June 16 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan and Steve George, CNN

Updated 2:11 AM ET, Wed June 17, 2020
3 Posts
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12:38 a.m. ET, June 16, 2020

Coronavirus cluster in Beijing is a "significant event," WHO says

From CNN’s Amanda Watts

The World Health Organization called a coronavirus cluster of more than 100 cases in Beijing a “significant event.”

Speaking during a news briefing on Monday, Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, said, “In China, when you spend over 50 days without having any significant local transmission the cluster like this is a concern, and it needs to be investigated and controlled.”

“In that sense, it is big news. Within the grand scheme of things around the number of cases per day around the world, it's not, but it is significant event,” Ryan said.

“We're always concerned for clusters,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO infectious disease epidemiologist.

Van Kerkhove said every single case needs to be addressed, “but clusters are a special condition, because in any country we need to understand why is there the clustering?”

Ryan said now is the time to investigate what’s driving the new infections.

Some background: Beijing is reintroducing strict lockdown measures and rolling out mass testing after a fresh cluster of novel coronavirus cases emerged from the city's largest wholesale food market, sparking fears of a resurgence of the deadly outbreak.

The cases are linked to Xinfadi market in the southwest of the city, which supplies most of the capital's fresh fruit and vegetables. The market, which also sells meat and seafood, has been shut down since Saturday.

The new cluster has sent shock waves throughout China, with Beijing's municipal government spokesperson Xu Hejian describing it as "an extraordinary period" during a news conference Sunday.

Read more about the Beijing outbreak:

12:35 a.m. ET, June 16, 2020

More than 8 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide

From CNN’s Samantha Beech in Atlanta

At least 8 million coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

Johns Hopkins reported 8,018,742 cases as of 12:30 a.m. ET Tuesday. The total number of deaths related to coronavirus globally is at least 436,406.

CNN reported just over a week ago that global cases had surpassed 7 million, on Sunday June 7.

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:

12:32 a.m. ET, June 16, 2020

Mexico's coronavirus cases surpass 150,000 

From CNN's Matt Rivers in Mexico City

Mexico's coronavirus case count reached a total of 150,254 on Monday, following an increase of 3,427 infections in the past 24 hours. 

The country's health ministry also reported 439 people have died from the virus since Sunday.

A total of 17,580 people are reported to have died in Mexico from coronavirus since the pandemic started.