World coronavirus dispatch: Now, UK shadows Italy as worst hit in Europe

From companies looking to Southeast Asia for manufacturing, to doctors needing ways to share data - read these and more in today's world dispatch

How countries respond to and manage the Covid-19 pandemic is a new factor in risk assessments, analysts say, as some companies increasingly look to South-east Asia as an alternative to China as a manufacturing and supply engine. Read more here.

Let’s look at the global statistics:

Total confirmed cases: 3,449,986

Change over previous day: 90,931

Total deaths: 244,295

Total recovered: 1,101,375

Nations hit with most cases: The US (1,134,058), Spain (216,582) Italy (209,328), the UK (183,500 ), and France (168,518)

Source: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center

UK shadows Italy as worst hit in Europe – virus death toll passes 28,000: Boris Johnson initially resisted introducing a lockdown to restrict economic and public activity but changed course when projections showed a quarter of a million people might die. Read more here.

Sidelined by pandemic, Trump campaign turns to digital shows: Seven nights a week, President Donald Trump’s re-election team is airing live programming online to replace his trademark rallies made impossible for now by the coronavirus pandemic. Hosted by top campaign officials, prominent Republicans and “Make America Great Again” luminaries, the freewheeling shows offer reality according to Trump. The shows are an effort to stay connected with core supporters and maintain enthusiasm for a suspended campaign that has had to rewire itself on the fly. Read more here.

As Italy businesses reopen, some workers ask, what about us? As politicians salute Italians for their solidarity during nearly two months of a shutdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak, the move to restart the country threatens to create a new divide – between businesses allowed to reopen and those that still have to wait. Read more here.

Philippines and Indonesia face risk of record remittance fall: The coronavirus pandemic has already disrupted the lives of the poor in Southeast Asia, but it threatens to deal a further blow by cutting a vital source of income – remittances. Read more here.

Opinion

Doctors need better ways to share Covid-19 data: The virus can disable the kidneys, inflame the GI tract, damage the heart and creep into the central nervous system. It can lead to blood clots. And it has surprised doctors around the world by causing blood oxygen to plunge to dangerous levels in patients who are still chatting on the phone rather than gasping for breath. Dealing with this disease cries out for new scientific methods — ones that quickly glean information from patient data. Clinical trials are still the gold standard, but they take time. In a pandemic, doctors need to do the best they can with the information available. Read more here.

Global backlash builds against China over coronavirus: As calls for inquiries and reparations spread, Beijing has responded aggressively, mixing threats with aid and adding to a growing mistrust of China. Read more here.

Specials

What global travel may look like ahead of a vaccine: Sun loungers separated by plexiglass. Blood tests and sanitiser spray-downs before flights. These might sound extreme, but they are real measures some in the travel industry are looking at to keep holidaymakers feeling safe and comfortable in a post-lockdown world. Read more here.

Coronavirus antibody tests: Can you trust the results? A team of scientists worked around the clock to evaluate 14 antibody tests. A few worked as advertised. Most did not. Read more here.

Will coronavirus create a more progressive society or a more dystopian one? What if the virus ends up benefitting the big and powerful, accentuating inequality, and boosting populist extremism? What if it’s a force for dystopia rather than social progress? Read more here.