Coronavirus live news: Trump ‘surprised’ by Fauci’s reopening warnings as WHO says Covid-19 may never go | World news

Organizations conducting research into Covid-19 may be targeted by computer hackers linked to the Chinese government, according to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Neither agency cited any specific examples Wednesday, AP reports, but they warned that institutions and companies involved in work on vaccines, treatments and testing for the novel coronavirus should take additional security measures to protect data and be aware of the potential threat.

“China’s efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nations response to Covid-19,” said a statement from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “This announcement is intended to raise awareness for research institutions and the American public and provide resources and guidance for those who may be targeted.”

It comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries over the source of the outbreak and Trump administration complaints that China did not adequately alert the world to the danger posed by the new coronavirus.

The warning also echoes long-standing US complaints that China has engaged in the wholesale theft of technology and trade secrets to build its economy.

In the US, coronavirus could sweep through camps where firefighting crews are stationed, ready to fight wildfires, according to a federal document obtained by The Associated Press.

From the AP:

The US Forest Service’s draft risk assessment predicts that even in a best-case scenario — with social distancing followed and plenty of tests and protective equipment available — nearly two dozen firefighters could be infected with COVID-19 at a camp with hundreds of people who come in to combat a fire that burns for months.

The worst-case scenario? More than 1,000 infections.

Forest Service officials have declined to answer questions about the document other than saying it’s outdated and being redone. They didn’t immediately respond to additional questions Wednesday.

“The report is being reviewed and updated with the most current data and is not ready to share,” the agency said Monday in an email.

The Forest Service declined to release a copy of the draft or say what changes are being made. The AP obtained the document from an official who has access to it and didn’t want to be named.

The city of Moscow said on Wednesday it had ascribed the deaths of more than 60% of coronavirus patients in April to other causes as it defended what it said was the superior way it and Russia counted the number of people killed by the novel virus, Reuters reports.

At 242,271, Russia has the second-highest number of confirmed cases in the world after the United States, something it attributes to a massive testing programme which it says has seen almost 6 million tests conducted.

But with 2,212 coronavirus deaths, Russia also has one of the world’s lowest mortality rates. Moscow, the epicentre of the country’s outbreak, accounts for 1,232 of those deaths.

The disparity between the high number of cases and the relatively low number of deaths has prompted Kremlin critics and various Western and Russian media outlets to question the veracity of Russia’s official death statistics.

Data published at the weekend showing that the total number of deaths registered in Moscow rose sharply in April compared with the same month last year and was also significantly higher than the number officially confirmed as having been caused by the new virus raised further suspicions.

Moscow’s Department of Health acknowledged in a statement on Wednesday that the number of deaths in April, 11,846, had been 1,841 higher than the same month last year and almost triple the number of people registered as having died of the virus.

But it flatly denied it had been dishonestly lowering the Russian capital’s coronavirus death toll. Tatyana Golikova, Russia’s health minister, has also denied any falsification of the statistics.

Hello and welcome to today’s coverage of pandemic news from around the world.

I’m Helen Sullivan, with you for the next few hours. Get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

Coronavirus could become endemic like HIV, the World Health Organization has said, warning against any attempt to predict how long it would keep circulating and calling for a “massive effort” to counter it.

Meanwhile Trump has dismissed Dr Anthony Fauci’s comments in testimony at the US senate regarding the dangers of reopening the economy too soon, telling reporters at the White House, “to me it’s not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools.”

Meanwhile Russia, with the second-highest number of infections worldwide, has one of the lowest official death tolls.

The city of Moscow said on Wednesday it had ascribed the deaths of more than 60% of coronavirus patients in April to other causes as it defended what it said was the superior way it and Russia counted the number of people killed by the novel virus. More on this shortly.

Here are the key recent developments:

• At least 4.3 million people are known to have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, while at least 295,671 people have died. The figures collected by Johns Hopkins University are likely to be a great underestimate of the true scale of the pandemic.
• Trump says Fauci’s warning over reopening the economy too soon as “not an acceptable answer”. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday described as not acceptable a warning given by top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci this week about the dangers of reopening the economy too quickly. “To me it’s not an acceptable answer especially when it comes to schools,” Trump told reporters at the White House, noting he was surprised by the response Fauci gave to lawmakers in testimony to the US Senate on Tuesday.
• Virus may never be eradicated – WHO. The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 could become endemic like HIV, the World Health Organization has said, warning against any attempt to predict how long it would keep circulating and calling for a “massive effort” to counter it.
• Every African country is now affected by the outbreak, after Lesotho announced its first case. The virus was detected in one of 81 people tested after arriving last week from Saudi Arabia and neighbouring South Africa, Lesotho’s health ministry said.
• Former UK spy chief dismisses Wuhan lab conspiracy theory. In the UK, the former director general of the domestic intelligence service has poured cold water on White House speculation that Covid-19 may have emerged via a leak from a coronavirus research laboratory in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
• Public Health England approves antibody test – report. Public Health England (PHE) has reportedly approved an antibody test kit, the first to receive such an endorsement. The kit is made by the Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG, the Daily Telegraph has reported. The newspaper added that it understands the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care is in negotiations with Roche to buy millions of the kits.
• Afghanistan reached 5,000 confirmed cases, as the country’s health ministry warned that easing lockdowns would bring a “catastrophe”. Out of 619 suspected patients tested in the last 24 hours, 259 came back positive, pushing the total number of infections to 5,226. The death toll reached 132, after five more patients died overnight. The number of recoveries is 648.
• Sweden announced it would hire up to 10,000 more care workers to address shortcomings in elderly care exposed by the pandemic. About half of the Sweden’s 3,460 coronavirus-related deaths have been among nursing home residents, and another quarter among those receiving care at home.
• Mexico said it would reopen parts of economythe economy after 51 days of lockdown, despite the country reporting its highest number of daily deaths so far. Mexico has confirmed 1,992 new cases and 353 deaths, bringing the total death toll to 3,926 and the total number of cases to 38,324.
• Hotels and restaurants across Europe have been asked to enforce physical distancing between guests to allow Europeans to take their annual summer holiday. The EU executive called for a “gradual and careful easing of lockdown restrictions across the continent”.
• The car manufacturer Ford announced plans to restart production, including at two factories in the UK. Work will resume on 18 May at the company’s engine plants in Dagenham in Essex and Bridgend in south Wales. The move, along with the reopening of the Valencia engine plant in Spain, will open all of Ford’s European manufacturing facilities.