COVID-19 Update: 40M Jobless Claims; Herd Immunity Far Off; New Workplace Guidelines

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The total number of unemployment claims has surpassed 40 million over the past 10 weeks, after another 2.1 million were filed just this past week. (ABC News)

Unofficial U.S. tally as of 8:00 a.m. ET Friday: 1,721,926 cases and 101,621 deaths. That’s up by about 9% and 7%, respectively, since a week ago at the same time.

Don’t bank on global herd immunity for quite some time. (New York Times)

An AstraZeneca exec said virus challenge studies may be necessary to get a workable COVID vaccine to market — although noted we’re not there yet. (New York Post)

Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline announced its own plans to produce one billion doses of vaccine efficacy boosters for COVID-19 shots in 2021. (Reuters)

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced New York City is expected to initiate phase 1 of reopening during the first two weeks of June, where up to 400,000 employees will be able to head back to work. (MarketWatch)

But how many employers will actually open up? The CDC issues new, stringent workplace guidelines — like, no mass transit to get there. (New York Times)

Meanwhile, warnings about choirs or congregant singing spreading the virus are now scrubbed from the CDC’s “faith” guidance. (The Washington Post)

For the first time in its 124-year history, the Boston Marathon was officially called off, to be replaced by a “virtual race.” (NPR)

Restaurants, bars, and beaches in France are slated to reopen on June 2. (The Guardian)

Devoid of social distancing, hundreds of farm workers from Mexico jam into a dank, narrow border-station tunnel every day to trek to their California day jobs. (Reuters)

With concerns over accuracy, are antibody tests helping at all? (Kaiser Health News)

After a study in The Lancet reported high mortality rates and cardiovascular risks associated with hydroxychloroquine — which then prompted the World Health Organization to hit pause on global trials of the drug — independent researchers want method clarifications from the study authors. (The Guardian)

But it may be a merely academic point now, as hospitals have lost enthusiasm for the drug. (Reuters)