- Virus cases breach 5 million mark
- Largest single-day rise—WHO
The number of novel coronavirus cases declared worldwide broke through five million on Thursday in an AFP tally of officially recorded infections at 0730 GMT.
At least 5,006,730 cases, including 328,047 fatalities have been registered.
Europe has been the hardest hit with 1,954,519 cases and 169,880 deaths while the United States has 1,551,853 cases and 93,439 deaths. The statistics represent only a fraction of the exact total of cases with many countries testing only the most serious infections.
Highest single-day increase
The World Health Organization has reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases Wednesday at 106,000—the highest since the outbreak erupted in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.
The UN body’s chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was “very concerned” about the situation in low- and middle-income nations.
Latin America has seen infections surge in recent days and, in some cases, countries have reinstated lockdown measures that had been eased. Brazil has been hardest hit, logging the third-highest number of cases in the world. Peru, Mexico, and Chile have also seen steady increases in infections.
In-person G7 Summit
Trump, determined to reignite the troubled US economy ahead of his re-election bid in November, said the country was “Transitioning back to Greatness” and announced he could host June’s G7 summit at a presidential retreat, instead of holding it as a virtual gathering.
READ: WHO reports record virus cases as Trump proposes face-to-face G7 summit
“I am considering rescheduling the G-7, on the same or similar date, in Washington, D.C., at the legendary Camp David,” he said on Twitter.
“The other members are also beginning their COMEBACK. It would be a great sign to all – normalization!”
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he would attend if “health conditions allow,” while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would “wait and see what happens.”
Promising studies
Governments around the world are desperately hoping for a vaccine that would allow them to dispense with the lockdowns that have hammered their economies.
There was encouraging news on that front as experiments on monkeys offered hope that humans can develop immunity to the virus.
Researchers reported progress from one study that looked at a prototype vaccine and another on whether infection with COVID-19 confers protection against re-exposure.
“We demonstrate in rhesus macaques that prototype vaccines protected against SARS-CoV-2 infection and that SARS-CoV-2 infection protected against re-exposure,” said senior author Dan Barouch of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Gradual reopening
India said domestic air travel will resume on May 25 after a two-month shutdown, even as the world’s second-most populous country reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus infections, with more than 5,600 new cases in 24 hours.
New Zealanders were finally able to go back to the pub on Thursday but acknowledged that normality was still a way off.
“I think we’ve got to be realistic and say it’s going to be pretty rubbish for the next six months,” said Kevin McAree, who runs an upmarket winery in Wellington.
“People’s habits have changed (during lockdown). They’re used to maybe having a nice bottle of wine at home and spending a bit more on takeaway food. But eventually they’ll want to get out and enjoy themselves.”
READ: Peru passes 100,000 COVID-19 cases, 3,000 dead