the pandemic.
"It could have been contained to that one area of China where it started. And certainly the world is paying a big price for what they did.

Trump: World 'paying big price' because China slow on virus information

Austria said on Thursday it was placing all arrivals to the country by air in mandatory quarantine after recording more than 2,000 coronavirus cases to date.
A decree published on the health ministry website stated "Austrian and foreign citizens are obliged to enter home quarantine immediately for 14 days on arrival by plane in Austria," adding they would be required to provide a written commitment to that effect.
Transit passengers, medical professionals and staff from international organisations are exempt from the measure.

Austria places all air arrivals in quarantine

The US is fast-tracking the anti-malarial drug chloroquine for use as a treatment against the new coronavirus, President Donald Trump said on Thursday.
"We're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that's where the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has been so great," Trump told reporters.
"They've gone through the approval process -- it's been approved. They took it down from many, many months to immediate. So we're going to be able to make that drug available by prescription."
But the FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn later indicated that, while the drug has not yet been formally approved, access to it was being expanded so that authorities could gather more data.
This is known as "compassionate use."
"If there is an experimental drug that is potentially available, a doctor could ask for that drug to be used in a patient. We have criteria for that and very speedy approval for that," said Hahn.
"As an example, many Americans have read studies and heard ...

US fast-tracking anti-malarial drug to treat coronavirus: Trump

Millions of people could die from the new coronavirus, particularly in poor countries, if it is allowed to spread unchecked, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday, appealing for a coordinated global response to contain it.
"If we let the virus spread like wildfire -- especially in the most vulnerable regions of the world -- it would kill millions of people," he said.
"Global solidarity is not only a moral imperative, it is in everyone's interests," he said.

Millions could die if virus allowed to spread unchecked: UN chief

A US military veteran imprisoned in Iran was freed Monday for medical reasons on condition that he stay in the country, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
Michael White has been transferred for medical examinations to the Swiss embassy, which represents US interests in Tehran in the absence of diplomatic relations, Pompeo said.
"The United States will continue to work for Michael's full release as well as the release of all wrongfully detained Americans in Iran," Pompeo said.
White, who spent 13 years in the US Navy, was arrested in July 2018 in the northeastern city of Mashhad while visiting a girlfriend he reportedly met online.
He was sentenced the following year to at least 10 years in prison on charges he insulted Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and posted anti-regime remarks on social media under a pseudonym.
Pompeo did not reveal the health issues but White has said that he suffered cancer and that Iranian doctors removed a melanoma from his back.
Iran has been ..

Detained US veteran released on medical furlough in Iran: Pompeo

Companies across the world are joining ordinary people in adapting to help stem the COVID-19 outbreak, heeding government calls to switch to a war footing.
Nearly 220,000 cases have now been recorded in 157 countries and territories, with more than 9,000 deaths. On Wednesday, the death toll in Europe exceeded the toll in Asia.
Manufacturers are being urged to join the collective effort in a way not seen since World War II, and produce medical equipment such as ventilators which are set to be in short supply as cases spiral.
This week European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was working with industry to boost production and would launch a joint procurement programme with national governments for testing kits and ventilators.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday hosted a conference call with dozens of industry leaders to urge them to help the country increase production of key medical equipment.
"A number of companies are already engaged in the effort and 

Firms heed call to go on war footing to help fight coronavirus

Governments and central banks are injecting eye-popping sums into markets and applying emergency policy remedies as they try to salve the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the global economy.
The pandemic which has upended all normal life has seen markets crash as world growth faces its biggest crisis since 2008, and so far investors have largely shrugged off the stimulus efforts as the outbreak engulfs the West.
However, stocks in Europe and the US stabilised on Thursday following new initiative from the European Central Bank, which has faced criticism for not acting more aggressively so far, and another intervention by the Bank of England.
AFP surveys responses by major economies as the coronavirus has spread from China to infect the rest of the world, enforcing national lockdowns and crippling businesses.
After China, Europe is now the epicentre of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak and governments have scrambled to open the spending taps while also closing their borders.
The ...

Finance chiefs vie to inoculate world economy against virus

As nations around the world fight the coronavirus pandemic with mass lockdowns and travel bans, UN experts warn that some three billion people lack even the most basic weapons to protect themselves: soap and running water.
The outbreak has infected some 200,000 people and killed 9,000, scorching through populations across the globe after emerging in China late last year.
While Europe has become the centre of the battle against the virus, closing borders and sequestering millions of people in their homes, concerns are rising for developing nations with fragile healthcare systems.
Countries across Africa and Asia have heavily restricted travel, imposed quarantines and closed schools, with fears for impoverished communities as infections begin to grow.
But one of the most fundamental practices individuals can adopt to shield themselves from COVID-19 -- thorough hand washing -- remains inaccessible for many millions.
Using household survey data, the United Nations Children's Fund ...

No soap, no water: billions lack basic protection against virus

Italy braced on Thursday for an extended lockdown that could see the economy suffer its biggest shock since World War II from a pandemic that has killed almost as many people as it has in China.
The country's toll from the novel coronavirus reached 2,978 after it recorded 475 new deaths on Wednesday -- the highest official one-day figure in the world.
China reported no new deaths for the first time on Thursday and Italy was on course to overtake its 3,245 fatalities later in the day.
COVID-19 infections are yet to plateau despite the Italian government's best efforts.
Army trucks delivered freshly-made coffins on Thursday to a cemetery in the northern Italian city of Bergamo that suddenly finds itself at the global heart of the unfolding disaster.
Burials were being conducted every half hour to avoid contagion through crowds.
Masked undertakers wrapped from head to toe in white suits carted the coffins on gurneys to speed up the process.
"Use your common sense and act with utmost ...

Italy braces for long lockdown as toll nears China's

Jurgen Klopp says his ability to build close relationships with his Liverpool players has been the secret to their success during his reign.
Although the Premier League season is currently delayed until at least April 30 due to the coronavirus, Reds boss Klopp is in constant contact with his squad via the players' WhatsApp group.
That personal touch is part of a hands-on approach Klopp believes is essential to understanding what makes his players tick.
The German obsesses over every detail of their lives so he can get the best out of them on the pitch, joking he probably even thinks about them in his sleep.
"Apart from sleeping, I think the whole day - in fact probably when I am sleeping - about these boys. I don't want to, it just happens because there is so much information you have," Klopp, speaking before the current suspension was enforced, told JD's In The Duffle Bag podcast series.
"For me the most important thing is for the player to be in his best shape in the moment when it .

Klopp's human touch fosters winning mentality at Liverpool

The US has approved the anti-malarial drug chloroquine for use as a treatment against the new coronavirus, President Donald Trump said on Thursday.
"We're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately, and that's where the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has been so great," Trump told reporters.
"They've gone through the approval process -- it's been approved. They took it down from many, many months to immediate. So we're going to be able to make that drug available by prescription.

US approves anti-malarial drug to treat coronavirus: Trump

Tokyo Olympic organisers are facing increased scrutiny over their unwillingness to either postpone or cancel the summer Games in response to the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world.
As a multitude of sporting events worldwide get scrubbed, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been accused of shying away from what would be a huge decision on the staging of the four-yearly event.
The IOC's 600 employees, based at home since Friday, continue to work on the planning of the July 24-August 9 Games.
IOC president Thomas Bach is one of the very few to still work from the body's Lausanne headquarters.
"Only the president is present, along with some directors, in separate offices," a source told AFP.
Bach has held a series of meetings by video link with international federations, national Olympic committees and athletes' representatives, working on the repeated premise that the IOC is determined to work for the success of the Games in Tokyo.
"We were also very constructive in ...

Virus, what virus? Tokyo Olympics organisers under scrutiny

Former snooker star Willie Thorne has revealed he has been diagnosed with leukaemia.
The 66-year-old, who twice reached the World Championship quarter-finals, revealed on Twitter that he was set to begin chemotherapy in Spain this week.
"I realise everybody is having a tough time. Mine's just got worse -- I've been diagnosed with leukaemia," he said. "I'm devastated."
As well as being a mainstay in the top-16 throughout the late 1980s and early 90s, Thorne has been a commentator for the BBC.
The 1985 UK Championship runner-up has previously spoken of his struggles with a gambling addiction and revealed he was suffering from prostate cancer in 2015.
Fellow snooker players Jimmy White and Joe Perry were among those to show their support for Thorne on Twitter.
White tweeted: "Gutted to hear about the great WT. stay strong mate x", while Perry added: "Devastating news! Thoughts and prayers are with you WT.

Ex-snooker star Willie Thorne diagnosed with leukaemia

Major League Soccer extended its suspension of all matches to May 10 on Thursday after health officials recommended an eight-week ban on gatherings of more than 50 people.
Clubs in the 26-team North American league had played only two matches each before the league announced last week it was suspending play for 30 days to assess the impact of COVID-19.
MLS pushed its targeted return day to May 10 after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tightened limits on mass gatherings, but said it intends to complete a full 2020 season schedule.
"MLS remains focused on playing the entire 2020 season and is evaluating all options, including pushing back the end of the season and playing MLS Cup in December, as the league did prior to the 2019 season," MLS said in a statement.
"The league is also identifying other available dates.
"Throughout this process, MLS will continue to prioritize the safety of our fans, players, employees and partners and to coordinate with federal and local ..

MLS stretches coronavirus match suspension to May 10

Belgian football was put on hold Thursday until May 1 to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the national association said.
"In the meantime our crisis team will be looking at different scenarios concerning finalising competitions," the association said in a statement.
As a result the Belgian Cup final between Club Brugge and Antwerp scheduled for March 22 has been postponed.
The end of season title play-offs to determine who wins the championship have yet to start and the association will have to decide whether they can go ahead.
So far Belgium has 1,795 COVID-19 infections, and 21 deaths.

Belgian football on hold until May 1

The Dutch, Spanish and Monaco Formula One Grand Prix races were on Thursday postponed due to the global spread of coronavirus, officials announced.
The triple postponements follow the cancellation of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix last week, and the postponement of the Chinese, Bahrain and Vietnam Grand Prix races.
The Dutch GP, due to return to the calendar for the first time since 1985, was set to be held at Zandvoort on May 1-3, with the Spanish race following a week later, and the Monaco Grand Prix on May 21-24.
"Due to the ongoing and fluid nature of the COVID-19 situation globally, the FIA, Formula One and the three promoters have taken these decisions in order to ensure the health and safety of the travelling staff, championship participants and fans, which remains our primary concern," a joint statement from F1 and the FIA read.
All parties said they would study the viability of finding alternative dates to run the races later in the year, and the statement added ...

AFP

AFP

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