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 What is a second wave?
Waves of infection describe the curve of an outbreak, reflecting a
rise and fall in the number of cases. Epidemiologists say there is
no formal definition of a second wave, but they know it when they
see it.
U.S. COVID-19 cases spiked in March and April and then edged down in
response to social-distancing policies aimed at slowing
person-to-person transmission. But unlike several countries in
Europe and Asia, the United States never experienced a dramatic drop
in cases marking the clear end of a first wave. There is now a
plateau of about 20,000 U.S. cases daily.
"You can't talk about a second wave in the summer because we're
still in the first wave. We want to get that first wave down. Then
we'll see if we can keep it there," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.
government's top infectious disease expert, told the Washington Post
last week.
(For a U.S.-focused coronavirus case tracker with a state-by-state
and county map, open
https://tmsnrt.rs/2w7hX9T in an external
browser.)
Overseas human trials
China and Japan have become victims of their own success as slowing
new COVID-19 infections have led to a shortage of patients to enrol
in clinical trials.
With a dearth of domestic patients, Japan may have to rely more on
overseas data and results to aid in regulatory approvals. That
practice is common "if the quality of data is considered to be good
enough", according to health ministry official Yasuyuki Sahara.
China National Biotec Group said it has won approval to run a
large-scale "Phase 3" clinical trial of its novel coronavirus
vaccine candidate in the United Arab Emirates, without naming the
vaccine to be tested.
(The Lifeline Pipeline: the drugs, tests and tactics that may
conquer coronavirus, open https://reut.rs/3bhMUaE in an external
browser)
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Bolsonaro ordered to wear a mask
A Brazilian judge ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a mask in public
after the right-wing populist attended political rallies without one in the
middle of the world's second-worst coronavirus outbreak, ruling that Bolsonaro
was subject to a fine of 2,000 reais ($387) a day if he continued to disobey a
local ordinance in the federal district meant to slow the pandemic.
Brazil has more confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths than anywhere outside the
United States.
(For a global tracker of coronavirus cases, open https://tmsnrt.rs/2W82n73 in an
external browser)
Risky behaviour
Men's world number one tennis player Novak Djovokic has become the fourth player
to contract the virus after playing in his Adria Tour charity tournament in the
Balkan region. The players did not break any government protocols in Serbia or
Croatia with both countries easing lockdown measures weeks before the event.
But it highlighted the risks of athletes from different countries being in close
proximity to one another, which could be a concern for the men's ATP and women's
WTA Tour when they resume the professional circuit in August after five months.
"If someone becomes infected, that's a possibility, if they go out and they put
themselves at a behaviour where their behaviour is risky, they're really taking
on a responsibility of saying what I'm doing is not that important to my fellow
players," said Brian Hainline, chief medical officer for the NCAA, the governing
body of U.S. college sport.
(For Reuters' suite of interactive graphics on the coronavirus, click https://tmsnrt.rs/2GVwIyw)
(Compiled by Karishma Singh; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
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