What you need to know about the coronavirus today

Lessons learned after 10 million cases and 500,000 deaths
The world now has more than 10 million cases of COVID-19 and half a million have died from the illness. In six months battling the disease, doctors have adapted strategies and won knowledge of how to treat patients, including a clearer grasp of side effects and greater understanding of ways to help those struggling to breathe.
Yet much remains unknown. Scientists are only starting to grasp the vast array of health problems the virus causes, such as attacks on many organ systems, making recovery slow, incomplete and costly.
“If the best lesson we’ve learned is to turn patients on to their stomachs instead of their backs, it means we’re far from a miracle cure,” said Valory Wangler, chief medical officer at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services in Gallup, New Mexico, referring to a strategy to relieve pressure on the lungs and stave off mechanical ventilation.

Chinese vaccine trials
China’s military has received the green light to use a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by its research unit and CanSino Biologics after clinical trials proved it was safe and somewhat efficient, the company said on Monday.
The Ad5-nCoV is one of the eight vaccine candidates being developed by Chinese companies and researchers approved to be moved into human trials for the respiratory disease caused by the virus. It has also won approval for human testing in Canada.
China is a major front-runner in the race to develop a vaccine, which must prove its effectiveness in a “Phase 3” human test involving thousands of participants before being cleared for sale.
Reclosing time
California ordered some bars to close on Sunday, the first major rollback of efforts to reopen the economy in the most populous U.S. state as cases nationwide soar to record levels. Governor Gavin Newsom’s order follows Friday’s moves by Texas and Florida to do the same.
Public health officials have identified bars as the riskiest non-essential businesses now open. Consuming alcohol reduces inhibitions, which leads to less mask-wearing and social distancing, health officials warn. Patrons in noisy bars often shout, which scatters droplets wider.
Second-wave fears build in Australia
Australia’s second most populous state said on Monday it is considering reimposing social distancing restrictions after the country reported its biggest one-day rise in new coronavirus infections in more than two months.
Propelled by Victoria state reporting 75 cases, Australia recorded 85 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, its biggest daily outbreak since April 11.
Australia has fared better than many countries in the coronavirus pandemic, with around 7,800 cases and 104 deaths. But the recent surge has stoked fears of a second wave after several weeks of fewer than 20 new cases a day.
Thailand opens its borders to some
Thailand will allow pubs and bars to reopen on Wednesday and plans to let in some foreign travelers after recording five weeks without any community transmission of the coronavirus, a government official said.
Pubs, bars and karaoke venues will be able to operate until midnight as long as they follow safety guidelines such as ensuring two-meter spaces between tables.
Foreigners with work permits, residency and families in Thailand will also be able to enter the country, but will be subject to a 14-day quarantine. Visitors seeking certain types of medical treatment such as some cosmetic surgery or fertility treatment could also be allowed into the country.
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A Reuters Special Report. Into the fog: How Britain lost track of the coronavirus. To tackle the invisible virus, doctors and health specialists first needed to find it. But with few tests, little contact tracing and a government culture of secrecy, they lost sight of the enemy.

Reuters reporters and editors around the world are investigating the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Emerging from lockdown

One in four unemployed gay and trans Brazilians has lost their job recently during the coronavirus outbreak, a survey released on Sunday found, showing the joblessness among LGBT+ Brazilians almost double the nation’s overall rate. Four in 10 LGBT+ people, and more than half of transgender people, said they would not be able to survive without income for more than a month, according to the survey from advocacy group #VoteLGBT.

Police in The Hague said they had detained 37 protesters who ignored a court ban and held a demonstration against social distancing rules imposed to fight the coronavirus outbreak. Around 200 protesters took part in Sunday’s demonstration, far fewer than a week ago when several thousand attended a similar protest. Organizers had called on people to stay home this week in view of Friday’s court ruling that the protest violated restrictions on public gatherings.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britons were significantly fatter than people in most of the rest of Europe, admitting he had lost weight after contracting the novel coronavirus.
Speaking to Times Radio, Johnson said: “I have taken a very libertarian stance on obesity but actually when you look at the numbers, when you look at the pressure on the NHS (National Health Service), compare, I’m afraid this wonderful country of ours to other European countries, we are significantly fatter than most others, apart from the Maltese for some reason. It is an issue.”

French student Yanis Darras is savouring the sound of birdsong around his home, because it may be the last time he hears it for a while. He lives next to Paris’s Orly airport, and since the COVID-19 outbreak forced it to shut, he and fellow residents of the town of Villeneuve-le-Roi have had a welcome break from the sound of screaming aircraft engines.

COVID Science

Italian study shows lower viral load in COVID-19 patients in May than April peak
A small study by researchers in Italy has found that COVID-19 patients who were tested for the novel coronavirus at a hospital there in May had fewer virus particles than those who were tested a month earlier.
The researchers offered some theories for the lower “viral load”, including that lockdown measures may have reduced patients’ exposure to the virus, but their study did not provide evidence to explain their finding.

Scientists just beginning to understand the many health problems caused by COVID-19
Scientists are only starting to grasp the vast array of health problems caused by the novel coronavirus, some of which may have lingering effects on patients and health systems for years to come, according to doctors and infectious disease experts.
Besides the respiratory issues that leave patients gasping for breath, the virus that causes COVID-19 attacks many organ systems, in some cases causing catastrophic damage.