Image source, AFP

There's a global condom shortage coming up, warns the world's largest manufacturer.

Malaysia is the world's biggest rubber producer and a main supplier of global condom demand - but with the country under lockdown like so many other places, production is being disrupted.

According to AFP, contraceptive maker Karex makes one in every five condoms sold globally, and company boss Goh Miah Kiat told the news agency that there will "definitely" be a shortage in the coming months.

The UN is sounding the alarm. Its sexual and reproductive health agency is warning it can already get only just over half of the condom supplies it needs.

"A shortage of condoms, or any contraceptive, could lead to an increase in unintended pregnancies, with potentially devastating health and social consequences for adolescent girls, women and their partners and families," AFP cites a UN spokesperson as saying.

They also warn this could lead to a rise in unsafe abortions and an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

Data from intensive care wards in the UK , externalshows the average patient who is critically ill is aged 60.

Most are men - and many have other health conditions that could put them at increased risk.

The chart below shows older men are more likely than women to die from Covid-19 in the UK. For a full analysis of risk factors, click here.

...and mosquitoes cannot infect you, either. Watch our latest myth-busting video below.

Image source, Getty Images

New Zealand had 50 new infections confirmed for the past day, that's down from 54 and 67 the previous days.

"We may yet see bumps along the way but I remain cautiously optimistic that we are starting to turn a corner," Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today.

There have been just over 1,200 cases in the country and only one person has died so far. New Zealand is in a countrywide lockdown and a national emergency was declared late last month to stop the virus from spreading.

The country, which has a population of just over five million, has managed to keep numbers significantly lower than many other in the region, notably Australia which has around 6,000 confirmed infections.

On Tuesday, China claimed a new milestone - reporting zero deaths from the coronavirus for the first time since January.

But not everyone is fully convinced. First, there's the issue of China having a bad reputation when it comes to official numbers. Its GDP numbers, or example, are seen more as a guide than fact.

And then there's the issue of what exactly was being defined as a confirmed virus case.

From January through to early March, seven different versions of the definition for Covid-19 were issued by the National Health Commission.

One professor told the BBC's Robin Brant that initial testing focused very specifically on severe pneumonia cases associated with the wet market in Wuhan. He now estimates there would be around 232,000 confirmed cases if the latter definitions were used from the beginning.

Read more from Robin on China's figures here.

Image source, Get

From national lockdowns, to airport traffic, to pollution - we are tracking how the world is changing during the pandemic.

A flight comparison from 2019 to 2020 is below. For more data like that, click here.

Howard Johnson
Philippines Correspondent, BBC News

Hospitals in the Philippines capital, Manila, are struggling to cope, as the numbers of Covid-19 cases and affected health workers continues to rise.

The country currently has 3,764 confirmed cases and 177 virus-related deaths, but health experts say limited testing means the true extent of the outbreak is not yet known.

This week, the National Centre for Medical Health in Mandaluyong said 34 of its staff had tested positive for the coronavirus and three patients have died already. Staff there say they are lacking Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

At the weekend, members of President Duterte’s government - which has close ties with China - received box-loads of PPE from them and welcomed a team of Chinese medical experts.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

So far, North Korea has said there's not been a single infection on its soil, but authorities have implemented limited measures over the past weeks.

North Korea has now issued fresh instructions for how its people can guard themselves against the virus.

It urges people not to take medicine without a doctor's approval and not to blindly take antiviral meds.

People are also told not to drink alcohol, as it weakens the immune system. To strengthen the immune system, they are advised to stick to traditional remedies which improve general health. Examples given are garlic, onions and honey.

Other points are to wear masks and change them frequently and not to take antibiotics as they have no effect of viruses in general.

Here's some advice from the BBC on the health myths to avoid.

Image source, AFP

Australian operator Aurora Expeditions says 128 people on board the Greg Mortimer have tested positive for the virus.

The vessel departed South America on 15 March to go to Antarctica and South Georgia - but now close to 60% of its passengers and crew are infected.

About half a dozen people have already been evacuated to hospitals in Montevideo, Uruguay for treatment.

Meanwhile the rest of the passengers - many from Australia, Europe and the US - are being organised to leave the vessel.

Australians on board should be able to fly home from Thursday after a re-fitted Airbus 340 plane was organised. However, other passengers who tested positive may have to wait longer for repatriation.

Krutika Pathi
BBC News, Delhi

Hello from India, where the end of the lockdown is fast approaching. And citizens want to know what’s coming next - my WhatsApp groups are inundated with speculations on what’s going to happen after 15 April.

But officials are yet to announce their plan. Until then, here’s what you need to know about the situation in India this morning:

• Calls from some states to extend the lockdown are growing louder, external - but government sources tell local media that it's not unreasonable to expect some restrictions to ease in areas that haven't reported a high number of cases.
• Delhi's government to track mobile phones of 2,000 people, external that participated in a weeks-long religious event that sparked massive Covid-19 clusters across India.
• Two people who passed their 14-day quarantine with no symptoms, external in Kerala state have tested positive, prompting concerned officials to swing into action.
• India confirmed 508 new infections and 13 deaths in the last 24 hours, which means we have more than 4,000 active cases and 124 deaths.
• PM Narendra Modi and other top government officials will take a 30% salary cut to tackle the outbreak and its effect on the economy - many states have seen a drop of 30 to 60% in revenues, external, state officials say.

Laura Bicker
BBC News, Seoul

Health officials in South Korea are tracking down customers who came into contact with a female worker at a club in the popular area of Gangnam in Seoul after she tested positive for Covid-19.

She is believed to have been in close contact with 118 people during her nine-hour shift at the so-called "room salon" which is the type of club where women are paid to entertain men.

The city's mayor, Park Won-soon, said he is ordering the closure of entertainment establishments in the city until 19 April when the country’s social distancing measures are due to come to an end.

Popular discos for the elderly will also be suspended.

Image source, EPA

Australia's parliament is sitting to pass the government's key economic package - paying A$130bn (£65bn; $80bn) in wage subsidies to about half the work force.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says MPs are gathering "during extreme times to consider extraordinary responses to the twin crises our nation faces - to our nation’s health and to our economy".

Most lawmakers have been excused from attending the one-off emergency session in Canberra. Parliament isn't scheduled to sit again until August.

Some of those attending have had to get exemptions to cross state borders, or have caught special flights to get to the capital. Former Labor leader Bill Shorten drove the 660km (410 miles) from Victoria.

Image source, Getty Images

Yvette Tan
Singapore

Here in Singapore, efforts to curb the virus have been seriously ramped up this week.

Social gatherings of any size - whether at home or in public - have now been banned.

That means even private gatherings with family members that don't live with you or small gatherings at home with friends are not allowed.

It's part of a bill that was passed through parliament yesterday that gives the health minister various powers - among them, the power to restrict the movement and interactions of individuals even at their place of residence, according to a Straits Times report., external

This comes after Singapore applied its strictest measures yet- closing down all non-essential businesses, most workplaces and schools. These will be in force until 4 May.

There are currently 1,481 confirmed cases in Singapore.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

More than a billion workers are vulnerable to job losses or sharp wage cuts because of measures to lockdown economies and fight the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO).

By the second quarter of 2020, working hours around the globe are expected to drop a further 6.7%, equal to 195 million of the world's 3.3 billion workforce, the ILO, a United Nations agency, said. It called the spread of the coronavirus "the worst global crisis since World War II".

Governments around the world have ordered non-essential businesses to shut, or operations to be curbed and for people to stay at home.

The impact has already reached about 38% of the global workforce the ILO said.

You can read more on that here

Vikas Pandey
BBC News, Delhi

India has quarantined tens of thousands of people in their homes.

But some of the measures designed to keep them inside - like the signs posted outside their houses and releasing their personal data - have led to unintended, and unpleasant, consequences.

"Some people shared the picture of our house in local WhatsApp groups as a warning," Bharat Dhingra, whose family have been in "home quarantine" since 22 March, said.

"Our house has become like a zoo. People stop to take pictures when they pass by. Our neighbours tell us to go inside even when we step out into our balcony for a minute."

Meanwhile, the personal data of at least 19 people quarantined at home - including their telephone numbers - was also leaked in Hyderabad city.

This resulted in phone calls at odd hours, external and unwanted advice on "how to kill the virus" for some of the families.

Read the full story on the Indians in quarantine who are being shunned here.

Image source, Getty Images

US folk singer John Prine died on Tuesday. He'd been hospitalised in late March with coronavirus symptoms.

Prine worked as a postman for years before emerging in the Chicago folk scene in the early 1970s. His music includes protest song Sam Stone, written in the wake of the Vietnam War and Paradise, about the decline of small-town America at the hands of large mining corporations.

He's often been compared to Bob Dylan, who had praised Prine's songwriting as "pure Proustian existentialism".

But Prine also had good sense of humour. Listen to this track here where he jokes about what should happen to him if he dies.

Ed Lane
BBC Business reporter, Singapore

Image source, Getty Images

A summary now on the economic situation across Asia.

Shares in Asia fell early Wednesday after two straight days of gains. That's being driven by volatile oil prices and continued concern over the spread of the coronavirus.

Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.7%, South Korea's KOSPI fell 0.8% nd Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dipped nearly 0.3%. The early losses in Asia followed declines in the US overnight with the Dow down 0.1%, S&P 500 off 0.2% and the Nasdaq Composite 0.3% lower.

Continued uncertainty on oil production plans by Russia and Opec leader Saudi Arabia has seen volatile trade with global benchmark Brent crude up 2.3% in early Asia at $32.59 per barrel after a 3.6% decline overnight.

A meeting on Thursday between Opec and ally Russia may move to curb production, after a failure to agree on cuts in March sent oil into a tailspin.

Image source, Facebook

The mayor of a small town in the US state of Illinois sent police to break up parties - only to find his wife among revellers.

Alton Mayor Brant Walker warned citizens on Saturday he would deploy officers to enforce stay-at-home orders intended to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Mr Walker has now spoken of his embarrassment after police discovered his wife at a party in a bar, which was open despite a requirement for all non-essential businesses to shut.

“My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement,” Mr Walker wrote in a statement on Facebook.

He added that she would face “the same consequences for her ill-advised decision as the other individuals” apprehended at Hiram’s Tavern early on Sunday. The party-goers face citations for reckless conduct.

A month-long state of emergency is now in place across parts of Japan, including the capital, Tokyo.

The government has urged companies to let non-essential workers work from home and to stagger shifts for those who can't work remotely.

Japan's work culture calls for lots of face-to-face interaction, though, and these were the scenes this morning from the capital. Our colleagues in Japan say that for many, life still seems to be going on as normal.

Few appear to be practicing social distancing in this Tokyo restaurant, with people sitting almost elbow-to-elbow.

Image source, Getty Images

In this smoking corner in Shinbashi station, employees - known as salarymen - are seen packed together for a quick smoke break, some of them pulling down their face masks to do so. This small corner is the only place you can legally smoke in the district.

Image source, Getty Images

New York has recorded its deadliest 24 hours since the virus arrived, with 731 deaths recorded on Tuesday - bringing the total death toll to 5,498.

Governor Andrew Cuomo warned New Yorkers to continue socially distancing and to stay indoors.

"We need to vigorously maintain it. Lives depend on it," he said.

The state had seen two days of slowing infection rates and fewer deaths.