This archive report was first published on 17 June 2020.
June 17, 2020, marked a turning point in the fight against COVID-19 as researchers announced a breakthrough in treatment using a widely available steroid.
The World Health Organization's head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, congratulated the UK government, the University of Oxford, and hospitals and patients who contributed to the lifesaving scientific breakthrough.
Researchers led by the University of Oxford administered the steroid, dexamethasone, to over 2,000 severely ill COVID-19 patients, resulting in a 35% reduction in deaths among those who required ventilator support.
According to Professor Peter Horby, the steroid is inexpensive, readily available, and can be used immediately to save lives worldwide.
Britain's Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, announced that patients would start receiving the drug immediately.
However, the news was overshadowed by a fresh cluster of cases in Beijing, China, which reported 31 new infections in six days, bringing the total to 137. The capital's airports cancelled over 1,200 flights, and authorities implemented mass testing, lockdowns, and restrictions on residents.
India's COVID-19 death toll surged past 12,000, with over 8.1 million people infected worldwide. Brazil reported its biggest daily jump in new cases since the pandemic began, while Peru's death toll surpassed 7,000. The United States passed a grim milestone, with more people dying from the pandemic than in World War I.
US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that the world's biggest economy is unlikely to recover as long as there is significant uncertainty about the pandemic.
