First wave far from over

More than half of all US states saw a rise in new coronavirus infections, with some breaking daily records while  Germany announced a new lockdown after an outbreak of infections at a slaughterhouse.

Amid fears of a second wave of cases and deaths, US health officials warned that the first wave is far from over.

"I think that wherever there's wood to burn, this fire's going to burn – and right now we have a lot of susceptible people," Michael Osterholm, head of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, told CNN on Monday.

"I don't think we're going to see one, two and three waves. I think we're going to just see one very, very difficult forest fire of cases."

According to data from John Hopkins University, 29 states reported an increase in their seven-day average of new cases.

Most of the outbreaks are in Georgia, Florida and Texas. Young people are especially at risk as Florida governor Ron DeSantis warned cases shifted in "a radical direction" toward people under 30.

Saudi Arabia said yesterday it will dramatically scale back the hajj pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites next month because of the coronavirus, while Germany announced a new lockdown after an outbreak of infections at a slaughterhouse.

The World Health Organization warned that the pandemic was accelerating and new economic figures have underscored the scale of the carnage unleashed on global trade and industry.

Although a vaccine is still far away, South Africa is rolling out a trial of a drug this week -- the first on the continent.

Europe has been steadily easing lockdowns and travel restrictions, but many parts of the world, including Latin America and South Asia, are only beginning to feel the full force of the pandemic, while other regions are being hit with second waves.

SPOTLIGHT ON ABATTOIRS

And in Germany, the authorities ordered a new lockdown for an entire district -- the first since easing coronavirus restrictions and a major setback to hopes of a swift return to normality.

The new restrictions cover 360,000 people in the district of Guetersloh in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia and follow a coronavirus outbreak in a slaughterhouse that has infected more than 1,500 workers.

Several Covid-19 outbreaks at abattoirs, not just in Germany but also in France, have put a spotlight on the working and housing conditions facing the workers -- many of whom come from Romania or Bulgaria.

The disease and the punishing lockdowns introduced to try to curb its spread have caused economic havoc across the globe, and made millions of people jobless.

'HIGHLY UNCERTAIN'

The extent of the damage was highlighted yesterday with the release of a World Trade Organization forecast that global trade was expected to drop around 18.5 percent in the second quarter.

Outgoing WTO director-general Roberto Azevedo said the slide would be the steepest on record, but that it could have been much worse. He cautioned that the outlook for the global economy over the next two years remained "highly uncertain".

Auto sales in Europe this year will also tumble a record 25 percent because of the pandemic which has left manufacturers facing a "major economic crisis",  the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) said.

Human clinical trials in Brazil for a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University started this weekend, sponsor Lemann Foundation said in a statement late on Monday.

Trials will count on 2,000 health worker volunteers in Sao Paulo and 1,000 people in Rio de Janeiro and are being conducted by Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo and hospital chain Rede D'Or, respectivelly, reports AFP.

In the United States, President Donald Trump said on Monday the country's toll could surpass 150,000, as eight members of his team that helped organise a controversial weekend rally for him in Oklahoma tested positive.

The United States already has the biggest number of deaths at more than 120,400 fatalities.

In Europe, countries continued to ease restrictions.

Pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers in England will reopen from July 4, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday.

And in Paris, one of the city's most visited museums, the Musee D'orsay, opened its doors again while swimming pools and cinemas have also opened up.

But illustrating the persisting risks, Portugal and Australia were among the countries tightening their restrictions.

China, Germany, South Korea and Japan are also battling new outbreaks, with some reintroducing containment measures.

India's health ministry yesterday said the country has one death per lakh population as against 6.04 globally.

The sports world has been slowly re-emerging from the virus darkness, with Premier League matches on again in Britain.

But Djokovic's announcement that he tested positive has raised questions about the planned return of tennis in August.

He joins a slew of other infected players who recently gathered for an exhibition tournament he organised in the Balkans, in the face of criticism from some other players.