Coronavirus latest: WHO says unlikely that virus came from lab, Singapore reports 1,111 new cases
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Germany and other parts of Europe took tentative steps to ease lockdown measures as more countries saw death rates from the coronavirus fall, but officials warned the battle against the pandemic was far from over.
The World Health Organisation also defended its handling of the crisis against scathing criticism from Washington and others, with its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisting the UN body had been warning against the virus “from day one”.
The WHO chief also warned that “the worst is yet ahead of us” in the coronavirus outbreak, reviving the alarm just as many countries ease restrictive measures aimed at reducing its spread.
Tedros did not specify why he believes the outbreak that has infected almost 2.5 million people and killed more than 170,000 could get worse. He and others, however, have previously pointed to the likely future spread of the illness through Africa, where health systems are far less developed.
“Trust us. The worst is yet ahead of us,” Tedros told reporters from WHO headquarters in Geneva. “Let’s prevent this tragedy. It’s a virus that many people still do not understand.”
In the United States, which has more than 787,000 confirmed infections and 42,000 deaths, some are increasingly chafing under stay-at-home orders and are taking to the streets to protest. Anti-lockdown demonstrations over the weekend drew hundreds of people in several states, including Colorado, Texas, Maryland, New Hampshire and Ohio.