(Bloomberg) -- New York reported 49 daily deaths from the coronavirus, the first time the state’s total has been below 50 in 10 weeks. Restaurants in seven regions outside New York City can begin outdoor dining Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
A malaria drug that was touted and then taken by President Donald Trump in hopes of preventing coronavirus infection failed to offer patients any protection in a significant study. Earlier, the World Health Organization said it would resume a study of the drug after questions arose about a study linking it to increased death and heart risks.
The European Union may join the global race to secure access to future coronavirus vaccines and seek deals with pharmaceutical companies, while the architect of Sweden’s controversial strategy said his plan led to too many deaths. Germany agreed to a $146 billion stimulus plan to revive its economy.
Key Developments:
- Virus Tracker: Cases pass 6.4 million; deaths exceed 382,000
- U.S. protests will test theories of viral spread outdoors
- Europe’s scarred economy starts a slow recovery
- South African court calls lockdown rules unconstitutional
- Gilead loses a skeptic with remdesivir sales seen at $7 billion
- Test stampede bypasses 10,000 U.S. urgent-care facilities
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More Than 40% May Not Have Symptoms: Study (5:50 p.m. NY)
As many as 45% of people who contract the virus don’t show any symptoms, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Scripps Research Translational Institute reviewed studies of 16 different populations infected with the new coronavirus and examined how many showed no signs of illness. They concluded that asymptomatic people may account for 40% to 45% of infections. They also found that those individuals can transmit the virus to others for an extended period, perhaps longer than 14 days.
Answering the question of how many people don’t show any symptoms is crucial for policymakers to get a sense of just how widespread -- and how deadly -- the virus really is. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that number could be as high as 25%. Several antibody studies have shown it may be higher.
Because those individuals may still be contagious, the researchers suggest a need to expand testing programs to more regularly to those who do not have symptoms of Covid-19.
White House Works With Seven Drugmakers in Vaccine Push (4:45 p.m. NY)
The White House is working with seven pharmaceutical companies as part of its “Warp Speed” coronavirus vaccine program. They include Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc., and the University of Oxford in collaboration with AstraZeneca Plc, as well as two other firms, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Operation Warp Speed seeks to compress a vaccine process that is typically years long into a matter of months, in part by spending as much as $10 billion on research, manufacturing and agreements to guarantee purchase of the vaccines, one of the people said. The effort is being led by General Gustave Perna, who directs the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and former GlaxoSmithKline Plc executive Moncef Slaoui.
Germany Agrees to $146 Billion Stimulus Plan (4:40 p.m. NY)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition agreed to a 130 billion-euro ($146 billion) stimulus package to help Europe’s biggest economy recover from the coronavirus crisis. The deal includes tax relief for companies, money for families, car-sales incentives and aid to municipalities.
California to Expand Mail-In Voting (4:15 p.m. NY)
California Governor Gavin Newsom doubled down on his efforts to use mail-in voting for the presidential election, ordering counties to set up drop boxes for ballots nearly a month before election day to expand accessibility during the pandemic.
Newsom, a Democrat, last month ordered that all registered voters in the state receive a mail-in ballot for the November election, a move President Donald Trump labeled an invitation to widespread fraud. The Republican National Committee has sued to stop officials from sending the ballots.
U.S. Cases Rise 1.2% (4 p.m. NY)
Coronavirus cases in the U.S. increased 1.2% as compared to the same time yesterday, to 1.84 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. That’s in line with than Tuesday’s rate as well as the average over the past seven days. Deaths rose 1% to 106,696.
- New York had 49 deaths, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. That was the first time in 10 weeks that daily deaths fell below 50. Cases rose 0.3% to to 374,085, compared with an average 0.4% in the past seven days.
- Florida reported 58,764 cases on Wednesday, up 2.3% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 1.4% in the previous seven days. Deaths reached 2,566, an increase of 1.4%.
- California cases rose 2.1% to 117,687, while deaths rose 1.7% to 4,361.
- Texas infections climbed by 2.6% to 68,271, surpassing the seven-day average of 2.4%, according to state health department figures. At the same time, hospitalizations dropped by 16%, the biggest one-day decrease since the pandemic began.
Chicago Begins Reopening (3:50 p.m. NY)
Chicago began the reopening of its economy on Wednesday under overcast skies and the despair from recent violent protests and looting of businesses, particularly in already hard-hit neighborhoods. Personal-service shops, restaurants and other businesses opened with limitations as the city entered Phase 3 of Illinois’s five-part reopening.
Many businesses that were preparing to reopen after closing due to the stay-at-home order since mid-March were also cleaning up debris from several days of unrest in the city.
The city has set up a personal protective equipment marketplace for local businesses to purchase goods to promote a safe restart of commerce.
Trump-Touted Drug Provides No Protection in Study (3:27 p.m. NY)
A malaria drug that was touted and then taken by President Donald Trump in hopes of preventing coronavirus infection failed to offer patients any protection in the first scientifically rigorous study of its potential to ward off the pathogen.
The study involved 821 health-care workers, first responders and people living with infected patients. Half were given hydroxychloroquine for five days, while the other half received a placebo pill that contained the vitamin folate. After two weeks, 12% of those taking hydroxychloroquine had developed an infection, compared with 14% given placebo, a difference the researchers said could have been due to chance.
The latest and most definitive study of the drug was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Outdoor Dining to Begin in Upstate New York (2:18 p.m. NY)
New York restaurants can have outdoor dining beginning Thursday in the seven regions that have made it to the second phase of reopening, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
That permission applies to the Capital Region, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern Tier and Western New York. It excludes New York City, which is on track to enter the first phase of reopening on June 8.
Outdoor tables must be spaced 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart, all staff must wear face coverings and customers must also wear face coverings when not seated, according to a statement from Cuomo’s office.
Dutch Ease Travel Restrictions (2 p.m. NY)
The Netherlands lifted travel restrictions from mid-June for most countries in the region, joining other nations in the European Union that are easing limits.
The government lowered its travel warning to yellow, meaning passengers are advised to pay attention to safety risks, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters Wednesday. Dutch authorities had advised against all unnecessary trips as the pandemic was sweeping across Europe in March.
Travel to 12 popular holiday destinations such as Germany, Belgium, Italy and Croatia will be allowed, and Rutte said he hoped that others -- including France, Spain, Austria and Switzerland -- will be added later.
Florida to Reopen Bars, Cinemas (1 p.m. NY)
Florida will enter the next phase of its reopening Friday, allowing businesses including bars, movie theaters and bowling alleys to reopen in most parts of the state for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic triggered a shutdown.
The establishments will initially operate with capacity limits, Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday in Orlando. For now, the next phase will exclude the three most populous counties -- Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach -- where the outbreak has been most pronounced, according to DeSantis.
Florida began its phased reopening on May 4.
WHO to Restart Hydroxychloroquine Study (12:44 p.m. NY)
An international trial using hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19 patients will be restarted after questions arose about a study linking the antimalarial drug to increased death and heart risks.
The World Health Organization said Wednesday that it will resume recruiting patients for the hydroxychloroquine arm of a global trial called Solidarity. The agency had paused the branch of the study, which compares the impact of a number of treatment regimens, after the drug was linked to heart risks in a study published in The Lancet, a medical journal.
The move adds to the confusion that’s erupted since more than 200 scientists began questioning the study published May 22 in The Lancet. Scrutiny has focused on Surgisphere Corp., the Chicago-based firm that provided data for the study, from which scientists have demanded more transparency about its sources and methods of analysis.
U.S. President Donald Trump has touted hydroxychloroquine, saying he’s taken it as a preventative against the coronavirus.
Cuomo Says N.Y. ‘Beat’ the Virus (12:34 p.m. NY)
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared victory over the coronavirus pandemic, touting the lowest daily death toll and hospitalization rate since it began.
“We’ve overcome the greatest challenge that this state has faced in my lifetime with this Covid virus,” Cuomo said Wednesday at his daily briefing. “This was the beast that we didn’t know if we could beat, but so far, we’ve beaten it.”
More than 374,000 people have tested positive in New York state, and the death toll has topped 24,000, as of June 2.
There were 49 virus-related fatalities on June 2, the lowest the state has had since March, when the outbreak began, Cuomo said. “We have to stay smart to make sure we control the beast.”
Florida Cases Jump Most in Nearly 2 Weeks (11:20 a.m. NY)
Florida reported 58,764 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, up 2.3% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 1.4% in the previous seven days. It was the biggest jump since the May 21 report.
Deaths among Florida residents reached 2,566, an increase of 1.4%, below the previous 7-day average of 1.6%. In terms of deaths, the numbers suggested a return to the trend after a spike in Tuesday’s numbers, the biggest since May 8.
Florida began a phased reopening on May 4.
NYC Focuses on Transit for Monday Reopening (11:06 a.m. NY)
New York City needs to return to focusing on recovery from the outbreak and reopening the economy as protests begin to abate, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The city is preparing for the June 8 start of the first phase of reopening, and one of the key areas that needs to be in place is mass transit, the mayor said. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to increase service to keep subways from overcrowding as some 400,000 people return to work next week, he said.
The MTA submitted a plan to de Blasio for keeping people safe, including requiring face masks and distributing free ones if necessary, and encouraging social distancing. The mayor called for capacity limits on buses and trains, and enforcement of such rules.
Virus data for the city is positive, with a low of 39 new Covid-19 patients admitted to city hospitals. Just 4% of people tested positive, also a low.
Belgian Bars, Restaurants to Reopen (10:45 a.m. NY)
Belgium will allow bars and restaurants to reopen on June 8 after 12 weeks of being shut, with a mandatory closing hour of 1 a.m. It’s also easing restrictions on social contacts. Citizens may have contacts with 10 people every week starting next week. Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes also said Belgium will reopen its borders with the EU member states, Schengen Treaty countries and the U.K. as of June 15, with the understanding that other nations will decide for themselves about border reopenings. Cinemas and theaters won’t be allowed to reopen until July 1, and nightlife events remain banned until the end of August.
Portugal Cases Rise, Mostly in Lisbon Region (10:04 a.m. NY)
Portugal reported 366 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, above 300 for the first time since May 29 and taking the total to 33,261, the government said. The additional cases are mostly in the greater Lisbon region, where testing has increased in the last few days after new clusters were identified.
The number of hospitalized patients and of cases in intensive care units both fell and are at the lowest levels since March.
G7 Suspends Some Debt Payments for Low-Income Nations (8:41 a.m. NY)
G7 Finance ministers said the group is suspending official bilateral debt payments for the poorest countries to year-end 2020 and possibly longer, according to a statement distributed by the U.S. Treasury.
“We remain committed to assisting low-income countries in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the group said in the statement. “We will continue to work with the G20, Paris Club partners, the IMF, the World Bank, and other creditors to secure debt sustainability and transparency, including promoting timely creditor coordination and fair burden sharing.”
Iran Hit by Second Wave as Cases Swell (8:22 a.m. NY)
Iran reported its highest number of daily infections in two months, a surge that nears March’s peak levels and suggests the Middle Eastern country struck hardest by the disease is in the throes of a second wave.
Authorities reported 3,134 new cases on Wednesday, a 50% increase from a week earlier, according to official government figures. The total number so far is 160,696, with more than 8,000 deaths.
Netherlands Has Fewest New Cases Since March 10 (7:58 a.m. NY)
The Netherlands reported 86 new confirmed cases, the first time the daily number dropped under triple digits in almost three months. Infections increased 0.2% to a total of 46,733. Fatalities were also up 0.2% to 5,977.
France Seeks Answers on Lancet Hydroxychloroquine Study (7:39 a.m. NY)
France wrote to scientific journal The Lancet to request a review of raw data used in a now-controversial study into the effects of an old malaria drug called hydroxychloroquine.
France ruled against using the medicine for Covid-19 last week after the research published in The Lancet, which pointed to a higher risk of death from taking the medicine.
The Lancet and another prestigious medical journal, the New England Journal of Medicine, said late Tuesday they have significant concerns about a database that was used to look at how older drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, may work for the new coronavirus.
Worried Europe Looks for Way Into Vaccine Race (7:25 a.m. NY)
The European Union is looking to secure access to future coronavirus vaccines by seeking deals to share the cost of development with pharmaceutical companies, according to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg.
There is growing concern in Europe that the region will fall behind the U.S. or China in obtaining supplies of any shot that proves successful. The European Commission memo warns that the move is necessary in the light of U.S. funding pledges, including $1.2 billion to AstraZeneca Plc to help make the University of Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Austria Opens Borders But Keeps Italy Link Closed (6:37 a.m. NY)
Austria is lifting border controls, imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus, with all neighboring countries except Italy as of tomorrow.
The government in Vienna still has concerns over the prevalence of the virus in Italy, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told journalists. The central European nation is home to ski resorts that were linked to early spread of the virus in February and March.
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