Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic has ended for the evening. Read up on the latest news here.
According to the latest United States Department of Agriculture’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payment report released Monday,?$1.4 billion has been awarded across?more than 80,000 applicants since the program was announced in mid-May.?
USDA Commissioner Sonny Perdue said in a May 19 release the CFAP assistance program would provide up to $16 billion “in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.”?
The payment report cites that?49 states and two territories had applicants for the aid;?Rhode Island is the only state without any applications in the CFAP program, up to this week.
Applicants from states in the upper Midwest had the largest awards with crop farming in the “specialty” and “non-specialty” categories, including Illinois ($60.6 million), Iowa ($52.5 million), Nebraska ($45.2 million), Minnesota ($28.4 million) and Kansas ($20.5 million).?
The livestock/cattle industries received the largest amounts of money, with more than $676.2 million, while crop farmers were awarded $392.9 million and dairy farmers collected just over $337 million.?
One surprise in the June report is that two?states and one territory have not received any money, despite multiple applicants listed in those locations.?
Delaware had 73 applicants, the US Virgin Islands had seven applications, Alaska had three applications.?The amount listed on the CFAP payment plan on June 8 is “$0.00” for each of these states and territory.
When asked about the lack of money going to these states and territory, a USDA spokesperson told CNN: “The number of CFAP applications shown on our weekly data reports include both approved applications as well as those that have been signed by producers but not yet approved by locally elected farmers who sit on the FSA county committee.”?
The Farm Service Agency is the department within the USDA that handles the application process.
CNN has reached out to the Delaware Farm Bureau, the Alaska Farm Bureau and the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture for comment, but has not heard back from any of these organizations at this time.
Brazil recorded 32,091 more coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the country’s total confirmed cases to 739,503, according to the Brazilian Health Ministry.
This is the fourth day Brazil’s Health Ministry has recorded more than 30,000 new cases in a 24-hour period since the outbreak started.
The ministry also reported 1,272 new Covid-19 deaths Tuesday, bringing the country’s death toll from the virus to 38,406.
Brazil’s new totals come after the Pan American Health Organization said Covid-19 “continues to spread aggressively” in Brazil, Peru and Chile in a news briefing Tuesday.
The Americas have reported more than 3.3 million cases of Covid-19 as of June 8 — more than any other region in the world, according to Dr. Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire will present a second stimulus package of?$51 billion (45 billion euros) for the French economy amid pandemic on Wednesday, he said in an interview French radio RTL on Tuesday.
“Hundreds of thousands” of people will be unemployed due to the economic fallout from the pandemic, Le Maire said, adding he predicts a “wave of bankruptcies” and unemployment and that the economic fallout could last well into 2021.?
“We have everything we need to recover,” Le Maire said, adding that he trusts France’s resources in terms of manpower and technology to find new economic growth with help from the stimulus package.
“Forty-five billion euros is the sum that we will be putting on the table tomorrow … this second stage consists in coming to the rescue of the sectors most at risk: hotels, restaurants, the automobile and aeronautics industries,” he said.?
In total, France will be spending close to $521 billion (460 billion euros) in recovery measures, which represents 21% of the French national wealth, the finance minister said, adding, “To put it in perspective, it is the equivalent of Austria’s GDP.”
The minister said the national debt would reach 121% of the French GDP in 2021 and that there will be no tax increase during French President Emmanuel Macron’s current term in order to encourage spending.
Le Maire and Public Account Minister Gerald Darmanin will present the recovery plan after the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Orange County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick resigned from her position amid threats to her personal safety after she issued an order requiring face coverings in the county.
After the order, Quick was threatened during a county board meeting and received threats on social media, according to County Executive Frank Kim.
Quick was not alone.?A number of personal threats were made to county staff since the beginning of the pandemic, Kim said,?but he would not go so far as to say threats were the sole reason for Quick’s departure.
Kim said he was caught off guard by Quick’s resignation.?
“It was a surprise to me,”?he said.?“I am very disappointed that she left. There was no encouragement from myself or any other board members for her to resign.”?
He said he understood that the title of health officer “is a very stressful position.”
Everyone in the health department has been working massive overtime, upwards of 80-hour weeks since February, he said.?
Quick is the third high profile member to leave the department since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The US federal government said Tuesday it was awarding drug giant AstraZeneca $23.6 million to help the company develop an antibody treatment for the new coronavirus.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), said they were helping AstraZeneca to get to a phase one clinical trial of its monoclonal antibody combination. The trial would test the antibody cocktail for safety in people.
“Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory synthesized therapies that can be used to neutralize viruses. A combination of monoclonal antibodies that neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus could be used as both a prophylaxis to prevent infection and as a treatment for COVID-19 infections,” it added.
“Therapeutic and prophylactic antibody therapies are urgently needed to combat COVID-19, particularly in the absence of vaccines.”
There’s currently no approved treatment for Covid-19, although the antiviral drug remdesivir has received an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Peru surpassed 200,000 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus Tuesday, according to numbers released by the country’s Health Ministry.
The country reported 4,040 new cases Tuesday, bringing its total to 203,736. Peru also recorded 167 new Covid-19 deaths, bringing the country’s total to 5,738.
Latin America has become the hotspot for the Covid-19 pandemic with more than 3.3 million cases in the Americas, “more than any other region around the world,” Pan American Health Organization’s Director Carissa Etienne said during a virtual news conference on Tuesday.
Coronavirus is “my worst nightmare,” worse in ways than Ebola or HIV, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday.
“Ebola was scary, but Ebola would never be easily transmitted,” Fauci said speaking at the BIO International Convention.
“HIV, as important as it is, was drawn out and over an extended period of time,” added Fauci, who is also a top member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
Many never felt threatened by the disease because it was always a threat “depending upon who you are, where you are, where you live.”
In the past, when people would ask Fauci to describe a disease that would be his worst nightmare, he said he would often describe it as something that was a brand new respiratory infection that likely jumped from an animal, and had a very high degree of transmissibility. The world has seen outbreaks that have at least some of those characteristics, he said, but Covid-19 had all of those characteristics combined.
Condensed into a short amount of time, the pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands in the US alone, and there are many millions of infections worldwide.
It was “unexpected how rapidly,” it would spread,” he said.
“It just took over the planet,” Fauci said. “And it isn’t over yet.”
Watch:
Developing a safe and effective vaccine for the deadly coronavirus is going to take a global collaboration, said Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Centers for Biologics Evaluation & Research.
Marks?told panelists during a vaccine discussion at the BIO International Convention Tuesday that the FDA is committed to expediting the development of a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine and working with international colleagues to share information and discoveries.
Marks said he’s looking forward to collaborating with international partners, including other regulators.
“This is one of those where everyone will need to work together because this is really a global issue where we’re all connected and until this particular virus is wiped out across the globe, we’re all going to have issues with it,” he said.
NASCAR announced on Tuesday its plan to “reintroduce guests” to select Cup Series races beginning on June 14?with the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 21.
All guests in attendance will be screened before entering and required to wear face coverings while maintaining social distance at 6 feet.
Guest access to the infield will also be prohibited. Talladega Speedway in Alabama will allow up to 5,000 guests in the grandstands for the GEICO 500 while limiting motorhome/camper spots outside the track.
Homestead-Miami Speedway will welcome up to 1,000 service members as honorary guests for Dixie Vodka 400. Both races will offer military members to be first to enter said events.
Sao Paulo state on Tuesday reported 334 new deaths from Covid-19, a new daily record, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 9,522.?
During a news conference, officials said the number of confirmed cases was up 5,545 raising the total number of cases to 150,138.
The data was released as Sao Paulo city, the capital of the state and the largest city in South America, prepares to reopen retail stores on Wednesday and shopping malls on Thursday.?
Establishments will have reduced hours and authorities have justified the move, arguing that the curve is flattening and they have added new beds in intensive care units.?
Other cities in Sao Paulo state started relaxing restrictions at the beginning of the month.
The Sao Paulo metropolitan area now has 74.1% of ICU occupation, while the state has 68.6%. There are 4,481 ICU patients being treated and 8,073 in less complex beds.?
Nonetheless, Sao Paulo city has long been considered the epicenter of the outbreak in Brazil, with the highest absolute numbers of cases and deaths.
Greece will gradually begin allowing tourists from Italy to visit the country starting June 15, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday.
He said this gradual easing of restrictions should be completed by the end of June and expressed hope that Italians would choose Greece as their holiday destination.
Italy was not?originally included?in list of 29 countries Greece said it would open its borders to as of June 15, when international flights to the country’s two main cities Athens and Thessaloniki resume.?
Tourists from the approved countries may be subjected to random coronavirus tests on arrival. If their departure airport is on the European Union Safety Aviation Agency (EASA) list, they will have to undergo compulsory testing and quarantine.?Currently, some Italian airports are on the EASA list, the Greek Foreign Ministry website says.?
There’s still a lot to learn about the long-term negative effects of the Covid-19 infection on patients, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said.
Fauci explained that because there still is not enough experience with the virus, scientists don’t know what patients who have recovered will be like six months from now.
“We don’t know the extent of full recovery or partial recovery, so there’s a lot we need to learn,” he said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday there will be “more than one winner” in the Covid-19 vaccine field.
Fauci praised the “unprecedented” rapid response of pharmaceutical companies in working toward a vaccine and therapeutics for coronavirus, saying it “even outpaced the public health response in some respect, which you usually see it opposite.”
The nation’s top infectious disease expert said he hopes the work that is being done to fight Covid-19 will bring “a degree of capability and preparedness to respond even better than we’ve responded right now” in the future.?
Chicago announced Tuesday all large outdoor events across the city are canceled through Labor Day, including Lollapalooza music festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, most programs at the Chicago Riverwalk and others, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“We must provide ways for people to enjoy the spirit of a Chicago summer while prioritizing health and safety,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement. “As difficult as it is to remove these in-person events from our calendar, we are pulling out all the stops for an inventive, engaging and fun festival season this summer.”?
The city previously canceled its annual Memorial Day Parade, and house music, gospel and blues festivals.
Lollapalooza said in a statement on its webpage it would host virtual events on the days they had planned to have the festival.?
The city also said many of the canceled events would be “reimagined” and?“at-home dance parties, drive-in movies, virtual concerts and community meals for frontline workers — in lieu of summer festivals.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is signing an executive order today that will increase the number of people permitted to gather outdoors to 100, and will permit the number of people to gather indoors to 25% of the building’s capacity or 50 people – whichever number is lower, he said in a news conference and on Twitter.?
All outdoor recreational and entertainment businesses in New Jersey —?except for amusement parks, water parks, and arcades — will be permitted to open on June 22, Murphy said.
The governor said he anticipates being able to raise the limit on “non-protest” and “non-religious” activities to 250 people on June 22?and 500 people on July 3.
“School districts planning graduations should prepare for a 500-person limit to be in place by the time graduations can resume on July 6,” he said.
People who have attended a protest should self-quarantine and monitor for coronavirus symptoms, according to a tweet from Los Angeles County Tuesday morning.
The tweet reiterated L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer’s advice to self-quarantine for two weeks. She said?those who found themselves in a very crowded situation for more than 15 minutes and who were near others without face coverings should isolate for the full incubation period.
As of Monday, L.A. County has 64,644 cases, including 2,655 deaths.
Retail outlets can reopen starting June 15 as long as they comply with government coronavirus-secure guidelines, UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said Tuesday.
Shops for essential items, such as food and medicines, were allowed to remain open during the lockdown but this announcement means outlets selling nonessential items can now reopen.?
Sharma said that stores should display in their shop window or outside their door a sign to show their customers that they have read and taken steps to follow the government guidance on reopening.
“If a shop reopens without putting in place responsible steps to reduce transmission of the virus, we can take a range of actions including issuing enforcement notices. Local authorities and the health and safety executive regularly carry out checks and respond to requests from the public regarding risks in the workplace,” Sharma said.
Restaurants, pubs and bars, as well as hairdressers, barbers, nail bars and related services will remain closed. Sharma said the government’s goal is to reopen these business sectors starting July 4 at the earliest.
The Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that it is taking additional steps to provide federal coronavirus relief funding to health care providers and hospitals that care for the poor and uninsured.
The agency, which has come under fire in recent weeks for delays in distributing the $175 billion in federal support that Congress authorized in late March and April, expects to dole out about $15 billion to providers that participate in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program but have not yet received payments from the relief fund that Congress authorized. The money is intended to compensate those that lost revenue or had increased expenses because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The additional funding is expected to support several hundred thousand more providers, including pediatricians, obstetrician-gynecologists, dentists, opioid treatment and mental health specialists, assisted living facilities and other home and community providers.
Also, safety net hospitals that serve a large share of low-income Americans and the uninsured will receive $10 billion this week.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that?the NYC?Care program will expand to Queens and Manhattan four months ahead of schedule in order to help fight health care disparities exposed by Covid-19.
De Blasio said the virus taught “painful lessons” on disparity and lack of equality in the city, adding that Covid-19 did “horrific” damage in communities of color.
The approximately $37.5 million expansion is expected to reach 54,000 residents – with 44,000 in Queens and 10,000 in Manhattan.
The program provides access to low-cost and no-cost primary care for those who are ineligible or can’t afford insurance.
It currently is serving the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island.
The program is part of the ongoing city’s initiative to guarantee health care for everyone regardless of immigration status, according to previous CNN reporting on the health care initiative.
The city will hire 26 providers to ensure a new primary care appointment in two weeks.
There is a strong focus on mental health as well, De Blasio said.
His wife, first lady Chirlane McCray, said?NYC?will reach 10,000 residents in the hardest hit neighborhoods from July to December working with 270 frontline community and faith-based organizations.
The city will deliver one-hour virtual trainings on mental health and disaster response and coping mechanisms.
Calling it an “extraordinary” day for the city, New York City?Mayor?Bill de Blasio said the percentage of people citywide who tested positive for Covid-19 – which needs to be under the threshold of 15% – is at 1%.
The?mayor?said this is “unbelievably good news.”
All of the city’s markers for indicators of the Covid-19 virus are under their thresholds, de Blasio said Tuesday.
People admitted to hospitals for suspected Covid-19 – which needs to be under the threshold 200 – is at 52. The daily number of people in intensive care units – which needs to be under the threshold 375 — is today at 337.
The mayor’s update comes one day after New York City began reopening in phase one.
Wearing masks will continue to be mandatory even?after?Spain’s state of emergency is lifted on June 21, and the country enters a period of “new normality.”
The Spanish Cabinet approved today a health safety measures decree?that will be implemented immediately following the?end of the?state of emergency. The decree?law will go to?the Spanish Parliament tomorrow,?where it’s?expected to be approved.
In it,?Covid-19 is declared an “urgent mandatory notifiable disease,” with an emphasis on prevention, containment and coordination?to keep the spread of the coronavirus in check.
Spain’s 17 regions?must?continue reporting relevant health information?to Madrid?to guarantee the National Health System’s ability to respond to public health emergencies.
PCR tests must be performed on all suspected Covid-19?carriers?as urgently as possible, to contain and prevent any possible future outbreaks.?Health officials have said that the current time between noticeable symptoms and a diagnosis has been reduced to just two days on average, far quicker than earlier during the height of the pandemic in Spain.
Provisions to guarantee coordination with the national health system and contingency plans for?residences?housing seniors and people living with disabilities are to be put in place, in order to facilitate early detection of possible cases among?those residents and the workers who take care of them, and?to have?their contact?information readily available.
Obligatory use of masks in public spaces will continue, with possible fines up to 100 euros for not complying with the measure.?Spain’s prime minister said on Sunday that this would apply?to everyone six years and older.
Here’s what else to expect, according to the decree:
The norms outlined in the decree do not have an expiry date.?The government’s chief spokesperson and Finance Minister María Jesús Montero said?at a press conference Tuesday,?that “Although we have better control of the illness, and we’re better prepared as a country, until we have a vaccine, or an effective treatment, the virus will continue being a threat to our security.”
Doctors dosed a healthy volunteer on Monday with an antibody treatment?developed by Eli Lilly and Chinese company Junshi Biosciences to fight Covid-19.
The trial is underway in China.?Lilly?will start a complementary Phase one study in the United States in the next few days, the company said.?
Scientists will first test to see if this antibody treatment, called JS016, is safe to be used in humans. If so, it will be tested to see if it if effective.?
If this first phase is successful, more trials will run to determine how to use it most effectively.?
The companies will also experiment to see if the antibody could be used on its own or if it would be more effective used in combination with other antibody candidates. JS016 appeared to neutralize the virus in the lab.?Lilly?and Junshi scientists are testing other potential antibodies in the lab to see which work best.?
This is the second such antibody therapy trial from the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company.?Lilly?is testing another antibody treatment called LY-COV555 that the company developed with AbCellera.
Junshi Biosciences is leading development in greater China, according to Lilly, and Eli Lilly has exclusive rights to it in the rest of the world.
There are several other companies trying to create antibody therapies to fight Covid-19, including Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which has said it expects to begin clinical trials this month.
Some background: Antibodies are proteins your body makes in the thousands that naturally fight off infection. To make an antibody therapy, scientists have to sort through thousands of antibodies to determine which work best to neutralize a particular threat.
Typically, drug developers will pick one and then clone it until there are enough monoclonal antibodies to put in a medicine.
Antibody treatments are currently used to treat some cancers, eye problems, chronic and infectious disease. The treatments can be used to treat symptoms or potentially as a protective medicine to prevent infection in vulnerable populations like the elderly or in health care workers.?
The World Health Organization today addressed confusion surrounding an official’s comments on Monday suggesting the spread of Covid-19 by asymptomatic people “appears to be rare.”
Maria Van Kerkhove,?WHO’s?technical lead for coronavirus response and head of its emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, said yesterday that “it still seems to be rare that an?asymptomatic?person actually transmits onward to a secondary individual.”?
But then today, during the live Q&A, she clarified that “this is a major unknown.”
“We do know that some people who are asymptomatic or some people who do not have symptoms can transmit the virus on — so what we need to better understand is how many people in the population don’t have symptoms,” Van Kerkhove said.?
She explained further:
Dr.?Mike?Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, also said during the live Q&A that there is still much to learn about the possible asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus.
“Whatever proportion of disease is transmitting from asymptomatic individuals, as Maria said, that is unknown,” Ryan said. “There’s much to be answered about this, there’s much unknown.”
Ryan added that the virus, a pathogen that is present in the upper respiratory tract, transmits through droplets — such as when someone coughs or sneezes, but some research also suggests it can spread through speaking as well.
Previously, on Monday, Van Kerkhove said?that what appear to be?asymptomatic?cases of Covid-19 often turn out to be cases of mild disease.
“When we actually go back and we say how many of them were truly?asymptomatic, we find out that many have really mild disease,” Van Kerkhove said on Monday.?
Remember: A truly asymptomatic person does not have symptoms and does not go on to develop symptoms of Covid-19. Whereas, the term paucisymptomatic refers to having atypical or very mild symptoms and?pre-symptomatic refers to the early stages of an illness, before symptoms have developed.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates in planning scenarios that 40% of coronavirus transmission is occurring before people feel sick.
A UN human rights expert says that some people in North Korea are “starving,” according to a press statement that was acquired by CNN.?
Tomás Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur, explains that due to Covid-19 response, North Korea has shut its borders with China and this has “exacerbated the food crisis, devastating cross-border trade and sapping income from merchants.”
Quintana encourages the UN Security Council to “reconsider sanctions” on North Korea due to the food crisis occurring in the communist country.?
Quintana urges government and international action to ensure food supplies in North Korea to prevent starvation.
The global airline industry will lose $84 billion in 2020 and then an additional $15 billion in 2021, according to a new forecast for the International Air Transport Association.
The association said the?demand for air cargo and travel will rise sharply in 2021 — but passenger travel will still be nearly 30% lower than in 2019.?
The UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a study into the prevalence of Covid-19 in schools.
The study will “assess and monitor the prevalence of Covid-19 among preschool, primary and secondary school pupils and teachers”?the?DHSC?said in a?press release.
The voluntary study conducted in conjunction with Public Health England (PHE) will gather data from 100 English schools, including 15 London schools, targeting around 200 staff and students in each school.
At least 40% of schools selected for the study will receive swab tests and antibody tests before the start of the summer holidays. Only a small proportion of the total selected schools will receive antibody tests.
According to the DHSC “generally?children have been shown to be asymptomatic” to the virus, saying that this study will help to cement their understanding of the rates of transmission amongst minors.
Purpose of the study: Secretary for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said that the study would help the government to “better understand how common asymptomatic and mild cases of Covid-19 are so that we can support parents, pupils and teachers”.
Results for this study set be released in the summer will “play an important role in informing wider surveillance planned for educational settings in the autumn term” according to PHE Paediatric Infectious Diseases Consultant?Dr. Shamez Ladhani.
Delhi’s?Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in India forecast on Tuesday that as the number of virus cases in Delhi doubles, the nation’s capital should expect the number to grow to almost 550,000 cases by July 31.
DDMA met on Tuesday to discuss the Covid-19 situation in India’s national capital.
As of?Tuesday morning, Delhi reported a total of 29,943 positive Covid-19 cases including 874 deaths as per India’s health ministry.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli?claims his country has eradicated coronavirus “by the grace of?God,” but urged people to continue taking precautions, in a speech at a church congregation in the capital city of Dodoma on Sunday.
The president attributed the result to citizens’ prayers and the efforts of local health officials and frontline healthcare workers.?
Last week, the president said hospitals in the country’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, had only four Covid-19 patients remaining.
Tanzania has not released any data on coronavirus cases since April 29. At the last count, there were 509 reported cases and 21 deaths in Tanzania, according to Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
How Tanzania tackled the virus: Regional World Health Organization (WHO) officials have expressed concern over Tanzania’s lackluster implementation of social distancing and its decision to keep places of worship open.
In May, the US Embassy in Tanzania issued a health alert warning?that the risk of contracting Covid-19 was “extremely high”?as hospitals in Dar es Salaam were “overwhelmed.”
Early on in the pandemic, Magufuli dismissed the seriousness of coronavirus in Tanzania, urging his citizens to “pray coronavirus away,” believing that the “satanic virus can’t live in the body of Jesus Christ.” He blamed the growing number of positive cases on faulty test kits that he claimed were registering animals and fruit as positive.?
Tanzania has eased coronavirus restrictions as universities, high schools, and international travel have all reopened. Primary and secondary schools remain closed.?
On Sunday, Magufuli celebrated churchgoers for not wearing?masks, claiming that was a sign the country had overcome coronavirus and people were no longer afraid.?
New York City, once the US epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, is beginning to reopen.?
After months battling a devastating Covid-19 outbreak — which killed more than 500 people a day in the city at its peak — the Big Apple is officially back in business.
Monday marked the first phase of New York’s four-part reopening plan, when manufacturers and the construction industry returned to work.
But that may be easier said than done. Almost?half of US states are seeing higher rates of new coronavirus cases?since their lockdowns were lifted.?
And there’s proof that the global crisis is “far from over.” The number of coronavirus cases hit a new daily high on Sunday, the?World Health Organization (WHO)?said, warning that the situation is “worsening” worldwide, and the pandemic has yet to reach its peak in?central America.?
While successes in limiting new infections in Europe and Asia suggest it is possible to keep the virus at bay, disease experts still caution that some degree of social distancing will need to remain in place until a vaccine is available.
Read today’s coronavirus newsletter here:
As the world gradually?reopens, even as the coronavirus pandemic wears on, many of us are concerned about our health and well-being. Especially now, with some continuing to stay at home and?social distance?while others join the throngs at nationwide?Black Lives Matter protests, it may even be a priority.
Creating a?wellness routine?allows you to shift from diet culture and adopt healthy habits that easily fit into your daily lifestyle. What’s more, having a routine allows you to focus on health goals by creating structure and organization, which can be particularly beneficial when things seem out of your control, like life during an unprecedented pandemic and simultaneous upheaval as people fight against social injustice.
Engaging in a wellness routine with a focus on?good nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management?can?boost our health and well-being?and strengthen our immunity during a time when we may need it most.?
Read the full story here:
At least 28 states are not following US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on reporting new Covid-19?cases – half of which saw the trend of new cases increasing in the last week.
Those states are not reporting probable cases, according to the daily case count listed on the CDC’s website.?Probable cases?include those that show evidence of an infection without the confirmation of a lab test and cases where coronavirus was listed as a cause or contributing cause of death but has not been confirmed with a lab test.
Some of the states with the largest populations – like California, Florida, New York and Texas – are among those listed as not reporting probable cases, despite CDC guidance that they should be included in the case count.?
The numbers: This comes as 26 states see an increased or steady rate of new cases. More than 1.9 million Americans have been infected, and more than 111,000 have died in just over four months, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Though coronavirus reporting guidelines are voluntary, states not reporting probable cases likely undercount the number of people infected and make it difficult for officials to get the true picture of where the nation stands as they make decisions about how to reopen.
Read the full story here:
On April 22, Jose Andrade-Garcia turned 62. There should have been ice cream cake, and a big party with the grandchildren at home in Marshalltown, but the patriarch was in Iowa City, about 100 miles away, and a Zoom call was the best anyone could do.
Through the rectangular frame of her cellphone, Maria Andrade saw her father. He wore a white gown. His eyes were closed; his eyelids swollen. His dark hair was turning white. His face was unshaven. He had a feeding tube in his nose and a breathing tube in his mouth. Was this the same man she’d known all her life? Just three weeks earlier, he was strong and healthy and going to work.
At the JBS pork processing plant in Marshalltown, Jose spent more than 20 years cutting the meat from the bones. Some days he couldn’t wash the smell away. But he kept working to support his children and give them a chance to find something better.
It’s not clear when the first worker at the Marshalltown plant tested positive for Covid-19. Responding to the pandemic, the company instituted new safety measures: physical distancing, enhanced disinfection, mandatory use of masks, requiring sick workers to stay home, and many others.
The virus tore through American meatpacking plants in April and May. At a JBS plant in Greeley, Colorado,?eight workers died.
No one can know where or how Jose contracted the virus. According to Maria, her father said his coworkers appeared to be sick in early April. A few days later, he told her he was feeling short of breath. He kept working until April 13. He took a coronavirus test on April 16. On April 17, when he could barely draw enough breath to speak a full sentence, Maria called for an ambulance.
She watched him on the birthday Zoom call, in a coma from which he would never emerge, and after his death she wondered what else she could have done.
Read the full story here:
More than 50,000 people in the United Kingdom have died after contracting Covid-19,?according to statistics bodies from all nations within the UK on Tuesday.?
The total number of confirmed deaths where Covid-19 is listed on the death certificate now stands at?50,413 – more than any country except the United States.
England and Wales
45,748 deaths mentioned Covid-19 up to May 29 (Office For National Statistics figure)
Scotland
3,911 deaths mentioned Covid-19 up to May 31
Northern Ireland
754 deaths mentioned Covid-19 up to May 29
Read more:
Quash Quarantine, a group representing 500 UK travel and hospitality companies has “received private assurances from senior Government sources that travel corridors will be in place?from 29th June,” according to a statement sent to CNN.?
The group, whose aim is to overturn the recently introduced quarantine measures, said it was urging the UK government to “signal to the travel industry publicly and urgently that this is the case, as well as amend FCO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] advice on non-essential travel.”
The group’s spokesman, Paul Charles added “the industry needs urgent visibility on a timetable for travel to begin again.”
The UK Government’s quarantine measures, requiring people to self-isolate for two weeks when they arrive in the UK, came into force on Monday.
A retired major general who helped develop vaccines and ran the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research warns that it “could be terrible” if political pressure rushed a Covid-19 vaccine.?
Trump says the effort to create a vaccine, which his administration has dubbed “Operation Warp Speed,” is moving with “record, record, record speed.”?
Before it goes on the market, a vaccine must first be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), after undergoing a rigorous, three-phased trial process.?
“I would hope the FDA stands fast and demands enough safety data that we won’t kill somebody with it,” said Russell, a recipient of the Legion of Merit who helped develop vaccines against malaria, hepatitis A and adenovirus.
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As the world continues to ease lockdown measures, opportunities abound for the first wave of intrepid travelers who are willing – and legally able – to hit the road again.
After months of closure, resorts and hotels alike are understandably very keen to get local and international business back in, meaning there are some stellar deals to be had for staycations or longer breaks.?
Whether you’re planning to travel domestically or book credits to use when international borders reopen, here’s a selection of some of the best deals on offer in Asia right now.
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The Hong Kong government has agreed to lead a $5 billion bailout of?Cathay Pacific, taking a minority stake in the city’s beleaguered flagship carrier.?
Cathay and parent company Swire Pacific announced plans to raise 39 billion Hong Kong dollars ($5 billion) in new capital on Tuesday to help the airline survive the crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.?
The Hong Kong government would provide the bulk of the new funds extending a bailout package worth 27.3 billion Hong Kong dollars ($3.5 billion) consisting of loans and preferred share purchases. The rest of the capital will come from issuing new stock.
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier?had already been suffering a slump in business?because of?widespread protests?that rocked the city last year, when the coronavirus pandemic hit.?
Like elsewhere, business and holiday travel to and from the Asian financial hub has ground to a halt and Cathay said that it is unlikely to return to the same number of flights it was operating before the pandemic any time soon.
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If you’re just joining us, here are the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic from around the globe.
India reported 9,987?coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
That’s the biggest single-day jump in reported infections in the country and comes as India entered the “Unlock 1” reopening phase on Monday.
The easing of restrictions allows most economic activities to resume. But Mumbai – Maharashtra state’s capital and the worst-hit city nationwide – still has major restrictions in place, effective for schools, train services, cinemas, shopping malls, places of worship and more spaces.
In total, India has recorded at least 266,598 Covid-19 infections and 7,466 deaths, according to the health ministry.
The number of active cases in the country stands at 129,917 and 129,215 have been treated or discharged.
The United States reported 18,534?new Covid-19 cases and?476?related deaths on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
At least?1,961,185?coronavirus infections, including at least?111,007?fatalities have now been recorded in the US.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
CNN’s interactive map is tracking US cases:
Coronavirus-related cases and deaths across Latin America are rising faster than anywhere in the world.?
Mexico: The country reported 2,999 coronavirus cases Monday, bringing its total to?120,102, according to the health ministry. The death toll rose to 14,053, up 354 from Sunday’s total.
Peru: The health ministry recorded 3,181 new cases Monday, bringing the country’s total to 199,696. Peru also recorded 106 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to?5,571.
Brazil: The health ministry reported 15,654 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, bringing the country’s total to 707,412.?Brazil also confirmed 679 new Covid-19 deaths Monday, bringing the country’s total deaths to 37,134. Brazil has recorded the second highest number of cases worldwide, behind the United States.
Biggest spike in worldwide cases: Sunday marked the most Covid-19 cases reported to the World Health Organization in a single day so far during the coronavirus pandemic, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing in Geneva on Monday.?
Qatar will gradually lift its coronavirus restrictions beginning June 15, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA.)
The easing of restrictions will happen in four stages, Qatar’s?spokesperson of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management announced?Monday, QNA reported.
First stage starts June 15: It includes the gradual reopening of mosques with precautionary measures.?
Second stage starts July 1: It will allow for public gatherings of a maximum of 10 people.
Third stage starts August 1: This allows for gatherings of 40 people maximum and flights from countries “with low risk” for residents and other “priority travelers” who will be subject to two weeks of quarantine upon entering Qatar.
Final stage starts September 1: It includes “gatherings to be permitted according to certain controls and capacity,” QNA reported.
As of Monday night, Qatar has 70,158 confirmed coronavirus cases and 57 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
