U.S. Hot Spots Get Reprieve From Climbing Cases: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

Reported cases and fatalities fell in many states hit hard by the coronavirus, including Florida, Arizona, California, Texas and New York. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he sees “unmistakable signs” the pandemic is slowing in Texas and Arizona but is less certain about California and Florida.

U.S. coronavirus cases rose by 65,965 in the latest daily count, a 1.6% increase that’s less than the 1.8% average over the previous seven days. Deaths increased by 921, breaking a four-day streak of more than 1,000 deaths per day.

Spain clashed with the U.K. government for imposing a quarantine requirement for travelers returning from Spanish trips. Reporting on coronavirus deaths in the U.K. is being paused for a review of the methodology.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases exceed 16.1 million; deaths near 647,000
• Fatigue with social distancing poses virus containment challenge
• North Korea’s Kim locks down city after suspected virus case
• These elite contact tracers show the world how to beat Covid-19
• Lockdowns are now a nuclear option
• How do people catch Covid-19? Here’s what experts say: QuickTake

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on coronavirus cases and deaths.

Texas Cases, Death Slow (5:01 p.m. NY)

Texas reported 5,810 new cases, the smallest increase in two weeks, and down from 6,020 reported the previous day. The state now has 381,656 confirmed cases of the virus.

Another 153 deaths were reported, the lowest since July 21 and also fewer than the 168 reported the previous day, the Department of State Health Services said on its website. The number of fatalities stands at 5,038.

Mexico Raises Death Toll 55% for March-June (3:15 p.m. NY)

Mexico is raising its estimate for the death toll for about two-thirds of the country by 55% between mid-March and late June, according to health officials.

The Latin American nation said in 20 out of 32 states alone, fatalities from Covid-19 and other causes increased by 71,315 to a total of 202,077 from March 15 to June 27. That compares with the 130,763 earlier expected, according to a report by the health ministry on Saturday.

A total of 43,374 have died in Mexico from coronavirus, the fourth-highest number of fatalities globally. The total number of cases has risen to 385,036.

California Cases, Death Slow (2:25 p.m. NY)

California reported fewer Covid-19 cases and deaths when compared with the 14-day average, according to the state health department’s website.

There were 8,259 positive cases on Sunday, below both the 14-day average of 9,421 and the 10,666 reported the day before. There have been 453,659 confirmed cases overall. The number of fatalities increased by 79, lower than the 14-day daily average of 98 and also below the 151 reported the previous day. A total of 8,416 people have died.

Gottlieb Sees Bright Spots in Texas, Arizona (2:10 p.m. NY)

There are “unmistakable signs” the pandemic is slowing in Texas and Arizona, with California and Florida trends a bit more mixed, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS. Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina, along with Washington DC, are “heating up,” he warned.

Gottlieb said a “trifecta of activity” by Republican Governor Doug Ducey in Arizona was having an impact and suggested other states followed suit. Ducey’s approach includes a mask mandate, shutting bars and movie theaters and limiting the number of people in restaurants.

Also, “collective action on the part of businesses” to enforce mask wearing is gathering pace and is a way around the politicized nature of masks, he said.

L.A. Needs Stay-At-Home: Lawmaker (1:15 p.m. NY)

Los Angeles County should reissue a stay-at-home order and be “very, very conservative” about reopening, California Democrat Karen Bass said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“In hindsight, I think that we opened a little too quickly,” said Bass, whose congressional district is in the county. “If I were in charge of L.A. County, I would go back to that.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has said that another stay-at-home order is an option. The city has faced a renewed onslaught of the coronavirus, especially among lower-income residents, factories and communities of color.

Arizona Reports Fewer Deaths, Cases (12:53 p.m. NY)

Arizona reported 19 more Covid-19 deaths, compared with a near-record 144 a day earlier, raising the state’s toll to 3,305. Reported new cases slowed to 1,973, a 1.2% rise that’s less than the average daily increase of 1.8% over the last week. Total cases are now 162,014.

U.K. to Pause Death Toll Count (12:36 p.m. NY)

The U.K. will pause reporting on coronavirus deaths while it reviews how they are counted.

Last week, the government said deaths in England were attributed to coronavirus if the deceased had had the disease at any time. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would only record deaths as virus-related if the patient had a positive test within the preceding 28 days.

The U.K. has reported the most Covid-19 deaths in Europe. The toll rose to 45,752 on Sunday.

Florida Deaths, Cases Slow (12:15 p.m. NY)

Florida reported 9,344 new virus cases, a drop from the previous day when it overtook New York to have the second-most infections infections after California. The 2.3% rise was less than the 3.3% average daily increase of the previous week. Total cases are now 423,855.

Deaths among residents slowed again, to 77 from 124 the day before.

New York Reports Three Deaths (11:50 a.m. NY)

New York reported 536 new cases, a 0.1% rise that’s lower than the 0.2% average increase over the previous week. Another three people died, fewer than the 10 reported the day before. The single-day record was 799 deaths in April. Hospitalizations remained steady at 646.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said that people visiting from other states with higher infection rates are now the major source of new cases in New York. He added that investigators have found “blatant disregard” at bars and restaurants downstate and this weekend issued 105 violations.

Iraq Plans to Impose 10-Day Curfew (10:00 a.m. NY)

Iraq plans to impose a 10-day curfew from the end of this month in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during the Islamic Eid holidays. The curfew will start on July 30 and the government will review the situation at the end of the holidays. Iraq has been reporting coronavirus cases of over 2,000 a day and the country’s total number of infections is above 100,000 so far.

Spain Pushes U.K. to Ease Travel Rules (9:25 a.m. NY)

Spain is a safe country and is making great efforts to contain coronavirus outbreaks, Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said in statement in response to new U.K. restrictions.

The government is trying to convince the U.K. to exempt the Canary and Balearic islands from the rules imposed Saturday after new virus cases jumped, primarily in northern Spain.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is requiring anyone returning from Spain to quarantine for 14 days, reversing a safe-destination designation that prompted a surge in vacation bookings by U.K. travelers.

U.S. Economic Growth to Surge, Kudlow Says (9:20 a.m. NY)

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said he expects to see U.S. economic growth jump by 20% in both the third and fourth quarters. The Trump administration also expects Congress to pass an extension of the federal eviction moratorium, which expired Friday and covers renters in building with federally backed mortgages. “We will lengthen” the moratorium, Kudlow said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

EU Health Commissioner Warns on Flu (9:15 a.m. NY)

European countries must be prepared for seasonal flu, which in combination with Covid-19 could increase pressure on the continent’s health-care systems, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in an interview in German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag. “Now is the time, more than ever, to stay alert and careful,” she said in the interview.

U.S. Pace of New Cases Slows (8:00 a.m. NY)

U.S. confirmed cases rose by 65,965 in the latest daily count, a 1.6% increase that’s less than the 1.8% average over the previous seven days, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Johns Hopkins University. Deaths rose by 921, breaking a four-day streak of more than 1,000 deaths per day.

EU Banks Can Survive Virus, De Guindos Says (7:00 a.m. NY)

Most EU banks are strong enough to survive the impact of the coronavirus, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said in an interview with El Independiente. Bank profits should not be used to pay dividends, but to support lending, he said.

Iran on Red Alert (6:00 a.m. NY)

Iran reported 216 fatalities and 2,333 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 15,700 from 291,172 known cases.

The level of infection is “red” over most of Iran, as one in five deaths in the country is linked to Covid-19, Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi said on state TV.

Catalan Cases Drop (5:35 p.m. HK)

The Spanish region of Catalonia, which has seen a surge in infections in recent days, reported a steep decline in new coronavirus cases on Sunday, dropping to 69 from 772 on Saturday. Case numbers tend to fall sharply on weekends.

Hong Kong Has More Than 100 New Cases Again (4:50 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong reported 128 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the fifth-straight day of more than 100. A total of 25 were imported, while 35 of the 103 new local infections are of unknown origin.

Belgian Infections Jump (4:45 p.m. HK)

Belgium’s seven-day average of new infections, the favored measure of virologists to smooth out the so-called weekend effect arising from less testing being done on Saturdays and Sundays, rose to 255, a 71% increase from the preceding seven-day average. On July 22, the most recent 24-hour period with fully processed data, new infections totaled 534, the most for any single day since May 5.

Bill Gates Says South Korean Firm Could Make 200 Million Vaccines by June (11:59 a.m. HK)

SK Bioscience, the South Korean pharmaceutical company backed by Bill Gates, may be capable of producing 200 million coronavirus vaccine kits by next June, the Microsoft Corp. co-founder said in a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Gates is seeking to cooperate closely with South Korea, the presidential office in Seoul said Sunday, citing the July 20 letter. The U.S. billionaire and Moon spoke by phone in April about teaming up to fight the virus and develop a vaccine, the Blue House said.

The world is in a race to develop a vaccine that could protect masses against a virus that has wreaked havoc on the global economy. Gates has said investment in factories across the world can ensure regions beyond the U.S. won’t be left behind in the rush for Covid-19 vaccines.

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With assistance from Bloomberg