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U.S. Cases Inch Up; California Sets Church Limits: Virus Update

U.S. infections slowed, while deaths approached the 100,000 mark.

U.S. Cases Inch Up; California Sets Church Limits: Virus Update
A doctor, second left, advises doctors and nurses on procedures in the Covid-19 intensive care unit at Vila Penteado General Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 5, 2020. (Photographer: Rodrigo Capote/Bloomberg)  

(Bloomberg) --

The daily rise is U.S. cases trailed the weekly average for a third straight day as coronavirus deaths inched closer to 100,000. Novavax Inc. started human tests of its coronavirus vaccine candidate.

California is limiting attendance at church services to 100 people, and discouraging choir singing and potluck meals, while the Minneapolis mayor is worried about opening houses of worship.

England will reopen some businesses beginning June 1. Dubai will start easing restrictions this week.

Key Developments:

  • Virus Tracker: Cases top 5.4 million; deaths over 344,000
  • Brazil toughens beef export rules to avoid U.S.-style disruptions
  • Spaniards in face masks return to Madrid’s bars as crisis eases
  • Gold giant Australia fires up a record exploration boom
  • Social unrest is lurking in Chile as virus spreads
  • Hertz says pandemic devastated revenue, leading to bankruptcy
  • Using computer simulations to find a Covid-19 treatment

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click VRUS on the terminal for news and data on the coronavirus. For a look back at this week’s top stories from QuickTake, click here.

U.S. Cases Inch Up; California Sets Church Limits: Virus Update

U.S. Says 200 Million Tests Possible (5:55 p.m. NY)

The Trump administration said sufficient quantities of Abbott Laboratories’ ID NOW Covid-19 test and Quidel Corp.’s Sofia 2 instruments exist to support 200 million U.S. tests per month.

The Department of Health and Human Services, in a report to Congress, said 18,000 ID NOW devices and 20,000 Quidel instruments are available to states. The U.S. also is buying 100 million swabs and 100 million tubes of viral transport media to help states meet testing goals.

“This large-scale acquisition reflects a significant expansion of current capacity,” according to the report, and reflects use of the Defense Production Act to increase swab manufacturing.

Minneapolis Mayor Worried by Church Rules (5:30 p.m. NY)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he is concerned by Minnesota state guidelines taking effect on Wednesday that let churches resume services, with limits on attendance and requirements to follow social-distancing measures.

“A move up to 25% capacity and up to 250 people in places of worship is a recipe in Minneapolis for a public health disaster,” Frey said Monday on CNN. “That is not the route that we can or should be going on right now.”

Novavax Starts Vaccine Study (4:35 p.m. NY)

Novavax Inc. began human testing of its coronavirus vaccine candidate and anticipates providing a first look in July at what sort of immune responses are generated.

In the first phase, 130 healthy adult volunteers at two sites in Australia will get two doses of NVX-CoV2373, the biotech’s experimental vaccine. If initial results look promising, the company plans to quickly move into the second phase -- expand testing to other countries and age groups outside of 18 to 59.

The Gaithersburg, Maryland-based company is one of about 10 that are testing vaccines, according to the World Health Organization. Moderna Inc. reported the first Covid-19 vaccine results in humans last week.

U.S. Cases Rose 1.3%, Less Than Week’s Average (4 p.m. NY)

U.S. cases increased 1.3% from the same time Sunday to 1.65 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The increase was below the average daily increase of 1.4% over the past week, and has the same for three days.

Deaths rose less than 1% to 97,948 from 97,424 -- the smallest one-day increase in more than a week.

  • New York had 1,249 cases, bringing the total to 362,764, and 97 deaths, for a total of 23,488, the health department said.
  • New Jersey had 965 cases, for a total of 155,092, with 16 deaths, for a total of 11,144, Governor Phil Murphy said.
  • Illinois reported 1,713 cases, for a total of 112,017, with 31 deaths, for a total of 4,884.
  • California cases rose 1,848, or 2%, for a total of 94,558, while 21 deaths were added, a 0.6% rise, to 3,795.
  • Pennsylvania added 473 cases, for a total to 68,186, and 15 deaths for a total of 5,139, the health department reported.
  • Michigan reported 202 new cases for a total of 54,881, with 12 additional deaths for a total of 5,240.
  • Connecticut added 405 cases, for a total of 40,873, with 49 new deaths, for a total of 2,742, Governor Ned Lamont said.

California Sets Church Limits (3:45 p.m. NY)

California will limit attendance in houses of worship to 25% of building capacity or 100 people and is discouraging choir singing, group recitations and passing of the collection plate.

“Convening in a congregational setting of multiple different households to practice a personal faith carries a relatively higher risk for widespread transmission of the Covid-19 virus, and may result in increased rates of infection, hospitalization, and death, especially among more vulnerable populations,” according to the guidance.

The state is also discouraging potlucks or similar family-style eating and drinking events that increase the risk of cross contamination.

Denmark Funding Needs Triple (3:10 p.m. NY)

Denmark needs more than $40 billion in financing -- more than triple its previous estimate -- to help pay for an historic set of emergency measures to fight the pandemic. The government will need to tap bond markets and its account at the central bank to generate the needed 294 billion kroner ($43 billion), the Finance Ministry said.

AAA-rated Denmark has so far been able to tap markets at historically low rates. Its benchmark 10-year bond trades at a negative yield, and its entire yield curve up to 20 years traded below zero not that long ago.

England to Reopen Showrooms, Stores (2:50 p.m. NY)

England’s outdoor markets and car showrooms can reopen from June 1, as soon as they can meet guidelines to protect shoppers and workers, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said as he urged the public to spend money in stores when the curbs are lifted.

All other non-essential outlets including shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books and electronics, plus tailors, auction houses, photography studios and indoor markets, are on track to reopen June 15 if the government can control the spread of the virus, Johnson told a daily news conference. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are on a different timetable determined by local administrations.

U.K. cases rose to 261,184. The government reported 121 new deaths, up from 118 a day earlier, bringing the total to 36,914.

France Deaths Rise (2:45 p.m. NY)

France reported 90 new deaths on Monday, for a total of 28,457, with authorities failing to provide an update on nursing-home fatalities for a fifth day. Hospitalizations resumed their decline of the past five weeks, after an increase on Sunday. Total deaths reached 28,457, and 358 new cases brought the totals to 219,795.

Dubai to Ease Limits Wednesday (2:20 p.m. NY)

The emirate of Dubai will resume economic activities and ease lockdown restrictions starting Wednesday, the emirate’s media office said in a statement.

Travel will be allowed from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. local time. The airport will operate only for residents leaving Dubai, some clinics will reopen and elective surgeries that take up to 2 1/2 hours will be allowed, the statement said.

Training academies, indoor sport venues, gyms and movie theaters will be open with social distancing in place.

ECB’s Villeroy: More Stimulus Probable (1:30 p.m. NY)

A key European Central Bank policy maker signaled the institution is very likely to boost its emergency bond-buying program to fight the pandemic.

With inflation low, there is room to innovate and act “rapidly and powerfully,” Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said in Paris. He also signaled he’d like more loosening of limits on the 750 billion-euro ($817 billion) plan.

The ECB’s next policy meeting is June 4 and economists are increasingly forecasting that the central bank will use that session to add more stimulus.

Pence to Meet College Chiefs (1:20 p.m. NY)

Vice President Mike Pence said the White House task force and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are crafting information that will help schools and universities to open. Some university chiefs will meet soon at the White House, he said, without providing a date.

“We’re working very closely with university presidents,” Pence said on “Fox & Friends.” “We have every confidence that whether it be our universities around the country or whether it be primary and secondary education that we’re -- in most areas of the country we’re going to be able to get kids back to school in a safe and responsible way.”

Ireland Reports Zero New Deaths (1:10 p.m. NY)

Ireland reported its first day without a death since March 21, with 59 new cases. “It’s part of the continued trend we’ve seen” of declining numbers, chief medical officer Tony Holohan said.

The country has reported fewer than 100 new cases for nine of the past 10 days. It began lifting a nationwide lockdown a week ago. There have been 1,606 deaths so far, with 24,698 cases.

Trump Optimistic on Baltimore Visit (12:50 p.m. NY)

President Donald Trump visited Baltimore for a Memorial Day celebration at the fort linked to the national anthem, dismissing the mayor’s warnings to stay away as the city grapples with the pandemic.

Baltimore Mayor Jack Young said the non-essential trip, which the White House said was to honor American service members killed in battle, sends “the wrong message” to residents sheltering at home.

Trump didn’t directly address Young’s comments in remarks at Fort McHenry, but was optimistic about the fight against Covid-19, which has claimed almost 100,000 U.S. lives. “Together we will vanquish the virus and America will emerge from this crisis to new and even greater heights,” he said.

Poland Deaths Top 1,000 (12:45 p.m. NY)

Poland’s death toll topped 1,000 as of Monday, with the number of new cases remaining above 300 every day for the past two weeks. Coal mines and furniture factories remain the biggest source for infections. The Health Ministry data shows little progress with curbing the infections even as the government gradually lifts some restrictions.

Poland was initially resilient to the outbreak, as a quick lockdown limited deaths compared WITH to Western Europe.

WHO Halts Trial on Trump-Touted Drug (12:20 p.m. NY)

The World Health Organization temporarily halted the hydroxychloroquine arm of its Covid-19 drug trials pending more data because of safety concerns.

The WHO’s steering committee decided to suspend enrollment to part of the so-called Solidarity trial after a study in the Lancet said the drug, touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a treatment, was linked to an increased risk of death and heart ailments.

“It’s important to continue to gather evidence on the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine,” WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said Monday in Geneva. The studies may resume if data warrants, Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said at a briefing.

N.Y. New Deaths Drop Under 100 (12:10 a.m. NY)

New York had 96 new deaths, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday, a drop from 109 reported a day earlier and not as low as the 84 registered on Saturday.

Cuomo also said the families of front-line workers who died from Covid-19 would be eligible for death benefits, saying such employees did their jobs despite the risks.

“They showed up because I asked them to show up, they showed up because I required them to show up,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on the Hudson River.

Montenegro to Reopen Borders (12:05 p.m. NY)

Montenegro will open borders June 1 without restrictions for visitors from nine countries -- Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Austria, Germany, Albania, Czechia, Hungary and Greece, but not with immediate neighbors Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, Premier Dusko Markovic told reporters in capital Podgorica. The list will be expanded with more states where cases drop to under 25 per 100,000 people, he said.

Putin Spokesman to Isolate (11:55 a.m. NY)

The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was released from the hospital after a bout with Covid-19, the latest senior Kremlin official to recover. Dmitry Peskov said by text message he will spend the next two weeks self-isolating at home.

Last week, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin returned to work after recovering from the illness. Three government ministers and at least five State Duma deputies have been diagnosed with the virus.

Russia’s infections rose 2.4% in the past day to 353,427, with deaths reported up 92 to 3,633. Russia now ranks third in cases, after Brazil’s infections spiked over the weekend.

U.K. Aide Won’t Quit Over Breach (11:50 a.m. NY)

Dominic Cummings, one of Boris Johnson’s closest allies, refused to quit his job in the U.K. government, refuting claims he flouted lockdown rules that he had helped to draft.

“I don’t regret what I did,” Cummings, 48, told reporters at Johnson’s residence. “I believe I made the right judgment though I understand that others may disagree with that.”

U.S. Cases Inch Up; California Sets Church Limits: Virus Update

Cummings spoke after newspapers reported he drove more than 250 miles to northeast England in early April to seek family support for his 4-year-old son, after his wife contracted Covid-19 and he began showing symptoms. Local police said they are investigating whether Cummings had broken lockdown rules after a retired teacher said he saw Cummings at a spot 30 miles away from his parents’ home.

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