Tuesday,  June 16th, 2020

Beijing closes all schools, locks down several residential estates and imposes a partial travel ban, urging residents not to leave the city, after 27 more COVID-19 cases are confirmed in the city, bringing the total to 106 new cases in the last five days. The new outbreak is linked to the Xinfadi Market. (The Nations)

Brazil’s Ministry of Health reports a record 34,918 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,282 more deaths in the last 24 hours. Despite the record daily rise, Chief of Staff of the Presidency Walter Souza Braga Netto says the virus is now under control. (Reuters)

6 states report record highs in new coronavirus infections Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas all reported on Tuesday record daily highs in the number of new coronavirus cases, with Arizona health officials reporting 2,392 new cases — nearly double the state’s previous record. All of the states except Nevada recorded all-time highs last week; Nevada’s previous high was reported on May 23. The numbers have been climbing as states have been reopening, and health officials attribute the spikes to businesses opening and people gathering for events on Memorial Day weekend. Hospitalizations are also surging or have reached record highs, and at the Tucson Medical Center in Arizona on Monday night, only one of the 20 beds set aside for COVID-19 patients was available. Source: Reuters

The total cases surpass eight million worldwide, as infections surge across the Americas and China grapples with fresh outbreaks. (RNZ)

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order aimed at curtailing the use of police chokeholds, except in cases where “deadly force is allowed by law”. (CNBC)

Cheap, effective COVID-19 treatment has been found, researchers say Researchers say COVID-19 patients can be effectively treated with a cheap, widely available steroid called dexamethasone. On Tuesday, researchers in the U.K. announced they had found that the steroid treatment cuts the risk of death by a third for patients who are on ventilators, and by a fifth for patients receiving oxygen. There was no benefit to patients who did not require respiratory support, meaning the treatment should be focused on patients who are moderately to severely sick with COVID-19. Dexamethasone is already used to treat arthritis and asthma, among other conditions. Research suggests it could be used for patients in intensive care, while another drug, remdesivir, could also be used to reduce recovery time for less-severe patients. Source: BBC, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding

 

Monday,  June 15th, 2020

Hundreds of French police are brought in as reinforcements to the city of Dijon, as over 150 Chechens from around France have gathered to avenge the alleged assault of a Chechen teenager by local drug dealers. During the violence, several people are reported injured and one person suffered gunshot wounds. (BBC)

The Fulton County medical examiner declares Rayshard Brooks’ death a homicide. Brooks was shot in the back by an Atlanta Police officer while fleeing from an attempted arrest for driving under the influence in which he stole an officer’s taser and fired it at him on June 12. (BBC)

Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau is found dead in Tallahassee, Florida, US, after going missing on June 6. Shortly before her disappearance, Salau tweeted that she had been sexually assaulted by a black man. Her death is currently being treated as a homicide. (CNN)

 

The End