The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 2.2 million people worldwide and more than 150,000 deaths have been recorded.
UNITED STATES
The daily increase in coronavirus deaths in the state of New York has dropped under 550 for the first time in over two weeks as hospital admissions continue to decline.
However, governor Andrew Cuomo warned the crisis is far from over. Hospitals are still reporting nearly 2000 new COVID-19 patients per day.
The state logged 540 deaths on Friday from the virus, the lowest number since April 1.
Nearly 13,000 New Yorkers have died since the state's first coronavirus case was reported on March 1.
CANADA
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the US and Canada have agreed to keep their border closed to non-essential travel for another 30 days.
SPAIN
Spain has reached 20,000 deaths for the coronavirus pandemic, and total infections have increased to more than 190,000.
Spain's health authorities reported 565 deaths in the last 24 hours. Only the US and Italy have more deaths.
New infections rose by nearly 4500. More than 74,000 people in Spain have recovered.
Strict confinement rules are expected to be extended beyond April 26.
FRANCE
French authorities have barred a cruise ship that has been at sea since early January from allowing more than 1000 passengers to disembark before its final destination in Italy.
The French administration said that the Costa Deliziosa sought to make a stop in Marseille on Friday to let off 1400 passengers who wanted to get out before the final stop in Venice.
The administration granted exemptions to six other cruise ships in recent weeks to allow French passengers to get off, but refused this time.
IRAN
Iran has allowed some businesses in the capital and nearby towns to re-open on Saturday after weeks of lockdown aimed at containing the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East.
Iran has reported more than 80,000 confirmed cases and over 5000 deaths.
Gyms, restaurants, shopping centres and Tehran's grand bazaar will remain closed.
Shrines and mosques are also shuttered, and a ban on public gatherings remains in place.
Government offices have reopened with a third of employees working from home, but schools and universities are still closed.
AFRICA
Africa now has more than 1000 deaths from COVID-19, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
A total of 52 of the continent's 54 countries have reported the virus, with the overall number of cases more than 19,800 as of Saturday morning.
The World Health Organisation has noted a 51 per cent increase in cases in Africa and a 60 per cent jump in deaths.
But the WHO chief has warned that because of a shortage of testing "it's likely the real numbers are higher than reported".
The Africa CDC has said more than one million test kits will be rolled out starting next week.
SOUTH KOREA
South Korea has reported 18 new cases of the coronavirus, its lowest daily jump since February 20, continuing a downward trend.
Figures released by South Korea's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday brought national totals to 10,653 cases and 232 virus-related deaths.
Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip on Saturday called for vigilance to maintain the hard-won gains against the virus, raising concern over continuing infections at hospitals and local transmissions health workers have been unable to trace.
JAPAN
Japan on Saturday reported 556 new cases of the coronavirus, surpassing the total of 10,000 about three months after the first case was detected in the country.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week expanded his April 7 state of emergency in Tokyo and six urban prefectures to all of Japan.
CHINA
China on Saturday reported 27 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, as it tries to stem an upsurge in infections in a northeast province bordering Russia.
Twenty of the new cases were in Heilongjiang province, including 13 Chinese nationals who had returned recently from Russia.
The land border with Russia has been closed.
China's official death toll rose sharply to 4632, reflecting a major upwards revision the previous day by authorities in Wuhan, the nation's hardest-hit city.
The latest confirmed cases brought the total to 82,719, of which 77,029 have recovered and been discharged, the National Health Commission said.
Eighteen officials in Heilongjiang province have been punished for failures in their response to the outbreak, state media reported.
They include the deputy mayor of Harbin, the provincial capital, and a vice president of Harbin Medical University.
They were given warnings or demerits in their personnel files.
Australian Associated Press
