Coronavirus pandemic has killed over 3.5 million people and infected over 170 million globally. Follow this thread for all the coronavirus-related developments for May 30:
Sunday, May 30
Millions in India forced into poverty by virus crisis
Rasheeda Jaleel lives in fear that she may not be able to feed her seven children as millions of Indian families are forced into poverty by a devastating new wave.
The 40-year-old, her husband Abdul Jaleel, 65, and the children already survive on just one meal a day.
"When we are hungry and thirsty, I feel very helpless and worry, 'How am I going to survive like this?'" Jaleel told AFP as she made roti -- flatbread -- for the solitary meal in their tiny New Delhi flat.
"We manage with whatever my husband is able to earn. If it's not enough, I stay hungry so I can feed my children."
The virus has killed 160,000 in eight weeks, overwhelmed hospitals and shut many businesses in India.
Experts warn that another crisis is looming, with rising levels of hunger among poor Indians already reeling from a first lockdown last year.
"It's a double crisis that the poor in the country are facing –- there is the health crisis and there is also an income economic crisis," Anjali Bhardwaj from the Right to Food Campaign told AFP.
"We have had a huge health crisis unfolding... and many have had to spend their life savings on trying to provide medical aid to their families."
About 230 million Indians fell into poverty, defined as living on less than 375 rupees ($5) per day, in the first year of the pandemic, according to a study by Bangalore's Azim Premji University.
On Sunday, the country reported its lowest daily rise in new infections in 46 days at 165,553 cases during the previous 24 hours, while deaths rose by 3,460.
The South Asian nation's tally of infections now stands at 27.9 million, with the death toll has reached 325,972, health ministry data showed.
Lebanon vaccinates over 10,000 people in day-long drive
Lebanon vaccinated more than 10,000 people as part of a day-long vaccine "marathon" organised by the health ministry to ramp up inoculation rates in the crisis-hit country.
The ministry said 10,452 people over the age of 30 received jabs of the AstraZeneca vaccine at different facilities across the country.
They were allowed to enter vaccination centres on a walk-in basis from early Saturday morning in what health authorities have dubbed a vaccine "marathon".
The capital Beirut and some other parts of the country were excluded from the initiative, but outgoing health minister Hamad Hassan said there were plans for a second such event that would cover more areas.
"Some regions didn't want to participate but after today's encouraging experience, everyone will soon take part," he said, without specifying when.
Lebanon, mired in its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, has recorded 540,132 coronavirus cases, including 7,718 deaths, since its outbreak began last year.
Myanmar virus outbreak hits health system shattered after coup
Breathless, fevered and without the extra oxygen that could help keep them alive, the new coronavirus patients at a hospital near Myanmar's border with India highlight the threat to a health system near collapse since February's coup.
To help her tend the seven virus patients at Cikha hospital, day and night, chief nurse Lun Za En has a lab technician and a pharmacist's assistant.
Mostly, they offer kind words and paracetamol.
"We don't have enough oxygen, enough medical equipment, enough electricity, enough doctors or enough ambulances," Lun Za En, 45, told Reuters from the town of just over 10,000.
"We are operating with three staff instead of 11.
Myanmar's anti-Covid campaign foundered along with the rest of the health system after the military seized power on Feb. 1 and overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose government had stepped up testing, quarantine and treatment.
Health workers sue Texas hospital over compulsory vaccinations
A group of 117 healthcare workers at a Texas hospital filed a lawsuit in state court against their employer's mandate requiring all staff to get vaccinations, Washington Post reported.
Employees of Houston Methodist Hospital said in the lawsuit that their employer's compulsory immunisation requirement violated the Nuremberg Code, a set of standards designed after WWII to prevent experimentation on human subjects without their consent, the Post reported.
They also said the hospital presented them with the choice of either getting a vaccine or losing their job, which violated state law, and asked the court to bar Houston Medical from firing unvaccinated staffers, the report said.
Brazilians protest against President Bolsonaro's virus response
Brazilians staged protests against President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic in at least 16 cities across the country on Saturday, carrying signs such as "Out with Bolsonaro" and "Impeachment now."
Bolsonaro's popularity has plummeted during the coronavirus crisis, which has killed more than 460,000 Brazilians as the far-right leader played down its severity, dismissed mask wearing and cast doubt on the importance of vaccines.
Organised by leftist political parties, unions and student associations, Saturday's protests in the capital Brasilia and in Rio de Janeiro were peaceful, but in the northeastern city of Recife, police threw tear gas and shot rubber bullets.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, thousands of mask-wearing people blocked one the largest city's avenues. One large balloon depicted Bolsonaro as a vampire.
Some protests, like the one in Rio, included images of former leftist president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva wearing the presidential sash.
Australia's Victoria state reports 5 cases on day 3 of lockdown
Australia's Victoria state reported five new local virus cases on Sunday, including in a worker at a Melbourne aged care facility where not all of the residents have been vaccinated.
The infections on the third day of a week-long lockdown raise the total to 40 in the latest cluster, which started with a returning overseas traveller who tested positive after leaving a quarantine hotel.
Victoria's acting premier, James Merlino, said at a briefing that 70% of the traveller's close contacts have so far tested negative for the coronavirus.
"But it is true to say that this remains a day-by-day proposition," Merlino said.
Pfizer-BioNTech less effective against Indian variant
The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine is slightly less effective but appears to still protect against the more transmissible Indian strain of the virus that causes Covid-19, according to a study by France's Pasteur Institute.
Paris stages test concert
Starved of live music for the past year, fans of veteran French rock band Indochine got the chance to see their idols in concert, all in the name of Covid-19 research.
Around 5,000 concert goers took part in the experimental event at Paris's Bercy concert hall. Another 2,500 volunteers who did not attend the concert will serve as a comparison group.
Vaccine discount for Florida punk concert
Fans of punk bands Teenage BottleRocket, MakeWar and Rutterkin can get tickets for a June 26 concert in Saint Petersburg, Florida, for a "discounted" $18 if they can produce proof they have been fully vaccinated. If not, admission costs an even $999.99.
Germany probes testing centres for fraud
Prosecutors in several German regions have launched probes of companies offering free Covid-19 tests after news reports said some were padding their numbers to claim more money from the government.
French budget deficit swells
The French 2021 budget deficit is forecast to swell to 220 billion euros, 47 billion more than previously estimated, owing to measures taken to underpin recovery from the coronavirus epidemic, the public accounts minister told AFP.
Canada extends shelf life of AstraZeneca jab by 1 month
Canadian health authorities announced Saturday they were pushing back the expiration date on nearly 50,000 doses of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine by one month.
Health Canada said in a statement its approval to extend the shelf life of two lots of vaccine from May 31 to July 1 was supported by "scientific evidence."
A spokesperson for Health Canada said that as of May 22, there were about 49,000 doses of AstraZeneca in the country with an expiration date of May 31.
CBC reported that most were in Ontario province.
Canadian health authorities had previously approved a six-month shelf life for AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine.
But they said they received information from the company on May 27 including "product stability and mathematical modelling data" that showed the two lots could be safely and effectively used for an extra month.
Mexico reports 2,725 cases, 383 more deaths
Mexico has reported another 2,725 coronavirus cases and an additional 383 deaths, according to health ministry data, bringing the overall number of cases to 2,411,503 and the death toll to 223,455.
More states ease lingering virus rules as vaccine rates rise
Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, more US cities and states are shrugging off lingering Covid-19 restrictions as vaccination rates rise and the number of infections falls.
Massachusetts lifted a mask requirement Saturday, a day after New Jersey dropped its mandate. In New York City and Chicago, officials reopened public beaches, though winds and cool temperatures kept crowds away.
Chicago's Navy Pier also reopened retail stores and restaurants, carnival rides, and tour boats and cruises after the pandemic forced months-long closures at the busy tourist destination.
It's one more sign of progress that reflects increasingly positive health data. On Saturday, Illinois' Department of Public Health reported 802 new confirmed and probable infections, the second-lowest one-day total in the last six months.
For businesses nationwide, the improving outlook and long holiday weekend offered a chance to welcome customers back to in-person shopping.
Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, opened its doors to customers for the first time in nearly 14 months Friday.
Masks are still required.
Minnesota lifted all statewide coronavirus restrictions for bars and restaurants Friday, though local governments can maintain their own social distancing and mask rules.
Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker lifted a mask mandate effective Saturday, though face coverings are still required in certain places, including on public transportation.
The state also still encourages unvaccinated people to wear masks in indoor or public areas.
Virginia relaxed its distancing and capacity restrictions on Friday.
Millions of Americans planned to travel over the long weekend, and airports reported some of their highest traffic since the pandemic began.
Venezuela implements second phase of vaccination plan
Inside a state-owned hotel that became a makeshift health center in March 2020, the Venezuelan government implemented the second phase of its Covid-19 vaccination plan.
On Saturday, hundreds of people over 60 attended the Alba Caracas Hotel in the Venezuelan capital to get their first dose of the Russian vaccine Sputnik-V and the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine.
Venezuela began the first phase of vaccination on February 18, focusing on the health, security and education sectors.
Since February, 380,000 doses of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V have arrived, 3.8 percent of the 10 million vaccines initially agreed in December between the governments of Caracas and Moscow.
Government authorities also announced on Saturday that Venezuela has already paid the total amount required to benefit from the COVAX mechanism.
Through COVAX, created by the United Nations to facilitate equitable access to immunization, 11,374,400 doses of the different range of vaccines provided by COVAX could reach Venezuela according to government figures.
That volume represents 20 percent of the vaccines needed to immunise the Venezuelan population, estimated at around 30 million.
Recently, the Pan American Health Organization indicated that Venezuela had paid $101 million to secure COVAX vaccines, with $18 million remaining to be cancelled.
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