June 1 coronavirus news

By Joshua Berlinger, Adam Renton and Emma Reynolds, CNN

Updated 9:58 PM ET, Mon June 1, 2020
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9:36 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

Queen Elizabeth makes first appearance since coronavirus lockdown

From CNN’s Leona Siaw

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II rides Balmoral Fern, a 14-year-old Fell Pony, in Windsor Home Park, west of London, over the weekend of May 30 and May 31.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II rides Balmoral Fern, a 14-year-old Fell Pony, in Windsor Home Park, west of London, over the weekend of May 30 and May 31. Steve Parsons/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II has been pictured riding a pony on the grounds of Windsor Castle, in her first photographed appearance since the coronavirus lockdown started in the UK.

The 94-year-old Queen has been a passionate horse lover throughout her reign and was photographed over the weekend riding one of her ponies, a 14-year-old Fell Pony called Balmoral Fern. On Sunday, the Royal Family’s verified Twitter page posted photos of the Queen riding.

The Queen has made two televised addresses during the lockdown, the first assuring those in isolation that "we will meet again" and the other to mark VE Day.

9:58 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

US sending hydroxychloroquine and ventilators to Brazil

From CNN’s Jason Hoffman

A pharmacy tech holds a pill of Hydroxychloroquine at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on May 20.
A pharmacy tech holds a pill of Hydroxychloroquine at Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on May 20. George Frey/AFP/Getty Images

The United States has delivered 2 million doses of hydroxychloroquine and will soon send 1,000 ventilators to Brazil, according to a joint statement from both countries.

The statement reads in part, "HCQ will be used as a prophylactic to help defend Brazil’s nurses, doctors, and healthcare professionals against the virus. It will also be used as a therapeutic to treat Brazilians who become infected."

This comes after the World Health Organization announced it has temporarily halted studying hydroxychloroquine as a potential Covid-19 treatment due to safety concerns. The decision was made after an observational study published in the medical journal The Lancet described how seriously ill Covid-19 patients who were treated with hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine were more likely to die.

The US Food and Drug Administration has warned against the use of hydroxychloroquine outside of clinical trials and that there are currently no published studies on using the drug as a prophylaxis, or preventative treatment.

The statement also announces the formation of a joint research effort to help combat coronavirus in the two countries. 

"Further, in continuation of the two countries' longstanding collaboration on health issues, we are also announcing a joint United States-Brazilian research effort that will include randomized controlled clinical trials.”

The US and Brazil are the two countries with the highest confirmed number of coronavirus cases worldwide.

9:57 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

More than 8,000 new coronavirus cases reported in Peru

From CNN’s Claudia Rebaza and Taylor Barnes

A doctor  examines COVID-19 patients at Regional Hospital of Loreto Felipe Arriola Iglesias on May 20 in Iquitos, Peru.
A doctor examines COVID-19 patients at Regional Hospital of Loreto Felipe Arriola Iglesias on May 20 in Iquitos, Peru. STR/Getty Images

The number of coronavirus cases in Peru rose to 164,476 on Sunday, an increase of 8,805 from the previous day, according to the country's health ministry.

The spike follows a trend of increasing new cases in recent days, which have seen Peru go from reporting about 4,000 to more than 7,000 new cases each day.

The country also reported 135 new coronavirus-related fatalities, taking the national death toll to 4,506, according to the ministry.

The capital city of Lima has the largest concentration of infections, according to the health ministry, which reported on Sunday that the city has recorded 100,526 virus cases.

Peru has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in Latin America, behind Brazil.

9:55 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

India's Modi urges caution as country prepares to relax lockdown

From Rishabh Pratap in New Delhi

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi speaks at UN headquarters on September 27, 2019, in New York City.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi speaks at UN headquarters on September 27, 2019, in New York City. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on India's people to be careful and take precautions such as using face masks and maintaining social distancing in public as the country prepares to ease its nationwide lockdown from Monday.

Modi, giving his monthly radio address, praised India's tackling of Covid-19, especially in light of its large population. India is the world's second most populous nation after China.

The country has endured suffering, but everyone is resolved to continue handling it, Modi said.

He also applauded charity groups, including NGOs and volunteer organizations, saying a commitment to serving people in need was part of India's ethos and that the country had displayed this, especially amid the pandemic.

Modi also addressed the migrant crisis that the country has faced amid the nationwide lockdown, saying no section of the country was untouched by the current situation. Migrants, poor people, and laborers are the worst impacted.

Victory over the coronavirus pandemic will also depend on innovation, Modi said. The road to victory over coronavirus is long and the world has not experienced anything like this ever before, he added.

He also mentioned other recent crises to have impacted the nation, including Cyclone Amphan and locust swarms, and promised all possible assistance to those affected.

India's Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a three-phase plan to lift current lockdown restrictions, starting Monday.

9:37 p.m. ET, May 31, 2020

Covid-19 cases continue to decline in Italy, despite loosened restrictions

From CNN's Nicola Ruotolo and Zahid Mahmood

People enjoy a gondola ride on May 30 in Venice, Italy.
People enjoy a gondola ride on May 30 in Venice, Italy. Andrea Pattaro/AFP/Getty Images

Despite four weeks of loosened restrictions, the number of Covid-19 cases in Italy continue to decline.

The number of active cases of coronavirus decreased by more than 1,600 over a 24-hour period, according to figures released by Italy’s Civil Protection Agency on Sunday.

The statement said that there has been a decrease of at least 1,616 cases since Saturday’s figures, bringing the total number to approximately 42,075.

The Covid-19 death toll in the country currently stands at approximately 33,415 – an increase of 75 deaths due to the virus since Saturday, according to the agency.