Official says US, now at 65,776 deaths, missed chances to slow coronavirus, as WHO counters Trump’s evidence on China, says virus “natural in origin”

*US coronavirus stimulus went to healthcare providers facing criminal inquiries – Report

*Germany’s coronavirus death toll hits 6,575

*South Korea reports single digit infections for fourth day

The United States government was slow to understand how much coronavirus was spreading from Europe, which helped drive the acceleration of outbreaks across the nation, said Dr Anne Schuchat, the number-two official at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This was said as some elements believed to be working for President Donald Trump are said to be making effort to discredit the figures being officially released as regards deaths, cases and recoveries in the country.

Recall Trump had openly accused and insulted some reporters, including that of ABC News during one of his press briefings in the White House, of making reports that Americans do not want to hear meaning that the reporters should not report exact situation with America with regards to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Our checks showed that it was the first time ever that the US particularly under the current administration will be having true situation beyond its “manipulated” control as confirmed by revelation where official report said 50 American soldiers actually got hit by two Iran’s missiles in retaliation to Trump’s killing of General Qosem Solamoni, after President Trump has told the world the Tehran’s ordered shootings were a waste.

Reliable authority however said in the US, deaths from the infections have climbed to 65,776 with 1,131,452 confirmed cases and 161,563.

The World Health Organization has reiterated that the coronavirus is believed to be “natural in origin”, responding to a claim by US President Donald Trump that he had seen evidence that indicated the virus emerged from a virology institute in Wuhan, China.

Worldwide, the number of confirmed infections stood at almost 3.4 million, with some 239,000 deaths and around 1.08 million recoveries.

Imported by the Brazilian elite vacationing in Europe, the new coronavirus is now ravaging Brazil’s poor, ripping through tightly-packed neighbourhoods where the disease is harder to control. There were 92,000 cases in Brazil with 6,400 deaths reported as of Friday.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose by 945 to 161,703, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday.

The death toll in Brazil rose by 94 to 6,575.

The International Monetary Fund has approved a request from Ecuador for emergency financing to fight the coronavirus pandemic, granting a $643 million loan, the Andean country’s economy ministry has announced.

Ecuador has been among the hardest-hit countries in Latin America by the coronavirus, with 24,675 confirmed cases and 883 deaths, plus a further 1,357 deaths that were likely caused by the virus.

“This financing will allow us to have the necessary liquidity to support the reactivation of the economy, and protect jobs,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Japan Sumo Association has announced that it will reconsider its schedule for the summer grand tournament starting on May 24 if the government extends the state of emergency, Japan’s NHK news reported.

The nationwide measure is currently due to expire on Wednesday, May 6.

The association already announced in April it would postpone the opening of the summer event for two weeks to May 24, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Organisers are also considering holding the tournament without spectators, or canceling it, the report said.

South Korea reported six more cases of the new coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the nation’s total infections to 10,780, according to Yonhap news agency.

It marked the fourth day in a row for the new daily infections to stay in the single digits.

The nation’s death toll from the virus rose by two to 250, while 9,123 people have recovered, up 51 from a day earlier.

An investigation conducted by the Reuters news agency has revealed that taxpayers’ money have gone to some companies and people facing civil or criminal fraud investigations in the US.

The disclosures about such payments have prompted outrage among some congressional Democrats, who say they highlight the problems with how stimulus funds have been distributed.

The funds came from the $2.3tr CARES Act passed by Congress to blunt the economic toll of the pandemic, which has killed more than 64,000 Americans and thrown at least 30 million people out of work.

Gilead Science Inc’s antiviral drug remdesivir was granted emergency use authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration for COVID-19, clearing the way for broader use of the drug in more hospitals around the US.

During a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with US President Donald Trump, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O’Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug to help patients.

The donation is expected to be enough for at least 140,000 patients, depending on the number of days they need to be treated.

Gilead said on Wednesday that the drug, which is given by intravenous infusion, had helped improve outcomes for patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and provided data suggesting it worked better when given earlier in the course of infection.

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a national viral genomics consortium to better sequence the transmission of the deadly disease also known as COVID-19.