Coronavirus Updates

As of Friday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide stood at 5,106,686 with 333,001 deaths. COVID-19 has been reported in 188 countries and territories, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday said that more coronavirus cases had been reported to the agency over the previous 24 hours than at any point since the outbreak began. Tedros said that the reports involved 106,000 new infections.

Apple and Google on Wednesday released smartphone technology to enable the development of contact-tracing apps that notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus.

Greece will start its official tourist season on June 15, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, adding that international flights would resume on July 1.

Two studies published Wednesday in the journal Science show that a coronavirus vaccine could be on the horizon. Researchers from Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, conducted experiments on rhesus macaque monkeys. In one study, nine monkeys with COVID-19 were not reinfected after recovery. In another study, monkeys developed immunity to the disease after being given six prototype vaccines.

Egypt’s cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft law to cut public sector salaries by 1% starting in July for a one-year period to help mitigate the economic damage from the novel coronavirus.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases as of Wednesday stood at 4,900,253, with 323,341 deaths, in 188 countries and territories, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker.

An EU-backed study by scientists from nine countries that was published on Wednesday shows that a rolling cycle of strict lockdowns for 50 days followed by a 30-day relaxation period could significantly reduce COVID-19 deaths.

South Korea opened high schools on Wednesday for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

World Health Organization member states on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for an investigation into the coronavirus outbreak. The resolution includes a notation of support for the WHO leadership, which has come under attack from the Trump Administration.