Coronavirus Threatens Blood Supplyhttps://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN20Y1H3US blood transfusion association the AABB has said it expects the country will face blood shortages in only about two weeks time, with about half of blood centers reporting low inventories.
... China saw sharp shortages in blood donations as quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the virus took its toll on inventories around the country.
Coronavirus is not transmissible via transfusion, according to the American Red Cross. (? ... damned if you do, damned if you don't )
"There is absolutely no evidence that the coronavirus or any respiratory viruses are transmitted via blood transfusion," said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer of the American Red Cross.
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Berlin authorities are planning a special hospital for 1,000 COVID-19 patients in the city. The facility is to be on the site of the Messe Berlin Exhibition grounds in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. At present the, the German capital has 332 confirmed cases of the virus but that number is expected to rise sharply.
... German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said he expects Germany will have to "deal with the consequences" of the coronavirus outbreak until at least the end of May.
"I wouldn't advise anyone to bank on this being over in eight days," Altmaier told German broadcaster RTL on Tuesday.
... Germany's Friedrich Merz, who is among the most likely candidates to take over as leader Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), has tested positive for coronavirus.
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The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the UK rose to 1,950 by Tuesday, up from 1,543 the day before. Britain's National Health Service is set to cancel all routine surgery for three months and send home as many patients as possible to free up beds for COVID-19 patients.
The UK governent's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, says officials hope measures Britain has taken to tackle coronavirus mean the country will have fewer than 20,000 deaths from the outbreak.
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Spanish health officials confirmed nearly 2,000 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, with the total number of cases now topping 11,000. The total number of fatalities is currently at 491, and Spain has ordered a nationwide lockdown to stop the virus from spreading further.
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A nationwide lockdown began in France at noon local time on Tuesday, requiring people to remain in their homes and only go out for the "bare essentials" like groceries, medicine and going to work.
There were reports of many Parisians crowding train stations attempting to leave the French capital for the countryside before the noon deadline. There were also reports of long lines of people outside supermarkets buying supplies in preparation for the lockdown.
The government said tens of thousands of police would patrol French cities, and anyone caught without a written declaration to justify their reason for being out could be punished with a fine of up to €135 ($150), according to Agence France Presse.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech Monday that the lockdown would be in place for at least 15 days. "We are at war" with coronavirus, said Macron. France currently has over 6,600 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 148 deaths.