COVID-19: What you need to know about coronavirus on 1 July
A waiter places a social distance sign ahead of reopening a restaurant in Mexico City. Image: REUTERS/Henry Romero
- This daily round-up brings you a selection of the latest news updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected.
- Top stories: Remdesivir handed out in Korea, manufacturing boost in Asia, and US cases hit new record high.
1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe
- Confirmed cases have surpassed 10.4 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 511,000 people are known to have died from the virus, while over 5.3 million are known to have recovered.
- South Korea is distributing stocks of the COVID-19 treatment remdesivir, donated by Gilead Sciences Inc. The US has secured most of the company's supply up to September.
- Manufacturing across Asia showed signs of improvement in June, with factory activity in China rising after lockdown. But global demand remains sluggish.
- The EU has reopened borders to 15 countries on its safe list, but the US, Brazil and Russia are not included.
- Tokyo Disneyland has reopened after four months, with social distancing measures in place.
2. Cases in the US hit a new record high
The world's worst-affected country, the US, hit a new record with more than 48,000 cases announced on 30 June, the biggest one-day spike so far.
Total confirmed cases in the country are more than 2.6 million, with more than 127,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The country's top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci warned cases could more than double to 100,000 a day if current outbreaks were not contained. He said cases surging in the south and west put the whole country "at risk".
Single-day highs were announced by officials in eight states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.
3. WHO Western Pacific lead: 'We must stay vigilant'
The World Health Organization Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, has warned against complacency in the region, and is calling on countries to stay vigilant.
He was speaking at the second WHO media briefing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Asia, hosted by the World Economic Forum.
Dr Kasai said most countries in Asia-Pacific are seeing case numbers of COVID-19 stabilizing or declining. Most Pacific islands have yet to report a case.
"The impact has been huge for societies, families and economies. People are anxious and fatigued, but there is no room for complacency, and plenty of space for the virus to spread. No country is safe. We must keep preparing for the possibility of large-scale transmission."
What is the World Economic Forum doing to manage emerging risks from COVID-19?
He said the world would have to get used to living with the virus and sharing what works in terms of effective responses, and that the pandemic could be a turning point for global healthcare.
"The new normal is where health is recognized as an investment, inequalities are minimized," he said. "This new future is the dividend of COVID-19. We are at a decisive moment and must stay vigilant."
On the new influenza virus discovered in China, Dr Kasai said there's not enough information about it yet, but the WHO are doing a proper risk assessment.
The COVID-19 response can be good preparedness for a possible new pandemic, he said.
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