Coronavirus live news: Global cases pass 6 million as Brazil sees record one-day increase

The more than 2 million people who have been “shielding” from Covid-19 in England because they are deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable will be allowed to spend time outdoors from Monday for the first time in 10 weeks.

Boris Johnson praised their resilience as their particular lockdown measures are set to be eased. The communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, will confirm the move on Sunday.

In case you missed this earlier, in Australia, residents in the country’s most populous state, New South Wales, are enduring one more day of tight Covid restrictions before pubs, beauty salons and museums reopen and intrastate holiday travel is permitted, AAP reports.

For the first time in almost three weeks, zero Covid-19 cases were reported in NSW on Saturday, from 9500 tests.

A marketing campaign spruiking NSW as a tourist destination will target NSW, Victorian and ACT residents as coronavirus-related travel restrictions ease.

The state government on Sunday said a major tourism marketing push would coincide with the restriction changes.

Travellers from interstate will also be able to visit NSW under the changes, but must comply with the rules of their home state when returning.

The next phase of the “now’s the time to love NSW” campaign – first announced earlier this year after bushfires devastated the state – will include a new television commercial and social media video series, and international digital advertising to keep the state in overseas visitors’ minds.

“Interest in NSW road trips has jumped with a 125% increase in page views on VisitNSW.com in the past week,” Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said in a statement on Sunday.

There are signs that thousands of Australians used the coronavirus shutdown to give up smoking, AAP reports.

Federal health Minister Greg Hunt says between January and May this year, the My Quitbuddy app was downloaded more than 24,000 times, a staggering 310% increase over the same time last year.

“These figures are very encouraging and I congratulate those who have taken the first step,” Mr Hunt said in a statement on Sunday, coinciding with World No Tobacco Day.

“Quitting is not always easy, but assistance is available and the benefits are significant.”

He said there was growing evidence that smokers were more likely to develop a severe case of Covid-19 if they contracted the virus.

The Australian government aims to reduce smoking to less than 10 per cent by 2025 through its 10-year National Preventive Health Strategy and has committed $31.6 million over four years from 2019/20 to reduce smoking prevalence.

This includes $20 million over three years to develop a new National Tobacco Campaign to encourage smokers to quit.

Brazil has nearly 500,000 cases, after a record one-day increase.

Brazil registered a record 33,274 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, its health ministry said, raising the total to 498,440 in a country with one of the world’s worst outbreaks.

The death toll in Brazil from Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, increased to 28,834, with 956 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.

The world has passed the milestone of six million confirmed coronavirus cases, with 6,048,384 confirmed infections worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

The US is the worst-affected country in terms of cases and deaths, with 1,769,776 infections and 103,685 fatalities.

The ten worst-affected countries in terms of cases are:

1. US: 1,769,776
2. Brazil: 498,440
3. Russia: 396,575
4. United Kingdom: 274,219
5. Spain: 239,228
6. Italy: 232,664
7. France: 188,752
8. Germany: 183,189
9. India: 181,827
10. Turkey: 163,103

Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Helen Sullivan, bringing you the latest global news for the next few hours.

Please do get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan or via email: helen.sullivan[at]theguardian.com. Questions, comments, tips and news from your part of the world are all welcome.

Global cases have passed 6 million, with 6,048,384 confirmed infections, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, which relies on official government data. The true number of infections and deaths, which currently stand at 368,711, are likely to be higher, as a result of delays, differing testing rates and definitions, and suspected underreporting.

The sombre milestone comes as Brazil, the second-worst affected country in the world after the US, is nearing 500,000 cases, after it registered a record 33,274 new infections on Saturday. The current total at confirmed cases stands at 498,440. The death toll is 28,834.

• Global cases passed 6 million. The world has passed the milestone of six million confirmed coronavirus cases, with 6,048,384 confirmed infections worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.The US is the worst-affected country in terms of cases and deaths, with 1,769,776 infections and 103,685 fatalities.
• Brazil cases neared 500,000 after record increase. Brazil registered a record 33,274 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, its health ministry said, raising the total to 498,440 in a country with one of the world’s worst outbreaks. The death toll in Brazil from Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, increased to 28,834, with 956 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
• Pope Francis implored world leaders to provide social and economic relief for the many workers who have lost jobs, and called for the enormous sums of money used to grow and perfect armaments be instead used to fund research to prevent similar catastrophes in the future.
• Britain’s top public health leaders warned Boris Johnson that trust in the government has been shattered by the Dominic Cummings affair and now poses real danger to life when lockdown measures are lifted this week. Cummings, Johnson’s top aide, has been embroiled in a scandal after he was seen in Durham, 264 miles from his London home, despite having had coronavirus symptoms.
• Romanian prime minister Ludovic Orban paid a 3,000 lei fine ($690) for breaking his own coronavirus restrictions by not wearing a face mask and smoking indoors. A picture which went viral on social media shows Orban in his office, sitting around a table with several other cabinet members, smoking a cigarette while none of them wore masks.Russia to start vaccine trial within two weeks
• Russian scientists plan to start clinical coronavirus vaccine trials within two weeks, the health minister was quoted as saying on Saturday as authorities approved the country’s first anti-Covid-19 drug, Avifavir.
• Greece will conduct coronavirus tests on visitors arriving from airports deemed high-risk by the European Union’s aviation safety agency EASA when it opens its airports to tourism traffic on 15 June. The list currently includes 13 airports in the United Kingdom, all those in 22 US states and those in the Ile de France region surrounding Paris.
• Frontline workers in Mexico City’s hospitals are planning a national march to demand appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Nurses and other health workers account for about a quarter of all of Mexico’s coronavirus infections, government data shows, one of the highest rates in the world.
• South Africa’s infection cases now exceed 30,000, the country’s health minister Zweli Mkhize said on Saturday. The country reported 1,727 new cases, taking the cumulative total to 30,967. The death toll increased by 32 to 643.
• Pakistan has reported 78 coronavirus deaths on Saturday, a single day record since the pandemic arrived in the country in March. The country has recorded 135 deaths in the past two days, and over 5,000 new cases, with health experts warning of a steep rise in the number of infections in coming days.
• Colombia is to lift quarantine measures in parts of the country, but issued new measures to control the spread of coronavirus in three of its most affected cities on Saturday, including the capital Bogota. The country has reported more than 26,600 coronavirus cases and 853 deaths.
• New York state governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill granting death benefits to the families of police officers, public health workers and other frontline workers who have died of the coronavirus. “You gave your lives for us, we will be there for your families going forward,” Cuomo said as he signed the legislation.