India had another record daily jump in coronavirus cases, while Russia reported a steady increase in its caseload even as it moved to swiftly ease restrictions in sync with the Kremlin’s ambitious political plans.
The developments come as the United States crossed a somber landmark of 100,000 coronavirus fatalities, meaning more Americans have died from the virus than were killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.
South Korea reported its biggest jump in coronavirus cases in more than 50 days, a setback that could erase some of the hard-won gains that have made it a model for the rest of the world.
Here are some of AP’s top stories Thursday on the world’s coronavirus pandemic.
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY:
— Roughly 2.1 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, a sign that companies are still slashing jobs in the face of a deep recession even as more businesses reopen and rehire some laid-off employees. About 41 million people have applied for aid since the virus outbreak intensified in March.
— The coronavirus has taken a gruesome death toll on Italian priests. But with more clergy dying yearly than being ordained even before the pandemic, priests in formation won’t be able to refill the ranks. Instead, they see a crucial opportunity to re-imagine the role of priests.
— Requiring patients to visit a medical office to get an abortion pill is needlessly risking their health during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of physicians allege in a lawsuit that seeks to suspend the federal rule.
— Reporters from The Associated Press have spoken to more than two dozen athletes from around the globe to get a sense of how concerned they are about resuming competition amid the coronavirus pandemic. Most have concerns about testing and potentially bringing the virus home to families.
— Broadcasting was once widely used in Latin America to teach basic math and literacy skills to rural children and adults. Amid the coronavirus lockdown, lessons on radio and TV are making a comeback, especially with the region’s weak internet connectivity.
— Spain’s more than 19,000 nursing home deaths are the most across Europe. It’s led to soul-searching over its elder-care system, particularly public nursing homes operated by private firms that seek to turn profits quickly by cutting staff, expenses and, some say, care to the bone.
— As the coronavirus spreads into indigenous lands in Brazil, a leader of the Kayapo indigenous group tells The Associated Press he wants President Jair Bolsonaro to stop loggers, miners and fishermen from illegally entering the territory, incursions he believes have spread of the virus.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
Here are the symptoms of the virus compared with the common flu.
One of the best ways to prevent spread of the virus is washing your hands with soap and water. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends first washing with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under fingernails before rinsing off.
You should wash your phone, too. Here’s how.
TRACKING THE VIRUS: Drill down and zoom in at the individual county level, and you can access numbers that will show you the situation where you are, and where loved ones or people you’re worried about live.
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ONE NUMBER:
— 14 million: The U.N. World Food Program is warning that at least 14 million people could go hungry in Latin America as the coronavirus pandemic rages on. The new projections represent a startling increase, more than four times the 3.4 million who experienced severe food insecurity in 2019.
— FUTURE OF DINING: Some restaurant owners are seeking to welcome back in-person dining and adhere to social distancing rules. One Parisian restaurant is trying out enclosing each diner at a table in clear plastic shields suspended from the ceiling.
— ONE GOOD THING: If it hadn’t been for Igor Loparic and his charity, many in the northern Croatian Istria region would’ve had a harder time coping with the crisis brought on by the coronavirus.
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