Trump offers rosy predictions for coronavirus testing as US passes 1m cases Donald Trump has predicted a “great” economic rebound in the fall and claimed the country would soon be performing 5m coronavirus diagnostic tests a day, as the number of confirmed cases in the US surpassed a million. Some health experts have suggested that the US would have to carry out 5m tests a day by June to reopen its economy safely. Others have suggested as many as 20m tests a day would ultimately be needed. The US daily rate is currently 200,000. Addressing a news conference on aid to small businesses on Tuesday, Trump appeared unaware of the current figures, suggesting “it could be that we’re getting very close” to 5m daily tests. “We’re going to be there very soon,” he said. The US has carried out 5.6m tests over the past two months, which as Trump pointed out was far more than any other country, but represented about 1.6% of the population, a higher percentage than most countries, though significantly below Italy. Trump was also bullish on the prospects for economic recovery in the fall. In what looks almost certain to become another hostage to fortune, the president implied that the pandemic would be largely cleared by the fourth quarter of the year. The number of US deaths from the novel coronavirus has surpassed the toll of Americans killed in the Vietnam War, the Johns Hopkins University tracker showed Tuesday. The pandemic has killed 58,365 people in the United States, the Baltimore-based university said. According to the National Archives, 58,220 Americans were killed in combat and from other causes such as accidents during years of war in Southeast Asia. The US death toll and number of cases - in excess of one million - far exceeds that of any other country. Vietnam, a neighbour of China, has recorded 270 cases and no deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. The false belief that toxic methanol cures the coronavirus has seen over 700 people killed in Iran, an official said Monday. That represents a higher death toll than so far released by the Iranian Health Ministry, The Associated Press reports. An adviser to the ministry, Hossein Hassanian, said that the difference in death tallies is because some alcohol poisoning victims died outside of hospital. Some 200 people died outside of hospitals, Hassanian told AP. The national coroner’s authority said that alcohol poisoning killed 728 Iranians between 20 February and 7 April. Last year there were only 66 deaths from alcohol poisoning, according to the report. Separately, the Iranian health ministry spokesman, Kianoush Jahanpour said that 525 people have died from swallowing toxic methanol alcohol since 20 February, state TV reported on Monday. Jahanpour said that a total of 5,011 people had been poisoned from methanol alcohol. He added that some 90 people have lost their eye sight or are suffering eye damage from the alcohol poisoning. Hassanian also said the final tally of people who lost their eye sight could be much higher. Iran is facing the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East with 5,806 deaths and more than 91,000 confirmed case. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unpredictable the future feels, we will remain with you, delivering high quality news so we can all make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Nearly 70 residents infected with coronavirus have died at a Massachusetts home for ageing veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest known outbreak at a long-term care facility in the US, AP reports. While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers’ Home continues to climb, federal officials are investigating whether residents were denied proper medical care and the state’s top prosecutor is deciding whether to bring legal action. Sixty-eight veteran residents who tested positive for the virus have died, officials said Tuesday, and it’s not known whether another person who died had Covid-19. Another 82 residents and 81 employees have tested positive. The home’s superintendent, who’s been placed on administrative leave, has defended his response and accused state officials of falsely claiming they were unaware of the scope of the problem there. The superintendent, Bennett Walsh, said earlier this month state officials knew that the home was in crisis mode when it came to staffing shortages and were notified early and often about the contagion at the facility. There were nearly 230 residents living at the home in late March and only about 100 remained on Monday, The Boston Globe reported. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unpredictable the future feels, we will remain with you, delivering high quality news so we can all make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Three US children with coronavirus being treated for rare inflammatory syndrome Three US children infected with the coronavirus are being treated for a rare inflammatory syndrome that appears similar to one that has raised concerns by doctors in Britain, Italy and Spain, Reuters reports. All three children - who range in age from 6 months to 8 years - have undergone treatment at Columbia University Medical Centre in New York, and all had fever and inflammation of the heart and the gut. “Right now, we’re at the very beginning of trying to understand what that represents,” Columbia’s Dr Mark Gorelik told Reuters. Italian and British medical experts are investigating a possible link between the coronavirus pandemic and clusters of Kawasaki disease, a severe inflammatory disease among infants arriving in hospitals with high fevers and swollen arteries.The syndrome has been largely undetected in the United States, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Gorelik said he believes the cases are likely not Kawasaki disease, but a similar process that shares an underlying mechanism with Kawasaki, which is thought to be triggered by an infectious agent that sparks an immune response. Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic from around the world. I’m Helen Sullivan and I’ll be with you for the next few hours. Please do get in touch on Twitter @helenrsullivan with any questions, comments tips, and news from where you live. The number of deaths in Brazil has now passed 5,000, more than China’s official toll, with confirmed cases at 71,886. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been notoriously dismissive of the coronavirus pandemic, sparking outrage across the political spectrum and pot-banging protests. Meanwhile, cases in the US have passed 1 million, accounting for roughly a third of the global total, which currently stands at over 3.1 million. Known global death toll exceeds 215,000. According to the Johns Hopkins researchers, at least 3,110,219 people have been infected worldwide and at least 216,808 have died since the outbreak began. The numbers are likely to be significant underestimates due to suspected underreporting and differing testing and recording systems around the world. Brazil’s total number of confirmed deaths has now overtaken the WHO’s figure for China as cases accelerate in Latin America’s biggest country. The number of deaths in Brazil has now passed 5,000. US confirmed coronavirus cases pass one million mark, accounting for a third of cases worldwide, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The US death toll is now over 57,000 people. Streamed films to be eligible for Oscars. Films released on streaming platforms only will be eligible for Academy Awards next year because of the pandemic’s disruption to the industry, the organisers of the Oscars have said. The head of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases called on people to stay at home as much as possible as new figures show the country’s infection rate has increased. Vladimir Putin extended a non-working period in Russia until 11 May, as he warned the rate of infection in the country has not yet peaked. The Russian president made the announcement during a meeting with senior officials and regional heads. France began outlining the schedule for the end of the lockdown. The prime minister, Édouard Philippe said: “Who could have envisaged a France where schools, universities, cafes, restaurants, the majority of businesses, libraries … beaches, stadiums … would be closed?” The number of confirmed cases in Saudia Arabia passed 20,000 as its health authorities reported 1,266 new infections. The kingdom reported eight deaths, bringing its total death toll to 152. The UK said it would begin including deaths in care homes in its daily reports, as official figures show they account for almost a quarter of the total death toll in England and Wales, with yet more occurring in private homes, hospices or elsewhere. Britain also expanded the list of those eligible for coronavirus tests to asymptomatic NHS and care staff, over-65s and those who travel to work will now qualify.