Coronavirus US summary of news for 31 May
Coronavirus live USA: latest Covid-19 news - 31 May
US coronavirus latest: 11:30 PST / 14:30 EST on Sunday 31 May (20:30 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 6,112,902 cases have been detected worldwide, with 370,416 deaths and 2,597,111 people now recovered.
In the USA, there have been 1,778,515 confirmed cases and 104,051 deaths with 416,461 people recovering from the virus.
US death tally over 104,000
The US, the world's worst hit country in overall terms by Covid-19, has now had over 104,000 deaths from the coronavirus. The United Kingdom is next on 38,751 deaths.
In total 1.7 million Americans have tested positive for the disease.
US confirms it has sent hydroxychloroquine to Brazil
The US, led by President Donald Trump, continues to tout the benefits of anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in the war against Covid-19, despite studies showing it is not effective and the WHO halting investigations into it due to safety concerns.
The United States has now confirmed it has sent 2 million doses of hydroxychloroquine to Brazil, where it will be used as a "prophylactic to help defend Brazil’s nurses, doctors, and healthcare professionals against the virus. It will also be used as a therapeutic to treat Brazilians who become infected," according to a joint statement from the two countries.
The American FDA does not allow the the use of the drug for the prevention of Covid-19, and The American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists have issued a joint statement opposing the use of hydroxychloroquine for the prevention of Covid-19.
The drug has number of potentially serious side-effects.
Trump, who has promoted the drug ceaselessly, said he had taken it to prevent infection with the coronavirus.
Coronavirus deaths continue to fall in New York state
56 people died in New York State yesterday said Governor Cuomo, down from 67 on Friday. Total hospitalisations, new hospitalisations and intubations all also fell. "All good news", said Cuomo. In total 29,784 people in New York state have died from Covid-19.
Discharged with $840,000 bill
US Covid-19 patient survives and receives an INITIAL bill for $840,000 bill for the treatment. Luckily it looks like their insurance will cover it. Also, check out the wry response from the patient's wife
SpaceX Crew Dragon arrives at ISS
In non-coronavirus news, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, has docked with the International Space Station, a day after its rescheduled launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
A server wears a mask and gloves while working, as Hoopers Crab House in Ocean City, Maryland, opens for in-person dining, amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday evening, restaurants and bars in the state of Maryland were opened for outdoor and open-air dining. (Photo by Alex Edelman / AFP)
Unemployment benefits with $600 boost: how many have applied?
Jobless benefit applications
The coronavirus pandemic has seen unemployment figures in the US rise to levels not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Investors eye consumer discretionary stocks as U.S. reopens
Investors are taking a closer look at the market's consumer discretionary companies as a reopening U.S. economy fuels hopes of a turnaround for some of the sector's hardest-hit names, Reuters reports.
Many companies in the sector have been battered by the country-wide coronavirus-fueled lockdowns that have weighed on growth and damaged retail spending over the last several months, though the stocks of a few, like Amazon, have soared. A gradual lifting of lockdowns in some states has stirred hopes for a bounce back for the retailers that make up much of the sector.
Some investors, however, say it may be months before consumers return to their previous shopping habits, making it unlikely that the companies will see a pickup in revenues in the near term.
Coronavirus at a glance
News agency Reuters gives you their 'factbox' of how the virus spread is affecting different parts of the world, including the rising number of deaths in Brazil.
Coronavirus and looting
It's a double hit to many business right now as they struggle to return after the shutdown, but are seeing their establishments damaged by the minority of violent protesters.
Stimulus check: would second Economic Impact Payment be the last?
Second and final stimulus check?
Millions of people in the US have been receiving stimulus payments to help them cope with the coronavirus crisis - but many say they'll need more money.
Covid comparisons
As leaders around the world are being judged on their crisis management, it could be that a vaccine may cover up the cracks.
POTUS blamed abroad
Across in India, Donald Trump is indirectly getting the blame with the event held in Ahmedabad to welcome him in February seen as being responsible for the spread of coronavirus in Gujarat and later in Mumbai and Delhi, which some of his delegates had visited.
MIT highlight tech issue
'Economists like to measure technological innovation as productivity growth—the impact of new stuff and new ideas on expanding the economy and making us richer.
'Over the last two decades, those numbers for the US have been dismal. Even as Silicon Valley and the high-tech industries boomed, productivity growth slowed.'
Political pandemic
Politico look into how the crisis surrounding the management of Covid-19 reaches into the 2020 election campaign.
Trump postpones G7 summit, seeks to expand invitation list
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would postpone the Group of Seven summit that he wanted to hold in late June and expand the list of countries invited to include Australia, Russia, South Korea and India. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his return to Washington from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Trump said the G7 in its current format is a 'very outdated group of countries.' 'I'm postponing it because I don't feel that as a G7 it properly represents what's going on in the world,' Trump said.
decision is a dramatic pivot for Trump, who had sought to host the group of major industrialized countries in Washington as a demonstration that the United States was returning to normal after the coronavirus epidemic, which has killed more than 103,000 Americans to date. The G7 is made up of the United States, Italy, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Britain as well as the European Union.
Experts say covid-19 cases could rise significantly due to the ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd...
Coronavirus deaths top 50,000 in Latin America - Reuters tally
Latin America hit a grim milestone on Saturday as coronavirus deaths topped 50,000 and cases neared 1 million, with countries such as Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru struggling to stem the tide, according to a Reuters tally. Coronavirus deaths in Latin America totaled 50,105 and cases stood at 976,425, with Brazil counting for over half of deaths and infections in Brazil, according to the tally.
NY Mayor says now is not the time for protests
New York mayor Bill de Blasio has said that while he understands the sentiments of those protesting the death of George Floyd, he called for frustrations to be vented in another way amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“I understand why after not just years, not just decades, but centuries of oppression, that people at a certain point need to express themselves in the most powerful, present way,” mayor Bill de Blasio said on Saturday.
But, he added: “I would wish that people would choose this as a time to express all of that agony, that need for change, that anger, that frustration in a different way than in-person protests because we're still in the middle of a pandemic.”
New York state reopening: CDC guidelines for offices
New York state reopening: CDC guidelines for offices
Andrew Cuomo has announced the re-opening of New York and the CDC have sent out guidelines for social distance to avoid the spreading of coronavirus.
EU urges U.S. to reconsider decision to cut ties with World Health Organization
The European Union urged the United States on Saturday to reconsider its decision to cut ties with the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
"In the face of this global threat, now is the time for enhanced cooperation and common solutions. Actions that weaken international results must be avoided," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said in a statement.
"In this context, we urge the U.S. to reconsider its announced decision," it said, a day after President Donald Trump announced the move, accusing the U.N. agency of becoming a puppet of China.
Washington state reopening plan: what does the phase 1.5 mean?
Washington state reopening plan: what does the phase 1.5 mean?
Washington state loosens restrictions for phased opening as shutdown order approaches expiration amid the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.
CDC advocates curbside delivery
The national Centers for Disease Control & Prevention gave backing to a shopping delivery option being offered by many retailers with customers being able to take delivery at home or opt for a curbside pick-up.
Los Angeles county reopening: activities allowed and restrictions
Los Angeles county reopening: activities allowed and restrictions
The governor of California Gavin Newsom gave the green light for phase two of reopening the state and restrictions are easing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Global cases pass 6 million mark
The latest Covid-19 cases figures from Johns Hopkins University (Coronavirus Research Centre) suggest that more than 6 million have contracted coronavirus around the world.
US latest coronavirus news
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic as it affects the United States. The novel coronavirus has now claimed over 103,000 lives in the US. The good news is that over 400,000 people have now recovered from the disease in the country.
The coronavirus pandemic is continuing while the US is rocked by the ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis earlier this week.