Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a limited initial annexation in the occupied West Bank, hoping to quell international opposition to his pledge of wide territorial moves, an Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday.

Netanyahu has said a U.S. peace plan, which envisages Israel retaining its settlements in the West Bank, provides an "historic opportunity" to extend Israeli sovereignty to them and to the Jordan Valley area.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in a 1967 war. Palestinians hope to establish a state in those areas and say the peace blueprint announced by President Donald Trump in January kills that prospect.&nbsp;

Israel Hayom, a pro-Netanyahu daily widely seen as reflecting his views, said the right-wing leader was now looking at the possibility of annexation in two phases.

It said Netanyahu, who has set July 1 for the start of a cabinet debate on the issue, was considering annexing only small settlements in phase one and, after renewing calls to Palestinians for peace talks, then annexing the remaining ones.

Netanyahu's annexation pledges have raised stiff opposition from the Palestinians, Arab countries and European nations, and Israeli officials say Washington has yet to agree to the move.

Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said potential phasing of annexation made no difference. "Netanyahu is trying to confuse the international position which rejects annexation and the world will not be fooled by such a proposition," he said.&nbsp;

The newspaper said Netanyahu does not anticipate a strong punitive response from Europe for annexation, despite vocal opposition, nor does he see it as substantially damaging Israel's ties with the Arab world.&nbsp;

Nonetheless, by limiting annexation initially, he hopes to signal that Israel is attentive to international criticism, Israel Hayom said.

It attributed its report to sources that have held discussions with Netanyahu in the last few days, but did not identify them. Netanyahu's office declined to comment.

Most countries view Israeli settlements in occupied territory as illegal. Israel rejects this.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a limited initial annexation in the occupied West Bank, hoping to quell international opposition to his pledge of wide territorial moves, an Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing a limited initial annexation in the occupied West Bank, hoping to quell international opposition to his pledge of wide territorial moves, an Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday. Netanyahu has said a U.S. peace plan, which envisages Israel retaining its settlements in the West Bank, provides an "historic opportunity" to extend Israeli sovereignty to them and to the Jordan Valley area. Israel captured the West Bank, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in a 1967 war. Palestinians hope to establish a state in those areas and say the peace blueprint announced by President Donald Trump in January kills that prospect. Israel Hayom, a pro-Netanyahu daily widely seen as reflecting his views, said the right-wing leader was now looking at the possibility of annexation in two phases. It said Netanyahu, who has set July 1 for the start of a cabinet debate on the issue, was considering annexing only small settlements in phase one and, after renewing calls to Palestinians for peace talks, then annexing the remaining ones. Netanyahu's annexation pledges have raised stiff opposition from the Palestinians, Arab countries and European nations, and Israeli officials say Washington has yet to agree to the move. Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said potential phasing of annexation made no difference. "Netanyahu is trying to confuse the international position which rejects annexation and the world will not be fooled by such a proposition," he said. The newspaper said Netanyahu does not anticipate a strong punitive response from Europe for annexation, despite vocal opposition, nor does he see it as substantially damaging Israel's ties with the Arab world. Nonetheless, by limiting annexation initially, he hopes to signal that Israel is attentive to international criticism, Israel Hayom said. It attributed its report to sources that have held discussions with Netanyahu in the last few days, but did not identify them. Netanyahu's office declined to comment. Most countries view Israeli settlements in occupied territory as illegal. Israel rejects this.

Israel's Netanyahu mulls two-phase West Bank annexation

Iran on Wednesday reported more than 100 deaths from the novel coronavirus for a fourth straight day, saying that gatherings in high-risk provinces have led to a spike in infections. 
 
"Holding gatherings such as weddings and funerals is one of the main causes of increased coronavirus infections in red provinces," the highest level on Iran's colour-coded risk scale, said deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi. 
 
"In one province, 120 people were infected at a single wedding," the ISNA news agency quoted him as saying. 
 
Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 120 new deaths in the past 24 hours took Iran's overall toll to 9,158.

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This is Iran's highest single-day death toll since April 11. 
 
Lari added that another 2,612 tested positive for COVID-19, bringing total confirmed cases to 195,051. 
 
Iran reported its first coronavirus cases on February 19, and it has since struggled to contain the outbreak. 
 
Official figures have shown a rising trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections. 
 
There has been scepticism at home and abroad about Iran's official figures, with concerns the real toll could be much higher.

Iran on Wednesday reported more than 100 deaths from the novel coronavirus for a fourth straight day, saying that gatherings in high-risk provinces have led to a spike in infections.

Iran on Wednesday reported more than 100 deaths from the novel coronavirus for a fourth straight day, saying that gatherings in high-risk provinces have led to a spike in infections. "Holding gatherings such as weddings and funerals is one of the main causes of increased coronavirus infections in red provinces," the highest level on Iran's colour-coded risk scale, said deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi. "In one province, 120 people were infected at a single wedding," the ISNA news agency quoted him as saying. Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said 120 new deaths in the past 24 hours took Iran's overall toll to 9,158. Also read: WHO moves to update COVID-19 guidance after 'great news' in drug study This is Iran's highest single-day death toll since April 11. Lari added that another 2,612 tested positive for COVID-19, bringing total confirmed cases to 195,051. Iran reported its first coronavirus cases on February 19, and it has since struggled to contain the outbreak. Official figures have shown a rising trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections. There has been scepticism at home and abroad about Iran's official figures, with concerns the real toll could be much higher.

Iran reports over 100 virus deaths for fourth day

Australia&nbsp;is unlikely to reopen its border to international travellers until next year but will look to relax entry rules for students and other long-term visitors, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on Wednesday.

Australia&nbsp;has been largely successful in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus, which it attributes to curbs on international travel and tough social-distancing rules.

Birmingham said a quarantine rule for returning citizens could be applied to international students and other visitors who plan to stay for a long period of time.

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"We can simply work through the 14-day quarantine periods that have worked so well in terms of returning&nbsp;Australians to this country safely," Birmingham said in a speech to the National Press Club.

The return of international students will be a boost for universities facing big financial losses with the border closed as international education is&nbsp;Australia's fourth-largest foreign exchange earner, worth A$38 billion ($26.14 billion) a year.

Australia&nbsp;has had more than 7,300 cases of the coronavirus and 102 people have died from COVID-19, the disease it causes.

It recorded its biggest daily rise in new infections in more than a month on Wednesday, with the most of them in Victoria, the second most populous state.

Victoria reported 21 new cases overnight, of which 15 are returned travellers in quarantine, taking the total tally for the day to 22 cases, with some states yet to report their data.

Australia is unlikely to reopen its border to international travellers until next year but will look to relax entry rules for students and other long-term visitors, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on Wednesday.

Australia is unlikely to reopen its border to international travellers until next year but will look to relax entry rules for students and other long-term visitors, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on Wednesday. Australia has been largely successful in containing the spread of the novel coronavirus, which it attributes to curbs on international travel and tough social-distancing rules. Birmingham said a quarantine rule for returning citizens could be applied to international students and other visitors who plan to stay for a long period of time. Also read: WHO moves to update COVID-19 guidance after 'great news' in drug study "We can simply work through the 14-day quarantine periods that have worked so well in terms of returning Australians to this country safely," Birmingham said in a speech to the National Press Club. The return of international students will be a boost for universities facing big financial losses with the border closed as international education is Australia's fourth-largest foreign exchange earner, worth A$38 billion ($26.14 billion) a year. Australia has had more than 7,300 cases of the coronavirus and 102 people have died from COVID-19, the disease it causes. It recorded its biggest daily rise in new infections in more than a month on Wednesday, with the most of them in Victoria, the second most populous state. Victoria reported 21 new cases overnight, of which 15 are returned travellers in quarantine, taking the total tally for the day to 22 cases, with some states yet to report their data.

Australia says borders likely to stay closed until 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was moving to update its guidelines on treating people stricken with COVID-19 to reflect results of a clinical trial that showed a cheap, common steroid can help save critically ill patients.&nbsp;

Trial results announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis, cut death rates by around a third among the most severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital.

The WHO's clinical guidance for treating patients infected with the new coronavirus is aimed at doctors and other medical professionals and seeks to use the latest data to inform clinicians on how best to tackle all phases of the disease, from screening to discharge.

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Although the dexamethasone study's results are preliminary, the researchers behind the project said it suggests the drug should immediately become standard care in severely stricken patients.

For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth, according to preliminary findings shared with WHO.

The benefit was only seen in patients seriously ill with COVID-19 and was not observed in patients with milder disease.

The positive news comes as coronavirus infections accelerated in some places including the United States and as Beijing cancelled scores of flights to help contain a fresh outbreak in China's capital.

"This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement late on Tuesday. The agency said it was looking forward to the full data analysis of the study in coming days.

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"WHO will coordinate a meta-analysis to increase our overall understanding of this intervention. WHO clinical guidance will be updated to reflect how and when the drug should be used in COVID-19," the agency added.

But South Korea's top health official cautioned about the use of the drug for COVID-19 patients.

"(It) has already long been used in South Korean hospitals to treat patients with different inflammation," Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

"But some experts have warned of the drug not only reducing the inflammatory response in patients, but also the immune system and may trigger side effects. KCDC is discussing the use of it for COVID-19 patients."

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was moving to update its guidelines on treating people stricken with COVID-19 to reflect results of a clinical trial that showed a cheap, common steroid can help save critically ill patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was moving to update its guidelines on treating people stricken with COVID-19 to reflect results of a clinical trial that showed a cheap, common steroid can help save critically ill patients. Trial results announced on Tuesday showed dexamethasone, used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in diseases such as arthritis, cut death rates by around a third among the most severely ill COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital. The WHO's clinical guidance for treating patients infected with the new coronavirus is aimed at doctors and other medical professionals and seeks to use the latest data to inform clinicians on how best to tackle all phases of the disease, from screening to discharge. Also read: 12 per cent of Americans may not need coronavirus vaccine: US officials Although the dexamethasone study's results are preliminary, the researchers behind the project said it suggests the drug should immediately become standard care in severely stricken patients. For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients requiring only oxygen, mortality was cut by about one fifth, according to preliminary findings shared with WHO. The benefit was only seen in patients seriously ill with COVID-19 and was not observed in patients with milder disease. The positive news comes as coronavirus infections accelerated in some places including the United States and as Beijing cancelled scores of flights to help contain a fresh outbreak in China's capital. "This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement late on Tuesday. The agency said it was looking forward to the full data analysis of the study in coming days. Also read: After breakthrough, UK to begin administering steroid dexamethasone to COVID-19 patients "WHO will coordinate a meta-analysis to increase our overall understanding of this intervention. WHO clinical guidance will be updated to reflect how and when the drug should be used in COVID-19," the agency added. But South Korea's top health official cautioned about the use of the drug for COVID-19 patients. "(It) has already long been used in South Korean hospitals to treat patients with different inflammation," Jeong Eun-kyeong, head of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). "But some experts have warned of the drug not only reducing the inflammatory response in patients, but also the immune system and may trigger side effects. KCDC is discussing the use of it for COVID-19 patients."

WHO moves to update COVID-19 guidance after 'great news' in drug study

China is currently experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. The second-wave began in a local food market in the country’s capital Beijing.&nbsp;The capital city with a population of 20 million has at least 106 active cases in the city.

"War mode"

In Beijing, 27 cases new cases were reported in the last 24 hours all linked to a wholesale market which was visited by more than 45,000 people in the last few days.

All sports and entertainment centres have been closed, and travel has been curtailed. Additionally, residential areas have been sealed-off, and schools forced to close.&nbsp;The spokesperson for Beijing has called the situation quote-unquote “extremely severe”

The Chinese media says Beijing is in “war mode”. Provinces as far away as Yunnan have asked people coming in from Beijing to quarantine. Shanghai is also isolating those coming in from the capital.

This time, the virus was detected at a Beijing market on a chopping board used by a seller of imported salmon.

What did China do?

Chinese researchers say the virus may have come from overseas.&nbsp;“It could be possibly from any one of European countries or maybe from the United States or from Russia”, said Wu Zunyou, Chief Epidemiologist, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

China is denying the possibility of cross-contamination to probably preserve the idea of elimination of COVID-19 from its territories.

The World Health Organization (WHO), like the last time, is claiming to have followed up on the new cluster on June 13. On June 15, WHO’s chief Dr Tedros claimed to have been investigating the origin of the virus.

“Last week, China reported a new cluster of cases in Beijing after more than fifty days without a case in that city. More than 100 cases have now been confirmed. The origin and extent of the outbreak are being investigated”, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

WHO’s Emergency Director, Mike Ryan&nbsp; was also present at this press conference. He said that the WHO is expecting the Chinese authorities to publish genetic sequencing of the virus in Beijing.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Dr Tedros is planning to address university students in Beijing.

China's financial hubs were spared during the first outbreak.&nbsp;This time, the cluster is in one of China’s major hubs, Beijing, which could wreak havoc for its economic activity

China is currently experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. The second-wave began in a local food market in the country’s capital Beijing. The capital city with a population of 20 million has at least 106 active cases in the city.

China is currently experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. The second-wave began in a local food market in the country’s capital Beijing. The capital city with a population of 20 million has at least 106 active cases in the city. "War mode" In Beijing, 27 cases new cases were reported in the last 24 hours all linked to a wholesale market which was visited by more than 45,000 people in the last few days. All sports and entertainment centres have been closed, and travel has been curtailed. Additionally, residential areas have been sealed-off, and schools forced to close. The spokesperson for Beijing has called the situation quote-unquote “extremely severe” The Chinese media says Beijing is in “war mode”. Provinces as far away as Yunnan have asked people coming in from Beijing to quarantine. Shanghai is also isolating those coming in from the capital. This time, the virus was detected at a Beijing market on a chopping board used by a seller of imported salmon. What did China do? Chinese researchers say the virus may have come from overseas. “It could be possibly from any one of European countries or maybe from the United States or from Russia”, said Wu Zunyou, Chief Epidemiologist, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. China is denying the possibility of cross-contamination to probably preserve the idea of elimination of COVID-19 from its territories. The World Health Organization (WHO), like the last time, is claiming to have followed up on the new cluster on June 13. On June 15, WHO’s chief Dr Tedros claimed to have been investigating the origin of the virus. “Last week, China reported a new cluster of cases in Beijing after more than fifty days without a case in that city. More than 100 cases have now been confirmed. The origin and extent of the outbreak are being investigated”, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. WHO’s Emergency Director, Mike Ryan was also present at this press conference. He said that the WHO is expecting the Chinese authorities to publish genetic sequencing of the virus in Beijing. Meanwhile, Dr Tedros is planning to address university students in Beijing. China's financial hubs were spared during the first outbreak. This time, the cluster is in one of China’s major hubs, Beijing, which could wreak havoc for its economic activity

While China blames its second-wave of coronavirus on the west, WHO looks the other way again

The United States is currently in the process of filtering out potential vaccine candidates for COVID-19.

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, out of the previous 14 vaccines, the country has zeroed in on seven potential vaccines for the killer COVID-19 pandemic, which has now infected over 8 million people worldwide.

Part of the government’s “Operation Warp Speed”, the vaccines are receiving government support as the race to find a vaccine amps up globally.

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According to a report by the New York Times, five companies including Moderna Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc may be few of the companies to receive government approval to come up with a vaccine.

The United States wants to focus on locking manufacturing the vaccine as early as it is approved, so that mass immunisations may take place across the country.

“Operation Warp Speed” will witness massive trials of the vaccine, with 100,000 to 150,000 volunteers in the pipeline. The goal to put out a vaccine is set at the end of this year.

Starting July, pilot testing of the vaccine will begin.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://wionews.com/videos/us-vs-china-the-race-to-make-a-coronavirus-vaccine-first-gravitas-299532/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

China not far behind

China is also amping up its pace to come up with a vaccine. Chinese researchers are developing a vaccine for COVID-19 which has exhibited powerful results in monkeys.&nbsp;According to the researchers, the vaccine in question triggered antibodies in the animals, and did not lead to any complications or safety concerns.

Human trials for the vaccine have begun on 1,000 participants.

The potential vaccine is called BBIBP-CorV and works by activating high-level antibodies that are capable of neutralising the virus, and prevent further infection. Published online in the medical journal Cell, the vaccine candidate was tested on monkeys, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/big-breakthrough-british-scientists-find-a-drug-that-cuts-covid-19-death-rate-306304" hreflang="en">Big breakthrough: British scientists find a drug that cuts Covid-19 death rate</a>

"These results support the further evaluation of BBIBP-CorV in a clinical trial," researchers mentioned in their study.

Developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, in tandem with state-run China National Pharmaceutical Group, BBIBP-CorV is one of the five vaccines being tested on humans in China.

Globally, the race to find a vaccine has amped up, as countries are now fearing a surge in reinfection as people start resuming normal life. India, and Brazil continue to induct record cases daily, with the curve not expected to flatten soon.

The United States is currently in the process of filtering out potential vaccine candidates for COVID-19. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, out of the previous 14 vaccines, the country has zeroed in on seven potential vaccines for the killer COVID-19 pandemic, which has now infected over 8 million people worldwide.

The United States is currently in the process of filtering out potential vaccine candidates for COVID-19. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, out of the previous 14 vaccines, the country has zeroed in on seven potential vaccines for the killer COVID-19 pandemic, which has now infected over 8 million people worldwide. Part of the government’s “Operation Warp Speed”, the vaccines are receiving government support as the race to find a vaccine amps up globally. Also read: Coronavirus: Lungs of people who succumb to the virus become unrecognisable According to a report by the New York Times, five companies including Moderna Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc may be few of the companies to receive government approval to come up with a vaccine. The United States wants to focus on locking manufacturing the vaccine as early as it is approved, so that mass immunisations may take place across the country. “Operation Warp Speed” will witness massive trials of the vaccine, with 100,000 to 150,000 volunteers in the pipeline. The goal to put out a vaccine is set at the end of this year. Starting July, pilot testing of the vaccine will begin. China not far behind China is also amping up its pace to come up with a vaccine. Chinese researchers are developing a vaccine for COVID-19 which has exhibited powerful results in monkeys. According to the researchers, the vaccine in question triggered antibodies in the animals, and did not lead to any complications or safety concerns. Human trials for the vaccine have begun on 1,000 participants. The potential vaccine is called BBIBP-CorV and works by activating high-level antibodies that are capable of neutralising the virus, and prevent further infection. Published online in the medical journal Cell, the vaccine candidate was tested on monkeys, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. Also read: Big breakthrough: British scientists find a drug that cuts Covid-19 death rate "These results support the further evaluation of BBIBP-CorV in a clinical trial," researchers mentioned in their study. Developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, in tandem with state-run China National Pharmaceutical Group, BBIBP-CorV is one of the five vaccines being tested on humans in China. Globally, the race to find a vaccine has amped up, as countries are now fearing a surge in reinfection as people start resuming normal life. India, and Brazil continue to induct record cases daily, with the curve not expected to flatten soon.

US narrows down potential coronavirus vaccine candidates to 7

While the world reels from the COVID-19 pandemic, amid increasing fears of a second-wave, the headlines around the world have been tiptoeing around fear and action to contain the crisis.

On the other hand, one country is preaching the message of the perception of normalcy.

While other countries report the surge in cases, death toll, an economic collapse, all laden with the suffering of humanity, China has worked hard to come off as “in control”.

The message of how Beijing had won its battle against this pandemic was rampantly spread across the country.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/all-about-the-optics-chinese-media-goes-full-throttle-to-make-jinping-look-like-a-messiah-306090" hreflang="en">All about the optics: Chinese media goes full-throttle to make Jinping look like a 'messiah'</a>

Now, the virus has resurfaced in China. A fresh outbreak was reported in Beijing with 79 new cases over the last four days, all linked to a local food market. This marks the biggest concentration of infections since February.&nbsp;The city has also reported its highest daily infection count since March.

Xinfadi, a sprawling wholesale food market located in south-western Beijing. The rise in infections is said to be linked to a cluster of cases traced back to this market.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://wionews.com/videos/gravitas-second-wave-of-wuhan-virus-in-china-306134/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

At least 46,000 people are said to have visited the Xinfadi market in recent days. Beijing is testing everybody who came in contact with these people.&nbsp;Beijing is testing everybody who came in contact with these people.

The Global Times, a Chinese government backed publication has carried a story to establish this claim. “The novel coronavirus was detected on a chopping board used by a seller of imported salmon at Xinfadi market”, it said.

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“China imports 80,000 tons of chilled and frozen salmon each year from Chile, Norway, Australia and Canada”, the publication added.

In a nutshell, China is saying that it’s not to be blamed for the contaminated environment of its markets or for the reemergence of the virus.

Meanwhile, global stocks are tanking, investors are becoming anxious. Professionals fear a situation similar to March is replaying in the country.

Even though the virus emerged from a wet market, China has refused to shut those. China and the WHO said the markets were just an affordable source of food.

Additionally, China has been accused of misreporting cases, botching recovery rates, and presenting a rosy picture.&nbsp;

While the world reels from the COVID-19 pandemic, amid increasing fears of a second-wave, the headlines around the world have been tiptoeing around fear and action to contain the crisis.

While the world reels from the COVID-19 pandemic, amid increasing fears of a second-wave, the headlines around the world have been tiptoeing around fear and action to contain the crisis. On the other hand, one country is preaching the message of the perception of normalcy. While other countries report the surge in cases, death toll, an economic collapse, all laden with the suffering of humanity, China has worked hard to come off as “in control”. The message of how Beijing had won its battle against this pandemic was rampantly spread across the country. Also read: All about the optics: Chinese media goes full-throttle to make Jinping look like a 'messiah' Now, the virus has resurfaced in China. A fresh outbreak was reported in Beijing with 79 new cases over the last four days, all linked to a local food market. This marks the biggest concentration of infections since February. The city has also reported its highest daily infection count since March. Xinfadi, a sprawling wholesale food market located in south-western Beijing. The rise in infections is said to be linked to a cluster of cases traced back to this market. At least 46,000 people are said to have visited the Xinfadi market in recent days. Beijing is testing everybody who came in contact with these people. Beijing is testing everybody who came in contact with these people. The Global Times, a Chinese government backed publication has carried a story to establish this claim. “The novel coronavirus was detected on a chopping board used by a seller of imported salmon at Xinfadi market”, it said. Also read: China did a better job at containing COVID-19 than the US, most countries believe “China imports 80,000 tons of chilled and frozen salmon each year from Chile, Norway, Australia and Canada”, the publication added. In a nutshell, China is saying that it’s not to be blamed for the contaminated environment of its markets or for the reemergence of the virus. Meanwhile, global stocks are tanking, investors are becoming anxious. Professionals fear a situation similar to March is replaying in the country. Even though the virus emerged from a wet market, China has refused to shut those. China and the WHO said the markets were just an affordable source of food. Additionally, China has been accused of misreporting cases, botching recovery rates, and presenting a rosy picture.

China braces for second-wave of coronavirus, absolves itself of blame for negligence

A US state will now pay its citizens $1,500 to bring back the workforce.&nbsp;

The state of Idaho is luring citizens back to work, in an additional bid to get people off the federal unemployment benefits.

The Republican led federal government is currently deciding on whether continuing support to millions of Americans, who are now unemployed because of the pandemic-induced shutdowns.

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A $2 trillion coronavirus relief package was passed by US Congress in March, with additional $600 weekly boost to the people. However, these $600 payments will expire in July, as was envisioned. According to CNN, the government is now eyeing relief measures in line with promoting people to get back to work.

Americans are now receiving more money as part of the unemployment benefits than many did when they were unemployed before the coronavirus pandemic. The government fears if the benefits are not withdrawn, the economy will take even longer to recover.

In essence, people who don’t return to work will lose their unemployment benefits, including the $600 boost.

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A new mechanism for eligibility will scrutinise who shall remain on the government boost and who simply won’t receive benefits from it.&nbsp;Keeping in mind the pandemic still hasn’t let up, people who were asked to quarantine will continue to receive the federal benefits.

As part of its reopening measures, Idaho is offering a one-time $1,500 cash payment to people, while $750 to those undertaking part-time jobs.&nbsp;Anybody who lost their jobs after March 1 and resume working between May 1 and July 1 will be eligible to receive the state benefits.

The state had received $1.25 billion from the federal government as coronavirus relief. $100 million from this fund will be used to lure people back to working.&nbsp;Being rolled out on a first-come, first-serve basis, over 70,000 people will be able to avail the benefits of this scheme. The state’s unemployment rate jumped to 11.5 per cent from 2.5 per cent in March.

A US state will now pay its citizens $1,500 to bring back the workforce. The state of Idaho is luring citizens back to work, in an additional bid to get people off the federal unemployment benefits.

A US state will now pay its citizens $1,500 to bring back the workforce. The state of Idaho is luring citizens back to work, in an additional bid to get people off the federal unemployment benefits. The Republican led federal government is currently deciding on whether continuing support to millions of Americans, who are now unemployed because of the pandemic-induced shutdowns. In pics: Top 10 competitive places to work and do business in 2020 A $2 trillion coronavirus relief package was passed by US Congress in March, with additional $600 weekly boost to the people. However, these $600 payments will expire in July, as was envisioned. According to CNN, the government is now eyeing relief measures in line with promoting people to get back to work. Americans are now receiving more money as part of the unemployment benefits than many did when they were unemployed before the coronavirus pandemic. The government fears if the benefits are not withdrawn, the economy will take even longer to recover. In essence, people who don’t return to work will lose their unemployment benefits, including the $600 boost. Also read: Coronavirus cases exceed 8 million worldwide, jump by a million in 1 week A new mechanism for eligibility will scrutinise who shall remain on the government boost and who simply won’t receive benefits from it. Keeping in mind the pandemic still hasn’t let up, people who were asked to quarantine will continue to receive the federal benefits. As part of its reopening measures, Idaho is offering a one-time $1,500 cash payment to people, while $750 to those undertaking part-time jobs. Anybody who lost their jobs after March 1 and resume working between May 1 and July 1 will be eligible to receive the state benefits. The state had received $1.25 billion from the federal government as coronavirus relief. $100 million from this fund will be used to lure people back to working. Being rolled out on a first-come, first-serve basis, over 70,000 people will be able to avail the benefits of this scheme. The state’s unemployment rate jumped to 11.5 per cent from 2.5 per cent in March.

This US state is offering $1,500 to its citizens in a bid to restart the economy

The origins of a new cluster of coronavirus infections in Beijing are not certain, World Health Organization officials said on Monday, describing as a "hypothesis" the claim that it might have been caused by imports or packaging of salmon.

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Several districts of the Chinese capital put up security checkpoints, closed schools and ordered people to be tested for the coronavirus on Monday after an unexpected spike in cases linked to the biggest wholesale food market in Asia.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/scientists-question-whos-study-on-relaxing-social-distancing-norms-306011" hreflang="en">Scientists question WHO's study on relaxing social distancing norms</a>

State-run newspapers reported that the virus was discovered on chopping boards used for imported salmon at Beijing's Xinfadi market amid worries about a second wave of the pandemic in China.

Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's emergencies programme, said in a briefing that he would be "reticent" to say that packaging needs to be tested for the virus as a result of the new infections.

The origins of a new cluster of coronavirus infections in Beijing are not certain, World Health Organization officials said on Monday, describing as a "hypothesis" the claim that it might have been caused by imports or packaging of salmon.

The origins of a new cluster of coronavirus infections in Beijing are not certain, World Health Organization officials said on Monday, describing as a "hypothesis" the claim that it might have been caused by imports or packaging of salmon. Also read: Global coronavirus cases near 7.9 million-mark; Brazil emerging as new COVID-19 epicentre Several districts of the Chinese capital put up security checkpoints, closed schools and ordered people to be tested for the coronavirus on Monday after an unexpected spike in cases linked to the biggest wholesale food market in Asia. Also read: Scientists question WHO's study on relaxing social distancing norms State-run newspapers reported that the virus was discovered on chopping boards used for imported salmon at Beijing's Xinfadi market amid worries about a second wave of the pandemic in China. Mike Ryan, head of the WHO's emergencies programme, said in a briefing that he would be "reticent" to say that packaging needs to be tested for the virus as a result of the new infections.

WHO says 'hypothesis' about cause of China's latest virus outbreak needs further testing

Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday launched an artificial intelligence-based tracking system to enforce social distancing at its offices and warehouses to help reduce any risk of contracting the new coronavirus among its workers.

The unveiling comes as the world's largest online retailer faces intensifying scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and unions over whether it is doing enough to protect staff from the pandemic.

Monitors set up in the company's warehouses will highlight workers keeping a safe distance in green circles, while workers who are closer will be highlighted in red circles, Amazon said.

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The system, called Distance Assistant, uses camera footage in Amazon's buildings to also help identify high-traffic areas.

Amazon, which will open source the technology behind the system, is not the first company to turn to AI to track compliance with social distancing.&nbsp;

Several firms have told Reuters that AI camera-based software will be crucial to staying open, as it will allow them to show not only workers and customers, but also insurers and regulators, that they are monitoring and enforcing safe practices.

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However, privacy activists have raised concerns about increasingly detailed tracking of people and have urged businesses to limit use of AI to the pandemic.&nbsp;

The system is live at a handful of buildings, Amazon said on Tuesday, adding that it planned to deploy hundreds of such units over the next few weeks.

Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday launched an artificial intelligence-based tracking system to enforce social distancing at its offices and warehouses to help reduce any risk of contracting the new coronavirus among its workers.

Amazon.com Inc on Tuesday launched an artificial intelligence-based tracking system to enforce social distancing at its offices and warehouses to help reduce any risk of contracting the new coronavirus among its workers. The unveiling comes as the world's largest online retailer faces intensifying scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers and unions over whether it is doing enough to protect staff from the pandemic. Monitors set up in the company's warehouses will highlight workers keeping a safe distance in green circles, while workers who are closer will be highlighted in red circles, Amazon said. Also read: Big breakthrough: British scientists find a drug that cuts Covid-19 death rate The system, called Distance Assistant, uses camera footage in Amazon's buildings to also help identify high-traffic areas. Amazon, which will open source the technology behind the system, is not the first company to turn to AI to track compliance with social distancing. Several firms have told Reuters that AI camera-based software will be crucial to staying open, as it will allow them to show not only workers and customers, but also insurers and regulators, that they are monitoring and enforcing safe practices. Also read: People aged below 20 almost half less likely to contract COVID-19, new study finds However, privacy activists have raised concerns about increasingly detailed tracking of people and have urged businesses to limit use of AI to the pandemic. The system is live at a handful of buildings, Amazon said on Tuesday, adding that it planned to deploy hundreds of such units over the next few weeks.

Amazon to use AI tech in its warehouses to enforce social distancing

People who contract the killer coronavirus and die witness a lot of heavy organ damage, especially in the lungs.

Researchers today pointed out how the virus makes lungs of people almost unrecognisable.

Professor Mauro Giacca of King’s College London explained how coronavirus actually kills the patients. Earlier research pointed out how people who recover from COVID-19 may suffer lung-related ailments later on in their lives.

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According to Giacca, patients who spent more than a month in the hospital suffered a “complete disruption of the lung architecture”.

This points out to post-recovery issues that scientists are still learning about, with many countries still far from the virus peaks, and fears of another fear causing panic across the world.

<h6><img alt="A doctor shows on screen the scan of the lungs of a patient infected by the COVID-19, at the &quot;middle care&quot; unit for COVID-19 infected patients at the Erasme Hospital in Brussels, on April 30, 2020 during a lockdown in the country to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7dcf4d29-f50b-4037-a243-2054ecd12769" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design-5_7.jpg" /> 
A doctor shows on screen the scan of the lungs of a patient infected by the COVID-19, at the "middle care" unit for COVID-19 infected patients at the Erasme Hospital in Brussels, on April 30, 2020 during a lockdown in the country to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus | AFP</h6>

“Real problems” may linger after beating the virus. The professor studied the autopsies of patients in Italy who died after spending more than 30 days in the hospital.&nbsp;He found that a large amount of the virus continued to exist in lungs as well as fused cells.

“What you find in the lungs of people who have stayed with the disease for more than a month before dying is something completely different from normal pneumonia, influenza or the Sars virus,” he said.

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“You see massive thrombosis. There is a complete disruption of the lung architecture – in some lights you can’t even distinguish that it used to be a lung”, he added.

“There are large numbers of very big fused cells which are virus positive with as many as 10, 15 nuclei,” he said.

“I am convinced this explains the unique pathology of Covid-19. This is not a disease caused by a virus which kills cells, which had profound implications for therapy”, the professor further said.

The Lords committee heard what scientists had to say about COVID-19 and its progression. The UK is currently in the process of reopening and easing restrictions.

People who contract the killer coronavirus and die witness a lot of heavy organ damage, especially in the lungs. Researchers today pointed out how the virus makes lungs of people almost unrecognisable.

People who contract the killer coronavirus and die witness a lot of heavy organ damage, especially in the lungs. Researchers today pointed out how the virus makes lungs of people almost unrecognisable. Professor Mauro Giacca of King’s College London explained how coronavirus actually kills the patients. Earlier research pointed out how people who recover from COVID-19 may suffer lung-related ailments later on in their lives. Also read: Big breakthrough: British scientists find a drug that cuts Covid-19 death rate According to Giacca, patients who spent more than a month in the hospital suffered a “complete disruption of the lung architecture”. This points out to post-recovery issues that scientists are still learning about, with many countries still far from the virus peaks, and fears of another fear causing panic across the world. A doctor shows on screen the scan of the lungs of a patient infected by the COVID-19, at the "middle care" unit for COVID-19 infected patients at the Erasme Hospital in Brussels, on April 30, 2020 during a lockdown in the country to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus | AFP “Real problems” may linger after beating the virus. The professor studied the autopsies of patients in Italy who died after spending more than 30 days in the hospital. He found that a large amount of the virus continued to exist in lungs as well as fused cells. “What you find in the lungs of people who have stayed with the disease for more than a month before dying is something completely different from normal pneumonia, influenza or the Sars virus,” he said. Also read: People aged below 20 almost half less likely to contract COVID-19, new study finds “You see massive thrombosis. There is a complete disruption of the lung architecture – in some lights you can’t even distinguish that it used to be a lung”, he added. “There are large numbers of very big fused cells which are virus positive with as many as 10, 15 nuclei,” he said. “I am convinced this explains the unique pathology of Covid-19. This is not a disease caused by a virus which kills cells, which had profound implications for therapy”, the professor further said. The Lords committee heard what scientists had to say about COVID-19 and its progression. The UK is currently in the process of reopening and easing restrictions.

Coronavirus: Lungs of people who succumb to the virus become unrecognisable

Giving low doses of the generic steroid drug dexamethasone to patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 reduced death rates by around a third among those with the most severe cases of infection, trial data showed on Tuesday.

The results, described as a "major breakthrough" by scientists leading the UK-led clinical trial known as RECOVERY, suggest the drug should immediately become standard care in patients treated in hospital with the pandemic disease, the researchers said.

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"This is a result that shows that if patients who have COVID-19 and are on ventilators or are on oxygen are given dexamethasone, it will save lives, and it will do so at a remarkably low cost," said Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor who is co-leading the trial.

His co-lead investigator, Peter Horby, said dexamethasone - a generic steroid widely used in other diseases to reduce inflammation - is "the only drug that's so far shown to reduce mortality - and it reduces it significantly."

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"It is a major breakthrough," he said.

There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus which has killed more than 431,000 globally.

Giving low doses of the generic steroid drug dexamethasone to patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 reduced death rates by around a third among those with the most severe cases of infection, trial data showed on Tuesday.

Giving low doses of the generic steroid drug dexamethasone to patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 reduced death rates by around a third among those with the most severe cases of infection, trial data showed on Tuesday. The results, described as a "major breakthrough" by scientists leading the UK-led clinical trial known as RECOVERY, suggest the drug should immediately become standard care in patients treated in hospital with the pandemic disease, the researchers said. Also read: People aged below 20 almost half less likely to contract COVID-19, new study finds "This is a result that shows that if patients who have COVID-19 and are on ventilators or are on oxygen are given dexamethasone, it will save lives, and it will do so at a remarkably low cost," said Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor who is co-leading the trial. His co-lead investigator, Peter Horby, said dexamethasone - a generic steroid widely used in other diseases to reduce inflammation - is "the only drug that's so far shown to reduce mortality - and it reduces it significantly." Also read: Initial COVID-19 vaccines may not prevent people from getting coronavirus "It is a major breakthrough," he said. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus which has killed more than 431,000 globally.

Steroid dexamethasone reduces deaths among patients with severe COVID-19 - trial shows

People aged below 20 are less likely to contract coronavirus and developing complications in case they do.&nbsp;A new research published on Tuesday claims that people below 20 are less prone to getting the killer virus.

The study also added that clinical symptoms of the virus show up in only a fifth of the adolescents and children who develop the virus.

Compiling data from 32 countries including Italy, Japan, China, Canada, South Korea, and Singapore revealed how symptoms of the virus appeared in people over the age of 70.

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Owing to this contrast based on age, researchers believe that the global shutdown of schools will not have a major impact on the infection rates given the age of pupils, who are less likely to show symptoms.

The journal Nature Medicine recently published the study. The virus spreads rampantly among kids, and a lot faster than it does in adults, but has lesser impact given the reduced severity. Based on this position, the study compared the transmission of flu vs COVID-19 among school-going children.

"For COVID-19, there was much less of an effect of school closures," Rosalind Eggo, an infectious disease modeller told Reuters at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

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She topped it off with a warning and said these findings not be reworked in the real-world to understand if the results are different.

Based primary on data from six countries mentioned above, the study showed how the severity of the virus was different among different age-groups, and that people below the age of 20 were less likely, almost by 50 per cent.

Additionally, children aged between 10-19, those who contracted the virus, only 21 per cent showed symptoms of the virus.

"Countries with more young people may experience a lower burden of COVID-19”, the co-leader of the study told Reuters.

People aged below 20 are less likely to contract coronavirus and developing complications in case they do. A new research published on Tuesday claims that people below 20 are less prone to getting the killer virus.

People aged below 20 are less likely to contract coronavirus and developing complications in case they do. A new research published on Tuesday claims that people below 20 are less prone to getting the killer virus. The study also added that clinical symptoms of the virus show up in only a fifth of the adolescents and children who develop the virus. Compiling data from 32 countries including Italy, Japan, China, Canada, South Korea, and Singapore revealed how symptoms of the virus appeared in people over the age of 70. Also read: Initial COVID-19 vaccines may not prevent people from getting coronavirus Owing to this contrast based on age, researchers believe that the global shutdown of schools will not have a major impact on the infection rates given the age of pupils, who are less likely to show symptoms. The journal Nature Medicine recently published the study. The virus spreads rampantly among kids, and a lot faster than it does in adults, but has lesser impact given the reduced severity. Based on this position, the study compared the transmission of flu vs COVID-19 among school-going children. "For COVID-19, there was much less of an effect of school closures," Rosalind Eggo, an infectious disease modeller told Reuters at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Also read: Vaccine developed by AstraZeneca most likely to protect for a year: CEO She topped it off with a warning and said these findings not be reworked in the real-world to understand if the results are different. Based primary on data from six countries mentioned above, the study showed how the severity of the virus was different among different age-groups, and that people below the age of 20 were less likely, almost by 50 per cent. Additionally, children aged between 10-19, those who contracted the virus, only 21 per cent showed symptoms of the virus. "Countries with more young people may experience a lower burden of COVID-19”, the co-leader of the study told Reuters.

People aged below 20 almost half less likely to contract COVID-19, new study finds

The United Kingdom lost over 600,000 jobs in the period between March and May this year.

According to official figures, the number of people seeking work-related benefits shot up by 126 per cent, with over 2.8 million people now requesting assistance from the government.

Most major countries around the world shut down borders and enforced a lockdown to counter the spread of COVID-19. The UK had enforced a six-week-long lockdown in the country during the peak to contain the virus from growing.

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However, researchers and economists feel that the full after effects of the lockdown on employment and wages in the country will only be felt after October, when support programmes for people will end.

"The slowdown in the economy is now visibly hitting the labour market, especially in terms of hours worked," Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) told BBC.

The secretary-general of the Trades Union Congress, Frances O’Grady said that the market was on “red alert”, and called for “strong action” to undo the damage to the economy.

Almost over a quarter of the national UK workforce is currently being paid through the government’s furlough support programmes. This ratio accounts for 9.1 million people.

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The official unemployment rate in the country steadily stood at 3.9 per cent in April, taking in into account the three months before it.

Vacancies in terms of job availability also dropped across the country, going to 476,000, down from 342,000 in the previous quarter.

UK’s PM Boris Johnson has called for a phased reopening of the economy, as the risk for a second-wave looms large over the world. He additionally ordered a review of the country’s two-metre distancing rule, easing which would mean more workforce in action.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The United Kingdom lost over 600,000 jobs in the period between March and May this year. According to official figures, the number of people seeking work-related benefits shot up by 126 per cent, with over 2.

The United Kingdom lost over 600,000 jobs in the period between March and May this year. According to official figures, the number of people seeking work-related benefits shot up by 126 per cent, with over 2.8 million people now requesting assistance from the government. Most major countries around the world shut down borders and enforced a lockdown to counter the spread of COVID-19. The UK had enforced a six-week-long lockdown in the country during the peak to contain the virus from growing. Also read: Non essential shops reopen in UK after 3 months However, researchers and economists feel that the full after effects of the lockdown on employment and wages in the country will only be felt after October, when support programmes for people will end. "The slowdown in the economy is now visibly hitting the labour market, especially in terms of hours worked," Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) told BBC. The secretary-general of the Trades Union Congress, Frances O’Grady said that the market was on “red alert”, and called for “strong action” to undo the damage to the economy. Almost over a quarter of the national UK workforce is currently being paid through the government’s furlough support programmes. This ratio accounts for 9.1 million people. Also read: Anti-racism and Black Lives Matter protests intensify in UK The official unemployment rate in the country steadily stood at 3.9 per cent in April, taking in into account the three months before it. Vacancies in terms of job availability also dropped across the country, going to 476,000, down from 342,000 in the previous quarter. UK’s PM Boris Johnson has called for a phased reopening of the economy, as the risk for a second-wave looms large over the world. He additionally ordered a review of the country’s two-metre distancing rule, easing which would mean more workforce in action. (With inputs from Reuters)

UK market loses 600,000 jobs owing to coronavirus-induced slowdown; Worst yet to come

The number of people seeking emergency shelter to escape human trafficking surged in the month following U.S. lockdown orders implemented to slow the spread of coronavirus, a leading anti-trafficking group said on Monday.

The economic and social turmoil of the pandemic created conditions conducive to people falling victim to trafficking, the group, Polaris, said.

The outbreak of COVID-19, starting about mid-March in the United States, forced the closing of businesses across the country and threw millions of people out of work.

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Polaris said the number of cases in which people contacted its emergency hotline seeking shelter nearly doubled to 54 in April from 29 in March.

It cautioned that its findings correlated with the outbreak and did not mean the rise was caused by the pandemic.

"Sex and labor trafficking don't happen in a vacuum but are the end results of a range of other problems - poverty and systemic inequity, to name just a few," said Nancy McGuire Choi, Polaris' interim chief executive.

"The economic upheaval, the fact that people are essentially trapped with their abusers, the desperate straits so many find themselves in, are conditions where trafficking thrives."

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Due to global shutdowns, the world economy is forecast to shrink 3.2% this year, according to a Reuters poll of more than 250 economists.

An estimated 400,000 people are believed trapped in modern slavery in the United States, from sex work to forced labor, according to the Walk Free Foundation, a human rights group.

Globally, the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates 16 million people are caught in forced labor and human trafficking.

The number of people seeking emergency shelter to escape human trafficking surged in the month following U.S. lockdown orders implemented to slow the spread of coronavirus, a leading anti-trafficking group said on Monday.

The number of people seeking emergency shelter to escape human trafficking surged in the month following U.S. lockdown orders implemented to slow the spread of coronavirus, a leading anti-trafficking group said on Monday. The economic and social turmoil of the pandemic created conditions conducive to people falling victim to trafficking, the group, Polaris, said. The outbreak of COVID-19, starting about mid-March in the United States, forced the closing of businesses across the country and threw millions of people out of work. Also read: Trump rejects Tulsa rally coronavirus concerns, saying will triple crowd Polaris said the number of cases in which people contacted its emergency hotline seeking shelter nearly doubled to 54 in April from 29 in March. It cautioned that its findings correlated with the outbreak and did not mean the rise was caused by the pandemic. "Sex and labor trafficking don't happen in a vacuum but are the end results of a range of other problems - poverty and systemic inequity, to name just a few," said Nancy McGuire Choi, Polaris' interim chief executive. "The economic upheaval, the fact that people are essentially trapped with their abusers, the desperate straits so many find themselves in, are conditions where trafficking thrives." Also read: Vaccine developed by AstraZeneca most likely to protect for a year: CEO Due to global shutdowns, the world economy is forecast to shrink 3.2% this year, according to a Reuters poll of more than 250 economists. An estimated 400,000 people are believed trapped in modern slavery in the United States, from sex work to forced labor, according to the Walk Free Foundation, a human rights group. Globally, the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates 16 million people are caught in forced labor and human trafficking.

US emergency trafficking hotline says calls spiked under lockdown

In 1918, a pandemic ravaged the world like wildfire and claimed the lives of over 50 million people around the world. This was called the Spanish Flu.&nbsp;Contemporarily, COVID-19 is spreading at an astonishing speed.

What lessons could we learn from the Flu?

Considered the deadliest pandemic in the history of human civilisation, the Flu infected 500 million people, and lasted for 15 months, stretching upto two years in terms of its effects.

Yet the first wave of the virus didn't appear to be particularly deadly. There were regular symptoms like high fever and malaise. And the mortality rates were similar to seasonal flu.

It was only when a mutated strain of the virus re-emerged, that it made a kill within 24 hours of showing the first signs of infection.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://wionews.com/videos/lessons-from-spanish-flu-to-combat-covid-19-305876/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Lessons to learn

The lessons to prevent the second peak of infections that can be equally catastrophic include abiding by social distancing strictly, while also not throwing unproven drugs at the virus.

The first wave of COVID-19 has already claimed over 400,000 lives.

Most parts of the world haven’t even crossed the first wave’s peak.

So what can you do about the second wave?

Rules such as ensuring precautions and hand-washing, and wearing masks cannot be relaxed.

Staying at one is still one’s best bet to avoid catching the virus.

Recklessness exercised in terms of the restrictions and easing them will intensify chances of a second-wave.

In 1918, a pandemic ravaged the world like wildfire and claimed the lives of over 50 million people around the world. This was called the Spanish Flu. Contemporarily, COVID-19 is spreading at an astonishing speed.

In 1918, a pandemic ravaged the world like wildfire and claimed the lives of over 50 million people around the world. This was called the Spanish Flu. Contemporarily, COVID-19 is spreading at an astonishing speed. What lessons could we learn from the Flu? Considered the deadliest pandemic in the history of human civilisation, the Flu infected 500 million people, and lasted for 15 months, stretching upto two years in terms of its effects. Yet the first wave of the virus didn't appear to be particularly deadly. There were regular symptoms like high fever and malaise. And the mortality rates were similar to seasonal flu. It was only when a mutated strain of the virus re-emerged, that it made a kill within 24 hours of showing the first signs of infection. Lessons to learn The lessons to prevent the second peak of infections that can be equally catastrophic include abiding by social distancing strictly, while also not throwing unproven drugs at the virus. The first wave of COVID-19 has already claimed over 400,000 lives. Most parts of the world haven’t even crossed the first wave’s peak. So what can you do about the second wave? Rules such as ensuring precautions and hand-washing, and wearing masks cannot be relaxed. Staying at one is still one’s best bet to avoid catching the virus. Recklessness exercised in terms of the restrictions and easing them will intensify chances of a second-wave.

Second-wave of Spanish Flu killed more people than the first, here's what we can learn!

A new poll has revealed that most countries believe China did a better job at containing and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic than the United States.

Only three out of the participant 53 countries believed that the US had done a better job than its Chinese counterpart.

The poll was conducted by the German firm Dalia Research and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, which is headed by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. 120,000 people from 53 countries took part in the poll.

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In terms of the satisfaction to COVID-19 response, countries with the highest rating were Greece (89 per cent), Ireland (87 per cent), South Korea, Australia, and Denmarks with 86 per cent each. At the bottom rung in terms of satisfaction were Brazil, France, Italy, the US, and the UK, which are also the hardest-hit countries around the world.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://wionews.com/videos/chinas-sinovac-says-coronavirus-vaccine-has-shown-positive-results-in-trials-306069/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

One-third of the responders claimed that the US response to the virus was satisfactory, while over 60 per cent believed China’s response was adequate.

Only three countries - Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States ranked the US over China in terms of its response.

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is about to hold a major conference pertaining to democracy and its future alongside major Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and former Secretary of State John Kerry. This comes in the backdrop of China’s national security laws in the city of Hong Kong, which is being largely perceived as an attack on democracy in the city.

In another survey, only a third of Europeans believed US President Donald Trump was a positive force for global democracy, while half claimed it had created a negative imprint. This witnessed a decline of four per cent since last year’s survey.

Out of the all 15 European countries part of the survey, Germany put US’ negative score on global democracy at -40 per cent, while others echoed the same sentiment.

(With inputs from Reuters)

A new poll has revealed that most countries believe China did a better job at containing and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic than the United States. Only three out of the participant 53 countries believed that the US had done a better job than its Chinese counterpart.

A new poll has revealed that most countries believe China did a better job at containing and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic than the United States. Only three out of the participant 53 countries believed that the US had done a better job than its Chinese counterpart. The poll was conducted by the German firm Dalia Research and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, which is headed by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. 120,000 people from 53 countries took part in the poll. Also read: Global coronavirus cases near 7.9 million-mark; Brazil emerging as new COVID-19 epicentre In terms of the satisfaction to COVID-19 response, countries with the highest rating were Greece (89 per cent), Ireland (87 per cent), South Korea, Australia, and Denmarks with 86 per cent each. At the bottom rung in terms of satisfaction were Brazil, France, Italy, the US, and the UK, which are also the hardest-hit countries around the world. One-third of the responders claimed that the US response to the virus was satisfactory, while over 60 per cent believed China’s response was adequate. Only three countries - Taiwan, South Korea, and the United States ranked the US over China in terms of its response. Also read: Scientists question WHO's study on relaxing social distancing norms US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is about to hold a major conference pertaining to democracy and its future alongside major Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and former Secretary of State John Kerry. This comes in the backdrop of China’s national security laws in the city of Hong Kong, which is being largely perceived as an attack on democracy in the city. In another survey, only a third of Europeans believed US President Donald Trump was a positive force for global democracy, while half claimed it had created a negative imprint. This witnessed a decline of four per cent since last year’s survey. Out of the all 15 European countries part of the survey, Germany put US’ negative score on global democracy at -40 per cent, while others echoed the same sentiment. (With inputs from Reuters)

China did a better job at containing COVID-19 than the US, most countries believe

A watchdog has hailed the White House press corps as "information heroes" alongside 30 journalists, whistleblowers and media outlets struggling against the odds to get the truth out about the coronavirus pandemic. 
 
Reporters Without Frontiers praised the correspondents for their persistence in grilling US President Donald Trump in a roll of honour that included Li Wenliang, the 34-year-old doctor from Wuhan Central Hospital who was questioned by police for&nbsp;"spreading false rumours" when he raised the alarm about the virus, and who later died from it. 
 
The Paris-based organisation, known by its French initials RSF, picked out Weijia Jiang and Paula Reid of CBS, Peter Alexander of NBC and Kristin Fisher of Fox News for particular praise for their "integrity and competence" faced with sarcasm, scorn and insults from Trump and his aides.

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It said they "have continued week after week to question the way the president and his administration are handling the pandemic". 
 
The Wuhan blogger Fang Fang, who chronicled the lockdown there in her "Dispatches from a Quarantined City", was also lauded as were several journalists across the world who have been jailed, arrested, beaten, harassed and prosecuted for their revelations. 
 
Bangladeshi cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore is facing a life sentence under what the RSF called the country's "Kafkaesque Digital Security Act" for &nbsp;"spreading rumours and misinformation about the coronavirus situation" in the country.

'High treason' 
His fellow countryman Salim Akash was locked up in Jordan for trying to report on the fate of Bangladeshi migrant workers there during the epidemic.&nbsp; 
 
The watchdog also picked out the cases of New York Times reporter Chris Buckley who was forced to leave China last month for incurring the wrath of the authorities after spending 76 days in Wuhan at the height of the outbreak. 
 
The Beijing-based outlet Caixin was also praised for "defying harassment and censorship by the authorities in order to publish reports questioning their handling of the coronavirus crisis". 
 
One of Equatorial Guinea's most popular television programmes, "Buenos dias Guinea", was suspended last month after criticising soldiers beating people in the street to enforce the lockdown. 
 
Reporter Eugene Dube was forced to flee to neighbouring South Africa when he was roughed up by police in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) for his reporting and warned he would be tried for "high treason" against King Mswati. 
 
"Some people have taken such big risks to report the reality of the pandemic that they have died as a result, while others have disappeared or have been jailed," said RSF director Christophe Deloire.

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Thirteen journalists have died from the virus in the Ecuadorean economic capital Guayaquil alone, he said. 
 
"Prosecuted, attacked, insulted -- many have paid a high price for defending the right to information and for combatting the rumours and disinformation that aggravate the consequences of this public health crisis," Deloire added.

A watchdog has hailed the White House press corps as "information heroes" alongside 30 journalists, whistleblowers and media outlets struggling against the odds to get the truth out about the coronavirus pandemic.

A watchdog has hailed the White House press corps as "information heroes" alongside 30 journalists, whistleblowers and media outlets struggling against the odds to get the truth out about the coronavirus pandemic. Reporters Without Frontiers praised the correspondents for their persistence in grilling US President Donald Trump in a roll of honour that included Li Wenliang, the 34-year-old doctor from Wuhan Central Hospital who was questioned by police for "spreading false rumours" when he raised the alarm about the virus, and who later died from it. The Paris-based organisation, known by its French initials RSF, picked out Weijia Jiang and Paula Reid of CBS, Peter Alexander of NBC and Kristin Fisher of Fox News for particular praise for their "integrity and competence" faced with sarcasm, scorn and insults from Trump and his aides. Also read: US Democratic Party irked by council's 'insurgent' climate plan It said they "have continued week after week to question the way the president and his administration are handling the pandemic". The Wuhan blogger Fang Fang, who chronicled the lockdown there in her "Dispatches from a Quarantined City", was also lauded as were several journalists across the world who have been jailed, arrested, beaten, harassed and prosecuted for their revelations. Bangladeshi cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore is facing a life sentence under what the RSF called the country's "Kafkaesque Digital Security Act" for "spreading rumours and misinformation about the coronavirus situation" in the country. 'High treason' His fellow countryman Salim Akash was locked up in Jordan for trying to report on the fate of Bangladeshi migrant workers there during the epidemic. The watchdog also picked out the cases of New York Times reporter Chris Buckley who was forced to leave China last month for incurring the wrath of the authorities after spending 76 days in Wuhan at the height of the outbreak. The Beijing-based outlet Caixin was also praised for "defying harassment and censorship by the authorities in order to publish reports questioning their handling of the coronavirus crisis". One of Equatorial Guinea's most popular television programmes, "Buenos dias Guinea", was suspended last month after criticising soldiers beating people in the street to enforce the lockdown. Reporter Eugene Dube was forced to flee to neighbouring South Africa when he was roughed up by police in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) for his reporting and warned he would be tried for "high treason" against King Mswati. "Some people have taken such big risks to report the reality of the pandemic that they have died as a result, while others have disappeared or have been jailed," said RSF director Christophe Deloire. Also read: UN's human rights body to examine racism and police brutality in the United States Thirteen journalists have died from the virus in the Ecuadorean economic capital Guayaquil alone, he said. "Prosecuted, attacked, insulted -- many have paid a high price for defending the right to information and for combatting the rumours and disinformation that aggravate the consequences of this public health crisis," Deloire added.

White House reporters hailed as 'information heroes'

Argentina&nbsp;confirmed more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday as the rate of new infections continued to rise just days after it extended lockdown measures in the capital Buenos Aires, the country's largest city and epicenter for the virus.

Argentina's Health Ministry logged 1,141 new cases in the past 24 hours, as well 24 deaths, pushing its totals to 24,761 cases and 717 deaths since the outbreak began in early March.

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Latin America has become the new front in the global coronavirus outbreak.&nbsp;Argentina's rising rate of infections, though, still remains markedly lower than neighbors Chile, which reported 3,913 cases on Tuesday, and Brazil, with 32,091 new cases.

Argentina&nbsp;last week extended a mandatory lockdown in Buenos Aires, which accounts for the country's highest concentration of confirmed infections. Other areas have moved to "mandatory and preventive social distancing."&nbsp;

Much of the nation had been under a shelter-in-place order since March 20. The country has a commercial flight ban until Sept. 1, one of the world's strictest travel measures during the pandemic.

Argentina confirmed more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday as the rate of new infections continued to rise just days after it extended lockdown measures in the capital Buenos Aires, the country's largest city and epicenter for the virus.

Argentina confirmed more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday as the rate of new infections continued to rise just days after it extended lockdown measures in the capital Buenos Aires, the country's largest city and epicenter for the virus. Argentina's Health Ministry logged 1,141 new cases in the past 24 hours, as well 24 deaths, pushing its totals to 24,761 cases and 717 deaths since the outbreak began in early March. Also read: Argentina debt deal in sight as serial defaulter looks to avoid 'zombie land' Latin America has become the new front in the global coronavirus outbreak. Argentina's rising rate of infections, though, still remains markedly lower than neighbors Chile, which reported 3,913 cases on Tuesday, and Brazil, with 32,091 new cases. Argentina last week extended a mandatory lockdown in Buenos Aires, which accounts for the country's highest concentration of confirmed infections. Other areas have moved to "mandatory and preventive social distancing." Much of the nation had been under a shelter-in-place order since March 20. The country has a commercial flight ban until Sept. 1, one of the world's strictest travel measures during the pandemic.

Argentina's new daily coronavirus cases top 1,000 for first time

Australia is on course to have largely eradicated the coronavirus by July, a public health official said on Wednesday, as the country's most populous state announced the removal of restrictions on community sports.

"Our view has been that we had hoped that by June/July that we would see coronavirus largely disappearing from the country, so this is pretty much on track," said Bill Rawlinson, a senior medical virologist with New South Wales Health.

New South Wales said it would resume community sports like netball and cricket from July 1, after the state went for two weeks without any cases of community transmission.&nbsp;

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Australia logged an increase of seven cases overnight in the eastern states, three in NSW and four in Victoria, bringing total nationwide cases to 7,274. Three of the most recent cases were from unknown sources, after the country recorded no cases acquired from an unknown source overnight to Tuesday.&nbsp;

Despite the low numbers, some Australian states including Queensland and Western Australia have kept their borders shut, resisting calls to reopen them by their hard-hit tourism industries.&nbsp;

The state border closures have also slowed progress towards opening a travel bubble between Australia and neighbouring New Zealand, New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said.

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New Zealand lifted all restrictions except international border controls after declaring on Monday it was free of the coronavirus.

"Before we went to lockdown, we were talking about getting out of it and having a bubble of success between both countries," Peters told Channel Nine, discussing the prospect of opening travel between New Zealand and some Australian states first.&nbsp;

"Let's not restrain the movement between our two countries based on the slowest state in Australia."

Australia is on course to have largely eradicated the coronavirus by July, a public health official said on Wednesday, as the country's most populous state announced the removal of restrictions on community sports.

Australia is on course to have largely eradicated the coronavirus by July, a public health official said on Wednesday, as the country's most populous state announced the removal of restrictions on community sports. "Our view has been that we had hoped that by June/July that we would see coronavirus largely disappearing from the country, so this is pretty much on track," said Bill Rawlinson, a senior medical virologist with New South Wales Health. New South Wales said it would resume community sports like netball and cricket from July 1, after the state went for two weeks without any cases of community transmission. Also read: China warns citizens against studying in 'racist' Australia Australia logged an increase of seven cases overnight in the eastern states, three in NSW and four in Victoria, bringing total nationwide cases to 7,274. Three of the most recent cases were from unknown sources, after the country recorded no cases acquired from an unknown source overnight to Tuesday. Despite the low numbers, some Australian states including Queensland and Western Australia have kept their borders shut, resisting calls to reopen them by their hard-hit tourism industries. The state border closures have also slowed progress towards opening a travel bubble between Australia and neighbouring New Zealand, New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said. Also read: Australia says China unresponsive to its pleas to ease tensions New Zealand lifted all restrictions except international border controls after declaring on Monday it was free of the coronavirus. "Before we went to lockdown, we were talking about getting out of it and having a bubble of success between both countries," Peters told Channel Nine, discussing the prospect of opening travel between New Zealand and some Australian states first. "Let's not restrain the movement between our two countries based on the slowest state in Australia."

Australia on track to see coronavirus largely gone by July, sport resumes

Canada and the United States are set to extend a ban on non-essential travel to late July as both countries seek to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Washington and Ottawa introduced month-long restrictions in March and renewed them in April and May. The ban, currently due to expire on June 21, does not affect trade.

Canadian and U.S. sources said although the governments had not yet taken a final decision, a further extension was highly likely.

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"It's going to be a clean rollover" on June 21, said a U.S. source who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. "We will want to look at it again in July."

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was not immediately available for comment.

Data show that while the outbreak is slowing across the 10 Canadian provinces, new cases show little sign of abating in Toronto and Montreal, the country's two largest cities.

A majority of provinces have privately told Ottawa they are reluctant to resume non-essential travel, said a second source.&nbsp;

Several provinces have clamped down on travel within Canada, and a third Canadian source said these inter-provincial restrictions would make it hard to lift the ban on non-essential travel with the United States.

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More than 110,000 people have died of the coronavirus in the United States, one of the world's worst-hit nations. Canada reported 7,835 deaths, and 96,244 coronavirus cases on June 9.

A spokeswoman for Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who has overall responsibility for ties with the United States, said both sides agreed the ban had worked well.

Extending the measures would hurt Canadian airlines and the tourism industry.&nbsp;

Carriers, including Air Canada, have been among the worst hit as travel bans resulted in thousands of flight cancellations, forcing carriers to cut jobs and costs.

"There is a push from some sectors for reopening (the border), like Air Canada," a Canadian government source said.

Asked about reopening the border, Air Canada said in a statement that governments around the world are relaxing restrictions and said it was working with tourism and industry groups to "streamline and clarify rules around travel".

Canada and the United States are set to extend a ban on non-essential travel to late July as both countries seek to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Canada and the United States are set to extend a ban on non-essential travel to late July as both countries seek to control the spread of the coronavirus, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Washington and Ottawa introduced month-long restrictions in March and renewed them in April and May. The ban, currently due to expire on June 21, does not affect trade. Canadian and U.S. sources said although the governments had not yet taken a final decision, a further extension was highly likely. Also read: Retracted COVID-19 studies expose holes in vetting of data firms "It's going to be a clean rollover" on June 21, said a U.S. source who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. "We will want to look at it again in July." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was not immediately available for comment. Data show that while the outbreak is slowing across the 10 Canadian provinces, new cases show little sign of abating in Toronto and Montreal, the country's two largest cities. A majority of provinces have privately told Ottawa they are reluctant to resume non-essential travel, said a second source. Several provinces have clamped down on travel within Canada, and a third Canadian source said these inter-provincial restrictions would make it hard to lift the ban on non-essential travel with the United States. Also read: Wearing masks on large-scale can prevent COVID-19 second waves: Study More than 110,000 people have died of the coronavirus in the United States, one of the world's worst-hit nations. Canada reported 7,835 deaths, and 96,244 coronavirus cases on June 9. A spokeswoman for Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who has overall responsibility for ties with the United States, said both sides agreed the ban had worked well. Extending the measures would hurt Canadian airlines and the tourism industry. Carriers, including Air Canada, have been among the worst hit as travel bans resulted in thousands of flight cancellations, forcing carriers to cut jobs and costs. "There is a push from some sectors for reopening (the border), like Air Canada," a Canadian government source said. Asked about reopening the border, Air Canada said in a statement that governments around the world are relaxing restrictions and said it was working with tourism and industry groups to "streamline and clarify rules around travel".

Canada, US set to extend border closure to end-July

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out details on Wednesday of which sectors of the economy will be allowed to resume on June 15, including the reopening of zoos and drive-in cinemas in England.

Britain has already begun slowly opening for business after shuttering large swathes of the economy and ordering citizens to stay at home on March 23 to limit the spread of COVID-19 as the disease threatened to overwhelm the health system.

June 15 has already been flagged as the next stage of that process, and is when non-essential retailers and secondary schools will be allowed to open again, albeit with strict rules about the need for social distancing.

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On Wednesday, Johnson will add zoos, safari parks and drive-in cinemas to the list.

"This is by necessity a careful process, but we hope the reopening of safari parks and zoos will help provide families with more options to spend time outdoors, while supporting the industry caring for these incredible animals," a spokeswoman from Johnson's office said.

The changes will be announced during the government's daily news conference, which normally takes place at 1600 GMT.

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Ministers have taken radical steps to prop up the economy during the national lockdown, including an unprecedented scheme to pay workers' wages to limit job losses, and the opening of loan schemes and credit lines for businesses of all sizes.

That support has come at a high cost to the public purse, with borrowing set to reach levels not seen since World War Two.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out details on Wednesday of which sectors of the economy will be allowed to resume on June 15, including the reopening of zoos and drive-in cinemas in England.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out details on Wednesday of which sectors of the economy will be allowed to resume on June 15, including the reopening of zoos and drive-in cinemas in England. Britain has already begun slowly opening for business after shuttering large swathes of the economy and ordering citizens to stay at home on March 23 to limit the spread of COVID-19 as the disease threatened to overwhelm the health system. June 15 has already been flagged as the next stage of that process, and is when non-essential retailers and secondary schools will be allowed to open again, albeit with strict rules about the need for social distancing. Also read: Now, WHO says COVID-19 spread by asymptomatic carriers 'major unknown' On Wednesday, Johnson will add zoos, safari parks and drive-in cinemas to the list. "This is by necessity a careful process, but we hope the reopening of safari parks and zoos will help provide families with more options to spend time outdoors, while supporting the industry caring for these incredible animals," a spokeswoman from Johnson's office said. The changes will be announced during the government's daily news conference, which normally takes place at 1600 GMT. Also read: Gilead's remdesivir prevents lung damage in COVID-19 study on monkeys Ministers have taken radical steps to prop up the economy during the national lockdown, including an unprecedented scheme to pay workers' wages to limit job losses, and the opening of loan schemes and credit lines for businesses of all sizes. That support has come at a high cost to the public purse, with borrowing set to reach levels not seen since World War Two.

Zoos and drive-in cinemas will be among English businesses reopening next Monday

The scramble to research the novel coronavirus has exposed weaknesses in the vetting of healthcare data being supplied by a growing number of U.S. firms, a flaw that forced two of the most respected medical journals to pull studies last week.

The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) retracted COVID-19 studies over questionable patient health data supplied by a small company called Surgisphere.&nbsp;

U.S. researchers say they are routinely peppered with pitches from similar firms, with no widespread standard of how to verify their datasets.

“Whenever you don't know where data comes from, and precisely how it was managed, then the number of incorrect conclusions you can draw is large,” said Kenneth Mandl, director of the Computational Health Informatics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. “The field is young enough that those best practices may not be well established across the scientific community.”

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The Lancet study, which concluded treating COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine increased the risk of death, drew scrutiny from scientists worldwide. They suggested that patient outcomes data from several countries did not add up.&nbsp;

Mandeep Mehra, a Harvard Medical School professor and researcher with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and his co-authors retracted the Lancet study and a second study in NEJM, saying they could not vouch for the veracity of the data and that Surgisphere would not provide its underlying data to independent auditors.

The retractions “are great examples of why science needs more of a ‘In God We Trust, everyone else needs to show their data’ approach,” said Ivan Oransky, vice president of editorial at Medscape and co-founder of the Retraction Watch blog.

Over the years, more than 1,500 studies have made it into Retraction Watch’s database because of data concerns such as data falsification by the authors, Oransky said. There have been about 15 medical paper retractions related to COVID-19, according to the website.&nbsp;

For years, U.S. healthcare data was concentrated in medical claims compiled by large insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc &lt;UNH.N&gt; and the government. As hospitals have moved to electronic health records, independent analytics firms are buying hospital data sold without patient names.&nbsp;

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now allows data gathered outside of clinical trials to be considered in its reviews of new drugs, providing another boost to the healthcare analytics industry.

'REVIEWING OUR PROCEDURES'

It is not clear how Surgisphere accessed the data used in the two studies. Surgisphere did not return requests for comment.

At a time when researchers are scrambling to find a cure for COVID-19, data sets like those used in the now retracted studies can appear to be a “goldmine,” Mandl said.

A spokesman for Lancet publisher Elsevier said it will re-assess about 20 additional published articles that contain Surgisphere data.

A spokesman for Brigham and Women's Hospital said its data oversight mechanisms “were not applicable” to the Lancet and NEJM studies, adding it only provides “support, guidance and oversight on all agreements that involve the use of our institutional resources, including our patient data.”

Harvard Medical School would not comment on its role in vetting the data. Harvard and the Brigham declined to say whether further steps would be taken regarding the researchers’ handling of the matter.

While the NEJM and Lancet articles had external peer review, they relied on the authors to vouch for the data.

“We are reviewing our procedures, including how we assess research analyzing large datasets based on electronic medical record data,” said NEJM spokeswoman Jennifer Zeis.

After the retraction, the Lancet said it was conducting a review, and that serious scientific questions had been raised.

Dr. Deneen Vojta, executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare’s global research and development division, said it is important to ask questions about how a group obtained their data, and that it must be made available for scrutiny.

Dr. Peter Bach, from Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, said his research team regularly assesses data offered by these new firms to make sure it jibes with its own knowledge, such as ages of people having a certain surgery or the number of prescriptions the firm says were dispensed.

"We do lots of tire kicking,” Bach said.

The scramble to research the novel coronavirus has exposed weaknesses in the vetting of healthcare data being supplied by a growing number of U.S. firms, a flaw that forced two of the most respected medical journals to pull studies last week.

The scramble to research the novel coronavirus has exposed weaknesses in the vetting of healthcare data being supplied by a growing number of U.S. firms, a flaw that forced two of the most respected medical journals to pull studies last week. The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) retracted COVID-19 studies over questionable patient health data supplied by a small company called Surgisphere. U.S. researchers say they are routinely peppered with pitches from similar firms, with no widespread standard of how to verify their datasets. “Whenever you don't know where data comes from, and precisely how it was managed, then the number of incorrect conclusions you can draw is large,” said Kenneth Mandl, director of the Computational Health Informatics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. “The field is young enough that those best practices may not be well established across the scientific community.” Also read: Now, WHO says COVID-19 spread by asymptomatic carriers 'major unknown' The Lancet study, which concluded treating COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine increased the risk of death, drew scrutiny from scientists worldwide. They suggested that patient outcomes data from several countries did not add up. Mandeep Mehra, a Harvard Medical School professor and researcher with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and his co-authors retracted the Lancet study and a second study in NEJM, saying they could not vouch for the veracity of the data and that Surgisphere would not provide its underlying data to independent auditors. The retractions “are great examples of why science needs more of a ‘In God We Trust, everyone else needs to show their data’ approach,” said Ivan Oransky, vice president of editorial at Medscape and co-founder of the Retraction Watch blog. Over the years, more than 1,500 studies have made it into Retraction Watch’s database because of data concerns such as data falsification by the authors, Oransky said. There have been about 15 medical paper retractions related to COVID-19, according to the website. For years, U.S. healthcare data was concentrated in medical claims compiled by large insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc <UNH.N> and the government. As hospitals have moved to electronic health records, independent analytics firms are buying hospital data sold without patient names. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now allows data gathered outside of clinical trials to be considered in its reviews of new drugs, providing another boost to the healthcare analytics industry. 'REVIEWING OUR PROCEDURES' It is not clear how Surgisphere accessed the data used in the two studies. Surgisphere did not return requests for comment. At a time when researchers are scrambling to find a cure for COVID-19, data sets like those used in the now retracted studies can appear to be a “goldmine,” Mandl said. A spokesman for Lancet publisher Elsevier said it will re-assess about 20 additional published articles that contain Surgisphere data. A spokesman for Brigham and Women's Hospital said its data oversight mechanisms “were not applicable” to the Lancet and NEJM studies, adding it only provides “support, guidance and oversight on all agreements that involve the use of our institutional resources, including our patient data.” Harvard Medical School would not comment on its role in vetting the data. Harvard and the Brigham declined to say whether further steps would be taken regarding the researchers’ handling of the matter. While the NEJM and Lancet articles had external peer review, they relied on the authors to vouch for the data. “We are reviewing our procedures, including how we assess research analyzing large datasets based on electronic medical record data,” said NEJM spokeswoman Jennifer Zeis. After the retraction, the Lancet said it was conducting a review, and that serious scientific questions had been raised. Dr. Deneen Vojta, executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare’s global research and development division, said it is important to ask questions about how a group obtained their data, and that it must be made available for scrutiny. Dr. Peter Bach, from Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, said his research team regularly assesses data offered by these new firms to make sure it jibes with its own knowledge, such as ages of people having a certain surgery or the number of prescriptions the firm says were dispensed. "We do lots of tire kicking,” Bach said.

Retracted COVID-19 studies expose holes in vetting of data firms

Chinese researchers are developing a vaccine for COVID-19 which has exhibited powerful results in monkeys.&nbsp;According to the researchers, the vaccine in question triggered antibodies in the animals, and did not lead to any complications or safety concerns.

Human trials for the vaccine have begun on 1,000 participants.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-72-million-infections-worldwide-countries-fear-second-wave-as-cases-rise-304751" hreflang="en">Coronavirus: 7.2 million infections worldwide, countries fear second wave</a>

The potential vaccine is called BBIBP-CorV and works by activating high-level antibodies that are capable of neutralising the virus, and prevent further infection. Published online in the medical journal Cell, the vaccine candidate was tested on monkeys, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits.

"These results support the further evaluation of BBIBP-CorV in a clinical trial," researchers mentioned in their study.

<h6><img alt="A worker is seen inside the Beijing Applied Biological Technologies (XABT) research and development laboratory in Beijing on May 14, 2020. XABT is a Chinese company specializing in developing pathogens diagnostics, among them reagent kits for the COVID-19 coronavirus." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f0655e52-4381-413b-9a1c-fa128da66a4f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design-2_29.jpg" /> 
A worker is seen inside the Beijing Applied Biological Technologies (XABT) research and development laboratory in Beijing on May 14, 2020. XABT is a Chinese company specializing in developing pathogens diagnostics, among them reagent kits for the COVID-19 coronavirus. | AFP</h6>

Developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, in tandem with state-run China National Pharmaceutical Group, BBIBP-CorV is one of the five vaccines being tested on humans in China.

Globally, the race to find a vaccine has amped up, as countries are now fearing a surge in reinfection as people start resuming normal life. The United States is already witnessing a spike in cases due to the ongoing protests, with 21 states reporting a surge in cases. India, and Brazil continue to induct record cases daily, with the curve not expected to flatten soon.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-raises-protection-for-pangolins-by-removing-scales-from-medicine-list-304787">China raises protection for pangolins by removing scales from medicine list</a>

Around 100 vaccines are being developed across the world. Companies at the forefront in decrypting the virus include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, BioNtech, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Sanofi and China's CanSino Biologics.

BBIBP-CorV appeared safe in animals and was able to trigger an immune response. Fears of boosting the infection were averted. This phenomenon - Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) was not visible in animals, but the results may vary in humans, due to the difference in physiology.

Sinopharm, another Chinese conglomerate is testing a potential vaccine on humans, currently being developed by its unit in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. The company has invested $141 million into vaccination development.

Coronavirus has infected over 7.2&nbsp; million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,240,085 people have been infected with the virus, while 411,279 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago, after wreaking havoc in China.

The five worst affected countries according to JHU tracker are: US (1,979,850), Brazil (739,503), Russia (484,630), United Kingdom (290,581), followed by India (276,146).

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Chinese researchers are developing a vaccine for COVID-19 which has exhibited powerful results in monkeys. According to the researchers, the vaccine in question triggered antibodies in the animals, and did not lead to any complications or safety concerns.

Chinese researchers are developing a vaccine for COVID-19 which has exhibited powerful results in monkeys. According to the researchers, the vaccine in question triggered antibodies in the animals, and did not lead to any complications or safety concerns. Human trials for the vaccine have begun on 1,000 participants. Also read: Coronavirus: 7.2 million infections worldwide, countries fear second wave The potential vaccine is called BBIBP-CorV and works by activating high-level antibodies that are capable of neutralising the virus, and prevent further infection. Published online in the medical journal Cell, the vaccine candidate was tested on monkeys, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. "These results support the further evaluation of BBIBP-CorV in a clinical trial," researchers mentioned in their study. A worker is seen inside the Beijing Applied Biological Technologies (XABT) research and development laboratory in Beijing on May 14, 2020. XABT is a Chinese company specializing in developing pathogens diagnostics, among them reagent kits for the COVID-19 coronavirus. | AFP Developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products, in tandem with state-run China National Pharmaceutical Group, BBIBP-CorV is one of the five vaccines being tested on humans in China. Globally, the race to find a vaccine has amped up, as countries are now fearing a surge in reinfection as people start resuming normal life. The United States is already witnessing a spike in cases due to the ongoing protests, with 21 states reporting a surge in cases. India, and Brazil continue to induct record cases daily, with the curve not expected to flatten soon. Also read: China raises protection for pangolins by removing scales from medicine list Around 100 vaccines are being developed across the world. Companies at the forefront in decrypting the virus include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, BioNtech, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna, Sanofi and China's CanSino Biologics. BBIBP-CorV appeared safe in animals and was able to trigger an immune response. Fears of boosting the infection were averted. This phenomenon - Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) was not visible in animals, but the results may vary in humans, due to the difference in physiology. Sinopharm, another Chinese conglomerate is testing a potential vaccine on humans, currently being developed by its unit in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. The company has invested $141 million into vaccination development. Coronavirus has infected over 7.2 million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,240,085 people have been infected with the virus, while 411,279 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago, after wreaking havoc in China. The five worst affected countries according to JHU tracker are: US (1,979,850), Brazil (739,503), Russia (484,630), United Kingdom (290,581), followed by India (276,146). (With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

China's candidate coronavirus vaccine 'BBIBP-CorV' displays promising results in animals, human trials underway

Singapore has approved the use of the anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat seriously ill coronavirus patients, authorities said Wednesday, becoming the latest country to do so. 
 
The US authorised the emergency use of remdesivir in hospitals at the start of May, followed by Japan and South Korea, while Europe has been considering following suit.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-72-million-infections-worldwide-countries-fear-second-wave-as-cases-rise-304751" hreflang="en">Coronavirus: 7.2 million infections worldwide, countries fear second wave as cases rise</a> 
 
It has been granted conditional approval in Singapore for treatment of some adult virus patients, such as those who require intensive breathing support, the country's health products regulator said. 
 
The regulator, the Health Sciences Authority, said it had "expedited the review of remdesivir given the urgent public health need during the COVID-19 pandemic".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/argentinas-new-daily-coronavirus-cases-top-1000-for-first-time-304734" hreflang="en">Argentina's new daily coronavirus cases top 1,000 for first time</a> 
 
As a condition for the approval, the authority requires US-based Gilead Sciences, which developed the drug, to collect safety data and monitor its use. 
 
Singapore initially kept the virus in check with a strict regime of testing and contact tracing, only for serious outbreaks to emerge later in dormitories housing low-paid foreign workers. 
 
The city-state now has the highest recorded number of infections in Southeast Asia with nearly 39,000 cases,&nbsp;mostly among foreign workers. The death toll stands at 25.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Singapore has approved the use of the anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat seriously ill coronavirus patients, authorities said Wednesday, becoming the latest country to do so.

Singapore has approved the use of the anti-viral drug remdesivir to treat seriously ill coronavirus patients, authorities said Wednesday, becoming the latest country to do so. The US authorised the emergency use of remdesivir in hospitals at the start of May, followed by Japan and South Korea, while Europe has been considering following suit. Also read: Coronavirus: 7.2 million infections worldwide, countries fear second wave as cases rise It has been granted conditional approval in Singapore for treatment of some adult virus patients, such as those who require intensive breathing support, the country's health products regulator said. The regulator, the Health Sciences Authority, said it had "expedited the review of remdesivir given the urgent public health need during the COVID-19 pandemic". Also read: Argentina's new daily coronavirus cases top 1,000 for first time As a condition for the approval, the authority requires US-based Gilead Sciences, which developed the drug, to collect safety data and monitor its use. Singapore initially kept the virus in check with a strict regime of testing and contact tracing, only for serious outbreaks to emerge later in dormitories housing low-paid foreign workers. The city-state now has the highest recorded number of infections in Southeast Asia with nearly 39,000 cases, mostly among foreign workers. The death toll stands at 25.

Singapore approves anti-viral drug for COVID-19 patients

Coronavirus has infected over 7.2&nbsp; million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,240,085 people have been infected with the virus, while 411,279 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago, after wreaking havoc in China.

The five worst affected countries according to JHU tracker are: US (1,979,850), Brazil (739,503), Russia (484,630), United Kingdom (290,581), followed by India (276,146).

In the US alone, 112,006 deaths have been recorded.

Recently,&nbsp; researchers at the University of Washington have estimated that 145,728 people could die due to coronavirus in the United States by August.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/argentinas-new-daily-coronavirus-cases-top-1000-for-first-time-304734" hreflang="en">Argentina's new daily coronavirus cases top 1,000 for first time</a>

The World Health Organization warned against coronavirus worsening. “Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” it said, while adding that “asymptomatic patients” may not be a real cause of concern, then later backtracking on it.

Spain and Italy, the former hotspots of the virus are witnessing a dip in the infections, and were overtaken by India on Sunday. Other countries with over 100,000 cases include Peru, France, Germany, Iran, Turkey, Chile, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canada-us-set-to-extend-border-closure-to-end-july-304681" hreflang="en">Canada, US set to extend border closure to end-July</a>

New Zealand became one of the few countries to be “corona-free” on Monday, as the country’s last patient recovered from the virus, and no new infections reported in the last 18 days. Owing to this, the country has fully restored services like public transport, with all social distancing norms effectively lifted.

India and Brazil have been witnessing a daily surge in the number of reported cases, with India’s health body recently warning that the country is far from its peak.

The US has the highest toll in the world, but on a per capita basis, European countries have a much higher death toll.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-279-deaths-in-india-in-last-24-hours-infection-cases-surge-to-over-276-lakh-304726" hreflang="en">COVID-19: 279 deaths in India in last 24 hours; infection cases surge to over 2.76 lakh</a>

In mid-April, the US alone was witnessing 3,000 deaths everyday during its peak. Right now, the country records 1,000 deaths daily, with an estimated 20,000 new cases everyday

However, owing to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests against the murder of George Floyd, experts in the US believe a surge in the cases is coming, with copycat protests around the world triggering same fears. Florida already witnessed a jump in cases by over 40 per cent, with cases spiking in over 21 states over the last three days.

In Argentina, over 1,000 cases of new coronavirus have been reported in the last 24 hours, for the first time ever.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Coronavirus has infected over 7.2 million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,240,085 people have been infected with the virus, while 411,279 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago, after wreaking havoc in China.

Coronavirus has infected over 7.2 million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,240,085 people have been infected with the virus, while 411,279 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago, after wreaking havoc in China. The five worst affected countries according to JHU tracker are: US (1,979,850), Brazil (739,503), Russia (484,630), United Kingdom (290,581), followed by India (276,146). In the US alone, 112,006 deaths have been recorded. Recently, researchers at the University of Washington have estimated that 145,728 people could die due to coronavirus in the United States by August. Also read: Argentina's new daily coronavirus cases top 1,000 for first time The World Health Organization warned against coronavirus worsening. “Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” it said, while adding that “asymptomatic patients” may not be a real cause of concern, then later backtracking on it. Spain and Italy, the former hotspots of the virus are witnessing a dip in the infections, and were overtaken by India on Sunday. Other countries with over 100,000 cases include Peru, France, Germany, Iran, Turkey, Chile, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Also read: Canada, US set to extend border closure to end-July New Zealand became one of the few countries to be “corona-free” on Monday, as the country’s last patient recovered from the virus, and no new infections reported in the last 18 days. Owing to this, the country has fully restored services like public transport, with all social distancing norms effectively lifted. India and Brazil have been witnessing a daily surge in the number of reported cases, with India’s health body recently warning that the country is far from its peak. The US has the highest toll in the world, but on a per capita basis, European countries have a much higher death toll. Also read: COVID-19: 279 deaths in India in last 24 hours; infection cases surge to over 2.76 lakh In mid-April, the US alone was witnessing 3,000 deaths everyday during its peak. Right now, the country records 1,000 deaths daily, with an estimated 20,000 new cases everyday However, owing to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests against the murder of George Floyd, experts in the US believe a surge in the cases is coming, with copycat protests around the world triggering same fears. Florida already witnessed a jump in cases by over 40 per cent, with cases spiking in over 21 states over the last three days. In Argentina, over 1,000 cases of new coronavirus have been reported in the last 24 hours, for the first time ever. (With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Coronavirus: 7.2 million infections worldwide, countries fear second wave as cases rise

Manchester United’s friendly against Stoke City was cancelled at the last minute on Tuesday after the Championship club’s manager Michael O’Neill tested positive for COVID-19.

Stoke had arrived at United’s training ground for the game when they were informed of O’Neill’s positive test. The Northern Irishman had tested negative in the previous five rounds of testing, Stoke said in a statement.

“Stoke can confirm that manager O’Neill has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus following the latest round of testing on Monday (June 8),” said Stoke, who play in the second tier of English football.

“He will now follow the relevant guidance and undergo a period of isolation, whilst continuing to be in regular virtual contact with his coaching staff and players.”

Soccer in England has been suspended since mid-March due to the pandemic but the Premier League is set to restart on June 17, with the Championship following suit three days later.

United are fifth in the top flight, three points behind Chelsea, and will resume their campaign against Tottenham Hotspur on June 19.

Manchester United’s friendly against Stoke City was cancelled at the last minute on Tuesday after the Championship club’s manager Michael O’Neill tested positive for COVID-19.

Manchester United’s friendly against Stoke City was cancelled at the last minute on Tuesday after the Championship club’s manager Michael O’Neill tested positive for COVID-19. Stoke had arrived at United’s training ground for the game when they were informed of O’Neill’s positive test. The Northern Irishman had tested negative in the previous five rounds of testing, Stoke said in a statement. “Stoke can confirm that manager O’Neill has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus following the latest round of testing on Monday (June 8),” said Stoke, who play in the second tier of English football. “He will now follow the relevant guidance and undergo a period of isolation, whilst continuing to be in regular virtual contact with his coaching staff and players.” Soccer in England has been suspended since mid-March due to the pandemic but the Premier League is set to restart on June 17, with the Championship following suit three days later. United are fifth in the top flight, three points behind Chelsea, and will resume their campaign against Tottenham Hotspur on June 19.

Google Maps' new coronavirus-centred algorithm will update users of risks in real-time

New information suggests that coronavirus may have started spreading in China as early as August 2019. It was only in December of 2019 that public attention was brought to COVID-19, which has now spread across the globe.

Coronavirus has infected over 7 million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,113,366 people have had the virus, while 406,413 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago.

New satellite images from Wuhan and the internet search trends from last year suggest that Hubei may have witnessed its first case earlier than thought.

The new study by Harvard Medical School found that number of cars parked in Wuhan hospitals multiplied by five times in the autumn of 2019, when compared to 2018.

<h6> 
<img alt="This photo taken on June 8, 2020 shows street vendors selling clothes at an outdoor market set up in a street in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province. " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6997385a-a7de-4b28-8aa8-d126c192c68c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design-2_24.jpg" /> 
This photo taken on June 8, 2020 shows street vendors selling clothes at an outdoor market set up in a street in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province. | AFP</h6>

 
Additionally, China’s search engine Baidu witnessed a lot of search logs regarding infectious diseases.

According to the researchers, the increase in volume of cars parked and search requests began in August 2019, and peaked in December 2019.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-leader-says-financial-hub-cannot-afford-any-more-chaos-304427" hreflang="en">Hong Kong leader says financial hub cannot afford any more 'chaos'</a>

The analysts used images from October 2018 and counted 171 cars in Tianyou Hospital, one of the largest in Wuhan. However, a year later, there were 285 vehicles parked in the same area, marking an increase of 67%. They also found that there was a 90% influx in traffic at other hospitals in the city.

Between September and October of 2019, five out of the six sample hospitals witnessed higher levels of traffic. This also coincided with increasing searches on Baidu for “cough” and “diarrheoa”.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://wionews.com/videos/gravitas-wuhan-coronavirus-more-than-7000000-cases-worldwide-304379/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Many studies have previously used surveillance of traffic and parked cars to understand an influx and drops in indicators. It is also used by intelligence agencies around the world. For instance, hospitals in Latin America saw more parked cars in the build to flu season.

The first case of coronavirus was reported in the US in late January.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-around-the-world-brazil-sees-a-sharp-increase-in-infections-fears-of-resurgence-in-us-304415" hreflang="en">Coronavirus around the world: Brazil sees a sharp increase in infections, fears of resurgence in US</a>

Recently,&nbsp; researchers at the University of Washington have estimated that 145,728 people could die of coronavirus in the United States by August.

The World Health Organization warned against coronavirus worsening. “Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” it said.

New information suggests that coronavirus may have started spreading in China as early as August 2019. It was only in December of 2019 that public attention was brought to COVID-19, which has now spread across the globe.

New information suggests that coronavirus may have started spreading in China as early as August 2019. It was only in December of 2019 that public attention was brought to COVID-19, which has now spread across the globe. Coronavirus has infected over 7 million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,113,366 people have had the virus, while 406,413 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago. New satellite images from Wuhan and the internet search trends from last year suggest that Hubei may have witnessed its first case earlier than thought. The new study by Harvard Medical School found that number of cars parked in Wuhan hospitals multiplied by five times in the autumn of 2019, when compared to 2018. This photo taken on June 8, 2020 shows street vendors selling clothes at an outdoor market set up in a street in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province. | AFP Additionally, China’s search engine Baidu witnessed a lot of search logs regarding infectious diseases. According to the researchers, the increase in volume of cars parked and search requests began in August 2019, and peaked in December 2019. Also read: Hong Kong leader says financial hub cannot afford any more 'chaos' The analysts used images from October 2018 and counted 171 cars in Tianyou Hospital, one of the largest in Wuhan. However, a year later, there were 285 vehicles parked in the same area, marking an increase of 67%. They also found that there was a 90% influx in traffic at other hospitals in the city. Between September and October of 2019, five out of the six sample hospitals witnessed higher levels of traffic. This also coincided with increasing searches on Baidu for “cough” and “diarrheoa”. Many studies have previously used surveillance of traffic and parked cars to understand an influx and drops in indicators. It is also used by intelligence agencies around the world. For instance, hospitals in Latin America saw more parked cars in the build to flu season. The first case of coronavirus was reported in the US in late January. Also read: Coronavirus around the world: Brazil sees a sharp increase in infections, fears of resurgence in US Recently, researchers at the University of Washington have estimated that 145,728 people could die of coronavirus in the United States by August. The World Health Organization warned against coronavirus worsening. “Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” it said.

Researchers posit coronavirus transmission in Wuhan began in autumn of 2019 by using satellite images

&nbsp;As coronavirus cases across United States jumped again due to the ongoing protests against the murder of George Floyd, US President Donald Trump is set to begin conducting campaign rallies for his reelection to the White House.

Health experts across the globe have warned against jumping too soon into relaxations, especially in terms of crowding, as it could trigger another wave of COVID-19.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-around-the-world-brazil-sees-a-sharp-increase-in-infections-fears-of-resurgence-in-us-304415" hreflang="en">Coronavirus around the world: Brazil sees a sharp increase in infections, fears of resurgence in US</a>

Trump intends to restart his reelection campaign with in person rallies over the next two weeks. His last election rally took place on March 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, when US was beginning to peak.

According to Politico, Trump’s aides are exploring the options available in terms of the safety imbued in campaigning right now. The elections are set to take place on November 3 across the United States, and Trump’s adviser Brad Parscale is currently working on a plan to facilitate campaigning.

Media reports indicate that rallies may be held with fervour, but with social distancing norms in place.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://wionews.com/videos/gravitas-trump-thinks-protesters-are-terrorists-303730/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Recent polls showed Trump’s Democrat rival, Joe Biden leading in terms of public support with a 5 per cent edge. Trump is expected to conduct more rallies than Biden, as his campaign manager claims. Campaigning has remained suspended across the US in view of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed the most people in the United States.

Trump administration is dealing with a three fold issue right now: Coronavirus pandemic, flaccid economy, and the anti-racism protests across the country.

He has been criticised for not supporting the protesters’ demands and has also labelled them as “thugs”. George Floyd, an African American man was killed by a police officer, Chauvin, who knelt his knee on the man’s neck for almost nine minutes, resulting in his death.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-rejects-calls-to-defund-police-faces-balancing-act-304402" hreflang="en">Biden rejects calls to defund police, faces balancing act</a>

Experts across the country fear that a second wave of coronavirus may be imminent in the country, as protesters flout social distancing norms seeking justice, while many states are reopening prematurely. Visuals from the protests show many without masks.

In terms of rallying, outdoor venues are a safer bet, as there is a lower risk of the virus spreading in open spaces as opposed to closed ones.

The Republican national convention may be moving from North Carolina as the state claims to not being ready as it still reels from COVID-19. Even given the risk, the president has called for a full scale convention, while saying that face coverings are not necessary.

(With inputs from AFP &amp; Reuters)

As coronavirus cases across United States jumped again due to the ongoing protests against the murder of George Floyd, US President Donald Trump is set to begin conducting campaign rallies for his reelection to the White House.

As coronavirus cases across United States jumped again due to the ongoing protests against the murder of George Floyd, US President Donald Trump is set to begin conducting campaign rallies for his reelection to the White House. Health experts across the globe have warned against jumping too soon into relaxations, especially in terms of crowding, as it could trigger another wave of COVID-19. Also read: Coronavirus around the world: Brazil sees a sharp increase in infections, fears of resurgence in US Trump intends to restart his reelection campaign with in person rallies over the next two weeks. His last election rally took place on March 2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, when US was beginning to peak. According to Politico, Trump’s aides are exploring the options available in terms of the safety imbued in campaigning right now. The elections are set to take place on November 3 across the United States, and Trump’s adviser Brad Parscale is currently working on a plan to facilitate campaigning. Media reports indicate that rallies may be held with fervour, but with social distancing norms in place. Recent polls showed Trump’s Democrat rival, Joe Biden leading in terms of public support with a 5 per cent edge. Trump is expected to conduct more rallies than Biden, as his campaign manager claims. Campaigning has remained suspended across the US in view of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed the most people in the United States. Trump administration is dealing with a three fold issue right now: Coronavirus pandemic, flaccid economy, and the anti-racism protests across the country. He has been criticised for not supporting the protesters’ demands and has also labelled them as “thugs”. George Floyd, an African American man was killed by a police officer, Chauvin, who knelt his knee on the man’s neck for almost nine minutes, resulting in his death. Also read: Biden rejects calls to defund police, faces balancing act Experts across the country fear that a second wave of coronavirus may be imminent in the country, as protesters flout social distancing norms seeking justice, while many states are reopening prematurely. Visuals from the protests show many without masks. In terms of rallying, outdoor venues are a safer bet, as there is a lower risk of the virus spreading in open spaces as opposed to closed ones. The Republican national convention may be moving from North Carolina as the state claims to not being ready as it still reels from COVID-19. Even given the risk, the president has called for a full scale convention, while saying that face coverings are not necessary. (With inputs from AFP & Reuters)

Trump to restart election campaign with fresh rallies even as coronavirus cases climb in the US

Coronavirus has infected over 7 million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,113,366 people have had the virus, while 406,413 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago.

The five worst affected countries according to JHU tracker are: US (1,960,642), Brazil (707,412), Russia (476,043), United Kingdom (288,834), followed by India (265,928).

On June 6, US witnessed its highest number of infections in a week (25,000), probably owing to the protests.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/university-of-washington-forecasts-145000-us-covid-19-deaths-by-august-304393" hreflang="en">University of Washington forecasts 145,000 US COVID-19 deaths by August</a>

Recently,&nbsp; researchers at the University of Washington have estimated that 145,728 people could die of coronavirus in the United States by August.

Recently, the World Health Organization warned against coronavirus worsening. “Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” it said.

Spain and Italy, the former hotspots of the virus are witnessing a dip in the infections, and were overtaken by India on Sunday. Other countries with over 100,000 cases include Peru, France, Germany, Iran, Turkey, Chile, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-wuhan-coronavirus-more-than-7000000-cases-worldwide-304379/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

New Zealand became one of the few countries to be “corona-free” on Monday, as the country’s last patient recovered from the virus, and no new infections reported in the last 18 days. Owing to this, the country is expected to reopen soon.

India and Brazil have been witnessing a daily surge in the number of reported cases, with India’s health body recently warning that the country is far from its peak.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-zealands-last-active-patient-of-coronavirus-recovers-country-now-has-zero-cases-304099" hreflang="en">New Zealand's last active patient of coronavirus recovers, country now has zero cases</a>

The US reported over 450 deaths in the last 24 hours, the country’s lowest death toll in a week. There have been 110,990 deaths in the country alone. The country has the highest toll in the world, but on a per capita basis, European countries have a much higher death toll.

In mid-April, the US alone was witnessing 3,000 deaths everyday during its peak. Right now, the country records 1,000 deaths daily, with an estimated 20,000 new cases everyday

However, owing to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests against the murder of George Floyd, experts in the US believe a surge in the cases is coming, with copycat protests around the world triggering same fears.

(With inputs from AFP &amp; Reuters)

Coronavirus has infected over 7 million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,113,366 people have had the virus, while 406,413 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago.

Coronavirus has infected over 7 million people globally, as per data from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, 7,113,366 people have had the virus, while 406,413 people have lost their lives to the pandemic, which went global six months ago. The five worst affected countries according to JHU tracker are: US (1,960,642), Brazil (707,412), Russia (476,043), United Kingdom (288,834), followed by India (265,928). On June 6, US witnessed its highest number of infections in a week (25,000), probably owing to the protests. Also read: University of Washington forecasts 145,000 US COVID-19 deaths by August Recently, researchers at the University of Washington have estimated that 145,728 people could die of coronavirus in the United States by August. Recently, the World Health Organization warned against coronavirus worsening. “Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” it said. Spain and Italy, the former hotspots of the virus are witnessing a dip in the infections, and were overtaken by India on Sunday. Other countries with over 100,000 cases include Peru, France, Germany, Iran, Turkey, Chile, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. New Zealand became one of the few countries to be “corona-free” on Monday, as the country’s last patient recovered from the virus, and no new infections reported in the last 18 days. Owing to this, the country is expected to reopen soon. India and Brazil have been witnessing a daily surge in the number of reported cases, with India’s health body recently warning that the country is far from its peak. Also read: New Zealand's last active patient of coronavirus recovers, country now has zero cases The US reported over 450 deaths in the last 24 hours, the country’s lowest death toll in a week. There have been 110,990 deaths in the country alone. The country has the highest toll in the world, but on a per capita basis, European countries have a much higher death toll. In mid-April, the US alone was witnessing 3,000 deaths everyday during its peak. Right now, the country records 1,000 deaths daily, with an estimated 20,000 new cases everyday However, owing to the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests against the murder of George Floyd, experts in the US believe a surge in the cases is coming, with copycat protests around the world triggering same fears. (With inputs from AFP & Reuters)

Coronavirus around the world: Brazil sees a sharp increase in infections, fears of resurgence in US

University of Washington researchers estimated on Monday that 145,728 people could die of COVID-19 in the United States by August, raising their grim forecast by more than 5,000 fatalities in a matter of days.&nbsp;

On Friday, the widely cited Institute for Health Metrics and evaluation at the university projected 140,496 deaths by August from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. Researchers did not give a reason for the abrupt revision.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/emergency-health-measures-including-school-closures-saved-millions-in-six-coronavirus-hit-countries-study-304384" hreflang="en">Emergency health measures including school closures saved millions in six coronavirus-hit countries: Study</a>

The new estimate came on the same day that Texas reported its highest number of hospitalizations so far in the pandemic and 22 U.S. states showed at least a small uptick in the number of new confirmed cases, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

Among the states with the sharpest increases were Michigan and Arizona, according to Johns Hopkins, while Virginia, Rhode Island and Nebraska showed the greatest decreases.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-situation-around-the-world-worsening-warns-who-304368" hreflang="en">Coronavirus situation around the world 'worsening', warns WHO</a>

Infectious disease experts have said that large street protests held in major U.S. cities after the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody, could touch off a new outbreak of the disease.&nbsp;

A total of more than 1.9 million cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, have been reported in the United States, according to a Reuters tally, which has confirmed 110,000 deaths.

University of Washington researchers estimated on Monday that 145,728 people could die of COVID-19 in the United States by August, raising their grim forecast by more than 5,000 fatalities in a matter of days.

University of Washington researchers estimated on Monday that 145,728 people could die of COVID-19 in the United States by August, raising their grim forecast by more than 5,000 fatalities in a matter of days. On Friday, the widely cited Institute for Health Metrics and evaluation at the university projected 140,496 deaths by August from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. Researchers did not give a reason for the abrupt revision. Also read: Emergency health measures including school closures saved millions in six coronavirus-hit countries: Study The new estimate came on the same day that Texas reported its highest number of hospitalizations so far in the pandemic and 22 U.S. states showed at least a small uptick in the number of new confirmed cases, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. Among the states with the sharpest increases were Michigan and Arizona, according to Johns Hopkins, while Virginia, Rhode Island and Nebraska showed the greatest decreases. Also read: Coronavirus situation around the world 'worsening', warns WHO Infectious disease experts have said that large street protests held in major U.S. cities after the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody, could touch off a new outbreak of the disease. A total of more than 1.9 million cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, have been reported in the United States, according to a Reuters tally, which has confirmed 110,000 deaths.

University of Washington forecasts 145,000 US COVID-19 deaths by August

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