COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 11 August – World Economic Forum

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now reached more than 20 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine. The number of confirmed coronavirus deaths now stands at more than 736,000.

The UK has reported its biggest job losses since 2009, after the number of people in work fell by 220,000 in the three months to June.

Japan's banks lent at a record pace in July. Regional lenders worked to boost small firms hit by the coronavirus pandemic, according to central bank data.

Mexico's coronavirus death toll has passed 53,000. The country reported 705 new deaths and 5,558 new cases on Monday it's reported more than 485,000 cases in total.

Singapore's recession was deeper than first thought in the second quarter, reports Reuters. The painful truth is this we are not returning to a pre-COVID world. Recovery will be some time yet, said trade minister Chan Chun Sing.

A retirement home in New Zealand as gone into lockdown, after residents displayed symptoms of respiratory disease.

Papua New Guinea is set to lift a two-week lockdown in its capital Port Moresby, despite reported cases doubling in the past week.

Confirmed deaths are now past 730,000.

Image: Our World in Data

2. Home working here to stay

Almost 80% of chief executives expect remote working to become more common as a result of COVID-19, according to a global survey from PwC.

A blend of office and home working is most likely to be the future norm, PwC UKs chairman Kevin Ellis said.

Companies around the world have shifted to remote working due to lockdown restrictions, and chief executives now expect some of this shift to persist in their own businesses, according to the survey. The research was based on responses from a panel of PwC's 3,500 global clients, surveyed from 15 June to 3 July.

The first global pandemic in more than 100 years, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an unprecedented speed. At the time of writing, 4.5 million cases have been confirmed and more than 300,000 people have died due to the virus.

As countries seek to recover, some of the more long-term economic, business, environmental, societal and technological challenges and opportunities are just beginning to become visible.

To help all stakeholders communities, governments, businesses and individuals understand the emerging risks and follow-on effects generated by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Marsh and McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, has launched its COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications - a companion for decision-makers, building on the Forums annual Global Risks Report.

The report reveals that the economic impact of COVID-19 is dominating companies risks perceptions.

Companies are invited to join the Forums work to help manage the identified emerging risks of COVID-19 across industries to shape a better future. Read the full COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications report here, and our impact story with further information.

3. Suppress, suppress, suppress

World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has issued a clear reminder of the steps and work that's needed in the fight against COVID-19.

To tackle the pandemic effectively, there are two essential elements, he said. "Leaders must step up to take action and citizens need to embrace new measures."

And, by looking at what other countries are doing, you can get a clear picture of what measures have been taken:

"Chains of transmission have been broken by combination of rapid case identification, comprehensive contact tracing, adequate clinical care for patients, physical distancing, mask wearing, regular cleaning of hands and coughing away from others," Dr Tedros said in a media briefing.

"Whether countries or regions have successfully eliminated the virus, suppressed transmission to a low level, or are still in the midst of a major outbreak; now is the time to do it all, invest in the basics of public health and we can save both lives and livelihoods."

Overall, the message is "crystal clear", he said. "Suppress, suppress, suppress the virus."

Read the original post:

COVID-19: What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 11 August - World Economic Forum