U.S. Cases Up 0.5%; CDC Prepares States on Vaccine: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told states to prepare for a Covid-19 vaccine to be ready by Nov. 1, an aggressive goal that suggests availability just before the presidential election. Infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned of a potential surge in American cases from the coming long holiday weekend.

France reported that new cases are being added at the fastest weekly pace since the pandemic began, and new infections in Spain remained near a four-month high. Britain’s government made another U-turn after pressure from opponents, keeping local lockdown rules in place.

China hinted it may participate in the same World Health Organization-led global vaccine program that U.S. President Donald Trump said America wants no part of.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases surpass 25.7 million; deaths exceed 857,000
• Covid flares in new U.S. hot spots as Americans let guard down
• Biden lays out his plan to reopen U.S. schools
• Hunger is surging in the heart of the U.S. breadbasket
• Vaccine front-runner held back by China’s spat with Canada
• U.K. faces October cliff edge with end of wage and loan support

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 Hospitalizations Hover Near 10-Week Low (5:09 p.m. NY)

Texas hospitals counted 4,149 virus patients as of late Tuesday, little changed from a day earlier when they dipped to the lowest since June 23, according to state health department data.

The state reported 189 additional deaths, bringing the cumulative tally to 12,870. But data-collection and processing snags continued to cloud the real trajectory of the pandemic in the Lone Star state. For example, the Houston Health Department posted 18 “newly-reported deaths,” even though more than 60% of those fatalities occurred in July.

Statewide, daily deaths from the outbreak have been dropping since July 23, when they peaked at 262. That was less than half the almost 600 daily deaths New York City reported during the height of its Covid-19 crisis in April.

Texas reported 4,157 new cases, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 621,667.

Preakness Horse Race to Be Held Without Fans (4:30 p.m. NY)

The Preakness Stakes, part of U.S. horse racing’s Triple Crown, will be held in Maryland without fans on Oct. 3, the organizers said in a statement. Only essential racing personnel and horsemen will be allowed on site.

The Kentucky Derby is being held this weekend, also without fans. The other Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes, was run in June.

U.S. Cases Rise 0.5% (4 p.m. NY)

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. increased 0.5% as compared with the same time Tuesday to 6.09 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The increase was lower than the average daily gain of 0.7% over the past week. Deaths rose by 0.4% to 184,803.

• Florida reported 633,442 cases, up 0.4% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 0.6% in the previous seven days. Deaths reached 11,501, an increase of 127, or 1.1%.
• Arizona reported 519 new virus cases, a 0.3% increase to 202,861 that marked a slight increase from the prior seven-day average of 0.2%. The state recorded 21 new deaths, bringing the total to 5,065.
• Montana experienced a 2.4% increase in the number of cases from the same time yesterday, bringing the total to 7,691, according to the data compiled by Bloomberg News and Johns Hopkins.

CDC to States: Get Ready for Vaccine (4 p.m. NY)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has told states to prepare for a Covid-19 vaccine to be ready by Nov. 1 and asked them to remove obstacles that would prevent distribution sites from opening.

The CDC in early August told states to assume for planning that “limited doses” of a vaccine could be available in fall. The new Aug. 27 letter, first reported by the news organization McClatchy, sets the stage for a broader rollout. A CDC spokesman confirmed the contents of the letter.

The date suggests the federal government is preparing for a vaccine to become available just days before President Donald Trump stands for re-election Nov. 3, an aggressive goal that would depend on shots being tested and reviewed by then. Trump’s political future hinges on the response to the virus that has killed almost 185,000 Americans.

Illinois Adds Restrictions Near Missouri Border (3 p.m. NY)

Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker Wednesday ordered additional bars and restaurants to limit service in an effort to combat spread of the coronavirus, citing an increasing Covid-19 infection rate among residents living near the Missouri border.

Dallas Eases Some Limits for First Time Since May (2:40 p.m. NY)

Dallas is relaxing some restrictions for the first time since May as the virus threat level is lowered. The move, announced Wednesday by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, lifts prohibitions on activities such as indoor restaurant dining and bowling now that the threat level has dropped to “orange” from “red.”

Jenkins has been one of Texas’s most outspoken advocates of strict controls to combat the pandemic, a position that often put him at odds with Governor Greg Abbott. The governor signaled late Monday that he may announce a wind-down of some statewide restrictions as soon as next week.

California Infection Rate Lowest Since June (2:30 p.m. NY)

California reported 4,255 new infections, a 0.6% increase and less than the 14-day average of 5,230 daily cases. The rate of positive tests edged down to 5.1%, the lowest since June, from 5.3% the prior day. Hospitalizations also extended their decline, falling 2% to 3,773 patients, a 10-week low.

The state recorded 145 new deaths, greater than the daily average of 117 over the past two weeks, bringing its total fatalities from the virus to 13,163.

French New Cases Surging (2:10 p.m. NY)

France reported 7,017 Coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, raising the seven-day average increase to the highest since the outbreak began.

French authorities have taken extra steps to try to contain the acceleration in recent weeks, such as making mask-wearing obligatory in public in many towns, including Paris.

The country has also increased testing with over a million carried out in the last week. Between Aug. 24 and Aug. 30, 4.3% of tests were positive.

The number of hospitalizations related to Covid has risen slightly over the last week to 4,632. Another 57 people suffering from the virus were admitted to intensive care in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 446--the highest since July 21.

Art Basel Miami Beach Canceled (1:30 p.m. NY)

Art Basel Miami Beach, the largest contemporary art fair in the U.S., was canceled for this year, the latest blow to an already reeling industry.

MCH Group, which owns the brand and earlier had to cancel editions in Hong Kong and Basel, Switzerland, blamed the pandemic in a statement Wednesday. MCH, which is partly owned by billionaire media scion James Murdoch, cited limitations and uncertainty about the staging of large-scale events, international travel restrictions and quarantine regulations. The event was to have taken place in December.

Spanish Cases Near 4-Month High (1:25 p.m. NY)

Spanish Covid-19 cases detected in the past 24 hours jumped on Wednesday to 3,663, from 2,731 reported on Tuesday, the country’s Health Ministry said.

Madrid, with 1,362, and the Basque Country with 524, were the two regions with the most new cases. Wednesday’s total is close to the four-month-high total of 3,829 total reported on Aug. 28.

Infections have increased since mid-July, fueled by social gatherings and by teenagers and young adults failing to respect hygiene and distancing rules.

Dutch to Probe Tuberculosis Shot for Coronavirus (12:30 p.m NY)

As evidence grows that a century-old tuberculosis vaccine can protect against respiratory infections, the Netherlands will begin testing it on thousands of frail elderly people who are at elevated risk in the coronavirus pandemic.

Two new studies point to promising results for the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin shot, or BCG, against Covid-19, though research evaluating the vaccine’s direct potential against the new virus is months away from publishing results.

Arizona Cases Rise Slightly (12:30 p.m. NY)

Arizona on Wednesday reported 519 new virus cases, a 0.3% increase to 202,861 that marked a slight increase from the prior seven-day average of 0.2%. The state Department of Health Services recorded 21 new deaths, bringing the total to 5,065.

Florida Cases, Deaths Continue Easing (10:55 a.m. NY)

Florida reported 633,442 Covid-19 cases Wednesday, up 0.4% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 0.6% in the previous seven days. That’s a daily change of 2,402 new cases, according to the health department report, which includes data through Tuesday.

The seven-day rolling total of new cases was 24,720, up slightly from a two-month low earlier this week, but the historical data was affected by what the health department has characterized as a “dump” of stale cases in Tuesday’s report. The new daily rate of people testing positive for the first time fell to 5.6%, from 6.8% a day earlier.

Deaths among Florida residents reached 11,501, an increase of 127, or 1.1%, and the seven-day rolling total was 768, the lowest since July 19. Deaths often trail infections by weeks, and generally take even longer to be reflected in the data.

J&J Halts Flu Drug Work (10:30 a.m. NY)

Johnson & Johnson halted the development of a new flu drug after a study suggested it wouldn’t work, a sign of how difficult it is to create treatments for viral infections as the world races to contain Covid-19. The drug, pimodivir, was in the final stage of testing for patients with influenza A, the most common cause of the flu, when an interim look at the data showed it was unlikely to be better than standard care in helping hospitalized patients. The company stopped that trial and another in less-sick patients who weren’t hospitalized.

While J&J’s move doesn’t have any bearing on the fate of drugs and vaccines being developed for coronavirus, it highlights how hard it is to create new treatments, particularly for viral infections, and the risk of failure as the world counts on the pharmaceutical industry to help safely return it to normal life.

EU Official Says Swings Inevitable Without Vaccine (10 a.m. NY)

Andrea Ammon, director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, said swings in Covid-19 cases will continue as long as no vaccine exists and the extent of the current upsurge will depend on the “speed and thoroughness” of countermeasures. “There is still a small part of the population only that has been affected by the virus, meaning all the rest is still susceptible,” Ammon told a European Parliament committee on Wednesday.

Switzerland Considers Adding France to Quarantine List (9:20 a.m. NY)

The Swiss government hasn’t yet decided whether to place France on a list of risky countries requiring quarantines for travelers. Interior Minister Alain Berset said a decision could be made in a few days. Adding neighboring France to the list would make life difficult for Switzerland’s businesses and hospitals. Some 332,000 people commute across the border to work in Switzerland, with the biggest concentration in the Geneva region.

Ukraine Has Record Number of Daily Cases (9 a.m. NY)

Ukraine recorded a new daily record of 2,495 infections on Wednesday, led by cases in the capital Kyiv and in the Kharkiv region. That brings the total number to 125,798. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the government expects daily cases to reach 3,000 by the end of September.

Former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko wrote on her Facebook page that her condition has improved after almost two weeks of coronavirus infection “although it is far from complete recovery.”

Johnson Backs Down, Leaving U.K. Plan in Disarray (8:27 a.m. NY)

Boris Johnson’s government announced another U-turn on Wednesday, caving in to pressure from opponents and keeping local lockdown rules in place amid a rise in Covid-19 cases. The prime minister is pushing to get Britons back to work and school, and his team had decided restrictions imposed in some areas of northwest England should be eased.

But local politicians, including Greater Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, condemned the plan and warned infections were rising again. Five hours after Burnham intervened, U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the policy would be reversed.

China May Support Global Vaccine Program (7:22 a.m. NY)

China hinted on Wednesday it may participate in the same World Health Organization-led global vaccine program that U.S. President Donald Trump said America wants no part of. The Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or Covax, is designed to ensure all countries have equal opportunity to access appropriate, safe and effective vaccines, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a briefing Wednesday. “China’s purpose is highly consistent with Covax’s aim,” she said.

Fauci Warns Long Weekend Could Spur Infections (7:21 a.m. NY)

U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci says the upcoming Labor Day holiday on Sept. 7 may lead to a rise in U.S. coronavirus cases, as has been the case with other holidays earlier this summer.

Speaking on NBC’s Today show, Fauci said a surge may be avoided if people wear masks and avoid crowded places. College students should stay on campus, he said, as sending them back home would help spread the virus.

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