U.K. to Clamp Down on Bars; U.S. Cases Rise 0.6%: Virus Update

(Bloomberg) --

U.S. deaths related to Covid-19 approached 200,000. New Jersey’s transmission rate rose to the highest in six weeks, while Florida, Arizona and California showed more signs the outbreak is easing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed from its website guidance saying the virus can be transmitted by tiny particles that linger in the air, the latest in a series of episodes that raise questions about the independence of the country’s health agencies.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce new restrictions on bars and restaurants after his top scientific adviser warned of a surge in cases if urgent action isn’t taken. Germany’s health minister said the trend of cases is “worrying,” while Greece’s infections hit a daily high.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases top 31 million; deaths exceed 962,000
• Colleges become reservoirs of Covid ready to spill over
• Virtual UN is latest blow to New York City’s battered economy
• Fewer people are dying of Covid as doctors gain practice, drugs improve
• A rash of infections on trading floors threatens Wall Street’s return to work

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.

U.K. Bars and Restaurants Face Crackdown (5:40 p.m. NY)

Boris Johnson will announce new restrictions on bars and restaurants and appeal directly to Britons for their support as he seeks to halt a surge in coronavirus cases.

Hospitality venues across England will have to close by 10 p.m. and will be limited to table service only in measures to be announced Tuesday, the prime minister’s office said.

Johnson will consult with senior officials and the leaders of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales at a meeting of the so-called Cobra emergency committee in the morning before briefing Parliament on further curbs. He will then make a broadcast to the nation at 8 p.m.

India May Have Vaccine Next Year, Scientist Says (5 p.m. NY)

India may have a vaccine for the coronavirus ready by early 2021 but rolling it out safely across 1.3 billion people will be the country’s biggest challenge in fighting its epidemic, according to a leading scientist.

“By year-end we will have data that will tell us which vaccines are working and which ones are not going to do so well,” Gagandeep Kang, professor of microbiology at the Vellore-based Christian Medical College and a member of the WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, told Bloomberg. “If we get good results by year-end then we are looking at vaccines being potentially available in tiny numbers in first half of 2021 and larger numbers in the latter part.”

India currently has no local infrastructure in place to go beyond immunizing babies and pregnant women, said Kang, who until July was heading the Indian government committee looking into prospective indigenous vaccine candidates.

U.S. Cases Rise 0.6% (4 p.m. NY)

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. increased 0.6% as compared with the same time Sunday to 6.83 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The increase matched the average daily gain over the past week. Deaths rose by 0.1% to 199,660.

• Florida reported 685,439 Covid-19 cases Monday, up 0.2% from a day earlier, compared to an average 0.4% increase in the previous seven days. Deaths reached 13,317, an increase of 0.2%, or 21.
• Arizona on Monday reported 233 new cases, a 0.1% increase to 214,251 that was well below the prior seven-day average of 0.4%. The state recorded two new Covid-19 deaths, bringing the toll to 5,478.
• Wisconsin experienced a 9.6% increase in the number of cases from the same time yesterday, bringing the total to 106,570, according to the data from Johns Hopkins and Bloomberg News.

France Reports First Pause in 5 Weeks (2:35 p.m. NY)

France’s health authorities reported 5,298 new coronavirus cases on Monday, half of the number of new infections reported a day earlier. Disclosed daily cases have typically been lowest on Mondays in recent weeks because of a lull in reporting over the weekend. The seven-day rolling average, which smooths out reporting spikes, marked the first pause in five weeks, slipping to 10,116 after on Sunday rising above 10,000 for the first time.

California Tops 15,000 Deaths (2:30 p.m. NY)

California surpassed the grim milestone of 15,000 deaths from the virus, even as trends in its outbreak improve. There were 31 new fatalities Sunday, bringing the total to 15,018, according to state health data.

The state reported 3,294 new virus cases, roughly in line with the two-week average and less than half of what daily infections were a month ago. California’s average rate of positive tests over the past 14 days is at a record-low 3.1%, while hospitalizations have fallen to the lowest level since April.

N.J. Breaks 200,000 Cases; Rate Rises (2:10 p.m. NY)

New Jersey on Monday reported exceeding 200,000 novel coronavirus cases while its transmission rate, a key measurement, reached the highest in six weeks.

In the week leading up to Friday, the rate averaged 1.07. It now is 1.12, and, “It’s going to be there for a little bit,” Governor Phil Murphy predicted at a news conference. A measure above 1 indicates the virus is spreading. The New Jersey rate hasn’t been that high since Aug. 7, when it was 1.15.

Greece Cases Hit New Daily High (12:15 p.m. NY)

Greece reported 453 cases, a new daily high since the beginning of the pandemic in March.

But 184 of the cases are refugees that tested positive on the island of Lesvos. After a fire broke out in the refugee camp of Moria, they were allocated to a new camp and the government is testing each one who enters the new establishment. So far, more than 7,000 refugees have been tested and 243 were found positive.

The country’s total positive cases is now 15,595. The greater Athens area has the most cases at the moment and the government has taken further restrictive measures to contain the spread of the virus. It hasn’t excluded the possibility of a regional lockdown if things get worst.

Arizona, Florida Cases Keep Easing (11:30 a.m. NY)

Arizona on Monday reported 233 new virus cases, a 0.1% increase to 214,251 that was well below the prior seven-day average of 0.4%. The state Department of Health Services recorded two new Covid-19 deaths, bringing the toll to 5,478.

Florida reported 685,439 Covid-19 cases Monday, up 0.2% from a day earlier, compared with an average 0.4% increase in the previous seven days. That’s a daily change of 1,685 cases, the fewest since June 10, according to the health department report, which includes data through Sunday.

The new daily rate of people testing positive for the first time fell to 4.4% for Sunday, from 4.6% on Saturday. The rate has been under 5% for 10 consecutive days, the longest streak since the end of May.

Global Vaccine Initiative Expands (11:20 a.m. NY)

An $18 billion initiative to deploy a Covid-19 vaccine around the world is moving into the next phase, with 156 countries and regions joining the program.

The initial goal of the campaign, called Covax, is to have 2 billion vaccine doses available by the end of 2021. While China wasn’t among the countries having made a commitment in a statement released Monday, more agreements will be announced later.

The program is led by the World Health Organization; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The U.S. has said it won’t participate in the program.

Italy Readies to Test Travelers From Paris (9:05 a.m. N.Y. )

Italy will also test those traveling from other parts of France including Corsica, from Tuesday, in move announced by Health Minister Roberto Speranza . Earlier this month, the nation imposed mandatory tests for coronavirus on travelers arriving from Spain, Croatia, Malta and Greece after the number of new cases rose in the country.

Man Group, Schroders See Long-Term Shift to Remote Work (9 a.m. NY)

The heads of Man Group Plc and Schroders Plc say the shift to working from home will become the new normal. Man expects to have about 10% of employees back in the office next week unless the government imposes new restrictions on London, Chief Executive Officer Luke Ellis said on Monday. The world’s biggest publicly traded hedge fund firm won’t even try to have more than about 70% of staff working in the office on any given day.

At Schroders, about 20% of its employees are in the office now, and if that number rises to 50% in the future that would be “very positive,” CEO Peter Harrison said at the City Week event.

U.K. Adviser Warns of Potential for Rapid Spread (6:55 a.m. NY)

The U.K. government’s Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance said the rate of infections could reach around 50,000 by mid-October without curbs. England recorded 3,105 new cases on Sept. 15. Vallance said the warning “is not a prediction but it is a way of thinking about how quickly this can change.”

In Wales, four more counties in south Wales will go into lockdown from 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday, the BBC reported. Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the government’s so-called Cobra emergency committee Tuesday morning, which the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also attend.

“Cases are increasing, hospitalizations are following. Deaths unfortunately will follow that, and there’s the potential for this to move very fast,” Vallance said.

Iceland Closes Bars to Stop Rising Infections (6:30 a.m. NY)

Iceland’s Health Ministry ordered the closure of all pubs and nightclubs until Sept. 27. The decision comes after a number of infections were traced to pubs and karaoke bars in central Reykjavik. The nation registered 75 new cases on Friday, the highest since April 1.

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With assistance from Bloomberg