An executive director for the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a sobering reminder that the world is still battling a pandemic, as countries rush to remove restrictions in a bid to fuel their faltering economies.
"We're still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up," Dr Mike Ryan, a leading health expert for the WHO, told an online briefing on Monday.
"Right now, we're not in the second wave. We're right in the middle of the first wave globally."
Dr Ryan took specific aim at Brazil, a major COVID-19 hotspot with more than 391,200 confirmed cases and over 24,500 deaths. Brazil is only second to the United States in terms of worst-affected nations worldwide.
Despite the country grappling to contain its rising case numbers, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is vehemently pushing for restrictions to be lifted - a move Dr Ryan strongly disagrees with.
"You must continue to do everything you can," he said, expressing concern that Brazil's "intense" transmission rates would run rampant without the appropriate stay-at-home measures.
He also noted that despite declining case numbers in parts of the world, including New Zealand and Australia, COVID-19 is still very much on the rise in areas such as Central and South America, South East Asia and Africa.
As reported by Reuters, Dr Ryan explained how outbreaks could return later this year after the first wave has subsided.
"When we speak about a second wave... what we often mean is there will be a first wave of the disease by itself, and then it recurs months later. And that may be a reality for many countries in a number of months' time," Ryan explained.
“But we need also to be cognizant of the fact that the disease can jump up at any time. We cannot make assumptions that just because the disease is on the way down now, it is going to keep going down, and we are getting a number of months to get ready for a second wave. We may get a second peak in this wave."
He advised Europe and North America to "continue to put in place the public health and social measures, the surveillance measures, the testing measures and a comprehensive strategy to ensure that we continue on a downwards trajectory and we don’t have an immediate second peak".
Russia has 'passed its peak'
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that the country - the third worst-affected by the pandemic worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University tracker - has passed its peak of new infections, with 8900 cases being reported in the past 24 hours.
As of May 11, the country saw a record 11,700 new cases in one day, ABC reports. The death toll stands at 3807, with more than 362,300 confirmed cases in total.
"According to experts, the peak can be considered passed," Putin told Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu via video conference on Tuesday.
The country's relatively low mortality rate in comparison to its case total has drawn suspicion among experts, with some hypothesising that Russian authorities may have under-reported the virus-related death toll and manipulated the statistics. Officials have denied the allegations, arguing the low death rate is demonstrative of their effective COVID-19 response.
Spain to begin 10-day period of mourning
The Government of Spain has declared a 10-day official mourning period, beginning on Wednesday (local time) in recognition of the nearly 30,000 people lost due to the virus.
An official ceremony, led by the head of state in remembrance of the 26,834 fatalities recorded in the country, will close the 10-day period. Flags on Spanish navy ships and public buildings will fly at half-mast for its duration.
New York phasing in economic activity
Following weeks of declining deaths and hospitalisations amid New York's rampant outbreak of the virus, State Governor Andrew Cuomo says it is now the time to focus on relaunching the Big Apple's economy.
After ringing open the stock exchange, marking the reopening on the trading floor, the Governor laid out a plan including the acceleration of major infrastructure projects and tackling transmission of COVID-19 in the worst-affected neighbourhoods, ABC reports.
The mid-Hudson Valley, including the city's northern suburbs, has become the latest region of New York state to begin slowly phasing in economic activity. Long Island is expected to follow on Wednesday (local time), which would leave New York City as the only region waiting to reopen.
The number of deaths reported on Monday (local time) dropped to 73, the lowest number since late March.
