The number of deaths in Spain followed Italy by that of China. WHO said the world still has a second chance to stop the COVID-19 epidemic after it missed its first chance a month ago.

* Newsletter updated at 7:40 am on March 26

The WHO predicts the outbreak in Italy to peak this week, and thinks the world has been acting slowly for a month.

The US halts military operations abroad

On March 25, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper issued a directive requesting that all operations of US forces abroad be suspended for up to 60 days to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV- 2 in the US military.

In an interview with Reuters news agency, the head of the Pentagon said the directive applies to all US forces, defense workers and their families. However, there will be some exceptions.

CNN reported that the new directive will affect about 90,000 US military personnel, including those returning home and those deployed abroad. However, the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan is still going according to plan. Specifically, the US will cut the number of troops stationed in Afghanistan from 13,000 troops to 8,600 in 135 days.

On the same day, the Pentagon announced it would upgrade medical security at bases around the world against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus after 227 infections were recorded in its entire force.

Previously, the US Department of Defense raised the health protection conditions (HPCON) to Charlie, the second highest level, indicating continuous transmission in the community.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the total number of positive cases for SARS-CoV-2 virus in the US currently recorded by CDC is 54,453 cases, including 737 deaths.

WHO: There's still a second chance to put the epidemic out

During a press conference in Geneva (Switzerland) on March 25, WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the world has been slow for a month to take action against the COVID-19 epidemic.

"The time to act is actually a month or two ago ... but we believe that opportunity is still there. This is the second opportunity and we should not waste it as we can to control the virus. This is a shared responsibility of all of us, especially political leadership is key "- Mr. Tedros said.

USA: New York cases decrease

The state of New York, which currently leads the United States in the number of COVID-19 illnesses and deaths, is showing signs of a slowdown: the state saw a decline in new cases on March 24. with 4,790 cases, compared with 5,707 cases the day before.

State Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 25 (US time) announced that the hospitalization rate in this state has decreased in recent days thanks to measures to keep social distance.

"The figures are too good ... If we reduce the density, we can reduce the spread quickly" - CNN station quoted Mr. Cuomo.

The whole state of New York has more than 30,800 people infected with the new coronavirus, of which 17,800 cases in New York City alone.

Meanwhile, Washington DC on March 25 announced the immediate closure of all non-essential businesses in the city. In addition, residents are also prohibited from gathering more than 10 people.

On the same day, a group of 16 state justice ministers urged President Trump to immediately use his powers under defense laws to promote the production of essentials needed to fight the plague. caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Italy is about to reach a climax

The deputy director of the World Health Organization (WTO) in Italy, Mr. Ranieri Guera, said that the COVID-19 epidemic in this country is likely to peak this week, after which it will gradually decrease.

Speaking on Radio Capital radio, Mr. Guera said that this week and the following days will be decisive, because that will be the time when the Italian government's measures to stop the epidemic are put in place in 15 The past 20 days will be effective. If the epidemic is effective, COVID-19 will drop sharply in the next 5-6 days.

According to Mr. Guera, the decline in the number of new corona positive new strains in Italy is a very positive sign and some areas are nearing the falling point of the disease curve.

The British deputy ambassador to Hungary died

Mr. Steven Dick, the British deputy ambassador to Hungary, was confirmed dead from COVID-19 on March 24. Reuter news agency quoted British diplomatic missions to confirm that the 37-year-old diplomat was also Hungary's 10th death toll.

Russian people take a week off salary

In his speech of nearly 18 minutes, broadcast live on Russian TV channels on March 25, President Vladimir Putin announced the postponement of holding a national referendum on the amendment of the Constitution. The amendment, originally scheduled to vote on April 22, could keep him in power until 2036.

At the same time, Putin also announced that people in this country will be taking paid leave next week to reduce the rate of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The government will also postpone all taxes, except value added tax (VAT) for small and medium businesses within the next 6 months.

France launches military campaign

Paris launched the military campaign of Résilience to assist people and public services during the translation.

"We are in the war and facing the peak of the epidemic ... Our army is ready. We have only one priority: to defeat the virus" - French President Emmanuel Macron said.

As of the evening of March 25, the COVID-19 epidemic had claimed the lives of 1,331 patients in France out of a total of 11,539 people infected. The number of deaths has increased fivefold within a week and in the past 24 hours only 231 deaths have been recorded.

The number of people dying from COVID-19 in France is expected to continue to rise as the country has 2,827 people in special care.

More than half a million Britons have volunteered to fight the epidemic

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked those who volunteered to join the fight against COVID-19, insisting it was an important force to deal with the epidemic.

According to Sky News, more than half a million Britons have signed up to volunteer to support the National Health Service (NHS), double the original target set by the UK Government, in the campaign that was launched. on March 24.

The volunteer army will do specific tasks such as transporting, providing food, medicine, transporting patients to the examination and calling for updates ... for about 1.5 million people who are isolated at home. This force will help the NHS reduce pressure load amid a complicated epidemic in the UK.

The death toll of Spain surpasses China

Spain overtook China in COVID-19 deaths after 738 additional deaths on March 25, bringing the total number of deaths to 3,434. China has 3,281 people killed since the new strain corona virus broke out late last year. To date, globally, only Italy has a higher number of deaths than Spain with 7,503 cases.

In the UK, the health agency only reported to date 465 deaths, an increase of 28 cases.

Meanwhile, the US has at least 63,109 cases of COVID-19 and 877 deaths, according to CNN statistics.

China recorded six more deaths from COVID-19 and 67 new infections in the mainland by March 25, up from 4 deaths and 47 infections on March 24.

Thus, to date there have been 3,287 deaths and 81,285 cases in China. The number of COVID-19 deaths in Turkey surged overnight from 15 to 59 on March 25, with the total number of infections increasing 561 to 2,433.