Africa is grappling with a surge in new infections, while the world has recorded 6 million cases.

Vietnamese textile and garment industry meets the demand for medical protective clothing.

Mr. Le Tien Truong, General Director of Vietnam Textile and Garment Group, said that in the coming time, although the Covid-19 pandemic may end, global consumer behavior will undergo many changes. Therefore, the Group intends to continue producing face masks and medical protective clothing in the second quarter to take advantage of the demand in foreign markets, which is currently projected to remain high.

As of early May 2020, the Group had produced over 100 million medical protective suits for domestic consumption and exported over 50 million to foreign markets.

The world has recorded over 6 million cases.

As of May 30th, the world has recorded a total of over 6 million cases of COVID-19, including more than 367,000 deaths.

The pandemic is escalating in Latin America, a region considered a new hotspot. Brazil is the hardest-hit country in the region, with over 468,000 cases and more than 27,900 deaths. The pandemic has not only caused an unprecedented crisis for the healthcare system but has also had immeasurable impacts on many aspects of life.

The COVID-19 situation in South Asia also saw worrying developments on May 30th. India recorded an additional 7,964 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and 256 deaths, bringing the total number of infections and deaths in the country to 17,3763 and 4,971 respectively. Meanwhile, Bangladesh also recorded 2,523 new infections, the highest daily number of cases since the outbreak began.

In the Middle East, Iran, a regional hotspot for the pandemic, announced it would allow mosques across the country to reopen for daily communal prayers, even though the number of new infections in the country showed signs of rising again after a period of decline.

Japan will reopen its economy from June 1st.

Thirty-eight out of 47 prefectures in Japan are expected to fully reopen their economies starting June 1st, seeking to balance the reconstruction of economies damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic with measures to prevent a potential second wave of the virus.

Schools across Japan will also reopen starting June 1st, a week after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the lifting of the national state of emergency that had been declared when the Covid-19 outbreak began in the country.

China could supply COVID-19 vaccines from late 2020.

On May 30, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of China (SASAC) stated that the country is likely to be able to supply a COVID-19 vaccine to the market as early as the end of this year.

The committee also stated that in clinical trials, more than 2,000 people have been tested using vaccines developed by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and the Beijing Institute of Biological Products. Both products are currently undergoing Phase II clinical trials.

Spain is considering a phased restoration of its tourism industry.

Spanish Industry, Trade and Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said on May 30 that the government is considering opening safe "corridors" to allow foreign tourists to visit the Balearic and Canary Islands in the second half of June 2020.

Spain welcomed approximately 84 million tourists in 2019, with tourism contributing 13% to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and creating 12% of its total employment. However, the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the Spanish tourism industry to a standstill.

Spain will impose a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals from other countries until July 1, 2020, to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Spanish government is considering easing restrictions on two island groups that are among Spain's key tourist destinations.

The Canary Islands and Balearic Islands are currently in the third phase of the Spanish government's plan to ease restrictions imposed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Uruguay's president is self-isolating after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

On May 30, Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, along with Defense Minister Javier García and several other government officials, self-isolated after coming into contact with a person confirmed to have COVID-19.

Earlier on May 25, President Lacalle Pou and other government officials, including the Presidential Secretary, Alvaro Delgado, and Minister Javier García, attended a meeting with Natalia López, Director of the Rivera Province Social Development Department. On May 29, Natalia López was confirmed positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. President Lacalle Pou will undergo testing to determine if he has contracted Covid-19.

The Russian Federation recorded nearly 9,000 new infections.

The Russian Federation's Covid-19 Task Force updated figures, stating that as of the morning of May 30, the country recorded an additional 8,952 new Covid-19 cases across 83 federal entities, bringing the total number of infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus to 396,575 (a 2.3% increase), of which 41.9% (equivalent to 3,747 cases) were asymptomatic.

Belgian prince contracts COVID-19 after attending party.

Prince Joachim, 28, traveled from Belgium to Spain on May 26th. Two days later, he attended a party in Cordoba, Argentina, before testing positive for Covid-19. Spanish reports indicate that King Philippe's nephew was among the 27 people who attended the party. They are all currently in quarantine.

Tensions have not eased in Africa.

The South African Ministry of Health announced that the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the country has risen to 29,240 after recording an additional 1,837 cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours – the highest number since the country announced its first case on March 5th. Starting June 1st, South Africa will ease its nationwide lockdown from the current Level 4 to Level 3, allowing most economic sectors to resume operations and lifting some restrictions on people's movement.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health announced that the country recorded an additional 1,289 infections. This is the highest number recorded in a single day since the outbreak began in Egypt. The total number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Egypt now stands at 22,082, and the total number of deaths has risen to 879, after 34 additional deaths were recorded on May 29th.

According to new research, the Wuhan market was not the origin of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The COVID-19 pandemic first attracted public attention in late December 2019, when people connected to the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei Province, began to contract the virus. Initially, scientists believed the Wuhan market was the origin of COVID-19. However, in their latest report on the issue, a team of experts from Fudan University in Shanghai suggests that the coronavirus may have made the "leap" from animals to humans around the end of November 2019, and the crowded seafood market may have contributed to the spread of the disease.

Newsweek magazine reported on May 29th, citing Jeremy Rossman, a lecturer in virology at the University of Kent (UK), that experts at Fudan University were the first to discover that the two strains of the virus causing Covid-19 had appeared separately before person-to-person transmission occurred at the market.

My Tong