Around 3,256,846 people around the world have now been infected by the virus, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll stands at 233,388.
Here are the top 10 global developments this morning:
1. The United States recorded more than 2,000 coronavirus deaths in a 24-hour period for the third day running, according to the latest tally by Johns Hopkins University.
2. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was confident the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology lab, but declined to describe the evidence, ratcheting up tensions with Beijing over the origins of the deadly outbreak.
3. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin tested positive for Covid-19 and will self-isolate.
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4. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed to Thursday’s announcement “that there was no new case in the Republic of Korea.”
5. The United Nations chief said he hopes many countries in the world will follow the “remarkable example” of South Korea, which he said has been “extremely successful” in addressing the coronavirus pandemic and is planning to tackle climate change in its recovery from COVID-19.
6. China reported 12 new coronavirus cases for April 30, up from four a day earlier, data from the country’s health authority showed on Friday
7. Puerto Rico is taking its first tentative steps in relaxing a nearly two-month lockdown for the coronavirus pandemic, while health experts warn that the US territory is relying on faulty statistics and has not yet seen its peak of cases.
8. Beijing will open public parks to visitors over the five-day May 1 holiday but at 30% capacity as coronavirus cases subside in the country.
9. A New York City funeral home that resorted to storing dozens of bodies on ice in rented trucks after it was overwhelmed by coronavirus deaths is being investigated by state officials.
10. Amazon.com Inc on Thursday said it could post its first quarterly loss in five years even as revenue surges because it is spending at least $4 billion in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including plans to test its workforce for COVID-19.