Summary

  • Indian scientists say the August vaccine deadline - set by the country's medical council - is unrealistic

  • The head of the US drugs regulator has also cast doubt on President Trump's prediction that a vaccine will be ready this year

  • Figures show Latino and African-Americans three times more likely to become infected than white Americans, twice as likely to die

  • New South Wales in Australia is closing its border with neighbouring Victoria to fight a surge there

  • Nearly 240 scientists want the WHO to take the airborne risk more seriously

  • Arts venues in the UK are getting a lifeline from the government to survive

  • Globally there have now been more than 11.4m cases and more than 533,000 people have died

Live Reporting

Edited by Claire Heald

  1. UK throws £1.5bn lifeline to arts venues

    UK theatreGetty Images

    In case you missed the news on Sunday, the government has unveiled a £1.57bn ($1.96bn) package to protect the futures of UK theatres, galleries, museums and other cultural venues.

    It follows several weeks of pressure, with industry leaders warning that many venues were on the brink of collapse.

    Independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues will also be eligible for the new emergency grants and loans.

    The £1.15bn support pot for cultural organisations in England is made up of £880m in grants and £270m of repayable loans.

    The government said the loans would be "issued on generous terms".

    Funding will also go to the devolved administrations - £33m to Northern Ireland, £97m to Scotland and £59m to Wales.

  2. Countries with most Covid-19 deaths

    As India becomes the country with the third-most confirmed cases, which country has the most deaths linked to Covid-19?

    1. United States (129,947)

    2. Brazil (64,867)

    3. UK (44,305)

    4. Italy (34,861)

    5. Mexico (30,869)

    India's total death toll is seventh in the world. But in terms of deaths per million people, it only just features in the top 100. The top five, excluding European micro-states, are:

    1. Belgium (843)

    2. UK (651)

    3. Spain (607)

    4. Italy (577)

    5. Sweden (537)

    Source: Johns Hopkins University/ Worldometers

    NB: Countries have different reporting methods, and different rules, for what they deem as Covid-19 deaths.

  3. Bolivian health minister latest to test positive

    Bolivia"s Health Minister Eidy Roca is seen during a ceremony at the presidential palace in La Paz, Bolivia May 28, 2020Reuters

    Bolivian Health Minister Eidy Roca has tested positive for the virus - the third member of the cabinet to be infected in just four days.

    A statement said she was in stable health and was "strictly complying with safety protocol that includes isolation, medication and care".

    “The fight against the virus continues relentlessly and I wish the minister a speedy recovery to rejoin this battle for the health of Bolivians,” interim President Jeanine Anez said on Twitter.

    Bolivia, a nation of over 11 million people, has around 38,000 confirmed cases.

  4. First NSW-Victoria border closure in a century

    Shaimaa Khalil
    BBC News, Sydney

    This is the first time in a century that the border between New South Wales and Victoria is being closed.

    The decision was made as the number of Covid-19 cases in Victoria continued to grow. Nearly 200 cases were recorded there over the weekend.

    There are about 50 border crossings between the two states. Officials in Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, have put nearly 3,000 people living in nine tower blocks in full lockdown because of a local outbreak.

    Residents have been told not to leave their homes for any reason for the next five days – the time it will take to test everyone in the towers.

    Victoria's Minister for Housing said some of the state's most vulnerable people lived in the tower blocks, and that mental health and drug and alcohol support would be made available.

    A sign in Sydney, New South Wales, earlier this yearGetty Images

    A sign in Sydney, New South Wales, earlier this year

  5. Don't compare virus death toll to Europe: Mexico

    President of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez ObradorGetty Images

    Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has refused to compare coronavirus death tolls with countries in Europe - as Mexico surpassed France as the country with the fifth-highest number of fatalities.

    "The population of Spain and France is smaller than that of Mexico," Lopez Obrador said in a video message on YouTube.

    "For every one who has died in our country, three have died in Spain. We cannot compare this," he said.

    Mexico has 30,639 deaths - just ahead of France with 29,896 and Spain with 28,385.

  6. Global cases per capita

    Although India has the third-highest number of confirmed cases in the world, it also has the second highest population in the world, at over 1.3bn.

    In terms of confirmed cases per one million people, the worst-affected countries (excluding European micro-states) are:

    1. Qatar (35,543)

    2. Bahrain (17,260)

    3. Chile (15,458)

    4. Kuwait (11,693)

    5. Armenia (9,653)

    6. Peru (9,180)

    7. Oman (9,042)

    8. USA (9,011)

    9. Panama (8,840)

    10. Singapore (7,657)

    Currently, India does not make the top 100 for cases per million people.

    (Source: Worldometers)

  7. Fujitsu announces permanent work-from-home plan

    The logo of Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company Fujitsu is seen on a skyscraper in Munich.Getty Images

    Technology firm Fujitsu has said it will halve its office space in Japan as it adapts to the "new normal" of the coronavirus pandemic.

    It says the "Work Life Shift" programme will offer unprecedented flexibility to its 80,000 workers in the country.

    Staff will be able to work flexible hours, and working from home will be standard wherever possible.

    The announcement follows a similar announcement in May from social media platform Twitter.

  8. New South Wales - Victoria border to close

    Woman in mask, MelbourneGetty Images

    The border between Australia's two most populous states - Victoria and New South Wales - is to close after a spike in Covid-19 cases in Melbourne.

    The outbreak in Victoria's capital has seen hundreds of cases in the past two weeks - more than 95% of new Australian infections.

    Until now, the two states had maintained open borders even when others had shut them.

    The closure, beginning on Wednesday, will restrict travel to permit holders.

    Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews said it was a joint decision with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

  9. India now has third-most confirmed cases

    State governments in India confirmed almost 25,000 cases on Sunday, taking the national total to 697,887 since the outbreak began.

    That means it has overtaken Russia as the third most-affected country in terms of confirmed infections:

    1. USA (2,888,885 cases)

    2. Brazil (1,603,055)

    3. India (697,887)

    4. Russia (680,203)

    5. Peru (302,718)

    6. Chile (295,532)

    7. UK (286,931)

    8. Mexico (256,848)

    9. Spain (250,545)

    10. Italy (241,611)

    (Source: Johns Hopkins University / Indian state data)

    Indians in masksGetty Images

  10. Hello and welcome

    Welcome back to our rolling coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today's headlines:

    • India now has the third-highest number of confirmed cases in the world, overtaking Russia
    • The country confirmed almost 25,000 cases on Sunday, according to state government data, taking the national total to almost 700,000 since the outbreak began
    • For the first time in a century, the border between New South Wales and Victoria in Australia is being closed, because of an outbreak in Victoria
    • The UK government announces a £1.57bn ($1.96bn) package to protect theatres, galleries, museums and other cultural venues
    • Globally, there have been 11.4m confirmed cases since the outbreak began, with 534,000 deaths linked to Covid-19