BitGou: Tuesday Morning Briefing: WHO warns of 'second peak' in areas where COVID-19 infections are declining

What you need to know about the coronavirus today

‘Jump up at any time’
Countries where coronavirus infections are declining could face an “immediate second peak” if they let up too soon on measures to halt the outbreak, the World Health Organization warned. “We need also to be cognizant of the fact that the disease can jump up at any time,” said WHO emergencies head Dr Mike Ryan. “We cannot make assumptions that just because the disease is on the way down now, it is going to keep going down.

Bonanza for whistleblower lawyers
The pandemic and its economic fallout are proving to be a bonanza for whistleblower lawyers as the U.S. securities regulator cracks down on a range of related misconduct from companies touting sham cures to misuse of federal aid.

Privacy concerns over tracking apps in China
China’s health tracking QR codes, which have played a key part in the country’s successful containment of the coronavirus, now look set to play a much broader role in daily life as local authorities dream up new uses for the technology.

Anti-virals for some British patients
Britain will provide anti-viral drug remdesivir to certain COVID-19 patients deemed most likely to benefit from it, as part of a collaboration with manufacturer Gilead Sciences, the health ministry said on Tuesday. The department of health said that early data from clinical trials around the world showed the drug could shorten the recovery time of COVID-19 patients by four days.

Not for kids under two
Children under the age of two should not wear masks because they can make breathing difficult and increase the risk of choking, a Japanese medical group said, launching an urgent appeal to parents as the country reopens from the coronavirus crisis.

The spread: Tracking COVID-19 country by country

From Breakingviews: Corona Capital - Lufthansa, Axa, Hong Kong cash. Berlin takes its fair pound of flesh from Lufthansa and Axa’s French restaurant payout is unappetising news for insurers. Catch up with the latest pandemic-related insights from Breakingviews.

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Life under lockdown

"The masses aren’t able to stay at home because the fridge is empty" - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro justifies prioritizing the economy amid the coronavirus. Early action by the Health Ministry to curb the coronavirus in Brazil turned into a battle between Bolsonaro and public health officials.

"I don't think I could do this job pregnant without their help," says Dr. Zafia Anklesaria, who is seven months pregnant, referring to nurses at a Los Angeles hospital who check on her regularly, making sure she is hydrated and properly protected.

COVID-19 lawsuit takes on McDonald's like it was a rowdy bar. Workers and their families at McDonald’s Chicago restaurants have filed a class-action lawsuit against the fast-food chain that does not seek money for sick staff, but compliance with health guidance such as providing clean face masks.

COVID Science

Merck, which has largely kept to the sidelines of the race for COVID-19 treatments, said it was buying Austrian vaccine maker Themis Bioscience and would collaborate with research nonprofit IAVI to develop two separate vaccines. It also announced a partnership with privately held Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to develop an experimental oral antiviral drug against COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.

U.S. biotech group Novavax has joined the race to test coronavirus vaccine candidates on humans and enrolled its first participants on Monday. The announcement comes as drugmakers pause clinical trials on drugs for other ailments to focus on COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 5.3 million people worldwide and resulted in more than 343,000 deaths.

Follow the money

'How about next June?' Small meat processors backlogged as virus idles big plants

Inside the small-scale Iowa abattoir Stanhope Locker and Market, owner Shaunna Zanker yawns with exhaustion as she listens to yet another farmer asking her to slaughter his pigs. Slaughter operations like Zanker’s are booming as novel coronavirus outbreaks at major U.S. and Canadian meat plants force farmers and meat-loving consumers to seek out alternatives to a crucial supply-chain link.

5 min read

U.S. small firms leave $150 billion in coronavirus stimulus untapped

When the U.S. government first rolled out forgivable loans to small businesses in early April under the Paycheck Protection Program, loan officers at Bank of the West in Grapevine, Texas worked nights and weekends to process a tsunami of applications. But since those first few frantic weeks, demand has “just dried up,” said bank president Cindy Blankenship.

5 min read

A Florida toy importer braces for retail upheaval

A toy importer in Florida is counting the costs of the pandemic but worries more about uncoordinated reopening and a hasty relaxation of social distancing that could send the economy back into lockdown with a prolonged and far more devastating recession.

5 min read

Wilderness camps to $50,000 RV rentals: Luxury travelers in pandemic ready to pay for privacy

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Melanie Burns and her husband between them had planned five trips between April and September, including three to Europe. With only one still a possibility, the Oklahoma City resident is turning to a more reliable option: driving eight hours to the 550,000-acre Vermejo resort in Raton, New Mexico, where the couple can hike, fly fish and dine under the stars while avoiding other guests.

5 min read