Live COVID-19 updates: France's death toll tops 70,000

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-17 10:00:28|Editor: huaxia

A pedestrian walks past a school that has been closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Dublin, Ireland, Jan. 11, 2021. (Xinhua)

- Ireland demands test results for int'l arrivals

- Ecuador hits new daily record of 3,942 cases

- France's COVID-19 death toll tops 70,000

- UK records lowest daily rise of COVID cases this year

BEIJING, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

DUBLIN -- Passengers arriving in Ireland from all countries will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test result starting from Saturday as part of the country's latest efforts to control the spread of the disease.

The test must be taken within 72 hours prior to arrival, according to a new rule announced by the Irish government earlier this week.

Police officers are seen at a checkpoint during a nationwide curfew in Paris, France, Jan. 16, 2021. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/Xinhua)

PARIS -- France reported 196 COVID-19 deaths in a 24-hour span on Saturday, taking the national tally to 70,142, according to the latest data released by the Public Health Agency.

Another 21,406 people tested positive for COVID-19 in one day, bringing the cumulative total of cases in the country to 2,894,347.

- - - -

QUITO -- Ecuador registered a record 3,942 daily cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 230,808, the Ministry of Public Health reported on Saturday.

The figures are part of an exponential increase in infections that the South American country has registered this month.

People wearing face masks walk past the Vaccination Centre at ExCel exhibition center in London, Britain, Jan. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON -- Britain's daily increase of coronavirus infections dropped to its lowest level since Dec. 27, 2020, but the country recorded the third highest daily death toll from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to official figures released Saturday.

- - - -

HAVANA -- The Cuban Ministry of Public Health reported on Saturday that in the last 24 hours, four deaths and 405 new cases of the novel coronavirus were registered in the country, in the midst of a strong rebound in infections.

According to the ministry, the total number of cases rose to 17,501 and the number of deaths to 166.

- - - -

BEIRUT-- Lebanon registered on Saturday 5,872 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 249,158.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the virus went up by 41 to 1,866.

A man receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Amman, Jordan, on Jan. 13, 2021. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua)

AMMAN -- Jordan on Saturday reported 16 new COVID-19 deaths and 706 new cases, taking the death toll to 4,137 and the total infections to 313,55.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Media Affairs Ali Ayed said movement restrictions would be reimposed in case of no commitment to health and safety measures against COVID-19.

- - - -

TUNIS -- Tunisian Health Ministry on Saturday night reported 2,166 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 177,231.

The death toll from the virus rose by 88 to 5,616 in the North African country, it said in a statement.

- - - -

ALGIERS -- Algeria on Saturday reported 230 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total infections in the North Africa country to 103,611.

The death toll from the coronavirus in Algeria rose to 2,831 after four new fatalities were recorded, said the Algerian Ministry of Health in a statement.

A patient is treated in a COVID-19 isolation ward at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Jan. 12, 2021. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM -- Israel's Ministry of Health reported 6,815 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number in the country to 541,864.

The death toll from COVID-19 in Israel reached 3,943 with 33 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 1,135 to 1,082, out of 1,897 hospitalized patients.

- - - -

OTTAWA -- Canada's COVID-19 cases surpassed 700,000 on Saturday morning, with the total hitting 700,988, including 17,847 deaths, according to CTV.

Canada reported 22 cases of the B.1.1.17 virus variant found in Britain and one case of the 501Y.V2 virus variant confirmed in South Africa as of Jan. 13, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

KEY WORDS:
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011102121396740331