BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

MANILA -- The Philippine Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar on Wednesday said he had tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the country's third infected cabinet member.

"I regret to announce that today, July 15, I received my test result and it is positive for COVID-19," Villar said on his Facebook page on Wednesday morning.

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia reported 18 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking its total to 261, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Wednesday.

"A total of 408 tests for COVID-19 were conducted at three laboratories across the country yesterday and 18 of them were positive," the NCCD's head Dulmaa Nyamkhuu told a daily press conference.

- - - -

WUHAN -- No new confirmed, asymptomatic or suspected cases of COVID-19 were reported in central China's Hubei Province on Tuesday, the provincial health commission said Wednesday.

By Tuesday, Hubei had four asymptomatic cases, including two in the provincial capital city of Wuhan. A total of 63 close contacts were still under medical observation.

- - - -

SYDNEY -- A COVID-19 outbreak centered around a popular Sydney pub has been identified as originating in the neighboring state of Victoria.

New South Wales (NSW) State officials made the link on Wednesday, however have avoided calls to implement a lockdown of hospitality venues in order to stop the spread.

- - - -

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported two new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the number of active cases in the country to 27, according to the Ministry of Health.

It has been 75 days since the last case of COVID-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source. The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country is now 1,197.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- An investigational COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, was generally well tolerated and prompted neutralizing antibody activity in healthy adults, according to interim results published online Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The ongoing phase 1 trial is supported by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday urged all Americans to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus, particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities," CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)