South Africa launches new app to fight against COVID-19

The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

– – – –
SYDNEY — The South Pacific Island country Papua New Guinea recorded 11 new cases in the last 24 hours Wednesday evening, bringing the total confirmed cases to 471, including 232 recovered, five dead and 234 being active.

Among the new cases, two were from the West New Britain Province. It is one of the provinces that had not sent samples for testing last month and this is the first time for it to record people test positive.
– – – –

BRUSSELS — Members of European Parliament on Wednesday called for a common approach in limiting the spread of COVID-19 across the European Union (EU), the European Parliament said in a press release.

Highlighting the need to replace the tendency that many EU members designate other EU countries as red zones and then close borders, the MEPs also deplored the non-existence of common modality for counting infections or testing as each country follows the recommendations of its own experts.

– – – –
BEIJING — The National Health Commission said Thursday that 17 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland Wednesday.

There were 192 patients still being treated, including three in severe condition, the commission said in its daily report.
– – – –

BUENOS AIRES — Argentina’s Ministry of Health has invested 42 billion pesos (about 565 million U.S. dollars) since March to bolster the healthcare system to better deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities said Wednesday.

The investment made it possible to expand healthcare infrastructure and provide more than 4,000 ventilators, among other things, Arnaldo Medina, the secretary of Healthcare Quality, said at a press conference.

– – – –
LIMA — Peru has approved the resumption of international flights on Oct. 1, but under strict safety measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Transport and Communications Carlos Estremadoyro said on Wednesday.

The first routes to resume include those to Mexico and Chile, which form the Pacific Alliance trade bloc with Peru and Colombia.

– – – –
CAPE TOWN — South Africa has launched a new mobile application to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent a possible second wave of the virus, the Department of Health said Wednesday.

“Technology is key to slowing the spread of COVID-19 and accelerating our return to everyday life,” the department was quoted by the COVID Alert SA website as saying, adding that contact tracing is one of the most critical aspects of combating COVID-19.