Global COVID-19 Deaths Pass 800,000 As US Outbreak Slows: Live Updates

Summary:

• Johns Hopkins reports more than 800k deaths
• Argentina joins growing list of countries testing one of China’s vaccines
• Philippines sees 4k+ new cases for 5th day
• India, Russia see outbreaks move closer to milestones

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The global coronavirus outbreak reached another grim milestone on Saturday morning: The Johns Hopkins tally of COVID-19 related deaths (which excludes “probable” or “suspected” deaths) has surpassed 800,000.

While the US outbreak is showing more signs of slowing following what appears to have been a ‘peak’ last month, the US still has the most deaths of any country with more than 175,000.

It has counted more than 32,000 of those in New York, nearly 16,000 in New Jersey and almost 12,000 in California.

Globally, Brazil is No. 2 behind the US with more than 113,000 deaths tied to COVID-19 as of Saturday, though Brazil’s outbreak has lately burned more brightly than the outbreak in the US.

Mexico (with 60,000), India (55,000) and the UK (41,500) have also reported a lot of deaths.

Moving on, most of the big news early Saturday is coming out of the emerging world.

Despite its record-setting lockdown, Argentina’s outbreak has continued to worsen and over the last couple of weeks has gotten to the point where hospitals are being overrun as Argentines rally in the streets to demand the end of the Peronista government’s lockdown. Argentina, like the Philippines, Brazil, India and dozens of other desperate nations anxious to bring about an end to the crisis, has turned to China, which has promises to share hundreds of millions of courses with the developing world as it works to cement its status as a super power that feels “responsible” for the virus it “unwittingly” unleashed.

Argentina has joined Peru, Morocco and the UAE in approving a ‘Phase 3’ clinical trial for the China National Biotec Group’s vaccine candidate. More nations are signing on to host trials as the race to produce a vaccine enters its later stages, and the dwindling outbreak in China has created a shortage of potential test subjects.

Meanwhile, the Philippines, still the biggest outbreak in Southeast Asia, reported 4,933 new cases, the fifth straight day reporting a number north of 4,000. It also reported 26 COVID-19 deaths. In a bulletin, the health ministry said total confirmed cases have increased to 187,249, while deaths reached 2,966.

Just as its outbreak was appearing to quiet down, India on Saturday reported a record daily jump of coronavirus infections, bringing the total near 3 million and piling pressure on authorities to curb huge gatherings as a major religious festival began. The 69,878 new infections, the fourth straight day above 60,000, take India’s total number of cases to 2.98 million, on the edge of 3 million and behind only the US and Brazil. India reported another 945 COVID-19 deaths bringing the total to 55,794.

Russia reported 4,921 new cases on Saturday, pushing its confirmed national tally up to 951,897 as it edges inexorably closer to becoming the fourth country to pass 1 million confirmed cases. Officials reported another 121 deaths, bringing the total to 16,310 (though many critics believe this figure is well below the accurate tally).

Finally, Joe Biden on Friday declared that he would “shut down the united states” if a set of doctors told him it would be a good idea.