N.Y. Deaths ‘Lowest So Far’ (12:30 p.m. NY)
New York reported 32 deaths, “the lowest so far,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said, as new cases inched higher by 0.2%, in line with the seven-day average. The state registered 916 cases, up from 822 a day earlier. Total infections reached 382,630.
Cuomo, at his daily briefing, said the state was an “anomaly” with the daily increase of cases steady or declining as, he noted, more than two dozen states are reporting increases in new infections.
Italy’s New Cases Rise (12:20 p.m. NY)
Italy registered 346 new cases Saturday, compared with a daily average of 274 this month through Friday. The country had a one-day peak of 6,557 on March 21. A total of 236,651 cases have been reported since the end of February. The death toll rose to 34,301 with 55 fatalities on Saturday. About 61% of new cases were reported in Lombardy, the virus epicenter in Italy’s north that includes Milan.
Florida Cases Jump 3.6% (11:55 a.m. NY)
Florida reported its biggest single-day increase in new cases since the state began releasing daily reports on April 25. New cases rose to 73,552 on Saturday, up 3.6% from a day earlier and well above the average increase of 2.1% in the previous seven days. Deaths among Florida residents reached 2,925, a 1.7% increase.
The new positivity rate — people testing positive for the first time among overall tests in a day — was 6.28% on Friday, the fourth straight day at or above 5%. Hospitalizations rose 168, pushing the total who have been hospitalized to 11,874 since the crisis began.
Latin America Accounts for 40% of New Cases (10:30 a.m. NY)
Infections in Latin America now exceed 1.4 million, more than a quarter of the world’s total, and the region accounts for more than 40% of all new cases, based on World Health Organization data.
Mexico reported 5,222 cases on Friday, Chile announced 6,754 and Argentina had 1,391 — all of them new highs. Chile registered its highest daily death toll to date, with 222. Brazil, the largest country in Latin America, has almost four times as many cases as any other country in the region.
Covid Persists in Lisbon Region (10:10 a.m. NY)
Portugal reported 283 new cases, below 300 for a second day and taking the total to 36,463, the government said Saturday. There were seven new deaths. The total number of hospitalized patients fell while cases in intensive care rose from Friday.
The additional cases are mostly in the greater Lisbon region, where authorities have increased testing after new clusters were identified.“This is a marathon,” Secretary of State for Health Antonio Lacerda Sales said in Lisbon on Saturday.
AstraZeneca Europe Vaccine Deal (9:06 a.m. NY)
AstraZeneca Plc said it will provide up to 400 million doses of a vaccine it’s developing with Oxford University to Europe starting at the end of the year. The company said it struck an agreement with the Inclusive Vaccines Alliance spearheaded by Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. It’s reached similar agreements with the U.K., U.S. and global vaccine groups.
California Blackouts Could Hit Home Offices (8 a.m. NY)
Blackouts that hit millions of Californians in 2019 could be doubly calamitous this year with tech giants Google, Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. among the many companies keeping offices closed until the fall or later in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
If utilities cut power again, home offices set up during the pandemic could go dark and stay dark for days, and they’ll have no corporate offices to flee to for power. In October 2019, more than 3 million people were affected by a series of rolling blackouts over more than a week as PG&E Corp. and Edison International tried to prevent live wires from sparking wildfires.
German Cases Increase (7:30 a.m. NY)
Germany had 572 new cases in the 24 hours through Saturday, bringing the total to 187,263, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That compares with 169 the previous day and almost 7,000 at the peak in late March. The number of deaths was 16 after 20 the previous day. The seven-day reproduction number is estimated at 1.09 by the Robert Koch Institute. It said the R-value should be interpreted with caution due to the low case numbers.
Dr. Reddy’s to Sell Remdesivir (5:40 p.m. HK)
Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, allowing it to manufacture and sell potential coronavirus treatment Remdesivir in 127 countries, including India.
Russian Cases Rise 1.7% (5 p.m. HK)
Russia reported 8,706 new confirmed infections, a 1.7% increase over the past day, according to data from the government’s virus response center. Deaths rose by 114 to 6,829. Moscow accounted for 17% of new cases, and 34% of all new cases were asymptomatic.
Sweden’s Governing Party Keeps Lead (4:26 p.m. HK)
Sweden’s governing Social Democrats had the support of 30% of voters, compared with 31.7% in May, according to a poll by Sifo in newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. That difference is within the poll’s margin of error.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has been the target of criticism from political opponents because of his government’s controversially soft lockdown policy. His party has seen large political gains during the crisis, despite the resulting high mortality rate.
Beijing Shuts Some Markets (2:30 p.m. HK)
Beijing shut the capital’s largest wholesale vegetable market – Xinfadi market – from 3 a.m. Saturday after the virus was detected among a few business owners and their equipment. Swabs taken from the throats of 45 people at the market tested positive, and they had no clinical symptoms, the Beijing city government said in a statement Saturday.
More Filipinos Going Hungry (2:29 p.m. HK)
The number of Filipinos going hungry has doubled in the past six months and more than 90% of its residents are experiencing stress as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey released Friday.
About 4.2 million people can’t afford to eat, soaring from December. As many as 91% of Filipinos aged 15 or older are feeling anxious, according to a Social Weather Stations poll conducted May 4 to 10.
England Gets Ready to Open Shops (2:01 p.m. HK)
Stores on Oxford Street, London’s most famous shopping thoroughfare, will open Monday for the first time since March. After locking down to slow the spread of the coronavirus, retailers in the capital and across England are desperate to get back to business. They’re rushing to install sneeze screens, “sanitation stations,” and distancing measures to make shopping safer once they open their doors.
Thailand Has Five More Cases (12:53 p.m. HK)
Thailand reported five more coronavirus cases Saturday, taking the total in the country to 3,134. So far, 58 people have died, none overnight, the government said in a statement. All the five people who reported positive came back from Saudi Arabia and have been quarantined, the government said.
Ukraine President’s Wife Tests Positive (10:04 a.m. HK)
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s wife Olena tested positive and is in isolation, according to his press office. Zelenskiy and their children tested negative.
