As the world nears 1 million deaths from the pandemic, NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Dr. Margaret Harris of the World Health Organization about what's ahead in the fight against the coronavirus.
The World Health Organization reported more than 307,000 new worldwide coronavirus cases in one day. It happened on Sunday. That is the highest daily increase the organization has recorded so far. The largest contributors to that surge - Brazil, India and the United States. And right behind that record total was also a warning that Europe will see a surge in cases this fall. All this as the world nears 1 million deaths because of the coronavirus, with close to 200,000 here in the U.S.
MARTIN: Indeed. So the last time you and I talked, it was the spring, and at that point people were saying, oh, just wait - it's going to die down in the summer. The warmer temperatures are going to help. And I remember you saying, no, no, no, that's not going to happen. This isn't a seasonal thing. But did you expect it to still be this bad?
HARRIS: Well, so that's what Dr. Kluge, who's our European regional director, was saying - was not that it's inevitable. What he was saying was that, in the winter, you get circulation of other viruses, and generally, people do become more ill from other things. So that would complicate the situation with coronavirus. And he was really saying, pay attention to all the measures now. But opening up the schools is something we do like to see. We want to see it done safely.
MARTIN: Let's talk about the vaccine, if we could, the prospects of a vaccine. I mean, we still don't even know the long-term effects of COVID-19. We've seen it affect many critical systems in the body - respiratory, pulmonary, cardiovascular, the heart.
MARTIN: Do you think we're on track for that? I mean, we heard this news - AstraZeneca, the trial there, they had to pause their vaccine trial because of a reaction by one of the participants. The trial was resumed six days later in Britain, but it's still on hold in the U.S. What does that tell you?
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Once near death, rescued sea turtles sent back to the oceanThe last time Tabitha was in the ocean, it didn't seem likely she would survive the week. But more than a year later, the 168-pound loggerhead turtle returned to the surf along with two other turtles nursed back to health by a New Jersey nonprofit.
Read more »
17 Superhero Movie Moments That Make No Sense Once You Think About ThemEven by superhero movie standards, some of these moments are just plain old plot holes.
Read more »
Sherrie Hewson admits she once injured a rival to steal their roleEXCLUSIVE: The former Coronation Street star turned Loose Women panelist has had an amazing 50 years in showbiz and celebrated by looking back on her best and worst moments
Read more »
It's Time to End Gender Reveal Parties Once and for AllWhy is this still a thing?
Read more »
Governments can borrow more than was once believedGovernments ought to be sure that new borrowing is doing things that will provide a lasting good, greater than the final cost of the borrowing
Read more »
Becca Meyers Says She Forgets She's Visually Impaired and Deaf Once She Gets in the PoolRebecca Meyers is a two-time Paralympian in swimming who is set on her third Paralympic Games and also has a goal to swim at the Olympic trials in 2021.
Read more »