Former CDC director says another 20,000 could die from Covid-19 within the next month
From CNN’s Amanda Watts
Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Tom Frieden uses hand sanitizer during a hearing on Covid-19 Response before the Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies of the House Appropriations Committee May 6, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Axios Health he thinks another 20,000 people could die from Covid-19 within the next month.
The stark estimate is based on the current number of cases in the US, he told the website.
Frieden said the CDC has been regulated to the backseat during this pandemic.
"The whole US response has not been informed by public health since February," he said. "It's been very hard to know how decisions are made."
Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University told Axios, "I think people think we've come out of something," but in reality, she said, "we hit pause, and now we're hitting play, and we don't know what the next song's going to be.”
10:41 a.m. ET, June 1, 2020
São Paulo state begins to loosen quarantine measures today
From CNN’s Taylor Barnes and journalist Rodrigo Pedroso
Men wearing face masks playing cards in a square amidst the coronavirus pandemic on May 7, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images
The economic reopening of São Paulo state, the most populous in Brazil, starts today for sectors such as shopping malls, commerce, offices, real estate and car shops.
There are five phases for reopening, which will be adopted by the mayor of each city as they see fit based on the coronavirus situation in their jurisdictions.
However, the mayor for the capital city of São Paulo, Bruno Covas, extended the ban on nonessential activities there until June 15, contrary to the expectations of representatives of industry and commerce.
Some background: The state of São Paulo has been under quarantine since March 24. The state is the epicenter of Brazil’s coronavirus outbreak, with more than 100,000 confirmed virus cases and 7,615 deaths.
Brazil is second only to the United States in its number of coronavirus cases.
Dr. Carissa Etienne, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, said earlier this week that the Americas have “become the epicenter of the Covid pandemic.”
10:23 a.m. ET, June 1, 2020
Dr. Fauci says he and Trump don't discuss vaccines often
From CNN’s Amanda Watts
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci leaves after the daily briefing of the White House Coronavirus Task Force in the James Brady Briefing Room April 10 at the White House in Washington. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told STAT News that vaccine development isn’t a common topic of conversation with President Trump.
Fauci said when the White House Task Force was meeting every day, he’d also have meetings with Trump about four times a week.
“But as you probably noticed, that the task force meetings have not occurred as often lately. And certainly my meetings with the president have been dramatically decreased,” Fauci told the medical news website.
“What we would have preferred to do, quite frankly, is to wait until we had the data from the entire Phase 1 — which I hear is quite similar to the data that they showed — and publish it in a reputable journal and show all the data.”
Nevertheless, the Moderna release did make him “cautiously optimistic.”
He’s also happy to see several other vaccines in development, including the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine, as well.
“What I like about the whole thing is that there are multiple candidates that we’re involved with. It just feels good to be directly or indirectly involved in four or five candidates,” he said.
“The only thing that’s the big unknown to me is that, is it going to be effective? I think we could do it within the time frame that I’ve outlined. But there’s no guarantee that it’s going to be effective,” he said.
“Whether we do the trial over 10 years, or we do it over four months, the endpoint is still the same.”
But that doesn’t mean he’s worry-free. When asked if the prospect of an adverse reaction to the vaccine worries him, Fauci simply said, “Yes, I am.”
8:40 a.m. ET, June 1, 2020
Russia reports more than 9,000 new coronavirus cases
From CNN’s Nathan Hodge
Russia on Monday reported at least 9,035 new cases of coronavirus over the past 24-hour period, with the official national total of confirmed cases reaching 414,878.
Russia has reported 4,855 total deaths attributed to Covid-19, but observers have questioned the government’s mortality calculations.
Moscow began to ease lockdown on Monday, allowing the reopening of stores selling non-food items and permitting Muscovites to venture out for walks on a schedule.
8:38 a.m. ET, June 1, 2020
Pharmaceutical company starts first human trial of coronavirus antibody therapy
From CNN Health’s Jen Christensen
Eli Lilly, AbCellera, and NIAID have worked together to create an antibody they think may help treat Covid-19. Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company said it has started the first human trial of an antibody therapy to treat the novel coronavirus. If the trial is successful, the therapy could be available by the fall, the company said.
The first patients to receive the therapy are in hospitals at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine and Emory University in Atlanta, the company told CNN, and results are expected to be available by the end of June.
The antibody therapy was created through a partnership with AbCellera, a Canada-based biotech company and the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Scientists at AbCellera and NIAID used a blood sample from one of the first US patients to recover from Covid-19 and sorted through millions of cells to find hundreds of antibodies. Antibodies are proteins your body makes to fight an infection or toxin. The scientists picked the antibodies they thought would best neutralize the novel coronavirus. In the lab, the antibody appeared to neutralize the virus, Lilly said. Those results have not yet been published.
"We've already started the manufacturing process to really scale this up without even knowing yet if it works for patients, because if it does work, we don't want to waste a single day, we want to have as much medicine as possible available to help as many people quickly," Dr. Dan Skovronsky, Eli Lilly’s senior vice president and chief scientific officer, told CNN.
About the trial: Phase I of the trial in hospitalized patients will test to see if the therapy is safe and well-tolerateed. If so, the next trials would be expanded to Covid-19 patients that aren’t hospitalized and another study would test the therapy as prevention. The antibody therapy could potentially be used in vulnerable populations that may not respond as well to a vaccine, such as the elderly, people with underlying chronic conditions and people who are immunosuppressed who don’t always generate enough antibodies to be protected by a vaccine.
In trials over the next few months, Lilly says it will also test different mixtures of a few other antibodies that may provide protection.
7:18 a.m. ET, June 1, 2020
Belgian prince tests positive for coronavirus, apologizes for traveling to social event in Spain
From CNN’s Al Goodman and Laura Perez Maestro in Spain, Max Ramsay in London and Abel Alvarado and Helena de Moura in Atlanta
Prince Joachim of Belgium pictured in a file photo from July 2011. Isopix/Shutterstock
Belgium’s Prince Joachim has publicly apologized after testing positive for the coronavirus in southern Spain. The 28-year-old royal had attended a social event with the family of a Spanish female friend there, his lawyer’s office confirmed to CNN on Monday.
Joachim, a nephew of Belgium's King Philippe, traveled from Belgium to Spain on May 24. On May 26, he attended a social gathering in Cordoba with "12 or 27 guests," the Belgian Palace's press office said. Joachim tested positive for Covid-19 on May 28.
In a statement released by the Cordoba law office of Mariano Aguayo, the prince said:
“I would like to apologize for travelling and not having respected the quarantine measures. I did not intend to offend or disrespect anyone in these very difficult times and deeply regret my actions and accept the consequences.”
Under Spain’s state of emergency, all travelers arriving in Spain from May 15, with few exceptions, are required to go into quarantine for two weeks. Under the confinement rules in place in Cordoba, gatherings of more than 15 people who don’t live together are not permitted.
Authorities are now investigating if the event had more than 15 people in attendance, the spokeswoman for Rafaela Valenzuela, the Spanish government’s chief representative in Cordoba, told CNN Monday.
The spokeswoman added that regional health authorities had informed the Spanish government that there may have been up to 27 people at the event.
A spokeswoman for the prince’s law office told CNN there were two social events on consecutive days last week at which the prince was meeting with the family of a female friend, but neither event was attended by more than 15 people.
The prince is in isolation now, with mild symptoms from the coronavirus, said the law office spokeswoman.
Prince Joachim is the third child of Princess Astrid, the younger sister of Belgium's serving King, according to the palace website.
The numbers: Spain has been one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe by Covid-19, with more than 239,000 confirmed cases and more than 27,000 deaths. As the infection rate has declined, the government has slowly eased confinement restrictions, while focusing on early detection through increased testing and contract tracing, to quickly tamp down on any new outbreaks.
7:10 a.m. ET, June 1, 2020
Armenia's Prime Minister has contracted the coronavirus
From CNN's Stephanie Halasz
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashynian speaks to the media prior to talks at the German Chancellery on February 13 in Berlin. Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The Armenian Prime Minister has contracted the coronavirus, his press officer told CNN.
Nikol Pashinyan is able to work from a distance and is isolating with his family members who have also contracted the virus, said his press officer Mané Gevorgyan.
He is doing fine, he has no symptoms,” said Gevorgyan.
There are 9,492 confirmed cases and 139 coronavirus-related deaths in Armenia as of Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
7:10 a.m. ET, June 1, 2020
All the European countries lifting coronavirus restrictions today
From Sharon Braithwaite in London and Elinda Labropoulou in Greece
Owners of the restaurant Bianca prepare their terrace on the rue du Quatre Septembre on May 31 in Paris, as France eases lockdown measures taken to curb the spread of the Covid-19. Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images
Greece: From Monday, a limited number of international flights will be allowed to land in Athens. This will be widened from June 15, when visitors from 29 countries will be allowed to fly into the country’s two main airports in Athens and Thessaloniki. The list of countries will be extended again on July 1. Every arriving passenger must be tested for the virus and stay overnight at a designated hotel. Visitors who test negative must self-quarantine for 7 days, while those who test positive must spend 14 days under supervised quarantine. Restaurants and cafes across Greece resumed operations on May 25.
France: Cafes, bars, restaurants, beaches and lakes will reopen Tuesday. Gatherings must be limited to 10 people and the capacity of outdoor spaces will be limited to 5,000 people, under the condition that social distancing rules are enforced. Parks reopened Saturday.
Italy: From June 3, travel restrictions to and from foreign countries will be lifted. People will be allowed to travel between regions.
Spain: From Monday, around 70% of the Spanish population will move to phase two of restriction easing, which allows meetings of up to 15 people from different households, some restaurant service indoors, and the opening of stores, cinemas and museums but with occupancy limits. Small islands in Spain's Balearic and Canary Islands will advance to phase three, which eases even more restrictions. The Madrid region, which includes Spain’s capital and surrounding cities, will remain in phase one without any changes.
Denmark: Tourists from Germany, Norway and Iceland will be able to enter Denmark starting June 15. Tourists must document that they have booked a stay of at least six overnights in Denmark.
England: From Monday, groups of up to six people can meet outdoors, including in gardens and other private outdoor spaces, provided strict social distancing guidelines are followed. It's possible to send children to school or nursery if they are in early years, reception, year 1 or year 6. Elite athletes can train and compete using the specified gyms, pools and sports facilities. Outdoor markets and car showrooms can reopen.
Wales: People from two different households will be able to meet each other outdoors.
Scotland: Household waste and recycling centers will reopen to the public from Monday. Teachers will be allowed to reenter schools on June 1 to begin preparations for schools reopening on August 11. Childcare services and outdoor nurseries will reopen from Wednesday with limits placed on the number of children that can be cared for.
7:08 a.m. ET, June 1, 2020
Leaders concerned coronavirus could spread during protests
From CNN's Hollie Silverman
People protest in New York on June 1 over the death of George Floyd. Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
US officials have expressed their concern that coronavirus could rapidly spread during protests over the death of George Floyd.
People across America have taken to the streets to vent their frustrations over the seeming lack of value for the lives of black people in the same week the nation crossed the 100,000 death count from coronavirus.
As of Monday morning at least 1,790,191 Americans have contracted the virus and 104,383 have died. But some expect a jump in cases following days of demonstrations.
With large groups of people protesting, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he expects a sharp increase in cases of Covid-19 in his state.
I am deeply concerned about a super-spreader type of incident," Walz said. "We're going to see a spike in Covid-19. It's inevitable."
Officials in New York shared the governor's worry about a potential for rise in coronavirus among protesters.
"I would still wish that everyone would realize that when people gather it's inherently dangerous in the context of this pandemic, and I'm going to keep urging people not to use that approach and if they do they focus on social distancing and wearing face coverings," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Saturday.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that while people have the right to protest, even during a pandemic, they also have a duty to protect the health of themselves and others.
"You have a right to demonstrate, you have a right to protest, god bless America," Cuomo said at a Saturday news conference. "You don't have a right to infect other people, you don't have a right to act in a way that's going to jeopardize public health."
He told people to "demonstrate with a mask on," and noted how the coronavirus has highlighted longstanding health disparities for the black community.
"The coronavirus crisis has created a depth of pain that still has not been accounted for. So many New Yorkers have lost someone but that is particularly true in communities of color and particularly true in the African American community," Cuomo said. "That loss is being felt so deeply because every knows it's not based on equality ... communities of color lost so much more."
