Coronavirus: Latest on COVID-19 from around the world - Thursday, June 11

The COVID-19 pandemic is "by no means over" according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) emergencies director Michael Ryan.

Despite some countries reopening their economies, and a few - like New Zealand - appearing to have eliminated the disease, the number of new cases being reported each day is consistently above 120,000.

So far at least 7.3 million have been infected - likely many more - and nearly 416,000 have died.

"We see health facilities now in many, many countries coming under huge pressure and strain, maybe not in Europe, maybe not in North America, but certainly in Central and South America, certainly in other parts of the world," said Ryan.

Here's the latest from around the world.

Europe

The European Commission accused China and Russia on Wednesday of orchestrating disinformation campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission for values and transparency, claimed to have enough evidence to make the allegation.

United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday the decision on the timing of the coronavirus lockdown was made on the basis of scientific evidence and it was too early to say whether restrictions were brought in too late.

Earlier on Wednesday, Neil Ferguson, a former member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said Britain's death toll from COVID-19 could have been halved if lockdown had been introduced a week earlier.

"We made the decisions at the time on the guidance of SAGE, including Professor Ferguson, that we thought were right for this country," Johnson said.

"Of course we've got to learn lessons, but I just think that it is at this stage premature, there's still too much that we don't know."

English adults who live alone, as well as single parents, will be allowed to meet another household indoors from this weekend, and will not need to keep 2 metres apart, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday

"There are too many people ... particularly those who live by themselves, who are lonely and struggling with being unable to see friends and family," Johnson said at the government's daily news conference.

"So from this weekend we will allow single adult households - adults living alone, or single parents with children under 18 - to form a 'support bubble' with one other household," he added.

France

France will end special government powers brought in to deal with the coronavirus pandemic on July 10 though it will retain the ability to curb gatherings and freedom of movement for four months, France's government spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

As coronavirus infections spiralled out of control in March, France passed "state of health emergency" legislation which gave the government the power to restrict civil liberties by decree without parliamentary approval.

With data showing the virus may be fading and the number of people in intensive care continuing to steadily decline since the government lifted its lockdown on May 11, France is now confident it can also end the emergency legislation.

France's coronavirus death toll stands at 29,296, the fifth-highest in the world. On Tuesday , the number of people in intensive care fell below 1000 for the first time since March 19.

Germany

Germany will lift border controls with Switzerland, France, Austria and Denmark on June 15, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Wednesday, adding the government would reconsider if the coronavirus situation deteriorates.

Belgium

A 103-year-old Belgian doctor is walking a marathon around his garden in daily stages to raise money for research into the new coronavirus, inspired by a centenarian who became a hero in Britain for clocking up the charity miles with a walking frame. Alfons Leempoels, a retired general practitioner, started his 42.2km journey in the municipality of Rotselaar, north-east of Brussels, on June 1 and plans to complete it on June 30.

Poland

Poland will open its borders with fellow European Union countries on Saturday and allow international flights from next Tuesday, the Prime Minister said on Wednesday, as the country unfreezes its economy despite an increase in coronavirus cases.

Poland has seen a recent rise in infections, mostly centred around coal mines in the south. On Monday 599 new cases were reported, a record.

As of Wednesday morning Poland, a country of around 38 million people, had reported 27,668 cases of the coronavirus and 1191 deaths.

Asia

Japan

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said on Wednesday that the rearranged Olympics will "not be done with grand splendour", but will be simplified.

The Games, originally scheduled to start next month, were postponed for a year in March by the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Americas

Brazil

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro told an actress to "get out of here" after she criticized his response to the coronavirus pandemic in a gathering outside his official residence on Wednesday morning.

Cris Bernart told Bolsonaro that Brazil's estimated 38,000 deaths from COVID-19 were not just statistics but families across the country who were suffering.

Bolsonaro, who has dismissed the virus as just a "little flu" and ordered state governors to loosen lockdown restrictions, told Bernart to leave, a live YouTube broadcast by a Bolsonaro supporter that was later taken down showed.

Jair Bolsonaro.
Jair Bolsonaro. Photo credit: Getty

"Get out of here, you have already been heard," the President said in the video, which has been widely shared on social media. "Get out of here."

"You can see, you have this character speaking rubbish here," Bolsonaro said, repeating his criticism of state governors for shutting down businesses and causing economic hardship.

United States

The United States continued to lead the world in the number of confirmed cases and deaths, followed by Brazil and Russia.

According to reports from CNN, at least 28 states of the US were not following US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on reporting new COVID-19 cases. It was reported that half of the states saw the trend of new cases increasing in the last week.

Middle East and Africa

South Africa

Hairdresser Beauty Matunhira arrives at her client's home in Johannesburg armed with dye, relaxer and gel, ready to tackle her next case of lockdown hair.

Discreet house calls have become routine for Matunhira, who found herself out of a job when salons and barber shops were forced to close under South Africa's coronavirus lockdown, now in its 11th week.

At times she is even forced to sneak into apartment buildings to avoid detection by security guards, but it's either that or going hungry.

"It's better because we're managing to buy food," Matunhira said as she applied black dye to her client's faded blond hair.

Medical developments

Lockdowns saved lives - study

Lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 have averted millions of cases, according to an international study.

The study by scientists in the United States, published in the journal Nature, estimated that lockdowns in China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, France and the United States had prevented or delayed around 530 million COVID-19 cases.

Another vaccine candidate

A potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Chinese researchers showed promise in trials in monkeys, triggering antibodies and raising no safety issues, researchers said, and a human trial with more than 1000 participants is under way.

The vaccine candidate, called BBIBP-CorV, induced high-level neutralising antibodies that can block the virus from infecting cells in monkeys, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits, researchers said in a paper published in online by the medical journal Cell.

"These results support the further evaluation of BBIBP-CorV in a clinical trial," researchers said in the paper. 

Economic fallout

Global woes

The global economy will suffer the biggest peace-time downturn in a century before it emerges next year from a coronavirus-inflicted recession, the OECD said on Wednesday.

Updating its outlook, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) forecast the global economy would contract 6.0 percent this year before bouncing back with 5.2 percent growth in 2021 - providing the outbreak is kept under control.

However, the Paris-based policy forum said an equally possible scenario of a second wave of contagion this year could see the global econmy contract 7.6 percent before growing only 2.8 percent next year.

"By the end of 2021, the loss of income exceeds that of any previous recession over the last 100 years outside wartime, with dire and long-lasting consequences for people, firms and governments," OECD chief economist Laurence Boone wrote in an introduction to the refreshed outlook.

Starbucks suffering

Starbucks Corp said on Wednesday it expects current-quarter operating income to plunge by up to US$2.2 billion, and sales to decline for the rest of the year even as nearly all its cafes have reopened following easing of coronavirus lockdowns.

The company said it would permanently close about 400 stores in the Americas over the next 18 months and cut its planned new store openings by half to about 300 this fiscal year, signifying the lasting impact of the pandemic.

Reuters / APTN / Newshub.