World swings between hope, despair

Relatives and others carry the coffin of a man, who died of COVID-19, during a funeral on Monday in Wittenheim;

Europe's hardest-hit nations saw some tentative signs of hope in the fight against Coronavirus on Monday but the US braced for its "Pearl Harbour moment" as the country's death toll raced towards 10,000.

There was cause for cheer in some European hotspots, with Italy reporting its lowest death toll in two weeks, Spanish fatalities dropping for the third straight day and France seeing its fewest dead in a week. But while the curve was bending in Europe, there was little sign of let-up in the US. US Surgeon General Jerome Adams told Fox News that the pandemic rivals some of the darkest moments in the US history, including: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the September 11 terrorist attacks. "The next week is going to be our Pearl Harbor, 9/11 moments."

Tiger Nadia has tested positive after seemingly contracting Coroavirus from an asymptomatic caretaker at New York's Bronx Zoo. France. Pics/AFP

The death toll in hardest-hit New York state rose to 4,159, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, up from 3,565 a day prior. Members of the White House Task Force on COVID-19 have predicted between 100,000 to 200,000 lakh deaths in the next several weeks. But President Donald Trump later suggested the hard weeks ahead could foretell the turning of a corner.

Boris 'went for routine tests'
On Sunday, Britain assumed the unwelcome mantle of deadliest Coronavirus hotspot in Europe after a record 24-hour jump in deaths that surpassed even hard-hit Italy's. The UK government on Monday said PM Boris Johnson is "doing well" after staying overnight in hospital for some "routine tests" related to his COVID-19 diagnosis. UK housing and communities secretary Robert Jenrick said Johnson remains in charge of the UK's response to the pandemic and is expected back at No.10 Downing Street soon.

China fears second wave
China has reported 39 new cases, including 38 imported ones, as the number of asymptomatic cases also surged, raising concern of a second wave of the COVID-19 infections mainly from Chinese returning home despite drastic containment efforts, health officials said on Monday. A health official of Beijing has warned that the Chinese capital will probably remain under long-term Coronavirus epidemic control. Meanwhile, in Singapore, authorities have placed nearly 20,000 foreign workers under quarantine in their dormitories after an increasing number in the community were found to be infected with COVID-19.

In 40 mins, 6 suffer cardiac arrest, 4 die

At the emergency room of University Hospital of Brooklyn, New York, six people suffered cardiac arrest within 40 minutes. Medics rushed to resuscitate them, but only two survived, reports CNN. "They're so sick you lose them in a heartbeat," said respiratory therapist Julie Eason. "They're talking to you and then a few minutes later you're putting a tube down their throat hoping you can set the ventilator in such a way that it actually helps them."

Glimmer of hope for Hong Kong farmers

After a wave of panic-buying briefly left Hong Kong's supermarket shelves bare, residents are turning to local producers for fresh food in a city that imports a 98 per cent of its vegetables. The twice-weekly market at Mapopo Community Farm in suburban northeast Hong Kong has doubled takings since February. The pandemic has prompted more people to rethink what can be produced here, said Mandy Tang, who supports local farmers.

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