Vietnam 48 days without Covid-19 community transmission
In Vietnam, as of 7am on June 3, there have been no recorded cases of Covid-19 in the community for 48 days. The total number of recorded cases to date is 328, of which 298 have been declared cured. The remaining 30 patients are being treated at medical facilities across the country, of which 10 have tested negative at least once.
Latin American countries ease social distancing measures despite risks
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) expressed concern that many Latin American countries have begun to ease social distancing measures to prevent the economic decline caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the region becoming a new epicenter of the epidemic recently. PAHO Director Carissa Etienne said that last week, the world recorded 732,000 new Covid-19 infections, including more than 250,000 cases in Latin America, showing that countries in the region need to step up efforts to prevent this dangerous pandemic.
Vila Formosa cemetery staff bury a Covid-19 victim in São Paulo, Brazil
PAHO also warned that the current epidemic situation in Brazil is very worrying with new infections and deaths continuously increasing in recent weeks. In the past 24 hours, Brazil has recorded the highest number of new infections in the world with 25,978 cases, bringing the total number of Covid-19 infections to 555,383. This is the third time Brazil has recorded more than 25,000 new cases in a day. The number of deaths due to Covid-19 in Brazil is currently 31,243 cases, the fourth highest in the world after the US, UK and Italy, an increase of 1,197 cases in the past 24 hours, the highest number of deaths since Brazil recorded its first death due to the Covid-19 epidemic. However, social isolation measures are becoming the focus of controversy between the federal and local governments. Several Brazilian states are now beginning to ease restrictions to return to normal economic and social activities. However, PAHO said that this decision could make the situation worse if not implemented in a rational and orderly manner.
Meanwhile, other countries such as Mexico, Peru and Ecuador have also begun taking steps towards lifting mandatory social distancing orders. In fact, Nicaragua has never officially applied social distancing measures despite the number of infections and deaths continuously increasing in recent weeks.
Ms. Etienne called on governments to be cautious and not push too fast the roadmap to resume socio-economic activities if they do not want to face the risk of a resurgence of Covid-19, making the anti-epidemic efforts of the past months meaningless.
WHO accused of providing false Covid-19 data again
On June 2, the Government of Equatorial Guinea accused the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Triphonie Nkurunziza of “falsifying data on Covid-19 cases” in the country. Previously, on May 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Equatorial Guinea sent a diplomatic note requesting the WHO regional office in Africa to “end the mission” of Ms. Triphonie in the country, and at the same time asked her to immediately leave the capital Malabo.
A WHO source in Malabo confirmed the request from the Government of Equatorial Guinea for Ms. Triphonie, but did not provide further details. However, Ms. Triphonie is still in the capital Malabo as Equatorial Guinea has not yet reopened international flights.
Equatorial Guinea is an oil-rich Atlantic coastal country. To date, the country has recorded 1,306 positive cases of SARS-CoV-2 among its 1.3 million population. The WHO's figures on infections are often higher than those provided by Equatorial Guinea authorities.
Germany to lift travel warning to European countries
On June 2, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas announced that the Government will lift travel warnings to European countries in the context that many European countries are continuing to relax social distancing imposed in an effort to curb the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.
“We are preparing a decision to be voted on in the Cabinet on June 3,” Foreign Minister Maas said. Under the plan, Germany will lift its travel warning and travel in at least 31 European countries will be able to resume starting June 15. Previously, in March, the German government issued an official travel warning in Europe, a measure that will be in effect until June 14.
Germany to lift travel warning to European countries
In April, Mr. Maas said that due to the pandemic situation, it would be difficult to have a “normal tourist season” this summer. However, with the pandemic situation showing positive developments and many countries easing social distancing, Germany has reconsidered its decision to issue travel warnings to countries in the European Union (EU) and some European countries such as Switzerland, Iceland and Norway.
Germany will replace travel warnings with detailed guidelines, focusing on the epidemic situation in each country, Mr. Maas said. This information will help people make appropriate decisions in their travel plans. In the early weeks of the pandemic, Germany repatriated about 240,000 citizens stranded abroad when countries imposed travel restrictions and closed borders.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 patients receiving intensive care in Germany has dropped sharply in recent weeks. According to German officials, as of June 2, only 689 patients were receiving intensive care, of which half required ventilators. This number is down sharply from mid-April 2020 when 2,900 were receiving intensive care. Meanwhile, the actual number of infected patients in Germany is currently around 7,100. Many states reported no new infections over the weekend.
Egypt likely to see outbreak in next two weeks
On June 2, Egypt recorded 1,152 more cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, bringing the total number of Covid-19 infections to 27,536. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Health, to date, the total number of Covid-19 deaths is 1,052 after 47 more deaths were recorded on June 2. In addition, 380 more Covid-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from the hospital, bringing the total number of fully recovered cases to 6,827.
Earlier, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the country is likely to see an increase in Covid-19 cases in the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said that it is currently impossible to rule out the scientific possibility that the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Egypt will not reach 50,000 cases in this Covid-19 outbreak.
Zimbabwe tightens lockdown in capital Harare
On June 2, the Zimbabwean army and police tightened the blockade in the capital Harare, blocking many cars and buses from entering the central business district as the number of Covid-19 infections increased.
The total number of Covid-19 cases has more than tripled to 203 in the past few days. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has eased the lockdown since the country first imposed it in late March.
People have their temperatures taken at a public hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe.
However, on June 2, police and soldiers stopped many people and cars at checkpoints leading into the town, except for essential workers such as medical staff as well as state employees.
Reuters reported that a group of soldiers and police in downtown Harare ordered people to leave the city center and shops to close. By lunchtime, businesses in the city center were closed, but in another part of town, some businesses, including supermarkets and banks, remained open.
India approves use of Remdesivir in Covid-19 treatment
The Indian government said on June 1 that it had granted emergency use authorization for the antiviral drug Remdesivir to treat Covid-19 patients. Originally designed to treat the Ebola virus, Remdesivir was one of the first experimental drugs in the treatment regimen for Covid-19 patients and the first to show improvement in Covid-19 patients in formal clinical trials. The drug was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month and has also been approved by Japanese health regulators. South Korean health authorities said on May 29 that they would request imports of Remdesivir, and several European countries are also considering using the drug.
India is currently the 7th largest epidemic area in the world with 8,813 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of Covid-19 patients to 207,183, including 5,829 deaths, an increase of 221 cases in the past 24 hours. While the rate of virus infection has begun to decrease in many countries, according to epidemiologists, India has not recorded signs of "flattening the curve" like many countries. The health care system of the country of 1.3 billion people is "bearing" too much pressure.
Schools reopen as Singapore eases lockdown
With their temperatures checked, masks on, and hand sanitizer on, many students in Singapore returned to school on June 2 after a nearly two-month lockdown. As one of the countries with the highest number of Covid-19 infections in Asia, Singapore has also gradually eased restrictions, allowing some businesses to reopen, including pet shops, from June 2.
Many students in Singapore returned to school on June 2 after the country's lockdown of nearly two months.
Studies in some European countries have shown that reopening schools has not led to a surge in Covid-19 cases, while other studies have shown fewer cases in children than in adults.
Singapore has recorded more than 35,000 Covid-19 cases and 24 deaths. Most of the cases are among migrant workers living in dormitories.
