Rolling updates on the latest developments and headlines from around the world on the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Gina Lee and Peter Nurse
(10:18 PM ET) China fails to set numerical GDP target
China failed to set a numerical GDP target, breaking years of precedence, as the National People’s Congress opened after a two-month delay.
The failure was blamed on the economic impact from COVID-19, as China’s economy shrunk almost 7% in the first quarter of 2020 and the country continues to deal with a second wave of cases in the north-east.
(10:15 PM ET) Global virus cases pass the 5 million mark
The number of COVID-19 cases globally has passed the 5 million mark. According to Johns Hopkins University data, there are 5,101,967 cases globally as of May 22.