May 18 coronavirus news

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed support for the World Health Organization and called for equal access to any vaccine for coronavirus, while speaking in a pre-recorded statement played out at the World Health Organisation’s 73rd World Health Assembly.

"If we do discover a vaccine against Covid-19, it will be a global public good, and everyone must have access to it," Macron said. He called this a question of effectiveness as well as of principle. "Human health cannot be quarreled over, cannot be appropriated, and cannot be bought and sold," he continued.

"We need a strong WHO to tackle Covid-19, and the WHO is us, its member states," Macron added.

Merkel urges unity: Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the coronavirus pandemic "a global crisis" and urged international cooperation to defeat it, in a speech at the WHO’s World Health Assembly on Monday.

"We are experiencing a global crisis with hundreds of thousands of people who have been infected, and affected with social and economic consequences that show that virtually no country has been spared by this pandemic," Merkel said.

"So no country can solve this problem alone," she added. "We must work together."

Merkel voiced her support for the World Health Organization, calling it "legitimate," and said its financing needed to be "sustainable."

"I am convinced we will be able to overcome this pandemic when we work together," she added.

Loss of sense of smell or taste have been added to the official list of coronavirus symptoms in the UK, the Department of Health and Social Care said Monday.

A government statement said "from today all individuals should self-isolate if they develop a new continuous cough or fever or anosmia."

Anosmia refers to the loss of or changes in a person's sense of smell. According to the department of health, "it can also affect your sense of taste as the two are closely linked."

The Chief Medical Officers for the four nations of the United Kingdom endorsed this expansion of symptoms, saying that they "have been closely monitoring the emerging data and evidence on Covid-19 and, after thorough consideration… are now confident enough to recommend this new measure," the statement said.

Anosmia emerged as a potential Covid-19 symptom in March, when doctors in the United States called for it to be added to the "list of screening tools" for Covid-19.

Around the same time, ENT UK, a professional organization representing UK ear, nose and throat surgeons, said in a statement on its website that anosmia could be another symptom of infection with the virus.

Up to 70,000 cases could have been undiagnosed: The announcement comes after the head of the UK’s coronavirus symptom app, Professor Tim Spector, criticized the government’s failure to expand their list of symptoms. Spector estimated that an additional 50,000-70,000 cases in the UK have gone undiagnosed due to the lack of recognition of other symptoms such as anosmia.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro joined a large rally outside his official residence, the Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia on Sunday to greet supporters, according to video posted on his official social media accounts.

Video streamed on Bolsonaro's YouTube page showed him wearing a face mask while walking close to a large crowd. At least four ministers accompanied Bolsonaro as he shook hands with those in the crowd and even carried several children in his arms. 

Bolsonaro addressed the media during the rally, saying "it is very gratifying, honorable for me, for my cabinet, to receive a demonstration of support in this sense."

"We will be able to change the fate of Brazil, despite this crisis that has been affecting the whole world," Bolsonaro added.

Shortly after the rally, Bolsonaro welcomed a group of men wearing military outfits at the Presidential Palace. The men said they were paratroopers from the Brazilian army, and wanted to show support for Bolsonaro.

The group said a prayer for Brazil, at one point shouting "Bolsonaro is us." They also did several rounds of push-ups with the Brazilian President.

The demonstration took place just hours after Sao Paulo's mayor, Bruno Covas, warned that his city's health system is on the brink of collapse due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The country's Ministry of Health has so far reported 241,080 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 16,118 deaths.

Brazil has the fourth-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University in the US. The latest spike in cases pushed Brazil's count past Spain and Italy.

Clubs in Spain’s top two soccer divisions can begin training in groups of up to 10 players from today, La Liga has announced.

The return to group training follows a government announcement on Saturday allowing professional sports clubs to return to activities, regardless of the status of the lockdown in their own region.

Previously, only teams from regions that were in "Phase One" of the de-escalation were permitted to train in groups.

Major clubs can return to training: The announcement means the likes of Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will be able to train in groups of 10, despite both the Madrid and the Barcelona metropolitan areas remaining in "Phase Zero" of Spain's lockdown.

"It's very important that every club has the same chance to be in good shape. It’s not essential, but it’s very important and we’re grateful that it will be like that," La Liga President Javier Tebas told Movistar TV on Sunday.

Move to second phase: Once "Phase One" has been successfully implemented, "Phase Two" will allow clubs to move to full training, before resuming matches without spectators in stadiums – a decision which must first be approved by the government's department for health.

All professional soccer in the country has been indefinitely suspended since Thursday 12 March.

China says it supports the resolution put forward to a World Health Organization meeting on finding the origins of Covid-19 and calling for an inquiry into the global response, but insists the draft resolution "is a totally different thing from what’s been called an independent international inquiry."

Speaking at a daily press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said: "As the virus continues to spread across the world, passage of this resolution is aimed at supporting the key leadership role of the World Health Organization and focusing on international cooperation."

Zhao said China rejects "unilateral interpretation" of the resolution and believes that the focus should remain on the containment of Covid-19, and that most member states agree it is not an appropriate time for an investigation due to the state of the pandemic.

Here's some background: About 100 countries have backed a resolution at the World Health Assembly (WHA), calling for an independent inquiry into the coronavirus pandemic.

The European Union-drafted resolution comes on the back of a push by Australia for an inquiry into China's initial handling of the crisis.

Zhao dismisses Pompeo's comments: When asked to comment on remarks by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that appeared to backtrack on a theory that the virus originated in a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Zhao said: “This US politician has been spreading all kinds of lies for some time. Responding to his lies is a waste of everyone’s time.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered remarks at the opening ceremony of the World Health Assembly, making the case for the country’s transparency over the virus, proposing a series of steps to deal with the virus and pledging US$2 billion over two years to the WHO.

Xi expressed condolences for the lives lost due to the pandemic before saying the country had acted with openness and transparency and provided the international community with information in a timely fashion.

Investigation after pandemic is contained: China proposed a series of steps to battle the pandemic, including taking measures to curb the spread of the virus; ensuring the WHO takes the lead; providing greater support for developing countries – particularly in Africa; restoring economic development and strengthening international cooperation. He also stressed the need for an investigation into the response to Covid-19 but said it should be done after the pandemic is contained.

Calls for unity: The World Health Organization’s 73rd World Health Assembly opened with calls for unity from the President of the Swiss Confederation, and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The World Health Organization is "irreplaceable," said UN Secretary-General Guterres, calling for an investigation into the origins of the virus’s spread to take place at a later date. "Now is a time for unity," he added. "Either we stand together or we fall apart."

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 4.7 million people, killing at least 315,000 worldwide. If you're just joining us, here's what you may have missed:

The Czech government has lifted the country's coronavirus state of emergency, which had been in place since March 12.

Some restrictions will, however, remain:

The Czech Republic has so far recorded 8,475 coronavirus cases, with 298 deaths, according to the country’s health ministry. 

Taiwan has said it will postpone its bid to join the World Health Organization, after the secretariat did not invite the island to attend the World Health Assembly, which takes place Monday, according to the island’s Foreign Minister Joesph Wu.

"Deep regret": He added that "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses deep regret and strong dissatisfaction that the World Health Organization Secretariat has yielded to pressure from the Chinese government and continues to disregard the right to health of the 23 million people of Taiwan."

Taiwan said 29 countries had "expressed support for Taiwan’s WHO participation" with officials including Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters speaking out for the island.

Taiwan says it will continue its bid to join the World Health Organization "later this year when meetings will be conducted normally, to make sure there will be full and open discussion."