Category:

Disaster & Management

Fears of second U.S.coronavirus wave rise on worrisome spike in cases, hospitalisations

Total U.S. coronavirus deaths are now over 113,000, by far the most in the world. That figure could exceed 200,000 at some point in September, Ashish Jha, the head of Harvard’s Global Health Institute, told CNN.

Ashish Jha, the head of Harvard’s Global Health Institute, said the United States was the only major country to reopen without getting its case growth to a controlled level – defined as a rate of people testing positive for the coronavirus remaining at 5% or lower for at least 14 days. Nationally, that figure has been between 4% and 7% in recent weeks, according to a Reuters analysis.

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Job loss most severe immediate impact of COVID-19: Survey

The preliminary results showed that loss of employment was considered as the most severe immediate impact of the crisis while lower economic growth and rise in inequality were probable long-term impact.

As per the survey, the immediate policy priorities suggested were protection of workers and families, short-term employment creation and income transfers to affected workers.

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Futures drop on fears of second virus wave, bleak economic view

“The market has been rallying because they’re looking to 2021 and saying we’re going to get past this and then things will get sort of back to normal,” said Sean O’Hara, president of Pacer ETF Distributors in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

“One thing that really could change the trajectory here would be if we have a big bounce in a second wave. That’s the big fear.”

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International trade set to shrink 27% in second quarter after April ‘nosedive’, says UNCTAD

“Trade in the automotive and energy sector collapsed while trade in agri-food products has been stable.”

Trade in developing countries appears to have taken a “nosedive” in April, falling faster relative to developed countries, it said. Imports into developing countries fell by 19% in April while their exports shrank by 18%, it said.

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A world wanting payback pulls insurers into epicenter of crisis

After playing down the virus’s potential impact just a few months ago, insurers have since declared large financial hits and warned of far worse to come. France’s AXA last month estimated that event cancellation claims alone would be in the “mid-triple-digit-million euros” and it was too early to predict the amount for business interruption. Germany’s Allianz said it suffered a 700 million-euro ($794 million) hit from the pandemic in the first quarter.

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