Coronavirus deaths in Brazil reach daily record: Live updates | News

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

A summary of developments from Tuesday:

• World Health Organization (WHO) member states agreed on a review of the global pandemic response at a virtual meeting of the World Health Assembly.

• China has accused the United States of smearing Beijing and shirking responsibilities to the UN health agency after President Donald Trump threatened to quit the organisation.

• The leaders of several African countries including Kenya, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone, say wealthier nations have failed the continent over coronavirus, with promises of financial support and debt relief falling well short of what is needed. 

• Globally, there have been more than 4.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 323,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 1.7 million people have recovered.

Here are all the latest updates:

Wednesday, May 20

01:45 GMT – US praises Taiwan’s pandemic response in inauguration message

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday praised the Taiwan’s coronavirus response and called it a reliable partner, in a statement congratulating President Tsai Ing-wen on her inauguration for a second term that stood in sharp contrast with recent US criticism of China.

“We have a shared vision for the region – one that includes rule of law, transparency, prosperity, and security for all, Pompeo said in a statement. “The recent COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for the international community to see why Taiwan’s pandemic-response model is worthy of emulation.”

Tsai won a landslide victory in elections held in January and her inauguration ceremony began on Wednesday morning. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own. 

⚡️ 2020 ?? inauguration activities are underway in Taiwan, so please join me as I take the oath of office, deliver my inaugural address, & greet friends & allies from around the globe.https://t.co/Rj89TQoRiA

— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) May 20, 2020

01:10 GMT – Australia’s New South Wales to ease domestic travel restrictions

Premier Gladys Berejiklian says people living in New South Wales will be able to take holidays within the Australian state from the beginning of June.

Art galleries and museums will also reopen, but Berejiklian warned people they would need to adapt because some social distancing measures would remain.

“We want people to enjoy themselves, to be free, but at the same time please know that nothing we do is the same during a pandemic,” she said in a televised media conference. 

00:10 GMT – Brazil reports record daily death toll

Brazil’s daily death toll from the new coronavirus reached a record 1,179 on Tuesday.

The highest daily toll before that had been on May 12 when 881 people died. The pandemic has killed at least 17,971 people in Brazil, according to the Health Ministry.

Right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has been widely criticised for his handling of the outbreak, and has been a vocal opponent to coronavirus lockdowns that he sees as too damaging to the economy.

Brazil has third-highest number of cases in the world after the US and Russia. 

Read all the updates from yesterday (May 19) here.

SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies