Latest On Coronavirus

The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 388,000, almost 6.59 million cases of infection were detected, and over 2.84 million of those patients were cured, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University, which tracks and compiles data from federal and local authorities, media and other sources

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2020) The death toll from the coronavirus infection in the world topped 388,000, almost 6.59 million cases of infection were detected, and over 2.84 million of those patients were cured, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University, which tracks and compiles data from federal and local authorities, media and other sources.

As of 21.00 GMT Thursday, the number of people infected globally is 6,581,066, of them 388,118 died.

The United States still has the highest case count in the world, with 1,867,595, including 107,915 fatalities and 479,258 recoveries.

The pace of the coronavirus outbreak in the US appears to have peaked with fewer cases and deaths compared to a month ago, but that does not mean there is any less danger from the virus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert Redfield said.

Health officials in Finland have recorded no daily increase in COVID-19 cases for the first time in two months, the Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) said.

New York City may enter phase two of the state's plan to reopen after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown as early as at the beginning of July, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Spain's land borders may stay closed even after the national state of alert over COVID-19 ends on June 21, the tourism ministry said, reversing an earlier statement by its minister.

The Czech government may decide, at an extraordinary meeting on Friday, to relax border restrictions and allow citizens of Austria, Germany and Hungary to enter the country, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.

Turkey plans to restore air travel with 40 countries in June, after coronavirus-linked restrictions, Minister of Transport Adil Karaismailoglu said.

Any educational institutions in Israel where at least one case of coronavirus has been detected will be quarantined, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's press service said amid the surge in infections in schools.

Lebanon's Supreme Defense Council, chaired by President Michel Aoun, has decided to extend the state of epidemiological emergency caused by COVID-19 until July 5, the presidential press office said.

China's top basketball league, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), is set to resume action on June 20 after a hiatus of more than four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league said.

The European Central Bank (ECB) expects eurozone GDP to see a 8.7 percent decrease this year, to increase by 5.2 percent in 2021 and to further raise by 3.3 percent in 2022, ECB President Christine Lagarde said.

Private consumption in the euro area is set to decline by nearly 8 percent this year, while the unemployment rate is expected to reach 10.8 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Central Bank (ECB) said.

US trade deficit grew by $7.1 billion, or 17 percent, month-on-month in April, as the coronavirus pandemic severely disrupted exports from the United States, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said.

Some 1.9 million more Americans filed for first-time unemployment claims last week, the Labor Department said on Thursday, bringing the total number of US job losses from the coronavirus pandemic to nearly 43 million.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) provided emergency financing help to 66 countries since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice told reporters.

The French authorities will present a stimulus plan to accelerate the economy's recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

A plane carrying the second batch of US artificial lung ventilators, consisting of 150 pieces, has landed in Moscow, the US Embassy in Russia said.

Russia will make a voluntary contribution worth 500,000 Swiss francs ($522,000) to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to fund the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge praised on Thursday Russia's solidarity in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, noting close cooperation with the country's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, and the Health Ministry, in particular.

The level of trust in the Swedish government and the agencies responsible for handling the COVID-19 epidemic has fallen in the Scandinavian country in late May, according to a survey conducted by the country's SVT channel and Novus polling agency. Unlike other European countries, the Swedish authorities have embraced a less rigid approach to dealing with the disease, refraining from imposing a full-scale lockdown.

Donors have secured $8.8 billion in contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, through 2025, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. The initial goal was $7.4 billion.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said it had launched a new financing option to help vaccine manufacturers produce enough of COVID-19 vaccines once they have been developed and to ensure that developing countries have access to them.

Germany is set to launch an alliance of four European Union member states to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines for the EU after they will become available amid worries that China and the United States might secure large amounts of such vaccines first, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported.

British medical journal The Lancet announced it had retracted an article that claimed a study of more than 96,000 people showed hydroxychloroquine did not significantly help people suffering from COVID-19.

Swedish Minister for Financial Markets Per Bolund said that the country's authorities had decided to start testing for COVID-19 all citizens showing symptoms typical for the disease.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had delivered over 250 consignments with COVID-19 testing equipment to 80 countries and expects to send out more in the coming days and weeks.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for continuing vaccination even amid the coronavirus pandemic, and for using the vaccine delivery network for other health services.

The second wave of COVID-19 could be worsened by seasonal flu in the fall, as immunization has been interrupted in many countries, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said.

Kluge also expressed concerns over the effect that reduction in funding from Washington could have on vaccination programs, expressing hope that cooperation will still continue.