As of 8 am, June 12, 2020:

World count: 7,487,676 cases, 3,523,386 recoveries, 420,236 deaths

There are now 7,487,676 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 worldwide. The United States has the highest number of coronavirus cases, with 2,062,704 infections, followed by Brazil (805,649) and Russia (502,43). 

There have been 420,236 deaths from the coronavirus all over the globe since the pandemic began. The US has the highest number of deaths in the world, with 115,441 fatalities from Covid-19, followed by the United Kingdom (41,279) and Brazil (41,058).

3,523,386 people worldwide have recovered from the coronavirus.

Singapore: 422 additional cases, 754 more discharged, 3 new infection clusters

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on June 11 that there are 422 new Covid-19 cases in the country. Singapore now has a total of 39,387 confirmed cases, with an additional 754 discharged from hospital. A total of 27,286 individuals have recovered, and 25 have died.

The country also has 5 new community cases and 3 new infection clusters,  in dormitories located at 9 Sungei Kadut Street 3, 113 Tuas View Walk 1 and 19A Tech Park Crescent. Of the coronavirus cases in Singapore, 227 are still in hospital, with 2 in critical condition, while 11,849 are in community facilities.

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Food industry asked to take responsibility for obesity’s role in coronavirus pandemic

A new study from Queen Mary University in London, says that the food industry should share the blame for the gravity and the consequences of the coronavirus, as the connection between obesity and serious illness and death has been observed in confirmed cases. Overweight people have a 44 percent greater risk of critical illness, as well as a 22 percent greater risk of death. For those who are obese, these numbers double. Obesity also has a negative effect on immune responses and lung function. 

“The Covid-19 outbreak seems to be yet one more health problem exacerbated by the obesity pandemic. The food industry has launched campaigns and corporate social responsibility initiatives, often with the thinly veiled tactics using the outbreak as a marketing opportunity,” according to the authors of the study. 

People getting more sleep during pandemic

Researchers from two studies say that individuals in Europe and the United States are getting more sleep during the coronavirus pandemic than at other times. One study highlighted that people in Europe are getting a quarter of an hour longer in bed, on average. The other study showed that students were going to bed later but sleeping in more. However, one study showed that the quality fo sleep has not improved, and researchers from that study proposed an increase in the amount of exercise people are getting.

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Moderna to begin phase 3 of Covid-19 vaccine trial in July

The final phase of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine trial is set to begin next month, with participants receiving 100 micrograms of the vaccine candidate, “the optimal dose level to maximize the immune response while minimizing adverse reactions.” This phase will be carried out together with the US National Institutes of Health.  The company is preparing to manufacture 500 million to a billion doses per year starting from 2021.

Airline industry may take years to fully recover

According to the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Stephen Dickson, said that the industry’s full recovery could take years instead of months. “We continue to work very effectively even in this Covid environment with Boeing. … we continue to work through all of the issues. The next big milestone is a certification flight. We don’t have everything accomplished” to be ready for this, Mr Dickson said.

WHO: Covid-19 cases in Africa double in less than 20 days

The World Health Organization said that the number of coronavirus infections in Africa has doubled in less than 20 days and that the continent is suffering from of a lack of test kits. According to WHO Africa director Matshidiso Moeti, “It took 98 days to reach the first 100,000 cases and only 19 days to move to 200,000 cases, so even though these cases in Africa account for less than 3% of the global total, it’s clear that the pandemic is accelerating.” To date, Africa has over 200,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 5,000 deaths.

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Until there’s a vaccine, more cases are to be expected “with some hotspots having to be managed in a number of countries, as is happening now in South Africa, in Algeria, in Cameroon for example, which really require very strong measures, public health measures, social distancing measures to take place.’’ —/TISG

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