The White House officials suggest that the deaths are overcounted, however experts disagree. The United States, already leading in the number of confirmed cases, is continuing its steady advance towards a coronavirus death toll of 100,000. Recently, however, President Trump and other members of his administration have started to suggest that the numbers are inflated. Despite President Trump expressing his beliefs that the figures could be “lower than” the official count (95,000 as of this Friday), most statisticians and public health experts say the death toll is probably far higher than what is publicly known. Many have been dying in their homes without being tested, with a large amount of cases being misdiagnosed as influenza or pneumonia.

President Trump recently declared that places of worship are “essential” operations and should be permitted to hold services in person this weekend. On top of calling for places of worship to be opened as soon as possible, the president additionally threatened to “override” any governors who refused to comply. The White House failed to explain what power the president actually had in terms of overriding the governors, however, Attorney General William P. Barr has already been threatening legal action against the state of California. Other governors (Washington, etc.) have quickly rejected the president’s threat stating that “he can’t dictate what states can or cannot open.”

India has its largest one-day spike- reporting more than 6,600 cases in 24 hoursThis sudden and large spike in confirmed coronavirus cases raises the nationwide total to 125,101 cases and 3,720 deaths. Currently, the western state of Maharashtra has been hit the hardest in the country. Additionally, this news comes as domestic flights resume in India. Some states, however, have stated that passengers will still be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The “different” path of the virus in Africa, and what it means for the continent’s younger populationThe World Health Organization has stated on Friday that the coronavirus is taking a “different pathway” in Africa- most likely due to the age distribution in the population. Mortality rates in Africa are lower than anywhere else in the world, as more than 60% of the population is under 25. However many health experts have cast doubt on the WHO’s numbers as Africa’s limited testing and diagnostic capability mask a much graver reality in terms of official numbers.

The impacts of the coronavirus crisis on impoverished Brazillian favelasOn Saturday, Brazil surpassed Russia to become the country with the second-highest number of cases globally- after the United States. In Brazil, the pandemic highlights the inequalities in economic status and access to health care as the crisis has reached the poverty-stricken and densely populated favelas. An estimated 13 million people live in these neighborhoods, where the majority of residents live on minimum wage (or less). The densely packed alleyways are a real risk of infection, and there isn’t much space for the residents to safely self-isolate, furthering the spread.