Global Coronavirus Infections Pass Eight Million -- Update
DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC. 7:42 AM ET 6/16/2020
*More than eight million people world-wide have been infected by the coronavirus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, and nearly 437,000 have died. In the U.S., at least 2.11 million have been infected and 116,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins data.
*The FDA revoked its emergency-use authorization for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of Covid- 19.
*President Trump indicated he has no plans to further postpone a campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., despite concerns from officials and residents that it could help spread the coronavirus.
U.S.
National: The Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency-use authorization for two malaria drugs, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, for the treatment of the Covid-19 disease.
"It is no longer reasonable to believe" the two drugs "may be effective in treating Covid-19," said Denise M. Hinton, the FDA's chief scientist, in a letter on Monday. Nor is it reasonable to believe, she added, that "known and potential benefits of these products outweigh their known and potential risks."
The two drugs were widely touted by Mr. Trump and others as useful in helping patients with Covid-19, which some say contributed to panic buying and shortages.
Travel: The Trump administration further eased plans to restrict passenger flights by mainland Chinese airlines to the U.S. after China said it would permit more passenger flights by American airlines.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday it would allow a total of four round-trip flights a week by Chinese airlines, double the level it had permitted earlier this month. The move came after Chinese authorities said they would allow both of the U.S. airlines seeking to return to China to operate two weekly flights each.
California: Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state's positivity rate for coronavirus tests has been stable for the past two weeks despite an increase in daily tallies of new cases. He defended his reopening plan Monday, saying continued restrictions can have a negative impact on the health and economic well-being of individuals.
"You can't be in a permanent state where people are locked away for months," said Mr. Newsom, a Democrat.
Oklahoma: Mr. Trump indicated he has no plans to postpone a campaign rally in Tulsa this weekend despite mounting concerns from local officials and residents about the event's potential to help spread the virus. In recent days, the top health official in Tulsa, the local newspaper and the Trump administration's top infectious disease expert have raised alarms about the plan for the president to convene thousands of supporters in an indoor arena on Saturday -- an event Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines classify as "highest risk."
In a tweet Monday, Mr. Trump accused the news media of "trying to Covid Shame us on our big Rallies," adding: " Won't work!"
World
China: China reported 32 new locally transmitted cases on Monday, its National Health Commission said Tuesday, as authorities in Beijing work to control a cluster associated with a large wholesale meat and produce market. Of the new cases, 27 are in Beijing.
The market, a sprawling complex of warehouses and trading halls known as Xinfadi, supplies 80% of Beijing's fruits and vegetables. Since Thursday, health authorities have traced at least 79 new coronavirus infections in Beijing to the facility, which ships food to other markets and restaurants all over the city of more than 21 million people. Details of the new cases haven't yet been disclosed.
Hong Kong: The city will loosen restrictions on social gatherings in public, allowing up to 50 people to congregate beginning at midnight on Saturday, top health official Sophia Chan said. Hong Kong has largely contained the virus, logging daily case counts at zero or in the low single digits since the beginning of the month; earlier on it went weeks at a stretch with no locally transmitted infections. The city's most recent local transmission was this past Saturday, in the same apartment building as a family that has been linked to the city's latest small cluster. Hong Kong has logged a total of 1,112 confirmed cases and four deaths.
Iran: Covid-19 deaths in Iran topped 100 for the third consecutive day Tuesday as the country struggles to fend off a second wave of infections. The health ministry reported 115 deaths, the highest daily count since mid-April, with 2,563 new cases.
India: The country on Tuesday reported 10,667 new cases of coronavirus and 380 deaths in the preceding 24 hours, data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed. There are now 343,091 confirmed cases, including 9,900 deaths, making India the world's fourth-worst-hit after the U.S., Brazil and Russia in terms of total infections, according to Johns Hopkins data. As cases continue to rise and the country lifts most lockdown restrictions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a virtual meeting of all state chief ministers over the next two days to take stock of the evolving situation and sketch out further strategies.
Singapore: The city-state announced Monday it would move into its second phase of reopening on Friday, allowing most businesses -- including restaurants, bars, stores, gyms and personal-care services -- to reopen, while nursing homes can resume visiting. Some restrictions will remain in place, such as capacity limits and social distancing. Singapore reported 214 new cases Monday, including 211 in foreign-worker dormitories that have been at the center of its outbreak.
New Zealand: The country recorded two new cases Tuesday, breaking a 24-day streak without any new infections. Both cases were from the same family. The women, one in her 30s and one in her 40s, returned from overseas to visit a dying parent.
From now on, travelers will be required to show they have tested negative before being allowed to leave quarantine early on compassionate grounds, said Ashley Bloomfield, the country's director general of health.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
06-16-200742ET
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