Tiger at New York zoo tests positive for covid-19

NEW YORK 7 April 2020: A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the new coronavirus, Covid-19, in the first known case of a human infecting an animal and making it sick, Reuters quoted the zoo’s chief veterinarian as saying on Sunday.

Nadia, the 4-year-old Malayan tiger that tested positive, was screened for the Covid-19 disease after developing a dry cough along with three other tigers and three lions, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo, said in a statement. All of the cats are expected to recover, it said.

But officials believe this is a unique case because Nadia became sick after exposure to an asymptomatic zoo employee, said Wam.

Saudi Arabia reports 61 new coronavirus infections

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has announced 61 new coronavirus infections, with the total number of active cases reached 1,941.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Ministry of Health pointed out that the total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom has reached 2,463 so far, of which 488 have recovered.

Oman reports 33 new Covid-19 cases

MUSCAT: The Ministry of Health of Oman announced on Monday the registration of 33 new positive cases with coronavirus, Covid-19, taking the total tally in the Sultanate to 331, in addition to two deaths.

The ministry also pointed out that 61 patients have recovered from the virus, state news agency ONA reported.

AD airport tech to help identify at-risk travellers

ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways will partner with Australian company Elenium Automation to trial new technology which allows self-service devices at airports to be used to help identify travellers with medical conditions, potentially including the early stages of Covid-19.

The UAE national airline will be the first airline to trial the technology, which can monitor the temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate of any person using an airport touchpoint such as a check-in or information kiosk, a bag drop facility, a security point or immigration gate.

“The Elenium system will automatically suspend the self-service check-in or bag drop process if a passenger’s vital signs indicate potential symptoms of illness,” the company said, adding that it will then divert to a teleconference or alert qualified staff on site, who can make further assessments and manage travellers as appropriate.

In partnership with Amazon Web Services, Elenium has also developed ‘hands free’ technologies that enable touchless use of self-service devices through voice recognition, further minimising the potential of any viral or bacterial transmission.

Etihad will initially trial the monitoring technology at its hub airport in Abu Dhabi, at the end of April and throughout May 2020, initially with a range of volunteers, and, as flights resume, outbound passengers.

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