South Korea cases rise, new night club cluster


This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.

  • Global cases: More than 4.2 million
  • Global deaths: At least 291,366
  • Most cases reported: United States (1,369,314), Russia (232,243), Spain (228,030), United Kingdom (227,741), Italy (221,216) 

The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of 8:45 a.m. Beijing time. 

All times below are in Beijing time.

1:22 pm: Philippines’ economic decline set to be deeper than forecast

The Philippines is predicted to experience its first contraction in more than two decades and the slowdown this year could be greater than what was expected earlier, Reuters reported.

Gross domestic product is predicted to decline 2% to 3.4% in 2020, worse than the government’s forecast in March of -1% to 0% growth, the news agency said, citing the Development Budget Coordination Committee. The budget deficit is expected to reach 1.56 trillion pesos ($31.04 billion), or 8.1% of GDP, again surpassing the government’s earlier forecast of 5.3%. 

The government said Tuesday that capital city Manila will remain under lockdown until the end of May and economists have said the restrictions are taking a toll on domestic demand, according to Reuters. Measures in some low-risk areas are being eased, it added. 

There are more than 11,000 cases in the country and at least 751 people have died. — Audrey Cher, Saheli Roy Choudhury

11:45 am: Germany reports 798 new cases

Germany’s total cases jumped by 798 to 171,306, according to the latest data by Robert Koch Institute, a federal government agency responsible for disease monitoring and prevention. 

The country’s death toll increased by 101 to 7,634, the data showed. — Weizhen Tan

10:40 am: Cases in South Korea continue to rise as country tracks new night club cluster

People wearing protective face masks walk through the street at night in the Itaewon area of Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, May 9, 2020.

SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images

South Korea reported 26 new cases and one new death, as it continued to track a new cluster linked to night clubs.

At least 102 people linked to that cluster have tested positive, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. These cases have spurred fears of a second wave after South Korea began to ease restrictions intended to contain the coronavirus.

Authorities have tracked and tested more than 7,000 people, including family members and co-workers of those who had gone to those night clubs and bars in the Itaewon neighborhood of capital city Seoul.

The country now has a total of 10,962 cases and 259 deaths, according to the KCDC. — Weizhen Tan

9:55 am: The US could spiral into a depression if it doesn’t reopen, Jim Cramer warns

“Ideally, we’d keep everything closed until the federal government massively ramps up its testing and contact tracing capacity,” Cramer said, but “without more aggressive action from the federal government, we may have no choice but to reopen as the economy spirals into a depression.”

“Almost everybody else in the industry is shut and it’s crushing the economy,” the “Mad Money” host said. “I’d be okay with that if our leaders had a plan” but it “increasingly feels like that’s not an option” for the country. — Tyler Clifford

9:30 am: Mexico records new daily high number of deaths

Mexico reported 353 more deaths, a new daily record, bringing its total to 3,926 fatalities, according to Reuters citing the health ministry.

The country had 1,997 new confirmed cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 38,324, the report said. — Weizhen Tan

8:45 am: China reports 7 new cases

China’s National Health Commission (NHC) reported seven new cases, of which 6 were locally transmitted infections and one was imported, or attributed to a traveler from overseas. That brings the country’s total to 82,926 cases, according to the NHC.

There were no new deaths, the NHC said, with the total number of fatalities staying at 4,633. It also said there were eight new asymptomatic cases, where patients do not display symptoms of the disease. In all, 750 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation. — Weizhen Tan

8:30 am: Facebook warns that coronavirus is hampering its ability to moderate content

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Covid-19 has impacted the social network’s ability to have humans review as many content moderation appeals as it previously could.

In mid-March, the social network decided to send its content moderator contractors home for the sake of their safety. This decision reduced the number of human moderators available to review content. As a result, the company could only review 2.3 million content appeals between January and March, down nearly 26% compared to last year.

Facebook is in the process of bringing its content moderator contractors back online. — Salvador Rodriguez

8:20 am: Cases in Brazil and Russia spike; global infections top 4.2 million

Health professionals hold balloons before releasing them as they honour health workers who have died of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, outside Sao Paulo University Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 12, 2020.

NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP/ Getty Images

Confirmed cases in Brazil surpassed Germany’s on Tuesday. The South American country now has the seventh highest number of infections, with 177,602 cases reported, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

Brazil also recorded its deadliest day ever with 881 confirmed fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing its total death toll to 12,400 deaths, according to Reuters.

Russia also saw a spike as cases rose to 232,243, making the country the second worst hit, according to Hopkins data. Globally, infections topped 4.2 million.  — Weizhen Tan

Read CNBC’s coverage from the U.S. overnight: Fauci delivers somber warnings, California sets new rules for reopening restaurants



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