Covid-19 - Europe could face deadly second wave of winter infections, WHO warns

Europe could face deadly second wave of winter infections, WHO warns


Spain hails large-scale antibody study; no Danish virus deaths for first time since March; China marks one month with no official Covid-19 deaths, Europe could face deadly second wave of winter infections, Brazil loses second health minister in less than a month


Confirmed cases worldwide top 4.5 million. According to theJohns Hopkins University tracker, there are 4,531,811 confirmed cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives is 307,001 according to official tolls, but the true number is likely to be much higher.
The number of deaths in the US is projected to exceed 100,000 by 1 June, according to the CDC director Robert Redfield. The agency came to the conclusion after tracking 12 different forecasting models; all of which predicted at least that number of deaths.Trump has oscillated, but has previously said the toll would be lower.
Record increase in cases in Brazil. Brazil has confirmed 15,305 new cases; a record for a 24-hour period, as well as 824 related deaths, according to data from the country’s Health Ministry. Brazil has registered 218,223 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic, as well as 14,817 deaths.
Beijing increases pressure on European states to reject Taiwan’s WHO inclusion. China has stepped up the pressure on European states to reject Taiwan’s call to be represented at next week’s assembly of the World Health Organization, arguing that its presence can only be justified if it accepts that it is part ofChina.The World Health Assembly is being held virtually on Monday, and Taiwan’s attendance – as well as a possible international inquiry into the start of the pandemic – are likely to be the two big political flashpoints between China and the west.
US president Donald Trump said on Friday the US government was working with other countries to develop a coronavirus vaccine at an accelerated pace. Trump expressed his hope that a vaccine would be in place before the end of the year at an event in the White House Rose Garden and said his administration would mobilise its forces to get a vaccine distributed once one was in place.
UK’s reproduction rate still close to 1, bringing lockdown-easing steps into question. The latest official estimate places the national R value - the rate at which people are passing on infections to others – at between 0.7 and 1. An R value above 1 means the epidemic will start to grow exponentially again, which would result in a new surge of cases.

Europe could face deadly second wave of winter infections, WHO warns. Dr Hans Kluge, director for the WHO European region, warned countries beginning to ease their lockdown restrictions that now is “time for preparation, not celebration”.
Second health minister resigns in Brazil after less than a month on the job. Brazil’s health minister, Nelson Teich, handed in his resignation on Friday, his office said, after less than a month on the job as the country becomes a world hotspot for coronavirus. Teich is believed to have disagreed with the rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro. Brazil has now surpassed Germany and France and had more than 200,000 confirmed cases of the virus as of Thursday.
Spain hails large-scale antibody study as a key tool in the fight against the coronavirus. The Spanish government has hailed a large-scale antibody study as a key tool in the fight against the coronavirus, but warned that any premature or irresponsible relaxation of restrictions could have “enormous consequences” given that only 5% of Spaniards have had the disease.
Denmark reports zero coronavirus-related deaths for the first time since March. The country reported zero coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours for the first time since 13 March.