Global number of coronavirus cases top 9 million: Live updates | News

• • The novel coronavirus pandemic is still accelerating, and its effects will be felt for decades, the World Health Organization’s director-general said.

     

 

• • The WHO reported a record increase in global coronavirus cases as the total rose by 183,020 in a 24-hour period. The biggest increase was from the Americas, with more than 116,000 new cases.

     

 

• • Brazil officially passed the 50,000 mark, with 50,617 coronavirus deaths as of Sunday. It has recorded 1,085,038 cases to date, according to the country’s health ministry.

     

 

• • Worldwide, more than 9 million people have been confirmed to have the coronavirus, At least 4.4 million have recovered, while more than 469,000 people have died, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

     

 

Here are the latest updates:

Monday, June 22

18:49 GMT – Global number of coronavirus cases surpass 9 million

The total number of infections worldwide has reached 9,008,757. At least 469,220 people have died, while some 4,465,425 have recovered from the virus.

17:20 GMT – White House scales back practice of taking temperatures of visitors

The White House cut back on temperature checks for visitors amid the pandemic but said anyone in close proximity with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence would still be checked for the virus.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said the decision was prompted by the city of Washington entering the second phase of its reopening, which allows for more activity.

“In conjunction with Washington, D.C. entering Phase Two today, the White House is scaling back complex-wide temperature checks,” Deere said.

“In addition to social distancing, hand sanitizer, regular deep cleaning of all work spaces, and voluntary facial coverings, every staff member and guest in close proximity to the president and vice president is still being temperature checked, asked symptom histories, and tested for COVID-19,” Deere said.

16:28 GMT – Golden Globe awards postponed to February 2021

The annual Golden Globe awards ceremony for film and television has been postponed to February 2021, organisers said.

The Golden Globes ceremony, which kicks off Hollywood’s awards season, will now take place on February 28 instead of its usual slot on the first Sunday in January. The decision follows the postponement by two months of the Oscars to April 25 because of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the entertainment industry. 

15:59 GMT – WHO says it will issue guidance on air travel in coming days

The World Health Organization will issue further guidance on air travel in coming days as countries open up from their coronavirus lockdowns, the WHO’s Mike Ryan said.

“It’s not an easy dilemma … There is no zero-risk,” he told an online briefing. 

 

A trial has shown that an anti-inflammatory drug called dexamethasone could save critically ill #coronavirus patients. @DrAmirKhanGP explains what dexamethasone is. #AJDoctorsNote

Read more: https://t.co/uFB4BSaQqb pic.twitter.com/Djjt6outrm

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 21, 2020

15:55 GMT – Religious events helping to spread coronavirus, WHO says

Many countries that have been successful in tackling the novel coronavirus are seeing an increase in cases due to religious events and other vulnerable settings like expatriate gatherings, the World Health Organization’s Maria Van Kerkhove said.

“Any opportunity that the virus has to take hold, it will. It is really important that countries are in a position to rapidly detect these cases,” she told an online briefing.

The WHO’s Mike Ryan said that there seemed to be new clusters in South Korea linked to clubs, shelters and amusement parks and that waste water findings in northern Italy showed there was a chance the virus was circulating there before anyone had realised. 

15:32 GMT – Portugal PM reimposes some virus curbs in capital Lisbon

Portugal’s Prime Minister Antonio Costa said some coronavirus restrictions would be reimposed in the capital Lisbon to help control outbreaks from the pandemic.

He said measures to be introduced from Tuesday included a restriction on gatherings of more than 10 people and orders for cafes and shops to close at 8pm.

Portugal has had just over 1,500 COVID-19 deaths and more 38,850 cases.

14:39 GMT – Netherlands records no virus deaths, first time since March

Dutch health authorities reported no new deaths overnight resulting from the pandemic for the first time since the beginning of March.

Officially the Netherlands has reported 49,658 cases of infection, with 69 people testing positive over the last 24 hours. In all 6,090 people have died.

“There has been no report of any deaths,” the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) said on its website.

The RIVM warned however that “there is a delay between the day a patient was admitted to hospital or died and when it was actually reported”, meaning deaths over the weekend may not yet have been flagged up.

14:14 GMT – France, Germany want European Recovery Fund aid to be paid out until 2022

Germany and France both agree that the European Recovery Fund should pay out its proposed 500bn euros of coronavirus aid from 2020 until 2022, not until 2024 as suggested by some member states, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Le Maire also said that it was now up to the United States to explain why Washington is the only country not supporting a joint proposal by the OECD on how to tax large digital companies. 

13:48 GMT – UK reports 15 deaths, the lowest daily death toll since mid-March

The number of people in Britain who have died after being confirmed to have COVID-19 has risen by 15 to 42,647, health officials said.

That makes it the lowest daily COVID-19 toll since mid-March. Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced the lockdown on March 23. 

13:35 GMT – Disneyland Paris says gradual reopening to start July 15

Disneyland Paris said it would begin a “phased reopening” of the theme park starting July 15, with visitor numbers limited via a new online reservation system to ensure social distancing.

Visitors aged 11 and older will have to wear face masks, and many shows and events will remain suspended due to the padnemic, the resort said.

13:25 GMT – Gilead to test inhaled version of remdesivir on patients in August

Gilead Sciences Inc said that it plans to begin clinical trials of an inhaled version of its antiviral treatment remdesivir for COVID-19 patients in August.

The drug is currently used intravenously and an inhaled formulation would be given through a nebulizer, which could potentially allow for easier administration outside hospitals, the company said in a statement. 

13:23 GMT – No second wave of coronavirus, says US White House adviser

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said there is no second wave of the pandemic, even though there are some flare-ups in states such as Florida, and it is unlikely there will be widespread shutdowns across the country.

“There are some hotspots. We’re on it,” Kudlow said in an interview with CNBC. “We know how to deal with this stuff now. It’s come a long way since last winter and there is no second wave coming.” 

Hello, this is Farah Najjar taking over from my colleague Linah Alsaafin.

12:55 GMT – South Korea says it is battling ‘second wave’ of coronavirus

Health authorities in South Korea said for the first time on Monday it is in the midst of a “second wave” of novel coronavirus infections around Seoul, driven by small but persistent outbreaks stemming from a holiday in May.

“In the metropolitan area, we believe that the first wave was from March to April as well as February to March,” KCDC director Jeong Eun-kyeong said at a regular briefing. “Then we see that the second wave which was triggered by the May holiday has been going on.”

“We originally predicted that the second wave would emerge in fall or winter,” he added. “Our forecast turned out to be wrong. As long as people have close contact with others, we believe that infections will continue.”

12:40 GMT – Coronavirus pandemic still accelerating: WHO chief

The novel coronavirus pandemic is still accelerating and its effects will be felt for decades, the World Health Organization’s director-general told an online conference on Monday.

“The pandemic is still accelerating,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the virtual health forum organised by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

“We know that the pandemic is much more than a health crisis, it is an economic crisis, a social crisis and in many countries a political crisis. Its effects will be felt for decades to come.”

10:45 GMT – Bulgarians in face masks again as cases rise

Bulgaria has ordered residents to wear face masks again in indoor public places after its highest weekly rise in coronavirus cases.

The order by Health Minister Kiril Ananiev came 10 days after he made masks indoors “highly recommended” but not mandatory, apart from on public transport, in pharmacies and medical establishments.

Bulgaria, which has registered 3,905 cases and 199 deaths from the coronavirus, recorded 606 new COVID-19 cases last week, the country’s highest weekly rise.

10:30 GMT – Kazakhstan city lockdowns over weekend as cases jump

Kazakhstan will impose a two-day lockdown in the northern city of Kostanay and four nearby towns next weekend after a jump in fresh COVID-19 cases, local newspaper Kostanayskiye Novosti reported.

Residents of Kostanay and the four towns, including Rudny and Lisakovsk, will be barred from leaving their houses except for work or urgent necessities on June 27-28, the newspaper reported, citing local authorities.

Kazakhstan has favoured weekend restrictions as the number of cases more than quintupled to about 28,000 since lifting a nationwide lockdown in mid-May. It temporarily closed shopping malls, markets, parks and public transit in major cities last weekend.

10:15 GMT – Coronavirus cases in the Balkans region

North Macedonia’s Institute of Public Health announced 101 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. Five people died, and the number of active cases is 2,942.

In Serbia, 91 people tested positive for COVID-19, with one death reported, bringing the death toll to 261.

Three new cases were registered in Montenegro, bringing the total number of active cases to 38.

10:00 GMT – Pakistan among countries hardest hit by COVID-19

Pakistan continues in the top 10 countries for daily coronavirus case increases, 4,471 new cases on Sunday taking its tally to 181,088, according to government data. At least 89 people died of coronavirus on Sunday, taking its death toll to 3,661.

On June 20, Pakistan resumed limited commercial international flights into and out of the country, a first since March 21. Domestic commercial flights resumed on May 16.

Testing in Pakistan continues at around 30,000 tests a day, well below the 50,000 recommended by the WHO. The government enforces “smart lockdown” on infection hotspots, rather than entire cities. However, local newspaper Dawn quoted officials in the northern city of Rawalpindi saying they did not have enough police personnel to enforce lockdowns in identified hotspots, raising fears the new approach may not work.

09:45 GMT – Indonesia’s death toll reaches 2,500, with over 46,000 infections

Indonesia reported 954 new coronavirus infections, taking its total number of cases to 46,845.

Health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said 35 more deaths were reported, with total fatalities now at 2,500, the highest coronavirus death toll in East Asia outside of China.

09:00 GMT – Spain to decide this week which non-European tourists can visit

Spain may decide this week on allowing visitors from non-European countries, as it welcomes back European travellers in an effort to revive its tourism industry, a minister said.

Health Minister Salvador Illa told Cadena SER radio station that Madrid would discuss with EU partners whether to also let in travellers coming from outside the continent.

One of the worst-hit nations, Spain has registered 246,272 cases and 28,323 deaths from COVID-19.

08:45 GMT – Serbian champions Red Star say five players positive for coronavirus

Serbian football champions Red Star Belgrade said five of their players have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Marko Gobeljic, Njegos Petrovic, Dusan Jovancic, Marko Konatar and all felt unwell ahead of the final Serbian Superleague round against Proleter on Saturday and did not appear. Branko Jovicic showed no symptoms but returned a positive test, Red Star said on its website. The remaining players and the management were tested, and none were positive, it added.

Red Star celebrated the third consecutive championship after the win against Proleter at home. About 18,000 fans, many packed closely together, attended the match and celebration afterwards.

08:30 GMT – ‘No-swab’ coronavirus saliva test piloted in UK

A weekly coronavirus testing regime using a “no-swab” saliva test is being trialled in Southampton, England, and could offer a simpler and quicker way to detect outbreaks, the UK government said.

More than 14,000 doctors and health workers, other essential workers, university staff, and their households will participate in the trial, which uses an Optigene test.

Rather than taking a swab, which some find uncomfortable, participants will deposit a saliva sample and receive test results within 48 hours, the government said.

08:00 GMT – Russia reports 7,600 new coronavirus infections

Russia has reported 7,600 new cases of the coronavirus, pushing its nationwide case total to 592,280, the world’s third-largest tally.

The coronavirus task force said 95 people died in the past 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 8,206.

07:45 GMT – Dimitrov gets coronavirus after ‘reckless’ tennis charity event

Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov has tested positive for the coronavirus after taking part in a charity event organised by men’s top-ranked player Novak Djokovic.

Dimitrov pulled out of the regional exhibition tournament – which had sparked criticism for its lack of safety precautions – in Croatia on Saturday following his opening singles match, after feeling unwell.

Read more here.

07:30 GMT – Beijing COVID-19 cases to see ‘cliff-like’ drop this week, says expert

Beijing will see a “cliff-like” drop in new coronavirus cases by the end of this week as efforts to control the spread of infections in the Chinese capital continue, said an expert at the national health authority. Beijing reported nine new cases for June 21, sharply down from 22 a day earlier.

The city reported its first case in the latest wave – linked to a wholesale food market – on June 11. So far, 236 people have been infected in the worst outbreak in Beijing since COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan late last year.

Wu Hao, a disease control expert from the National Health Commission, told state television in on Sunday that Beijing would have targeted lockdowns, unlike in Wuhan when little was known about the virus.

07:15 GMT – Fears of South Korea losing control over second wave

The mayor of South Korea’s capital fears the country is losing control over a virus resurgence and says Seoul will reimpose stronger measures if the daily jump in infections does not drop below 30 over the next three days.

Park Won-soon spoke in a televised briefing, lamenting what he described as the complacency of citizens on physical distancing, with an increase in public transportation usage approaching last year’s levels in recent weeks.

Citing research, Park said the country could see as many as 800 new cases a day by mid-July if it fails to stem current transmission trends, which show the basic reproduction number – the number of infections caused by an infected individual – reaching nearly 1.8 for between April 30 and June 11. Any number above 1 indicates a growing epidemic.

07:00 GMT – Abu Dhabi eases movement restrictions within emirate

Abu Dhabi has eased restrictions to allow movement between its cities for all residents starting Tuesday, but extended restrictions on entry by non-residents who do not have a permit for another week, its media office said.

Residents can exit the emirate freely.

06:45 GMT – Virus surges, but Pakistan says there is no choice but to open

Pakistan has one of the world’s highest infection rates, and overwhelmed hospitals are turning patients away. But the government is pushing to open the country, trying to salvage a near-collapsed economy where millions have already slid into poverty from pandemic restrictions.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said avoiding a complete lockdown had saved the country from economic collapse. In televised speeches, he has taken to pleading with Pakistanis to wear masks, ignore conspiracy theories and take the virus seriously.

As cases spiralled, the government last week shut down some districts in Islamabad and other cities where new outbreaks have been identified, but otherwise, it has continued lifting restrictions, which were imposed in mid-March and started being lifted gradually within weeks.

06:20 GMT – Brazil’s death toll tops 50,000

Brazil reported 641 more deaths from coronavirus over the past day, and now trails only the US in the death toll.

The country’s health ministry said overall fatalities have mounted to 50,617, according to public news agency Agencia Brasil.

Meanwhile, 17,000 new infections were reported, taking the nationwide case-count to more than 1.08 million.

05:52 GMT – India’s infections soar in rural areas

India’s coronavirus caseload has risen to 425,282 as infections soar in rural areas where migrant workers fleeing major cities have returned in recent weeks.

India’s health ministry on Monday reported 14,821 new cases and about 300 new deaths, bringing the fatalities to more than 13,000. The coastal state of Goa reported its first COVID-19 death.

India’s government planning body Niti Aayog says infections have emerged in 98 of 112 of the country’s poorest districts, although about 60 percent of India’s cases have been reported in the states of Delhi, which includes the national capital New Delhi; Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital Mumbai; and Tamil Nadu, where manufacturing hub Chennai is located.

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Hello, this is Linah Alsaafin taking over the blog from my colleague Ted Regencia.

05:12 GMT – New Zealand to extend ban on cruise ship arrivals

New Zealand has announced that it is extending a ban on cruise ships arriving in the country to safeguard borders as new cases emerge of infected people arriving in the country.

“We are extending the current cruise ship ban which was due to expire on the 30th of June,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a news conference.

Cargo vessels will still be allowed to load and unload, fishing vessels to unload and resupply, and vessels can come to New Zealand to undertake repairs and refitting, Ardern said, although some quarantine rules would be tightened.

05:00 GMT – Thailand reports three new imported cases

Thailand on Monday reported three new coronavirus cases, all imported, marking 28 days without local transmission, Reuters news agency reported, quoting a senior official.

The three new cases were Thai nationals returning from India and were detected in state quarantine, said spokesman for the government’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration, Taweesin Visanuyothin.

Thailand has so far recorded 58 deaths related to COVID-19 among 3,151 infections, of which 3,022 patients have recovered.

04:48 GMT – Greece reports 10 new cases

Authorities say Greece had 10 new COVID-19 cases and no virus-related deaths between Saturday and Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

The daily update brought the country’s total confirmed cases to 3,266, including 190 deaths.

Greek authorities say the median age of the infected people who died is 76 and all of those under age 70 had suffered from serious conditions unrelated to the virus.

04:20 GMT – Two coronavirus cases reported in New Zealand

New Zealand has reported two new cases of the coronavirus as a trickle of infected people continue to arrive at the border, according to the Associated Press.

The country now has nine active cases after having none at all earlier this month. Health officials maintain that those cases involve people who have recently arrived and are in quarantine, and there is no evidence of community transmission.

Still, many are anxious community transmission could return, especially after health officials admitted allowing two women who had arrived from London to leave quarantine before they had been tested because a parent was dying. The women later tested positive and have since isolated themselves.

04:00 GMT – Germany’s cases rise to 190,359

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 537 to 190,359, Reuters news agency reported on Monday, quoting the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.

The reported death toll rose by 3 to 8,885, the tally showed.

03:47 GMT – Barber offers hope in Peruvian barrios devastated by virus

Amid the coronavirus lockdown in Peru, barber Josue Yacahuanca is offering some hope to residents of some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the capital, Lima.

Once a week, Yacahuanca seeks out clients devastated by the pandemic and the nearly 100 days of lockdown, giving haircuts for free.

“I want them to look in the mirror and see a bit of hope,” Yacahuanca told the Associated Press news agency. Twenty-one years old, he is already a veteran barber, having started cutting hair at 13.

03:25 GMT – 150 cannery workers forced into quarantine without pay in Los Angeles

About 150 seasonal workers hired by a salmon cannery in Alaska are in forced quarantine without pay at a Los Angeles hotel since June 10 after three of them tested positive for coronavirus, AP reported.

The workers, most of them from Mexico and Southern California, were hired on June 2 by North Pacific Seafoods to work at its Red Salmon Cannery in Alaska through August, according to the lawsuit filed on Friday in San Francisco Superior Court, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Leauri Moore, vice president of human resources for North Pacific Seafoods, told the newspaper in an email that she had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment.

02:45 GMT – Mongolians cite Genghis Khan for success dealing with pandemic

Fresh air, a diet of free-range milk and meat, and Genghis Khan’s fighting spirit are among reasons cited by Mongolians for why they managed to fight off the coronavirus pandemic, according to a South China Morning Post report.

In a series of interviews, a historian, a shaman, a monk and a doctor all referenced Genghis Khan, leader of the Mongolian Empire during the 12th and 13th centuries, saying they learned to live simply like him, avoiding “the stress and consumerism” people from other countries suffered.

As of Monday, Mongolia has at least 206 coronavirus cases, all imported, and zero deaths.

02:31 GMT – Report: Malaysians complain of weight gain during lockdown

More and more Malaysians are complaining about weight gain during the coronavirus lockdown that started in mid-March, the Kuala Lumpur-based Star newspaper reported.

Obesity was already a health concern in Malaysia. According to the World Population Review 2019, Malaysia has the highest prevalence of obesity among adults in Southeast Asia at 15.6 percent.

The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019 findings, meanwhile, showed that 50.1 percent of adults in Malaysia were either overweight or obese.

02:04 GMT – China reports 25 new cases

China reported 18 new coronavirus cases for June 21, nine of which were in the capital Beijing, Reuters reported on Monday quoting the National Health Commission. Another seven cases are asymptomatic.

This compared with 26 confirmed cases a day earlier, 22 in Beijing. Local authorities are restricting movement of people in the capital and stepping measures to prevent the virus from spreading following a series of local infections.

01:40 GMT – South Korea cases dip to nearly one-month low

New coronavirus cases in South Korea dipped to a nearly one-month low on Monday due mainly to less testing over the weekend, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting health officials.

The country added 17 new cases, including 11 local infections, raising the total to 12,438, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were also six additional imported cases.

This marks a sharp drop from 67 cases on Saturday and 48 cases on Sunday, KCDC added. There were no additional deaths, keeping the total death toll to 280.

01:19 GMT – New York City coronavirus tracing off to a bumpy start: Report

New York City’s effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus through contact tracing has been hampered by the reluctance of many infected people to provide information, according to a report in The New York Times.

The Times said just 35 percent of the 5,347 city residents who tested positive or were presumed positive in the first two weeks of the contact-tracing programme gave information about their contacts.

Perry N Halkitis, dean of the School of Public Health at Rutgers University, called the 35-percent rate “very bad”, adding that it should be closer to 75 percent. Dr Ted Long, head of New York City’s new Test and Trace Corps, defended the programme, saying 69 percent of the people who complete an interview provide contacts.

00:51 GMT – Report: 40 US baseball players, staff positive for COVID-19

As delays to a vote by Major League Baseball players on whether to accept the owners’ latest proposal for the 2020 season continue, a USA Today report said a rash of positive COVID-19 tests is the reason for the delay.

Citing two sources close to the situation, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that 40 MLB players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 in the last week.

According to Nightengale, the recent uptick in infections will push the start of the season back to July 26 at the earliest, spring training resuming no earlier than June 29, a delay of about a week.

00:32 GMT – Mexico reports 5,343 new coronavirus infections, 1,044 deaths

Mexico has reported 5,343 new infections and 1,044 additional deaths from COVID-19, the health ministry said, bringing the totals for the country to 180,545 cases and 21,825 deaths.

The government has said the actual number of infected people is likely significantly higher, Reuters said.

00:01 GMT – Mexico to resume sending farm workers to Canada after safety deal

Mexico will resume sending temporary farm workers to Canada after the two countries reached a deal on improved safety protections for labourers on Canadian farms during the pandemic, Reuters reported.

Mexico’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the Temporary Agricultural Workers Program (PTAT) had resumed “after a temporary pause”.

Mexico last Tuesday paused sending workers to farms with coronavirus infections after at least two of its nationals died from COVID-19 after outbreaks on 17 Canadian farms.

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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

You can find all the key developments from yesterday, June 21, here.