BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The world is now in a battle against COVID-19, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 200 countries and regions.
The following are the updates on the contagious disease.
NEW YORK -- The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 550,000 on Sunday afternoon, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
The fresh figure reached 550,016 with 21,733 deaths as of 5:30 p.m. (2130 GMT), according to the CSSE.
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JERUSALEM -- Former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, died at age of 79 from the COVID-19, Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem said on Sunday.
According to the hospital announcement, the rabbi was hospitalized a few days ago after tested positive with the virus. On Sunday evening, his condition deteriorated and passed away.
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QUITO -- Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno on Sunday announced he and other senior government officials will take a 50 percent pay cut amid the economic crisis sparked by the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown.
The austerity measure will apply to his vice president and cabinet, as well as members of the National Assembly, and regional and municipal leaders, Moreno said via Twitter.
Moreno earns 5,635 U.S. dollars a month, according to official figures.
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DUBLIN -- The Irish government on Sunday marked the Easter Rising, a failed armed insurrection in 1916, without public gatherings, as COVID-19 cases approached 10,000 in the country.
President Michael D. Higgins led a special commemoration marking the 104th anniversary of the Easter Rising at his official residence, according to a statement by the president's office.
The commemoration began with Higgins ringing the Peace Bell, followed by a prayer, a wreath-laying ceremony, and a minute's silence.
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PARIS -- As of Sunday, the number of people who have died from the coronavirus in France totalled 14,393, representing a one-day increase of 561, down from Saturday's 643, while serious cases decreased for the fourth straight day.
