The Latest: UK has 881 more deaths from coronavirus

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

TOP OF THE HOUR

- British government: U.K. has recorded 881 more coronavirus deaths.

- Trudeau: Canadians need to maintain social distancing.

- Spaniards staying home during Holy Week.

- Dr. Fauci: Don't assume virus fades in warm weather.

- Germany's Merkel stresses discipline, '~cautious optimism' in virus fight.

- British PM Boris Johnson continues to improve in ICU.

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The British government's two chief advisers on the coronavirus pandemic voiced cautious optimism that the country's outbreak may be near its peak even as the COVID-19 death toll rose sharply to just shy of 8,000.

In the government's daily press briefing, chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance noted signs that the rise in new coronavirus cases and the increase in the number of people going into hospital maybe levelling off as a result of the social distancing measures imposed. He also said the transmission of the coronavirus within the community may now be 'œshrinking.'ť

And Professor Chris Whitty, the government's chief medical adviser, also noted that the time it takes for the number of people in intensive care to double has got steadily longer over the past couple of weeks, from three days to six or more now and 'œextending in time.'ť

However, the number of people dying after testing positive for COVID-19 disease is set to carry on an upward trajectory for a couple of weeks in light of the lags involved, Vallance said.

Government figures earlier showed that the U.K. recorded 881 new coronavirus-related deaths, down from 938 in the previous 24-hour period. In total, 7,978 patients have died in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.

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TORONTO - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canadians will need to stay at home and practice physical distancing for months as the first wave of cases in the country won't end until the summer and Canada won't return to normal until there is vaccine.

Trudeau says a vaccine could take a year or a year and half. He made the comments as Canada's top public health officer predicted the coronavirus pandemic could cost at least 4,500 lives and a government agency announced the Canadian economy lost 1,011,000 jobs in March.

Trudeau says the country is in the early stage of the outbreak because the virus came to Canada later and says the first wave won't reach its peak until late spring. Trudeau calls it the 'œchallenge of our generation.'ť

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PARIS -- French President Emmanuel Macron has flown to southern France to meet with a prominent virologist who has championed the use of anti-malaria drug chloroquine to help fighting the coronavirus.

Macron met for two hours with Didier Raoult at his Marseille hospital on Thursday afternoon to discuss his findings. Raoult said he will be able to publish new results in the coming days, Macron's office said.

Raoult, whose study has been taken up by U.S. President Donald Trump, has emerged as a controversial figure since saying the chloroquine can help treat the COVID-19 disease.

Some other French and international scientists have said the Marseille study doesn't show evidence of the drug's effectiveness.

Macron's office said the trip to Marseille is part of broader discussions of the French president with scientists about several ongoing clinical trials to find potential treatments.

On Thursday morning, Macron visited a hospital in the Paris region to meet with other researchers.

He is scheduled to make an address to the nation on Monday.

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UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the coronavirus pandemic is deepening already existing inequalities and is having 'œdevastating social and economic consequences for women and girls'ť that could reverse limited progress toward gender equality over the past 25 years.

The U.N. chief said in a video message and policy paper that 'œacross every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex.'ť

While early data indicates that the mortality rates from COVID-19 may be higher for men, Gutterres said 'œnearly 60 percent of women around the world work in the informal economy, earning less, saving less, and at greater risk of falling into poverty.'ť

He said millions of women's jobs have been lost at the same time that their unpaid work has 'œincreased exponentially'ť as a result of school closures and children being at home and the increased needs of older people.

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LONDON - London's mayor has appealed to supermarkets to lend a helping hand to food banks struggling with a collapse in donations amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Mayor Sadiq Khan says food banks are reporting critical shortages of food, and that some have closed or are at risk of closing. The shortages come amid a surge in demand for food during the crisis - particularly pantry staples such as pasta, rice and canned goods that are usually are stocked by foodbanks.

The mayor appealed to grocers to organize additional direct donations to food banks and to lift the restriction on the amount of items per person an individual can purchase to enable foodbanks to properly restock.

Khan says 'œthere is a real risk of people going without food during this crisis and in particular, for those in some parts of London, the risk will be even greater over the coming Easter weekend.''

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ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey reported 96 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours - its highest single-day number of fatalities since the outbreak began. The losses increased the death toll to 908.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also reported 4,056 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, raising the total number of cases in the country to 42,282.

A total of 1,552 people with infections are in intensive care, including 1,017 intubated patients, while 2,142 patients have recovered, according to figures Koca posted on Twitter.

Koca said 28,578 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, bringing Turkey close to its aim of carrying out 30,000 tests daily.

The World Health Organization expressed alarm over the 'œdramatic increase in virus spread'ť in Turkey over the past week.

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ROME - The virus-ravaged region of Lombardy crossed the 10,000-death mark in its battle against the coronavirus, while Italy as a whole continued its slow pace to bring the numbers of new infections down.

Lombardy accounted for 300 of the 610 deaths nationwide over the past 24 hours, evidence that the original epicenter of Europe's COVID-19 pandemic remains its most deadly. Overall, Italy has the world's highest coronavirus death toll, at 18,279.

Nearly 2,000 more people were declared cured of the virus over the past day, but 4,204 more tested positive, bringing Italy's official caseload to 143,626. Two-thirds of those currently infected are being treated at home, further easing pressure on the hospital system.

Officials are urging Italians to adhere rigidly to the nationwide lockdown that marks its one-month mark Friday, particularly with the long Easter weekend starting.

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ATHENS, Greece - Greek authorities have reported 71 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total to 1,955, and three deaths, raising the overall toll to 86.

Authorities also said on Thursday that 79 people remain intubed in intensive care, while a total 33,634 tests for the virus have been carried out.

Health officials added that there is no need right now to recommend the use of masks for the healthy general population, while widespread use of gloves by the public may not serve much purpose.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia - Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced that people who violate large-scale social restrictions in the capital city will face a maximum of one year's imprisonment and/or a 100 million rupiah ($6,355) fine.

Baswedan on Thursday issued the gubernatorial decree on the imposition of large-scale social restrictions in Jakarta that start on Friday as the part of efforts to prevent more transmission of COVID-19.

The local government will ban every event that will involve more than five participants.

As of Thursday, the government recorded more than half of the infection cases of COVID-19 are found in Jakarta. There are 1,706 COVID-19 cases in Jakarta from total 3,293 cases in Indonesia. Indonesia recorded a total 280 deaths and 142 of them are in Jakarta.

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BATON ROUGE, La. - Hundreds of Carnival cruise ship workers who have tested negative for the coronavirus disease disembarked in New Orleans and are returning to their home countries, the Louisiana governor's office said Thursday.

The Carnival Valor, a New Orleans-based ship that typically carries about 3,000 guests for Caribbean cruises, didn't have passengers when it arrived at its home port Wednesday night.

Gov. John Bel Edwards said 300 international crew members without symptoms of the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus, in addition to testing negative, were being bused to charter flights that would take them to their home countries. Carnival said in a statement that those workers were cleared to fly by immigration authorities.

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SEATTLE - Inmates at a Washington state prison staged a large protest following new coronavirus diagnoses at the facility and health officials say they continue to see high numbers of cases in the state's long-term care facilities.

More than 9,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 421 have died, according to the Department of Health.

State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy said there are signs that the state has begun to 'œflatten the curve'ť but said people should continue to stay home and keep their distance from others.

As of April 5, authorities had identified the virus in 126 of long-term care facilities.

Inmates at the Monroe Correctional Complex held a demonstration on Wednesday night after six inmates tested positive at the prison, according to the Washington State Department of Corrections. The latest two cases at the facility that can house up to 2,500 inmates were men aged 68 and 28.

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ROME - Italian authorities have arrested a Rome businessman in a bid-tampering investigation stemming from the government's urgent purchase of surgical masks and protective equipment to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

Consip, the government's centralized purchasing agency, said it had excluded two companies linked to the businessman from procurement contract tenders because of what it said were false declarations. It flagged the irregularities in the bids to Italy's financial police, who made the arrest after determining that promised shipments of masks from China were nonexistent.

Italy has been on a frantic purchasing spree trying to outfit its medical personnel with protective masks and gear, which before the pandemic weren't produced domestically.

Inadequate and insufficient protective gear has been blamed in part on the infections of more than 13,500 medical personnel and the deaths of more than 100 doctors.

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ROME - One of Italy's most influential Catholic charities is demanding the government guarantee access to health care for residents of nursing homes after hundreds have died during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Sant'Egidio Community, which is close to the Vatican, says it was 'œscandalous'ť some eldercare homes were being used as wards for recovering COVID-19 patients.

Prosecutors have already launched a criminal investigation into Italy's largest nursing home, the 1,000-bed Pio Albergho Trivulzio facility in Milan, following complaints that management downplayed the risk of infection after accepting recovering virus patients.

The scandal at Trivulzio has underscored the overall problem in Europe of huge numbers of dead in nursing homes and the lack of coherent data about how many residents had the virus.

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PARIS - Locked-down Paris has been blessed by the bishop of the French capital.

Archbishop Michel Aupetit blessed both Paris and its inhabitants, a spiritual and symbolic gesture on Maundy Thursday before Easter celebrations.

He looked down on the unusually quiet city from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the heights of Montmartre.

France has been in a coronavirus lockdown since March 17. All gatherings including church services are banned to slow the spread of the disease.

France has more than 10,000 deaths nationwide and more than 83,000 infected. Paris and its surrounding area are among the hardest-hit regions.

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SINGAPORE - Singapore has registered its highest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases, increasing by 287 to total 1,910.

Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong says more than 200 of the new cases were linked to foreign workers living in dormitories.

He says the spike was partly because of increased testing among such workers, whose dormitory living conditions make them more vulnerable to infections.

Singapore, with a population of about 6 million, is one of the region's most prosperous nations but reliant on migrant labor for many lower-paid jobs. Its recorded six deaths from the virus.

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BUDAPEST, Hungary - Hungary's prime minister says restrictions introduced March 28 to make people stay at home will be extended indefinitely.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban credited the 'œjudicious and successful'ť restrictions with slowing the rate of coronavirus infections.

Orban says the restrictions would be reviewed weekly and mayors may impose stricter rules in their own jurisdictions until Monday night. This is meant to prevent tourists from overwhelming popular destinations during the Easter break.

Hungary has 980 cases of the coronavirus and 66 deaths.

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MADRID - Holy Week is the busiest travel period in Spain - aside from August vacations - when families normally flee cities for the country and its centuries-old religious processions.

Spaniards have responded to the strict confinement rules applied more than three weeks ago to stem a coronavirus outbreak that has left more than 15,000 dead and 150,000 infected. People are only allowed to leave home for essential shopping and dog walking.

Authorities have made extra calls for people to remain at home during the traditional April break.

Transit official María José Rallo says traffic dropped by nearly 80% this week compared to the same time last year. Police say roadblocks set up on Wednesday handed out nearly 4,000 citations for unauthorized travel.

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BANGKOK - Officials in Thailand's resort island of Phuket are ordering an all- neighborhood lockdown for at least 14 days to confine people to their homes so health workers can carry out door-to-door temperature checks to find possible cases of COVID-19 infection.

The order starting Monday applies to the entire province of about 430,000 people, which hosts more than 10 million visitors a year. It prohibits travel between districts and tells people to stay home.

Phuket has been one of the most aggressive provinces in the fight against the coronavirus, cutting off most air and sea access and cracking down on public gatherings.

It has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases after Bangkok, a total of 161 with one death. Thailand has a total of 2,423 cases.

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BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany's coronavirus figures give grounds for 'œcautious optimism'ť but the situation is 'œfragile.'ť

She is urging people to remain disciplined in respecting restrictions on public life during Easter.

Germany has shut schools, bars, most shops and banned gatherings of more than two people in public. Those restrictions will remain at least through April 19.

There are increasing calls in Germany for an exit strategy from the restrictions.

Merkel says, 'œWe must keep this up over Easter and the days afterward, because we could very, very quickly destroy what we have achieved.'ť

Germany has more than 113,000 infections. About 2,300 people have died, a death rate lower than most countries.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says border crossings with Germany and Belgium could be temporarily closed over the Easter weekend if there is too much traffic.

Belgian and German tourists traditionally flock to the Netherlands over Easter. But the Dutch government is actively discouraging them from visiting amid restrictions and social distancing measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Rutte says Dutch authorities are working with Belgian and German colleagues and 'œwhere necessary security authorities in the border regions can decide to completely close certain roads, if that is necessary.'ť

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MINSK, Belarus - The mayor of Ukraine's capital says the coronavirus has hit the Pechersk Monastery, infecting more than half the monks at the renowned religious and tourist site.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko says 26 of the 44 monks at the monastery have been diagnosed with infections. No deaths have been reported.

The monastery is known for its extensive system of caves and tunnels, containing centuries-old cells for monks and burial places.

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BERLIN - Germany's national disease control center says it plans to conduct a series of blood tests to determine how many people in the country are immune to COVID-19 and how many were infected without knowing it.

Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, says starting next week antibody tests will be carried out on blood given by donors around the country. His institute anticipates up to 5,000 samples conducted every 14 days, with results starting in early May.

A second survey will examine blood from about 2,000 people from each of four infection 'œhot spots'ť in Germany. And a third will look at a representative sample of some 15.000 people across the country, with results expected in June.

Germany has confirmed more than 113,000 infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 2,300 people have died, a death rate lower than many countries.

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WARSAW, Poland - Poland's government is extending the nationwide isolation against the coronavirus until April 26.

It will keep the borders and schools closed, banning international flights and railway connections. It includes the quarantine for all entering Poland, except truck drivers.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says steps the government has taken against the virus 'œhave proven effective.'ť

Also, Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski announced Poland will introduce obligatory covering of the mouth and the nose in public places on April 16. Szumowski says given the shortage of masks, scarves and bandanas can be used.

The nation of 38 million has reported over 5,340 cases and 164 deaths.

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KAMPALA, Uganda - Four Ugandan government officials have been arrested over allegations of inflating prices of relief food.

An anti-corruption unit attached to the presidency reported Thursday the four, who include the top accounting officer in the office of the prime minister, are accused of 'œrejecting lower price offers from various suppliers of maize flour and beans.'ť

It says the arrests followed a special investigation ordered Wednesday by President Yoweri Museveni. The allegations underscore growing corruption concerns as Uganda's government embarks on a fundraising campaign for the emergency response to the economic effects of COVID-19.

Authorities seek to provide food rations for about 1.5 million vulnerable people living in the metropolitan area surrounding the capital, Kampala.

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WASHINGTON - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, says don't assume the coronavirus will fade during warm weather.

Fauci told ABC's 'œGood Morning America'ť there's precedent with other infections like influenza that 'œwhen the virus gets warmer that the virus goes down in its ability to replicate, to spread.'ť

But Fauci added 'œhaving said that, one should not assume that we are going to be rescued by a change in the weather. You must assume that the virus will continue to do its thing. If we get some help from the weather, so be it, fine. But I don't think we need to assume that.'ť

He was asked about the New York Times story that research indicates the coronavirus that began circulating in New York in mid-February came mainly from Europe, not Asia.

'œI think that's probably correct,'ť Fauci said. He notes that 'œEurope became the epicenter pretty quickly after China really exploded with their cases.'ť

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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Navy says a member of the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt who tested positive for coronavirus on March 30 was admitted to the intensive care unit at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam.

The carrier has been docked at Guam since March 27 with a coronavirus outbreak that has sidelined the warship and infected 416 members of its 4,860-member crew.

The sailor who is in ICU had been in 14-day isolation. As recently as Wednesday, the Navy said there had been zero hospitalizations among the coronavirus-infected crew members.

The Navy says the number of COVID-positive cases among the Roosevelt crew stood Thursday at 416, up from 286 on Wednesday.

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LONDON - British prime minister Boris Johnson 'œcontinues to improve'ť in the intensive care unit of a London hospital where he is being treated for the new coronavirus.

Spokesman James Slack says Johnson 'œhad a good night'ť at St. Thomas' Hospital, his third night in intensive care. Johnson is receiving oxygen but is not on a ventilator.

Johnson was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 26 and taken to hospital on Sunday with a persistent cough and fever. He was moved to the ICU Monday after his condition worsened.

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TOKYO - Tokyo reported 181 new coronavirus cases Thursday, setting another record daily increase.

The total exceeds 1,500, with infections accelerating in the Japanese capital under a state of emergency.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike urged companies to more quickly shift to remote working and cooperate with the stay-at-home request.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently declared the state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures, allowing Koike and other leaders to take tougher steps to ensure social distancing. He urged the people to reduce human interactions by as much as 80%, a level that experts say can help control the outbreak in about a month if strictly observed.

Many people still commuted to work Thursday. Japanese companies have been slow to allow their employees to work remotely. Subway operators say their ridership was less than half. But mobile phone carriers showed crowd sizes in downtown Tokyo were only reduced by 30-40%.

On Wednesday, Japan had 4,768 confirmed cases and 96 deaths.

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