The Latest: Study doubles Italian province's virus deaths

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:

— New York virus toll doubles in 72 hours.

— Study says virus death toll in Italian province is double the official tally.

— Belgium reports over 1,000 deaths from coronavirus.

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SOAVE, Italy — A new study quantifying the hidden toll from coronavirus in the province of Bergamo, at the epicenter of Italy’s epidemic, has found that the number of deaths linked to the virus is double the official tally.

The study by the daily L’Eco di Bergamo with the InTwig data analysis agency puts the number of virus deaths last month at 4,500, compared with the official toll of 2,060, in the province of 1.1 million people.

Mayors have warned that the official numbers fail to take into account the many people dying at home or in rest homes who have never been tested for the virus. Under current policies, only those who arrive at hospitals manifesting strong symptoms are tested.

Lombardy accounts for 40% of Italy’s cases and more than half of its deaths, with Bergamo the hardest-hit province in the heavily populated industrial northern region.

Italy, which as recorded the most deaths of any nation, has extended a strict nationwide lockdown, including a shutdown of at least 60% of heavy industry, until April 13. But authorities caution that any return to normal movement will be a slow process.

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BRUSSELS — More than a thousand people have now died from the new coronavirus in Belgium.

Emmanuel Andre, a scientist and a spokesman at the COVID-19 crisis center, said on Thursday that 93 percent of the 1,011 people who died after getting infected by the virus were older than 65.

A total for 15,348 persons have tested positive for the deadly virus in Belgium, a country of around 11.5 million people.

The occupancy rate of intensive care beds stood at 52 percent, meaning that 1,145 beds remained available as 5,376 patients were hospitalized Thursday.

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TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has announced it is planning to donate 10 million face masks, plus medicine, to medical staff in countries that are fighting coronavirus.

The self-governed island claimed by Beijing has been seeking to showcase its own handling of the outbreak as it pushes back against China's efforts to isolate it diplomatically.

The Japanese electronics maker Sharp, which is owned by Taiwan's Honhai Precision Industry, a major maker of iPhones, has meanwhile said it was expanding production of surgical masks to locations in Europe, China and India. Sharp earlier announced it was launching production of surgical masks in Japan.

As of Wednesday, Taiwan had reported 329 confirmed cases and five deaths.

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BANGKOK — The Thai owner of delicatessen chain Dean & Deluca has filed for bankruptcy in a U.S. court.

The company said in an notice Thursday that the restructuring of its U.S. operation would not affect its business in other countries and was aimed at minimizing the impact on its staff, customers and partners.

Bangkok-based Pace Development bought the New York gourmet foods chain in 2014 and expanded overseas. It has closed most of its outlets in Bangkok.

The company said it had delayed its financial report due to the coronavirus crisis.

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CANBERRA, Australia — Australia is sending doctors by helicopter to cruise ships anchored off Sydney to assess who needs medical evacuation rather than bring 8,500 crew members ashore and risk overrunning hospitals with COVID-19 cases.

Eight foreign cruise ships off Australia’s east coast plus a German ship birthed at the west coast port of Fremantle have defied an Australian Border Force order on March 29 to leave the country. The ships fear their crews will become dangerously ill at sea.

New South Wales state Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said on Thursday he won’t allow crew members ashore in Sydney unless they need medical attention.

Fuller told reporters: "If a small percentage end up with the virus, it will overwhelm our health system and everything we've done to date will be wasted."

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LONDON — Around 950,000 people have applied for welfare benefits amid the COVID-19 crisis — nearly 10 times the usual number for a two-week period.

The Department of Work and Pensions says the surge is unprecedented and that it is moving 10,000 staff to the frontlines to help process the applications. It says more will also be hired.

The grim news comes as British Airways continues talks with unions over the fate of thousands of employees who face being laid off because of the crisis.

The airline has grounded much of its fleet and cabin crew, ground staff and engineers are among those facing job suspensions.

The Unite union says has been “working around the clock to protect thousands of jobs and to ensure the UK comes out of this unprecedented crisis with a viable aviation sector.’’

Aviation has been particularly hard-hit in the crisis, as travel restrictions keep people close to home.

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BERLIN — Foreign ministers from 13 European Union countries warned Thursday that democratic principles could be at risk from measures taken to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Top diplomats from Germany, France, Italy, Spain and nine other nations said in a joint statement that it was legitimate for EU members to adopt "extraordinary measures to protect their citizens and overcome the crisis."

But the countries warned they were "deeply concerned about the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights arising from the adoption of certain emergency measures."

The statement didn't single out any specific country, but measures taken by Hungary in particular have been criticized by human rights activists.

The 13 foreign ministers said "emergency measures should be limited to what is strictly necessary, should be proportionate and temporary in nature, subject to regular scrutiny, and respect the aforementioned principles and international law obligations."

They warned it “should not restrict the freedom of expression or the freedom of the press.”

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MADRID — Nearly 900,000 workers lost their jobs in Spain since authorities ordered people to stay home to slow down the expansion of the new coronavirus, authorities said Thursday.

The short-term job loss was higher than in January 2009, when 350,000 workers lost their jobs as the global financial crisis hit the southern European country.

The number of workers who were making payments to the country’s social security fund dropped by 898,822 by the end of March, the official data released on Thursday showed.

The losses began on March 12, as the government moved to declare a state of emergency and asked people to work remotely. Since then, further measures have been taken, barring all but essential workers from leaving their homes until mid-April.

Construction and services, including the country’s thriving, important tourism industry have been the industries hardest hit by the job losses, figures released by the Ministry of Labour showed. The number of people officially registered as unemployed rose to 3.5 million by the end of the month, the highest level since April 2017.

Spain has more than 100,000 COVID-19 infections and has seen more than 800 deaths for five days in a row, although authorities say that the arc of contagion has started to slow down. Intensive care units in hospitals of Madrid, the hardest hit region, are reporting a slightly lower number of patients arriving in serious conditions.

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MOSCOW — The coronavirus outbreak in Russia continues to pick up speed.

Russian officials registered 771 new cases on Thursday — 43% more than the day before, bringing the country's total to 3,548 cases, with 30 deaths and 230 recoveries.

The vast majority of Russian regions are currently on lockdown, ordering residents to self-isolate at home and not go out, unless it's to buy groceries, medications, walk their dogs or take out trash.

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SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean capital of Seoul is building a huge coronavirus testing station in a sports complex built for the 1988 Summer Olympics as it seeks to test hundreds of people returning to the city each day amid broadening outbreaks in Europe and the United States.

Mayor Park Won-soon on Thursday said the city will test all South Korean and long-term foreign residents returning from overseas starting Friday, mostly relying on the makeshift station located in the main Olympic stadium's parking lot that will be capable of testing 1,000 people per day.

South Korea has been enforcing two-week quarantines on all passengers arriving from overseas since Wednesday to stem a rise in imported coronavirus infections.

While passengers arriving with fever or respiratory symptoms are isolated and tested at the airport, Seoul also plans to test those who seem well as experts say the virus can spread from people with no or mild symptoms.

South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least 601 of the country’s 9,976 coronavirus infections were linked to recent arrivals, with most of the cases detected in the Seoul metropolitan area over the past three weeks.

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BEIJING — China on Thursday recorded another 35 confirmed and 20 suspected coronavirus cases, all from overseas.

Another 55 asymptomatic cases were also recorded, 17 of them imported, bringing to 1,075 the number of who have tested positive but show no symptoms and are now being isolated and monitored.

China also reported another six deaths, all in the hardest-hit province of Hubei, bringing the national death toll to 3,318 with 81,589 total cases.

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ATHENS, Greece — Authorities have placed a refugee camp north of the Greek capital under quarantine after 20 of its residents tested positive for the new coronavirus.

The Migration and Asylum Ministry said the Ritsona camp would be quarantined from Thursday for 14 days, during which nobody would be allowed into or out of the facility. The camp is normally open, with residents allowed to enter and leave at will.

One of the camp’s residents, hospitalized in Athens to give birth, was found to be positive earlier in the week and health authorities began tracking the people she had come into contact with.

The ministry said 63 people were tested in the camp, and 20 were found to be positive for the virus. None of those found positive were showing any symptoms, it said, adding that none of the camp’s staff had tested positive. Authorities would continue testing in the camp on Thursday.

Separately, an asylum seeker living in an apartment in Kilkis in northern Greece was also found to be positive for the coronavirus while in a local maternity hospital. The woman and her family had been placed in quarantine at home for 14 days, and authorities were tracking down the woman’s contacts.

Tens of thousands of migrants and refugees live in Greece, many of them in overcrowded camps on eastern Greek islands. So far no cases of coronavirus infections have been reported in the island camps.

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