Tuesday,  May 5th, 2020

Brazil’s Ministry of Health reports 6,935 new cases of COVID-19 and 600 more deaths, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country’s death toll to 7,921 and 114,715 total cases. (Reuters)

The Department of Health and Social Care reports that the death toll from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom stands at 29,427, which is now the highest in Europe, after surpassing Italy. (BBC)

The United States government announces plans to borrow US$3 trillion for the second quarter, five times more than the previous record set during the 2008 financial crisis. (BBC)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe extends the national state of emergency to May 31. (Reuters)

New Zealand reports no new cases of COVID-19 for the first day in almost 2 months. (The Guardian)

A team of British and Kenyan scientists announce the discovery of Microsporidia MB, a parasitic microbe in the Microsporidia fungi group that blocks mosquitos from carrying malaria. While acknowledging they need to understand how the microbe spreads and how it blocks the virus, the team believes it has potential to be used in malaria control. (BBC)

https://www.businessinsider.com/laid-off-nyc-restaurant-chefs-become-private-chefs-for-billionaires-2020-5

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-04/scientists-create-antibody-that-defeats-coronavirus-in-lab

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-04/christmas-shopping-amid-coronavirus-will-hurt-a-lot-of-retailers?srnd=premium

 

The End

Monday, May 4th, 2020

Russia reports a record 10,633 new cases of COVID-19 and 58 more deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s total cases to 134,686 and 1,280 deaths. Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin says the peak has still not been reached, warning residents to remain indoors. (BBC)

Trump is ‘very confident’ there will be a coronavirus vaccine ‘by the end of the year’  President Trump on Sunday participated in a virtual town hall with Fox News at the Lincoln Memorial, telling moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum that he is “very confident” that “we’ll have a vaccine by the end of the year. We’ll have a vaccine much sooner rather than later.” Trump said he is not concerned by how fast the human trials have to move for this to happen, because “they’re volunteers. They know what they’re getting into. … They want to help the process.” Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a coronavirus vaccine by January is “doable if things fall in the right place.” Health experts have said it could take 18 months at the earliest to have a vaccine ready to go. Source: Fox News

Birx calls Michigan protests ‘devastatingly worrisome’  Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, said on Fox News Sunday she is concerned that people who attended protests at the Michigan Capitol last week could have picked up the coronavirus and brought it back to their families. Many were not wearing masks, and Birx said that was “devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a co-morbid condition and they have a serious or unfortunate outcome, they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives. So we need to protect each other at the same time we’re voicing our discontent.” She also reminded viewers to continue to social distance and “practice scrupulous hand-washing.” Source: Fox News

FDA grants Roche coronavirus antibody test emergency use approval  The Food and Drug Administration cleared a coronavirus antibody test produced by Swiss diagnostics giant Roche for emergency use, the company said Sunday. The test identifies via blood samples antibodies made by the body to fight off the coronavirus. It could therefore determine whether a person had been infected with the virus in the past, even if the infection subsided. There are questions about the accuracy of many available commercial antibody tests so far, but they’re considered crucial for better understanding both the true extent of the pandemic, as well as possible length of immunity to the virus. Roche says its test has proven 100 percent accurate at detecting antibodies in the blood and 99.8 percent accurate at ruling out the presence of those antibodies. Source:  The Guardian

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-records-highest-daily-death-toll-states-start-reopening-economy-2020-5

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-causes-strokes-inflammation-in-blood-vessels-clots-2020-4

https://www.businessinsider.com/anti-quarantine-protesters-mewe-facebook-groups-conspiracy-theorists-social-media-2020-5

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-03/pompeo-says-enormous-evidence-links-virus-to-wuhan-laboratory?srnd=premium

 

Sunday,  May 3rd, 2020

Fauci blocked from testifying before House committee The White House confirmed Friday it is blocking Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease who has taken on a prominent role in the Trump administration’s coronavirus response, from testifying before the Democrat-led House Appropriations Committee about the pandemic next week. White House spokesman Judd Deere said “it is counterproductive” to have someone like Fauci, who is heavily involved in the government’s efforts to re-open the American economy and expedite a coronavirus vaccine, step away from those tasks and testify. Deere did say the White House would work with Congress to find a more “appropriate time” for Fauci to testify. Fauci, who at times has dissented from President Trump on certain coronavirus-related matters, will reportedly appear before the Republican-led Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee the following week. Source:  CNN

European countries begin to ease some coronavirus restrictions Coronavirus restrictions continued to ease Saturday in some European countries, including Spain, one of the world’s hardest-hit nations. Adults were allowed outside to exercise for the first time in seven weeks, prompting runners and cyclists to hit the pavement, though social distancing guidelines remain in place. In Madrid, a field hospital set up by the military at a convention center was closed, as was a makeshift morgue established at an ice rink. Spain has more than 213,000 cases of COVID-19 with 24,543 deaths. Elsewhere, museums, zoos, and playgrounds were permitted to open for the first time in several weeks in Germany. Italy will begin loosening some restrictions Monday. Source: BBC

Newsom says California could ease restrictions in a matter of days Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles, on Friday to protest California Gov. Newsom’s (D) decision to close beaches throughout the state as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, claiming the measure was a breach of individual liberties. Many of the protesters were reportedly not wearing masks. But during his Friday press conference, Newsom said he is hopefully just “days” away from lifting some restrictions in California’s stay-at-home order, which is one of the strictest in the country. The governor hinted that restaurants may soon be able to re-open for table service with some safety measures, but people will need to continue to shelter at home in the meantime before any changes come to fruition. Source: Reuters

North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency reports that leader Kim Jong-un attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a fertilizer plant today, in his first official appearance since his disappearance last month. (Reuters)

North and South Korean soldiers exchange gunfire at a South Korean guard post, but no injuries are reported. (Reuters)

At least 10 members of the Popular Mobilization Forces are killed by ISIL militants in attacks in the town of Mekeeshfa and the city of Balad. Iraq and the paramilitary forces’ official media report that scores of others were wounded. (Al Jazeera)

President of Palau Thomas Remengesau Jr. condemns the exclusion of Taiwan from the World Health Organization, saying that it “endangers, not only Taiwanese people, but people everywhere”. Palau remains one of Taiwan’s few political allies in the Pacific. (RNZ)

Inmates take seven guards hostage at a prison in Manaus, Brazil, during an attempted escape. A raid later frees the guards and ends the prisoner’s rebellion. (Global News)

 

Saturday,  May 2nd, 2020

The government of Sudan criminalises female genital mutilation. (The New York Times)

A riot over food shortages at the overcrowded Los Llanos prison in Guanare, Portuguesa, Venezuela, leaves at least 46 people dead and dozens more injured, including the prison’s director, according to the military. (BBC)

Syrian businessman and Syriatel owner Rami Makhlouf makes an “unprecedented” public appeal to his cousin, President Bashar al-Assad, on Facebook, saying a “cadre of officials” are seeking to seize his assets. Makhlouf, who was a part of President al-Assad’s inner circle, says he will pay the President himself but not the state. (The Washington Post)