Global coronavirus death toll exceeds half a million: Live

• China has imposed a strict lockdown on some 500,000 people near Beijing to contain a new coronavirus outbreak.

• Italy has registered the lowest number of daily deaths since March 1.

• Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The respiratory disease has killed almost half a million people in seven months. More than five million have recovered.

Here are the latest updates:

Sunday, June 28

21:00 GMT – Global number of deaths tops half a million 

The global number of reported coronavirus fatalities stands at 500,108, according to figures gathered by Johns Hopkins University in the United States. 

Meanwhile, the total number of infections worldwide stands at 10,063,319.

19:56 GMT – US to extend Texas testing capabilities as long as state leaders want – Pence

US Vice President Pence said the federal government would extend support for coronavirus testing in Texas as long as necessary amid a dangerous surge in new cases, after US health officials had moved to curb some sites in various localities.

Pence said the decision to transition from some federal testing sites was made “several weeks ago,” before the latest rise in COVID-19 cases, telling reporters at a news conference in Dallas: “We’ll be extending that every bit as long as Texas wants us to.” 

“If we don't act, children will die."

Millions of Yemeni children face starvation as aid dries up amid the COVID-19 pandemic, warns UNICEF. pic.twitter.com/RQTqZEGTJd

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 28, 2020

19:54 GMT – South Africa’s surge of virus cases expected to rise rapidly

South Africa’s current surge of COVID-19 cases is expected to dramatically increase in the coming weeks and press the country’s hospitals to the limit, the health minister said.

South Africa, a country of 57 million people, already has more than a third of the reported cases for all 54 countries in Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion people.

More than 4,300 people have been hospitalised out of South Africa’s 138,000 confirmed cases, Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said in a statement. He warned this number is expected to rise quickly.

“We are seeing a rapid rise in the cumulative number of positive COVID-19 cases indicating that, as we had expected, we are approaching a surge during the … months of July and August,” Mkhize said in a statement. 

“It is anticipated that while every province will unfortunately witness an increase in their numbers, areas where there is high economic activity will experience an exponential rise,” said Mkhize, saying that the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban will see the biggest increases.

18:08 GMT – Virus death toll drops to five in NY, once the US epicentre                  

Five people died from the coronavirus in New York state, a death toll Governor Andrew Cuomo called “the lowest number we have had since this started”.

“We are on the exact opposite end,” Cuomo said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press”.

“We have less than 800 people in hospitals – lowest number basically since we started.”

The governor cautioned, however, that the numbers could spike again if New Yorkers let their guard down and fail to follow social distancing and mask-wearing requirements. 

“I’m now afraid of the spread coming from other states because we are one country and people travel,” Cuomo said. “I’m afraid the infection rate in the other states will come back to New York and raise that rate again.”

15:26 GMT – Low turnout expected as France votes in local polls

French people went to the polls wearing face masks in the final round of municipal elections expected to yield a rebuke for President Emmanuel Macron’s party.     

Amid persistent fears of coronavirus contagion, just more than 15 percent of voters had turned out by midday – fewer even than four hours into the first election round on March 15 marked by a record 55 percent abstention rate.     

Polls opened for 12 hours for some 16.5 million eligible voters at 8am (06:00 GMT) in nearly 5,000 cities and towns, about 15 percent of the country’s municipal councils, where the first election round did not yield a decisive outcome.

Power remains up for grabs in the key cities of Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, and Strasbourg.

14:52 GMT – Cases in Florida rise by 8,530 in past 24 hours

The number of cases in Florida increased by 8,530, bringing the total number of infections to 141,075 after a record rise of 9,585 the day before. 

14:16 GMT – UK death toll up 36 to 43,550 fatalities

The United Kingdom’s death toll from confirmed coronavirus cases has risen to 43,550, an increase of 36 from a day earlier, government figures showed.

13:43 GMT – Turkey imposes partial curfew for university exams

Turkey imposed a partial curfew as nationwide university entrance exams were held. 

The curfew started at 9.30am (06:30GMT) and will end at 6:30pm (15:30GMT), according to a statement by the Interior Ministry.

However, students will be allowed to use public transport to reach the exam venue. Also, relatives will be allowed to drop off students.

During the lockdown, bakeries, markets, grocery stores, and butchers will remain open. 

13:35 GMT – Kuwait reports 551 new infections 

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health announced 551 new infections, raising the total number of cases to 44,942. Deaths reached 348 with four additional fatalities.

The Ministry’s spokesman, Abdullah al-Sanad, said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the confirmed cases included patients who had contracted the virus due to mingling with infected people.

Others remained under examination to determine the source of the infection. The 551 infections included 341 Kuwaitis and 210 non-Kuwaitis, al-Sanad said.

13:28 GMT – Indonesian president threatens to reshuffle cabinet over COVID-19 response 

Indonesian President Joko Widodo told his cabinet he is ready to reshuffle ministers or even disband government agencies that he feels have not done enough to fight the coronavirus outbreak, according to his office.

Widodo made the remarks in a cabinet meeting on June 18, the video of which was released by his office on Sunday.

“I see that many of us are working as though things are normal. That’s what’s irritating me. Don’t you have feelings? This is a crisis,” Widodo said in the video.

“I will take any extraordinary measures for our 267 million people, for the nation. It can be disbanding agencies, can be a reshuffle, I have thought of everything,” he said, adding that he may also issue more emergency rules if needed.

Hello, this is Farah Najjar taking over from my colleague Usaid Siddiqui.

12:50 GMT – Greek island to host German doctors for free as flights to resume

The Greek island of Kos will host dozens of German doctors for free from Monday, the tourism ministry said as the country prepared to reopen its regional airports to passenger flights.

The visiting 170 doctors will be hosted for free “in recognition and gratitude for their contribution in combating the coronavirus in Germany”, the Greek tourism ministry said.

Officials from German tour operator TUI will be among the passengers and will meet Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis on the island, the ministry said.

12:40 GMT – Beijing ramps up testing capacity, reaching a third of city’s population so far

Beijing has ramped up coronavirus testing efforts and has tested about a third of the Chinese capital’s population so far, a city official said, as authorities seek to control an outbreak stemming from a wholesale market in mid-June.

As of noon, Beijing had collected 8.29 million patient samples for testing and completed 7.69 million tests, Zhang Qiang, an official from Beijing’s municipal committee, told a news conference.

12:15 GMT – France goes to polls in second round of local elections

People in France are voting in the final round of municipal elections, which are expected to yield a low voter turnout and a rebuke for the party of President Emmanuel Macron.

The opening round was held on March 15, just as the coronavirus pandemic was gaining momentum. The second phase, scheduled for March 22, was postponed after France went into lockdown on March 17.

Read more here.

11:30 GMT – Sri Lanka lifts virus lockdown, says ‘no community spread’

Sri Lanka’s nationwide lockdown has been lifted, one month after a selective curfew was reimposed during a surge in coronavirus infections, the country’s president said.

The island nation imposed the lockdown on March 20 and lifted it gradually over the past two months, although a nighttime curfew remained in place.

It reintroduced tighter restrictions in late May and early June to curb large gatherings for the funeral of a popular government minister and for a religious festival.

10:59 GMT – Philippines has fastest increase in COVID-19 cases: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Philippines had the fastest increase in COVID-19 cases in the Western Pacific region, local media outlets reported.

The announcement prompted the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) to say the WHO should not “cherry-pick” countries for comparison, the Philippine Star said on Facebook. 

According to GMA News Online, between June 16 and 28, the total number of new cases in the Philippines was 9,655, followed by Singapore with 2,610 new cases.

10:35 GMT – South Korea to allow limited number of fans at sports games

South Korea said it will begin allowing limited numbers of spectators at sports games as it seeks to return to normal after months of strict physical distancing rules to combat the coronavirus.

The country endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China but appears to have brought it largely under control with an extensive “trace, test and treat” programme while never imposing a compulsory lockdown.

Social distancing rules were relaxed in early May and some professional sports – including baseball and soccer – started new seasons, albeit behind closed doors.

10:10 GMT – US sanctions, coronavirus make for Iran’s toughest year: Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country is experiencing its toughest year because of US sanctions coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus crisis exacerbated economic problems that had worsened after US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 from Iran’s nuclear deal with major powers and reimposed sanctions.

On Monday, Iran’s rial fell to its lowest ever level against the US dollar.

09:25 GMT – France holds municipal elections postponed by coronavirus 

France is holding the second round of municipal elections in 5,000 towns and cities that was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The voting to fill local offices in Paris and thousands of other places was suspended after the first round of nationwide municipal elections on March 15, which produced decisive outcomes in some 30,000 mostly small communes.

08:58 GMT – Virus-hit Iran to make masks compulsory from next week

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that mask-wearing will be mandatory in certain areas as of next week, and gave virus-hit provinces the green light to reimpose restrictive measures.

Iran has refrained from enforcing full lockdowns, and the use of masks and protective equipment has been optional in most areas.

Mask-wearing would be “obligatory in covered spaces where there are gatherings”, Rouhani said during a televised meeting of the country’s anti-virus taskforce.

08:30 GMT – Half a million in lockdown as Beijing fights new virus cluster

China imposed a strict lockdown on nearly half a million people near the capital to contain a new outbreak on Sunday, as authorities warned it was soon to “relax” over the new cluster of cases.

After China largely brought the coronavirus under control, hundreds were infected in Beijing and cases emerged in neighbouring Hebei province.

Health officials said Sunday that Anxin county – about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Beijing – will be “fully enclosed and controlled”, the same measures imposed at the height of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan.

08:05 GMT – Chinese firm says coronavirus vaccine candidate shows promise in human test

China National Biotec Group (CNBG) said early human test results for a coronavirus vaccine candidate suggested it could be safe and effective, the firm’s second candidate to show encouraging results in a clinical trial.

The experimental drug has induced high-level antibodies in all the inoculated participants in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial involving 1,120 healthy people, according to preliminary data, CNBG said in a post on social media platform WeChat, without disclosing specific readings.

07:35 GMT – Switzerland quarantines 300 in club infection

Swiss authorities say they’ve ordered 300 people into quarantine after a so-called “superspreader” outbreak of the new coronavirus at a Zurich nightclub.

Zurich officials said in a statement that a man who had been at the Flamingo Club a week ago tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, and that five people who were with him had subsequently also tested positive and reported to authorities on Friday.

07:05 GMT – Pakistan producing own ventilators as cases rise

Pakistan’s minister for science and technology says the country has started producing locally designed ventilators, as authorities reported 83 more deaths from the coronavirus.

The announcement comes days after Pakistan said it was racing against time to arrange for 1,500 more ventilators as part of a contingency plan.

Read more here.

06:40 GMT – Worldwide coronavirus infections surpass 10 million: Reuters

Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, a milestone in the spread of the disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months.

06:20 GMT – Czech Republic records highest daily number of new cases since April 8

The daily number of new coronavirus cases in the Czech Republic jumped to 260, the highest since April 8, Health Ministry data showed.

That is nearly triple the 93 recorded on Thursday. In total, the country of 10.7 million has confirmed 11,298 cases, with 347 deaths as of the end of Saturday.

06:00 GMT – AP Interview: Delhi minister says city faces virus challenge

The acting health minister for India’s capital said that New Delhi, epicentre of the country’s outbreak, is facing a major challenge due to a shortage of “trained and experienced” healthcare workers, in an interview with AP news agency

With over 77,000 cases, New Delhi has been hit harder than any other Indian city. Infections had been projected to rise to half a million by the end of July in Delhi, the territory that includes the capital.

As the rate of infections slowed down, the number has been revised to 400,000, and Acting Health Minister Manish Sisodia said he was hopeful that it could be less.

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Hello, this is Usaid Siddiqui taking over from my colleague Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur

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05:15 GMT – NYC St Patrick’s Cathedral to resume indoor mass

St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City will hold its first indoor mass in three months on Sunday, but capacity will be limited to 25 percent and health precautions, including physical distancing, will be in place.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan will celebrate a Sunday mid-morning mass, according to the Archdiocese of New York.

04:09 GMT – Australia’s Victoria mandates coronavirus testing for travellers

Australia’s state of Victoria will enforce coronavirus tests for returning travellers after a sharp spike in infections over the past two weeks, Reuters news agency reported the state premier as saying on Sunday.

The country’s second-most populous state had 49 new cases on Sunday, its highest in more than two months and the 12th consecutive day of double-digit rises. The rest of Australia has seen almost no infections.

Australia’s 7,700 cases and 104 deaths remain well below that of many other nations.

03:53 GMT – UK considers locking down Leicester after COVID-19 spike

The British government is considering imposing a lockdown in the city of Leicester after a surge of coronavirus cases there, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is examining legislation required for the shutdown after it was disclosed that Leicester, a city of around 350,000 people, has had more than 650 new COVID-19 cases in the two weeks to June 16, the newspaper was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

As of Sunday, the UK recorded close to 312,000 cases, with at least 43,600 deaths.

03:18 GMT – Ireland to keep its 14-day quarantine on British travellers

Ireland will maintain a 14-day quarantine for travellers from the British mainland in July even as it plans to ease travel restrictions with some countries, Reuters news agency reported on Sunday, quoting the Sunday Times newspaper.

The memo with the Irish cabinet committee said it was “highly unlikely” that Britain would be included in Ireland’s safe travel list, the report added.

02:57 GMT – Germany’s confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 256 to 193,499

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 256 to 193,499, Reuters news agency reported on Sunday, quoting data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.

The reported death toll rose by three to 8,957.

02:48 GMT – US state of Hawaii to reopen campgrounds

The city of Honolulu has announced that campgrounds will reopen for the first time in three months with limited permits to ensure physical distancing, AP news agency reported.

Honolulu city will issue permits for just over 100 campsites across Oahu. Regular camp rules still apply.

The Bellows Beach campground northeast of Honolulu will remain closed through September 4 for turtle nesting. All the other campgrounds have reopened.

02:00 GMT – South Korea reports spike in cases

South Korea’s new coronavirus infections spiked again on Sunday with 62 new cases, including 40 local infections, raising the total to 12,715, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new tally is higher than the 51 cases reported on Saturday, hitting over 60 for the first time since June 20.

The government reported no additional deaths, the total death toll remaining at 282 – a fatality rate of 2.22 percent. More than 11,300 patients have recovered.

01:25 GMT – China reports 17 new COVID-19 cases, 14 in Beijing

Mainland China on Sunday reported 17 new cases, mostly in the capital Beijing, according to Reuters citing government figures.

The National Health Commission said 17 new infections were confirmed on Saturday, down from 21 a day earlier. In Beijing, 14 new confirmed cases were reported, down from 17 a day earlier.

Since June 11, when Beijing reported its first case in the current outbreak, 311 people in the city of more than 20 million have contracted the virus.

China has at least 83,500 confirmed cases. The country’s death toll stands at 4,634.

01:08 GMT – Mexico reports 4,410 new cases, 602 deaths

Mexico’s health ministry on Saturday reported 4,410 new coronavirus infections and 602 fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 212,802 cases and 26,381 deaths, according to Reuters.

The government has said the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the number of confirmed cases.

00:30 GMT – Serbian defence minister, speaker test positive for coronavirus

The Serbian defence ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday that the defence minister, Aleksandar Vulin, has tested positive for the coronavirus but has no symptoms.

Vulin was part of Serbia’s delegation led by President Aleksandar Vucic that attended a Victory Day parade this week in Moscow. Vucic met face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it was not clear whether Vulin did as well.

Maja Gojkovic, the speaker of Serbia’s parliament, also tested positive, according to the state Tanjug news agency on Saturday. Serbia has so far registered more than 13,500 cases and 265 deaths from COVID-19.

00:10 GMT – Brazil to jointly produce vaccine with Oxford, drug company

The Brazilian government has announced an agreement with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to produce a promising coronavirus vaccine that is undergoing tests.

Brazil’s health ministry said on Saturday that the country will pay $127m and receive material to produce 30.4 million doses in two batches in December and January, which would allow it to quickly start inoculation efforts if the vaccine is certified to be safe and effective.

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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Ted Regencia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For all the key developments from yesterday, June 27, click here.