- Iran marked its highest daily jump since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak with 3,574 coronavirus cases. The figures marked the third consecutive day that the country recorded more than 3,000 daily new infections.
- Turkey is set to impose a weekend curfew in 15 cities to curb the spread of the virus.Â
- The coronavirus death toll in Brazil soared to a new daily record, with 1,473 fatalities recorded at the end of Thursday. With more than 34,000 deaths, Brazil now has the third-highest toll in the world.
- Around 6.6 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed around the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 389,000 people have died, including some 108,000 in the US. More than 2.8 million people have recovered from the disease.
Here are the latest updates:
June 5, Friday
02:08 GMT – Study shows Spain far from having ‘herd immunity’ to virus
A second round of random testing in Spain shows only 5.2 percent of the population carry antibodies against the new coronavirus.
Researchers say that means Spain is far from having developed a “herd immunity” to COVID-19 and is still vulnerable to more outbreaks.
The survey of more than 64,000 people also shows that a third of those infected do not develop symptoms.
“It is a wake-up call for public health: it is not possible to control (an outbreak) by just considering those who are symptomatic,” National Epidemiological Center Director Marina Pollan said on Thursday.
“With this number of asymptomatic cases, we must follow the recommendations” for personal hygiene and social distancing, Pollan said.
01:58 GMT – New Zealand extends wage subsidy scheme
New Zealand said it was extending its wage subsidy scheme to help an additional 40,000 businesses keep staff employed as they recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
After feedback from businesses, the government decided to change the required revenue drop threshold for firms to apply for wage subsidy to 40 percent from 50 percent, finance minister Grant Robertson said in a statement.
01:22 GMT – Brazil’s death toll surges to third-highest in world
Brazil’s death toll from the new coronavirus has overtaken Italy’s to become the third-highest in the world, according to official figures.
The South American country of 210 million people reported a new record of 1,473 deaths in 24 hours, bringing its overall toll to 34,021, from 614,941 infections, the health ministry said.
Italy has confirmed 33,689 deaths from 234,013 infections.
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Experts say Latin America coronavirus death toll under-reported (2:29)
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01:07 GMT – Fiji says all COVID-19 patients recovered
Frank Bainimarama, the prime minister of Fiji, said all coronavirus patients in the Pacific island nation have now recovered.
“And even with our testing numbers climbing by the day, it’s now been 45 days since we recorded our last case. With no deaths, our recovery rate is 100%” he wrote in a tweet.
Fiji had recorded 18 infections, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University.
Fiji has just cleared the last of our active #COVID19 patients.
And even with our testing numbers climbing by the day, it’s now been 45 days since we recorded our last case. With no deaths, our recovery rate is 100%.
Answered prayers, hard work, and affirmation of science!
— Frank Bainimarama (@FijiPM) June 4, 2020
00:42 GMT – Patients with high blood pressure ‘twice as likely to die’
Patients with high blood pressure admitted to hospital with coronavirus infections are twice as likely to die as those without the condition, according to a new study.
For in-patients with the virus who had stopped taking medication for high blood pressure, the risk of dying doubled again, they reported in the European Heart Journal.
“It is important that patients with high blood pressure realise that they are at increased risk of dying from COVID-19,” said senior author Fei Li, a cardiologist at Xijing Hospital in Xian, China.
The study also found that widely used drugs to control high blood pressure may help protect against severe COVID-19, allaying concerns that they could make the illness caused by the coronavirus worse.
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Femicide in Argentina: Not One Less protest held despite lockdown (2:41)
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00:15 GMT – Turkey to impose weekend curfew in 15 cities
Turkey will impose a two-day weekend curfew in 15 cities as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the interior ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said the lockdown will be in effect in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Balikesir, Bursa, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Manisa, Sakarya, Samsun, Van and Zonguldak.
Markets, grocery stores and butcheries can operate during the lockdown, it added.
00:07 GMT – Argentina extends lockdown in Buenos Aires
Argentina extended until June 28 a mandatory lockdown in capital Buenos Aires and other areas with high cases of coronavirus, President Alberto Fernandez announced, after the country surpassed 20,000 confirmed cases earlier in the day.
Argentina’s lockdown, which was due to expire on June 7, has been in place since March 20, though officials relaxed restrictions in some areas of the country.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives.
You can find all the updates from yesterday, June 4, here.
