The World Health Organization is holding its annual convention via teleconference for the first time Monday as the group discusses the coronavirus pandemic and a …
The World Health Organization is holding its annual convention via teleconference for the first time Monday as the group discusses the coronavirus pandemic and a proposal for an independent inquiry into the group’s response to the virus.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who is expected to represent the U. S. at the meeting, insisted Sunday it was safe to reopen the economy in certain states, while a White House adviser said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s botched early coronavirus testing efforts «let the country down.»
The U. S. has the largest coronavirus outbreak in the world by far. There are more than 89,000 deaths and almost 1.5 million confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard. Worldwide, the virus has killed more than 315,000 people and has infected more than 4.6 million.
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The U. N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the World Health Organization’s annual meeting that it was a «false dichotomy» to assume governments would choose between saving their citizens or their economies.
«Unless we control the spread of the virus, the economy will never recover,» he said.
Guterres comments came Monday at the 73rd World Health Assembly, where leaders worldwide are focusing on the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 315,000 people and infected over 4.7 million across the globe. Here’s what else has come up and is expected at the meeting:
Monday is nearly certain to bring two grim milestones: America will pass the mark of 90,000 dead from coronavirus and also record its 1,500,000th confirmed case.
In the latest week, America added a new confirmed coronavirus case every 4 seconds, and recorded another death every 60 seconds, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data show.
The United States now accounts for one-quarter of the world’s recorded coronavirus deaths and about one-third of the confirmed cases. America is on a path to record the 100,000th death from coronavirus in about a week. In the next few days, American will have likely recorded more deaths from the coronavirus than died in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
– Mike Stucka
Scientists conducting a trial for one of the leading vaccine candidates for the new coronavirus reported positive results Monday from the initial stages of their research.
Moderna, the drugmaker working on the potential vaccine alongside the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that eight participants who received either low or medium doses of the vaccine had levels of antibodies in their blood at similar or greater levels than patients who have recovered from the virus.
The results are a positive sign, however scientists have said more research is needed to determine what level of antibodies in the blood could provide immunity to the virus.
Moderna said the trial will continue, with plans to start a larger phase of the trail by July.
The news comes just days after President Donald Trump formally unveiled Operation Warp Speed, a federal effort in partnership with private industry to try to develop a vaccine at an accelerated timeline – by the end of the year. Many infectious disease experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, say it would take between a year to 18 months to develop a vaccine in a best case scenario.
Study: Most people didn’t have home office before coronavirus
Most people didn’t have a home office set up for remote work before the coronavirus caused governments to curb non-essential gatherings and sent people to work from home, according to a survey conducted by YouGov in partnership with USA TODAY and LinkedIn.
Almost three in four professionals age 18 to 74 say they’re now working from home, which has caused increased expenses like higher electricity bills and new furniture and computer equipment.
Several states such as California, Illinois, Minnesota and South Dakota have laws that require some sort of reimbursement for necessary work-related expenses.
