Global cases near 5 million
After the biggest single-day increase in cases worldwide so far in the pandemic, the number of confirmed infections is close to 5 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The true number is likely to be significantly higher, due to differing testing rates, delays and underreporting. This is true for deaths, too. At least 328,120 people have lost their lives in the pandemic so far.
‘Don’t count on’ vaccine’
A top US scientist has said governments should not count on a Covid-19 vaccine being developed any time soon, urging people to wear masks, wash hands, clean surfaces and keep a distance. William Haseltine, the groundbreaking cancer, HIV/AIDS and human genome projects researcher, said: “It’s not a slam-dunk case by any means ... because every time people have tried to make a vaccine – for Sars or Mers – it hasn’t actually protected.”
Migrant boat crossings to UK surge during virus lockdown
The number of unaccompanied young migrants crossing the Channel from France to Britain has spiked during the coronavirus outbreak, as travel restrictions force them onto boats rather than trucks. Kent County Council in southeast England, which includes the major port of Dover, was dealing with “230 to 250” young migrants a year ago, its chief executive, Roger Gough, said.
Mexico suffers record one-day death toll
Mexico’s health ministry on Wednesday registered 2,248 new coronavirus infections and an additional 424 fatalities, a record one-day death toll since the start of the pandemic. The new infections brought confirmed coronavirus cases to 56,594 and 6,090 deaths in total, according to the official tally. Mexico registered its biggest daily increase yet in infections on Tuesday, when it reported 2,713 new cases. Mexico’s highest daily death toll was on 12 May, when health authorities reported 353 fatalities.
World sees largest daily rise in cases
The World Health Organization gave a stark warning on Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, after 106,000 new cases were recorded worldwide over the past 24 hours – the most in a single day so far. Speaking in Geneva, the WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the virus was spreading in poorer countries, just as wealthier nations were emerging from lockdown.
The prospect of a second wave of coronavirus infection across Europe is no longer a distant theory, according to the director of the EU agency responsible for advising governments – including the UK – on disease control. “The question is when and how big. That is the question in my view,” said Dr Andrea Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Japan to lift state of emergency in Osaka and two other prefectures
Japan’s economy minister says experts have approved a government plan to remove a coronavirus state of emergency in Osaka and two neighbouring prefectures in the west where the infection is deemed slowing, while keeping the measure in place in the Tokyo region and Hokkaido. Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters that experts at the meeting approved the plan to lift the measure in Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo. The measure will be kept in place in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, as well as Hokkaido, where the infections have slowed but need further improvement.
Trump considers an in-person G7 meeting despite coronavirus pandemic
Donald Trump has said he may seek to revive a face-to-face meeting of Group of Seven leaders near Washington, after earlier canceling the gathering due to the coronavirus pandemic. “I am considering rescheduling the G-7, on the same or similar date, in Washington, DC, at the legendary Camp David,” the US president tweeted on Wednesday. “The other members are also beginning their COMEBACK. It would be a great sign to all – normalization!”
More than 100 virus infections in French slaughterhouse
More than 100 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at a slaughterhouse in western France, the regional health authorities said Wednesday. The cases follow coronavirus outbreaks at meat plants not only in France but also in Germany, Spain, Australia, the United States and Brazil - where people tend to work in close proximity. A total of 109 personnel have tested positive at the slaughterhouse in Cotes d’Armor following a second wave of testing, the ARS regional health authority said in a statement. Some 818 people have been tested at the plant, it added.
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