The Heat: COVID-19 and the race for a vaccine

COVID-19

As the world struggles to contain the coronavirus, we begin with encouraging news from the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reported to be out of intensive care at St. Thomas hospital where he’s been cared for since Monday.  A spokesperson from Downing Street said the prime minister is back on a ward where he’s being closely monitored.  The death toll continues to rise in the United States with more than 16, 000 deaths. The epicenter, New York state, reported its single worst day on Wednesday with 799 deaths. And, 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits, bringing the total number of claims to more than 16 million. Economists say the US unemployment rate is now 13%, the worst since the Great Depression.

CGTN’s White House Correspondent Nathan King reports.

Follow Nathan King on Twitter@nathanking

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To discuss the impact of the coronavirus in the United States:

  • Dr. William Haseltine is the Chair and President of ACCESS Health International and is best known for his groundbreaking work in HIV and AIDS.

As the death toll rises from the coronavirus, scientists around the world are racing to find a vaccine that will protect people from getting sick.

To discuss this:

  • Dr. Gloria Taliani is a member of the COVID-19 Task Force with the Italian Civil Protection System.
  • Russ Altman is a Professor of Bioengineering, Genetics, Medicine and Biomedical Data Science at Stanford University.

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