Global Vaccine Summit attempts to coordinate COVID-19 inoculation efforts
A global summit, hosted in the UK but attended by heads of governments and business leaders via Zoom, is aiming to raise $7.4 billion (€6.60 billion) in funding for vaccine programmes for the years to come. In the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, the Global...
‘Brazil’s death toll is soaring’
For the second day running Brazil has posted a record death toll – 1,349 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the total to more than 32,500. Brazil also has nearly 600,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The country’s death toll is soaring – yet in...
Israeli parliament suspends activities after MP tests positive
Israel’s parliament has suspended most of its activities for the day after a lawmaker tested positive for coronavirus. Staff at the Knesset have been asked not to come into work unless it is essential, while committee meetings have been postponed. The infected lawmaker, Sami Abou...
Mexico reports highest daily deaths so far
Mexico has reported 1,092 novel coronavirus deaths for the past day, the country’s highest daily toll so far, taking the total fatalities to 11,729. Daily infections were also at an all-time high of 3,912 – the overall number of confirmed infections now stands at 101,238....
The latest from Europe
Germany announces a massive economic stimulus while Austria reopens its borders – but not to Italy. Here’s the latest from Europe: After marathon talks with coalition partners, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel unveiled a €130 billion ($146bn; £116bn) economic recovery package, including a cut in VAT...
Covid-19: Kenyan researchers identify virus strains
Kenyan researchers have identified at least nine strains of Covid-19 circulating in the country in efforts to track mutations of the virus. The nine strains are not any different from the ones circulating globally. The team of scientists analysed 122 genomes collected from symptomatic and...
Coronavirus: SA province to only test the elderly
South Africa’s Western Cape province has amended its testing policy to focus on those aged 55 years and above. The province, known for the port city of Cape Town, has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country. Its health department said the elderly...
China hopes the US will take “concrete” measures against racial discrimination
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has again voiced its hope that the United States will take “concrete” measures against racial discrimination. “We hope the US government will take concrete measures to fulfil its obligations under the international convention on the elimination of all forms of...
The US could see a second wave of Covid-19 infections because of the protests
US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warned the nation to expect new outbreaks of coronavirus resulting from the George Floyd protests that have seen thousands of people gather in close proximity. “I remain concerned about the public health consequences both of individual and institutional racism...
Daily record toll puts Brazil deaths past 31,000
Brazil has registered another record number of new daily coronavirus deaths. The 1,262 new fatalities put its overall death toll at 31,199. The jump comes as several major cities start to open back up. In Rio people were seen on the beaches and in Sao...
Coronavirus: Australia set for first recession in three decades
Australia is set for its first recession in 29 years as the country feels the impact of the virus pandemic. Official figures show that the economy shrank by 0.3% in the first three months of the year, amid bushfires and the early stages of the...
US issues new travel alert on Tanzania over Covid-19
The US embassy in Tanzania has issued a fresh travel advisory for American citizens regarding the coronavirus pandemic in the country. In a statement, the embassy suggested that the risk of contracting the virus in the commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, remains high, but gave...
Cameroon virus cases rise after schools reopen
Cameroon has recorded a rise in new coronavirus cases after reopening schools on 1 June. The country reported 254 new cases on Monday and 188 new cases on Tuesday. The government said it had put safety measures to protect learners that included cleaning of classrooms...
Iran criticizes “oppressive” US reaction to protests
The Iranian government has criticized the reactions of the US administration and US police to the protests which have broken out following the death of George Floyd, according to governmental statements published on Iran’s state news agency IRNA. On Tuesday, Iran’s judiciary chief, Hojjatoleslam Raeesi,...
‘I have coronavirus’: Armenian PM tests positive as pandemic tightens grip on the country
Armenia’s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Monday (June 1) that he had contracted COVID-19. “My coronavirus test was positive yesterday. All of my family members are also positive,” Pachinian said in a video posted on his Facebook page. The prime minister, who has a...
Coronavirus: Belgium hospital employs robot to protect against COVID-19
A robot that speaks dozens of languages, detects fever and calls out people if they’re not wearing face masks properly is helping a hospital in Belgium limit the spread of coronavirus. As patients arrive at Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) they are given a QR code...
Asia’s fishermen and farmers go digital during virus
During a national lockdown, farmers from Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands were faced with throwing away tons of fresh vegetables. Wet markets were shut down as social restrictions were introduced to stop the virus spreading. E-commerce was their saviour as they went online for the first time...
Coronavirus: Marriott reopens all hotels in China as travel rebounds
Marriott has reopened all of its hotels in China and the group says it has seen a recovery in business travel. The world’s third largest hotel chain has 350 outlets across China and says that occupancy rate is now at 40%. Marriott gave an upbeat...
Lockdown latest from Europe
France becomes the latest European nation to further ease its lockdown. Here’s the latest from Europe: On Tuesday, France officially entered Phase 2 of its lockdown easing. Bars and restaurants reopen – though only the terraces in Paris – a 100km (62-mile) limit on travel...
Mexico death toll moves beyond 10,000
Mexico’s death toll has risen by 237 over the past day, taking the overall toll to 10,167. There were also 2,771 new confirmed infections, taking the country’s total case load to 93,435. Health officials caution that the actual number might be significantly higher. The World...
Uganda postpones reopening of schools as cases rise
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has postponed the reopening of schools for final year students for one more month. The president said reopening schools was risky as the country did not have enough kits to test learners every two weeks. President Museveni said two television sets...
Tanzania health minister says virus cases are declining
Tanzania’s health minister has spoken about a decline in coronavirus cases in the country, saying the commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, only has four active cases. Ummy Mwalimu told a gathering on Monday that God had spared Tanzania from the pandemic. The event in Tanga...
China calls racial discrimination in the US a “social ill”
China’s foreign affairs ministry has called on the US to prevent racial discrimination against minorities. “We are following the latest developments around the death of Mr. Floyd, Black Lives Matter and their human rights should be protected,” said Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Foreign...
Jerusalem’s holiest site reopens as coronavirus restrictions ease
One of the holiest sites in Jerusalem reopened Sunday morning for the first time in more than two months, in a further sign of the easing of coronavirus restrictions by the Israeli government. The site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews...
Spanish government will seek a further extension of the state of emergency
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez celebrated the “great results of the last few weeks” when it comes to coronavirus cases during a news conference on Sunday, but said “we can’t relax” and said “the virus is still present in our country.” The prime minister announced...
More than 104,000 people have died from coronavirus in the US
There have been at least 1,778,515 coronavirus cases in US and approximately 104,051 deaths due to the virus, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The totals includes cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as...
More than 8,000 new coronavirus cases reported in Peru
The number of coronavirus cases in Peru rose to 164,476 on Sunday, an increase of 8,805 from the previous day, according to the country’s Health Ministry. The spike follows a trend of increasing reports of new cases in recent days, which have seen Peru go...
More than 500,000 coronavirus cases reported in Brazil
Brazil has reported 16,409 cases of novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total to 514,849. Brazil is second only to the United States in its number of coronavirus cases. Dr. Carissa Etienne, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, said...
Coronavirus: Lockdown eased in Moscow after nine weeks
Authorities in Moscow have eased lockdown restrictions, even as case numbers continue to rise. Parks and shopping centres in Russia’s capital reopened and people were allowed out for walks and limited exercise for the first time in nine weeks. President Vladimir Putin announced last week...
Mexico nears 10,000 deaths
Mexico is taking its first steps to reopen from 1 June with a number of industries permitted to return to work. They include car-part manufacturing plants and construction as well as beer factories and bike shops. However, the decision has been criticised as too hasty...
