Coronavirus live news: US buys nearly all global remdesivir stocks as Brazil deaths near 60,000

Three asylum seekers at camp near US border test positive for coronavirus; UN asks for nearly $10bn in aid for Syria; Greece faces ‘huge difficulties’ when flights resume. Follow the latest updatesFauci says new US coronavirus cases could hit 100,000 a dayUS buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug remdesivirJacinda Ardern decries ‘dangerous’ calls to reopen New Zealand bordersWorld map: which countries have the most cases and deaths? 2.53am BST As we reported earlier, news emerged overnight that the US has bought up all supply of the drug remdesivir for the next three months. The drug has shown some promise in helping Covid-19 patients recover faster from Covid-19, and is manufactured by US pharmaceutical giant Gilead.The Guardian’s UK health reporter Sarah Boseley wrote that “Experts and campaigners are alarmed both by the US unilateral action on remdesivir and the wider implications, for instance in the event of a vaccine becoming available. The Trump administration has already shown that it is prepared to outbid and outmanoeuvre all other countries to secure the medical supplies it needs for the US”.Guardian Australia has asked the federal health minister Greg Hunt about whether he is concerned about the US buying up supply, and whether Australia has enough of the drug in its national medical stockpile to manage in the meantime. A spokesman said he will provide a response this afternoon.Associate Professor Alice Motion from the school of chemistry the University of Sydney, who works as part of open source drug discovery projects including the Breaking Goodcitizen science project. She said the actions of the US are a “real concern”.“We would want to make sure something like this isn’t possible for a vaccine,” Associate Professor Motion said. 2.20am BST Charlotte Graham-McLay reports for the Guardian:New Zealand has reported a second consecutive day of no new cases of Covid-19, according to health officials. There are 22 active cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand, all of them travelers returning to the country. There is no known community transmission of the virus in New Zealand. Of those sufferers, 21 remain in government-run quarantine, which is a compulsory for all travelers entering the country. One is in a stable condition in Auckland City Hospital. Only New Zealanders and their families, along with certain essential workers, are permitted to enter the country. They must spend two weeks in quarantine, where they are tested twice for the coronavirus. New Zealand has recorded 1,178 cases of Covid-19, and 22 deaths. Last month the country reported a streak of 24 straight days without a fresh diagnosed instance of the virus before the number of New Zealanders returning from abroad began to grow. Continue reading…
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