Masks in Melbourne as Victoria coronavirus cases hit record: Live | News

• The Australian state of Victoria has announced 484 new cases of coronavirus – a daily record – as it becomes mandatory for everyone in the state to wear masks when they leave their homes. 

• From mask sceptic to champion of face coverings: After months of downplaying their effectiveness, US President Donald Trump told Americans to wear masks because “they have an impact” and that he would “gladly” use one.

• More than 14.9 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, nearly 8.5 million have recovered, and nearly 616,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Here are the updates:

Wednesday, July 22

08:05 GMT – Thailand to extend emergency decree until end of August

Thailand will extend a state of emergency until the end of August, a senior official has said, maintaining the security measure put in place to contain its coronavirus outbreak.

The announcement comes after nearly two months without local transmission and with many people in Thailand questioning the need for an emergency decree.

The decree, first introduced in late March, will be subject to cabinet approval next week.

Thailand will extend a state of emergency until the end of August [File: Reuters]

07:50 GMT – Masks mandatory as cases rise in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has made it mandatory to wear masks on public transport, in indoor areas and passenger terminals.

The measures will last until August 5 as the city tries to break the transmission of local infections.

Hong Kong has recorded 2,019 infections with 14 deaths. On Tuesday, it reported 58 cases, 25 of them from an unknown source.

The city’s Health Minister Sophia Chan is appealing to people to stay at home as much as possible, saying Hong Kong is at a high risk of a community outbreak.

07:35 GMT – DR Congo ends virus health emergency, borders to reopen

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has lifted a health emergency over the coronavirus outbreak and ordered a reopening in three stages of business activities, schools and borders.

The vast country of more than 80 million people has recorded 8,534 infections including 196 deaths since March 10.

Tshisekedi said the figures place the Democratic Republic of Congo as ninth worst-hit country in Africa in terms of the number of cases and 12th in terms of deaths, “putting paid to all catastrophic forecasts for our country at the start of the epidemic.”

07:20 GMT – Pakistanis risk unproven plasma treatment in virus fight

Pakistanis with COVID-19 are risking their lives and navigating a shady black market to get blood plasma transfusions, despite scant medical proof about the remedy’s effectiveness.

Convalescent plasma treatment, where the antibody-rich part of the blood from a recovered patient is transfused to a coronavirus sufferer, is growing in popularity across Pakistan amid widely circulating claims of success on social…