Ars coronavirus Monday update, May 18

Enlarge / BFFs. (credit: Brenda Kochevar / Flickr)

During the pandemic, Ars has done its best to keep you on top of the most important news. But there are definitely gaps in our coverage: small updates to stories we've covered, or news that we've decided wasn't worth the time to report deeply. Focusing on breaking news also limits our opportunity to provide bigger-picture perspective. To make up for this, we're going to try doing a series of Monday updates to help keep you informed.

You can read Ars' comprehensive coronavirus FAQ, or browse all of our coronavirus coverage.

Current counts: 4.8 million confirmed cases globally (up 1.3 million over last week); 1.5 million of those in the United States (up 350,000 over last week). 320,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 (up 70,000 over last week); 90,000 deaths in the US (up 10,000 over last week).

Over a month has passed since President Donald Trump announced that he was halting funding for the World Health Organization, a group that has played a leading role in coordinating the international response to the pandemic. Trump's claim was that it helped China cover up the initial spread of SARS-CoV-2, but over the weekend, reports started circulating that the administration was considering restoring some funding to the organization. The restored funds would represent a small fraction of the US' former budget, and details are still being negotiated.

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