5 Must-Reads of the Day: Trump Jr slams Facebook for taking down pages promoting protests against COVID rules, UK to start trials of coronavirus vaccine and more

COVID-19 Update
5 must-read coronavirus headline stories from around the world on April 22th, 2020.

5 Must-Reads of the Day: Trump Jr slams Facebook for taking down pages promoting protests against COVID rules, UK to start trials of coronavirus vaccine and more

5 must-read coronavirus headline stories from around the world on April 22th, 2020.
COVID-19 Update
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5 must-read coronavirus headline stories from around the world on April 22th, 2020.

1. Donald Trump Jr. hits out against social media giants taking down events and posts promoting disobedience to stay-at-home orders

The first son accused Facebook of “colluding with state governments to quash peoples free speech”, after the platform started blocking posts that spread messages against restrictions and stay at home orders.

“This is a chilling & disturbing government directed shutdown of peoples 1st Amendment rights,” he tweeted.

“Very dangerous!”

Read more: America’s first son lashes Facebook for taking down posts promoting protests against stay at home orders

2. Vaccine testing to start in UK this week

The UK Secretary for Health has said researchers are making “rapid progress” towards a vaccine, with hopes for millions of doses to be ready as early as June.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced human trials led by the University of Oxford will begin this week, with estimates a vaccine could be ready by September.

Over at the Imperial College though, estimates sit at doses being ready by June.

“Both of these promising projects are making rapid progress and I’ve told the scientists leading them we will do everything in our power to support,” he said.

Read more: Millions of coronavirus vaccine doses could be ready as early as September, UK researchers say

3. WHO defends China against rumours COVID-19 was manufactured by communist party in a lab

The World Health Organisation this week doubled down on the belief coronavirus came from wild bats in China, and was not purposely made by the Party.

It comes as President Donald Trump said the US would be trying to determine whether the virus originated from a lab in Wuhan, China.

“All available evidence suggests the virus has an animal origin and is not a manipulated or constructed virus in a lab or somewhere else,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said.

“It is probable, likely that the virus is of animal origin,”

Read more: WHO defend China against US accusations coronavirus was made by the communist party in a lab

4. Creator of Black Mirror to base a special episode on COVID-19 lockdown

Charlie Brooker, the creator of Netflix’s dystopian sensation Black Mirror, will be directing a new lockdown special – Antiviral Wipe.

A BBC press release said the show would be made during lockdown and be about the lockdown.

“Charlie will be taking a typically sharp look at life in lockdown, in a show made during lockdown,” it read.

“As well as coverage of the crisis itself, he’ll also be looking at the things people are watching and doing to keep themselves occupied.”

Read more: New show to be based on coronavirus lockdown in the works

5. Study finds treatment drug touted by Trump could make COVID patients more likely to die

US President Donald Trump has for the last few weeks been praising his administration for procuring a stockpile of a drug – hydroxychloroquine – which he has called a “game changer”

But a new study shows that patients taking the drug are more likely to die than those who aren’t.

The researches found “no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine, either with or without azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalised with Covid-19”.

“These findings highlight the importance of awaiting the results of ongoing prospective, randomised, controlled studies before widespread adoption of these drugs.”

Read more: Drug hailed as a “game changer” in fight against COVID-19 by Trump could make patients more likely to die