Coronavirus: latest global developments

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PARIS, June 20, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest developments in
the coronavirus crisis.

– Brazil: one million infections –

Brazil reports a one-day record of nearly 55,000 infections, making
it the second country to pass one million cases after the United
States.

– Europe tops 2.5 million cases –

In another grim milestone, Europe chalks up more than 2.5 million
cases, making it the worst-affected continent. Almost half of those
cases have been registered in Russia, Britain, Spain and Italy,
according to an AFP tally.

– Nearly 460,000 dead –

The pandemic has killed at least 459,976 people worldwide since it
surfaced in China late last year, according to an AFP tally at 1100
GMT on Saturday, based on official sources.

The United States has the most deaths with 119,131 followed by
Brazil with 48,954, Britain with 42,461, Italy with 34,561 and France
with 29,617.

– Trump mass rally –

On the campaign trail, US President Donald Trump is to hold his
first mass rally in months later in the day.

Some 19,000 people are expected to attend the event in Oklahoma,
where they will have to sign a disclaimer to ensure Trump will not be
held liable if they get sick.

– Divisive drug –

Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis says it will halt a clinical
trial of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, citing
problems in recruiting enough patients for the study of the
controversial drug.

– Peru GDP to plummet –

Peru’s central bank forecasts a 12.5-percent drop in the country’s
gross domestic product this year. Two million jobs have already been
lost since a lockdown began there on March 16.