This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
As the global COVID-19 death toll surpasses 500,000, the United States remains the worst-affected country, with over 131,000 fatalities, according to official sources. Brazil, led by President Jair Bolsonaro, who has tested positive for the disease, is a distant second with close to 67,000 deaths from almost 1.7 million cases.
Despite the dire figures, both Trump and Bolsonaro have continued to argue against lockdowns and other restrictive measures, reflecting a wider divide over the response to the crisis.
On Wednesday, Trump called for students to return in the fall despite the virus surging in several southern state hotspots.
Meanwhile, millions in the Australian city of Melbourne were preparing for a return to lockdown to fight an upsurge that is seeing more than 100 new cases reported each day, with panic buyers stripping supermarket shelves.
But there were signs in Europe that harsh restrictions would be difficult to reimpose, with thousands protesting in Serbia against a weekend curfew and France vowing not to have a blanket lockdown again.
Published on July 8, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has infected almost 12 million people worldwide and killed more than 500,000 since it emerged in China late last year.
Top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci has warned that the country is still "knee-deep" in only its first coronavirus wave, but Trump said on Tuesday America was "in a good place" and that he disagreed with Fauci.
On Tuesday, Trump formally started withdrawing from the WHO, making good on threats to deprive the UN body of some $400 million in funding after he accused it of being too close to China.
Joe Biden, who will face him in a presidential election in November, promised to rejoin the WHO "and restore our leadership on the world stage" if he wins.
Underlining America's unilateral approach, the government Wednesday announced more than $2 billion in funding for research into vaccines and treatments.
France is among the European nations attempting to frame a national response to the crisis while also leading European Union's attempts to repair the massive economic damage.
German Angela Merkel said Brussels needed to reach a deal quickly on a proposed $843 million package to help crisis-hit economies in the bloc.
