May 12, 2020 - Health

Russia reports most coronavirus cases outside the U.S.

A medical worker and patient after conducting a computed tomography scan in Khimki, Russia, on May 12. Photo: Sergei Bobylev\TASS via Getty Images

Russia is reporting the most novel coronavirus cases in the world outside of the U.S., per Johns Hopkins data.

The big picture: Russia first reported a surge of more than 35,000 cases between April 30 and May 3. The country has reported more than 2,100 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon, a significantly lower number than the other most-affected countries such as Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson and close adviser Dmitry Peskov was recently hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus, following positive tests for several other senior officials, including Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Between the lines: China has reported fewer infections and deaths than other countries battling COVID-19, but its reporting has encountered considerable skepticism from the CIA and leaders around the world.

Go deeper: Russia goes after coronavirus in latest health misinformation push

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Axios

Updated 4 hours ago - Health

World coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

Australian officials in Victoria announced Sunday 17 more deaths from COVID-19 — a new state and national record.

The big picture: Australia was on track to suppress the novel coronavirus in May, but cases have been spiking in Victoria in recent weeks, where a state of disaster was declared last week, enabling officials to introduce restrictions including a night-time curfew in state capital Melbourne.

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Jacob Knutson

Aug 7, 2020 - Health

Africa records over 1 million coronavirus cases

A health worker in Nigeria checks students' temperatures on August 4. Photo: Pius Utomi Ekepei/AFP via Getty Images

African countries collectively surpassed 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases this week, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Why it matters: Some health experts believe that the true number of COVID-19 cases among African countries is higher than that figure due to a lack of testing, and fear that undetected cases could overload some of the world’s weakest health systems, according to AP.

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Orion Rummler

Aug 7, 2020 - Health

Massachusetts pauses reopening after uptick in coronavirus cases

Gov. Charlie Baker at Boston MedFlight Headquarters on Aug. 4. Photo: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced Friday that the state's second phase of reopening is "postponed indefinitely" in response to a modest increase in coronavirus cases.

The big picture: The state is reporting more COVID-19 deaths than most others across the U.S. outside of domestic epicenters like California, or previous hotspots including New Jersey and New York, per a New York Times database.