Forty-four cases recovered. Each and every one of the 44 people in Hawkes's Bay to contract Covid-19 have beaten the virus. HBDHB leaders are cautiously optimistic. Video Warren Buckland.
A top health expert is warning that the world is still in the very middle of the coronavirus outbreak, dampening hopes for a speedy global economic rebound and renewed international travel.
"Right now, we're not in the second wave. We're right in the middle of the first wave globally," said Dr Mike Ryan, the World Health Organisation's executive director.
"We're still very much in a phase where the disease is actually on the way up," Ryan said, pointing to South America, South Asia and other parts of the world.
A worker from Bidvest Prestige wearing protective gear, sprays disinfectant in a classroom to help reduce the spread the new coronavirus in South Africa. Photo / AP
India, with a population of over 1.3 billion, saw a record single-day jump in new cases for the seventh straight day. It reported 6535 new infections on Tuesday, raising its total to over 145,000, including close to 4200 deaths.
The virus has taken hold in some of the country's poorest, most densely populated areas, underscoring the challenges authorities face in trying to contain a virus for which no vaccine or cure has yet to be developed.
Despite this, India allowed domestic flights to resume Monday following a two-month hiatus, but at a fraction of normal traffic levels.
In Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro has raged against state and local leaders enforcing stay-at-home measures, the WHO warned that before reopening the economy, authorities must have enough testing in place to control the spread of the virus.
Brazil has 375,000 coronavirus infections – second only to the 1.6 million cases in the US – and has counted over 23,000 deaths, but many fear Brazil's true toll is much higher.
Ryan said Brazil's "intense" transmission rates means it should keep some stay- at-home measures in place, regardless of the damage to the economy.
"You must continue to do everything you can."
But Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria has ruled out a full lockdown in Brazil's largest state economy and plans to start loosening restrictions on June 1.
Russia reported a record one-day spike Tuesday of 174 deaths, bringing the country's confirmed death toll to over 3,800. Photo / Getty
In Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the postponed military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the allied victory in World War II will take place on June 24. Victory Day has become the most important holiday in Russia, marked every year on May 9 with a show of armed might in Red Square.
Putin said the country has passed the peak of the outbreak.
Russia reported a record one-day spike Tuesday of 174 deaths, bringing the country's confirmed death toll to over 3800. Russia's coronavirus caseload surpassed 360,000 – the third-highest in the world – with almost 9000 new infections registered.
The country's comparatively low mortality rate has raised questions among experts. Russian officials vehemently deny manipulating any figures and attribute the low numbers to the effectiveness of the country's lockdowns.
Worldwide, the virus has infected 5.5 million people, killing about 350,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Europe has had about 170,000 deaths and the US has seen nearly 100,000. Experts say the tally understates the true toll of the disaster.
