Florida Cases Pass New York’s; Europe Faces Spikes: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

Florida passed New York as the U.S. state with the second-highest number of total coronavirus cases behind California. Nationwide, cases increased by 74,848, the second-highest daily count on record, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.

New infections and deaths rose in Arizona. while California’s pace of deaths declined slightly. Cases and deaths slowed in Texas.

A resurgence in Spain prompted the U.K. to remove that country from its list of safe “travel corridors.” Belgium’s prime minister is accelerating efforts to counter infection clusters.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases exceed 15.8 million; deaths pass 641,000
• U.S. meat packers don’t have many answers for lack of distancing
• The world’s supply chains aren’t prepared to distribute a vaccine
• What virus + protests means for U.S. college admissions
• Lockdowns are now a nuclear option
• Extreme heat, Covid-19 collide in U.S. Sun Belt

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.

Florida Now No. 2 in U.S. Cases (5:50 p.m. NY)

Florida passed New York as the U.S. state with the most cases except for California, based on health department data published Saturday.

New York added 750 positive tests for a total of 411,200. Florida reported 414,511 total positive tests on Saturday compared with 402,312 a day earlier, an increase of 12,199. The latest numbers in each case reflect data compiled through the end of Friday. California’s count of confirmed cases rose to 445,400 earlier Saturday.

Texas Deaths, Cases Slow (4:18 p.m. NY)

Texas reported 6,020 new cases, a drop from 8,701 new cases the previous day. The state now has a total to 375,846 confirmed cases of the virus. Another 168 deaths were reported, a decline from the day before, for a total of 4,885, the Department of State Health Services said on its website.

U.K. Dumps Spain From Safe List (3:01 p.m. NY)

British tourists returning from vacation in Spain will have to self-quarantine for two weeks. The U.K. government removed Spain from a list of so-called safe countries following a surge in infections there, and is advising against all but essential travel to mainland Spain.

California Cases Top Average (2:05 p.m. NY)

California reported 10,066 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, higher than the 14-day average of 9,407, according to the health department’s website. The death toll fell slightly to 151 after two consecutive days of record fatalities, raising the total to 8,337.

There have been 445,400 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state.

Belgium Seeks to Contain Outbreaks (12:33 p.m. NY)

Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes brought forward to Monday a meeting with regional government officials that’s expected to discuss renewed restrictions. Another nationwide lockdown would be the last resort, she said.

Almost 15% of Belgium’s 581 municipalities have passed the threshold of 20 weekly infections per 100,000 inhabitants set by health officials to signal excessive spread.

Antwerp, a city that’s home to Europe’s second-biggest port, banned gatherings of more than 10 people in the city starting Saturday. Mayor Bart De Wever also has said police will enforce social-distancing rules in bars and restaurants.

Arizona Deaths Near Record, Cases Rise (11:47 a.m. NY)

Arizona reported 3,748 new cases, a rise of 2.4% from the previous day that’s higher than the average increase of 1.7% over the previous seven days. The state now has a total of 160,041 cases.

Deaths rose by 144, compared with 80 the day before. The number neared the record of 147 set on July 18. Total deaths are now 3,286.

Obesity Risk Cited in U.K. Study (11:25 a.m. NY)

There’s widespread evidence that obesity and excessive overweight increase the risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19, according to a U.K. health agency.

Risks of hospitalization, intensive-care admission and death rise “substantially” as body-mass index increases, Public Health England reported in an analysis of U.K. and international data.

While 63% of adults in England are overweight or obese, people ages 55 to 74, living in deprived areas and certain Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups are “more severely affected.”

Florida Deaths Slow (11:17 a.m. NY)

Deaths among Florida residents dropped for a second straight day to 124, for a total of 5,777. The state reported another 12,199 cases, a 3% increase from the previous day that compares with a weekly increase of 2.7%. The state’s total number of cases rose to 414,511.

New York Cases Still Steady (10:45 a.m. NY)

New York reported 750 new cases, a 0.2% increase in line with the previous week’s average. Virus hospitalizations fell slightly to 646. The state recored more 10 deaths.

U.S. Deaths Top 1,000 Again (9:25 a.m. NY)

In the U.S., virus cases rose by 77,848, the second-highest daily count on record, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Deaths rose 1,297, the fourth time this week with fatalities over 1,000, the data show.

Bolsonaro Tests Negative (8:45 a.m. NY)

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro tested negative for the coronavirus, in the latest test he took since confirming he had contracted the disease earlier this month. Bolsonaro tweeted his negative test results, together with a picture of him holding a box of hydroxychloroquine, a drug whose benefits in treating the illness are disputed.

African Cases Surpass 800,000 (6:30 a.m. NY)

The number of coronavirus infections in Africa surpassed 800,000, the Ethiopia-based Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. The region has so far registered 17,088 deaths. More than half of the cases are in South Africa, which has the most wide-ranging testing program on the continent and recorded 421,966 cases. New infections are rising rapidly in Kenya, Cameroon and Nigeria, according to the Africa CDC.

Zambia registered 472 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours, a record.

Hong Kong Cases Jump to Record (4:50 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong reported a record 133 coronavirus cases on Saturday, over the 100 mark for the fourth straight day. Local media put the city’s total number of cases at about 2,500. One patient died, pushing the death toll to 17.

Indonesia’s Cases Rise (4:25 p.m. HK)

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy reported 4,714 new cases on Saturday, bringing the total to 97,286, the government’s Covid-19 taskforce said. The overall death toll stands at 4,714, with more than 55,000 recovered from the coronavirus.

The Philippines added 2,019 cases on Saturday, taking the total to 78,412. Virus cases in the Philippines, which has the second-highest number of infections in Southeast Asia, have more than doubled this month.

Singapore Cases Increase (4:05 p.m. HK)

In Singapore, the authorities preliminarily confirmed an additional 513 people have Covid-19, most of whom are work-permit holders living in foreign worker dormitories. Six imported cases were placed on stay-home notice upon their arrival in Singapore.

Germany Cases Up Most in a Month (3:15 p.m. HK)

The number of new cases in Germany increased by the most in a month. The country’s reported infections climbed by 742 to 205,623 in the 24 hours through Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University data, rising from the 605 cases reported the previous day.

The growing number of people taking vacations is increasing the risk of the virus being brought into Germany, Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a statement Friday.

Vietnam Has First Local Case in Months (2:10 p.m. HK)

The Southeast Asian nation, which has been a rare global success story in containing the virus, confirmed its first locally-transmitted case since April -- and authorities are working to assess how the person became infected.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered tighten border and immigration controls to prevent foreigners from illegally entering Vietnam, according to a statement. The country has had 416 total coronavirus cases and no deaths.

Still Room for Stricter Virus Measures: Lam (12 p.m. HK)

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam took to Facebook to dispel rumors that a full lockdown would be imposed on the city as it battles a new Covid-19 wave, but said stricter anti-virus measures could still come into play.

“I note that recently there have been a lot of false rumors on the internet saying that the Government will shortly implement ‘lockdown,’” she wrote in a post. “Such malicious rumors have made our anti-epidemic efforts even more difficult and should be condemned.”

“What we see now is that there is still room for further restricting the operation of various premises and reducing the number of people going out,” she said.

New Deaths in Australia’s Second-Biggest State (11:59 a.m. HK)

Australia’s hardest-hit state, Victoria, reported five more virus deaths -- bringing its total to 61. Victoria also had 357 new infections, Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.

It follows seven deaths reported Friday, which was the highest yet for the southern state.

Andrews also said the use of face masks could help prevent further restrictions on residents.

FDA Authorizes Asymptomatic Case Screening Test (9:03 a.m. HK)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reissued LabCorp Covid-19 RT-PCR Test emergency use authorization to include new indications for use. They include testing for people who don’t have coronavirus symptoms or who have no reason to suspect infection, and for pooled sample testing.

Venezuela Reports Record Rise for Second Straight Day (9 a.m. HK)

The country detected 650 new infections, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said, speaking on state television -- bringing its total to 14,263. Five more people died of Covid-19, he said, for a total of 134 deaths.

China Reports 34 New Cases (8:25 a.m. HK)

The country reported 20 cases in Xinjiang. The far west province suspended buses and subways in its capital city Urumqi this week after the latest outbreak, and buses to Urumqi from other cities in Xinjiang were also halted.

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With assistance from Bloomberg