Beijing shuts schools over new coronavirus outbreak: Live updates

• Beijing’s education commission has ordered the closure of the capital’s schools again following a new outbreak of the coronavirus.
• The steroid dexamethasone has been found to save the lives of one-third of the most serious COVID-19 cases, according to trial results by the University of Oxford, hailed as a “major breakthrough” in the fight against the disease.
• More than 8 million people have been confirmed to have the coronavirus around the world. Nearly 4 million have recovered, while at least 438,000 have died, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The US, Brazil and the UK have reported the most deaths.

Here are the latest updates:

Tuesday, June 16

20:37 GMT – Russia’s Putin protected from coronavirus by disinfection tunnel 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is protected from the coronavirus by a special disinfection tunnel that anyone visiting his residence outside Moscow must pass through, the state-controlled RIA news agency reported.

The special tunnel, manufactured by a Russian company based in the town of Penza, has been installed at his official Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow where he receives visitors, it said.

Demonstration footage of the tunnel, published by RIA, showed masked people passing through it being sprayed with disinfectant from the ceiling and from the side.

The Russian news agency described the disinfectant as a fine cloud of liquid that covered people’s clothes and any exposed upper body flesh.

20:34 GMT – US, Canada and Mexico extend border restrictions for 30 more days

The United States, Canada and Mexico have agreed to extend their restrictions to keep their shared borders closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21.

Essential cross-border workers like healthcare professionals, airline crew and truck drivers are still permitted to cross. 

Read more here.

19:26 GMT – Canada ‘open’ to hosting NHL hub city, Trudeau says 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was comfortable having a hub city in Canada for teams competing in the National Hockey League’s planned restart amid the pandemic as long as local health authorities approve.

Vancouver, Edmonton and Toronto are all being considered by the NHL to serve as one of the two 12-team hub cities for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which could begin in early August.

“We have indicated that we are comfortable with moving forward on an NHL hub in one of the three Canadian cities that are asking for it,” Trudeau said at a news conference.

“Obviously the decision needs to be made by the NHL and the cities and the provinces in the jurisdiction, but Canada is open to it as long as it is okayed by the local health authorities.”

19:12 GMT – Weekly death toll in French nursing homes doubles to 73

The number of people who died from coronavirus infection in France rose by 138 to 29,547, as the health ministry included weekly data for the death toll in nursing homes.

The number of people who died in hospitals increased by 38 to 19,090 on Tuesday, compared to 29 on Monday and an average of 25 over the past seven days.

The ministry also reported that in the past seven days 73 people died of the virus in nursing homes, more than double the 34 reported a week ago and 23 reported two weeks ago.

19:09 GMT – UAE’s Abu Dhabi eases movement restrictions 

Abu Dhabi eased movement restrictions to allow citizens and residents to leave the emirate freely without a permit but have to enter it with one, the emirate’s media office said in a statement.

Movement between Abu Dhabi’s major cities al-Ain, al-Dhafra and Abu Dhabi, will also be allowed using permits.

Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest member of the United Arab Emirates federation, extended on Monday a week-long ban on movement in and out of the emirate and between its major cities to curb coronavirus infections, state news agency (WAM) reported. 

18:20 GMT – UK continuing drug trials to improve on steroid treatment

The UK is continuing medical trials to see if it can combine other drugs with a steroid treatment shown to reduce deaths among some patients, Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance has said.

“This is the start of something important,” he said. “It shows it is possible to reduce the inflammation and the outcome in patients with lung disease in hospital, and it’s the start of other drugs which might be added on top of it to make an even bigger effect.”

18:15 GMT – UK’s Johnson wants unrestricted travel to France, Spain as soon as possible

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he would like to see unrestricted travel to Spain and France “as soon as we can”, but defended his government’s quarantine policy on arriving visitors.

“We don’t want to re-import the disease just at the moment when we’ve really got it under control in this country,” Johnson said.

“But we’re certainly looking at air bridges and ways to ensure that people can safely go on holiday, eventually.”

Earlier, Spain said it was considering imposing its own quarantine on UK travellers when it reopens its borders next week, in response to UK’s move.

18:00 GMT – BLM protester in Denmark was infected, health mininister says

Denmark’s health minister has urged urged people who took part in a large Black Lives Matter demonstration in Copenhagen to get tested for COVID-19 after one protester tested positive.

17:50 GMT – Lockdowns ‘conducive’ to human trafficking

Lockdown orders implemented to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States have created conditions that are conducive to people falling victim to human trafficking, rights groups say.

Read about it here.

17:35 GMT – Italy reports 34 deaths, 210 new cases

Coronavirus-related deaths in Italy has risen by 34, compared to 26 the day before, the Civil Protection Agency has said, while new cases have decreased to 210 from 303 on Monday.

The total death toll stands at 34,405, the agency said, the fourth highest in the world after those of the United States, Britain and Brazil.

There are currently 237,500 confirmed cases, the seventh highest in the world.

16:18 GMT – US Open to go ahead, New York governor says

The 2020 tennis US Open will go ahead from August 31 despite the pandemic, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York state, has said.

15:45 GMT – Beijing shuts city schools again over new outbreak

Beijing’s education commission has ordered the closure of the capital’s schools again following a new outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of 21 million people.

The commission said on its WeChat social media account that all schools would resume online teaching from Wednesday and universities should also suspend the return of students.

15:40 GMT – WHO Americas director says pandemic still accelerating

The World Health Organization’s regional director for the Americas, Carissa Etienne, has said the pandemic is still accelerating as the region is fast approaching four million coronavirus cases.

Speaking in a virtual briefing from Washington-based Pan American Health Organization, Etienne said Brazil accounts for 23 percent of the more than 3.8 million cases in the Americas and 23 percent of the almost 204,000 deaths in the region and “we are not seeing transmission slowing down”.

15:34 GMT – Canada, US and Mexico extend border restrictions to July 21

The US has agreed to keep its borders with Mexico and Canada shut until July 21, officials have said, extending travel restrictions for the third time.

15:07 GMT – Heart disease, diabetes significantly raise risk of hospitalisation, death: US study

People with underlying health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes are six times more likely to be hospitalised with COVID-19 and have a risk of coronavirus-related death 12 times higher than otherwise healthy individuals, a US study has found.

Men were more likely than women to have bad outcomes, and the prevalence of hospitalisations and deaths were highest among patients aged 70 years and older, according to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.

15:05 GMT – Mexico pauses farmworker programme in Canada

Mexico has paused its migrant farmworker programme in Canada, Mexico’s foreign ministry spokesman has said, after a coronavirus outbreak in Ontario killed two workers from Mexico, although Canadian farm groups said the suspension was limited.

The outbreak has hit at least 17 farms, killing two Mexicans aged 24 and 31, and prompting the testing of about 8,000 migrant farmworkers.

14:50 GMT – UK’s drug regulator suspends hydroxychloroquine trial recruitment

The UK’s drug regulator has instructed scientists trialling the use of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 to suspend the recruitment of participants.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was following “emerging concerns” about the use of the drug, and also cited a UK trial which found no meaningful mortality benefit in patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

14:45 GMT – UK death toll rises by 233 to 41,969

The UK death toll from COVID-19 cases has risen by 233 to 41,969, according to government data.

14:23 GMT – Dexamethasone trial result most important so far, English health chief says

England’s chief medical officer has hailed a finding that steroid drug dexamethasone can save the lives of those severely ill with COVID-19 as the most important trial result so far.

“This is the most important trial result for COVID-19 so far,” Chris Whitty said on Twitter about the findings of the UK-led clinical trial known as RECOVERY.

“Significant reduction in mortality in those requiring oxygen or ventilation from a widely available, safe and well known drug … It will save lives around the world.”

This is the most important trial result for COVID-19 so far. Significiant reduction in mortality in those requiring oxygen or ventilation from a widely available, safe and well known drug. Many thanks to those who took part and made it happen. It will save lives around the world. https://t.co/zRIaHulHOe

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— Professor Chris Whitty (@CMO_England) June 16, 2020

14:14 GMT – Cases surging in Alabama, South Carolina and Oklahoma

New coronavirus cases have nearly doubled in Alabama and South Carolina in the second week of June compared with the prior seven days, a Reuters analysis has found, as 17 US states reported weekly increases of its spread.

Alabama’s new cases rose 97 percent to 5,115 for the week ending June 14, with 14 percent of COVID-19 tests coming back positive compared with 6 percent in the prior week, according to the analysis of data from The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer-run effort to track the outbreak.

13:55 GMT – Pence says looking at other venues for Trump Tulsa rally

Officials are considering other venues in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for US President Donald Trump’s first campaign rally since the coronavirus lockdown, Vice President Mike Pence has said.

Pence acknowledged the health risks of bringing so many people together – the campaign said it had received more than one million ticket requests – during an interview with Fox News.

“It’s one of the reasons that we’re going to do the temperature screening and we’re going to provide hand sanitizers and provide masks for people that are attending,” Pence said.

The chief health officer in Tulsa said over the weekend he was worried about holding such a large indoor event while coronavirus cases are rising in the area and wished the rally could be postponed.

13:45 GMT

Hello, this is Mersiha Gadzo in Doha taking over the live updates from my colleague Saba Aziz.

12:30 GMT – Steroid saves one-third of most severe cases: trial

The steroid dexamethasone has been found to save the lives of one-third of the most serious COVID-19 cases, according to trial results hailed as a “major breakthrough” in the fight against the disease.

Researchers led by a team from the University of Oxford administered the widely available drug to more than 2,000 critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Among those who could only breathe with the help of a ventilator, dexamethasone reduced deaths by 35 percent, and it reduced deaths of those receiving oxygen by a fifth, according to preliminary results.

Read more about it here.

12:20 GMT – Amazon to use AI tech to enforce physical distancing

Amazon.com Inc has launched an artificial intelligence-based tracking system to enforce physical distancing at its offices and warehouses to help reduce the risk of contracting the new coronavirus among its workers.

Monitors set up in the company’s warehouses will highlight workers keeping a safe distance in green circles, while workers who are closer will be highlighted in red circles, Amazon said.

The system, called Distance Assistant, uses camera footage in Amazon’s buildings to also help identify high-traffic areas.

11:45 GMT – Nearly 10,000 new COVID-19 cases in Africa

At least 9,761 people in Africa were tested positive for coronavirus in one day, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. 

According to the latest update, the total number of cases on the continent of 1.2 billion people has now reached 251,866. The number of people killed went up to 6,769 after 305 virus-linked deaths were registered across Africa.

Recoveries also grew by 4,331 in the last 24 hours to 114,308.

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11:40 GMT – Spain mulls reciprocal quarantine for UK visitors

British visitors to Spain may face quarantine despite the reopening of Europe’s borders if London upholds a similar measure, the Spanish foreign minister said.

Spain will lift its quarantine measures on June 21 for all residents of the European Union and the passport-free Schengen zone.

“Should the UK want to keep (quarantine measures) beyond that date… then we will respect this but we will probably reciprocate,” Arancha Gonzalez Laya told the BBC’s HARDtalk programme.

Read more about which European countries have eased travel restrictions. 

11:30 GMT – Under 20s half as likely to contract COVID-19: Study

People under the age 20 are almost half as susceptible to COVID-19 as people aged 20 or above, according to new research, and clinical symptoms of the pandemic disease appear in only about a fifth of infections in children and teens.

The modelling study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, based on data from six countries – China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Canada and South Korea – found that by contrast, COVID-19 symptoms appear in 69 percent of infections in people aged 70 or older.

Dr Amir Khan wrote about why older people are more vulnerable to COVID-19 for Al Jazeera’s Doctor’s Note in March. 

11:05 GMT – Indonesia to reopen schools in low-risk areas

Indonesia will reopen schools located in low-risk areas starting in July after months of closure due to coronavirus, the education ministry said.

Sri Wahyuningsih, a ministry official, said in a webinar that the reopening of schools will be carried out in phases depending on the level of education and the provisions of the health protocols.

“Middle and high schools will start to reopen in July, elementary schools in September, while kindergartens will be the last to reopen in November at the earliest,” said Wahyuningsih, adding only 6 percent of all schools in the country are located in low-risk areas.

11:00 GMT – Turkey makes masks compulsory in 42 provinces

Turkey has made the wearing of face masks mandatory in five more provinces, following an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter the wearing of masks is now compulsory in 42 of Turkey’s 81 provinces.

In the remaining provinces, residents are required to wear masks on public transportation and in shops and malls, and are being advised to wear masks and keep to social distancing practices elsewhere.

Koca said: “We cannot struggle against the virus without masks.”

10:30 GMT – Hungary MPs vote to end virus emergency powers

Hungarian members of Parliament have voted to revoke anti-coronavirus emergency powers that triggered international criticism and fears of a power grab by Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Dominated by Orban’s ruling Fidesz party, parliament approved the lifting of a “state of danger” and related special powers to tackle the COVID-19 crisis.

The state of danger is expected to be formally lifted later on this week by the government.

10:00 GMT – Coronavirus a recipe for disaster for German potatoes

German demand for potatoes and potato products has collapsed during the coronavirus crisis, with the vegetable being used as animal feed or for making biogas instead, an industry body said.

There had been a “catastrophic reduction in sales” of frozen, chilled and dry potato products, the German Association of the Fruit, Vegetable and Potato Processing Industry (BOGK) said.

Germany is the biggest producer of potatoes in the European Union and a huge consumer.

09:30 GMT – More than 600,000 lose jobs in the UK 

The number of people on British company payrolls fell by more than 600,000 in April and May as the coronavirus lockdown hit the labour market, and vacancies plunged by the most on record, official data showed.

The jobless rate unexpectedly held at 3.9 percent over the three months to April – despite a record slump in overall economic output during that period – as firms turned to the government’s job retention scheme to keep employees on their books.

Meanwhile, the number of people claiming job-related benefits also increased by a monthly 23.3 percent in May to 2.8 million. 

09:15 GMT – Latest coronavirus figures

Oman: 25,269 cases (745), 114 deaths (6)

Russia: 545,458 cases (8,248), 7,284 deaths (193)

Indonesia: 40,400 (1,106), 2,231 deaths (33)

Malaysia: 8,505 cases (11), 121 deaths (0)

Philippines: 26,781 cases (364), 1,103 deaths (5)

08:45 GMT – Germany’s coronavirus tracing app goes live

Germany sought to mobilise the public to download a new smartphone app that seeks to help break the chain of coronavirus infections, one of several such apps in Europe that governments hope will revive travel and tourism.

The new Covid-Warn-App, which became available for download for Apple and Android phones overnight, uses Bluetooth short-range radio to monitor close contacts between people and issue a warning should one of them test positive.

“Everyone who downloads the app, and everyone who encourages friends to do so, is making a difference,” Health Minister Jens Spahn told ZDF public television ahead of a launch event in Berlin.

08:30 GMT – Singapore to start human trials of vaccine in August

Singapore scientists testing a COVID-19 vaccine from US firm Arcturus Therapeutics plan to start human trials in August after promising initial responses in mice.

More than 100 vaccines are being developed globally, including several already in human trials from the likes of AstraZeneca and Pfizer, to try and control a disease that has infected more than 8 million people and killed over 430,000 worldwide.

The vaccine being evaluated by Singapore’s Duke-NUS Medical School works on the relatively-untested Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which instructs human cells to make specific coronavirus proteins that produce an immune response.

08:20 GMT – Hong Kong to allow gatherings of up to 50 people 

Hong Kong will let groups of up to 50 people meet from Friday, easing an earlier limit of eight people, after reporting only a small number of coronavirus cases in recent weeks, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said.

The Asian financial hub has reported a total of 1,113 cases and four deaths since the outbreak began in late January.

07:45 GMT – Tokyo Olympic board member would support another delay

An executive board member of the Tokyo Olympic organising committee says another delay should be sought if the games can’t be held next year.

The Tokyo Olympics were to be held this year but were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The suggestion comes from Haruyuki Takahashi in an interview published in the Japanese sports newspaper Nikkan Sports.

“The main priority is to make a united effort to hold them (Olympics) in the summer of 2021,” Takahashi said. He added if that is not possible we should start action once again to get another delay.

07:10 GMT – Ukraine president’s wife hospitalised with coronavirus

The wife of Ukraine’s President, Olena Zelenska, was hospitalised after contracting coronavirus and her condition was stable, the presidential office said. 

Zelenska said last week she had tested positive for coronavirus, while her husband Volodymyr Zelenskiy and their two children had tested negative.

We are keeping a list of celebrities, athletes and politicians who have been infected.

07:00 GMT – Patients filling beds in India’s largest cities

India has recorded another 10,000-plus coronavirus infections as patients swamp health services in its largest cities.

The Health Ministry also reported a 24-hour increase of 380 deaths due to COVID-19, driving the death toll to 9,900.

The 10,667 new cases raise the nation’s total to 343,091, fourth-highest in the world behind the US, Brazil and Russia. 

Maharashtra, the western state that is home to Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital, continues to have the highest state toll. Mumbai, Chennai and the capital New Delhi are seeing rising infections swamp their health services.

06:30 GMT – Ilhan Omar’s father dies from coronavirus complications

Father of Somalia-born US Representative Ilhan Omar has died of complications from the novel coronavirus, local media reported.

“It is with tremendous sadness and pain to say goodbye to my father,” the Minnesota congresswoman tweeted late on Monday. “No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew and loved him.”

Omar and her father Nur Mohamed came to the United States as refugees in 1995 from Somalia during the country’s civil war and eventually settled in Minneapolis, according to Politico.

إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

Surely we belong to God and to him shall we return.

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It is with tremendous sadness and pain to say goodbye to my father, Nur Omar Mohamed. No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew and loved him. pic.twitter.com/gb7q0gMXG2

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 16, 2020

06:15 GMT – Privacy fears over COVID-19 apps by Bahrain, Kuwait, Norway

Amnesty International has raised privacy and security concerns over “invasive” contact-tracing apps rolled out by Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK-based rights group said an investigation into COVID-19 apps being used by 11 countries had rated Bahrain’s “BeAware Bahrain”, Kuwait’s “Shlonik” and Norway’s “Smittestopp” as among the “most dangerous” for human rights, putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk.

Amnesty found that all three were actively carrying out live or near-live tracking of users’ locations by frequently uploading GPS coordinates to a central server.

Read more here. 

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Hello, this is Saba Aziz in Doha, taking over the live blog from my colleague Kate Mayberry. 

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05:15 GMT –

I’m handing the blog to my colleagues in Doha shortly. Before I go, a quick round-up of what’s been happening over the past few hours.

The situation in Beijing is proving worrisome with city officials stepping up containment measures and other parts of China imposing quarantines on those travelling from the capital. Pakistan is also promising tougher measures as it tries to get a grip on the outbreak. Elsewhere, New Zealand has confirmed two new cases. The disease wasn’t acquired locally, however. It was found in two people who had recently returned from the UK. 

05:00 GMT – Pakistan identifies 20 cities at coronavirus risk

Pakistan’s government says it has identified 20 cities that are most at risk from the rapid spread of the coronavirus and will be implementing strict lockdowns in certain neighbourhoods.

Al Jazeera’s Asad Hashim says the authorities are calling it a “smart” lockdown approach.

On Monday, Pakistan endured the deadliest day of the pandemic so far, recording 110 deaths, taking the country’s tally to 2,897 people killed by COVID-19 since late February. Cases rose by 4,443 to 148,921. 

Chairing a meeting on coronavirus response, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed officials to investigate increasing reports of hospitals in major cities hitting their capacity and not being able to admit more coronavirus patients, especially those requiring critical care.

04:10 GMT – US airlines threaten ban for passengers who refuse to wear masks

Major US airlines will provide masks to passengers who do not have them, and have warned passengers who refuse to wear masks that they could be banned from flights.

The airlines will clearly inform passengers about their individual policies on face coverings before flying, followed by an announcement with specific details onboard, Airlines for America said in a statement.

Each carrier will decide the appropriate consequences for passengers who fail to comply, up to and including being put on that airline’s no-fly list.

Read more about this here.

03:50 GMT – Beijing officials say Xinfadi market outbreak ‘very grim’

City officials in Beijing have described the coronavirus outbreak centred on the Xinfadi market as “very grim” according to the Global Times.

The Times says nine of 11 districts in Beijing have reported confirmed cases, with the area of Fengtai, which is around the market, the worst affected. 

Beijing expects to complete a citywide inspection and sanitation campaign targeting wholesale and vegetable markets, as well as restaurants and canteens on Wednesday. All vendors and business operators will have to undergo nucleic acid tests. 

03:30 GMT – Shanghai imposes quarantine for some domestic visitors

Shanghai says it will impose a 14-day quarantine on all people arriving in the city from medium to high-risk COVID-19 areas elsewhere in China.

Wu Jinglei, the director of Shanghai’s health commission, says those arriving from high-risk places will have to complete a centralised quarantine and will undergo nucleic acid testing twice.

02:30 GMT – Beijing imposes curbs on more districts after outbreak linked to market

Beijing is imposing coronavirus restrictions on more districts after an outbreak linked to the capital’s wholesale food market. There are now 22 districts deemed “medium-risk” with local authorities setting up checkpoints, stepping up social distancing and closing schools.

City officials reported 27 new cases for June 15, taking the total for the latest spike to 106, as the authorities track down close contacts of those known to have the virus.

Other cities in China have also responded to the outbreak, with some imposing quarantines or stepping up their own preventive measures.

After cluster infection was found in #Beijing's markets, #Wuhan started three-day inspection of the city's supermarkets, wet and vegetable markets on Saturday. All 6,178 samples took from those markets, including chopping boards, kitchen knives, tested negative for #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/JuBGBLgZAa

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 16, 2020

02:15 GMT – China’s president to convene COVID-19 ‘solidarity’ summit with Africa

China’s President Xi Jinping is to hold a “solidarity” summit with Africa over the coronavirus pandemic.

Xi will deliver a keynote speech at the summit on June 17, according to Chinese state media.

02:00 GMT – New Zealand reports two new cases in travellers returning from UK

New Zealand has confirmed two new cases of coronavirus, both connected with travel to the UK and to each other.

New Zealand lifted all coronavirus restrictions last week, but is keeping its borders to closed to everyone except citizens and special cases.

00:00 GMT – More than 8 million coronavirus cases recorded worldwide

Some 8,005,294 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed around the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The actual figure is likely to be much higher because countries often have different criteria for testing, and milder and asymptomatic cases may go undetected.

These are the five countries with the most cases:

1. US – 2,111,622
2. Brazil – 888,271
3. Russia – 536,484
4. India – 332, 424
5. United Kingdom – 298,315

These are the five countries that have recorded the most deaths:

1. US – 116,114
2. Brazil – 43,959
3. United Kingdom – 41,821
4. Italy – 34,371
5. France – 29,439

23:30 GMT – Coronavirus more likely to kill those with chronic conditions: CDC

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found people with chronic illnesses including heart disease and diabetes are six times more likely to be admitted to hospital, and 12 times more likely to die than COVID-19 patients with no underlying conditions. 

The CDC based its analysis on 1.32 million confirmed cases of coronavirus received between January 22 and the end of May.

Although information on underlying conditions was available for only 22 percent of those patients, the CDC found that of those, 32 percent had a heart-related illness, 30 percent had diabetes and 18 percent had chronic lung conditions, including asthma.

The CDC said age remained a major risk. The percentage of intensive care admission was highest among people aged at least 60 and over with underlying conditions. People over the age of 80 were the most likely to die, even if they did not have a chronic illness.

Dr Amin Khan wrote about chronic illnesses and COVID-19 for Al Jazeera’s Doctor’s Note in March.

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Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I’m Kate Mayberry in Kuala Lumpur.

Read all the updates from yesterday (June 15) here.