What you need to know about coronavirus on Sunday, June 7

Latin America is losing its battle against coronavirus.

As the global number of Covid-19 victims tops 400,000, the region has become the pandemic’s hotspot.

Latin America has recorded nearly 1.2 million cases and more than 60,000 deaths. But these numbers may be superficial, Matt Rivers reports. That’s because in several countries, testing rates remain low and many Covid-19 deaths go unreported.

Brazil, the region’s worst-hit country, has reported a new record number of deaths in each of the past three days. One study released this week says Brazil will likely see 1 million cases and 50,000 deaths by June 20.

But tracking the toll has become more difficult. President Jair Bolsonaro’s government stopped reporting total numbers on Thursday, the day Brazil’s death toll surpassed Italy’s. It removed the cumulative data from the official tracker and said it would only report the number of new cases and deaths each day.

“The manipulation of statistics is a maneuver made by authoritarian regimes. It’s an attempt to hide the Covid-19 numbers to reduce social control of health policies,” said Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes.

Only a handful of countries in the region — Uruguay, Belize and Costa Rica — have so far managed to limit the disease from spreading. How? Early responses, quarantine measures, an efficient tracing-and-isolation system and randomized testing.

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWERED

Q: If coronavirus antibodies may or may not offer long-term immunity, how would a vaccine help?

A: In some cases, a vaccine might provide stronger protection than antibodies produced after infection, says epidemiologist Dr. Larry Brilliant.

“There are actually six other coronavirus — MERS and SARS and four other viruses that create the common cold. They don’t seem to do very well at creating long-term immunity,” Brilliant said. “But we need to find out whether we can create a vaccine that creates more immunity [to the novel coronavirus] than the disease does. Many of the vaccines that we’ve made in history are actually stronger than the virus is itself at creating immunity.”

Send your questions here. Are you a health care worker fighting Covid-19? Message us on WhatsApp about the challenges you’re facing: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY

George Floyd protesters say it’s worth braving coronavirus

“Obviously, people are a little bit closer together than is the recommended six-foot distance, but I think what we are doing is so important,” says Sarah Foster, one of the thousands of protesters marching in Washington, DC yesterday.

Health experts worry that the virus is spreading among protesters, even though most, including Foster, wear masks and try to keep their distance.

Despite the unease, more than 1,000 health professionals have signed a letter expressing their concern that the protests could be shut down under the guise of coronavirus protections. And they offer tips on how safely to keep protests in place.

“White supremacy is a lethal public health issue that predates and contributes to COVID-19,” they write.

The pandemic jump-starts efforts to free American held by Iran

In a bizarre twist of fate, Michael White, the US Navy veteran released from Iranian custody this week, may owe his freedom to the coronavirus outbreak. When he and an Iranian being held in the US came down with the virus, it presented an opportunity to kick-start delicate negotiations that culminated in his release, Vivian Salama reports.

What coronavirus looks like if you don’t have internet access

With much of the world locked down in recent months, billions have watched the coronavirus crisis unfold through a seemingly universal window: the internet.

Eliza Mackintosh reports on the billions who remain offline. For them, lockdown means missing out on immediate access to vital public health information, remote work opportunities, online learning, telemedicine appointments, digital grocery deliveries, live-streamed religious services — weddings and funerals — and the many other ways we are now living our lives online.

Worries for India

India has recorded nearly 10,000 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the largest single-day spike so far.

“We’re starting to see volumes of cases in India and I’m deeply worried that [in] the upcoming weeks and months, India will end up being one of the epicenters,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a “complete” lockdown in March, even though at the time the country of 1.3 billion people only had about 500 cases of the virus. For a while it looked like the move was working, but the infection rate has since grown and India now has the fifth-highest number of novel coronavirus cases globally.

Despite the growth, the Indian government will allow malls, places of worship, restaurants and hotels to reopen tomorrow.

ON OUR RADAR

• China is pushing back on international criticism of its virus response. It says it immediately notified the World Health Organization and other relevant parties of the outbreak — despite accusations to the contrary.
• The daughter of the acting USAID chief is rebuking her father over the agency’s push for the United Nations to remove abortion as an “essential service” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• Public shaming has become a common pastime during the pandemic. Here’s why it doesn’t work.
• Feeling hopeless after a tough week? Here are 5 things that may help.
• Thousands of people gathered in London in solidarity with George Floyd protests in the United States, defying calls from the UK government to stay home and limit the spread of Covid-19.
• New York is allowing houses of worship to reopen today, though some restrictions remain in place.

TOP TIPS

A friendly reminder. It’s time to check and re-stock your medicine cabinet. Here’s a handy list of basics:

• Thermometer
• Cough drops and cough syrup
• Acetaminophen/paracetamol
• Ibuprofen
• Antidiarrheals
• Face masks or coverings
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes
• Latex gloves
• Seven to 10-day supply of your prescriptions
• Antihistamines
• Decongestant
• Calamine lotion
• Adhesive bandages
• Fine-tipped tweezers