Over 400,000 People Around The Globe Have Now Died From COVID-19; China Defends Its Early Response

The Associated Press: World Reaches 400,000 Virus Deaths As Pope Urges Caution
The confirmed global death toll from the COVID-19 virus reached at least 400,000 fatalities on Sunday, a day after the government of Brazil broke with standard public health protocols by ceasing to publish updates of the number of deaths and infections in the hard-hit South American country. Worldwide, at least 6.9 million people have been infected by the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University, whose aggregated tally has become the main worldwide reference for monitoring the disease. (Wilson, 6/7)

Reuters: 'It's Not Over': COVID-19 Cases Rise In Some Nations Easing Lockdowns: WHO
Some countries have seen “upticks” in COVID-19 cases as lockdowns ease, and populations must protect themselves from the coronavirus while authorities continue testing, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. The epicentre of the pandemic is currently in countries of Central, South and North America, particularly the United States, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said. (6/5)

The New York Times: China Hails Its Virus Triumphs, And Glosses Over Its Mistakes
Under continued fire for its early mishandling of the coronavirus, the Chinese government vigorously defended its actions in a new, detailed account on Sunday that portrays the country’s approach to combating the outbreak as a model for the world. Calling the epidemic a “test of fire,” Beijing builds a comprehensive picture of its “painstaking efforts” to identify the virus, stop its spread and warn other countries — a narrative that discounts and ignores missteps by the government at the outset of the outbreak. (Bradsher, 6/7)

The Associated Press: China Defends Its Coronavirus Response In New Report
China “wasted no time” in sharing information such as the genome sequence for the new virus with the World Health Organization as well as relevant countries and regional organizations, according to the report. An Associated Press investigation found that government labs sat on releasing the genetic map of the virus for more than a week in January, delaying its identification in a third country and the sharing of information needed to develop tests, drugs and a vaccine. (Moritsugu, 6/8)

The New York Times: China Vowed To Keep Wildlife Off The Menu, A Tough Promise To Keep 
Bamboo rats lifted Mao Zuqin out of poverty. Now, because of the coronavirus pandemic, poverty threatens again. Mr. Mao has over the past five years built a viable farm in southern China with 1,100 bamboo rats, a chubby, edible rodent that is a delicacy in the region. Then, in February, China’s government suspended the sale and consumption of wildlife, farmed or captured, abruptly freezing a trade identified as the likely source of the outbreak. He still has to feed them, though, and has no way to cover his costs or his investments. (Myers, 6/7)

The Associated Press: Brazil Expunges Virus Death Toll As Data Befuddles Experts
Brazil’s government has stopped publishing a running total of coronavirus deaths and infections in an extraordinary move that critics call an attempt to hide the true toll of the disease in Latin America’s largest nation. Saturday’s move came after months of criticism from experts that Brazil’s statistics are woefully deficient, and in some cases manipulated, so it may never be possible to understand the depth of the pandemic in the country. (Jeantet, 6/7)

The Washington Post: As Coronavirus Deaths In Brazil Surge, Bolsonaro Limits The Release Of Data
As Brazil posts some of the highest daily coronavirus death totals in the world, President Jair Bolsonaro is reducing the amount of data his government is releasing to the public. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the country’s Health Ministry has maintained detailed and robust data on the spread and reach of the disease that has now officially infected more than 672,000 people here and killed nearly 36,000. But that information disappeared from a government website on Saturday, to be replaced by a daily tally that shows only the numbers from the previous 24 hours. (McCoy, 6/7)

The Associated Press: Personal Mobility Machine Needs No Help At Tokyo Airport
An autonomous mobility system that works like a wheelchair without anyone pushing it is scuttling around a Tokyo airport to help with social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. The personal mobility machine seats one person and runs on its own without crashing, even when people jump out unexpectedly, for about 600 meters (660 yards) on a pre-programmed route at Haneda International Airport, WHILL, the company behind the technology, said Monday. (Kageyama, 6/8)

The Associated Press: With Recovery Of Last Case, New Zealand Has Eradicated Virus
New Zealand appears to have completely eradicated the coronavirus — at least for now — after health officials said Monday the last known infected person had recovered. The announcement was greeted with joy around the country and means the nation of 5 million people will be among the first to welcome throngs of fans back into sports stadiums, embrace crowded concerts and remove seating restrictions from flights. (Perry, 6/8)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus In Winter: Southern Hemisphere Braces To See How Virus Behaves In Colder Months
As countries in the Northern Hemisphere tilt into summer and emerge from months-long coronavirus shutdowns, winter arrives this month in subtropical parts of the Southern Hemisphere — and with it increased concern for the virus's spread. Studies of how the novel coronavirus behaves from season to season are still in their early stages. Preliminary results show that temperature and other climatic factors have less impact on its spread than social behavior and the accompanying restrictions that governments put in place. (Patrick and Bearak, 6/6)