Global report: Wuhan lab says its bat strains were not Covid-19 as US nears 100,00 deaths

The virology lab in Wuhan, the city at the heart of the outbreak, was working on three live strains of bat coronavirus, but none of them match the one that has caused the Covid-19 pandemic, its director has said.

Wang Yanyi told Chinese state broadcaster CGTN that the closest genetic match to the virus spreading around the world was only 79.8%, adding that claims made by US president Donald Trump and others that the virus could have leaked from the facility were “pure fabrication”.

She said: “Our institute first received the clinical sample of the unknown pneumonia on December 30 last year … We didn’t have any knowledge before that, nor had we ever encountered, researched or kept the virus. In fact, like everyone else, we didn’t even know the virus existed. How could it have leaked from our lab when we never had it?”

The attempt by the laboratory to refute the claims is nevertheless likely to add more fuel to the conspiracy rumours.

The interview came amid fears the US will suffer a second wave of coronavirus infections as it opens up for summer, just days away from the grim milestone of 100,000 Covid-19 deaths.

The New York Times marked the looming threshold with a front page listing nearly 1,000 Covid-19 death notices, gleaned from hundreds of US papers. The headline spoke of an “incalculable loss”.

Globally there have been more than 5.3 million cases, and 342,000 deaths. The US accounts for more than 1.6 million of those cases.

Trump has previously said the US would see fewer than 100,000 deaths, a claim in contrast to 12 models the CDC uses. Deborah Birx of the White House coronavirus task force has repeatedly asserted the number of deaths by 1 June will be between 100,000 and 240,000 – if mitigation strategies continue.

The Memorial Day long weekend has begun in the US, and every state has relaxed its restrictions to some extent, with many flocking to beaches and outdoor areas on Saturday, snarling roadways and forcing some closures.

Related: America begins to unlock for summer – but is it inviting a disastrous second wave?

In Arizona, holiday travellers flooded Interstate-17, causing a 15-mile traffic jam on the roadway used to reach some of the desert’s most beautiful canyons. Some areas, including Saguaro Lake, became so crowded that authorities had to shut them down.

Trump was spotted playing golf at his Trump National club in northern Virginia on Saturday, a move that attracted some criticism, although it falls under the category of activities encouraged by the president’s White House task force. Trump has been eager to promote the idea that the US is returning to normal, and again tweeted support for untested drug hydroxychloroquine.

In a rain-soaked New York, state governor Andrew Cuomo said up to 10 people would be allowed to attend ceremonies honouring veterans, warning that social distancing and face masks should be part of any plans to get together. “It depends on how people act … You can also have a wholly unsafe gathering of 10 people,” Cuomo said.

Heavy downpours kept crowds down at state beaches in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which were reopened with governors urging people to stay at least six feet apart.

Minnesota has ended its statewide stay-at-home order despite warnings from nurses that any rise in cases would exhaust its PPE supplies. Outlining the state’s reopening plan, the governor, Tim Walz, said: “It is going to get worse here before it gets better. That is an absolute guarantee.”

This week, 11 states have reported a record number of new Covid-19 cases, according to a Reuters tally. Iowa had a record increase in deaths on Saturday

On Friday, White House coronavirus taskforce member Dr Anthony Fauci said new localised outbreaks were “inevitable” as mitigation measures were relaxed. He said a full-blown second wave could be avoided if the holy grail of containment measures – testing, quarantine and contact tracing – continued to be adhered to. Hours later, Trump ignored health guidance and ordered houses of worship to open for in-person services at the weekend.

In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, faces renewed pressure to resign after new witnesses reported seeing him making a fresh trip hundreds of miles to Durham.

In other global developments:

• Argentina extended the mandatory lockdown in Buenos Aires until 7 June and tightened some movement restrictions, after a steady increase in the city’s confirmed coronavirus cases in recent days.

• Brazil registered 965 new deaths on Saturday, taking total fatalities to 22,013, the Health Ministry said. The country now has 347,398 confirmed cases, according to the ministry, up 16,508 from Friday, when it surpassed Russia to become the world’s virus hot spot behind the US.

• French churches were preparing to hold their first Sunday masses in more than two months after the government bowed to a ruling that they should be reopened. Churches, mosques and synagogues can reopen if appropriate distancing and hygiene rules are applied.