Brazil's death toll surpasses Italy's, Lancet retracts hydroxychloroquine study

The global number of coronavirus cases surpassed 6.6 million, as the pandemic continues to sweep across the world.

The death toll in Brazil surpassed that of Italy on Thursday. South America was recently declared a new epicenter in the outbreak.

In the U.S., coronavirus hospitalizations are on the rise around the country, Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC, as states push forward with plans to reopen the economy and mass protests engulf the country. The convergence of events could become a problem in the fall, when hospitals around the country begin to fill with flu patients. As the two outbreaks coincide, health systems risk becoming strained. 

Meanwhile, the NBA announced it approved a plan that would resume its season on July 31 in Orlando, Florida.

The coverage on this live blog has ended — but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's U.S. team.

• Global cases: More than 6.6 million
• Global deaths: More than 389,620 
• U.S. cases: More than 1.8 million
• U.S. deaths: More than 108,208

The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

10:25 a.m. London time — Chatham House Chair Jim O'Neill believes it could be a matter of months before a vaccine for the coronavirus could be rolled out to a significant part of the world.

Speaking to CNBC's "Street Signs" on Friday, the former Goldman Sachs chief economist said the speed and scale of cooperation that is going on in the pharmaceutical world to develop a vaccine is "extraordinary."

O'Neill specifically referenced the latest developments from AstraZeneca, with the pharmaceutical company announcing that it plans to produce 2 billion does of a Covid-19 vaccine over the coming months.

AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soirot said on a call with reporters on Thursday that the company plans to start distributing the vaccine to the U.S. and U.K. in September or October, with the balance of deliveries likely to be made by early 2021.

"It adds to my belief that it is not impossible that a usable vaccine could be available for a significant part of the world by this September. Obviously, they have got to get through some important tests in the coming weeks, but it sounds to me that it is quite possible and it is a fantastic development," O'Neill said. — Sam Meredith

1.20 p.m. Singapore time — Singapore is developing a wearable contact tracing device that could be distributed to all its 5.7 million residents, Reuters reported, citing Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Responding to a question in parliament about a smartphone app the city-state has launched for identifying those who have been in close contact with infected patients, Balakrishnan said there were technical issues due to the app's dependence on bluetooth technology. The device in development will not depend on the possession of a smartphone.

"If this portable device works, we may then distribute it to everyone in Singapore," said Balakrishnan according to Reuters. — Huileng Tan

12.10 p.m. Singapore time — Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is aiming to produce 2 billion doses of a coronavirus vaccine—and it could be ready by September.

They include 400 million doses for the U.S. and U.K. and 1 billion for those in low- and middle-income countries. 

AstraZeneca plans to start distributing the vaccine to the U.S. and U.K. in September or October, with the balance of deliveries likely to be made by early 2021, said AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot. —Lucy Handley

9.30 a.m. Singapore time — The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Brazil has exceeded the number in Italy, Reuters reported citing the Brazilian health ministry.

On Thursday, the Brazilian authority reported 1,437 deaths, taking the toll to 34,021. Italy's death toll is 33,689.

That means that Brazil now has the third highest number of deaths globally, after the U.S. and the U.K.

Brazil on Thursday also reported 30,925 new coronavirus cases.

The World Health Organization recently declared South America as a new epicenter of the pandemic. —Huileng Tan

7:45 p.m. ET — Amwell, a provider of online health services, has confidentially filed to go public and hired Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to lead the offering, according to people familiar with the matter.

The IPO could take place in September, said the people, who asked not to be named because the plans haven't been announced.

Amwell is one of the leading players in a market that's exploding, because patients who need non-urgent care are trying to avoid hospitals, where they risk being exposed to Covid-19. Just last month, Amwell raised almost $200 million in private capital and said that it's seen a 1,000% increase in visits due to coronavirus, and closer to 3,000% to 4,000% in some places. —Ari Levy, Christina Farr

7:20 p.m. ET — Bankrupted J.C. Penney announced the list of the 154 stores it plans to close this summer, with store closing sales kicking off June 12.

"While closing stores is always an extremely difficult decision, our store optimization strategy is vital to ensuring we emerge from both Chapter 11 and the COVID-19 pandemic as a stronger retailer with greater financial flexibility to allow us to continue serving our loyal customers for decades to come," Chief Executive Jill Soltau said in a statement. —Lauren Thomas

6:56 p.m. ET — Zillow released data that shows hosts of Airbnb and other vacation properties have pivoted to the residential rental market as the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically curtailed travel.

Listings for furnished rentals on Zillow from March to mid-May were up 44% compared to the same time last year. Additionally, listings for rentals of six months or less increased 23% March 1 to May 21.

"With travel banned, vacation home owners may be looking to avoid the uncertainty of when the economy might open and look to get a longer-term renter in their home," Zillow economist Joshua Clark told CNBC. —Sal Rodriguez

6:05 p.m. ET —A CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University found that U.S. Covid-19 cases been slowly ticking up since the Memorial Day holiday. New cases hit a peak of 31,578, based on a seven-day average, on April 10 before steadily falling to an eight-week low of just over 20,600 a day on May 28 — and have been rising ever since. While cases are slowing in hot spots such as New York state, cases are on the rise in places like Florida, Texas and Arizona.

CDC Director Robert Redfield told lawmakers earlier today that he was worried Americans aren't following the agency's advice as states begin to reopen. Crowds of people have been seen in recent weeks at protests, over the Memorial Day holiday and, Redfield noted, at the SpaceX launch over the weekend. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

5:30 p.m. ET — The National Basketball Association approved a plan that would resume its season on July 31 in Orlando, Florida.

In a 29-1 vote, the NBA board of governors approved a format that would include 22 teams that each play eight regular season games before entering a full four-round playoff bracket, CNBC's Jabari Young reports. The season is set to end no later than Oct. 12.

The proposal still needs approval from the National Basketball Players Association, which is negotiating details concerning safety protocol with the NBA. —Hannah Miller

5 p.m. ET — The May employment report is expected to show that 8.3 million more jobs were lost, and the unemployment rate rose to 20%.

Economists say job losses have now likely peaked but the pain is not over since many jobs will not be quickly recovered. Bank of America expects the June employment report to show job gains, with more improvement  through the summer, but the unemployment rate will still be about 13% by September. According to Dow Jones, unemployment is expected to rise to 19.5%, up from 14.7% in April. In April, there were 20.5 million jobs lost. —Patti Domm

4:30 p.m. ET — The National Association of Theatre Owners is feeling confident that the movie theater marketplace will be up and running in time for Warner Bros. "Tenet," which arrives in theaters July 17.

The organization, which represents more than 35,000 movie screens in the U.S. and 33,000 internationally, confirmed to CNBC Thursday that it expects 90% of the world's movie theaters to be open in time for the release of the new Christopher Nolan feature.

"Tenet" will be the first major film release since movie theaters were forced to shutter in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Industry experts remain divided on whether or not consumers will return to cinemas in droves once the majority of theaters do reopen to the public. Even the largest cinema chain the world, AMC, has said it has 'substantial doubt' that it can survive coronavirus outbreak shutdown. —Sarah Whitten

4:15 p.m. — The Lancet has retracted a major study that sparked concern about the health effects of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as treatments for Covid-19, according to a report from STAT news.

The prestigious medical journal retracted the study, which was published in May, at the request of the its authors. "We can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources," said authors Mandeep Mehra of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Frank Ruschitzka of University Hospital Zurich, and Amit Patel of University of Utah in a statement.

The study reported that coronavirus patients treated with the antimalarial drugs saw no improved outcome and actually had a higher mortality risk. The claim fueled controversy when President Donald Trump said last month that he was taking hydroxychloroquine to keep himself from catching the virus. —Hannah Miller

4 p.m. ET — It is "critical" that the U.S. ramp up testing to provide "equitable access," especially in underserved minority communities, which have been disproportionately affected by the outbreak, the country's top testing official said in a conference call with reporters.

Adm. Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services who is running the government's testing response, said black Americans have died from Covid-19 at a disproportionate rate compared to white Americans.

HHS will now require laboratories to report the age, race, ethnicity, sex, ZIP code and type of test performed on patients when reporting data to state and local health departments, he said, so that the federal government can track disparities along those demographics."This is only one small component of my office's efforts to combat health disparities that have plagued our nation for decades, but it is an important foundational component related to Covid-19 that we will continue to build on in the future," Giroir said. —William Feuer

3:30 p.m. ET — College presidents told lawmakers on the U.S. Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that universities will remain closed until they can ensure it's safe to bring students back to campus, which will require extensive Covid-19 testing and contact tracing.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told lawmakers that without adequate testing, universities "can't function at all," he said.

Christina Paxson, president of Brown University in Rhode Island, said she's "cautiously optimistic" about students returning in the fall, although she said Brown won't open unless it's safe to do so. Any reopening plan would need to include, "testing and more testing, tracing, isolation, quarantine, social distancing, masks and hygiene measures," she said. —Noah Higgins-Dunn

3:17 p.m. ET — CDC Director Robert Redfield said protests over the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police could be a "seeding event" for the coronavirus and urged people to get tested.

"The way to minimize that is to have each individual to recognize it is an advantage of them to protect their loved ones, to [say] 'Hey, I was out, I need to go get tested,'" he told the House Appropriations Committee during a hearing on the virus.

Earlier in the day, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state was expanding its testing facilities to the thousands of people who participated in the protests. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr. 

3:12 p.m. ET — Ford Motor is delaying plans for salaried workers to begin returning to offices in late June until September.

The automaker said the move is to ensure that Ford has enough personal protection equipment for workers and time to modify facilities to allow for proper social distancing protocols to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

About 12,000 of its 36,000 salaried nonmanufacturing employees have returned to work in the U.S., a spokesman said.

Ford's 56,000 hourly U.S. employees started returning to work in mid-May. Limited North American production began on May 18. Ford's plants continue to gradually add shifts and production. —Michael Wayland

3:10 p.m. ET — At a summit hosted by the British government, leaders discussed potential ways to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine worldwide while raising money to inoculate children across the globe, the Associated Press reports.

Summit participants discussed the likelihood that poorer, more vulnerable countries will not be able to obtain the vaccine as easily when it's available, according to the AP.

"The key to that challenge is having scale and having factories all over the world that are making the vaccines," philanthropist Bill Gates said, according to the news service.

The United States has already signed a contract with drugmaker AstraZeneca for 300 million doses, the news service reports.

The $8.8 billion raised at the summit was for Gavi, a global vaccines alliance, which said the money will go towards vaccinating about 300 million children globally against diseases like malaria, pneumonia and HPV, according to the AP. —Suzanne Blake

2:08 p.m. ET — With coronavirus cases rising across the U.S., the CDC is concerned that Americans are not taking its advice seriously.

CDC Director Robert Redfield said he's seen "a lot of people" not wearing masks in Washington, D.C. and noted large crowds that gathered at events like last weekend's SpaceX launch, CNBC's Berkeley Lovelace Jr. reports.

The U.S. is still seeing about 20,000 new cases of Covid-19 each day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. —Hannah Miller

1:50 p.m. ET — New York is expanding testing to everyone who participated in recent George Floyd protests, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The death of George Floyd while in Minnesota police custody has sparked demonstrations in cities across the U.S. and Europe. Cuomo said the protests drew about 20,000 people in New York City alone and 30,000 across the state in total.

As heated protests continue to take over the city, the governor expressed concerns of a possible spike in the number of positive Covid-19 cases. He urged people to get tested, wear a mask and tell others that they have been exposed to the coronavirus.

"If you were at a protest, go get a test, please. The protesters have a civic duty here also. Be responsible, get a test," Cuomo said.

The total number of hospitalizations across New York continues to fall, with 52 deaths on June 3, up slightly from the day before. —Jasmine Kim

12:48 p.m. ET — Riders of public transportation in the UK will be required to wear face masks beginning June 15, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.

The new requirement applies for trains, buses, trams, aircraft ferries and underground services. In his briefing, Shapps said other measures typically used to slow the spread of Covid-19 such as hand washing and social distancing are also important.

"A face covering helps protect our fellow passengers," Shapps said. "It's something that we can each do to help each other."

While certain groups, like people with breathing difficulties, are exempt, there is the possibility of fines and denied entry for those found violating the rules. —Alex Harring

11:41 a.m. ET — Customers have sped up shopping trips and focused on buying what they need during the pandemic. Former Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb said it may take a long time before delightful and leisurely shopping trips return because of the coronavirus.

Robb said shopping at the store is "much less of an experience now," in an interview with CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."

"You've got metering coming in," he said. "You've got plexiglass shields up. The heart of retail is really to have one-on-one connection with a customer and that just can't happen right now in exactly the same way. And it's going to be some time before all that stuff works itself out." —Melissa Repko

11:34 a.m. ET — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a coronavirus press briefing that "phase two reopening could start as early as the beginning of July."

"In phase 2, we will be able to move on to many types of businesses," de Blasio said. "That can also include reopening a number of restaurants with a focus on outdoors and that's the way we want to go."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced in a press release that phase two of New York's reopening will allow outdoor dining.

New York City is set to enter phase one reopening on Monday. —Yelena Dzhanova

11:15 a.m. ET — More than two-thirds, or 69%, of surveyed Americans believe there will be a second wave of the coronavirus, according to a new poll from Monmouth University.

As multiple states prepare to reopen businesses and loosen shelter-in-place guidelines, 57% of people surveyed said they believe the federal government is not doing enough to help hard-hit states deal with the outbreak.

The survey also indicates that respondents believe reopening decisions should be based more on health concerns rather than economic needs. More than half, or 54%, of respondents said it's important to make sure that fewer people contract the virus, while 36% said it's more important to prevent an economic downturn.

The poll, conducted between May 28 and June 1, surveyed 807 adults in the United States, with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. —Yelena Dzhanova

10:20 a.m. ET — Las Vegas casinos reopened with The D and Golden Gate welcoming gamblers just after midnight. Dealers are wearing masks; hand sanitizer is widely available; guests and workers are having their temperature checked. 

Steve Hill, president and COO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said demand is surprisingly strong with the city's overall occupancy at 20% in spite of a number of resorts remaining closed.

MGM Resorts capped its hotel occupancy at 30%, but reservations came in so fast that it decided to open the MGM Grand, in addition to Bellagio and New York, New York. The Bellagio fountains will start up again at 9:30 a.m. PT.

While most of the business is coming from tourists who can drive to Las Vegas, McCarren International Airport officials told CNBC they see 2,000 to 6,000 more airplane seats scheduled for this weekend compared with mid-May.

Group business also looks to be on the rebound, with the Consumer Electronics Show confirming its January 2021 conference.

"We have, interestingly, the largest book of conventions in our history for the next 12 months. They start right now. And toward the end of August, we are hopeful that in some way, we can start bringing conventions back to town," Hill said. —Contessa Brewer

9:53 a.m. ET — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new recommendations for returning to work have raised concerns over unbearable congestion and a surge in carbon emissions.

It's not yet clear what commuting will look like as more people return to offices during the coronavirus pandemic, but there are already signs that they are driving cars instead of using mass transit.

"Promoting private vehicle use as public health strategy is like prescribing sugar to reduce tooth decay," said Lawrence Frank, a University of British Columbia urban planning and public health professor.

"The level of vehicle dependence created by urban sprawl is a primary cause of [carbon] emissions and climate change, which has arguably even larger threats to life," Frank said. —Emma Newburger 

9:43 a.m. ET — Major U.S. mall owner Simon Property Group has sued apparel retail Gap for not paying rent, highlighting mounting tensions between landlords and their tenants during the coronavirus pandemic.

Simon is asking the court to order Gap to pay up to $66 million, in addition to future rent payments, according to a lawsuit filed in Delaware state earlier this week.

Many companies have either skipped paying rent or are paying less rent, as their stores were forced temporarily shut during the crisis. But Simon CEO David Simon has previously said: "The bottom line is, we do have a contract and we do expect to get paid."

Real estate experts have said they expect more litigation to ensue. Gap is set to report quarterly earnings after the bell Thursday. —Lauren Thomas

9:37 a.m. ET — Stocks fell slightly as the Labor Department said 1.877 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week for the first time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 88 points lower, or 0.3%. The S&P 500 dipped 0.4% while the Nasdaq Composite slid 0.3%.

Read stock market activity updates from CNBC's Fred Imbert and Thomas Franck. —Melodie Warner

9:12 a.m. ET — American Airlines is set to fly 55% of its scheduled domestic flights in July, as it has seen a steady rise in passengers since concerns of contracting or spreading Covid-19 diminished travel. In May, the airline flew 20% of its schedule from a year earlier.

American has gone from averaging 32,154 passengers a day in April to 78,178 travelers in the first three weeks of May. The airline also reached an average of 110,330 passengers – more than three times the number on a normal day in April – from May 24 to May 29.

American is restoring service at a faster pace than United Airlines, which will fly a quarter of the fights that it did during May 2019.

OAG, which tracks the airline industry and flight schedules, says the four biggest U.S. carriers — United, American, Delta and Southwest — are boosting their June schedules by 27% from May, though most of this increase stems from additional domestic flights.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, the number of passengers and airline crew members screened at U.S. airports is down more than 85% from a year earlier. —Alex Harring 

8:30 a.m. ET — Another 1.877 million Americans filed initial jobless claims last week, according to data released from the Department of Labor, as coronavirus shutdowns continue to hamstring employment. 

Continuing claims, or those who have filed for unemployment for at least two weeks, totaled 21.5 million, a tick higher than the previous period. Last week's report from the Labor Department showed continuing claims decline for the first time since the economy shuttered. Read more on U.S. employment from CNBC's Jeff Cox. —Sara Salinas

8:07 a.m. ET — The European Central Bank announced it will up its bond buying through the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme by 600 billion euros ($672 billion). That's on top of 750 billion euros in government bonds announced in March. 

The central bank will also extend its crisis bond-buying program, previously set to expire at the end of the year, until June 2021. Read more on the ECB's announcement from CNBC's Silvia Amaro. —Sara Salinas

7 a.m. ET — Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus are on the rise across the country, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC.

He added that hospitalizations are a "lagging indicator" that represent infections that occurred weeks ago, "but are more objective" than diagnosed cases, which are tied to how much testing is being done.

"In fact, they're going up," he said of hospitalizations on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "Arizona hit 1,000 hospitalizations yesterday. Florida hit a high number of hospitalizations. They turned over about 1,400 cases, the highest number since April 17. We're seeing hospitalizations go up in Tennessee, in Texas, in Georgia, in North Carolina, Minnesota, obviously."

Hospitalizations are increasing in Wisconsin and Ohio as well, he said. 

"We're heading into the fall with a lot of infection in this country," he said. "That's going to create risk to the fall and the winter." —Will Feuer

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer and biotech company Illumina.

6:56 a.m. ET — Budget airline easyJet and cruise operator Carnival are among the biggest names set to drop out of Britain's blue chip FTSE 100 index, with worldwide shutdowns necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic ravaging travel stocks.

Following a quarterly review by index provider FTSE Russell, British Gas owner Centrica and engineering firm Meggitt will also be relegated to the FTSE 250, in a reshuffle that one expert called "one of the most far-reaching" in the index's history.

The four vacant spots will be taken by gambling company GVC Holdings, computer software firm Avast, emergency repairs provider Homeserve and multinational retailer Kingfisher. —Elliot Smith

Read CNBC's previous coronavirus live coverage here: LVMH says Tiffany deal being looked at; Mexico's daily deaths exceed U.S.′