Coronavirus LIVE Updates: WHO Records Biggest 1-day Rise in Covid-19 Cases; Brazil Death Toll Tops 50,000

UPDATE | In Australia, more than 1 million people in the state of Victoria have been advised not to leave their suburbs by a national health committee and the state government is considering making the advice a legally enforceable restriction, reports The Guardian. 

Delhi to Transform 25 Luxury Hotels Into Covid-19 Care Centres | Amid growing concerns that there are not enough hospital beds to cope with the rising number of cases, the Delhi government has become the first in the country to requisition its hotels. Starting this week, 25 establishments will be repurposed as emergency Covid-19 care centres for patients with mild to moderate symptoms.

Israelis Celebrate Yoga Day Amid Virus Scare | Undeterred by the COVID-19-enforced curbs on social gatherings, Israelis assembled in smaller groups and observed the sixth International Yoga Day with a lot of fanfare across the country.  "Gatherings of more than twenty people are not allowed but we, the Yoga and India enthusiasts, could not keep ourselves from celebrating the International Yoga day (IYD)," Ruth, a Yoga practitioner told PTI.

Boris Johnson to Announce lockdown Easing Plans on Tuesday | UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil the latest easing of Britain’s coronavirus lockdown on Tuesday when he will also announce the conclusion of a review into whether a two-metre rule on social distancing should be relaxed, reports The Guardian. .

As many as 16 intervention petitions have been filed in the SC praying for the Rath Yatra be allowed to be held with strident precautions and without any devotees.

Mexico's Cases Pass 180,000-mark | In the past 24 hours, Mexico reported 5,343 new infections and 1,044 additional deaths from the coronavirus, the health ministry said, bringing the totals for the country to 180,545 cases and 21,825 deaths. The government has said the actual number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases.

German Police Injured as Clashes Erupt Over Virus Quarantine | Several police officers were hurt in clashes with residents of a high-rise apartment block in the German city of Goettingen who had been placed under quarantine over a coronavirus outbreak, authorities said, AFP reports.

Cases Worldwide Pass 8.9 Million-mark | There are 8,918,101 coronavirus positive cases globally, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, and 4,66,548 deaths.

The ten worst-affected countries in terms of the number of cases are as follows:

US:     2,278,373
Brazil: 1,083,341
Russia: 583,879
India:    410,461
United Kingdom: 305,803
Peru:    251,338
Spain:  246,272
Chile:   242,355
Italy:     238,499
Iran:     204,952

Favipiravir is an anti-viral drug which is currently being tested in 18 clinical trials for Covid-19 and results from two studies have shown a positive outcome.

Hundreds Test Positive at Tyson Foods Plant in Arkansas | Tyson Foods is looking into reports that China's customs agency has suspended poultry imports from a Tyson facility in the United States after coronavirus cases were confirmed among its employees.

Penalties for Sports Bodies Breaching Covid Curbs to Be Fined: Minister | Sports bodies restarting training or hosting events without prior permissions from the Sports Ministry will face penalties, the South African Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa has warned while announcing a slew of stringent stipulations to resume them.

A serological survey will also be conducted from June 27, under which 20,000 people will be tested with the objective of ascertaining the infection spread in the general population.

NYC Virus Tracing Off to a Bumpy Start: Report | New York City's effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus through contact tracing has been hampered by the reluctance of many people who are infected with the virus to provide information to tracers, according to a report in The New York Times.

UPDATE | Four constables attached to Thane Central Jail found COVID-19 positive. All four have been sent to a hospital for treatment, those who came in close contact with them to be quarantined, said Deepak Pandey, Inspector General of Prisons. 

Chinese mainland reported 18 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. 

Chinese mainland reported 18 new confirmed #COVID19 cases (9 in Beijing), and 7 new #asymptomatic COVID-19 patients pic.twitter.com/1j1hhQSsK8

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 22, 2020

57 Girls at Kanpur Children's Shelter Home Test COVID-19 Positive | Fifty-seven girls at a state-run children's shelter home in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district tested positive for COVID-19, with five of them found to be pregnant, an administration official said. Two other girls in the shelter home, who are also pregnant, have tested negative for the virus, he said. 

UPDATE | Brazil passes 50,000 deaths from coronavirus: Official

WHO Reports Largest Single-day Increase in Cases Globally | The World Health Organization reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours. The UN health agency said Brazil led the way with 54,771 cases tallied and the US next at 36,617. Over 15,400 came in in India.