WHO sees ‘upticks’ in cases amid reopening; global deaths cross 390,000

As the global death toll of Covid-19 surpasses 390,000, the spread of the virus continues to accelerate in parts of Latin America and Eastern Europe, according to the World Health Organization. Daily new confirmed cases are pushing new highs, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with an all-time high of 130,400 new cases confirmed around the world on Wednesday.  In the U.S., cases have been on a gradual rise since Memorial Day weekend, a CNBC analysis of Hopkins data shows. The country is nonetheless pushing forward with reopening. Some of the largest Las Vegas casinos reopened on Thursday, and New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, is slated to move into its first phase of reopening on Monday. This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks. Global cases: More than 6.65 millionGlobal deaths: At least 391,588U.S. cases: More than 1.87 millionU.S. deaths: At least 108,211The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.U.S. already produced 2 million vaccine doses, Trump says11:37 a.m. ET — The U.S. produced 2 million coronavirus vaccine doses that are “ready to go” once scientists figure out whether it is safe and effective, President Donald Trump announced from the White House. The Trump administration has selected five companies as the most likely candidates to produce a vaccine for the coronavirus, according to the New York Times. Trump didn’t say Friday which ones have started vaccine production. The U.S. government has been working with biotech firm Moderna on a potential vaccine. The company expects to begin a late-stage trial in July. —Berkeley Lovelace, Jr.Dow rallies more than 700 points after record surge in U.S. jobsApple is reportedly giving coronavirus tests to staff as they return to the officeClose-up of blue logo on sign with facade of headquarters buildings in background near the headquarters of Apple Computers in the Silicon Valley, Cupertino, California, August 26, 2018.Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images9:32 a.m. ET — Apple is offering employees Covid-19 nasal swab tests as they return to work, according to a Bloomberg report which cited people familiar with the process.Employees will also have their temperature taken and they’ll be required to wear masks around the office, the report stated.Apple reportedly intends to keep many of its break-room kitchens closed and it will limit the number of people gathering in confined spaces like elevators.Apple is one of the first big tech firms to start bringing employees back to the office and the company’s approach contrasts with other Silicon Valley firms like Google, Facebook and Twitter. —Sam SheadBlood pressure drugs linked to lower Covid-19 mortality, study shows9:21 a.m. ET — A new study revealed that widely used drugs to control high blood pressure may help protect against severe Covid-19. Overall, coronavirus patients with high blood pressure have an increased risk of death and a higher likelihood of needing mechanical ventilation, researchers in the European Heart Journal reported. The study found patients taking any type of blood pressure drug had a lower risk of death from the virus than those who were not taking any medicine for hypertension. The evidence so far is from observational studies rather than randomized trials.”We were quite surprised that these results did not support our initial hypothesis; in fact, the results were in the opposite direction, with a trend in favor of ACE inhibitors and ARBs,” said coauthor Fei Li of Xijing Hospital in Xi’an, China. —Suzanne BlakeMay unemployment rate comes in at 13.3%, better than the 19.5% expected8:45 a.m. ET — The jobless rate declined to 13.3%, according to data from the Labor Department, far better than economists were expecting and indicated that an economic turnaround could be close at hand.Employment stunningly rose by 2.5 million in May, by far the biggest one-month jobs gain in U.S. history since at least 1939. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting payrolls to drop by 8.333 million and the unemployment rate to rise to 19.5% from April’s 14.7%. Read a full report on the U.S. jobless rate from CNBC’s Jeff Cox. —Melodie WarnerSpain set to relax lockdown measures in Madrid and Barcelona Monday8:10 a.m. ET — Spain’s Health Minister Salvador Illa told a news conference that lockdown measures in the cities of Madrid and Barcelona will be scaled back starting next week.People will be allowed to eat and drink inside bars and restaurants starting Monday, with children able to play outside at any time of day.Currently customers of bars and restaurants in the two major cities are only able to eat and drink on outdoor terraces, and children’s playtime is restricted to dedicated slots.More than 240,000 people in Spain have contracted the coronavirus, with 27,133 dying of Covid-19 so far, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Spain has recorded the fifth-highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide, behind the U.S., Brazil, Russia and the U.K. — Sam MeredithWill likely take weeks to observe rise in cases from protests, former FDA chief says7:30 a.m. ET — There is “no question” that the coronavirus will spread among the George Floyd protesters filling the streets in cities across the U.S., but it will take a number of weeks to detect an uptick in cases, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said. “It’s still a little early to see the impact. You probably want to wait two weeks and a couple replication cycles, or maybe three replications cycles, before you see it,” he said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “It’s a younger crowd, more likely to have asymptomatic illness, so if it starts chains of transmission it’s going to take time for those chains to grow into the kinds of numbers where you could detect it.”The U.S. is already beginning to see an uptick since about Memorial Day weekend, when some states eased restrictions on businesses and outdoor areas like beaches. Some states still have an “expanding epidemic,” Gottlieb said, adding that we’ll have to wait and see what the impact of the protests will be.”There will be cases coming out of it. There’s no question about it,” he said. “Whether or not we see an epidemic in these states, that’s harder to tell.” —Will FeuerDisclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina.WHO sees ‘upticks’ in countries around the worldGravediggers carry the coffin of Avelino Fernandes Filho, 74, during his funeral who passed away from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 18, 2020.Ricardo Moraes | Reuters6:56 a.m. ET — Countries around the world that have eased restrictions meant to curb the spread of the virus have begun to see upticks in infections, the World Health Organization said.”On upticks, yes we have seen in countries around the world — I’m not talking specifically about Europe — when the lockdowns ease, when the social distancing measures ease, people sometimes interpret this as ‘OK, it’s over’,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a U.N. briefing in Geneva, according to Reuters.”It’s not over,” she said, according to Reuters. She added that U.S. protesters should take precautions when gathering. “It’s not over until there is no virus anywhere in the world.” —Will FeuerRead CNBC’s previous coronavirus live coverage here: Brazil’s death toll surpasses Italy’s, Lancet retracts hydroxychloroquine study


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