Trial shows antiviral has no effect on Covid-19 while experts lambast Trump’s latest ‘dangerous cure’. Plus, Lucinda Williams on new album

Good morning,

Hopes that an existing drug could be used to treat the coronavirus have been dashed again, after the first full trial of the US-developed antiviral remdesivir among Covid-19 patients ended early and without any indication of “clinical or virological benefits”. In the Chinese trial, 158 patients were given the drug while 79 others received a placebo instead. Doctors noted no difference in recovery time between the two groups, or any significant difference in the number of deaths.

There was potentially more promising scientific news from New York state, where random testing of 3,000 people found 13.9% already had the antibodies to suggest they were previously infected with coronavirus. However, experts have questioned two similar surveys carried out by universities in California while the World Health Organization recently warned as little as 2% of the world population had been infected so far, meaning herd immunity remains a distant prospect.

Trump mused on using disinfectant to cure Covid-19

Play Video 1:58 Trump floats dangerous coronavirus treatment ideas as Dr Birx looks on – video

Donald Trump’s disjointed musings turned dangerous again at his daily coronavirus briefing on Thursday, when he appeared to float the idea of injecting disinfectant or blasting patients with UV light to cure the disease. Discussing government research into how the virus reacts to different temperatures, climates and surfaces, the president said:

And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute! And is there a way we can do something, by an injection inside or almost a cleaning?

One medical expert described |Trump’s suggested treatment, which would likely result in death, as “jaw-dropping”.

A Trump mega-donor has described the virus as “overhyped”. Liz Uihlein, the conservative billionaire co-founder of Wisconsin shipping firm Uline, told the Guardian she opposed the state’s lockdown measures, saying Covid-19 was “not as rampant as the press would have you make it”.

The House approved a $484bn coronavirus aid package

Facebook Twitter Pinterest House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wears a face mask to sign the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act on Thursday. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Reuters

The US government’s total spending in response to the coronavirus crisis is nearing $3tn, after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a $484bn relief bill – the fourth of its kind – for hospitals and small businesses. Despite Republican objections, Democrats also pushed through the establishment of a select committee to investigate the Trump administration’s response to the virus, and to provide oversight of the federal spending on the crisis.

US unemployment has topped 26 million , after another 4.4 milion people filed jobless claims last week.

Mitch McConnell’s “really dumb” idea. The Republican Senate majority leader has suggested states struggling to cope during the crisis should be able to file for bankruptcy rather than seek federal financial aid. The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, called the idea “irresponsible”, “reckless” and “really dumb”.

The UN says the pandemic is becoming a human rights crisis

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Worshippers wear face masks during Ramadan night prayers at a mosque in Indonesia. Photograph: Oviyandi Emnur/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock

The coronavirus is being used as cover for excessive authoritarian measures in countries including China, Hungary, Turkey, India and South Africa, according to the UN, whose secretary general said on Thursday that the global public health emergency was “fast becoming a human rights crisis”.

The UN human rights watchdog said it was “closely following” the arrest of more than a dozen pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong after accusations that Beijing was deliberately cracking down while the international community is distracted by the pandemic.

Elsewhere in the world:

Muslim majority nations are grappling with coronavirus restrictions at the start of of Ramadan, when Muslims would normally gather for worship and celebration.

Japanese officials made the “very painful” choice to cut off the buds of thousands of rose bushes at a park north of Tokyo, to deter an annual influx of flower viewers.

The Ibiza of the Alps. Austria’s Ischgl ski resort has said it will move away from “party tourism” after being identified as a coronavirus infection hotspot.

In other news …

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Family portraits still hang on the wall of a Mississippi home destroyed by a tornado. Photograph: Cam Bonelli/AP

More than two dozen tornadoes tore through four southern US states on Wednesday night, killing at least six people in the latest round of the extreme weather that has battered the region in recent weeks.

Insect numbers have fallen by 25% in 30 years , according to the biggest ever assessment of global insect populations. The study left scientists warning of “catastrophic consequences for the survival of mankind” if the losses are not halted.

Zoom has released new security updates. The video-conferencing platform is trying to address privacy concerns, after soaring use under the lockdown led to a surge in “Zoom-bombings”, in which uninvited people gatecrash its video meetings.

The NFL held its first ever virtual draft. The Cincinnati Bengals made the No 1 pick as expected at the online event on Thursday night, drafting LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.

Great reads

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Lucinda Williams has lost two of her friends to the coronavirus, fellow musicians Hal Willner and John Prine. Photograph: Danny Clinch

Lucinda Williams: ‘I don’t mind pushing people’s buttons’

The singer-songwriter’s latest album, Good Souls Better Angels, may be her most political record in a career spanning 40 years. That said, she tells Laura Snapes: “There’s always been something going on in this country to rebel against and be pissed off about.”

The lockdown takes its toll on mental health in the US

The biggest health crisis in a generation is also a “perfect storm” for people’s mental health. Nina Lakhani reports on the sharp rise in calls to US helplines, while the Guardian’s John Crace discusses his own mental health challenges on the Today in Focus podcast.

Opinion: Billionaires are not in the same boat

As the coronavirus crisis took hold between 18 March and 10 April, more than 22 million people lost their jobs in the US. At the same time, says Chuck Collins, an inequality expert at the Institute for Policy Studies , US billionaires increased their wealth by almost 10%.

The billionaires may not have caused this pandemic. But extreme inequality and poverty are pre-existing conditions in this public health emergency.

Last Thing: Tom Hanks types his thanks to Corona, 8

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tom Hanks posted a photo of his Corona typewriter on Instagram while he and his wife Rita Wilson were quarantined in Australia. Photograph: Twitter

Tom Hanks, who had Covid-19, has typed a heartfelt note of thanks and support to an eight-year-old Australian boy, who had sent Hanks a get well letter in which he revealed that he was being bullied about his name, Corona. Hanks also sent the boy a gift: the Corona typewriter with which he had written his note.

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