New York and New Jersey Cases at Highest Since May: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

New York and New Jersey reported the most new Covid-19 cases since May, while daily infections across the U.S. reached a record of more than 83,000. President Donald Trump blamed the surge on testing.

“The news from around the country is another reminder that while we have come a long way, this pandemic is not over and we must remain vigilant,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. New Jersey’s Phil Murphy extended a public health emergency for another month. Illinois had the most new cases since the pandemic began.

France reported a third straight day of record cases and its positive-test rate jumped by almost a full percentage point. Italian cabinet ministers, faced with anti-curfew protests, met into Saturday night to consider tighter restrictions.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases pass 42.4 million; deaths exceed 1.1 million
• Upper East Side gallery quietly opens as Covid estates rise
• Governments around Europe deploy curfews more widely
• Covid-19 deaths are increasing in the U.S. after months of decline
• A pre-election U.S. stimulus deal looks increasingly unlikely
• Australia considers reopening state borders by Christmas

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.

California Cases Retreat From Two-Month High (5 p.m. NY)

California, which trails just Texas and New York in fatalities, reported 49 new deaths, for a total of 17,311. It also added 5,945 new cases Saturday, after recording 6,141 on Friday, the biggest single-day jump in two months.

The Golden State has a total of 892,810 cases. The rate of positive tests is 2.9%, the highest in almost a month.

Texas, the state with the highest death toll after New York, added 81 new fatalities Saturday, bringing the total to 17,456. It also added 6,125 new cases, for a total of 858,071.

Ohio Reports Record as Trump Holds Rally (5:04 p.m. NY)

Ohio reported 2,858 a record new infections, marking the fifth consecutive day with more than 2,000 cases.

Governor Mike DeWine tweeted that 92.8% of people in Ohio live in counties with a “high” or “very high” rate of exposure and spread. “We pushed the coronavirus down before and we can do it again,” he wrote.

President Donald Trump held a rally Saturday in the crucial swing state 10 days before the election in Pickaway County, which has the state’s second highest infection rate per 100,000 residents.

Michigan Governor Warns of ‘Alarming Rise’ (4:26 p.m. NY)

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a target of President Donald Trump’s calls to end virus-related restrictions, warned of “an alarming rise” in infections as the state reported more than 3,300 new cases. That’s the most for a day since the pandemic began, the Detroit Free Press reported.

“If rates continue like this, we risk overwhelming our hospitals and having many more Michiganders die,” Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive and chief deputy for health, said in a statement.

N.Y. Surpasses 2,000 Cases, Second Time This Week (4:01 p.m. NY)

New York reported 2,061 new cases on Saturday, the second day this week with more than 2,000 and the most since May 20.

The state, which was an early center of the U.S. outbreak, is battling clusters of infection in New York City’s Brooklyn and Queens boroughs and upstate. Governor Andrew Cuomo said 511 cases were from those clusters and 1,550 from the rest of the state. Another 11 people died of virus-related causes.

New York’s hospitalizations rose to more than 1,000 for the second time this week, reaching levels last seen in June.

France Has Third Day of Record New Cases (2:55 p.m. NY)

France reported 45,422 new cases, the third consecutive day of record increases and a rise of more than 3,000 from the previous day.

The virus test positivity rate increased to 16% from 15.1% on Friday, according to France’s health agency.

New Jersey’s Cases Surge Most Since May (2:59 p.m. NY)

New Jersey reported its highest daily count since early May, when it was among the first and hardest hit in the U.S. outbreak. The state reported 1,909 cases, a 0.9% rise compared with an average 0.5% increase in the previous seven days. Total cases are 227,339.

Governor Phil Murphy extended a public health emergency for 30 days and issued an “urgent update” on Twitter. “We haven’t seen daily case numbers this high since May. We’re still in the midst of a pandemic and need everyone to take this seriously,” he said.

Illinois Reports Most Daily Cases Yet (2:36 p.m. NY)

Illinois shattered its record of daily virus cases, reporting 6,161 new infections Saturday compared with the last record set Thursday of 4,942.

The number came the day after the state put half its 102 counties on a “warning level” for the spread of the virus, and Chicago imposed a curfew for non-essential businesses from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Virus Milestones for Canada’s Biggest Provinces (1:07 p.m. NY)

Canada’s two biggest provinces continued to struggle to contain the pandemic. Ontario reported a record 978 new cases, two weeks after closing indoor businesses such as gyms and restaurants’ dining rooms in some cities. Cases approached 100,000 in Quebec, where almost two-thirds of the country’s virus-related deaths have occurred.

Greece Breaks Record Third Consecutive Day (12:22 p.m. NY)

Greece reported a record high of 935 new cases, bringing the total to 29,992. This week saw three consecutive daily records, prompting a night curfew in Athens and the second-largest city of Thessaloniki. The use of masks is now compulsory in both indoor and outdoor spaces in these areas.

U.K. New Cases Stay Above 20,000 (11:45 a.m. NY)

The U.K. reported 23,012 new cases, marking the fifth straight day with more than 20,000. About a quarter of the U.K.’s 854,010 cases have been reported in the past 10 days.

Schools for older children might have to be closed if cases continue to increase at the same rate, epidemiologist Neil Ferguson told the BBC on Saturday. Another 174 people died within 28 days of a positive test.

London police said anti-mask protesters at Oxford Street and New Scotland Yard are in breach of government guidelines on social distancing. Manchester police fined a man 10,000 pounds ($13,000) for holding a party attended by 50 people.

Italy Weighs More Curbs as Record Passed Again (11:41 a.m. NY)

Italy is considering its strongest restrictions yet since its national lockdown and could ask citizens not to leave their towns as cases continue to rise. New infections rose to 19,644 cases Saturday, again setting a record. Patients in intensive care units rose to 1,128.

The government is expected to approve further virus containment measures as soon as Sunday and is considering additional economic support even as the threat of tighter restrictions prompts protests.

Naples, Italy’s hardest-hit city, imposed a nighttime curfew on Thursday, which contributed to violent protests.

Trump Ramps Up Rallies, Bucking Health Guidelines (11:21 a.m. NY)

President Donald Trump is forging ahead with a breakneck pace of rallies in battleground states during the final days of his re-election campaign, defying public-health guidelines as a wave of new coronavirus cases smacks the U.S.

Trump will stage six rallies over the next three days in Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, North Carolina and New Hampshire as he rushes to make up ground on Democratic nominee Joe Biden. He’s expected to draw thousands of unmasked supporters to each one, running the risk of seeding new outbreaks.

Lumberton, North Carolina, will be Trump’s first stop on Saturday. It’s the seat of Robeson County, which has the third highest Covid-19 rate in the state per 100,000 residents. Pickaway County, Ohio, Trump’s second stop, has the state’s second highest infection rate per 100,000 residents.

Brussels Tightens Restrictions (10:32 a.m. NY)

Belgium’s capital district will impose stronger restrictions than those already in place nationally, widening the existing national curfew to require residents to stay inside from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Monday. In addition, all Brussels museums, theaters, cinemas, swimming pools, fitness clubs and other sport venues will have to shut down. Stores will be obliged to close their doors at 8 p.m., with an exception for takeaway services which are allowed until 10 p.m.

Portugal Passes Record Again (10:29 a.m. NY)

Portugal on Saturday reported the most new daily cases yet. The 3,669 new infections took the total to 116,109. The number of patients in intensive care rose by 23 to 221, below the peak of 271 reached in April.

U.S. Passes Record as Election Nears (8:06 a.m. NY)

U.S. daily cases topped 80,000 on Friday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Less than two weeks before election day and with early voting underway in much of the country, states in the Midwest and Upper West led the way in percentage increases during the latest 24-hour period. Deaths nationwide increased by 923, which compares with multiple consecutive days of more than 1,000 deaths during several weeks in July and August.

Austria Posts Record Cases for Fourth Day (7:52 a.m. NY)

Austria reported 3,614 new cases in the last 24 hours, the fourth record in as many days and twice as many as Wednesday. Hospitalizations and intensive care use both rose by more than 10% in a day. A quarter of the new positive results were in the capital Vienna. Tightened social distancing rules including a six-person limit for private gatherings and stricter rules for masks began at midnight.

Pakistan Reports Most Cases in Three Months (7:32 a.m. NY)

Pakistan reported 847 cases in the latest past 24 hour period, the highest in almost three months. The positivity rate has increased to 3% in the past five days after staying stable around 2% for more than a month.

Spain May Declare National Alert (6:19 a.m. NY)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is planning an extraordinary cabinet meeting on Sunday to declare a national state of alert, according to El Pais. That would allow the national government to impose greater restrictions on citizens’ movement after Sanchez’s government battled with Madrid regional authorities about limitations.

Merkel Says Germany Falling Behind on Tracking (5:24 a.m. NY)

Chancellor Angela Merkel said the pandemic has worsened in Germany, with regional health authorities increasingly unable to keep track of infection chains.

She pleaded with Germans to keep social contacts to a minimum.

“We’re not powerless against the virus,” Merkel said in her weekly podcast. “Our behavior determines how much and how quickly it spreads. What’s demanded of all of us at this time is to reduce contacts. To meet with far fewer people.”

Belgian Hospital Admissions Near First-Wave Peak (3:20 p.m. HK)

Belgium reported 585 new hospital admissions, the second-highest number on record. There are now 4,061 Covid-19 patients in Belgian hospitals, compared with a first-wave peak of 5,759 on April 6. Belgium’s 14-day incidence rate rose to 1,119 per 100,000 inhabitants, up from 1,013 per 100,000 the day before.

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With assistance from Bloomberg