By Gina Lee and Peter Nurse
Investing.com – Rolling updates on the latest developments and headlines from around the world on the Covid-19 pandemic.
(9:56 AM ET) U.S. cases tops 1 million
Johns Hopkins University data said that there are now 1,012,517 COVID-19 cases in the United States as of April 29. The data also said that the virus has claimed 56,356 lives in the country, more than the 58,220 American soldiers killed during the Vietnam War.
(9:58 AM ET) School’s (almost) in for senior high school students in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s senior high school students will return to school on May 26 at the earliest, after the citywide university entrance exam ends on May 25.
To prevent a second wave, schools are likely to run on a half-day schedule until the end of the school year. Junior high school students could return to school on June 8, with upper elementary students expected to resume on June 1.
(10 AM ET) South African economy could shrink as much as 6.4%
South Africa’s Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said that the country’s economy could contract as much as 6.4% this year, with the budget deficit could swell to more than 10% of gross domestic product due to COVID-19.