U.S. Cases Rise 0.8%; Texas Hospitalizations Drop: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) -- New York City’s positive Covid-19 test rate fell to the lowest since the pandemic began in March. Florida and Texas, two of the U.S. states coping with a summer surge, also showed signs that their outbreaks are easing.

Greece and Ireland moved to tighten rules after a jump in coronavirus cases. The U.K. is looking at testing people for Covid-19 at airports, and Finland reinstated border controls.

Global virus infections topped 22 million, with the U.S., Brazil and India accounting for more than half the total. The death toll in Iran surpassed 20,000 while the UAE reported a jump in cases. France reported its biggest spike in new cases since early May.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Global cases exceed 22 million; deaths pass 783,000
• Mystery grows over whether virus spreads through food packaging
• South Africa struggles to contain virus as economy crumbles
• Europe’s August has turned into a month of travel anguish
• Virus rages in South America with governments grasping for clues
• Flu season is test run for U.S. Covid-19 vaccine campaign
• Vaccine Tracker: Where we are in the race for Covid-19 protection

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.

Puerto Rico Orders New Containment Measures (5:58 p.m. NY)

Facing a spike in Covid-19 cases, Puerto Rico is clamping down again, closing beaches, bars, gyms, theaters and casinos through Sept. 11 and putting strict new controls in place for other establishments.

Governor Wanda Vazquez announced the new rules, which will take effect Saturday, in a national address Wednesday night.

Under the regulations, all businesses except grocery stores, pharmacies and hospitals will be closed on Sundays, and all residents are being asked to stay home on Sundays unless it’s an emergency.

Shops and restaurants must enforce the use of masks and hand-washing, in addition to operating at capacities of 25% or less. Team sports are prohibited and all beaches will remain closed except to people engaged in individual exercise.

The U.S. commonwealth of 3.2 million people took some of the strictest controls of any U.S. jurisdiction early on in the pandemic, but has seen infections and deaths steadily rise at is has opened up its economy. The island has 27,934 confirmed and suspected cases of the coronavirus and 356 deaths due to Covid-19, according to Health Department figures.

Texas Hospitalizations at Lowest Since June (5:50 p.m. NY)

Texas reported the lowest number of Covid-19 hospitalizations since late June, according to state health department figures.

Hospitals in the second-biggest U.S. state had 5,974 virus patients as of late Tuesday, the fewest since June 29. The strain on medical infrastructure continued to ease even as new cases increased by 7,024 to bring the cumulative total to 557,256.

The uproar over data and coding glitches that have undermined confidence in the state’s case, fatality and positivity tallies intensified. The top-ranking county official in a suburban Dallas region that includes towns like Plano and McKinney warned residents the numbers “continue to be plagued by mistakes and errors.”

“The Commissioners Court is 100% certain that the COVID-19 data being reported for Collin County is inaccurate,” Collin County Judge Chris Hill wrote on Facebook. “Warning: Collin County is providing COVID-19 numbers and data as a convenience to our residents. However, because we have been made aware of inaccuracies in the Department of State Health Services’ reporting, we must advise residents that Collin County has no confidence in the data currently being provided to us.”

U.S. Cases Rise 0.8% for Third Day (4 p.m. NY)

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. increased 0.8% as compared with the same time Tuesday to 5.51 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. It was the third straight day that cases rose by 0.8%, which was lower than the average daily gain of 0.9% over the past week. Deaths also rose by 0.8%, to 172,511.

• Florida reported 584,047 cases, up 0.7% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 1% in the previous seven days. Deaths reached 9,932, an increase of 174, or 1.8%.
• Arizona reported 105 new deaths from Covid-19, the highest daily tally in a week, bringing the toll to 4,634. The state reported 637 new virus cases -- an increase of 0.3%, below the prior seven-day average of 0.5% -- bringing the total to 195,557.
• Nebraska experienced a 4.1% increase in the number of cases, bringing the total to 31,822, according to the data from Johns Hopkins and Bloomberg News.

Louisiana Plan Would Limit Absentee Ballots (4 p.m. NY)

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards rejected plans for the Nov. 3 and Dec. 5 elections that would roll back some of the expansions the state made for its rescheduled summer primaries.

Only people who test positive for Covid-19 “during and after early voting but before Election Day” would be able to request absentee ballots under Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s plan. State law already allows people 65 or older, people temporarily out of state, or students attending school out of state access to absentee ballots.

“We can do better,” said Edwards, a Democrat, adding that people shouldn’t have to risk their health in order to vote. The proposal requires the support of both the governor and the legislature.

For the state’s primary elections in July and August, absentee voting was extended temporarily to people with serious underlying medical conditions, people ordered to quarantine because of Covid-19, people with symptoms or awaiting test results, and people caring for others quarantined because of the virus.

The plan proposed by Ardoin, a Republican, would add three additional days of early voting and extend the hours for early voting. And it would allow parishes to offer curbside dropoff for absentee ballots after early voting ends. After the primaries, “one of our key takeaways was that even during a pandemic, Louisiana voters prefer to vote in person,” Ardoin said.

France Has Most New Cases Since May (2:40 p.m. NY)

France reported its biggest increase in new coronavirus cases since early May, before the country emerged from an almost two-month lockdown.

New infections totaled 3,776 over the past 24 hours, the government’s health office reported Wednesday, the largest daily jump since May 6. Deaths increased by 17 to 30,468.

France, along with neighbors including Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, has been grappling with a resurgence in cases over the past few weeks, even as the number of fatalities remains well below the levels seen during the peak of the pandemic in March and April.

California’s New Cases Rise 1% (2:35 p.m. NY)

California reported 6,164 new virus cases, a 1% increase and less than its two-week daily average of 8,151. The state recorded 181 additional deaths, bringing its total to 11,523.

Hospitalizations fell by 0.1% to 5,058 patients. The 14-day rate of positive tests inched up to 6.6% from 6.5%.

Ryanair Says Bookings ‘Collapsing’ (1:10 p.m. NY)

Ryanair’s Irish bookings are “collapsing” due to the country’s requirement for travelers to self isolate for 14 days on arrival, Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary said. Europe’s biggest discount carrier may need to cut more staff in Ireland as bookings are “certainly down 50%” for September and October, he told RTE radio. Ireland saw 54 new virus cases Wednesday, a day after the government tightened restrictions in an effort to contain a renewed spread of the virus. Two more Covid-19 patients died.

NYC Teachers Union Demands Testing (11:55 a.m. NY)

All New York City public school students and staff should be tested in the 10 days before the system reopens in September, the city’s teacher’s union demanded Wednesday.United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said his members still lack confidence that

the reopening of the largest U.S. school system can go forward without preventing a new wave of Covid-19, which forced the city’s 1,800 schools to shut in March. The schools are scheduled to reopen with a “blended schedule” that combines remote online instruction with in-school learning in classes of no more than 10 students, one to three days a week.

At a news briefing Wednesday, Mulgrew called for all 1.1 million students and school staffs to get tests for Covid-19 or an antibody test within 10 days of the schools’ Sept. 10 opening date.

Arizona Sees Spike in Deaths (11:42 a.m. NY)

Arizona on Wednesday reported 105 new deaths from Covid-19, the highest daily tally in a week, bringing the toll to 4,634. But the state’s positivity rate of 8.8% dropped by almost half from Tuesday’s rate of 16.4%.

The state Department of Health Services reported 637 new virus cases -- an increase of 0.3%, below the prior seven-day average of 0.5% -- bringing the total to 195,557.

Spain Cases Jump to Highest Since April (11:40 a.m. NY)

Daily new cases of coronavirus in Spain jump to highest since late April, with 3,715, according to data for Health Ministry published Wednesday.

The Madrid region recorded the biggest surge, with 1,535 new cases in the past day, according to the data. The ministry said 131 deaths were recorded in past seven days.

Florida Rate Drops to Lowest Since June (11 a.m. NY)

Florida reported 584,047 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, up 0.7% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 1% in the previous seven days.
The new daily rate of people testing positive for the first time fell to 7.1% for Tuesday, the lowest since June 14. The state has reported 33,146 new cases in the past seven days, the fewest in a comparable period since late June.

Deaths among Florida residents reached 9,932, an increase of 174, or 1.8%, according to the health department report, which includes data through Tuesday. Although cases and hospitalizations have been slowing in Florida, the state continues to report more than 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths a week. Deaths often trail infections by weeks, and generally take even longer to be reflected in the data.

NYC Positive Rate Hits Pandemic Low (10:55 a.m. NY)

New York City’s positive test rate for the Covid-19 has fallen to its lowest since the pandemic crisis first hit, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

After more than two months of experiencing positive test rates of less than 3%, the city recorded a 0.24% test rate this week, the mayor reported during a news briefing Wednesday. Of 64 patients who were hospitalized with respiratory symptoms, only 8.7% were found to be infected with the Covid-19 virus, the mayor said.

“We are one of the safest places in the country when it comes to the coronavirus,” de Blasio said. “The economy is starting to come back, but we have a long way to go.”

Finland’s Prime Minister Tests Negative for Covid-19 (9:30 a.m. NY)

Sanna Marin, the 34-year-old premier, said on Twitter she was still experiencing the mild respiratory symptoms that started on Tuesday and that she would continue to work remotely for the time being.

German Institute Sees Vaccinations in Early 2021 (9:00 a.m. NY)

If data from trials show a vaccine is effective and safe, initial doses could be approved for use in early 2021, possibly under certain conditions, according to the head of Germany’s Paul Ehrlich Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines.

“Based on assurances given by manufacturers, the first doses for consumers in Germany will be available at that time,” Klaus Cichutek, the institute’s president, was quoted as saying by the Funke media group.

French City to Require Mask-Wearing (8:25 a.m. NY)

Local authorities in Toulouse, France, will require mask-wearing throughout the city starting on Aug. 21 as Covid-19 infections increase, Agence France-Presse reported on Wednesday. Toulouse, located in the south of the country, is the first large French city to take such a measure.

Greece Tightens Rules After Record Cases (6:27 a.m. NY)

People will have to wear masks both indoors and outdoors on the island of Mykonos and in the northern region of Chalkidiki, the Greek government said. The authorities also decided to suspend any kind of events and prohibit gatherings of more than nine people in the two tourist areas.

The measures come after Greece reported 269 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, a record since the beginning of the pandemic.

UAE Sees Resurgence in Cases (6:20 a.m. NY)

The United Arab Emirates is seeing a jump in new cases and the government blamed the increase on social gatherings and the failure to adhere to precautionary measures. The country reported 435 new infections on Wednesday, the highest daily increase in over a month.

The Gulf nation has increased testing, eased restrictions and airlines such as Emirates and Etihad have started to connect with more destinations. Dubai started allowing tourists back in early July.

Iranian Students Sit Exams in Stadiums (6:04 a.m. NY)

Some 113,000 students participated in the country’s annual university entrance exam on Wednesday. To observe social distancing protocols, authorities have resorted to using dozens of stadiums and religious sites with large, open spaces to accommodate nearly 1.4 million students in total who will sit the exams over the next three days.

The number of the deaths from coronavirus rose above 20,000 overnight after another 153 fatalities were reported. Iran had a daily average of 162 deaths and 2,368 new cases over the last seven days.

Hong Kong Cases Drop to Pre-Surge Level (5:49 a.m. NY)

Hong Kong reported the lowest number of new coronavirus infections since an outbreak that started last month turned into its worst ever. The numbers reinforced hopes that stringent city-wide containment measures can be eased.

The city has also seen a decline in the share of cases with unknown origins over the past week, signaling that untraceable infections are dwindling. The Asian financial hub reported 23 new local virus cases on Wednesday, of which only eight had untraceable origins.

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