U.S. Cases Stabilizing; California Deaths Increase: Virus Update
Track the latest news developments on the Covid-19 pandemic here.
(Bloomberg) --
The U.S. added 59,202 new cases, a 1.2% rise that matches the average of the past seven days, and deaths increased by more than 1,000 for a fourth day. California’s daily death toll increased, while Arizona’s declined.
Germany’s transmission rate rose to the highest level in 10 days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a challenge as emerging rural hotspots in India contribute to one of the world’s fastest-growing outbreaks.
Chinese biotech company CanSino Biologics Inc. said it may test its coronavirus vaccine on pregnant women to study its ability to protect groups most vulnerable to Covid-19.
Key Developments
- Global Tracker: Global cases top 19.4 million; deaths pass 722,700
- Talks on U.S. virus relief falter as Trump executive action looms
- From Bourbon Street to food banks, signs of a slow U.S. recovery
- India confronts emerging rural hotspots
- New York City families brace for school reopening
- Track the race for vaccines that might end the coronavirus pandemic
- Chinese biotech company mulls testing vaccine for vulnerable groups
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.
South Africa Deaths Breach 10,000 (3:20 p.m. NY)
South Africa reported 301 more coronavirus deaths on Saturday, bringing the total to 10,210. There area 553,188 cases, the most in Africa and the fifth-most in the world, Ministry of Health data showed.
Romania Cases Pass 60,000 (3:08 p.m. NY)
Romania, which has the highest death toll in eastern Europe, reported the fourth consecutive day of more than 1,300 new cases, increasing the total to 60,623.
Amid the summer holiday season, the government has imposed restrictions in several counties and in Bucharest, the capital, including mandatory face masks in crowded outdoor places. Authorities have increased fines and police patrols at Black Sea resorts. Romania’s death toll stood at 2,659 on Saturday.
Trump Said Poised to Act on Pandemic Relief (2:48 p.m. NY)
President Donald Trump is expected to sign executive actions related to coronavirus economic relief on Saturday, a White House official said. He scheduled a news conference for 3:30 p.m. EDT.
Trump said Friday that if he can’t reach a deal with Democrats on stimulus legislation, he’s prepared to sign executive orders on jobless benefits, a payroll-tax “holiday,” protection against evictions and student-loan relief.
California Cases Above 14-Day Trend (2:15 p.m. NY)
California reported 7,371 new cases on Saturday, more than the 14-day average of 7,171, bringing the total to 545,787. Deaths rose by 178 to 10,189, compared with an increase of 142 during the previous 24-hour period, according to state data.
Spike in Ireland Cases (1:37 p.m. NY)
Ireland reported the most new cases since May 15, a day after the government tightened restrictions on movement in some parts of the country to control fresh virus outbreaks. There were 174 new cases with one death, the health ministry said in a statement. Of the cases, 118 are in the three counties where the government has reinstated a partial lockdown. Ireland has seen 26,644 cases so far, with 1,772 deaths.
College League Cuts Football Season (12:35 p.m. NY)
The Mid-American Conference announced it will cancel its fall season over Covid-19 concerns, making it the first league competing at college football’s highest level to make such a decision.
The conference intends to “provide competitive opportunities for the student-athletes” during the spring semester of 2021 and has begun formalizing the spring plan under consultation with medical experts. At this time, it has made no decisions regarding winter sports.
Arizona’s Infections Continue to Drop (12:15 p.m. NY)
Arizona reported 1,054 cases, a 0.6% increase compared with an average 0.9% in the previous seven days. The state has generally been improving over the last two weeks, with some health experts saying it may have turned a corner in its outbreak. Total cases are now 186,107.
Another 56 deaths were reported, compared with 78 the previous day. The positive test rate was 12.5% compared with 15.7% the day before.
Italy Cases Steady (11:45 a.m. NY)
Italy reported 347 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, near the average level for the week, with the exception of Friday when the cases reached 552 on an outbreak at a migrant reception center. Total cases reported since late February rose to 250,103.
Florida Cases, Deaths Rise (11:03 a.m. NY)
Florida added 8,502 cases, the most in a week, though testing had been largely shut down because of the storm Isaias. The 1.6% increase compared with an average 1.4% rise from the previous seven days. The state now had a total of 526,577 cases through Friday.
Deaths among residents rose to 182, an increase of two from the previous day. Total deaths among residents are 8,109.
Danish Crown Closes Slaughterhouse (10:40 a.m. NY)
Danish Crown, Europe’s biggest pork exporter, said it will close down a slaughterhouse for at least a week after a rise in the number of workers infected with Covid-19.
The facility in Ringsted, southwest of Copenhagen, registered another 22 cases on Saturday, brining the total to 142, Danish Crown said in a statement. Since registering the first case last week, the company has introduced extensive testing of the roughly 850 workers at the site, but the number of infections continued to rise.
U.K. New Cases Drop (10:40 a.m. NY)
U.K. coronavirus infections continue their downward path, with the country reporting 758 new cases from yesterday’s 871, according to data from the Department of Health and Social Care.
As the U.K. braced for a weekend of sizzling weather, with temperatures reaching records for the last 17 years, health authorities are warning sun seekers to stay cool but safe.
New York Cases, Deaths Steady (9:25 a.m. NY)
New York reported 703 virus cases, a 0.2% rise that’s in line with the average increase of the previous seven days. The state reported five more deaths, the same as the day before. Total hospitalizations in the state that had been the center of the U.S. outbreak remained low, at 573, according to a tweet from Governor Andrew Cuomo.
U.S. Cases Rise 1.2% (8 a.m. NY)
The U.S. added 59,202 new cases, a 1.2% rise equal to the average daily increase in the previous seven days, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Deaths rose by 1,256, the fourth consecutive day with more than 1,000, but fewer than the 1,842 reported the previous day.
The nation now has had a total of 4,941,635 cases and 161,347 deaths, the data show.
Danang Remains Vietnam’s Coastal Hotspot (7:37 a.m. in NY)
Vietnam reported 21 new infections, of which 20 cases are tied to the coastal city of Danang and one imported, according to the health ministry. The nation has confirmed 353 infections tied to the Danang July 25 outbreak, and has a total of 810 cases with 10 deaths.
CanSino May Test Vaccine on Pregnant Women (6:44 a.m. NY)
Tianjin-based CanSino Biologics Inc. said it may test its coronavirus vaccine on pregnant women to study its ability to protect groups most vulnerable to Covid-19. The Chinese company, which was the first in the world to start human testing of vaccines against the virus in March, “may include pregnant women and look at the shot’s ability to protect” young people in future trials, founder Yu Xuefeng said at a webinar hosted by Hillhouse Capital on Saturday.
Signs of Easing in Iran (6:05 a.m. NY)
Iran’s daily death toll fell to the lowest in six weeks at 132, with the number of new cases at a month-low of 2,125. Iran now has 18,264 fatalities from 324,692 infections.
India Battles Virus From Village to Village (5:50 a.m. NY)
The epidemic in India is now one of the world’s fastest growing, after passing the milestone of 2 million virus cases. Experts are worried infections will now rise exponentially in the world’s second-most populous country, especially in its under-prepared rural hinterland.
Belgium’s Rise in Infections Slows Slightly (5:11 a.m. NY)
Belgium’s authorities said on Saturday that 768 more people have been infected with coronavirus in the past 24 hours, versus 858 the day before. Five more deaths were reported, bringing the total number of fatalities to 9,866.
Russia reported 5,212 new coronavirus infections in the past day, bringing the total to 882,347. 129 more deaths were reported, bringing the total number of fatalities to 14,854.
Spain Shields Workers Suspended at Ryanair (5:04 a.m. NY)
Spain ordered Ryanair Holdings Plc to reinstate 194 workers it suspended due to the coronavirus crisis, El Pais reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Hong Kong Surpasses 4,000 Cases (5:10 p.m. HK)
Hong Kong reported 69 new cases, bringing the total above 4,000. Indonesia recorded 2,277 fresh infections, lifting its tally above 123,500.
Denmark Mulls More Stringent Mask Policy (4:50 p.m. HK)
Denmark is unlikely to go ahead with a planned reopening of nightclubs after the number of daily virus cases has jumped, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. Danes may also have to get used to wearing face masks more often. At the moment, the face coverings are only encouraged during rush hour in public transport.
German Infections Exceed 1,000 Again (3:35 p.m. HK)
Starting Saturday, Germany will implement mandatory tests for travelers returning from high-risk destinations. Germany’s reproduction factor -- or R value -- rose to 1.16 on Friday, the highest in 10 days, meaning 100 infected people are estimated to spread the disease to about 116 others.
Philippines ‘Has Resources’ to Endure Virus (2:44 p.m. HK)
The Asian country is ready for a “protracted” fight against the pandemic and its effects on the economy, which shrank by a record in the second quarter, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said.
The Philippines is in a recession after shrinking 16.5% in the second quarter. Rising infections pushed the government earlier this week to reinstate restrictions in the capital region and four neighboring provinces for two weeks.
Japan Picks Six Firms for Vaccine Program (2:06 p.m. HK)
AstraZeneca Plc, AnGes Inc., KM Biologics, Shionogi, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and Daiichi Sankyo Co. were selected in the first round, the health ministry said in a statement. The program aims to ensure a vaccine is swiftly distributed in Japan when it is available.
Separately, Shionogi and three Japanese universities signed a licensing pact in June aimed at mass-producing a test that would offer faster results than the current options. Shionogi received a 37.3 billion yen ($352 million) subsidy from the Japanese government to help develop a coronavirus vaccine. The company plans to be able to produce more than 30 million doses of the treatment by the end of 2021, according to the statement.
Australia’s Victoria Case Count Rises to 14,283 (9:44 a.m. HK)
Australia’s Victoria state reported 466 new cases of Covid-19 and 12 deaths, taking the cumulative number of infections to 14,283, with 7,808 of them active, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said in a briefing on Saturday. New South Wales, Australia’s largest state, had nine new cases in the 24 hours to 8 p.m. Friday.
While Australia enjoyed early success in flattening the curve of infections, Victoria is at the center of a renewed outbreak and is experiencing some of the strictest social-distancing measures in the western world.
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With assistance from Bloomberg