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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continued coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I am Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) is asking for more funding to accelerate vaccine development for some seven to eight “top” candidates, according to the head of the UN agency. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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More than 80,000 people are known to have died in the United States from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Globally, almost 285,500 have died.
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Russia will begin easing coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, despite reporting a record number of cases the day before.
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France and Spain, two of the countries most affected by the pandemic in Europe, are gradually easing the restrictions they imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Here are the latest updates.
Tuesday May 12
03:10 GMT – Governments urged to ensure the health and safety of frontline nurses
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the International Council of Nurses urge governments to commit to ensuring the protection and safety of nurses and other health workers, especially in resource-poor settings, disasters and conflicts.
Organizations say the health and safety of health workers is vital to a “competent” medical response during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The pandemic has seen front-line nurses correctly recognized as heroes, but they are also common mothers and fathers with their own families to protect,” said International Council of Nurses President Annette Kennedy in a joint statement issued by the organizations. “They deserve to be able to work without fear, either because of a lack of PPE or because of harassment and attack.”
We have previously reported on the stigma faced by medical workers in the Philippines. Read that story here. May 12 is International Nurses Day.
Health workers put on protective clothing before treating patients at a COVID-19 isolation center in Manila. Some nurses and doctors in the country say they have been abused or forced to leave their homes as a result of their work. [Ezra Acayan/Getty Images]
02:55 GMT – Trump leaves the press conference after a ‘racist’ exchange
United States President Donald Trump abruptly ended Monday’s coronavirus briefing after an irritating exchange with an Asian-American reporter who was denounced by various observers, including other journalists, as “racist.”
CBS News television journalist Weijia Jiang asked Trump why he continued to insist that the United States was doing better than other countries when it came to detecting the virus.
His response was to tell him that it was a question he should ask China.
Read more about the exchange and the reactions to it here.
.@kaitlancollins allowed me to ask a follow-up question after the president called her, and then @Yamiche deferred to Kaitlin. I am lucky to work with them. https://t.co/aG1F3xYIQO
– Weijia Jiang (@weijia) May 12, 2020
02:40 GMT – ‘Catastrophic failure’: Oxfam’s verdict on efforts to forge a global ceasefire
Attempts by the international community to forge a global ceasefire to help curb the spread of the coronavirus have been a “catastrophic failure,” Oxfam International said in a new report released Tuesday.
Oxfam said The fight continues in many conflict-torn countries despite a March call by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for warring parties to lay down their weapons.
“We expected the leadership of the Council, as well as many of those countries that claim to support a ceasefire, but who nevertheless remain active participants in conflicts around the world, conducting military operations, selling weapons, and supporting third parties.” , said Oxfam Acting Executive Director Jose Maria Vera.
Read more about that story here.
02:20 GMT – Iran to reopen mosques from Tuesday for certain nights in Ramadan
All mosques in Iran must temporarily reopen on Tuesday, the official IRIB news agency reported.
The decision was made in consultation with the health ministry, IRIB said quoting Mohammad Qomi, director of the Islamic Development Organization.
Qomi later said on Monday that the mosques would only be open for three days to commemorate specific nights during Ramadan and it was unclear if they would remain open, according to the Fars news agency.
The move comes despite some parts of the country seeing an increase in infections.
02:00 GMT: Indonesians receive rice rations from automatic dispenser
Indonesia is launching “rice ATMs” in a bid to ensure that those most affected by the coronavirus outbreak can get the food they need to survive.
Vending machines are pPacked with good quality rice servings and operated by magnetic cards.
“Every day we prepare 1.5 tons (of rice)
) for about 1,000 residents, “Ibrahim, an army officer who oversees distribution at a military camp on the outskirts of Jakarta, told Reuters.” We will continue to do so every day, without rest, even on weekends, we will distribute without stopping. “
Ten machines have been installed in the capital with daily wage earners, the unemployed, those without a home and people living below the poverty line who are eligible for the rations.
A man picks up his ration of rice from an automatic dispenser in Jakarta last week. [Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters]
01:45 GMT – UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson forced to clear up confusing closure measures
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to clarify his government’s plans to ease blockade measures in the UK after a prerecorded speech on Sunday night that caused confusion. chaos and parody.
More about that story here.
And the parody, courtesy of comedian and actor Matt Lucas, and now viewed millions of times, below.
– realmattlucas (@RealMattLucas) May 10, 2020
00:30 GMT – Seven or eight “top” vaccine candidates: WHO chief
The head of the World Health Organization says there are about seven or eight “top” candidates for a coronavirus-fighting vaccine and his work is accelerating.
WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus said in a video briefing by the UN Economic and Social Council on Monday that the effort to find a vaccine had been helped by the 7.4 billion euros ($ 8 billion) promised a week by leaders from 40 countries, organizations and banks for research, treatment and testing.
But he added that more funds would be needed.
“We have good candidates now,” said Tedros. “The best ones are around seven, eight. But we have over a hundred candidates. “
“We are focusing on the few candidates we have that can bring better results and accelerate candidates with better potential,” he said.
Tedros did not identify the main candidates.
00:05 GMT – Trump insists his administration has ‘met the moment’ in coronavirus testing
United States President Donald Trump insists that his administration has “met the moment” and “prevailed” on coronavirus testing.
Speaking in the Rose Garden at the White House, Trump reiterated that anyone who wants proof can get it, though officials later clarified that to everyone who “needs” proof.
The White House has ordered everyone entering the West Wing to wear a mask, after two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed among staff.
23:55 GMT (Monday) – Gyms, hair salons in Brazil declared ‘essential’ services
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stated that gyms and beauty and hair salons are “essential” services that allow them to remain open despite the blockade of the coronavirus.
Right-wing Bolsonaro has openly opposed blockades imposed by state and municipal governments across Brazil despite the increasing number of cases and deaths.
“The question of life must be taken in parallel with jobs,” Bolsonaro said Monday in front of his official residence. “Without the economy, there is no life, there are no doctors, there are no hospital supplies.”
Read all the updates from yesterday (May 11) here.
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