President Donald Trump 6th April 2020. Image: LMMNews screen grab from C-SPAN

President Donald Trump has predicted death rates in the US to surge to a ‘horrific point’ but promises a ‘light at the end of the tunnel.’

His comments come after US Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned on Sunday that the US is looking at its saddest week in the fight against the Coronavirus so far.

He told Fox News on Sunday:

This is going to be our Pearl Harbour moment, our 9/11 moment, only it’s not going to be localised. It’s going to be happening all over the country. And I want America to understand that.

The #COVID19Pandemic is expected to reach its peak in the US over the next fortnight, with more than 9,000 Americans already killed#COVID19 #coronavirus #COVID19UShttps://t.co/U9mjrj9llq

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 5, 2020

With 337,274 confirmed cases and 9,619 Coronavirus-related deaths, the US now has the highest number of Covid-19 patients in the world.

But President Trump expressed optimism, saying the US was seeing the crisis slowing down in some of the country’s worst hit regions like New York.

Even though the numbers climbed to 4,200 Coronavirus deaths in New York State, authorities are hopeful that the spread of the virus is slowing with the number of fatalities down from 630 on Saturday to 594 on Sunday.

“It is too soon to start searching for the light at the end of that tunnel because the next fortnight could be very dark indeed”@AliBunkallSKY says America is entering a defining week in its history https://t.co/PGVkc7R9n9

— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 6, 2020

Irish PM re-registers as a doctor to help fight Covid-19 

As the country faces close to 5,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 158 subsequent deaths, the country’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has re-registered as a doctor with Ireland’s health service.

Exclusive: Taoiseach rejoined medical register in March and is set to work one shift a week with HSE https://t.co/GXSqKhlmC6

— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) April 5, 2020

Mr Varadkar is trained and qualified as a general practitioner and worked as a doctor for several years before moving into politics.

In light of the Coronavirus outbreak the Taoiseach  is set to work one shift per week in order to assist the battle against the pandemic.

This comes after Simon Harris, the country’s health minister, launched a recruitment drive for its health service.

UN chief condemns ‘horrifying’ rise in domestic violence cases provoked by widespread lockdown

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged governments worldwide to counteract a worrying surge in domestic violence as many countries have taken lockdown measures to tackle the Coronavirus outbreak.

He said: ‘For many women and girls, the threat looms largest where they should be safest — in their own homes.’

Peace is not just the absence of war. Many women under lockdown for #COVID19 face violence where they should be safest: in their own homes.

Today I appeal for peace in homes around the world.

I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/PjDUTrMb9v

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 6, 2020

According to the UN, domestic abuse helplines have seen two to three times as many calls in some countries compared to last year.

According to Australian News Service ‘7News’ the Coronavirus lockdown has led to a 75% surge in domestic violence-related  searches on Google.

The UN Secretary-General stated that economic and social distress caused by Coronavirus has aggravated abuse.

Meanwhile, health care providers, support groups and the police are all facing a shortage of resources, undermining support for victims.

The National Domestic Abuse helpline has seen a 25% increase in calls and online requests for help since the lockdown, Refuge has said. So often domestic abuse impacts on children too. https://t.co/j2vveOwcg0

— Children’s Commissioner for England (@ChildrensComm) April 6, 2020

Japan about to declare state of emergency over coronavirus

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to announce a state of emergency as the number of cases in the country grows.

BREAKING: Abe to declare state of emergency to cover Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka Prefectures for about one month pic.twitter.com/TOgwRqBt4j

— The Japan Times (@japantimes) April 6, 2020

It is expected that Japan’s various prefectures will be empowered to take more restrictive measures to tackle the Coronavirus outbreak.

The announcement, expected today, comes amid mounting pressure on the government as the number of cases rose to over 1,000 in the capital alone.

Last week, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike signalled that a state of emergency declaration could help urge residents to comply with stricter social distancing measures.

The state of emergency is expected to apply to the greater Tokyo metropolitan area and possibly the prefectures of Osaka and Hyogo.

In total, Japan has more than 3,500 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 85 subsequent deaths.